61: Chapter 61 Do not go forward, there are members of the Demonic Cult.

The sun was setting in the west, and the vast mountain scenery turned golden as a long procession entered Luokun Slope.

Over a hundred people, centered around a prisoner carriage in the middle, were scattered in front, behind, and to the sides. Inside the carriage was a handsome young man with a dirty face and blood-stained clothes.

The group traveled in silence, with only the sounds of footsteps and the prisoner carriage echoing.

At a certain spot, Ai Kun and Ji Susan were exerting their full power to activate Kun Arts. Their forms merged with a tree, and not a trace of their aura leaked out; everything was perfectly natural. However, upon seeing the prisoner carriage appear, a slight flaw emerged in their disguise.

"Steady, stay steady!"

Ai Kun quickly reminded Ji Susan. The most important aspect of Kun Kingdom Illusion Arts was that one's heart must not be in turmoil; one's mind had to be absolutely clear to ensure the stability of their internal force.

Their internal force was tangible, colorful, and could change at will. Once deployed, it blended seamlessly with the surrounding scenery. When used to its peak, one could even stand before a Grandmaster without being detected.

But the foundation of all this was that the heart must not be disturbed. If the heart was in turmoil, the internal force would become chaotic, the disguise would fail to match nature, and inconsistencies would appear. Even a momentary stutter or lag would be enough for a martial artist's senses to detect something was wrong.

Fortunately, the other party was still far away, so the impact wasn't great. However, Ji Susan had to steady her mind; otherwise, if a mistake occurred when they were closer, they could forget about saving anyone.

"Phew... I know."

Ji Susan took several deep breaths, slowly calming her mindset and re-entering her disguised state.

"Sigh!"

Ai Kun sighed. It was still obvious that Ji Susan's nerves were constantly strained. In such a state, if something happened, it would severely affect her judgment.

Ji Susan shouldn't have made such a mistake, but the Second Prince was her full brother, born of the same mother. The two had grown up together since childhood and shared a deep bond. Seeing the Second Prince suffer such torture, it was inevitable that Ji Susan would feel his pain as if it were her own, making it impossible for her to remain calm.

Although he understood, Ji Susan was his teammate now, and Ai Kun could not tolerate this.

With Ji Susan in this state, if she made a mistake during the rescue, she might even drag him down with her!

"This handsome Kun shouldn't have come with you. You're really screwing over this Kun."

Ai Kun grumbled. He had been lured here by Ji Susan with the promise of the remains of King Kun, who was buried in Luokun Slope years ago. King Kun was a Grandmaster Spirit Beast and the ancestor of the Ji Kun clan; his remains would be of immense benefit to him.

Upon hearing this news, even though it sounded fake, Ai Kun felt it was worth taking a risk. If he truly found it, there would be hope for him to become a Grandmaster in the future.

He had rushed here excitedly, only to find that Ji Susan had tricked him into helping her save the Second Prince. What could he do? Since he was already here, he might as well help. With his speed and Susan's trump cards, they could hold their own for a while even if they encountered a Grandmaster.

But Ji Susan's current state really made this Kun worry about a potential mistake.

He didn't want to fail to save the Second Prince and end up getting caught himself.

He really didn't know what kind of stupidity this was. The Second Prince wouldn't be in any real danger even if he were captured, but if she were caught, it might be a different story.

Ai Kun shook his head inwardly, unable to understand Ji Susan's train of thought.

"I didn't lie to you; King Kun's remains are indeed here,"

Ji Susan said. "I read in a book that King Kun had no rivals in his life and only fell after being heavily injured during a failed attempt at a forced breakthrough.

Because he didn't want his body to fall into enemy hands after death, he used a mysterious method to become a part of Luokun Slope!

Once my brother is rescued, I will tell you the exact location!"

"Heh... a woman's mouth is a ghost that deceives a Kun!"

Ai Kun muttered, saying no more as he continued to lie in wait, waiting for the opportunity to rescue the Second Prince.

The procession escorting the Second Prince slowly approached. These hundred-plus people all had powerful strides and bright, piercing eyes; the entire group was actually composed of martial artists.

Though few in number, a group of this scale was quite luxurious!

With over a hundred martial artists, each with a strength of at least third-class or higher, it would take a city with a population of nearly a million to scrape together such a force.

This was equivalent to the power of an entire city being used to escort the Second Prince.

Ji Susan and Ai Kun remained motionless. Once the procession was close, Ji Susan threw out a paper packet.

"Watch out, an ambush!"

The martial artists escorting the Second Prince immediately drew their weapons. The leading martial artist looked up at the flying paper packet and struck out with his palm, generating a gust of wind. This strike wasn't very powerful; he just wanted to knock the packet back.

The paper packet was knocked to the ground, and its outer layer tore open, revealing that it was filled with dirt.

Ji Susan dropped her disguise and threw out three more paper packets in succession. The experts in the escort team were very cautious and didn't dare let the packets get close, again using palm winds to knock them back.

"To think a mere First-Class realm would dare to overestimate herself!"

The leader of the escort team looked at Ji Susan and sneered, "Take her down!"

With that, five figures from the team charged toward Ji Susan!

The two sides clashed with a flash of blades and swords, the cold light dazzling. These five were all First-Class Martial Artists, now besieging a peer of the same rank.

Ji Susan had no weapon and was bare-handed. Unable to withstand the siege of five people of the same rank, she suddenly flicked her sleeve, and another paper packet flew out.

Bang!

The paper packet exploded just two or three meters away, and black powder scattered, engulfing the six of them!

"Aaaaah!"

The five First-Class Martial Artists screamed. The black powder landed on them, corroding their clothes. When it touched their skin, they subconsciously used their internal force to resist the powder.

Consequently, it was like adding fuel to the fire. The black powder became scalding hot, and red blisters rapidly rose all over their bodies, turning black, hardening, and splitting open.

The more they used their internal force, the more fiercely the black powder burned. The five men's cries were like ghostly howls, incredibly wretched. Their voices grew louder and louder, but their bodies became blacker and blacker. Finally, the loud screams came to an abrupt halt as the charred, coal-black bodies of the five First-Class Martial Artists all collapsed to the ground!

Ji Ruxue's expression remained normal. The black powder had no effect when it landed on her skin. It made sense; how could she not have a way to avoid the effects of a weapon she had produced herself?

"Zongshi Dao!"

The leader of the escort team, a First-Class expert, cried out in shock, naming the black powder. All the martial artists couldn't help but retreat, clearly having heard of the reputation of the poison 'Zongshi Dao'!

This was a poison developed by the World's Number One Medical Daoist Grandmaster. It was said that even Grandmasters with True Qi protecting their bodies wouldn't dare to face it head-on. If they were touched by it, they would lose a layer of skin even if they didn't die!

Ji Susan flicked her sleeve, and two more paper packets appeared. She said coldly,

"Release the Second Prince, or everyone dies here!"

"In your dreams!"

The leader of the escort team sneered. "'Zongshi Dao' is hard to buy even with a thousand gold pieces. Do you think I'll believe those two packets of yours are real?"

"How could the foundations of my Great Kun Empire be something you people from small countries can imagine? We have as much of this stuff as we want!"

Ji Susan moved forward holding the two packets of 'Zongshi Dao'. The escort team subconsciously retreated. The leader drew his long saber and pointed it at the Second Prince in the carriage.

"Before escorting the Second Prince, I received orders that if we cannot deliver him alive to the capital, it's fine to just kill him!"

"As if you'd dare!"

Susan remained unmoved and continued forward. A living prince could be used for many things, especially since this prince was the Second Prince of the Kun Kingdom, born of the legal wife.

Using the Second Prince for negotiations, exchanging him for ten cities wouldn't be a problem.

But if the Second Prince died, not only would they get nothing, but they would also face the Kun Kingdom's storm-like retaliation.

A starved camel is still bigger than a horse. No matter how weak the Kun Kingdom was, it still possessed the heritage of a Grandmaster.

The Shan Kingdom only dared to provoke the Kun Kingdom because the Qian Kingdom was backing them up. If things really escalated to the point where a Grandmaster intervened, any member of the Shan Kingdom's royal family whose name appeared on the genealogy would be lucky to survive!

Under such circumstances, who would dare to kill the Second Prince?

Do you still want your nine generations of relatives to live?

Ji Susan came to rescue the Second Prince only because she didn't want to see him carry a stain on his reputation, becoming the shame of the Kun Kingdom and losing his chance at the throne.

"Release him!"

Ji Susan pressed forward, holding the paper packets high.

The leader's expression flickered between uncertainty and resolve, but he didn't dare to actually swing his sword. The team was retreating, constantly backing away!

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew. Ai Kun, who was disguised as a tree beside the team, launched a sudden sneak attack.

His speed was lightning-fast. Before anyone could react, he had already flown onto the prisoner carriage, his thick chicken talons easily tearing the carriage apart.

Then, with a quick peck of his beak, the shackles locking the Second Prince's feet snapped.

"Stop him!"

The escort team realized what was happening and tried to stop Ai Kun!

"Don't even think about it!"

Ji Susan threw the two packets of 'Zongshi Dao' in her hands, directly scaring the crowd into retreating!

Bang!

The packets exploded; they were filled with dirt!

Just as the leader of the escort team had said, 'Zongshi Dao' was rare and hard to buy even with money.

"Cluck, cluck, cluck—!"

Ai Kun grabbed the Second Prince with one talon and tossed him onto his back.

"A bunch of idiots! Your Grandpa Kun played you all like fools with just a little trick!"

Ai Kun mocked them, then ran toward Ji Susan. Ji Susan leaped and successfully mounted Ai Kun's back.

"You've grown in height but not in brains. Go home and eat more pig brains to supplement yours!"

Having said that, Ai Kun carried Ji Susan and the Second Prince and bolted. His chicken feet ran incredibly fast, and with a flap of his wings, he could even fly at a low altitude for a short while. Within a few breaths, they had already made their escape!

"Chase them!"

The martial artists of the escort team quickly gave chase!

But they weren't very fast and didn't seem to be in a hurry. The leader looked at Ai Kun's disappearing back and revealed a cruel smile.

Although it wasn't ideal and they hadn't caught a big fish, a princess and a Spirit Kun weren't unacceptable either.

"I'm going to pluck your Kun feathers out, bit by bit!"

...

[part:gemini-3.1-flash-lite]

"Cluck cluck~~ I even admire myself, that feels great!"

After running for a distance, Ai Kun slowed down, still in a state of excitement. He hadn't expected it to go so smoothly; it was so easy to rescue the person.

"Don't be careless, that is a First-Class expert."

Ji Susan, supporting the unconscious Second Prince, finally revealed a faint smile on her previously expressionless face.

"You still don't trust the speed of this handsome Ai Kun?"

Ai Kun said disdainfully, claiming that guy couldn't even catch up with one leg.

Ji Susan nodded. She believed this point. Although Ai Kun's strength was weak, his speed was peerless, and few could catch up to him. This was also the reason she dared to come and rescue her imperial brother.

"Still, don't be careless. There is only one pack of 'Zongshi Dao' left."

Ji Susan reminded him. She only had two packs of such a trump card as 'Zongshi Dao'. Once used up, she would have no means to contend with a First-Class expert.

"Imperial Brother, are you alright?"

Ji Susan looked at the Second Prince. Since she rescued her imperial brother, he hadn't spoken a word. Could it be he had suffered some torture?

Ji Susan took out a handkerchief, wanting to wipe the blood off the Second Prince's face.

Suddenly, a hand pressed down on her wrist. Ji Susan looked over and saw a devious smile on the Second Prince's lips.

"Tch, I'm not boasting, but in this tiny Shan Kingdom, I come and go as I please!"

Ai Kun didn't care. The biggest difficulty in rescuing the Second Prince was how to get him free. Now that the Second Prince was free, who could catch him?

When it came to speed, he really wasn't afraid of a Grandmaster.

"One pack is enough. With my speed, even if a Grandmaster comes, I'll beat him until he cries for mercy!"

"Hehe~~ little Ji Kun, your tone is quite arrogant!"

A mocking voice came from behind.

"What do you mean by arro..."

Ai Kun was just about to retort when he suddenly realized what was happening. His heart skipped a beat, and he slammed on the brakes, wanting to throw off the two people on his back.

"Ah!"

With a pain in his back, Ai Kun fell flat on the ground, creating a large pit in the earth. Further behind, Ji Susan had already fallen to the ground.

The 'Second Prince' wore a mysterious smile on his face, walking in mid-air, descending unhurriedly, and landing steadily!

"A Grandmaster!"

Ai Kun stood up and saw the only remaining pack of 'Zongshi Dao' in the 'Second Prince's' hand, his expression turning ugly.

"Who are you, and where is the Second Prince?"

"The Second Prince is obviously already in the capital."

The person disguised as the 'Second Prince' was in no rush to capture Ai Kun and Ji Susan; they were just two First-Class Martial Artists who couldn't escape his grasp.

He tore off the fake skin on his face, revealing a face that appeared both male and female.

"Bai Wuxiang!"

"It is I!"

Bai Wuxiang nodded. His voice contained both male and female tones.

"You, a lone wanderer, are getting involved in the affairs between my great Kun Kingdom and the Shan Kingdom?"

Ji Susan clenched her fists. Bai Wuxiang was a wanderer in the Jianghu with no faction backing him. Now that he appeared here, had he joined the Shan Kingdom?

"There's no other way."

Bai Wuxiang said helplessly, "They offered too much!"

"How much can a small country give? My Kun Kingdom can give more!"

Ai Kun said quickly.

"Uh~~~ that doesn't seem impossible."

Bai Wuxiang seemed to be thinking. Ai Kun felt there was a chance and was just about to say something more, but Bai Wuxiang's next sentence shattered his hopes.

"But it was the Qian Kingdom that gave it to me!" Bai Wuxiang laughed happily.

"And they also want me to kill you!"

"It's over!"

Ai Kun lay flat on the ground. The meridians in his back were blocked by the Grandmaster's true qi, causing his speed to decrease significantly; he couldn't escape at all.

"I didn't expect that I, the handsome Ai Kun, would die here before my name could spread across the world!"

Beside him, Ji Susan's gaze dimmed. The person hired by the Qian Kingdom meant to kill. She didn't think about running; in front of a Grandmaster, where could a First-Class Martial Artist run?

"I personally disguised myself as the Second Prince to get experts from your Kun Kingdom to take the bait. As a result, ten days of suffering in a prison cart only netted you two small fish."

Bai Wuxiang carefully put away the 'Zongshi Dao' and took out a dagger, wiping it slowly. He was somewhat disappointed. Since capturing the Kun Second Prince, he had intended to use him as bait to kill more Kun Kingdom experts. However, Emperor Kun didn't take the bait, and until now, only these two reckless fools acting on impulse had taken the bait.

The ten days in the prison cart were wasted!

Fortunately, there was still one pack of 'Zongshi Dao'.

"Cluck cluck!"

Ai Kun suddenly stood up. "Can you do it quickly? I'm afraid of pain!"

"It's fine, as long as I'm not afraid! But rest assured, you are a Spirit Beast, so it would be a loss to kill you directly; you won't die that quickly!"

Bai Wuxiang laughed, "Spirit Kun, your feathers must be plucked one by one, your blood must be drained time and time again, and your flesh must be cut, allowed to grow back, and then cut again. When I want to drink bone soup, I'll remove the unimportant bones. When you truly can't hold on anymore, then I'll kill you!!"

"Cluck!" Ai Kun's eyes widened, feeling the future was pitch black.

"Hehe~~"

Bai Wuxiang finished wiping the dagger and looked at Ji Susan. "This dagger was given to me by the Qian Kingdom and has yet to see blood. How about we play a game?"

"Awoo~~ (A game? I want to play too!)"

Suddenly, a beast roar sounded from behind.

"Who?"

Bai Wuxiang turned his head. A head with the character 'King' written on its forehead was shoved right in front of his face.

"Where did this tiger come from? A Spirit Tiger?"

Bai Wuxiang was puzzled.

"Eh, you are that Brother Tiger."

Ai Kun's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected the tiger he had only met once to suddenly appear. Ai Kun got excited. This was a Spirit Tiger; its strength must not be weak. Feeling a hope for survival, he stood up and ran toward Lu Hu.

Bai Wuxiang wanted to stop him but didn't dare expose his back to this suddenly appearing tiger, so he had to give up. Anyway, they were just two First-Class Martial Artists; they would be easy to catch.

"Awoo~~ (Little chick, you need to call me Great King.)"

Lu Hu corrected Ai Kun's form of address.

"Oh no, I didn't learn Tiger language. If I had known, I would have studied it during those two years of advanced training."

Ai Kun was distressed, unable to communicate with Lu Hu. He patted Ji Susan, signaling her to get on.

"Brother Tiger, great kindness requires no thanks. I'll take her and run first!"

"Awoo (Go to the tea stall over there and rest.)"

Lu Hu pointed in the direction where they had been drinking tea. Ai Kun carried Ji Susan and bolted.

Bai Wuxiang wasn't in a rush to chase; instead, he stared at Lu Hu.

"You want to save them?"

"Awoo~~ (I just want to play a game with you.)"

Bai Wuxiang frowned, but soon relaxed. "It seems even Heaven sees my luck is bad and specially sent me a Spirit Tiger as compensation!"

Tigers are fierce beasts. Once they become Spirit Tigers, their strength is at least First-Class, and it wouldn't be strange if they were comparable to a Grandmaster.

But he was not someone those ordinary Grandmasters could compare to. The Qian Kingdom gave him the dagger specifically to prepare him to kill Grandmasters. The dagger's material was precious and could easily pierce through a Grandmaster's true qi.

With such a weapon, would he be afraid of a tiger?

"Just right to use your tiger skin to make a coat!"

After saying this, Bai Wuxiang rushed toward Lu Hu, the dagger stabbing straight at Lu Hu's abdomen.

"Awoo (Little brother, you are a bit impatient.)"

Lu Hu's figure kept swaying. No matter how Bai Wuxiang attacked, he couldn't touch him at all.

After a few moves, Bai Wuxiang felt something was wrong. He used his full strength, but after a few more moves, Bai Wuxiang panicked; his moves were becoming chaotic.

"Awoo (My turn, my turn!)"

Lu Hu hooked the dagger over with one claw. With a swipe of his tiger paw, under Bai Wuxiang's panicked gaze, the dagger flew up.

"Awoo (You better dodge fast~)"

Lu Hu controlled the dagger, constantly stabbing at Bai Wuxiang. The range of the stabs was very wide, coming from all six directions: up, down, left, right, front, and back.

Bai Wuxiang could only sway his body back and forth in a small area on the spot, dodging Lu Hu's attacks. His waist twisted and turned, and from time to time, he performed a 360-degree mid-air roll.

"Awoo (Speeding up!)"

"Ahhh!"

...Bai Wuxiang roared, his face ferocious, veins bulging all over his body. He didn't dare to stop, nor did he dare to slow down. Once he slowed down, he would be pierced by the dagger.

He was just like a toy, having to dodge the flying dagger in a limited small range of movement.

It consumed energy and stamina. The holes in Bai Wuxiang's body gradually increased.

...On the other side, the hundred or so martial artists from the escort team also chased along the route Ai Kun had taken.

"Everyone, do not go any further!"

Wu Wen called out, stopping them.

"What do you mean, brother?"

The leader of the escort team narrowed his eyes, his hand subconsciously reaching for the saber at his waist.

"I am doing this for your own good!"

Wu Wen shook his head, kindly explaining the reason.

"There are people from the Demonic Cult ahead. They burn, kill, and loot, committing every evil. With so many of you going over, your target is too big; I fear you will meet with misfortune!"

"Many thanks for the reminder, brother."

The leader cupped his hands, sneering in his heart. Ahead, there was one of their Grandmasters.

"If the Demonic Cult dares to come, it will be just right to wipe them out together!"

After saying that, the leader waved his hand, and the escort team continued forward.

"Sigh~~ why won't they listen."

Wu Wen sighed. After the escort team got closer, he stood up.

"I am the leader of the Divine Cult, Wu the Old Demon. Please, everyone, proceed with the eradication!"

"??????"

What? What... what the hell? The Demonic Cult Leader? The escort team was dumbfounded!