Visitors from the Manor

Looking at the Spirit Devouring Spell radiating scorching light in his palm, Ling Yun felt a sense of security he had not known in a long time.

Whatever else happens, I finally have a trump card powerful enough to turn life and death around.

With this supreme-grade, fifth-tier Spirit Devouring Spell, as long as no one at the Dao Palace Realm makes a move, I can continue cultivating here in the Royal Mausoleum without worry.

Ling Yun finally stepped out of the cottage once more. The daylight was just right, and the blue sky was washed clean.

He climbed the steps along the Royal Tomb Mountain Range, eventually arriving outside the Spirit King's tomb.

From his vantage point, Ling Yun could see the splendid expanse of glazed roof tiles in the distance. That was the manor where the original owner of his body had lived for sixteen years.

Beyond the manor stretched the capital of the Ling Kingdom, Myriad Phenomena City, as far as the eye could see.

I'll place the Heavenly Eye Spell here.

After a long while, Ling Yun came back to his senses.

It was an idea he had come up with as soon as he saw the Heavenly Eye Spell.

He would place the Heavenly Eye Spell at the highest point of the Royal Mausoleum, covering the entire Royal Mausoleum and even the Spirit King's Manor!

Any unusual activity in this area would be perfectly captured by the Heavenly Eye Spell, as though seen from a god's-eye view.

Without spending the slightest bit of spiritual power or divine thought, he could do what a great Primordial Spirit Realm cultivator could only accomplish by releasing his spiritual sense!

With this Heavenly Eye Spell, I can seize the initiative and learn of any unusual activity at the Spirit King's Manor in advance.

Ling Yun's eyes shone as he grew even more eager to see how the person behind the investigation of the Spirit King's tomb that day would react in the near future.

At Ling Yun's urging, the Heavenly Eye Spell flew out in an instant. The lifelike eye at its center seemed to come alive, even giving off a vivid spiritual glow.

The Heavenly Eye Spell adhered tightly to a tall tree. Once Ling Yun focused his mind, he could sense the images it sent back!

"What a marvelous talisman." Ling Yun's lips twitched, a hint of pleasant surprise in his eyes.

"Unfortunately, the Heavenly Eye Spell only lasts seven days. I'll have to inscribe more of them so I can replace it whenever needed."

Afterward, Ling Yun glanced at the tomb and returned to the cottage.

Focusing his mind, he used the Heavenly Eye Spell to direct his gaze into the Spirit King's Manor.

The moment he looked, he came across a matter that was neither too big nor too small, but closely concerned him.

No, it would be more accurate to say it concerned the original Ling Yun.

Outside the Spirit King's Manor was an exceptionally bustling street, connected to the four main thoroughfares of Myriad Phenomena City.

At that moment, a luxurious carriage slowly came to a stop outside the Spirit King's Manor.

The horse pulling it was no ordinary steed, but a fourth-tier breed capable of traveling a thousand li in a day. Its presence alone was enough to frighten many passersby.

A Core Formation Realm demonic beast was not something just anyone could afford to ride behind. Clearly, the person inside the carriage had to be of extraordinary background.

The driver was no ordinary man either. Cultivators could plainly sense the Core Formation Realm presence coming from him.

The driver respectfully drew back the carriage curtain and said softly, "Commandery Princess, we have arrived at the Spirit King's Manor."

The person inside stood and stepped out with her head slightly bowed. She was a remarkably delicate-looking young woman.

Her hair was glossy black, her features lively, and she wore an extraordinarily luxurious brocade and satin dress.

The young woman was only sixteen, yet she had already grown quite tall. Close behind her came a young man whose bearing was equally extraordinary.

Standing side by side in harmonious company, the two looked like a golden boy and jade girl, a sight that could not help but brighten one's eyes.

"Spirit King's Manor."

The young woman's cherry lips parted slightly as she read the three characters on the plaque above the golden gates, written in vigorous, spirited strokes.

"So this is the family estate of that former fiancé of yours?" Beside her, the young man regarded it with a somewhat critical eye and asked in a faintly chilly tone.

A smile spread across the young woman's features, curving them like a crescent moon and silencing the young man at once.

"I told you, there was only a marriage agreement. We weren't formally betrothed yet, so you can hardly call him my fiancé," the young woman said with a light laugh.

The young man laughed along with her. "True. He's a cripple now and no longer worthy of you. This visit is the perfect chance to rid yourself of that annoying marriage agreement once and for all. Then you can come with me to the Moon-Gazing Sect without any worries."

As they talked and laughed, the two reached the gates of the Spirit King's Manor, with the driver following close behind, not falling a step behind them.

"Halt. No entry without permission."

Two guards at the gates stepped forward and barred the three from proceeding.

The young man's face visibly darkened.

"What if we insist on going in?"

The young man spoke coldly.

The moment he spoke, the driver behind him received the young woman's permission and moved in front of the two to protect them.

In an instant, the driver's presence erupted and bore down on the two guards.

The driver looked entirely unremarkable, but his cultivation had genuinely reached the middle Core Formation Realm.

The two guards, on the other hand, were only at the Essence Condensation Realm. No matter how one looked at it, they could not withstand the pressure of someone a whole major realm above them.

"What a naive fellow."

To their surprise, however, the two guards' expressions did not change in the slightest.

"Roar-"

As the three stared in astonishment, a beast's earth-shaking roar suddenly rang out from the manor gates. A terrifying presence spread out, countless times stronger than that of the Core Formation Realm driver.

A flood dragon's head could dimly be seen taking shape, and it slammed into the three of them in an instant!

The driver bore the brunt of the blow and was sent flying more than ten zhang, unable to stop himself from coughing up blood.

Though the young woman and the young man had the driver's protection, they were still left in a sorry state, their hair disheveled and robes flapping wildly. None of their earlier refinement remained.

"Where did these people come from? How could they be so stupid as to cause trouble at the gates of the Spirit King's Manor?"

Quite a few people on the street had witnessed the scene and began pointing and commenting.

"Exactly. Don't they know the Spirit King's Manor's gateway is a fifth-tier magical artifact? How does a mere Core Formation Realm cultivator dare?"

"They're probably from out of town, with narrow horizons and lofty airs. They think they're invincible under heaven, but they don't know there's a heaven beyond heaven. They've kicked an iron plate."

The blunt remarks pierced straight into the hearts of the young woman and the young man, making their faces alternate between livid and pale.

The young man looked furious, while the young woman was visibly embarrassed.

After smoothing her disheveled hair, the young woman said, "What just happened was a misunderstanding. Sorry for the trouble, but please inform Madam Wang that King Chen's Commandery Princess has come to visit."

"King Chen's Commandery Princess?"

The two guards had paid no heed to their earlier rudeness and had remained impassive throughout, but upon hearing the title "King Chen's Commandery Princess," they could not help exchanging a subtle glance.

Even so, they knew their duties. Without another word, one of them immediately returned inside to report to Madam Wang.

Passing through the many layers of the estate, the guard arrived at a grand hall.

A noble-looking woman sat in the seat of honor. Adorned in gold and silver and dressed in luxurious clothes, she wore a cold, unsympathetic expression.

This woman was the one currently in charge of the manor-Madam Wang.

She held a teacup in her hand, savoring the spiritual tea newly supplied to the manor. When she saw the guard arrive, she merely raised her eyes slightly and continued drinking.

The guard was clearly familiar with Madam Wang's temperament. He did not speak to disturb her, but stood respectfully to one side.

After quite a while, Madam Wang finished her tea and finally asked, "What is it?"

The guard replied, "Madam, there are visitors outside the manor. One of them says she is... King Chen's Commandery Princess."

As soon as he finished speaking, Madam Wang abruptly raised her eyes. For a moment, she could not control her presence and nearly sent the guard flying.

"King Chen's Commandery Princess? That self-important daughter of a vassal king who tried to take advantage of my Spirit King's Manor?"

No emotion could be discerned from Madam Wang's words, but everyone in the hall felt a chill.

"Mother, she must have come to break off the marriage with that fellow Ling Yun," a youth beside him said with some schadenfreude.

Madam Wang frowned, looked at him, and scolded, "Fool! She's slapping the Spirit King's Manor in the face. What are you laughing about? Have you no brains?"