Tuo Ba Yun Tian simply sighed upon Tuo Ba Xiao Yao's assurance, thinking that he was merely trying to comfort him and didn't put it to heart.
His youngest daughter was kidnapped within their own mansion, and could not be found. He had dispatched men to scour everywhere for her, but they couldn't find any tracks of her, as if she was lost in an abyss. Although he prepared himself for the worst, it was still difficult for him to accept such a harsh reality.
"It seems I can only drop my pride and plead to His Majesty. Hopefully he'd lend me a hand for my hard work in the past…" Tuo Ba Yun Tian muttered with a bitter frown, placing his last hope onto Emperor Yu. If even Emperor Yu himself couldn't uncover Tuo Ba Qing Yu's whereabouts, he would be left absolutely helpless. After all, the kidnapper was unimaginably audacious. Not only did they commit a crime within the Imperial Capital's inescapable net, but they even infiltrated the home of a general and abducted his daughter right in front of the servants and guards.
Indeed, there were many Forces in the Upper Realm that possessed such a capability, but they were not something Tuo Ba Tian Yun, a simple general of an empire, could resist.
After Tuo Ba Yun Tian left, only Tuo Ba Xiao Yao and his older sister, Tuo Ba Ling Qiong, remained in the courtyard.
"Xiao Yao, are you speaking the truth? Did Gu Changge take Qing Yu away?" As silence arose, Tuo Ba Ling Qiong, seeing there was nobody else in the courtyard, inquired in dismay.
"There's no one else other than Gu Changge who would target Qing Yu. He's warning me not to do anything stupid." Tuo Ba Xiao Yao's face grew morose as he clenched his fists.
Naturally, he was aware of Gu Changge's plan. Gu Changge's action was to serve as a threat to him, to prevent him from making any rash decision. At the same time, it was also a reminder for him to hand over the Sword of World Domination in time, or Tuo Ba Qing Yu would lose her life.
"Gu Changge…" Tuo Ba Ling Qiong grew quiet as dense helplessness surged in her heart. Essentially, any resistance from them would be futile, facing such a terrorising enemy, as they would be charging straight to death.
"Don't you worry. Qing Yu will be fine as long as I don't hand over the item to Gu Changge. For now, he won't trouble her just yet," Tuo Ba Xiao Yao then comforted, assuring her that he would come up with a solution.
"We can only hope…" Tuo Ba Ling Qiong replied after heaving a sigh.
"By the way, it is said that an unopened ancient world appeared at the border some time ago. It's where eldest brother and our troops are guarding. Do you know anything about it?" With that, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao remembered another important matter and hoarsely asked with a solemn expression.
Since the matter was highly confidential, even the ministers of Great Yu Celestial Dynasty barely knew anything about it. He just coincidentally heard it from his father. Back when he was in prison, he had meticulously considered how to hand over the Sword of World Domination before the deadline.
Eventually, he came to the decision of heading to Shu Sect. The Sect he once cultivated in his previous life. He needed to look into the records regarding the dispelling of his bond within the Sword Pavillion.
Back when he was observing his Prime Ancestor overcoming Heavenly Tribulation in his previous life, he was struck by it and accidentally got himself killed. Failed to be destroyed, his soul drifted to the Upper Realm and regressed within the body of Tuo Ba Xiao Yao.
Followingly, in his teenage years, his memories reawakened, so he was aware he was currently in his third life. The record of forging the Primordial Foetal Sword of World Domination was outlined in a record that was being kept in the Sword Pavilion of the Shu Sect.
"Why are you asking about this? He's indeed guarding the space rift over there, in order to prevent other Immortal Forces from detecting it. Why are you asking this out of nowhere?" Tuo Ba Ling Qiong was baffled.
The unopened ancient world was said to harbour rich secrets and ancient fortunes. It could even give birth to beings on the level of True Daoists. In other words, the ancient world must possess substantial resources.
Thus, before it opened itself to the outside world, Great Yu Celestial Dynasty would surely do everything in their power to conceal its existence and take the opportunity to seize a significant amount of benefits before it was eventually exposed.
The rest of the Forces throughout the Upper Realm would do the same when an unopened ancient world appeared, so Tuo Ba Ling Qiong didn't feel strange about this practice.
After all, the Upper Realm was the centre of all under Heaven. It gathered millions of Lower Realms. The barriers of space of some of these Lower Realms were so tough that they have not even been exposed to the Upper Realm before. It was only on occasions where the barriers of space between the Upper Realm and the Lower Realm world collided, tearing up space, revealing what was within.
"I need to look for him." Hearing that, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao nodded with a pondering gaze. Initially, he wasn't exactly interested in the unopened ancient world, but he suddenly thought of a possibility.
[Did I reincarnate inside the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty because the world I was once in neighboured the Dynasty? What if the ancient world that unexpectedly surfaced was the world in which I had cultivated in my past life? If that is the case, I may be able to return to my original world and look for a way to dispel the bond.]
But of course, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao also carried another intention, as his desire for revenge was reignited. If the ancient world was truly his original world, that would indicate that he could oppose Gu Changge with all the resources offered by the ancient world.
With that in mind, Tuo Ba Xiao Yao no longer delayed. After packing his belongings, he began his journey towards the border. Having left prison, he didn't even have time to visit Yu Feiya. Though, he was aware that now was not the time for romance, as something of greater importance awaited him.
…
Compared to the hasty Tuo Ba Xiao Yao, Gu Changge, on the other hand, was extremely relaxed. These past few days, Jia Luo, the Prince of Eternal Overcast Kingdom, had been paying him visits and discussing his future visit to the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, to which Gu Changge indubitably responded perfunctorily.
Despite that, Jia Luo retained his reverence towards Gu Changge, continuously ingratiating him with sweet talks. One might even assume that he was one of Gu Changge's follower.
After pondering for a bit, Gu Changge felt that he should eventually visit the Eternal Overcast Kingdom, since it would be nice to have such an obedient lapdog. Thus, he didn't reject Jia Luo's request.
And so, Jia Luo gradually grew acquainted with Gu Changge.
Behind the palace, there was a spacious hunting ground. It was filled with thriving trees, dense hills, and spectacular, towering mountains. The borderless land was engulfed in a thin layer of mist, wherein light would shoot up the sky with the utmost radiance.
Once, this region was a wondrous realm, where Immortals spread their understanding of the Great Dao. Unfortunately, it became a barren land in the end.
Nonetheless, in certain corners, one could discover numerous precious treasures, including ancient steles that recorded powerful Divine Talents and Arts and Techniques. One of the previous Emperors of Great Yu Celestial Dynasty turned it into a hunting ground, and Royal Disciples enjoyed hunting beasts here when they were bored.
Around the hunting ground, arrays and barriers were set up, and soldiers were also patrolling its vicinity to prevent any outsiders' interference during the disciples' hunt. Within the hunting ground, there were quite a number of buildings and pavilions. These magnificent buildings glowed like treasure, as though they were majestic Divine Palaces.
At that moment, Gu Changge, Yu Lie, Jia Luo, Yu Feiya, along with numerous prominent young prodigies, gathered, standing in a pavilion as they gazed upon the scenery of the hunting ground.
Gu Changge wore a white robe. His inky black hair was simply tied up by a band. His eyes were tender and tranquil. Seemingly easy and relaxed, he carried a breezy aura.
"Young Master Changge, honestly, I've invited you over because we thought that you might be bored. But since quite a few prisoners were captured from the border, I've decided to play a mini game." Flamboyantly walking in a sturdy posture like a young god, Yu Lie laughingly said as his body emitted godly gleams.
As Emperor Yu personally instructed him to get close to Gu Changge, so he, out of boredom, arranged for a mini game and invited Gu Changge and the rest over in order to tighten his relationship with Gu Changge.
In response, Gu Changge smilingly inquired, "Oh, what mini game will that be, needing Prince Yu Lie himself to invite all of us over so grandly?"
Despite saying that, he hadn't the slightest interest or curiosity. In fact, he had been planning to have Yu Lie murdered in order to make the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty fall into chaos. However, this matter had not been arranged yet. Besides, he couldn't have Yu Lie die right in front of him. It was also difficult to orchestrate his death within the Imperial Capital, so he could only defer it.
"Prisoners from the border?" Hearing that, the other young prodigies were visibly dazed, having vaguely guessed what game it would be.
"Just a mini game, of course. In other countries, these people were honoured talents and renowned figures!" Yu Lie chortled aloud without much explanation. With that, as soon as he was finished talking, a blaring boom thundered outside the hunting ground.
A few prisoner wagons were being pushed towards the hunting ground, all covered with a layer of ebony cloth that could block off the scrutiny of divine sense, disallowing the rest to clearly perceive what was inside the wagons. Nevertheless, given the grandness, the crowd could already see what was coming.
Commiseration flashed across Yu Feiya's eyes, but she refrained from saying anything.
"Bring them over!" Yu Lie exclaimed with a cold expression. As he waved his hand, he ordered the prisoner wagons to be pushed onto the hunting ground. When the wagons were approaching, the black cloths were removed, revealing what was underneath.
Apparently, those prisoner wagons contained numerous people of all ages and genders. Their clothes were unkempt and they appeared extremely miserable. On their pale faces, there were all sorts of emotions—rage, hostility, stupefaction, resentment, devastation, and dread.
As an Immortal Force, the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty would take up boundless territory and possess great secrets. However, as per every powerful Force, their relationships with the surrounding major Forces were tense. Battles often erupted on the border, and these captives were all prisoners from the enemy Forces, including normal disciples, as well as young prodigies, saintesses, even Elders.
"Since you aren't willing to submit to the Great Yu Celestial Dynasty, I shall spare you a chance to live today!" Yu Lie indifferently glared at the prisoners in the wagons and stated.
The prisoners were bound with immeasurably weighty shackles that sealed off their cultivation. Even Elders with high cultivation levels were now no different from ordinary mortals as they were unable to use their cultivation. In fact, it was arduous to even walk.
"Kill and torture me all you want! All this old one has to do is tense his brows and—" Hearing that, one of the prisoners angrily rebuked, but before he could finish his sentence, he let out a piercing shriek. Purple lightning zoomed across the chains on his feet and crackled, disintegrating and turning his entire body into a pile of dust.
Upon the sight, those next to him grew even more terrified. Many of them were shivering as they couldn't be any more fearful.
"Ignorant fool. I spared you the chance to live, yet you wish to die." Yu Lie remained as apathetic as ever without changing his expression. The prisoners from enemy Forces should have been killed much earlier. He only allowed them to live as he was looking for some entertainment.
"Now, I shall spare you a chance to survive. All of you shall escape to the ancient forest in front of you. If you manage to survive for three days, I shall let you go, and you may even return to the Force you belong to," Yu Lie flatly stated, introducing the rules to the crowd.
On the hunting ground, not only were there vicious beasts, but there were also hazardous areas, in addition to the players hunting for them.
Since the prisoners' cultivation were sealed, they were now no different from ordinary mortals, so no matter how hard they tried to escape, they wouldn't be able to run far.
Of course, in order to make the game more interesting, Yu Lie and the rest wouldn't resort to Divine Abilities.
Obviously, the other young prodigies from the Imperial Capital were used to such an event, so they weren't at all surprised, nor did their expression change.
Jia Luo, the Prince of Eternal Overcast Kingdom, however, was fascinated, as he didn't expect this to be the mini game Yu Lie mentioned.
After Yu Lie was finished introducing the game, the prisoner wagons were opened. At once, the prisoners within scattered, dragging their heavy shackles. Even those who appeared to be bold earlier chose to compromise and strenuously escaped towards the depths, unwilling to forgo the opportunity to live. Humans were as desperate to live as ants, regardless of how unlikely they would survive.
"I shall refrain from partaking in this mini game and remain a mere spectator." Seeing this, Gu Changge didn't seem to be interested. He then responded to Yu Lie's invitation by shaking his head with a smile.
"Haha! In that case, we shall meet in three days."
Not expecting Gu Changge's rejection, Yu Lie felt slightly awkward, though he didn't take it to heart. Upon his reply, he got onto his ride and picked up his bow before speedily chasing the prisoners.
At the end of such a hunting games, the players would be ranked according to the number of prisoners they had slaughtered, and the winners could even receive fine treasures, along with the bet the others had put down.
Very soon, only a few remained in the pavilion. Other than Gu Changge, Yu Feiya, the Eldest Princess, also refrained from participating in this game. She seemed sorrowful though. It was as if she was troubled by a certain matter.
"Young Master Changge, why didn't you participate in the hunting game?" Sensing how Gu Changge was looking at her, Yu Feiya came back to her senses and curiously asked. Although the prisoners were people from enemy Forces, she couldn't bring herself to torture them before their deaths.
"It simply feels bland to me," Gu Changge casually replied with a faint smile.
Forcing a grin, Yu Feiya remarked, "To you, Young Master Changge, such a hunting game does seem bland."
"Were all these prisoners captured from the border?" Gu Changge let out a neutral chuckle and asked.
"Naturally." Yu Feiya nodded, confused by Gu Changge's question.
"Well, isn't that fascinating." Gu Changge's eyes grew enthralled. Instantly, his divine sense engulfed the entire ancient forest and landed on a petite, feeble figure that was strenuously running while tugging heavy chains at the same time.