abcnovels
Chapter 825: Defusing the Situation
Chapter 825: Defusing the Situation
Chapter 825: Defusing the Situation
"These chains don't seem very sturdy at all. Maybe the city guard barracks should consider buying some chains from our Vast Origin House to ensure a quality product," Shi Chuankong said as he turned to the eighth prince with a hint of mockery in his eyes.
Han Li could only heave an internal sigh upon seeing this. With Shi Chuankong fanning the flames, this situation was most likely only going to escalate further.
With Shi Chuankong present, Han Li didn't have to worry about his own safety, but he had no idea how this situation was going to be brought to a close.
The eighth prince could barely contain his own fury, yet before he had a chance to do anything else, a placid voice suddenly rang out.
"It sure is crowded here. What's going on?"
An ordinary-looking beast-drawn carriage had emerged from the city, and the voice had come from the cabin of the carriage.
An ecstatic look instantly appeared on Shi Chuankong's face upon hearing this voice, and he immediately began approaching the carriage.
The eighth prince's expression also changed slightly, and the golden light emanating from his body quickly faded, as did the golden devilish projection.
Han Li made a hand seal upon seeing this, and all of the true spirit projections instantly flew back into his body as well.
Right at this moment, a figure slowly emerged from the cabin of the carriage.
It was a man who appeared to be around thirty years of age with a head of shoulder-length silver hair, and his facial features were quite similar to Shi Chuankong's. There was a warm and empathetic look in his eyes, and he was wearing white robe that complemented his tall figure very well.
"Pokong!"
Shi Chuankong hurriedly strode over to the white-robed man before grabbing onto his hand with an excited expression.
A hint of elation flashed through the white-robed man's eyes as well, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Welcome back, Chuankong."
All of the nearby bystanders immediately fell to their knees with reverent looks on their faces, and it was a far different reception from the one that the eighth prince had received.
The eighth prince gave a cold harrumph upon seeing this, then turned his head to look elsewhere.
So that's Shi Pokong, Han Li thought to himself as he observed the white-robed man.
"No need for formalities," Shi Pokong said as he swept a sleeve through the air, and all of the people on their knees were lifted to their feet by a burst of gentle force.
Shi Pokong's aura was very peculiar, and even with Han Li's spiritual sense, he was unable to detect Shi Pokong's exact cultivation base.
Shi Pokong turned to the eighth prince, then said, "I understand that ensuring the safety of the city is of the utmost importance, but at the same time, we must take care not to blow matters out of proportion and cause unnecessary commotions. Otherwise, panic could erupt within the residents of the city, and that would only have a detrimental effect on security."
A hint of apprehension flashed through the eighth prince's eyes, and he replied, "That's true, but this man is an Immortal Realm cultivator, and according to the rules, we must first verify his identity and arrange an identity token for him before he can be allowed to enter the city. I only intervened as Chuankong insisted on entering the city with him before the correct procedure had been followed."
"His name is Li Feiyu, and he's a personal guard of Chuankong's. I've already informed Father of this, and here's his identity token," Shi Pokong said as he swept a sleeve through the air to send a purple badge flying toward the eighth prince.
The eighth prince caught the badge and examined it briefly, then gave a reluctant nod.
In the next instant, the purple badge vanished from his grasp at his behest, then reappeared in front of Han Li, and the eighth prince's expression darkened even further.
"Make sure to keep that token safe, Fellow Daoist Li," Shi Pokong said to Han Li with a smile.
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Han Li grabbed onto the badge to find that there was a golden dragon engraved onto one side, while the other side bore a portrait of him, and it was his true appearance.
Han Li's pupils instantly contracted slightly upon seeing this.
He had only just revealed his true appearance not long ago.
"Let's go," Shi Pokong said with a faint smile, and he made his way back into the city with Shi Chuankong on foot instead of taking the carriage.
Han Li followed along, and the stone mirror above the city gate released a burst of light that shone down upon the trio, but didn't register any abnormalities.
A cold look flashed through the eighth prince's eyes as he watched the three of them depart.
There was a gray-robed man in the nearby crowd, and he also took a glance at Han Li's trio from afar, then turned to depart. Before long, he had arrived in a peaceful corner, where he flipped a hand over to produce a purple disk before communicating something verbally into it.
A burst of purple light flashed over the disk before immediately fading away, following which the gray-robed man vanished into the ground.
Meanwhile, Han Li's trio entered Night Sun City, and beyond the city gate was a massive street that could fit over ten people side by side.
The street was lined with opulent buildings with not a single shop in sight, and there weren't many people on the street, with most of them consisting of purple-robed imperial servants or patrolling guards.
Han Li took a brief glance at his surroundings, then looked up into the air, where there were head-sized black balls hovering roughly a thousand feet up above at set intervals.
The balls were riddled with black patterns and runes, and they were constantly releasing black ripples that vanished into thin air.
The space near them was also filled with a type of pervasive invisible force, and upon noticing the object of Han Li's intrigue, Shi Chuankong explained, "What you're seeing is a flight restriction created by the array masters of the cities. Taking flight in the city is a serious crime that comes with an extremely severe punishment."
Han Li nodded in response.
"I must apologize to you, Fellow Daoist Li. It was my lack of foresight that almost led to your capture," Shi Chuankong continued with an apologetic expression.
"It's fine. Those people were determined to start a conflict, so no matter how prepared we were, there's no way we would've been granted smooth entry into the city," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.
"I suppose you're right. Thank heavens Pokong arrived in time," Shi Chuankong said as he turned to Shi Pokong with a smile.
"You never think things through properly before you act. I'm sure you're aware of what things are like in the city right now. Prior to entering the city, you should've notified me, and I would've arranged for someone to escort you into the city," Shi Pokong sighed.
"You're right, I'll be sure to remember that for next time," Shi Chuankong replied in a casual manner, clearly not taking the matter seriously.
Shi Pokong could only shake his head with a wry smile upon seeing this.
All of a sudden, an excited look appeared in Shi Chuankong's eyes as he began, "Pokong, while I was in the Immortal Realm..."
"This is not the place to talk, let's get back to my manor first," Shi Chuankong interjected, then dragged him onto a nearby carriage.
Han Li was supposed to be Shi Chuankong's personal guard, so it was inappropriate for him to ride in the carriage with the two princes. Hence, he could only sit with the coach driver outside the cabin.
The carriage sped away into the distance, and before long, it reached a grand manor, above the entrance of which was a plaque that read "Balance Fall Duke's Manor".
The manor was enormous, and the main gate was so wide that six or seven people could walk through it together side by side.
There were two fearsome-looking lion beast statues standing in front of the entrance, and the purplish-golden gates and guards in suits of vibrant armor stationed at the entrance all reflected the regal status of the manor.
Shi Pokong exited the carriage, then led Shi Chuankong and Han Li straight into a hall in the manor.
The interior of the manor was just as grand and opulent as it appeared on the outside.
Upon entering the hall, Shi Pokong turned to Han Li as he said, "Fellow Daoist Li, I can't thank you enough for protecting Chuankong over the course of your journey together. Is there anything you want or anything I can do for you as compensation?"
"There's no need for compensation, I've already made an agreement with Fellow Daoist Shi earlier," Han Li replied with a shake of his head.
Shi Pokong faltered slightly upon hearing this, then turned to take a glance at Shi Chuankong before making no further mention of the subject. Instead, he said, "You must be tired after such a long journey, Fellow Daoist Li. I'll get someone to accompany you to your resting quarters."
A purple-robed servant quickly strode in from outside right on cue. It was a young man who was rather thin and short, and there was also a rather effeminate appearance about him.
The young man was an early-High Zenith cultivator, and his aura was very cold and calculating, much like that of a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, waiting to pounce at unsuspecting passersby.
"Please come with me, Fellow Daoist Li," the young man said, and Han Li knew that Shi Chuankong had some private matters to discuss with his brother, so he promptly departed, following the purple-robed servant out of the hall.
"I can tell that Fellow Daoist Li possesses both remarkable powers and mental qualities. Where did you manage to find such an ally? Is he reliable, and what is this agreement that he mentioned earlier?" Shi Pokong asked.
"I met Fellow Daoist Li in the True Immortal Realm, and he's saved my life many times, so he's definitely trustworthy. As for our agreement..."
Shi Chuankong gave Shi Pokong a brief rundown of his agreement with Han Li.
"You owe him your life, so you should do everything in your power to repay him. Tracking down that woman by the name of Violet Spirit shouldn't be too difficult, but it may not be so easy to recruit the services of the grand priest," Shi Pokong said with slightly furrowed brows.
"Aren't you on very good terms with the grand priest? Surely it wouldn't be too difficult to request his assistance," Shi Chuankong said.
"That was in the past. A few centuries ago, Father assigned Zhanfeng with the task of overseeing all of the priests, so right now, the grand priest has defected to Zhanfeng's camp. Having said that,I'll still do my best to try and recruit his services, and perhaps there's still a chance," Shi Pokong explained.
"Why is Father doing this? Could it be that he really does intend to make Zhanfeng his successor?" Shi Chuankong asked in a furious voice as he abruptly sprang to his feet.