The Puppet Sect's temporary headquarters in the imperial city.
Yue Chenzhou sat cross-legged in a Spirit-Gathering Array. His chest wound had scabbed over, but his face was still pale.
In the battle at the Jingyuan Hall, his battle puppet was shattered by Chu Yunfei's sword, and he himself was also severely injured by the Sword Qi.
If it weren't for the precious healing pills brought by the sect, he probably wouldn't be able to get out of bed right now.
The door was suddenly pushed open.
Han Kui and the elder who had accompanied Yue Chenzhou to the Jingyuan Hall entered one after the other.
"Holy Son, we have news of Chu Yunfei."
As soon as Han Kui opened his mouth, Yue Chenzhou suddenly opened his eyes.
"What news?"
"Just half an hour ago, he left the palace alone, and now he should be planning to leave the city through the east gate."
A sinister smile appeared on Han Kui's gaunt face.
"My men saw it with their own eyes; there is no mistake."
The Yin energy around Yue Chenzhou surged violently.
Where is Shen Qianyue?
"No one followed."
Han Kui stated confidently, "I have already sent two groups of people to investigate from different directions, and there is absolutely no trace of royal presence in the vicinity."
Yue Chenzhou slowly stood up.
The wound in his chest was aggravated by spiritual energy, causing a dull ache. However, this pain did not calm him down; instead, it intensified the killing intent in his eyes.
"He chooses the path to hell when heaven is there!"
Yue Chenzhou raised his hand and put away the Spirit-Gathering Array.
"Prepare the war puppet; I, the Holy Son, will personally take his life!"
"No, Your Majesty."
The elder who had remained silent until now Qi Yuanshan, stepped forward and blocked Yue Chenzhou's path.
" Chu Yunfei's departure from the city at this time is somewhat unusual."
"Moreover, he is, after all, the son-in-law of the Great Qian Dynasty. If this is a scheme set up by the royal family, and the Holy Son personally intervenes, the sect will be in a very passive position if it is exposed."
Yue Chenzhou's eyes were cold and sinister.
"Are we just going to watch him leave?"
"Of course not."
Han Kui stepped forward and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Your Highness, leave this matter to me."
"I already had a feud with that kid at the auction, so it's most appropriate for me to make the move."
He grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth.
"Moreover, he's just a junior at the Heavenly Origin Realm."
"Even if they have some tricks up their sleeves, what kind of trouble can they cause in front of a true Divine Sea Realm expert?"
Qi Yuanshan's brows remained furrowed.
"Would the royal family really allow the prince consort to leave the palace alone?"
" Ling Xueyao values him highly; this matter is far too suspicious."
Han Kui sneered.
"Elder Qi is being far too cautious."
"I am certain that he left the palace without any members of the royal family. His departure at this time is most likely for training or to handle other matters."
He paused, a hint of mockery creeping into his voice.
"He probably never imagined we would dare kill him outside the capital."
Yue Chenzhou stared at Han Kui for several breaths.
Although he wished he could tear Chu Yunfei to pieces with his own hands, he also knew that Qi Yuanshan's concerns were not without reason.
As the Holy Son of the Puppet Sect, his every move is under the scrutiny of all parties.
Han Kui was merely a sect elder; even if a problem arose, it wouldn't immediately put the Puppet Sect in a passive position.
"Good."
Yue Chenzhou finally suppressed his aura.
"This matter will be entrusted to Elder Han."
He raised his head, his eyes flashing with a cold light.
"Bring his head back!"
Han Kui grinned maliciously and clasped his hands in a fist salute.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty."
"Within an hour, Chu Yunfei's head will be placed before you."
After saying that, he turned and walked out of the room, his figure disappearing silently into the night.
Qi Yuanshan gazed in the direction he had left, the doubt in his eyes still lingering.
"Holy Son, Chu Yunfei doesn't seem like a reckless person."
"He knew that both factions wanted to kill him, yet he still dared to leave the city alone at this time; he probably has other plans."
Yue Chenzhou gave him a cold look.
" Elder Han has been at the Divine Sea Realm Fourth Level for many years, and now he also possesses a poisonous corpse battle puppet at the Divine Sea Realm Third Level."
"Elder Qi, do you think he will lose?"
Qi Yuanshan shook his head.
"No matter how strong Chu Yunfei is, he can't possibly cross the insurmountable barrier of the Divine Sea Realm."
"But I always feel uneasy."
Yue Chenzhou scoffed.
"Faced with absolute power, any scheming is a joke."
"If Chu Yunfei continues to stay in the palace, Elder Han really can't do anything to him."
"But since he's already out of the city, he's practically a dead man."
Half an hour later.
It lies a hundred li to the east of the imperial city.
As night deepened, the moonlight was obscured by thick, dark clouds, and only the mournful sound of the wind could be heard in the desolate mountains.
Chu Yunfei walked slowly along the mountain path.
The ordinary scouts behind them had vanished, replaced by two powerful auras.
They were on the left and right, separated by hundreds of feet.
Both sides had clearly sensed each other's presence, but did not immediately take action, instead tacitly blocking the possible escape routes for Chu Yunfei.
Within his sea of consciousness, Xiaoxiao Dragon laughed, "One from the Cangyun Sect, and one from the Puppet Sect."
"It seems you're even more effective as bait than I expected."
Chu Yunfei remained calm.
"Unfortunately, only two showed up."
You still think it's not enough?
Xiaoxiao Dragon said irritably, "The one on the left Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer, and the one on the right Divine Sea Realm Fourth Level."
"If a real fight breaks out, your Great Heaven-Burning Art, whose effectiveness is unknown, might not be enough to handle it easily. Not to mention that a Saint-level secret technique can only be maintained for a few dozen breaths. If you make the slightest mistake, it won't be them who are refined today, but you."
Chu Yunfei did not stop walking.
"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."
You'd better actually have it.
Xiaoxiao Dragon gave a soft snort.
"That guy at the Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer isn't much weaker than Shen Qianyue. You'd better not get caught off guard."
Chu Yunfei did not answer.
He walked to a blue stone, suddenly stopped, put his hands behind his back, as if he just wanted to take in the night view of the desolate mountain by the moonlight.
The two auras behind them also stopped.
A murderous intent slowly seeped into the darkness.
The mountain wind grew colder.
A dozen or so breaths passed, and the two still hadn't shown up.
Clearly, they were both waiting for the other to make the first move and test the waters.
Xiaoxiao Dragon couldn't help but sneer, "These two old guys are quite cautious; they both want someone else to test your strengths first."
Chu Yunfei was losing patience.
He didn't turn around, but his voice carried all around.
"You two have been following me for so long, aren't you planning to come out and die?"
The desolate mountains suddenly fell silent.
The next moment, two powerful auras of the Divine Sea Realm erupted simultaneously!
boom!
The forest on the left shook violently, and large leaves fell from the trees.
A figure in azure blue stepped through the air and landed on a boulder not far away.
The newcomer stood with his hands behind his back, his expression indifferent; he was none other than Chen Xuanhai, an elder of the Cangyun Sect.
From the shadows on the right came a hoarse, cold laugh.
Han Kui stepped out.
His face was gaunt, his knuckles were thick, and the black puppet pattern on his cuffs was faintly visible in the night. His sinister eyes were already fixed on Chu Yunfei.
Two oppressive forces approached simultaneously from the left and right.
The pebbles on the ground sank into the mud one after another, the withered branches broke off one by one, and even the mountain winds around seemed to be suppressed.
Chu Yunfei's robes fluttered in the wind, but he didn't take a single step back.
A hint of surprise flashed in Chen Xuanhai's eyes.
"You do have some guts."
"Knowing we're following them, they still dare to stop and wait to die."
Han Kui chuckled sinisterly.
"In the Pill Pavilion, I only allowed you to live a few more days out of respect for the royal family."
"Now that we're in this desolate wilderness, I'll see who can protect you!"
Chu Yunfei never looked at him.
This disregard caused Han Kui's face to darken completely.
"Even when death is imminent, you still dare to pretend?"
" Chu Yunfei, hand over your storage ring, then kneel down and kowtow three times to this old man. If I'm in a good mood, I might grant you a quick death."
Chen Xuanhai frowned slightly.
" Han Kui, I must bring this man back to the Cangyun Sect."
Han Kui turned his head and said coldly, " Chen Xuanhai, he publicly humiliated me at the auction and severely injured my sect's holy son. You just want to take him away like that? You're showing far too little respect for the Puppet Sect."
Before the two even made a move, they had already begun to decide Chu Yunfei's fate.
It seemed that in their eyes, Chu Yunfei was already a corpse to be disposed of at will.
Chen Xuanhai remained silent for a moment, his voice cold and hard.
"He killed a true disciple of my Cangyun Sect and severed the arm of my sect's holy son. This person must be dealt with by the Cangyun Sect."
"As for his storage ring, you can keep it."
Han Kui narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and then nodded.
"Can."
"However, the sword he carries will also belong to me."
Chen Xuanhai did not respond.
He had long recognized the extraordinary nature of the sword at Chu Yunfei's waist.
More importantly, Chu Yunfei defeated two sects' holy sons with only the Sixth Level of the Heavenly Origin Realm, so he must be hiding an astonishing secret. No one can guarantee that this secret is not hidden in that sword.
A storage ring can be used, but a sword cannot.
Chu Yunfei looked at the two of them and finally spoke, "The person isn't even dead yet, and you're already dividing up the spoils?"
Chen Xuanhai looked at him coldly.
"In my presence, what difference is there between you and a dead man?"
" Chu Yunfei, don't expect Shen Qianyue to come to your rescue. We've already confirmed that there are no royal experts within a radius of dozens of miles."
He slowly raised his right hand.
Spiritual power surged from his body, and the might of the Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer transformed into heavy pressure, causing the surrounding air to freeze instantly.
"If you know what's good for you, seal your dantian and return to the Cangyun Sect with me."
"At least, I'll suffer less physical pain."
Chu Yunfei ignored his threat.
He simply raised his eyes and calmly sized up Chen Xuanhai.
from head to foot.
The gaze seemed less like that of someone facing a formidable enemy about to make a move and more like that of someone assessing a piece of merchandise that had just been delivered to them.
Chen Xuanhai's expression finally turned ugly.
What are you looking at?
Chu Yunfei felt the vast spiritual sea within his body, and a hint of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.
" Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer "
He nodded slightly.
"That should be enough for me."