Baili Weisheng and the others took the roundabout mountain path toward Flame Mountain, while Ziqing and the others had already reached the final peak!

This peak was noticeably taller and grander than any they’d encountered before.

The palace atop the summit soared into the sky, its walls and tiles all a fiery red. Flame-shaped reliefs adorned the roof ridges, while the walls were painted with two enormous fire dragons!

Where the two dragon heads met marked the main entrance — above the great gate hung a plaque shaped like blazing flames, bearing three gilded characters: “Flame Mountain.”

By now dusk had fallen, and the entire palace blazed with light, bustling with activity.

“Mommy, it’s really different here!” Xiong Xiaobao said in a low voice, referring not just to the different architecture, but to the atmosphere here, which was clearly different too.

Ziqing nodded. “This should be the place.”

Different or not, Jun Beiyue paid it no mind at all — he was anxious to find Situ Haonan!

Heaven only knew how much suffering Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian might endure for every moment they arrived late!

The moment Jun Beiyue reached the gate, he lifted his long leg and kicked with all his might!

A single kick was all it took — the gate was sent crashing inward with a thunderous boom!

Before anyone inside could even speak, Jun Beiyue hurled the large red “double happiness” character, striking it against the main hall’s entrance within the courtyard, and said coldly, “Hand the people over, or don’t blame this prince for burning this place to the ground!”

“What great bravado, Prince Yao!”

A hearty laugh rang out from the side. An elderly man dressed in fiery red robes emerged, his demeanor arrogant and self-important — clearly, he’d been waiting for Jun Beiyue for quite some time.

Yet no sooner had he finished laughing than Jun Beiyue closed the distance in an instant, seizing him by the collar. “You think you’re capable of capturing Situ Haonan? You don’t have what it takes! Where is Xuanyuan Lige!”

At this, the old man was visibly startled. “You… you… you already know!”

Jun Beiyue had spent sleepless nights in secret military councils at the Three Realms Territory, exhausting himself over the matter — if he still hadn’t grasped the truth of what was happening, he wouldn’t deserve to be called Prince Yao of Great Zhou!

The chaos in Xi Jing, Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian’s abduction, Xuanyuan Lige’s secret meeting with Minhan Mude’er — all of this had to be connected somehow!

He’d only had a guess until now, but arriving at the Flame Mountains and facing this group of utterly incompetent fools, if he still couldn’t confirm it, then this whole trip would have been for nothing.

Baili Weisheng couldn’t be behind it — after all, in this whole world, who besides Xuanyuan Lige could possibly capture Situ Haonan?

Beside him, Ziqing had already suspected as much to some degree herself, but hearing Jun Beiyue say it aloud, her heart still gave a jolt.

Xuanyuan Lige had abducted Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian and sent them all the way to the Flame Mountains of Xiliang — this clearly meant he was colluding with Wanyan Lie!

Xuanyuan Lige, did he have any idea how terrible it would be if the two of them fell into Wanyan Lie’s hands?

Xuanyuan Lige, where exactly was his line he wouldn’t cross?!

Ziqing couldn’t help clenching her fists. She had to admit — this was the first time she felt nothing but anger toward Xuanyuan Lige, no understanding at all.

“Xuanyuan Lige, if Haonan and Qianqian suffer even the slightest harm, I will absolutely never forgive you! Never!”

Ziqing stepped forward furiously, her voice cold. “Where exactly are they — speak!”

Yet the old man only kept laughing. “Prince Yao, Princess Consort, you two truly are clever!”

Jun Beiyue’s eyes narrowed sharply. He seized the old man and shoved him backward, slamming him hard against the wall — hard enough that the man’s entire body left a dent in the stone!

“This prince will give you one last chance. Speak, or not?”

Jun Beiyue said coldly, snatching up a nearby torch and bringing it right up to the old man’s face.

“Prince Yao, all I can tell you is that the two of them are somewhere within this very palace. If you’re capable enough, find them yourselves.” The old man kept smiling, showing no reaction at all to the approaching flame.

Jun Beiyue wasted no more words — he thrust the torch forward, burning it directly against the old man’s face!

“Ah… ah…”

The old man screamed in agony, yet astonishingly, he still didn’t beg for mercy!

Ziqing frowned. She knew that if this continued, they’d burn the man to death and get nothing out of him at all!

“Xiong Bao, search!” Ziqing decided at once — there was no other choice.

Xiong Bao immediately went inside with Ziqing, summoning the four great poison beasts and Papa Bear. The poison beasts’ sense of smell was far sharper than any human’s, capable of detecting scents no human could ever find!

But after Ziqing and Xiong Bao searched every corner of the entire building, inside and out, aside from finding a few hidden disciples, they found nothing at all!

Something was very wrong — even the disciples had all vanished.

Ziqing grabbed hold of one disciple and demanded angrily, “Where is everyone else? What exactly is going on?”

“We don’t know! A few months ago, our master sent everyone else away — we’re the ones left behind to serve him!” the disciple answered timidly.

“Where are the captives!” Ziqing demanded furiously.

“We don’t know, we don’t know anything at all!” The disciple clearly knew nothing.

Ziqing returned to the courtyard, furious. “You’re lying — they’re not here at all!”

The old man only kept smiling, saying nothing. By now, half his face had been burned beyond recognition, yet he didn’t seem to mind in the slightest!

This old fellow had clearly resigned himself to death.

Jun Beiyue’s patience had run out completely. “Fine, if you won’t talk — this prince has no objection to going after Wanyan Lie personally!”

Ever since leaving the Three Realms Territory, Jun Beiyue had been tracking Xuanyuan Lige’s whereabouts, but had found nothing so far.

Yet he was completely certain of one thing: Wanyan Lie was in the Xiliang capital!

Anyone who dared touch his sworn brother — he wouldn’t hesitate to march straight into Xiliang!

With that, Jun Beiyue tossed the old man aside and raised the torch to strike him down — but at that very moment, the old man finally caved!

“Don’t go after Crown Prince Lie! I’ll talk!”

Ziqing let out a breath of relief. If the old man was saying this, it at least confirmed that Situ Haonan and Yelu Qianqian were somewhere here, at least not in the Xiliang capital!

Either way, the farther the two of them were from Wanyan Lie, the better!

“They’re beneath the round table in the main hall — there’s a hidden chamber below,” the old man said.

Yet Xiong Xiaobao shouted angrily, “You’re lying!”

If they were truly in a hidden chamber, the four great poison beasts would have already caught the scent — they wouldn’t have missed it!

“That hidden chamber runs very deep. Believe it or not, that’s up to you.” The old man wore an air of indifference, as if he didn’t care whether they believed him or not.

“I don’t believe you!” Xiong Xiaobao said, and started to rush inside. But at that moment, Jun Beiyue immediately stopped him — he sensed there must be a trap inside!

Yet almost at the same instant, the Miser Beast materialized out of nowhere, crying out in alarm, “Run, something’s very wrong here!”

The moment those words left its mouth, the old man’s entire body suddenly burst into flame, and everything around them caught fire all at once — in an instant, the flames roared toward the sky!

Fortunately, Jun Beiyue reacted swiftly. In that split-second crisis, he grabbed hold of Ziqing and Xiong Bao and leapt onto the Miser Beast’s back, soaring skyward together with it.

Looking back, the entire summit was already engulfed in raging flames, leaving behind only the old man’s shrill, mocking laughter, echoing through the air: “Prince Yao, if you’re capable, come down to Flame Valley and find me. I guarantee you — if you’re even one step too late, you’ll only be coming to collect the corpses!”