Chu Yunfei uttered six cold words, his robes fluttering slightly as he turned to burst through the door.
"Brother Chu, wait a minute!!"
Ling Chengxuan was horrified. Ignoring the excruciating pain all over his body, he rushed forward and stretched out his arms to block the doorway.
"Husband, don't be impulsive!"
Wen Jiao grabbed his hand, tears welling up in her eyes, "Let the Third Prince finish speaking first!"
Chu Yunfei stopped in his tracks, glanced sideways, and his lifeless eyes fell on Ling Chengxuan, a cruel, mocking smile curving his lips.
"How?"
"Your Highness went to great lengths to find the Pill Pavilion today, revealing so many secrets, just to use me as a tool to kill that dog emperor who slaughtered your entire clan, didn't you?"
"Now I will do as you wish and take his dog's life."
Chu Yunfei's eyes narrowed slightly, his gaze sharp as lightning. "So you're the one stopping me now?"
Meeting Chu Yunfei's gaze, which seemed to pierce through one's very soul, Ling Chengxuan's face turned deathly pale, and his back felt icy cold.
He lowered his head bitterly and bowed deeply.
"Brother Chu has excellent insight. I truly came here with that intention, and I have no doubt about that."
"But..."
Ling Chengxuan abruptly raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, and roared urgently, "I absolutely do not want Brother Chu to go and die in vain!"
"Sending them to their deaths?"
Chu Yunfei raised an eyebrow slightly, and the powerful, hidden energy of the Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer was faintly visible around him.
Ling Chengxuan felt the immense, mountain-like pressure, and his heart trembled, yet he still shook his head desperately.
"Brother Chu, I have never underestimated your fighting prowess!"
"You fought a decisive battle in the desolate mountains outside the imperial city, defeating Chen Xuanhai and severely injuring Ling Zhantian. Although the royal family has kept the news under wraps, I already knew about it through special channels."
"But Brother Chu... the Ling Zhantian of today is completely different from the one of a few days ago."
A deep sense of dread and despair welled up in Ling Chengxuan's eyes.
"A few days ago, Ling Chenglie's Mysterious Yang Physique essence was completely drained and refined by him!"
"His spiritual injuries have been completely healed, and his vital energy has fully returned to its peak."
"That forbidden secret technique... he can now activate it again without any hindrance."
Upon hearing this, Wen Jiao's heart sank.
Wen Daoyuan's words still echoed in my ears...
Once Ling Zhantian uses that forbidden secret technique, his combat power will forcibly advance to the Dao Mysterious Realm Third Layer in a short period of time.
The Third Prince took a deep breath, his voice trembling even more violently.
"If it were merely Ling Zhantian, who is comparable to the Dao Mysterious Realm Third Layer, plus Elder Ling Changkong, who is at the Dao Mysterious Realm Second Stage, perhaps Brother Chu would still have a sliver of hope."
"But... deep within the palace, there is a spirit beast comparable to the Dao Mysterious Realm Fourth Layer, guarding the palace."
"Moreover, this is the Great Qian Imperial City, blessed by a ten-thousand-year-old fortune array. How could Brother Chu possibly defeat them alone?!"
Chu Yunfei's eyes suddenly narrowed.
A spirit beast at the Dao Mysterious Realm Fourth Layer?
"Good."
Ling Chengxuan nodded emphatically, his tone extremely solemn. "That is a Crimson Flame Berserk Lion, the personal mount of Ling Taixuan, the founding emperor of the Great Qian Dynasty ten thousand years ago."
boom!
Wen Jiao's body trembled violently, and she exclaimed in shock, " Ling Taixuan's Crimson Flame Berserk Lion? Rumors say it disappeared along with Grand Founder Ling, how could it still exist?!"
That was an ancient, exotic species, the founding spirit beast of the Great Qian Dynasty.
Ling Chengxuan gave a bitter laugh, "The rumors circulating outside are nothing more than a tactic used by the royal family to cover things up."
"It has been lying dormant in the forbidden area, its bloodline and lifespan incredibly long."
"At its peak, that raging lion was a genuine Dao Mysterious Realm Seventh Layer cultivator."
"However, later, while fighting alongside Ling Taixuan against the Demon Race race in the Western Continent, he was severely injured by a demon emperor, damaging his foundation and causing his cultivation level to drop."
"Twenty years ago, when the Blood Baleful Intent Tower Master fought Ling Zhantian, he rode this beast to fight against the enemy. In that battle, the Mad Lion suffered another near-death injury and fell into a state of suspended animation."
But last night...
Ling Chengxuan gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with deep-seated terror. "While I was inside the palace, I clearly sensed that overwhelming, ferocious power emanating from the depths of the forbidden area."
"That beast... took the Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill, and all the death energy on its body dissipated; it has fully awakened."
"Even though it hasn't fully recovered to its peak, it still possesses the destructive power of Dao Mysterious Realm Third Layer."
"Given that it still retains the body of a demon beast, its bloodline purity must be extremely high. In a life-or-death battle, its strength would be enough to rival a human expert at the Dao Mysterious Realm Fourth Layer."
The room was deathly silent.
Wen Jiao's cheeks, which were originally slightly flushed, were now deathly pale, devoid of any color.
The truth behind the destruction of the Jade Firmament Sect... has finally come to light!
Just as Chu Yunfei had guessed, the mastermind behind the Jade Firmament Sect was indeed Ling Zhantian.
All of this was to seize that Grade 7 Nine-Aperture Life-Restoring Pill and revive this ancient, slumbering creature.
A mad emperor who has mastered the Imperial Killing Formation and can briefly unleash the Dao Mysterious Realm Third Layer.
An unfathomable elder of the royal family, Dao Mysterious Realm Second Stage cultivator, who has been stationed deep within the palace for many years.
In addition, there is an ancient Crimson Flame Berserk Lion with a terrifyingly powerful physique, comparable to Dao Mysterious Realm Fourth Layer expert.
With such profound foundation, who in the entire Eastern Continent could break through it?!
"My husband..."
Wen Jiao stretched out her cold, trembling hand and tightly gripped Chu Yunfei's sleeve, her eyes red and choked with sobs, "We can't go... at least not now."
"If the news is true, the palace is now a gate to hell from which there is no return."
"If something happens to you, not only will you fail to save Xueyao, but you yourself will also perish completely!"
Chu Yunfei stood still, his black robe fluttering even without wind.
He fell silent.
With his current cultivation at the Divine Sea Realm Sixth Layer, he was confident that he could easily save his life even against an ordinary Early Dao Mysterious Realm expert if he used the Nine Heavens Lightning Escape at full power.
If he were to unleash the Four-Element Burning Momentum of the Great Heaven-Burning Art without regard to the cost, he would even dare to fight to the death against those at the first or second level of the Dao Mysterious Realm.
but...
Facing two Dao Mysterious Realm giants at the same time, plus an ancient ferocious beast comparable to the Dao Mysterious Realm Fourth Layer...
And there's also the Nine Dragons Heaven-Locking Grand Formation, which has been shrouded in darkness for millennia.
Although Chu Yunfei was arrogant, he was by no means stupid.
A direct assault would be certain death.
unless...
His divine sense silently swept over the storage ring filled with elixirs for the divine soul.
Chu Yunfei's eyes were icy as he forcefully suppressed the chaotic thoughts surging wildly in his mind.
That trump card still needs time to develop; there's simply no time for that now.
He raised his head, his gaze returning to Ling Chengxuan's face. "Will Xueyao attend the Seven Sects Grand Competition?"
Ling Chengxuan was taken aback, then shook his head with a wry smile.
"In previous years, the royal family needed to demonstrate the dignity of the younger generation, so the princess's younger sister would often attend the ceremony on her behalf."
But this time... I'm not sure either.
"Although I have access to the palace, Ling Zhantian has spies everywhere, so the information I can gather is extremely limited."
"However, Brother Chu, you can rest assured about one thing."
Ling Chengxuan looked directly at Chu Yunfei and said seriously, "The great formation extracts the essence of a person's constitution, and it requires a gradual approach."
"Since Ling Zhantian used the second prince as the weakest trigger, then the strongest and most crucial princess... will definitely be saved for last."
"In other words, as long as the vital energy within my elder brother and me is not completely drained, my younger sister is in no danger of dying."
"As long as Ling Chengyuan and I are still alive, my sister is safe for the time being."
Upon hearing this analysis, the boiling killing intent in Chu Yunfei's eyes finally subsided.
He released his fingers from the hilt of the Abyss-Devouring Sword, slowly walked back to the table, and sat down again.
He picked up the cup of tea that Wen Jiao had just poured and drank it all in one gulp.
The icy tea slid down his throat, completely solidifying his restless murderous intent into a cold, hard block of ice.
"Since you know that your every move is being monitored..."
Chu Yunfei raised his eyelids, his gaze deep and unfathomable. "Then why did you dare to risk everything and enter the Pill Pavilion alone to see me today?"
"Aren't you afraid... that dog emperor will find out and use you as a preemptive strike?"
Ling Chengxuan gave a bitter smile, a smile filled with the weariness of having become indifferent to life and death.
"Brother Chu, from the moment I stepped into this Pill Pavilion, I knew what would happen to me if I left."
"My life should have ended in that fire years ago, along with my parents."
Ling Chengxuan straightened his clothes, his expression solemn to the point of resolute determination.
"My only wish is to see that beast pay for his blood debt and perish in the afterlife."
"This meeting today may be the last time we see each other in this lifetime."