Realizing he had been framed, Max couldn't help but sweat profusely, knowing that the 5th Prince was a ruthless individual. Recalling a chilling incident involving a little five-year-old girl and the 5th Prince's horse, which resulted in the girl's family being killed despite the horse being unharmed,

Max muttered, "I am done for."

Aware that staying any longer and being spotted could lead to a gruesome fate at the hands of the 5th Prince, Max made a decisive choice. He sprinted away from the stable towards the outskirts of the city.

Understanding that his only potential savior in this dire situation was old man Ben, Max headed towards Ben's house located to the south of the city outskirts.

As he ran with all his might, colliding with people on the crowded streets and sweating profusely, Max heard shouts from those he bumped into.

"Oye!"

"Damn you, brat!"

"Are you blind or something?"

Despite the approaching evening and impending nightfall, the city remained bustling.

Max realized he couldn't afford to stop, knowing that capture meant a lifetime of torture at the hands of the 5th Prince.

Even the guards on duty frowned upon seeing Max sprinting through the streets.

"Hey, why are you running?" the guards shouted.

"Shit," Max thought, acknowledging his hastiness, and quickly crafted an excuse.

"Sorry, due to a family emergency, I didn't think too much before running," Max replied.

Upon hearing Max's reply, the guards' frowns remained, but lacking any grounds to arrest him, all they could instruct was,

"Stop running and walk."

"Yes, yes, sure," Max replied compliantly.

He ceased running but maintained a brisk pace. He was determined not to give the guards any reason to capture him. The city guards, being at the spirit gathering realm, could easily apprehend Max, a non-cultivator, as if catching an ant.

Soon, Max vanished from the guards' sight. Frowning deeply, the guards looked in the direction he had come from and the one he disappeared into, but lacking evidence, all they could do was sigh in frustration.

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Max reached the outskirts of the city and made his way to Old Man Ben's house. The mud hut with a pointy roof resembled others in the vicinity, but having visited Old Man Ben before, Max easily identified the right one. Sheep were tethered in front of the house as he knocked on the door.

"Come in," a voice called from inside.

Max entered to find Old Man Ben lying on the floor.

Max approached, and the old man jested, "Ah, little brat, did you come to check if this old man was dead?"

"Like hell you would," Max retorted with a smirk.

He sat down beside the old man, who could tell something was amiss from Max's panting and sweat-covered appearance.

Old Man Ben handed Max a flask, saying, "Here, drink some water, and tell me what happened."

After a quick gulp of water, Max began, "Something serious happened, and I need your advice."

"Don't worry, tell me what it is," Old Man Ben reassured, observing Max's worried expression.

Max took a deep breath and recounted everything, explaining how he had been framed. Old Man Ben froze, trembling all over, but he didn't doubt Max's words. He understood that Max, being an orphan and a mere mortal, wouldn't dare harm the 5th prince's horse, given the inevitable consequences.

After calming down and taking a deep breath, Old Man Ben advised, "It's better for you to run away from the royal city, or better yet, flee this kingdom altogether. The royal family's territory is vast, and they will track you down sooner or later."

Hearing Old Man Ben's words, Max was petrified. Without waiting for Max to respond, Old Man Ben continued.

"And I think you should run away now; the 5th prince’s guards should have already started searching by now."

In reality, Old Man Ben's guess was not far from the truth. When Max reached Old Man Ben’s house, the 5th prince had already sent a servant to the stable to ask Max to bring him his horse. Upon discovering the dead horse, the servant immediately reported to the 5th prince.

Upon hearing the servant’s words, the 5th prince was instantly enraged and killed the servant who reported in a single strike. He then ordered the capture of Max to his guards. Except for his protector, all the guards were deployed. All of the 5th prince’s guards were spirit-gathering realm experts, and after searching the stables without finding Max, they quickly moved to search the city.

Soon, the entire city was on lockdown, leaving everyone bewildered about what was happening. The 5th prince’s guards eventually reached the ones who spoke with Max.

The leader of the guards, a 9th-level spirit-gathering realm expert, showed them a sketch of Max and, emitting his aura, asked, “Have you seen him? Did he do something?”

“Yes, he killed the 5th prince’s favorite horse,” the leader said, increasing the pressure.

Feeling the pressure of the 9th-level spirit-gathering realm expert, the guards, at the 2nd level of spirit-gathering realm, were stunned.

Afraid of being implicated due to the 5th prince’s notorious temper, the guard quickly replied, “He went towards the outskirts.”

Hearing this, the leader and all the other 5th prince’s guards mounted their horses and headed towards the outskirts.

On the other side, upon hearing Old Man Ben’s words, Max decided to leave immediately. Being an orphan who had lived on the streets before the stable job, he lacked exposure to resources like maps and didn't know which direction to take. In his hurry, he didn't even ask the old man for directions.

Now, he chose a direction at random and ran towards it with all his might, fearing capture.

Night descended, and Max decided to rest. Realizing there were no trees, only rocks, he found shelter behind a large rock to remain concealed. The guards pursuing Max also decided to rest for the night.

As morning arrived, the guards resumed their pursuit. Meanwhile, Max, tired from all the running, was sound asleep. He woke up to the sound of horses and saw that it was the guards pursuing him. Panicking, he started running without realizing he was heading in the wrong direction.

The guards spotted him and accelerated their horses.

With each step, they closed in on Max, who, running with all his might, looked back anxiously. Whether due to choosing the wrong direction or his luck running out, he soon found himself at a dead end—a cliff.

This was the famous forbidden area of the Water Barge Kingdom known as the Dark Edge Cliff.