The spiritual energy was restored, and he became a mortal immortal in two days.

Three hours later.

Five large armies have already gathered on the edge of the deep mountains.

The eldest prince, Wu Mingyuan, led three thousand black-armored cavalry, their banners fluttering in the wind.

The second prince, Wu Mingyue, led two thousand heavily armored infantrymen, their army forming a mountain-like formation.

The fourth prince, Wu Minghai, led 1,500 archers, their arrows flying like a forest.

The Fifth Prince, Wu Mingchuan, commands eight hundred light cavalry scouts, who come and go like the wind.

There was also the Third Prince, Wu Mingtian, sitting in a wheelchair, being carried by his personal guards, his eyes filled with resentment and malice.

"Big brother, third sister has entered this mountain."

Wu Mingyue pointed to the primeval forest stretching for hundreds of miles ahead, "There's something strange about the depths of these mountains. None of the scouts we sent in before came out."

Wu Mingyuan narrowed his eyes.

He was over thirty years old, with a calm and composed face, and was the most shrewd among all the princes.

"eccentric?"

He sneered, "No matter how strange, can it stop five thousand troops? Issue the order: surround the area on all sides and search the mountain inch by inch. Whoever finds Third Sister will be rewarded with ten thousand gold pieces and granted a marquisate!"

With the order given, the army began its advance.

But just half an hour later, something unusual happened.

The first three hundred vanguards who entered the depths of the mountains lost all contact.

They weren't killed, they disappeared.

There wasn't even a scream; it was as if it had been swallowed up by the mountain.

"What happened?"

Wu Mingyuan's face darkened.

"Report!"

A scout scrambled back, shouting, "Your Highness... there's fog in the mountains..."

"Nonsense! Isn't it normal for there to be fog in the deep mountains?"

"This isn't ordinary fog!"

The scout's face turned deathly pale. "That fog is alive...it eats people..."

Before he finished speaking, a cloud of white mist slowly rose from the forest ahead.

The fog was thin, gleaming eerily silvery in the moonlight.

It spreads slowly, but wherever it goes, vegetation withers and insects and birds disappear.

A soldier who had fallen behind was caught up by the fog. He only had time to let out half a scream before his whole body melted away.

Literally, it melted away, turning into a puddle of pus, leaving not even bones behind.

"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Wu Mingyuan roared.

The army hastily retreated three miles before finally escaping the reach of the white fog.

Everyone was still shaken.

"This is... a formation?"

Wu Mingyue's face darkened. "When did Third Sister learn to set up such a sinister formation?"

"Not the third sister."

An old voice rang out.

Everyone turned around and saw an old man in black robes who had appeared at some point behind the army formation.

The old man had a withered face, sunken eyes, and a snake-head cane in his hand.

"The Imperial Advisor!"

The princes quickly bowed in greeting.

The visitor was none other than Yin Jiuyou, the Grand Preceptor of the Tianfeng Dynasty.

This person's cultivation has reached the peak of the Nascent Soul stage. He is the number one expert in the dynasty and the master of all the princes.

Yin Jiuyou didn't look at them, but stared at the white mist, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.

"This is the 'Nine Nether Soul Devouring Array'... an ancient forbidden array that has been lost for three thousand years."

He said slowly, "The person who sets up the formation has reached a state of perfection in understanding the principles of formations. The Third Princess has no such ability."

"Who could it be?"

Wu Mingtian hissed from his wheelchair.

Yin Jiuyou remained silent for a moment, then uttered two words:

"Prime Minister Chen".

The princes looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Is that the savage that Third Sister secretly visits every year?"

Wu Mingyuan frowned. "Grand Preceptor, aren't you overestimating him? A man living in a thatched hut deep in the mountains..."

Yin Jiuyou said coldly, "This person is not simple. Wu Minghuang's awakening is probably related to him."

"So what should we do now?"

"It's alright, the army has surrounded the mountains, they can't escape."

"Give me a few days, and I will break this formation!"

........

Wu Minghuang's vision began to blur.

She fled for three hundred miles, from the capital to the deep mountains, pursued by seven groups of soldiers sent by her five imperial brothers.

When the Heavenly Phoenix Body first awakened, the power within her bloodline was so immense that she could hardly control it; every time she activated her true energy, it felt like her meridians were being torn apart.

The arrow wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, and the arrowhead was coated with "Spirit-Locking Powder," which was specifically designed to target the true energy of cultivators.

Her right leg was cleaved open by the Fourth Prince Wu Minghai's heavy blade, leaving a deep wound that exposed bone. If she hadn't used Phoenix True Fire to cauterize and stop the bleeding in time, she would have bled to death by now.

The worst injury was in his chest.

That was done personally by the eldest prince, Wu Mingyuan.

He cultivated the "Prison Suppression Demon Art," and when he struck out with his palm, the palm wind condensed into a black mountain phantom, as heavy as ten thousand pounds.

Wu Minghuang used her Heavenly Phoenix Crown to withstand the attack, but the third gem on the crown shattered, barely managing to block it.

But the recoil shattered three of her ribs, one of which nearly pierced her heart.

"We can't fall...we can't fall here..."

She gritted her teeth, each step leaving a bloody trail.

The thatched hut at the edge of her vision grew closer and closer; it was her only hope, and the obsession that had sustained her until now.

But eventually, his body reached its limit.

When she finally passed through the last bamboo grove and saw the familiar figure in a green robe under the peach tree, Wu Minghuang's legs went weak and she fell forward.

It’s over.

This was her last thought.

However, the expected impact did not occur.

A crimson-gold light rose from behind Chen Xiang.

It wasn't some kind of magic, nor was it a manifestation of true energy; it was a real phoenix phantom with flames flowing over its feathers.

The phoenix spread its wings and gently supported the falling Wu Minghuang.

warmth.

This was Wu Minghuang's first impression.

The flames on the phoenix phantom were not scorching; instead, they enveloped her like a hot spring.

The excruciating pain at the wound quickly subsided, the medicinal power of the Soul-Locking Powder was burned away by the flames, and the broken ribs slowly returned to their original position under the pull of some force.

She was carried by the phantom of a phoenix and gently placed on the stone bench.

Chen Xiang turned around, still holding a cup of tea in his hand.

He glanced at Wu Minghuang's injured appearance, then at the dim and worn-out Heavenly Phoenix Crown she was clutching tightly in her arms, and his brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Have some tea."

He pushed the teacup towards him.

Wu Minghuang did not answer.

She lowered her head, and her shoulders began to tremble.

It wasn't pain, it was grievance, it was anger, it was despair.

"They...they all want me dead..."

There was a cry in her voice.

"My eldest brother struck my chest with his Demonic Suppression Technique, my second brother shot an arrow at my shoulder, and my fourth brother's heavy sword nearly severed my leg..."

"My fifth brother even ordered my palace to be burned down when I fled the capital, accusing me of being a 'witch who brought ruin to the country'..."

Her tears finally fell, landing on the back of her hand; they were scalding hot.

"My third brother... he captured the Empress Dowager, held a knife to her neck, and forced me to hand over the crown."

"I risked my life to save my mother, but to avoid becoming a burden to me... she jumped into the Cliff of Broken Souls..."

By the end, she was sobbing uncontrollably.

Chen Xiang listened quietly, his face expressionless.

After Wu Minghuang had finished crying, he asked softly, "And then?"

"Then I escaped here."

Wu Minghuang wiped away her tears, looked up at him, her eyes filled with guilt, "I'm sorry... I attracted the pursuers."

"There are at least 50,000 troops outside, and the Imperial Advisor Yin Jiuyou is personally overseeing the operation..."

She struggled to stand up.

But the phoenix phantom gently pressed her down.

Chen Xiang shook his head: "You really did something wrong."

Wu Minghuang's body stiffened.

She thought he would comfort her, tell her it was okay, and smile and say like before, "With me here, no one can hurt you."

But he didn't.

He said she was wrong.

"I......."

Wu Minghuang's lips trembled. "I know I shouldn't have run away here and caused you trouble."

"I...I'll leave right now—"

You've misunderstood.

Chen Xiang interrupted her.

He put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the peach tree.

Moonlight filtered through the branches and leaves, casting a cool and aloof glow on his profile.

"I'm not right. I didn't mean you escaped to me."

He turned around and looked at Wu Minghuang:

"It means you shouldn't have run away in the first place."

Wu Minghuang was stunned.