Chapter 808: Leaving the City

"He's here. I thought you might have some questions for him, so I kept his Nascent Soul." Han Li said, raising his hand and tossing the Flower Mirror's Nascent Soul toward Shi Chuankong.

Shi Chuankong was slightly startled but still caught the Nascent Soul in one hand.

He swept his gaze around, seeming to realize something, and then a look of extreme hatred flared in his eyes.

"Thirteenth Prince, I was merely following orders when I dared to offend. I am willing to abandon the Fifth Prince and pledge allegiance to you. And I know a great secret, one concerning you..." Flower Mirror's Nascent Soul kept bowing and pleading, speaking rapidly again.

But Shi Chuankong showed no intention of listening. Silver light blazed from his hand as his fingers clenched tightly.

Flower Mirror's Nascent Soul instantly flashed with wild yellow light, deformed under the grip, and its voice cut off abruptly.

"Wait, you can't kill me... My master is the True Being of Illuminating Bones. If you dare kill me, he will surely avenge me..." Flower Mirror's Nascent Soul struggled with all its might, shrieking.

Shi Chuankong ignored it. The silver light in his hand surged, and he squeezed hard.

In an instant, Flower Mirror's Nascent Soul only had time to let out a scream before it shattered into specks of yellow light.

Han Li frowned at the sight, hesitating as if to speak.

Shi Chuankong had a deep bond with Old Man Qi, who had fallen under the Hypnosis Law and self-destructed. The grief and anger in Shi Chuankong's heart were beyond Han Li's imagination.

"Once again, I owe it to Fellow Daoist Li for turning the tide." Shi Chuankong regained some composure, stood up, and cupped his hand in thanks.

"You're too kind, Fellow Daoist Shi. But I think we shouldn't ignore Flower Mirror's last words. That True Being of Illuminating Bones should be a Da Luo existence." Han Li waved his hand and said.

"Indeed. The situation now seems worse than I expected. Renshan City is no longer safe. We should leave here as soon as possible." Shi Chuankong flipped his hand to produce several pills, swallowed them, and nodded.

Their fierce battle had caused quite a commotion, and though no one had come to investigate yet, news would likely reach certain ears through informants within half a day.

"What about them?" Han Li nodded, looking at the black-faced old man and the pink-dressed young woman lying on the ground.

Given his earlier condition, saving Shi Chuankong had been difficult enough; he couldn't possibly have looked after the others.

Those two were far more severely injured than Shi Chuankong. Though they had regained consciousness, they couldn't move at all.

The secret technique Flower Mirror had used nearly drained their vital energy and severely damaged their foundations. Whether they could recover was uncertain.

"Those people's target is me. As long as I leave Renshan City, they probably won't attack here anymore. Let's leave them here to recover." Shi Chuankong considered for a moment, then said.

"Alright." Han Li nodded.

"Fellow Daoist Li, wait here a moment." Shi Chuankong said, waving his hand to emit a burst of purple light that lifted the black-faced old man and the pink-dressed young woman. He then searched the surroundings, gathered the corpses and belongings of Old Man Qi and the others, and flew off into the distance.

Han Li sat cross-legged on the spot, circulating his technique to refine the medicinal power within him.

After a while, Shi Chuankong flew back. Han Li ceased his cultivation and stood up.

"Let's go." Shi Chuankong formed a hand seal and summoned the Black God Flying Shuttle.

The two leaped onto it, and the shuttle turned into a black streak that vanished into the distant sky in an instant.

...

Outside Renshan City, Shi Chuankong had just piloted the shuttle beyond the city limits and hadn't yet accelerated to full speed when they saw a red light speeding toward them.

"Tai Yi stage peak... Another one?" Han Li's eyes flickered, and he frowned.

Shi Chuankong also frowned, looking tense, and immediately halted the shuttle.

"Thirteenth Prince, I have been sent by the Third Prince to escort you." A thousand yards away, the red light stopped, revealing a blood-red flying chariot with a man in red robes standing on it, transmitting his voice via divine sense.

"Do you have proof?" Shi Chuankong exchanged a glance with Han Li, then replied via divine sense.

The man in red said nothing. He raised his hand and sent a red light carrying an object flying toward them.

After a moment's hesitation, Shi Chuankong raised a hand and, from a distance, caught the object, slowly drawing it before him.

Han Li glanced at it and saw a palm-sized, crescent-shaped jade pendant in his hand. It seemed to have some pattern carved on it, but the lines were somewhat chaotic and hard to discern clearly.

Shi Chuankong's eyes flickered. With a flip of his other hand, he produced another jade pendant of identical size and shape, also covered with many lines.

He held one pendant in each hand and brought them together. The two halves of the creamy white jade lit up with a soft white glow and fused into a round jade pendant.

The lines on the pendant connected, forming the silhouette of a woman with ears on her head. Though simply sketched, it was remarkably vivid, conveying the woman's slightly melancholic yet tender expression.

Han Li could tell that the jade pendant was made of fine material but was not an important immortal treasure.

However, it seemed quite significant to Shi Chuankong. As he examined it, his eyes were unusually soft, and even a hint of reminiscence appeared on his face.

"The token is genuine. It should be from Third Brother." Shi Chuankong nodded and said.

Seeing this, the man in red finally flew over.

His face was relatively young, with indistinct contours and soft facial lines. Only his eyes were unusually long and narrow, like two long knives, flashing with sharp edges.

"I am Cheng Xue, a subordinate under the Third Prince. I have been ordered to escort the Thirteenth Prince and am responsible for seeing you safely back to Yeyang City." The man in red approached and cupped his hand in greeting.

"You are Blood Drop Marquis? I've heard Third Brother mention you before, saying you've been active in the Yanbo Mountain Range outside Wanyu City, killing countless invading demon beasts. You are his right-hand man. It's an honor to meet you." Shi Chuankong looked somewhat surprised and quickly spoke.

"Thirteenth Prince, you must be mistaken. My previous area of activity has always been the Luochen Mine Abyss in the northern border of the Southern Wasteland Domain. I've never been to Wanyu City. Besides, with my meager cultivation, how could I be considered the Third Prince's right-hand man?" Blood Drop Marquis was momentarily stunned, then quickly recovered and said with a smile.

"Apologies. If this test offended Blood Drop Marquis, please forgive me." Shi Chuankong, now convinced of Blood Drop Marquis's identity, cupped his hand again in apology.

"No harm done. Your Highness's caution is a good thing." Blood Drop Marquis said.

As he spoke, his gaze frequently fell on Han Li, showing great interest in him.

"This is Fellow Daoist Li Han, who has traveled with me and saved me from danger many times. He is truly my lifesaver." Shi Chuankong explained.

Han Li cupped his hand in greeting.

The latter composed himself and also cupped his hand in return.

"What are Your Highness's plans now?" Blood Drop Marquis asked.

"Originally, I planned to take a teleportation array from Renshan City to Chuyu City, but I was ambushed in my own territory, and the city's teleportation array was destroyed. Now I have to find another way to Chuyu City." Shi Chuankong smiled bitterly and said.

"Going to Chuyu City, is it for the Void Teleportation Array?" Blood Drop Marquis asked.

"Yes. Chuyu City has the only Void Teleportation Array in the Southern Wasteland Domain. Though it can't directly return to Yeyang City, it can reach Pulao City in the Holy Saint Domain, which is the fastest route back to the Holy Capital. Even if we don't use the teleportation array afterward, flying directly back to Yeyang City won't be difficult." Shi Chuankong nodded.

"Although the Void Teleportation Array can perform cross-territory ultra-long-distance teleportation, its use has many restrictions. Generally, one needs a title of Duke or above to apply for its use, and if not for official business, one must pay all the costs of operating the array. Your Highness, you..." Blood Drop Marquis hesitated.

"I indeed have no title, but Blood Drop Marquis may not know that I have another identity in Guangyuan Zhai. This identity also grants me the right to use the Void Teleportation Array once. As for the fees required, I have my own means. The difficulty now is how to reach Chuyu City safely." Shi Chuankong nodded.

"Chuyu City is located at the northernmost end of the Southern Frontier Domain and is the closest city to the Holy Saint Domain, where the Holy Capital is located. Since the teleportation array in Renshan City is destroyed, to teleport to Chuyu City, we'll have to find another city. However, the nearest cities are too far away; it would take at least ten years." Blood Drop Marquis pondered for a moment and said.

"Ten years... That might lead to unexpected complications." Han Li frowned upon hearing this.

"The Holy Domain is vast; there's no helping it. If we are careful on the road, it should be fine." Blood Drop Marquis frowned slightly and said.

"Does Fellow Daoist Blood Drop Marquis know who caused the chaos in Renshan City and prevented our teleportation?" Shi Chuankong changed the subject.

"Who?" Blood Drop Marquis asked in confusion.

"Flower Mirror." Shi Chuankong said.

"The Fifth Princess's subordinate? Why would she make a move against you?" Blood Drop Marquis asked in surprise.

"The key point is that we killed Flower Mirror together. Before he died, he said his master, the True Being of Illuminating Bones, would immediately come after us upon learning of his death." Shi Chuankong smiled bitterly.

Hearing this, Blood Drop Marquis's brow furrowed even more tightly.

"That old ghost Illuminating Bones is a Da Luo cultivator who has long been in seclusion in the Earth Abyss Valley of the Southern Frontier Domain. He is extremely protective of his disciples and favored Flower Mirror greatly. If he comes after us, even if I risk my life, I won't be able to protect you. Then I would fail the Third Prince's commission." Blood Drop Marquis sighed and said.

"That's why Fellow Daoist Li said ten years is too long..." Shi Chuankong sighed.

After saying this, the three fell silent.

"Thirteenth Prince, I have a method that might solve our current predicament, but I'm not sure if you dare to try it." After a long while, Blood Drop Marquis suddenly raised an eyebrow and said.

"Let's hear it first." Shi Chuankong perked up and said.