From the fake emperor to the concubine

The giant python crashed directly into Zheng Yi, sending him flying once again.

"puff--"

Zheng Yi coughed up another mouthful of blood, his injuries worsening.

"Hahaha, you still want to resist?" Boss Li laughed. "Within this Heaven-Trapping Array, your spacetime laws are mostly suppressed. With your current strength, you're no match for me."

Zheng Yi lay on the ground, covered in blood. He knew Old Li was right. This formation was too powerful; it specifically countered his spacetime laws. If he couldn't break this formation, he would surely die today.

"Am I going to die here?" A sense of unwillingness welled up in Zheng Yi's heart.

He hadn't avenged Xiaoyue yet, nor had he uncovered the truth about her background. He couldn't die, he absolutely couldn't die here.

Just then, the Hunyuan Jade Pendant in his arms suddenly emitted a dazzling light.

The light enveloped Zheng Yi, and a powerful force surged into his body.

"This is..." Zheng Yi was pleasantly surprised to find that the seal on the Hunyuan Jade Pendant had been partially opened. An aged voice echoed in his mind.

"Young man, I sense your impending crisis."

"Senior is"

"I am a remnant of the Primordial Immortal's will," the voice said. "This jade pendant seals a portion of my power, which will only be activated when its master faces a life-or-death crisis. Now, I lend you this power to help you escape."

As soon as he finished speaking, a terrifying power surged from the jade pendant and poured into Zheng Yi's body.

Zheng Yi's aura began to surge.

Late-stage peak of the Integration Realm; Early-stage Mahayana; Mid-stage Mahayana
Ultimately, his aura stabilized at the peak of the mid-stage Mahayana realm!
"What...what's going on?" Old Li exclaimed in shock.

Zheng Yi slowly stood up, exuding a terrifying aura. His eyes turned golden, and the flow of time was reflected in his pupils.

"Elder Li, you want the Hunyuan Jade Pendant?" Zheng Yi's voice became deep and authoritative. "Then come and take it."

He raised his hand and waved it, and a dazzling sword light flew out.

The sword light contained destructive power, and wherever it passed, the runes of the Heaven-Binding Array shattered.

"Impossible!" Elder Li exclaimed in disbelief, "How could the Heaven-Binding Formation be broken in a single blow?"

"In the face of absolute power, any formation is nothing but paper," Zheng Yi said coldly.

He flashed and instantly appeared in front of Elder Li, thrusting out his sword.

Old Li was shocked and quickly raised his hand to block. But Zheng Yi was too fast, and he had no time to react.

puff--

The sword tip pierced Old Li's chest, and blood gushed out.

"You...you..." Old Li stared incredulously at the wound on his chest. "How could you suddenly become so strong?"

“You forced me to do this,” Zheng Yi said.

He drew his longsword, and Old Li's body slumped to the ground.

The old monster who had schemed against him countless times died by his sword.

Zheng Yi turned to look at the men in black.

"Do you all want to die too?"

The men in black were terrified and immediately knelt down, begging for mercy.

"Spare us! Spare us! We were just following orders; we didn't know Old Master Li intended to harm you!"

Zheng Yi looked at them coldly, and finally sheathed his sword.

"roll."

The men in black, as if granted a pardon, fled in a panic.

Chen Feng stared blankly at all of this, speechless for a long time.

"Brother Zheng," he said with difficulty, "Are you...are you alright?"

"It's alright for now," Zheng Yi said.

In truth, he knew that the power lent to him by the remnant spirit of the Primordial Immortal was time-limited. Once the time was up, he would revert to his original form, and might even suffer a backlash for forcibly increasing his cultivation.

But at least, the immediate crisis has been averted.

“Let’s go,” Zheng Yi said. “We shouldn’t stay here any longer.”

“But it’s about inheritance.” Chen Feng looked at the jade box on the altar.

“That’s fake,” Zheng Yi said. “Elder Li arranged all of this to lure me in and then seize the Hunyuan Jade Pendant. That so-called inheritance is just bait.”

Chen Feng suddenly realized what was going on and felt even more disgusted with Old Li's treachery.

The two returned along the same route and left the Netherworld.

Upon exiting the secret realm, Zheng Yi's aura began to decline rapidly. The power of the lingering will of the Primordial Immortal was fading, and his cultivation level quickly returned to its original level.

And the backlash arrived as expected.

"puff--"

Zheng Yi coughed up a mouthful of blood, his body swaying precariously.

"Brother Zheng!" Chen Feng quickly helped him up.

"It's nothing. Just a backlash," Zheng Yi said weakly. "Help me back. I need to rest."

Chen Feng nodded, supported Zheng Yi, and flew towards Qingyun City.

When Zheng Yi was helped back to Qingyun City by Chen Feng, it was already dark.

The guards at the city gate recognized Chen Feng and respectfully let them into the city. Zheng Yi kept his head down, using his cloak to cover the bloodstains all over his body, thus avoiding attracting the guards' attention.

"Brother Zheng, let's go back to the City Lord's Mansion first," Chen Feng said in a low voice. "There are healing pills there that can help you recover."

“No,” Zheng Yi shook his head. “Go to Yuelaiju first and find my people.”

Chen Feng hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded in agreement.

They arrived at Yuelai Residence, where Zheng Bowen and the others were anxiously waiting in the courtyard. Seeing Zheng Yi covered in blood and being helped back, everyone was immediately shocked.

"Master! What's wrong?" Zheng Bowen rushed forward and took Zheng Yi from him.

"It's alright. Let's go inside first and talk," Zheng Yi said weakly.

The group hurriedly helped Zheng Yi into the room and laid him on the bed. Liu Ruyan quickly took out healing pills and fed them to Zheng Yi.

"Master, what exactly happened?" Zheng Hongzhi asked anxiously.

Zheng Yi closed his eyes and slowly said, "Old Li is a cunning old fox. He set a trap to steal my Hunyuan Jade Pendant."

"What?" Everyone was shocked.

“I killed him,” Zheng Yi said, “but I was also seriously injured and need to rest.”

"The City Lord's Mansion..." Zheng Bowen's expression changed.

“City Lord Chen Tianyu might also be an accomplice of Elder Li,” Zheng Yi said with difficulty. “We must leave Qingyun City as soon as possible.”

Chen Feng stood to the side, his expression complex. He hadn't expected that his uncle had also been involved in this conspiracy. Although he didn't want to believe it, Old Li's dying words still echoed in his ears, leaving him no choice but to believe it.

“Brother Zheng is right,” Chen Feng said. “If my uncle really is colluding with Elder Li, then it’s too dangerous for us to stay here. We must leave as soon as possible before news of Elder Li’s death reaches us.” “But what about the patriarch’s injuries…” Liu Ruyan asked worriedly.

"There's no time." Zheng Yi forced himself to sit up. "Although my injuries are severe, I can still move. We can rest and recuperate in a safe place after we leave Qingyun City."

He looked at Chen Feng: "Brother Chen, what are your plans?"

Chen Feng remained silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly, "What else can I do? If my uncle is really an accomplice of Elder Li, then going back will only lead to my death. It's better to go with Brother Zheng; there's still a chance to survive."

“Okay.” Zheng Yi nodded. “Then let’s go together.”

The group began packing their belongings.

They didn't have much stuff, so they packed up quickly. Zheng Yi struggled to his feet and, with Zheng Bowen's help, walked out of the room.

“Go out the back door,” Zheng Yi said. “Try not to attract attention.”

The back door of Yuelaiju led to a secluded alley. The group walked along the alley, avoiding the bustling streets, and headed towards the city gate.

As night deepened, fewer and fewer pedestrians appeared on the street. Zheng Yi and his companions kept a low profile, avoiding attracting anyone's attention.

Upon arriving at the city gate, Zheng Yi realized that something was amiss.

Although the city gates were still open, the number of guards had clearly increased. Moreover, the guards' eyes were wary, as if they were searching for someone.

"Oh no, the information may have been leaked." Zheng Yi's heart sank.

"What should we do?" Zheng Bowen asked in a low voice.

Zheng Yi observed for a while and found that although the number of guards at the city gate had increased, the checks were not strict. As long as someone wasn't too suspicious, they could generally pass through.

“Just walk straight ahead,” Zheng Yi said. “Don’t panic, and don’t look around.”

The group nodded and walked towards the city gate.

As they approached the city gate, a guard stopped them.

"Halt! Show your token."

Zheng Yi took the fake silver token from his pocket and handed it to the guard.

The guard took the token, examined it carefully, and then looked at Zheng Yi and the others. His gaze lingered on Zheng Yi for a moment, as if he had noticed something unusual.

Zheng Yi's heart was in his throat. He was seriously injured and would be powerless to resist if discovered.

"Where are you going?" the guard asked.

“Go to the mines outside the city.” Chen Feng stepped forward and took out a token from his pocket. “I am from the City Lord’s Mansion, and I am here on a mission.”

Upon seeing Chen Feng's token, the guards immediately became respectful.

"So it's Young Master Chen, my apologies for not recognizing you sooner." He returned the token to Chen Feng and waved for him to pass. "Please proceed."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and quickly walked out of the city gate.

Once outside the city gates, Zheng Yi whispered, "Hurry, go as far as possible."

The group took to the air and flew away from Qingyun City.

After flying for about an hour, Zheng Yi's injuries could no longer hold out.

“Stop. I need to rest,” he said weakly.

The group quickly landed and found a secluded valley to stop.

Zheng Yi sat down against a large rock, his face as pale as paper. His injuries were more severe than expected; not only were there external wounds, but his internal organs and meridians had also suffered serious damage. To make matters worse, forcibly using the power of the remnant spirit of the Primordial Immortal had placed an enormous burden on his body.

"Master, your injury..." Liu Ruyan looked at Zheng Yi with concern.

"It's alright. I just need a rest." Zheng Yi closed his eyes and began to regulate his breathing.

The power from the Hunyuan Jade Pendant slowly seeped into his body, helping him repair his injuries. However, this time the injuries were too severe, and recovery would take a long time.

The crowd sat around Zheng Yi, silently watching over him.

A night breeze blew by, bringing a chill. Zheng Bowen gathered some dry branches and started a fire to warm everyone.

"Brother Chen, are you really determined to come with us?" Zheng Hongzhi asked. "You're from the City Lord's Mansion; if you come with us, you won't be able to go back."

Chen Feng smiled bitterly, "What good would going back do? If my uncle really is colluding with Old Li, he definitely won't let me off the hook. I know too much; I'm a threat to him."

"Would your uncle really do that?" Liu Ruyan asked.

“I don’t want to believe it either,” Chen Feng sighed. “But what Old Li said before he died didn’t seem like a lie. And thinking about it carefully, my uncle has always been lukewarm towards me all these years, never truly caring about me. Perhaps in his eyes, I’m just a dispensable pawn.”

Everyone was silent.

In this dog-eat-dog world, family ties are indeed fragile. Anything can happen for the sake of profit.

"No matter what, you're one of us now." Zheng Bowen patted Chen Feng on the shoulder. "From now on, we'll share the good times and the bad."

"Thank you very much," Chen Feng said gratefully.

The night passed.

By daybreak, Zheng Yi's injuries had healed somewhat, and he was able to move around normally. But he knew that it would take a long time for him to fully recover.

“We can’t stay here any longer,” Zheng Yi said. “The people of Qingyun City will soon find out that Elder Li is dead, and they will definitely send people to investigate. We must find a more secluded place.”

"Where to?" Zheng Bowen asked.

Zheng Yi pondered for a moment, then said, "Let's head north. I remember the map shows a desolate wilderness to the north, rarely visited by humans. Let's hide there temporarily until my injuries heal."

Everyone nodded, packed their belongings, and continued on their way.

They dared not fly anymore, fearing they would be discovered. They could only move forward on foot, trying to avoid crowded places.

After walking for three days and three nights, they finally arrived at that wilderness.

This wilderness is called the "Desolate Wasteland," a stretch of barren land extending for hundreds of miles. The spiritual energy here is sparse, the environment harsh, and virtually no cultivators are willing to come here. Precisely because of this, it has become the best hiding place.

“Let’s do it here,” Zheng Yi said, looking at the desolate scene before him.

The group found a relatively sheltered mountain hollow and began to build temporary shelter.

Lacking building materials, they had to use what was available, constructing makeshift houses from the surrounding stones and driftwood. Zheng Bowen and Xiao Tianxing were in charge of construction, Zheng Hongzhi was responsible for setting up defensive formations, and Liu Ruyan took care of the injured Zheng Yi.

Chen Feng wasn't idle either. Although he was the young master of the city lord's mansion, he wasn't a pampered person. He took the initiative to help move the stones, and did a pretty good job.

After a busy day, the few simple stone houses were finally completed.

Although these stone houses are very rough and don't even have proper doors and windows, they can at least keep out the wind and rain, which is much better than sleeping in the wild.

"Finally, I have a place to stay." Zheng Bowen wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked at his accomplishment with satisfaction.

"Thank you all for your hard work," Zheng Yi said. "We'll rest here for a while. We'll make further plans once my injuries have healed."

“Master, please focus on recovering,” Zheng Hongzhi said. “Leave the matters outside to us.”

Zheng Yi nodded, entered one of the stone houses, and began to seclude himself to heal his injuries.

The days passed like this.

On this desolate wasteland, Zheng Yi and others lived a simple and peaceful life.

Every morning, Zheng Bowen and Xiao Tianxing would go hunting nearby, bringing back wild animals for food. Zheng Hongzhi was responsible for reinforcing the defensive formations to ensure their safety. Liu Ruyan, besides taking care of Zheng Yi, would also gather herbs and make simple healing ointments. Chen Feng did all the work without ever complaining.

Despite the harsh conditions, everyone remained calm. (End of Chapter)