Mingdu was divided into an inner ring, a middle ring, and an outer ring.
The inner ring mainly housed the Federation's administrative hall, court, parliament building, General Security Administration, and so on.
It had a powerful army of patrol mechas and large numbers of high-ranking Soul Masters.
The middle ring mainly housed the Federal Research Institute, soul tool research institutes, and the residences of high-ranking Soul Masters.
The largest ring, the outer ring, was where people actually lived, with large numbers of apartment buildings and office towers, shopping streets, underground black markets, and so on.
The instant Long Xiaoyao escaped the court, an army of Federation-standard mechas immediately took to the air in pursuit.
At the same time, countless soul detectors locked onto Long Xiaoyao and Ye Zhaolu.
However, Long Xiaoyao was burning his origin to temporarily raise himself to the Quasi-God level, moving so fast that even the most sensitive soul detectors could not keep up.
However,
Long Xiaoyao did not vainly attempt to charge straight out of Mingdu in plain sight. Instead, after flying rapidly to the outer ring, he plunged toward the ground and slipped into the densely packed residential neighborhoods and shopping streets.
Holding Ye Zhaolu in one arm, Long Xiaoyao hid in an underground black market and set her down, his gaze grave.
"Zhaolu, are you all right?"
Long Xiaoyao immediately checked Ye Zhaolu's body and discovered that she was covered in injuries, with chains piercing all four limbs.
He chopped down with one hand, instantly severing the soul tool chains binding Ye Zhaolu, then pulled them out in a flash.
"I'm fine."
Ye Zhaolu pressed her lips together and shook her head.
"Damn it!"
After examining Ye Zhaolu's body, Long Xiaoyao's heart ached.
The Soul Core inside Ye Zhaolu had already shattered, and all her cultivation was gone.
There was also a massive wound across her chest and abdomen from his own Dark Dragon Claw just now. Although Long Xiaoyao had deliberately avoided her vital points, that strike had still left Ye Zhaolu considerably weaker.
At this moment, Ye Zhaolu was actually no different from an ordinary person. Looking at the wounds all over her, Long Xiaoyao could practically imagine how much torture Cai Yue'er had subjected her to over the past three days.
"That scum Cai Yue'er still died too easily! If I'd known, I would've grabbed her and tortured her to death!"
Ye Zhaolu shook her head and wrapped her arms around Long Xiaoyao's neck.
"It's over now, Xiaoyao. I can still use my Bright Phoenix Martial Soul. My injuries and cultivation can all recover."
Only then did Long Xiaoyao breathe a sigh of relief.
Right, he had forgotten.
The Bright Phoenix still had a move called Phoenix Nirvana.
Ye Zhaolu said gently,
"Let's hurry and leave first. These shackles on me have a tracking function. This place isn't safe anymore."
Long Xiaoyao nodded.
Then,
Carrying her on his back, Long Xiaoyao turned left and right in succession, weaving through the complex underground passages.
Thanks to his familiarity with Mingdu's surroundings, Long Xiaoyao was moving practically every moment, and searching for him in these underground passages would be no easy task for the Federation's troops.
After roughly half a day of nonstop flight, the sky had gone completely dark.
Long Xiaoyao hid in a sewer. He carefully set Ye Zhaolu down before finally crouching against the wall to rest.
Ye Zhaolu frowned. She noticed Long Xiaoyao's presence weakening madly. He had actually fallen from Limit Douluo to below even an ordinary Titled Douluo!
Moreover, Long Xiaoyao was drenched in sweat, and his lips had lost their color.
Long Xiaoyao forced a smile.
"Don't worry about me. It's just the aftereffects of burning my origin. I'll recover after a couple of days' rest."
"I'm sorry."
Ye Zhaolu threw her arms around him, unable to stop her eyes from reddening.
She knew that, after burning his origin like this, even if Long Xiaoyao recovered his rank later, he would never again have any chance of breaking through beyond Limit Douluo in this lifetime!
After all,
Just a few days ago, Long Xiaoyao had been telling her that he would become the master of the War God Temple and defeat Yun Ming.
But now, none of that was possible anymore.
They did not even know whether they could leave Mingdu alive!
"I'm sorry. Ruining your whole life in our past life wasn't enough, and now I've dragged you down again in this life. I'm sorry..."
"That's not true."
Long Xiaoyao did not know how to comfort her either, so he could only gently pat Ye Zhaolu's shoulder.
"It's just Limit Douluo. I already had my fun with that in my past life. Playing in low-level matches and stomping noobs in this life isn't bad either."
"Let me make a call first. Now that things have come to this, we have to find a way to leave Mingdu alive."
Long Xiaoyao took out a communicator, which he had swiped off someone while fleeing during the day.
Ye Zhaolu wiped her eyes, puzzled.
"A call? At a time like this, who else could help us?"
"I'm not sure either, but without that kid, I might never have believed I was Long Xiaoyao reincarnated in this lifetime. At a time like this, he might be the only one willing to help us."
Long Xiaoyao gave a bitter smile.
Ye Zhaolu was shocked. After all, she had recalled her past-life memories entirely on her own. From what Long Xiaoyao was saying, could someone besides the two of them know that they were reincarnations of people from ten thousand years ago?!
The call connected,
But before Long Xiaoyao could say anything, it was promptly disconnected.
"Huh? This..."
Long Xiaoyao froze. "Did that kid think I was a telemarketer or scammer and hang up on me?!"
Helpless, Long Xiaoyao could only prepare to call again.
But soon, a call came in from an unfamiliar number.
Long Xiaoyao answered, and Li Chen's voice came through.
"The moment I got a call from an unfamiliar number, I knew it was you, Brother Long. I just switched communicators because I was worried the Federation might trace you through my own communicator."
"Heh, looks like you already know, kid."
Long Xiaoyao spoke with a smile. That kid Li Chen was pretty sharp.
"Brother Long, you killed Cai Yue'er! All of Mingdu has blown up over it! Yun Ming and Ya Li have both come. How could I not know?"
Long Xiaoyao's heart sank.
Yun Ming was here too?
Bad...
Chen Xinjie alone was already a headache. If Yun Ming had come too, Long Xiaoyao had no confidence whatsoever in escaping alive from two Quasi-Gods.
"Is that so? Looks like the odds really are against us this time."
Long Xiaoyao spoke heavily.
"It hasn't come to that. Brother Long, I repaired Sister Ye's assistant's miniature video recorder. I've already obtained the truth behind Sister Ye revealing a dark Martial Soul."
Long Xiaoyao was puzzled. "What? What good does that do?"
"It does plenty! Brother Long, you can't even imagine what Sister Ye invented! Her Martial Soul Reshaping Surgery can actually change a Soul Master's Martial Soul!"
On the other end, Li Chen walked along the street toward the Federation Court, covering his communicator.
"I'm telling you, Brother Long, I'm submitting this evidence to my dad right now... oh, to the Federation's parliamentary speaker. Then I'll have my dad immediately order the court to overturn Cai Yue'er's findings and retry the case!"
"Once that happens, not only will you and Sister Ye no longer be fugitives, you'll be heroes who resisted Shrek's corrupt law enforcement!"
Long Xiaoyao's eyes widened after hearing this.
"What? I'm a fucking hero?"
Hearing this, Ye Zhaolu also looked pleasantly surprised.
She had originally thought Cai Yue'er had probably destroyed all the evidence. She had never expected Li Chen to find the video recorder belonging to her assistant and close friend!
"Of course you're a hero!"
Li Chen walked through the court's main entrance. "Cai Yue'er abused her law enforcement authority and slandered Comrade Ye Zhaolu, who made a major contribution to the Federation. She absolutely deserved to die!"
"Moreover, I can reasonably speculate that she most likely brought those two Dark Heavenly Kings here too."
"Don't worry. The Federation will soon shift the focus of the manhunt to those two Dark Heavenly Kings. Once they're caught, an interrogation will tell us who let them in."
"When that happens, the ones who really need to worry about whether they can get out unscathed won't be you two, but Shrek!"
After saying this, Li Chen added a reminder. "But stay hidden for now and don't come out. Otherwise, I'm afraid that biased bastard Chen Xinjie might do something to you. Just wait for my message."
With that,
Li Chen ended the call.
After hearing all this, Long Xiaoyao smiled. He held Ye Zhaolu in his arms and leaned against the wall, finally breathing a sigh of relief.
At the Federation Court,
Li Chen walked into the conference room with the recording.
Long Yeyue, his father Li Yuntian, Yun Ming, Ya Li, and other high-ranking figures were all there at that moment.
The entire conference room was wreathed in smoke. It looked as though a fierce argument had already erupted inside.
"Li Chen? Why are you here? Go back!"
Li Yuntian was shocked the moment he saw his son. Mingdu was in utter chaos right now, and he could not even get away himself. His instinct was to tell his son to hurry home.
"Dad, seniors, I have a major lead to report!"
Li Chen raised his communicator.
Long Yeyue instantly looked at him.
"What? What lead do you have, child? Have you discovered Long Xiaoyao's whereabouts?"
"No! I want to report that Your Eminence Silver Moon, Cai Yue'er, abused her law enforcement authority and privately fabricated evidence to slander Ye Zhaolu!"
The moment those words rang out,
Every gaze in the conference room turned toward him.
Long Yeyue's expression instantly changed drastically.
"Y-you, what did you say?!"