Chapter 1165: Wu Mountain Winds

"He's been held up by that red-clad male ghost and hasn't returned yet," the driver replied truthfully.

Zheng Zhiqin was a little surprised. "His Majesty is a sixth-rank master, and Prime Minister Han is there to assist... Have they really not dealt with that red-clad male ghost yet? Just how strong is that ghost?"

"I don't know... I've never seen a monster like that before."

A chill ran down the driver's spine as he recalled the scene he had witnessed in his rearview mirror.

The group waited nearly twenty minutes in front of the brick house before dark figures finally streaked across the distant sky. Countless brushstrokes intertwined across the fields, forming the silhouettes of two people: Ying Fu and Prime Minister Han, who emerged one after the other.

Ying Fu's expression was somewhat grim. Seeing his face, everyone knew they likely hadn't managed to defeat the red-clad male ghost, and their surprise grew even stronger. It was the first time they had seen His Majesty frustrated since they began following him.

Ying Fu first confirmed Chu Changqing's safety in the car, then his gaze swept over the others, and he suddenly frowned.

At the same time, Prime Minister Han also noticed something was amiss.

"...Where's Zhou Liang?"

Chu Changqing then realized that only two of the three university students who had been with them remained. Both were covered in wounds and looked utterly dishevelled. Hearing Prime Minister Han's question, they silently lowered their heads.

"He... he was captured by that martial arts woman while creating an opportunity for us to escape."

A martial arts woman?

The image of Hongchen Jun immediately appeared in Ying Fu's mind.

"When I picked them up, there were only two left. I initially thought about going back to rescue him, but considering the importance of escorting Chu Changqing, I decided to come here first," Fu Kun said with a helpless shrug.

"Did you defeat those three people?" Ying Fu asked.

Fu Kun and Zheng Zhiqin exchanged a glance.

"Uh... it was a draw."

The two of them had fought Lu Xun and Yang Xiao respectively and hadn't gained an advantage. However, with their combat experience, there was a high probability they could have won if the fight had dragged on longer. But to ensure Chu Changqing's safety, they chose to retreat and hurry here.

Although the combined strength of the three university students was not weak, their individual ranks were not high. Moreover, they had encountered Su Zhiwei, who was the most skilled in combat, and ultimately failed to escape unscathed.

"Teacher... what about Zhou Liang?" a female university student asked Prime Minister Han, concern etched on her face.

Prime Minister Han's brows were tightly furrowed, and just as he was about to speak, Ying Fu calmly stated:

"Since Su Zhiwei captured him, he will most likely not be in mortal danger. It won't be too late to retrieve him after the next matters are dealt with."

As soon as Ying Fu spoke, neither Prime Minister Han nor the two university students raised any objections, respectfully nodding:

"Understood."

Ying Fu slowly walked to the car and opened the door where Chu Changqing was seated. Chu Changqing sat there quietly, a wary look in his pale green eyes.

"What? Are you going to deal with me now... 'Your Majesty'?"

Ying Fu grabbed Chu Changqing's wrist. Dark ink stains climbed up Chu Changqing's arm and body, the brushstrokes piercing his flesh like fine needles, leaving crimson wounds.

The intense pain caused Chu Changqing to let out a muffled groan, his face paling. As the brushstrokes entered his body, the pale green in the depths of his eyes seemed to be veiled, becoming blurry and indistinct.

An unprecedented feeling of weakness surged through Chu Changqing. He stared intently at Ying Fu:

"What did you do to me?"

"You Nine Monarchs absorb the power of the Red Star's vows, and your strength grows too quickly. I must retain some means to prevent you from running wild."

After doing all this, Ying Fu released his grip. Chu Changqing lay weakly in the back seat, only his eyes glaring angrily at Ying Fu.

Ying Fu completely ignored his resentment and turned to Prime Minister Han and the others:

"How are the arrangements for the Wushan Conference coming along?"

"Everything is ready," Prime Minister Han replied, taking a badge from his pocket and handing it to Ying Fu. "This is the identity prepared for Your Majesty... However, time is short, so I can only ask Your Majesty to humble yourself and operate within the conference as my student for now."

Ying Fu took the badge and slowly said:

"One who accomplishes great things doesn't bother with trifles. My identity is insignificant compared to my plan."

"Then, Your Majesty... what about him?" Fu Kun asked, pointing to the half-dead Chu Changqing in the car. "Should we find a place to tie him up, or take him with us?"

Ying Fu glanced at him, then waved his hand dismissively under Chu Changqing's furious gaze:

"Take him with us."

Bao'er Tomb.

Among the seldom-visited mountains, lush forests covered the land. As a gentle breeze swept over the peaks, a flock of birds suddenly seemed to sense something, swiftly taking flight.

Moments later, a colossal, translucent awakened lion burst forth from beneath the earth!

A figure in a Tang suit sat cross-legged on the awakened lion's head, his eyes behind small, round sunglasses surveying the surroundings as he murmured:

"So many years since I've been here... Has it really changed this much?"

"...Can you put me down first?"

Chen Ling, dressed in a large red opera robe, was held awkwardly in the awakened lion's mouth, like a fresh slice of meat. His face was full of helplessness. "Your rank is so much higher than mine; I can't escape anyway."

Sun Bumian snorted coldly and jumped directly off the awakened lion's head. The massive awakened lion immediately faded away in a blaze of colorful flames, leaving only a lifelike lion's head helmet in his hand.

He glanced at Chen Ling, who was getting up from the ground, and spoke curtly:

"You'd better not have touched my gold, or else..."

"You're already so powerful, why do you still value these worldly possessions so much?" Chen Ling asked, puzzled. "If the gold is gone, couldn't I just conjure a mountain of gold for you? You can have as much of this stuff as you want."

"How could it be the same??" Sun Bumian frowned, glaring fiercely at him.

"Never mind... you wouldn't understand even if I explained it."

Sun Bumian mumbled, seemingly too lazy to explain to him. After circling the area, he came to a seemingly unremarkable patch of ground and stomped his foot down forcefully!

Colorful flames ignited at Sun Bumian's temples, and a massive awakened lion's foot directly stomped through the rock layers below, instantly opening a bottomless black cavern. A chilling wind gusted out from it, its destination unknown.

Sun Bumian dusted himself off, then, using a cloud-stepping technique, descended directly into the depths of the cavern.

Seeing this, Chen Ling followed.

"How can you use cloud-stepping too??" Sun Bumian turned to see Chen Ling also approaching through the air, his expression utterly astonished.

"My senior sister taught me."

"Senior sister... Who is your senior sister?"

"Someone from the future. You wouldn't know even if I told you."

Sun Bumian looked at Chen Ling with a strange gaze, but at that moment, he was more concerned about his gold.

The two figures continued to descend into the dark cavern. After an unknown amount of time, several heavy chests began to take shape in the deep darkness.