As the blue cloth carriage slowly rolled out of the city gates, Lu Ning finally breathed a true sigh of relief.
‘Finally, I’m out of that giant cage.’
Although the process had been full of twists and turns, thrills and spills, she had finally succeeded.
She glanced at Gu Qinghuan, who was still in a daze with flushed cheeks and blurred eyes, and then at Ji Linglong, who was clutching her arm with a silly grin.
A sense of absurdity welled up in her heart.
Fleeing with these two ‘time bombs’ meant the road ahead probably wouldn’t be very peaceful.
Meanwhile, atop the city gates of the Imperial Capital.
The Imperial Ancestor, who sat cross-legged with an aura as vast as an abyss, slowly opened her eyes.
A flash of deep doubt flickered across her clouded pupils.
She had seen everything that just happened.
It was strange enough for the Eldest Princess to appear in such an ordinary carriage.
Moreover, the Eldest Princess was supposed to be searching for the culprit who destroyed the Phoenix Palace.
When things were this out of the ordinary, there had to be a demon at work.
This ancestor, who had lived for hundreds of years, keenly sensed that something was wrong.
She instinctively spread her Divine Sense, intending to investigate the carriage that had already exited the gates.
However, as soon as her Divine Sense approached the carriage, it was gently bounced back by a force carrying a strange floral fragrance.
This only deepened her suspicions.
There was a top-tier powerhouse in that carriage!
Furthermore, the opponent’s methods were extremely sophisticated, capable of silently neutralizing the Divine Sense probe of a cultivator at the late Great Refinement stage.
This was definitely no coincidence!
Thinking of this, the Imperial Ancestor did not dare to be negligent.
She immediately used a secret technique to transmit everything that happened, along with her conjectures, to Empress Ji Liuyun in the Imperial Palace.
Inside the Kylin Hall.
Ji Liuyun sat regally upon her throne.
She appeared calm, but her heart was plagued by unease.
Just then, a highly secretive transmission echoed in her mind.
After listening to the Imperial Ancestor’s deductions, a slight frown appeared on her cold face.
‘Imperial Sister left the city? Sitting in an ordinary blue cloth carriage? And she used such a domineering attitude to force her way out?’
Abnormal details linked together in her mind, making the feeling of unease grow stronger.
Something was wrong!
She suddenly remembered the report from Shadow Seven.
The devil from the Heavenly Devil Sect imprisoned in the Phoenix Palace had vanished.
And now, at such a time, her sister had forced her way out of the city in such an irrational manner.
Could it be…
A terrifying guess began to grow in Ji Liuyun’s heart.
‘Could Imperial Sister have been taken hostage by that missing devil? Or perhaps her mind is being controlled by some sort of sorcery?’
Whichever it was, it meant her greatest fear had come true.
That missing devil was indeed a massive hidden threat!
“Your Majesty? Your Majesty?”
Nanny Yun’s call from her side pulled Ji Liuyun back from her shock and anger.
Ji Liuyun suddenly snapped back to reality, a decisive killing intent flashing in her eyes.
She couldn’t wait any longer!
She had to confirm her sister’s safety immediately!
“Nanny Yun,” Ji Liuyun’s voice was ice-cold.
“This old servant is here.”
“Pass my command: immediately mobilize all the Imperial Capital Guards and the Golden Divine Guards. Pursue them!”
“As you command!”
Nanny Yun did not dare to delay and immediately bowed to accept the order.
Ji Liuyun didn’t waste another word.
She stood up, her figure blurring as she vanished from the throne.
When she reappeared, she was already outside the hall.
She transformed into a streak of light, racing toward the city gates.
Simultaneously, her voice surfaced in the mind of the Imperial Ancestor on the gate tower through a secret technique.
“Ancestor! Intercept that carriage at all costs! My sister has likely been controlled! I will be there shortly!”
Apost the city gates, the Imperial Ancestor’s clouded eyes became incredibly sharp upon hearing Ji Liuyun’s urgent and murderous command.
She stood up abruptly, and the terrifying aura of the late Great Refinement stage erupted like a localized ancient beast waking up!
The world-destroying pressure instantly covered a radius of 100 miles!
“SEAL!“
She spoke with the authority of the heavens, her words becoming law.
Forming a hand seal with one hand, she pointed toward the blue cloth carriage that was already several miles away.
In the next moment, the space around the carriage instantly solidified.
In the carriage, the sudden spatial restriction caused the cabin to jerk violently.
“Late Great Refinement stage!”
Gu Qinghuan’s expression became incredibly solemn.
She immediately released her aura, wrapping the entire cabin in cold Lunar power to barely withstand the terrifying spatial pressure.
“What’s happening?”
Lu Ning asked, her heart still racing.
“We’ve been discovered,” Gu Qinghuan’s voice was somewhat raspy.
“That old hag has made her move.”
She hadn’t expected the other party to react so quickly, going as far as to forcibly intercept them even after they had left the city.
It seemed Ji Linglong’s actions earlier had piqued their suspicion.
“Then… what do we do now?”
Being targeted by an old monster at the late Great Refinement stage would not be easy to escape.
“Don’t worry, Master.”
Gu Qinghuan shielded Lu Ning behind her, her cold eyes flashing with icy battle intent.
“No matter what, your disciple will protect you.”
At that moment, Ji Linglong also seemed to sense the fatal threat.
For the first time, a look of fear appeared in her innocent, golden phoenix eyes.
Her body trembled uncontrollably as she instinctively shrank into Lu Ning’s embrace.
“Sister… I’m scared…”
Like a startled little animal, she tightly clutched Lu Ning’s sleeve, seeking protection.
Lu Ning looked at her and felt a wave of helplessness.
However, this protective stance looked like something else entirely to Gu Qinghuan.
Gu Qinghuan watched as Ji Linglong’s body practically pressed against her Master.
Seeing her hand clutching her Master’s sleeve, the fire of jealousy flared up again.
Even at a life-and-death moment like this, this woman was still taking advantage of Master!
Gu Qinghuan’s eyes turned slightly red, and a thin mist of water appeared in her cold gaze.
She looked at Lu Ning, her voice carrying a hint of a sob.
“Master, you’re biased!”
Lu Ning saw her look as if she were about to cry and instinctively wanted to offer some comfort.
However, before she could speak, Ji Linglong suddenly snapped.
She puffed out her cheeks like a little tiger protecting its food and blocked Gu Qinghuan’s way, glaring at her with golden eyes.
“Sister is mine! You’re not allowed to talk to her!”
Looking at Ji Linglong standing between her and her Master, Gu Qinghuan could no longer suppress her anger and grievance.
“Get away from her!”
“You get away! You bad woman! Stay away from my sister!”
“Do you believe I’ll kill you right now?”
“You wouldn’t dare! Sister will protect me!”
“Master!”
“Sister!”
…
For a time, inside the small carriage, the two of them argued incessantly over ‘ownership’ of Lu Ning.
Lu Ning was completely stunned.
‘Help! I can’t live like this!’
Lu Ning screamed inwardly.
The spatial pressure outside the carriage grew heavier and heavier, and the entire carriage began to groan.
The argument inside was also becoming more heated, looking as if it would soon escalate from words to blows.
Just as Lu Ning was prepared to use a 50/50 Experience Card, a gentle yet slightly helpless voice drifted in from outside the carriage.
“Everyone, sit tight.”