“Teacher!” Crown Prince Wanli’s voice, hoarse and strained, rasped like a broken bellows. “Kill her! And Fan Li! Kill them all!” He trembled uncontrollably, consumed by pain and rage.

“But…” Zhang Juzheng looked around in confusion. “Your Highness, Fan Li is nowhere to be seen.”

“What?!” Wanli’s eyes widened in shock and fury.

He too realized that Fan Li was no longer on the mountaintop. Only Lu Fubao remained, unconscious but still standing tall.

Had Fan Li jumped off the mountain and escaped?

Impossible!

When the formation activated, the surrounding area, including the base of the mountain, had been engulfed in Yin fire. With Fan Li’s meager cultivation, even if he had reached the bottom, he would have been incinerated.

“Teacher! At least kill this woman! Tear her to pieces!”

Zhang Juzheng sighed. As a renowned scholar and Grand Secretary, was he truly going to attack a defenseless woman?

Yet, he could never disobey the Crown Prince’s orders.

“Yes.”

He raised his hand, pointing a finger at Lu Fubao.

Sacrificing a hundred years of his lifespan had greatly enhanced his cultivation, propelling him to the peak of the Unity realm, just a step away from the Great Vehicle realm.

But the cost was immense. His remaining lifespan was barely longer than that of Grand Secretary Yan Song and Second Grand Secretary Xu Jie, who were both nearing the end of their lives.

Theoretically, his chances of ascending to the immortal realm were slim, unless Emperor Jiajing or Wanli achieved national ascension before his time ran out.

‘Your Majesty… I can only rely on you…’ Zhang Juzheng thought with a heavy heart.

A surge of simple yet powerful Righteous Qi gathered at his fingertips, forming a deadly projectile. This Qi arrow could pierce through the protective spiritual energy of even high-level Unity realm experts, let alone a Nascent Soul cultivator like Lu Fubao.

But just as he was about to unleash the attack, a sudden change occurred!

A gust of wind descended from the sky, accompanied by a blurry figure. Something, like an eagle swooping down on its prey, snatched Lu Fubao and carried her into the air!

“It’s him?!” Zhang Juzheng recognized the figure. It was Fan Li, controlling a strange contraption that allowed him to soar through the sky without using any spiritual energy.

He remembered!

Before the formation activated, Fan Li had been fiddling with that peculiar object – a frame made of huanghuali wood, covered with the hide of a seven-colored deer.

“Fan… Fan Li?” Lu Fubao slowly regained consciousness.

She found herself held tightly in Fan Li’s arm, the wind whipping past her face as they soared through the air.

Fan Li was flying with her?

“Is this… mechanical arts?”

She looked at the contraption behind Fan Li. It was triangular in shape, its two sides spread out like the wings of a bird.

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Fan Li shook his head. “It’s called a paraglider. My cultivation is too low to fly, so I made this for fun. It allows me to glide through the air using wind power.”

He wasn’t a professional paraglider, having only seen them on television in his previous life. But with the Fan family’s wealth, building one was a simple task. Using the lightest and most durable materials available, regardless of cost, he had created this escape tool.

The hide of the seven-colored deer, for example, was lighter than silk yet tougher than any synthetic material from his previous life.

“If you had this, why didn’t you use it earlier?” Lu Fubao was confused.

Fan Li smiled wryly. “Using this thing in front of thousands of pursuers would have made us easy targets in the sky. Besides, the wind is weak on flat ground. I could only take off because of the strong winds and high altitude here on the mountaintop.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a powerful gust of wind approaching from behind. He couldn’t turn around, but Lu Fubao saw it clearly.

“Dodge! Zhang Juzheng is attacking!”

A streak of blue-green energy, as thick as a finger, shot towards them with terrifying force!

At this altitude and distance, they were still sitting ducks, even against a peak Unity realm expert!

Thud!

A muffled sound echoed as the energy beam struck Fan Li’s right side, piercing through his upper body and exiting from his left shoulder. The beam continued upwards, tearing a hole through the paraglider’s deer hide.

On the mountaintop, Zhang Juzheng watched with a satisfied expression.

“Your Highness, Fan Li’s internal organs have been severely damaged. In this state, he is likely not far from death.”

“Why aren’t you pursuing him, Teacher? I want Fan Li’s corpse,” Wanli demanded.

Fan Li was already far in the distance, a small speck against the vast sky. But with the speed of a peak Unity realm expert, Zhang Juzheng could easily catch up.

“I need to rest, and Your Highness needs protection,” Zhang Juzheng replied, his forehead beaded with sweat.

He sat down cross-legged and began to meditate, regulating his breathing and recovering his energy.

Only then did Wanli remember that his five thousand elite guards were all dead, and only a weakened Zhang Juzheng remained by his side.

He swallowed hard, his desire for survival finally overcoming his greed.

“Teacher, recover quickly. Do not leave me alone in this dangerous place.”

…

“Fan Li!”

“Fan Li! Wake up! I don’t know how to use this paraglider!”

The paraglider’s hide, damaged by the Qi arrow, was tearing further, causing them to plummet towards the ground. Fan Li, the one controlling the glider, had lost consciousness. Blood streamed from his wounds, painting the air with crimson streaks.

Lu Fubao was on the verge of tears! She desperately tried to transfer her remaining spiritual energy to Fan Li, but it had little effect. Upon closer inspection, she realized his internal organs were riddled with holes!

This was a fatal injury!

“Fan Li, hold on! I will save you!”

Lu Fubao forced herself to calm down amidst the panic, recalling Fan Li’s movements as she struggled to maintain some semblance of control over their descent.

By some stroke of luck, there was a lake not far below.

Gritting her teeth, Lu Fubao steered the paraglider towards the water.

Plop!

With a splash, they plunged into the lake, avoiding a fatal crash landing.

She dragged Fan Li to shore, fearing that the water might worsen his injuries. But she failed to notice several figures approaching them from the lakeside.

“Who are you?!”

“Why have you trespassed on the territory of the Azure Cloud Sect?”

…

“Master?” Wu Gang, in her black dragon form, carried Fan Li as they soared through the sky.

Their minds were linked, and she immediately sensed something was wrong.

“One of my clones is about to die,” Fan Li said slowly.

Wu Gang’s eyes widened in shock. She knew how important the clones were to Fan Li!

“Master, let’s go save your clone!” she urged.

She had originally set out to assist Lu Bu and Yan Yuan. Fan Li had also sent a clone, protected by Wu Gang, to observe the mysterious archer who had attacked them.

“No need,” Fan Li said coldly. “The clone’s injuries are severe. Even if you fly at full speed, it’s too late.”

He paused, a strange expression crossing his face. “The clone is still unconscious, but I can feel the injuries lessening. It seems someone is healing me.”

Wu Gang let out a sigh of relief. Fan Li had kept his trip to Mount Yunmeng a secret, only sending a clone.

Obtaining Guiguzi would make him a target, and he had originally relied on Lu Chunqiu’s presence to ensure his clone’s safety. But with Lu Fubao replacing her father, Fan Li had taken a gamble.

He hadn’t expected his luck to be so poor, falling into a multi-pronged ambush after successfully recruiting Guiguzi. There was no joy, only danger.

“Master!”

Wu Gang’s cry startled Fan Li from his thoughts.

They had finally found the battlefield where Lu Bu and Yan Yuan had fought the mysterious Great Vehicle realm archer. However, the battle was clearly over.

A vast plain lay before them, scarred with countless cracks and fissures. The few hills that dotted the landscape were riddled with holes, bearing witness to the destructive power that had been unleashed.

At the edge of a cliff, Wu Gang and Fan Li saw a familiar face.

The scholar, Yan Yuan.

His hands and feet severed, his body pinned to the cliff face by the Sky Piercing Halberd…