In an instant, two Fourth-rank experts became lambs awaiting slaughter.

This was the power of spiritual treasures—even in their incomplete state, they weren’t something “mortals” could resist.

Below the Transcendent realm, one had no chance of fighting back against spiritual treasures.

Liu Hongmian, Jingxin, and Jingyuan didn’t recognize the Huntian Divine Mirror, but after witnessing White Tiger and Qihuan Danxiang’s mysterious collapse, and facing four experts plus the “betrayal” of Dong Fangwanqing, their choice was obvious.

Without any signal, Liu Hongmian crossed her arms to create an X-shaped sword energy as a feint, then turned and fled like an agile leopardess, not looking back.

She wisely chose to run on foot rather than take to the air.

Crude martial artists could only display their maximum speed with their feet on the ground. Using lightness skills or flying through the air would be walking into a trap before Daoist experts who could ride flying swords.

Jingxin and Jingyuan likewise scattered in different directions—there was only one spiritual treasure, so splitting up gave them a glimmer of hope for survival.

Seeing this, Chu Yuanzhen immediately issued commands, calling out:

“Li Lingsu, chase after Jingyuan. Miaozhen, pursue Jingxin. Hengyuan and I will chase Liu Hongmian.”

Though this was his first time dealing with this group, he had already privately obtained intelligence about Liu Hongmian and the others from Li Lingsu.

Chu Yuanzhen’s arrangements were carefully considered. Among the three, the warrior monk Jingyuan possessed the Vajra Divine Skill and would be the most difficult to handle. Thus, he sent Li Lingsu with the spiritual treasure to pursue him, knowing that Dong Fangwanqing would follow.

The latter, as a martial artist, could restrain the warrior monk.

Li Miaozhen’s situation was the least stable, but a Chan master lacking strong offensive capabilities couldn’t pose much threat to her.

As for Liu Hongmian, a martial artist, dealing with her would be child’s play for him and Hengyuan.

Hengyuan leaped up, jumping behind Chu Yuanzhen, and the two rode their swords away, whistling like the wind.

Liu Hongmian ran through mountains and streams, her silk dress torn by branches and undergrowth, but she didn’t slow down for a moment, her mind focused only on escape.

Earlier, they had been congratulating themselves on being Fourth-rank cultivators, “small fry” easily overlooked. Qihuan Danxiang and White Tiger had secretly vowed to lurk in the shadows and take revenge.

Who knew that while Xu Yinluo might not care about them, it didn’t mean he would let them go. The blade meant to deal with these Fourth-rank experts had already been drawn in secret.

Whoosh…

Hearing the sound of something cutting through the air above, Liu Hongmian’s heart jumped, knowing Daoist experts were in pursuit.

The mountain had slopes and trees blocking the way; it would be impossible to outrun Daoists flying on swords… Liu Hongmian accelerated while reaching out to grab a branch.

She leaped high, spinning in mid-air, and hurled the branch at her airborne pursuers.

Whoosh!

The branch whistled through the air, carrying powerful qi, several times faster than a crossbow bolt.

Chu Yuanzhen reached out casually and caught the branch in his hand.

He caught my full-power attack bare-handed? Isn’t he a Daoist?… Liu Hongmian’s heart trembled.

As these thoughts flashed through her mind, she heard rustling sounds as the surrounding green leaves and branches rose into the air. They were imbued with sword energy, forming a magnificent sword formation.

Chu Yuanzhen pointed his fingers like a sword, controlling the entire formation to descend.

Thud thud thud…

The rain of dead branches and leaves transformed into sword rain, creating holes in the ground as trees in the forest continuously cracked and fell under its assault.

Liu Hongmian galloped through the torrential sword rain, dodging based on a martial artist’s sense of crisis. When she couldn’t dodge, she relied on her physical body to endure.

As she passed through the sword rain, she suddenly halted—before she stood a middle-aged monk radiating golden light, hands pressed together in prayer, waiting for her.

Behind her was the proud, unrestrained swordsman in cyan robes standing on his sword.

…

A quarter-hour later, the three groups reconvened at their original meeting place.

Li Lingsu returned riding his sword with the unconscious Jingyuan over his shoulder and Dong Fangwanqing in tow.

Hengyuan likewise carried Liu Hongmian on his shoulder, returning with Chu Yuanzhen on their flying swords.

Only Li Miaozhen returned empty-handed, her face dark.

Seeing this, Li Lingsu got excited, putting his hands on his hips in a senior brother pose, laughing:

“Not to criticize you, junior sister, but this damages our Heavenly Path’s reputation and your status as Holy Maiden.”

“To let mere Jingxin escape?”

Li Miaozhen gave a cold laugh:

“No matter, we can use that woman by your side to make up for it.”

…Li Lingsu quickly changed his tone: “Well, Jingxin isn’t weak, a peak Fourth-rank expert would indeed be somewhat challenging. You tried your best, junior sister.”

Li Miaozhen snorted.

Though the Daoist Golden Core could counter precepts, Li Miaozhen’s soul-capturing and other primordial spirit attacks were equally ineffective against Chan’s masters.

The Heavenly Path’s secret technique of Heaven-Human Unity could be neutralized by a Chan master’s precepts and Chan skills.

However, Li Miaozhen’s combat skills were still a level above Jingxin’s, otherwise the peak Fourth-rank Jingxin would have turned the tables and hunted down the Heavenly Path’s Holy Maiden instead.

Chu Yuanzhen wasn’t surprised by this outcome; he had even anticipated it. He smiled and said:

“No need to worry about the one that got away. Our harvest is already considerable. Daoist Li, please capture Liu Hongmian’s primordial spirit.”

Liu Hongmian’s primordial spirit had been struck by the Human Path’s heart sword, while her physical body had been subdued by Hengyuan’s Vajra Divine Skill, leaving her unconscious.

But she would wake soon.

After Li Lingsu extracted Liu Hongmian’s soul, Chu Yuanzhen looked around, and seeing no outsiders, took out his Ground Book fragment.

Hengyuan, Li Miaozhen, and Li Lingsu followed suit in taking out their Ground Book fragments.

During their earlier battle, they had felt continuous heart palpitations, knowing someone was transmitting messages through the Ground Book fragments, but they had been too busy to check.

“Oh, Number One says the Imperial Sword is missing…”

Li Lingsu read the message and paused: “Who is Number One?”

Li Miaozhen glanced at him and said flatly:

“Number One is Great Tang’s Grand Princess Huaiqing, a rather annoying woman.”

By now, there was no need to hide the identities of Ground Book fragment holders.

Except for Number Eight who remained inactive, the others had all met offline and become friends.

Number One is Grand Princess Huaiqing?! Li Lingsu’s mind conjured up an image of an elegant beauty in a simple dress, noble and gorgeous.

He immediately began trembling with heartache.

That dog Xu Qi’an, actually eating from his garden!

Hengyuan asked in surprise:

“Daoist Li is injured? Why are you trembling?”

Li Lingsu declared righteously, his face full of sorrow:

“Because in this world, evil-doers live for thousands of years, while righteous people like myself constantly face persecution. Heaven’s way is unfair.”

Li Miaozhen curled her lip:

“Ignore him. He’s just regretting that he lost the Ground Book fragment for a year, allowing Xu to get there first.”

Hengyuan suddenly understood, pondering before saying:

“Even without Sir Xu, Her Highness Huaiqing probably wouldn’t have been interested in Daoist Li.”

…Li Lingsu’s face became expressionless: “Master, have you heard of the silent Chan meditation?”

Hengyuan frowned and shook his head:

“This monk is a warrior monk, we don’t practice Chan meditation.”

Li Lingsu cupped his hands in greeting.

Chu Yuanzhen brought the topic back on track, saying: “Should we tell them about this matter?”

Hengyuan and Li Miaozhen stayed silent—one didn’t care either way, and the other couldn’t be bothered to answer Number One’s question.

Li Lingsu wasn’t familiar with Number One, so he refrained from giving an opinion.

So Chu Yuanzhen used his finger as a brush and wrote:

[Four: The Imperial Sword is with Xu Qi’an. He just summoned the Founding Emperor’s divine form to battle with a Buddhist Bodhisattva’s divine form. Successfully repelled the Witch God Cult, a Buddhist sect, and Lurking Dragon City’s experts, protecting Dog Rong Mountain and the dragon qi.]

After sending the message, Scholar Chu looked at the captives and said:

“The Heart Insect Master and tiger demon’s life force is almost exhausted. Let’s quickly extract their primordial spirits.”

As Fourth-rank experts, these people were pillars of Lurking Dragon City and must possess considerable intelligence.

Li Lingsu nodded, communing with the Huntian Divine Mirror to release Qihuan Danxiang and White Tiger’s primordial spirits, then storing them in a spiritual tool designed to preserve primordial spirits.

After hesitating, Li Lingsu turned to Dong Fangwanqing and said:

“Sister Qing, you should go.”

Dong Fangwanqing said calmly: “Dear Li, come with me to the East Sea Dragon Palace.”

Chu Yuanzhen and the others had expected Li Lingsu to say something like “Our paths differ, we cannot walk together.”

Li Lingsu shook his head:

“My journey through the mortal realm isn’t finished. If I return to the East Sea Dragon Palace with you, my master will surely seek him out. He’ll drag me back to the Heavenly Path, and then I might never be able to leave the sect again.”

He explained to Dong Fangwanqing the Heavenly Path’s attitude toward him and Li Miaozhen.

Dong Fangwanqing didn’t believe his words and turned to look at Li Miaozhen.

Li Miaozhen gave an “mm” of confirmation.

Dong Fangwanqing frowned slightly, her cold face showing hesitation before saying:

“Then I’ll stay with you.”

Ah, this… Li Lingsu’s eyes flashed as he cleverly found an excuse, saying solemnly:

“I don’t want to leave Sister Qing either, but that villain Xu is ruthless and narrow-minded. If he sees you, he’ll surely harm you, and I’m no match for him.”

Hengyuan frowned slightly, somewhat displeased, and transmitted to Li Miaozhen and Chu Yuanzhen:

“Daoist Li seems to have quite a grudge against Sir Xu.”

How could he not? After being tricked so badly… though this was just private grumbling; when it came to actual business, he still handled things actively… Chu Yuanzhen’s mouth twitched.

“It’s not a deep grudge, just mutual antagonism between philanderers, like how scholars look down on each other…” Li Miaozhen said indifferently:

“That won’t happen. Miss Dong, rest assured, Xu wouldn’t even bother with you. As long as you haven’t done anything unconscionable and don’t have any major grievances with him, you can freely go to Dog Rong Mountain.”

Li Miaozhen, you disgrace to the Heavenly Path, are you trying to drive me to death?… Li Lingsu was furious as the siblings’ gazes met, sparking invisible flames.

Chu Yuanzhen, standing on his flying sword, broke up the hidden competition between the Heavenly Path’s young talents, saying:

“Let’s return to Dog Rong Mountain.”

…

The Imperial Sword is in Xu Qi’an’s hands, and he just fought against the Buddhist sect, Witch God Cult, and the traitors from Lurking Dragon City, protecting the dragon qi and Dog Rong Mountain…

In the washroom, Huaiqing stared at the Ground Book fragment in her hand, slightly dazed.

What did it mean that he summoned the Founding Emperor’s divine form?

The Buddhist Bodhisattva’s divine form had manifested?

What exactly happened at Dog Rong Mountain?

Questions kept bubbling up in her mind. The normally composed Grand Princess was now filled with curiosity about the battle that had occurred in distant Dog Rong Mountain.

It was like having a fascinating book right before her eyes, making her eager to turn its pages.

Huaiqing quickly regained her composure and left the washroom without expression, returning to the side hall.

At this time, the royal family’s internal meeting was still ongoing in the Imperial Study.

The princesses and noble ladies were drinking tea and eating pastries, chatting quietly with lowered heads, waiting for the meeting to end.

After taking her seat, Huaiqing took a sip of tea, then turned to look at Lin’an’s grave expression and said softly:

“I know the reason for the disturbance at the Yongzhen Mountain River Temple.”

Lin’an’s eyes brightened as she looked at her suspiciously:

“You know?”

Huaiqing turned her head away, looking elsewhere while lowering her voice:

“The Imperial Sword is in Xu Qi’an’s hands. He fought against the Buddhist sect, Witch God Cult, and the remnants from Lurking Dragon City.”

The Imperial Sword is with that dog servant… Lin’an’s breathing quickened as she blurted out:

“What happened? Was he injured?”

Huaiqing calmly countered: “Has he ever lost?”

That simple question allowed Lin’an to set down her raised heart steadily.

What followed was an overwhelming sense of security—all her worries and troubles vanished in this moment.

She didn’t even know the specific situation or the significant implications behind this matter, but just knowing that he was handling it, that he was supporting them, gave Lin’an unprecedented peace and tranquility.

Lin’an slowly exhaled, expelling all the gloom from her heart.

“I must tell Imperial Brother.”

The sparkle returned to Lin’an’s eyes.

Huaiqing gave her a sidelong glance: “If you have your special way of contacting Xu Qi’an, that’s none of my business.”

“Don’t worry!”

Lin’an patted her shoulder, speaking with loyalty.

Huaiqing sighed. If it were any other sister, she wouldn’t have revealed this matter.

She confided in Lin’an primarily out of consideration for the bigger picture—in today’s Great Tang, stability was the top priority, both among the common people and in court politics.

Moreover, with so many people in the palace knowing about this matter, keeping it hidden would be difficult, and it might become a reason for the ministers to oppose the donations.

While Emperor Yongxing, as the nation’s ruler, would at most suffer damage to his reputation, Second Brother Xu would be finished.

Lin’an lifted her skirts and stood, leaving the side hall to walk toward the Imperial Study.

“Your Highness, you cannot enter.”

The eunuch guarding the door immediately blocked her, saying with a troubled expression:

“His Majesty and the princes are in discussion. Please don’t put this slave in a difficult position.”

Lin’an pointed at the doors of the Imperial Study, saying with authority:

“Go announce me at once.”

She had matured and become more restrained now; in the past, she wouldn’t have cared about the eunuch’s feelings at all.

The eunuch hesitated before scurrying toward the Imperial Study.

Lin’an’s gaze followed him, seeing Zhao Xuanzhen, the eunuch serving by the emperor’s side, poke his head out, glance at her several times with a fawning smile, and then withdraw.

Shortly after, Zhao Xuanzhen personally came out, bowing and nodding:

“Your Highness, His Majesty requests your presence.”

Lin’an nodded with satisfaction, knowing her Imperial Brother would certainly let her in.

Emperor Yongxing rarely refused her requests.

Lin’an followed Zhao Xuanzhen across the threshold into the Imperial Study. Along the crimson carpet stood their uncles and brothers, who frowned as they watched her enter, their expressions less than pleased.

Prince Li snorted coldly:

“Elders are discussing matters—what are you doing here? You have no manners.”

He was criticizing both Lin’an and Emperor Yongxing’s indulgence of his sister.

Emperor Yongxing took a breath and said patiently:

“Lin’an, I am discussing matters with our uncles. Your business can wait.”

A prince waved his hand, ordering Zhao Xuanzhen: “Escort Princess Lin’an back.”

Zhao Xuanzhen looked toward the princess who remained the most favored in the palace even after two reigns.

Lin’an ignored everyone and asked:

“Imperial Brother, do you know the reason for the disturbance at the Yongzhen Mountain River Temple?”

Emperor Yongxing’s face darkened as he glanced at Prince Li and the others, saying coldly:

“It is because I acted perversely, angering the officials. The ancestors have sent down punishment.”

“I have already promised our uncles to issue an edict of self-blame immediately and spend three days in penance at the ancestral temple to quell the ancestors’ wrath.”

“This has nothing to do with my Imperial Brother!”

Lin’an’s fine brows rose as she glared at the princes and noble princes on either side.