Immortality Cultivation

Chapter 261: Escaping [3]

Fang Hao had only one thought in his head right now—run! Run for his life! He couldn’t give a damn about treacherous swamps or Demon Beast venomous miasmas. The spiritual light of the silver light shuttle had dimmed to the point of nearly cutting out, and he himself looked like a blood-soaked gourd. His spiritual power was hitting rock bottom, and his Divine Soul was stinging with pain; he was only hanging on by a single breath and the occasional sliver of Battle Intent emanating from the battle heaven axe in his arms.

Behind him, the Sun Family Old Ancestor’s Divine Sense was like a venomous snake, biting down on him and refusing to let go. Several times, that old ghost’s palm winds and finger strikes had grazed his body, blasting huge craters into the mud. If it weren’t for his near-instinctive intuition for danger (honed through the ’war soul’ trials and life-and-death struggles in the Secret Realm) and his sufficiently tough Physical Body, he would have died countless times already.

"Damn it, is this old guy a dog? How can he track me so well!" Fang Hao cursed in his heart, but his feet didn’t dare stop. He specifically dove into areas with the aura of powerful Demon Beasts. Several times he nearly crashed into a Demon Beast’s den himself, but he also successfully caused the Sun Family Old Ancestor’s pursuit to lag slightly, even managing to ensnare a few Sun Family Golden Core Cultivators following behind.

Chasing and fleeing like this all the way, through darkness and confusion, he didn’t know how long he had been running. Fang Hao felt like his lamp was about to run out of oil, and his vision began to blur. He only knew that the direction of the Heavenly Capital was roughly over there...

Finally, after narrowly avoiding another sharp Sword Qi (unsure if it was from the Sun Family Old Ancestor or some Perfected Golden Core) and bursting through another dense forest, a majestic and familiar silhouette appeared on the horizon—the massive outline of the city that looked like a life-saving straw in his eyes: the Heavenly Capital!

"I’m here! Almost there!" Fang Hao’s spirits lifted. He squeezed the last trace of spiritual power from his body to drive the silver light shuttle, making a desperate sprint toward the gates of the Heavenly Capital! He knew that as long as he entered the city, in the capital of the Mingling Empire, even the Sun Family Old Ancestor wouldn’t dare blatantly kill someone in the streets. Especially since he held the token for a residence bestowed by the Imperial Family (Qingyun Courtyard), they couldn’t easily move against him in the city! This was the rule! It was his only way to survive!

However, he was fast, but the Sun Family Old Ancestor was faster! Just as Fang Hao was about to rush into the warning range of the city gate guards, a cold, murderous shout exploded above his head like a clap of thunder:

"Vile creature! You still think you can enter the city? Stay right there for this old man!"

Before the voice had even faded, a giant hand of azure spiritual power that blotted out the sun condensed once more. This time it was no longer a probe, but carried the Sun Family Old Ancestor’s certain determination to kill. It descended from the sky, clawing fiercely toward Fang Hao! Before the giant hand even arrived, that terrifying Spiritual Pressure had already completely solidified the air around Fang Hao, making him feel as if he were trapped in a quagmire. The silver light shuttle let out an overburdened wail, its spiritual light completely extinguished!

"Not good!" Fang Hao’s pupils constricted as he felt the aura of death instantly envelop him. He let out a furious roar, prepared to disregard everything and activate the battle heaven axe nurtured in his Dantian for a desperate final struggle! Even if he died, he would bite off a piece of this old ghost’s flesh!

At this critical juncture!

"Fellow Daoist Sun, please stay your hand."

A cold, calm, yet indisputably majestic female voice suddenly rang out above the city gates, like a spring breeze turning into rain.

Following the voice, a soft, pale-green radiance arrived first, floating lightly between the giant azure hand and Fang Hao. The green light seemed soft, yet it contained an indescribable, profound power. The Sun Family Old Ancestor’s giant spiritual hand, capable of crushing mountains, struck the green light as if it had grabbed onto the most slippery flowing water. The force was easily deflected and dissolved; without even startling a single ripple, it vanished silently.

The terrifying Spiritual Pressure vanished instantly. Fang Hao felt his body lighten and nearly collapsed to the ground. He jerked his head up, looking toward the direction the voice came from.

High above the city gates, a slender figure had appeared at some unknown moment. She wore an elegant, pale-green palace dress, her hair swept up in a high cloud bun. Her face was exquisite beyond compare, and her temperament was cold and ethereal, like a Fairy who did not consume the food of the mortal world. Currently, she was looking down calmly, her gaze sweeping over the bedraggled Fang Hao before turning toward the dark-faced Sun Family Old Ancestor.

"Grand Princess Her Highness?!" Fang Hao’s heart jolted, and the words escaped him. The newcomer was none other than the Grand Princess of the Mingling Empire, Princess Mu Yijing! The very Grand Princess with whom he’d had that absurd night in the Hundred Flowers Valley, and for whom he later refined the "Yin and Yang Harmony Pill" to settle their scores! Why was she here? And she happened to... save him?

Princess Mu Yijing glanced at Fang Hao, her eyes calm and without a single ripple, showing no emotion as if she were looking at a stranger. Then, her gaze fell back onto the Sun Family Old Ancestor, her voice remaining cold: "Fellow Daoist Sun, this is the gate to the Imperial Capital. Making such a huge commotion might disturb the commoners and damage the dignity of the Imperial Family. I wonder how this person has offended the Sun Family to make you so enraged?"

The Sun Family Old Ancestor’s face was so dark it looked like it might drip water. He looked at the suddenly appearing Princess Mu Yijing, a flash of deep wariness crossing his eyes. Although this Grand Princess usually lived in seclusion, her status in the Imperial Family was transcendent, and her cultivation had reached the Middle Nascent Soul Stage—one minor Realm higher than his! More importantly, behind her stood the entire Imperial Family of the Mingling Empire!

"Grand Princess Her Highness." The Sun Family Old Ancestor suppressed his rage and cupped his hands. His tone was respectful enough, but it carried an irrepressible murderous intent. "This brat Fang Hao is ruthless and cruel. In the Secret Realm, he first ambushed and heavily injured my direct grandson Sun Tianqi, then brutally murdered my Sun Family Genius Sun Tianlin and stole our Sun Family treasures! This is an irreconcilable blood feud! Today, I must capture him and bring him back to the Sun Family to enforce our family laws and comfort the souls of my Sun Family boys in heaven! I ask Your Highness not to interfere!"

Hearing this, Princess Mu Yijing’s elegant brows furrowed imperceptibly. Her gaze swept again over the blood-covered, weakly breathing Fang Hao, seemingly surprised that he would cause such a massive disaster. But her tone remained flat: "Oh? Such a thing happened? Fellow Daoist Sun, is there actual evidence for what you say? This person seems to... hold a Qingyun Courtyard token bestowed by my Imperial Brother, making him a guest of our Imperial Family. If he truly committed a heinous crime, he should be tried according to the law by our Imperial Clan Court, the Ministry of Justice, or the Supreme Court. How can a private court be set up to beat and kill someone in the street?"

Her words were like needles hidden in silk. She both pointed out Fang Hao’s status granted by the Imperial Family (even if it was only Guest Elder treatment) and brought up the Empire’s laws and imperial institutions, hinting that the Sun Family could not overstep their bounds and take the law into their own hands.

The Sun Family Old Ancestor’s expression turned even uglier. He knew Princess Mu Yijing was protecting Fang Hao, or at least protecting him temporarily. He suppressed the urge to slap Fang Hao to death and said in a low voice: "Your Highness is wise! This brat’s evil deeds were witnessed by many in the Secret Realm! My Sun Family is willing to confront him in court! It’s just that this brat is cunning and vicious, and he has a strange Puppet protecting him. If he is allowed into the city, I fear he will cause further trouble and harm the innocent! Why don’t I take him down first, seal his cultivation, and then hand him over to Your Highness for disposal?"

This sounded like a step back, but in reality, he still wanted to keep Fang Hao under his control. Once captured by the Sun Family, with his cultivation sealed and placed in the Sun Family dungeons, wouldn’t he be at their mercy? By then, whether he lived or died, it would be hard for the Imperial Family to intervene.

How could Princess Mu Yijing not hear the meaning in his words? She shook her head faintly. "Fellow Daoist Sun worries too much. Within the Imperial Capital, there are the Imperial Guards and Formations for protection; how could a mere nobody cause chaos? As for confronting him in court to find the truth, that is only right. But before this person’s crimes are proven, he remains the master of the Qingyun Courtyard and is under the protection of my Imperial Family. If Fellow Daoist Sun forces your hand, you would be treating my Imperial Family’s laws as nothing."