Chapter 832: Graveyard Dancing

Seeing the Crown Prince approach, Zu An's hair stood on end.

However, the more dangerous the situation, the calmer he became, so he didn't immediately rush out to escape.

He knew that even with his greatly improved cultivation and his ability to teleport with "Great Wind," he still wouldn't be able to escape.

As he caught a glimpse of a dark shadow out of the corner of his eye, a surge of joy filled him, and he quickly began communicating through the Jade Cong.

The Crown Prince was getting closer. Just then, a dark shadow suddenly leaped out of the bushes and scurried away.

With a casual grab, the Crown Prince caught the shadow, which squeaked in his hand.

The Crown Prince's expression relaxed. "So it's just a brocade-furred rat," he said.

As soon as he finished speaking, he casually twisted its neck, breaking it.

Rage points from the brocade-furred rat +1+1+1...

Damn it, was that polite?

The Crown Prince's aura swept around the area before he returned to Pu Duandiao and Jiao Sigun. He placed his hands on their heads but then stopped, muttering, "No, I need to leave two alive as witnesses."

He confirmed that both men were indeed unconscious, then grabbed one in each hand, shot straight into the sky, and vanished.

Hidden in the bushes, Zu An remained motionless, fearing the Crown Prince might double back for a final check.

After a long while, he finally let out a sigh of relief. "Luckily, I kept my composure, or I'd be dead by now."

"Heh," Mi Li scoffed coldly. "If I hadn't just concealed your aura for you, do you think you could have hidden from his senses?"

Zu An paused, then couldn't help but laugh. "Empress sister, you really do love me after all."

Mi Li's expression changed dramatically. "What did you say?"

Zu An explained, "It's just a saying from my hometown. It means that even though you say you won't help me, you won't abandon me when it truly matters."

Mi Li snorted. "I'm not helping you; I'm saving myself. With this enemy, even if you performed exceptionally, you'd have no chance of survival."

Zu An smiled faintly, thinking, "This woman truly is tough on the outside but soft on the inside."

His attention, however, soon returned to the Emperor. He couldn't help but lament, "I should have suspected something was off earlier. No wonder the Emperor didn't seem to care much about the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' back then. It turns out he already had his own method of achieving immortality, and he lied to me about achieving an alternative form of immortality through leaving a mark in history. I was so foolish and naive to believe his nonsense. How could an emperor like him be content with merely being remembered in history?"

Mi Li nodded in agreement. "Zhao Hao's political maneuvering and strategic depth are truly at the pinnacle among emperors; he could even rival Ying Zheng from back then."

As Zu An felt this surge of emotion, he secretly felt fortunate. Normally, this wisp of the Emperor's divided soul would be in deep slumber; otherwise, the Emperor would likely have known when Zu An controlled the Crown Prince with the Jade Cong in the East Palace.

"Huh, wait a minute..."

Zu An suddenly recalled Concubine Bai's warning: "The Emperor is more powerful than you imagine; he knows everything but simply doesn't say." This sentence echoed in his ears, and he hastily asked Mi Li, "Do you think the Emperor knew about all this long ago?"

Mi Li shook her head. "His soul-possession method is very costly to awaken. At that time, the Crown Prince wasn't in any life-threatening danger, so your brief control over him with the Jade Cong should have had no impact."

Zu An let out a long breath. "That's good, that's good."

Mi Li scoffed. "Aren't you celebrating too soon? Even if the Emperor didn't know about that specific incident, he most likely knows about everything that's happened in this secret realm. You've displayed astonishing combat power along the way, and your strength has grown too quickly. As a capable emperor, he would never allow an anomaly like you to exist. Moreover, he'll likely suspect why your cultivation advanced so rapidly, and further, that the 'Phoenix Nirvana Scripture' you gave him is fake."

Zu An felt like cursing. What had he been risking his life for? Wasn't it to save that idiotic Crown Prince? And now, he was exposed precisely because of it. What the hell was this all for?

"And also, the Emperor saw you and the Crown Princess acting as if your lives depended on each other throughout this journey," Mi Li added, a hint of schadenfreude in her voice.

Zu An felt utterly numb. He recalled how, back in the East Palace, he had rescued the Crown Prince and saved Bi Linglong's life, yet the Emperor reacted with anger instead of pleasure, threatening to cut off his hand simply because he had embraced Bi Linglong once.

At the time, he thought the Emperor was merely temperamental, but now he understood: the reason for such fury was that Bi Linglong was not only his daughter-in-law but also his predetermined future wife.

No wonder the Emperor never questioned why Bi Linglong, despite being the Crown Princess, remained a virgin. He must have intended to personally claim her after his soul possession.

The thought of having slept with the Emperor's current wife and being entangled with his future wife made Zu An feel like he was dancing on a grave.

Zu An asked with a mournful face, "What do I do now?"

Mi Li replied, "The Crown Prince's body contains a wisp of the Emperor's divided soul. Ordinarily, their thoughts are interconnected. However, since we are in this secret realm, which is a world unto itself, even Zhao Hao cannot communicate with his divided soul across such a distance. Therefore, there's one way: destroy this wisp of his soul within the secret realm. Once you leave, the Emperor won't know what happened here. With your intelligence, you should be able to bluff your way through."

Zu An could only scoff at this suggestion. Destroy the Emperor's divided soul in this secret realm?

Lu Xiao, who was a Grandmaster at mid-stage, couldn't even withstand two moves from him just now!

"Sigh, I'd better start thinking about how to escape after leaving this secret realm." Zu An even began considering where to flee. Brightmoon City was clearly unsuitable, as it would only bring disaster upon the Chu clan.

It seemed his only option was the demon territories. Hmm, that would also be a good opportunity to find Qiao Xueying.

"Ah, farewell, bustling capital. Farewell, my beloved companions..."

Mi Li fell silent. "Alright, it truly is unlikely you can kill his divided soul. But if you're going to escape, it's best to leave the secret realm now. Otherwise, by the time the Emperor finds you, it will be too late to flee."

Zu An hummed in agreement and immediately ran toward the secret realm's entrance. He feared being discovered by the Emperor, so he dared not fly in the sky.

As for Bi Linglong, with the Emperor present, she should be fine. He would just have to find another chance to leave her a letter explaining the truth.

His mood was exceptionally heavy now; he couldn't afford to think about much else.

He continued stealthily and swiftly, when suddenly, a series of rumbling sounds emanated from underground. Birds scattered from the distant forest, and many fierce beasts rampaged wildly, as if an earthquake was about to strike.

Zu An was startled. "What's going on?"

"This secret realm is a bit strange," Mi Li said, hesitating for a moment before saying nothing more.

"That shouldn't be the case," Zu An said, intrigued. "This is the Imperial Academy's reserved land; the secret realm should be very stable."

Mi Li replied, "Humans still know too little about secret realms. Anything can happen with these spatial rifts; it's best to leave as soon as possible."

"Alright!" Zu An's life was on the line now, so he couldn't afford to ponder such things.

He focused intently on running toward the secret realm's exit. After an unknown amount of time, he suddenly heard the sounds of a struggle ahead.

Zu An's expression changed. "It couldn't be such a coincidence, could it?"

He decisively changed direction, intending to bypass the area. He certainly didn't dare to meddle in others' affairs now.

Just then, a delicate cry came from behind him, and his body suddenly tensed, stopping him in his tracks.

Mi Li scoffed derisively, "You two truly are fated."

The woman's voice ahead was clearly Bi Linglong's, and judging by the situation, she was in an extremely perilous state.

She didn't urge Zu An to leave, for after spending so much time together, she knew he wasn't that kind of person.

Although she often mocked his irrational actions, if he were truly so rational as to leave a beloved companion to die, she would actually dislike him.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Bi Linglong sat on the ground, utterly disheveled, watching the three assassins from the Prince of Qi's manor who had surrounded her.

Her previous strategy had been successful; by constantly splitting up and fleeing, she had managed to draw away the skilled pursuers. She was on the verge of escaping when she was surrounded by several warriors from the Prince of Qi's manor.

Due to her scattered escape, she was left without escorts, and having previously used a secret technique, she was now nearly exhausted. After a struggle, she was naturally no match for these three assassins from the Prince of Qi's manor.

As they gazed at her snow-white arm, revealed by her torn sleeve, the eyes of the surrounding assassins from the Prince of Qi's manor grew heated.

One of them swallowed hard. "Damn it, I've been pent up for three years, haven't seen a single woman, and my hands are calloused. Today, I'm definitely going to get some action!"

Another expressed some concern: "She is the Crown Princess, after all. Wouldn't doing this be... inappropriate?"

"Crown Princess my ass! She'll be dead soon anyway," the third one scoffed. "Since we're going to kill her, it'd be a waste to just finish her off like this. Might as well have some fun first."

Hearing this, a strange desire also flickered in the second man's eyes. They were already assassins with no future, and three years of isolated life among wild beasts in the secret realm was enough to turn a normal person into a complete savage.

"It's a shame her hair's a bit white..."

"Three years! At this point, I'd find a sow beautiful, let alone someone who's already pretty."

"Who's first?"

...

Hearing their vile words, Bi Linglong felt both shame and fury. She had never imagined she would fall to such a plight. Unfortunately, her pressure points were restrained, making even suicide impossible.

The thought of her hard-preserved chastity being ruined here sparked a flicker of regret in her heart. If she had known this would happen, she might as well have given herself to Zu An back then.

With the Prince of Qi's experts having caught up, Zu An, who had been covering their retreat, was likely in grave danger. The thought brought a pang to her heart, and she could no longer control herself, tears streaming down her face like broken pearls.