After circling a few times and confirming that the surroundings were safe, Shen Qingci returned to the dry well.
“The area is very safe. How is your recovery?”
“My recovery is almost complete. Let’s go.”
Bai Liu Li nodded.
She then brought Shen Qingci with her as they rapidly flew out of the dry well.
They had to race against time.
The two figures swiftly weaved through the immortal city.
On Lin Hanjing’s side, she had received Gu Yanran’s message.
Her brows were tightly furrowed.
“They actually let them escape. What were those two doing?”
She snorted coldly. Lin Hanjing looked toward the other members of the “Harem Alliance” seated around the round table.
“Meng Jianqing, Liu Shumei. The two of you head to Wanyi Tower immediately. You must move quickly. Su Xueqin, take Bai Hua and Bai Lian to notify Her Majesty. Xu Wanzhou, you will come with me to pursue Shen Qingci and that white-haired girl beside him.”
After issuing three consecutive orders, Lin Hanjing took the lead and charged out of the secret room together with Xu Wanzhou.
Although she was extremely anxious, Lin Hanjing had still underestimated the strength of Shen Qingci’s side.
She never expected that two peak Golden Core cultivators could fall at their hands.
The two of them weaved through the cloud layer. Their auras were completely restrained, making them seem like ordinary mortals.
However, the other Golden Core cultivators in the clouds who had heard the news and come to watch the excitement all made way for them without exception.
They quickly arrived at the battlefield where the earlier Golden Core battle had taken place.
Lin Hanjing used her methods to observe the residual spiritual power fluctuations in the surroundings.
“This way!”
Following the residual spiritual power, they soon arrived at the dry well where Shen Qingci and Bai Liu Li had hidden not long ago.
“We are still one step too late. They left two quarters of an hour ago.”
She wanted to use her methods again to observe the residual spiritual power, but this time she found nothing.
Lin Hanjing was not surprised by this.
Someone capable of directly repelling two peak Golden Core cultivators must possess considerable strength and methods. How could they possibly make the same mistake twice?
This was somewhat troublesome. Lin Hanjing was a formation-path cultivator. In truth, she was not skilled at tracking.
“Xu little sister, you are a wind-path cultivator. Do you know the ‘Capture Wind and Trace Shadow’ technique?”
Xu Wanzhou nodded upon hearing this, then shook her head.
She explained to Lin Hanjing, “Capture Wind and Trace Shadow is a inherited technique of my clan. Of course I know it. However, casting Capture Wind and Trace Shadow is extremely troublesome. It requires an intimate item that has been in contact with the target.”
This was difficult. Among the Harem Alliance, Xu Wanzhou was the most skilled at tracking. Yet even she had no way to proceed.
“It does not matter. Let us hurry to Wanyi Tower. Shen Qingci’s target is definitely He Wanyi.
Besides, even Gu Yanran and Qing Lan Yue failed. Meng Jianqing and Liu Shumei, whose cultivations are lower, will definitely be even less able to stop them.”
“Mm. Then let us hurry over to provide support.”
Their original plan had been to pursue Shen Qingci and deplete his spiritual power in advance.
However, since he had already escaped, they had no choice but to temporarily change their strategy.
As for why Lin Hanjing was so certain that Shen Qingci would head to Wanyi Tower even if he was heavily injured, even a three-year-old child could understand the reason.
Shen Qingci and Bai Liu Li’s whereabouts and objective had already been exposed.
The news had spread.
It was only a matter of time before it reached Hua Yanyun’s ears.
If they did not hurry to rescue He Shu now, there would truly be no more opportunity.
***
Inside Wanyi Tower, in He Shu’s room.
He Shu and Mu Xinlian had already been knocked unconscious by Liu Shumei.
The two of them had been tied together like zongzi and thrown into the cage, which was then locked.
Looking at the two blurry black dots on the horizon outside the window, cold sweat appeared on her forehead.
Meng Jianqing stood beside her.
She had already erected a defensive spell in advance.
The entire Wanyi Tower was now enveloped by a massive golden bell of spiritual power.
“They are almost here!”
As the small black dots grew increasingly clear in her vision, Shen Qingci and Bai Liu Li finally arrived within a hundred li of Wanyi Tower.
“Damn it. They actually beat us to it.”
Bai Liu Li gritted her silver teeth as she looked at the golden bell spell released by Meng Jianqing. She came to a stop.
The golden bell was not a divine ability, only a spell.
However, because He Shu was inside it, she had to be cautious and could not act recklessly.
“Let me do it. You protect me while I cast.”
Bai Liu Li had no other choice, but Shen Qingci was different.
He chuckled lightly.
Then, like a cannonball, he shot toward the golden bell spell and threw a punch!
This strike carried immense force. Countless ripples immediately spread across the surface of the golden bell, resembling a massive boulder being thrown into a calm lake.
“So strong! Is Shen Qingci not a sword cultivator? How can his strength be so powerful?!”
Meng Jianqing could feel her true essence continuously draining away. Her delicate body trembled slightly as her breathing quickened.
She glanced at He Shu and Mu Xinlian, who were bound together with red ropes inside the cage. Then she withdrew her gaze and focused entirely on maintaining her defense.
With the continuous strikes, fine cracks had already appeared on the surface of the golden bell.
Shen Qingci laughed wildly without stopping.
At this moment, his aura was so powerful that it was actually on par with Qing Lan Yue, who was at peak Golden Core! Even Bai Liu Li could not help but secretly sigh in admiration.
I never expected that Shen Qingci was actually dual cultivating both the Sword and Force paths.
Generally speaking, cultivating multiple paths meant having to expend several times the effort and resources.
Most people who cultivated multiple paths at once ended up being versatile but not specialized.
However, once they succeeded, they would inevitably possess more methods and greater combat power than those who only cultivated a single path!
It was hard to imagine that this elegant, androgynous beauty of a man would fight in such a brutal, fist-to-flesh style.
It was true that sword-path cultivators often also cultivated the force path.
However, this was the first time Bai Liu Li had seen someone like Shen Qingci who cultivated both Sword and Force to such a high level.
“Shen Qingci! You are one of Her Majesty’s harem members, yet you turned out to be a Southwind spy! Her Majesty has bestowed so many cultivation resources upon you!”
“That’s right! It is not too late for you to turn back now. As long as you surrender immediately, Her Majesty will spare your life!”
The terrifying combat power Shen Qingci displayed filled the two women with fear.
Even their voices trembled as they spoke.
“Liu Shumei! Why is Lin Hanjing not here yet? I cannot hold on much longer!”
Meng Jianqing hurriedly shouted toward Liu Shumei.
The spiritual power golden bell enveloping Wanyi Tower was already covered in cracks.
It looked as though it would completely shatter in the next moment.
Once the golden bell shattered, facing Shen Qingci and Bai Liu Li with only their own combat power would be no different from courting death.
Shen Qingci snorted coldly.
His eyes narrowed.
The fist winds, which had been raining down like a storm, suddenly stopped.
He hovered in midair, approximately five zhang away from the golden bell.
“It is time to end this. Break for me!”
He gathered all of his spiritual power into his right fist.
Shen Qingci began accumulating power. His entire aura retracted to the extreme before suddenly erupting!
This punch was so fast that it created a sonic boom.
It carried boundless airflow and struck the golden bell from a distance.
As this final punch landed, the golden bell could no longer withstand the pressure and shattered into countless fragments!
Meng Jianqing, who had been maintaining the spell inside Wanyi Tower, suffered backlash and vomited a large mouthful of blood.