Fang Yun and his companions steered their horses into the forest to avoid suspicion. They dismounted and crept closer on foot toward the large complex Fang Yun suspected was hiding Princess Xu Lan."Do we move now?" Zhao Wen asked.Fang Yun shook his head. "We’ll wait until nightfall. We can’t act recklessly. If Princess Xu Lan truly is inside, her safety must come first."Inside the complex stood several buildings of considerable size. Wong Fei and Pan Yon quickly greeted Prince Bai Hao and his master."How is she?" Prince Bai Hao asked."She is well, my Prince. But she hasn’t stopped crying," Wong Fei answered, then led them to a building.After unlocking the padlock on the door, the four entered."How are you, my future wife?" Prince Bai Hao smiled broadly, walking toward Princess Xu Lan. He untied the cloth gagging her mouth.Bound to a chair, Princess Xu Lan struggled in vain, the ropes biting into her skin

Moments later, Gao Lei entered the private chamber of Emperor Bai Zu. The old man’s eyes widened in shock upon seeing the emperor of the Sung Dynasty lying on the floor, drenched in blood. He immediately knelt to check for any sign of life from Emperor Bai Zu.“What has the Crown Prince done to His Majesty!?” Gao Lei asked angrily, his eyes glaring at Crown Prince Bai Hao, who was calmly sitting on the special seat usually reserved for Emperor Bai Zu.“I merely fulfilled my master’s wish to wage war against the Hong Dynasty,” Bai Hao replied flatly.“What do you mean, Prince!? I never ordered you to kill His Majesty!” Gao Lei barked.“Father refused to wage war against the Hong Dynasty and wanted to meet with Emperor Ren Zi, so I was forced to kill him.”Without the slightest hint of remorse, Crown Prince Bai Hao answered his master. Then he gazed at his father’s corpse. “I did not want Father to hear about the kidnapping of Princess Xu Lan, Master,” he added.Suddenly, Bai Hao’s expr

The two of them walked toward the great hall to deliver the information Fang Yun had obtained to the ministers of the Hong Dynasty.Inside the great hall, Emperor Ren Zi clearly explained the Sung Dynasty’s plan to launch an attack against them.“The mastermind behind all this is Prince Bai Hao. He has taken the throne after his father suddenly fell gravely ill with a supposedly contagious disease,” Emperor Ren Zi said.“Your Majesty, if possible, let us not allow the battle to take place in the capital. The innocent citizens would suffer the most,” Fang Yun suddenly spoke.“Then what do you propose, Fang Yun?”“We should intercept them before they reach the capital, Your Majesty. At the very least, we would have the advantage of controlling the battlefield,” Fang Yun replied.Emperor Ren Zi nodded. He took out a scroll depicting the map of the Hong Dynasty and pinned it to a board. With a brush in his hand, he circled

“Does standing in the middle of the road mean we’re tired of living? Your troops are filling the entire road. Does that mean they’re also tired of living?” sneered Fang Yun, signaling Zhao Wen to prepare for battle.Annoyed that their journey was being blocked, Pan Yon gave an order to the soldiers behind him.“Damn bastards…! Soldiers, kill them both!” he shouted.Twenty soldiers immediately drew their weapons and charged forward. Without hesitation, Zhao Wen darted ahead, slashing his sword repeatedly until all twenty soldiers fell lifeless on the ground.Seeing his twenty men cut down so easily, Wong Fei cursed angrily. He was about to leap from his horse to attack Zhao Wen, but Pan Yon quickly stopped him.“He’s not your opponent. Let the soldiers finish him!”Wong Fei nodded and ordered dozens more soldiers to attack.Zhao Wen gave a faint smile. Pulling his sword back, he swung it forward with lightning speed. Dozens of ice blades materialized, shooting through the air and snatc

“Damn it… If this goes on, I might die!” cursed Pan Yon in his heart. He thought he must reach his master as soon as possible if he wanted to survive, for that was his only way.While continuing to evade and retreat, Pan Yon occasionally glanced at Prince Bai Hao’s horse carriage, which was still quite far away. His mind grew more entangled seeing his opponent’s determination not to let him escape alive.Fang Yun was well aware of Pan Yon’s intention, yet he deliberately wanted to instill fear in Pan Yon’s mind before killing him.“Keep running until the angel of death comes for you.” A mocking grin curled on Fang Yun’s lips.Since it was impossible to keep dodging forever, Pan Yon decided to draw in Leak energy, though he wasn’t sure if he could even wound his opponent. At the very least, he hoped his attack could create a chance for him to flee toward his master.While continuing to evade the strikes, Pan Yon slowly absorbed Leak energy and gathered it within his body. Moments later