Inside the guest room.
Lu Ning was caught in Ji Linglong’s embrace, feeling the scorching Phoenix aura radiating from her, completely stunned.
Her mind was racing.
What should she do?
The situation had completely spun out of control.
Gu Qinghuan, that rebellious disciple, was locked tightly by an authentic Binding Immortal Rope.
Her peak Fusion stage cultivation was utterly suppressed—right now, she was nothing but a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
And Ji Linglong was clearly addicted to this game, using Gu Qinghuan’s life as leverage to force her compliance.
To please another woman right in front of her own wayward disciple?
Lu Ning’s scalp tingled just picturing such a scene.
【No choice but to risk it!】
A wild idea flashed across Lu Ning’s mind.
She still had one card left to play.
That “Fifty-Fifty Experience Card” she’d obtained after settling the last mission.
As long as she used this card and locked onto Ji Linglong, she could gain the power of a Mid-stage Ascendant for one minute.
Though one minute was brief, for an Ascendant-level cultivator, it was enough to do many things.
In theory, there was a good chance she could break out of Heavenly Capital City with the bound Gu Qinghuan by her side.
This was her only way out right now.
Rather than submit here, enduring endless imprisonment, it was better to gamble everything on one desperate move.
At this thought, Lu Ning’s eyes grew firm in an instant.
She prepared to give the order to the system in her mind the moment Ji Linglong let her guard down.
However, just as she was about to act…
A sudden change occurred.
That Gu Qinghuan, who had been tightly bound by the Binding Immortal Rope, madly struggling with a face full of grief and fury, suddenly changed her expression.
Those eyes, reddened by rage, had somehow recovered their former icy clarity.
The look of impotent fury vanished without a trace, replaced by a cold, mocking smile.
She simply watched Ji Linglong in silence, her gaze like that of a hunter quietly observing prey about to fall into a trap, utterly unaware.
“Your Highness the Princess, it’s time to end this farce. Playing along with you just now was merely my compensation for destroying your Phoenix Palace.”
“Did it ever occur to you that when I destroyed your Phoenix Palace, I intentionally left behind the power of the Lunar Yin?”
The moment these words fell, Ji Linglong’s smile froze just as she was about to enjoy the spectacle.
Lu Ning, cradled in her arms, was equally dumbfounded.
What did this mean?
Intentionally left behind her aura?
Ji Linglong’s brows furrowed tightly as she looked at Gu Qinghuan, her golden phoenix eyes full of suspicion.
She’d managed to find this place so quickly precisely because Gu Qinghuan had left a faint trace of Lunar Yin in the Phoenix Palace.
She’d thought it was a slip in Gu Qinghuan’s haste.
But now, things didn’t seem so simple.
“What do you mean by that?”
Ji Linglong’s voice turned cold.
“Nothing much.”
Gu Qinghuan’s lips curled into a playful arc.
“I just thought it was boring to play alone, so I wanted Your Highness the Princess to come and enjoy the show together. Besides, if we want to escape this sealed imperial city, we’ll still need your help.”
Ji Linglong’s face turned rather ugly at these words.
She felt as if she’d been toyed with.
She stared hard at Gu Qinghuan, trying to discern something from her face.
But Gu Qinghuan’s expression remained calm, the depths of those cool eyes as inscrutable as an abyss.
“This princess is quite curious.”
Ji Linglong sneered, “What tricks could a prisoner bound by the Binding Immortal Rope possibly pull?”
She didn’t believe Gu Qinghuan had any cards left.
The Binding Immortal Rope was an ancient artifact—once ensnared, only a mid-Ascendant could hope to barely break free.
Gu Qinghuan, a mere peak Fusion cultivator, couldn’t possibly escape.
Maybe she was just bluffing, trying to stall for time?
Or perhaps… she had some strange fetish?
A ridiculous thought even flitted through Ji Linglong’s mind.
Could this woman have lured her here on purpose, wanting her to “pamper” her master right in front of her, to satisfy some perverse psychology?
At this, Ji Linglong’s gaze toward Gu Qinghuan grew even more contemptuous and disdainful.
“It seems all you people from the Heavenly Demon Sect have a few screws loose,” Ji Linglong mocked.
Yet Gu Qinghuan acted as if she hadn’t heard, simply smiling faintly.
“Your Highness, at the birthday banquet in the Qilin Hall, you must have received a special gift, yes?”
Gu Qinghuan suddenly shifted the subject to the birthday banquet.
Upon hearing this, Ji Linglong’s pupils shrank slightly.
She thought of that “Nine Yang Blood-Merging Flower” presented by Su Yuexi, sect master of Hundred Flowers Valley.
That wondrous flower contained a vast energy for harmonizing Yin and Yang, greatly benefiting her cultivation of the 《Nine Heavens Divine Phoenix Scripture》.
She’d only briefly inspected it at the banquet, confirming it was genuine beyond doubt.
Later, to improve her cultivation and find Gu Qinghuan faster, she refined that rare flower right away.
Because of this, she was able to completely recover her damaged essence from her earlier mishap, and her cultivation advanced even further.
“The Nine Yang Blood-Merging Flower at the banquet—its effects were pretty good, weren’t they?”
Gu Qinghuan’s voice echoed again, tinged with mockery.
Now, Ji Linglong’s face finally changed completely.
She stared at Gu Qinghuan, a dreadful suspicion rising within.
“You… what is your relationship with Su Yuexi of Hundred Flowers Valley?”
“Allies.”
Gu Qinghuan replied concisely.
“That Nine Yang Blood-Merging Flower was originally meant to help my master recuperate.”
Gu Qinghuan glanced at Lu Ning, a trace of tenderness flickering in her eyes.
“Unfortunately, plans can’t keep up with changes.”
“I never expected Your Highness would come all the way to the Heavenly Demon Sect and abduct my master.”
“That was the only part I didn’t account for.”
Her face resumed its icy smile as she looked at Ji Linglong and said slowly: “To deal with you, the high and mighty Princess, I had no choice but to use that rare flower as bait.”
“After all, I heard Your Highness’s cultivation method requires such sacred medicines for harmonizing.”
At these words, Ji Linglong finally realized she’d fallen into a carefully laid trap from the very beginning.
From the moment Su Yuexi offered the Nine Yang Blood-Merging Flower, everything had been a setup.
A scheme tailor-made for her.
Ji Linglong couldn’t believe that she, the dignified Princess of the Great Wilderness Empire, had been manipulated by a demonic witch.
“Did you really think such petty tricks would work on me?”
Ji Linglong forcibly suppressed her shock and anger, her face regaining its arrogance.
“That Nine Yang Blood-Merging Flower—I’ve already refined it.”
“It didn’t harm me at all. On the contrary, it advanced my cultivation.”
“Your scheme has failed.”
What she said was true.
She felt better than ever.
The Divine Fire of Nine Heavens within her was perfectly docile.
Even the flaws in her technique that had troubled her for years seemed to have been entirely resolved.
She didn’t believe the rare flower could be problematic.
Yet after hearing this, Gu Qinghuan’s smile grew ever more enigmatic.
“Is that so?”
“Your Highness, have you never wondered why Su Yuexi would so willingly offer the valley’s most treasured flower?”
“Doesn’t it all seem a little too easy?”
Gu Qinghuan’s voice was like a devil’s whisper in Ji Linglong’s ear.
“Let’s see… judging by the timing…”
“The side effects of the Nine Yang Blood-Merging Flower should be taking effect right about now.”
Gu Qinghuan finished speaking and said nothing more, simply watching Ji Linglong in silence.
Side effects?
A chill surged in Ji Linglong’s heart.
She was about to shout in anger, when suddenly, a searing pain erupted from the depths of her very soul!
“Ah—!”
Ji Linglong let out a shrill cry of agony, releasing Lu Ning, clutching her head as her body curled up, rolling straight off the bed to the floor.
Her beautiful face twisted in pain, her golden phoenix eyes bloodshot.
And with its master’s control lost, the Binding Immortal Rope instantly lost its golden luster.
The restraints on Gu Qinghuan’s body loosened.
With a simple movement, she broke free effortlessly.
She slowly stood and walked to the struggling Ji Linglong, looking down at her from above.
Then, she turned to the thoroughly dumbstruck Lu Ning still sitting on the bed, her face breaking into a gentle, doting smile.
“Master, don’t be afraid.”
“Beforehand, I had that sect master from Hundred Flowers Valley add something special to the Nine Yang Blood-Merging Flower—something that can backlash against the soul.”
“This Princess is our key to escaping the imperial city. Now, it’s time for the roles of hunter and prey to reverse.”