Chapter 140 - 90: Battle Royale, Zhao Ci 1v99 (4)

Chapter 140: Chapter 90: Battle Royale, Zhao Ci 1v99 (4)

Zhao Qing said nothing, but continued beating his wings.

In the blink of an eye, he had covered the thirty li.

The high-speed journey had consumed nearly half of his True Qi, leaving him slightly short of breath.

He hovered beneath the giant eye.

Gripping Zhang Delv’s arm with one hand, he pointed with the other toward the clusters of black fog beside the giant eye. "The Tenth Prince was swallowed by the first cluster of black fog, and the Ninth Prince by the third. Am I supposed to break through both to rescue them?"

Zhang Delv was speechless.

It wasn’t unheard of for someone to force their way into the Black Fog Space.

Three hundred years ago, the reigning Emperor had brought the young Crown Prince to the Northern Three Prefectures to pacify the populace. As it happened, they arrived just as the entrance manifested. The Crown Prince, not yet five years old, was sucked straight inside. Left with no other choice, they made an exception and forced their way in.

Other than that one time, there were no other instances of a forced entry.

Forcing one’s way in twice was practically impossible.

And even if he could only force his way in once, it would be difficult to choose who to save.

Zhao Qing’s expression was grim as he stared at the clusters of black fog surrounding the giant eye. The moment the eye had appeared, he’d felt that something was amiss. Many of the people who had been sucked up along with the princes had seemed... off.

The Black Fog Space was incredibly strange. It severely interfered with the signals from the Peace Jades and prohibited entry to anyone above the Physical Body Realm.

It was, one might say, a perfect trap for assassinating a Prince.

He never would have imagined.

That the entrance to the relic—something no one had been able to control or even predict for centuries—could be deliberately guided to appear over the city.

The situation was far too difficult.

He wasn’t even sure how to proceed.

If only one Prince had been trapped, he might have been able to overstep his authority and force his way in for a rescue.

But to force entry twice... even if doing so exposed a heaven-shaking conspiracy, the Imperial Clan Court would never let him get away with it.

Zhang Delv couldn’t take it anymore. "Steward Qing, are we just going to stand here and watch?"

With a grim expression, Zhao Qing pulled two Jade Pendants from his robes. They were the complementary pendants to the Peace Jades carried by Zhao Ci and Zhao Yong. If either Prince crushed their Peace Jade, the corresponding pendant would react.

But with the Black Fog Space as a barrier, he didn’t know if the signal could even get through.

After a long moment of contemplation, however, he tucked the Jade Pendants back into his robes.

He snorted. "There can’t be any masters above the Physical Body Realm inside the Black Fog Space. Both Princes have already begun their cultivation. If they can’t even make it back from this alive, then they’ll never become pillars of the Great Yu, even if they participate in the later court contests. The Zhao Imperial Family has no need for such weaklings!"

Zhang Delv gasped.

’The Imperial Clan Court!’

’You people are truly ruthless!’

...

「Under the veil of night.」

"HYAH!"

"HYAH!"

"HYAH!"

Carrying the last of the name registers on her back, Kan Luotang spurred her horse into a gallop, racing toward Qingyang County at top speed.

A smile graced her lips. As long as she delivered these registers, everything would be settled by tomorrow. Zhao Ci could return to Lingge to successfully report the completion of his mission, and she could continue practicing medicine in the Northern Three Prefectures in peace.

Although they had faced some troubles along the way, it was all ending without any real harm, thanks to Zhao Ci’s sharp mind.

’But after today, Zhao Ci will be gone,’ she thought. ’I probably won’t see him again for a very long time, will I?’

Kan Luotang shook her head and smiled, chiding herself for being so selfish. ’A Prince like Zhao Ci, so sincere and earnest, is returning to Lingge to strive for a brilliant future. That’s something to be happy about. I should be wishing him well.’

’I’ll reach Qingyang County with half a day to spare. That’s more than enough time for a proper farewell.’

But just then, a muffled thunder rolled across the sky.

And the epicenter this time...

Kan Luotang froze. Although her cultivation level wasn’t high, she possessed the Kan Family’s legacy and had studied the relic’s entrance for years. She could clearly sense its location.

It was... inside Qingyang County!

She cried out, "Impossible!"

She knew this Array too well!

Even if she couldn’t predict its exact location, she could at least estimate its general pattern.

Besides, the Array was stable right now. It couldn’t possibly appear above Qingyang County, no matter where else it manifested!

’Something’s gone wrong!’

’Someone is behind this!’

’Who is the target?’

Kan Luotang’s expression soured. She wracked her brain but couldn’t think of anyone who would be worth targeting in such a way, other than the two Princes.

But then she suddenly recalled the divination her grandfather had performed for her. He had said that Zhao Ci would face a sign of great peril on this journey, and that she would likely be dragged into it as well.

’But thinking back on it,’ she mused, ’the matter with the Emperor’s Gift Pill... while the local officials might play their little games, they would never dare to directly threaten a Prince’s life.’

’So where was this danger supposed to come from?’

’It had to be this!’

Just as a chill ran down her spine, the relic entrance wavered.

And then...

The giant eye appeared several li behind her.

*This* was the correct location!

’Then why did it appear over Qingyang County before?’

The stench of conspiracy was growing stronger.

No longer able to suppress the anxiety in her heart, she charged directly toward the giant eye.

It wasn’t far, but it was still several li away.

As she raced onward, the giant eye blinked several times, forcing her to change her course repeatedly.

But thankfully, she made it.

Under the veil of night.

Zhao Qing saw the lone rider approaching and was taken aback. He shouted, "Miss Luotang, don’t come any closer! It’s dangerous!"

Kan Luotang didn’t answer. She just looked up and called out, "Steward Qing, which cluster of black fog is the Tenth Prince in?"

Zhao Qing hesitated for a moment, then pointed to the cluster of black fog nearest the giant eye. "The first one!"

"Alright!"

Kan Luotang gritted her teeth and immediately pulled a sheet of Talisman Paper from her robes.

She bit down hard on her slender index finger, drawing a drop of crimson blood. She dotted it onto the Talisman Paper, and the peach-wood paper began to crackle with faint sparks of lightning.

Without slowing her horse, she charged straight into the giant eye’s sphere of influence.

The lightning on the Talisman Paper in her hand grew brighter.

The first cluster of black fog seemed to react, drawing the faint wisps of electricity toward it.

Then.

The instant Kan Luotang entered its range, she was lifted into the air. Following the threads of lightning, she shot straight toward the first cluster of black fog.

This Talisman Paper was the fruit of her long years spent studying the Array of the Northern Three Prefectures.

It wasn’t yet perfected.

Yet she’d never expected to use it here.

The feeling of being uncontrollably launched into the air made her slightly panicked.

But she stared intently at the cluster of black fog, her gaze filled with nothing but resolve.

’Since you kept your promise, I cannot simply stand by and watch.’

’We face a great disaster today. If only one of us can survive, I hope it is you.’

’If it weren’t for me, you never would have come to the Northern Three Prefectures!’

’Let me be the one to face this trial. Consider my debt to you repaid!’