C127 Shanhai Realm

The following day, Princess Diaoman was seething with rage upon learning that Ning Qi had vanished without a trace. She stormed into Ning Qi's room, Deng San in tow.

The letter Ning Qi had left on the desk caught her eye immediately.

Xinche and the other three girls stood off to the side, heads bowed.

Wu Maji's gaze swept over them repeatedly. Xinche and Xinjing managed to maintain their composure, while Xinlian and Xinyi struggled to hold back their tears, looking as though they were on the verge of crying.

Princess Diaoman, having read the letter, furiously shattered the table with a single strike. Little Grey, witnessing her fury, bared its teeth and squeaked incessantly.

"Ning Qi has infuriated me! After all the kindness I've shown him, he dares to flee! And he has the audacity to claim he'll return to redeem Xinche and the others—such wishful thinking! Deng San, send someone to bring him back. I'll make sure he learns his lesson!" Princess Diaoman fumed.

"He's going to come back to redeem us?" Xinlian and Xinyi's faces lit up with joy.

They quickly composed themselves, however, after catching a warning glance from Xinche.

But Wu Maji had already taken note of their brief display of happiness.

She approached the four with an icy demeanor. "Did you know about Ning Qi's departure?"

Xinche shook her head. "He's a Peak Grand Battle Master. If he wished to leave, he wouldn't have involved us."

"That would be for the best," Wu Maji huffed.

"I'll capture him without fail," Deng San assured Princess Diaoman.

"Then go—now!" Princess Diaoman dismissed him with a wave of her hand, still visibly upset.

With Deng San gone, she slumped into a chair, brooding.

Wu Maji glanced at the letter Ning Qi had left and offered a consoling smile. "Ninth Princess, there's no need to let him get under your skin. It's not worth harming your health over such anger."

"I even rewarded him with the Dragon Seeking Mouse; why would he leave?" Princess Diaoman grumbled.

"Perhaps he's telling the truth in his letter—that he has urgent matters to attend to. If you're looking to release some anger, why not send an envoy to the Qintang Empire?" Wu Maji suggested with a smile.

"You're right!"

Princess Diaoman's eyes sparkled with resolve. "If I can't capture him, I'll take it upon myself to visit the Qintang Empire!"

Three days later, a crestfallen Deng San returned to the Princess Residence with his men in tow. Failing to apprehend Ning Qi was a blow to his pride. To make matters worse, soon after their return, a subordinate reported that Qiu Wanli, who had been confined in the government's prison, had escaped!

"Idiot!" Deng San roared, unable to contain his frustration.

His subordinates bowed their heads in silence, offering no response.

"We shall handle this discreetly," Deng San commanded after a moment's pause.

"Yes, sir!"

"The alchemist that Ninth Princess recently welcomed has fled? What a colossal farce."

"I've heard that alchemist bested Third Princess's alchemist, Sima Ci, in a competition. Third Princess wagered and lost the Golden Cicada and the Skyhowl White Tiger to Ninth Princess. She's been parading those two Demonic Beasts around the Imperial Palace, boasting about her victory to anyone who'd listen. How mortifying for her now."

It didn't take long for the gossip to reach Third Princess.

A smirk crossed her face. "Time to pay a visit to Ninth Sister."

Upon learning that Third Princess sought an audience with her, Princess Diaoman retorted, "I refuse to see her. Tell her I'm ill. Third Sister surely comes to gloat. Curse that Ning Qi! We're off to the Qintang Empire. I'm curious to see what kind of parenting led to such a child. He won't get off easily!"

Ninth Princess had already devised a plan to deal with Ning Qi.

In the Shanhai Realm.

As soon as Ning Qi crossed into the territory, he touched down to the ground and instructed Purple to retreat to the Pet Space.

This region was unlike any other, falling directly under the chaotic rule of the Devil Dragon King. Here, Demonic Beasts and bandits roamed freely, making life a constant struggle for the inhabitants.

They faced the dual threats of harassment from Demonic Beasts or dragons and the ever-present danger of bandit attacks.

As a result, people here lived clustered together in groups, with no towns to speak of.

Each tribe was accountable directly to the Devil Dragon King, paying monthly tributes to earn their right to survive.

Outside their settlements, lone rangers seldom roamed the wilds alone, unless they were warriors of Battle Emperor Level or higher.

Ning Qi had traveled hundreds of miles and noticed an even greater number of Demonic Beasts here than in Tianfeng Forest. Along the way, he encountered several villages, but as he drew near, arrows were fired at him, forcing him to move on.

"The Devil Dragon King's wife must be a Seventh Rank Giant Dragon too. How can I approach her to deliver the Wind Dragon Bead? If I just barge in recklessly, I'll likely be devoured by the king's minions before I even lay eyes on her."

As Ning Qi pondered this, the Dragon Seeking Mouse on his shoulder let out a series of excited squeaks, pointing him in a new direction. He could sense its elation.

"A giant dragon!"

A smile of anticipation spread across Ning Qi's face at the thought of the Dragon Slaying Coin it represented.

After miles of travel, he spotted a towering peak piercing the clouds, with a fiery red cave entrance on its side.

Suddenly, a Scarlet Flame Dragon, a Mid Fifth Rank giant dragon with an HP of 170,000, burst forth from the cave.

"With a Fifth Rank Mid-grade Demon Beast and Purple's help, I should have no trouble taking it down."

Ning Qi assessed the odds in his mind and resolved on a plan of action.

However, as he was about to make his move, he noticed a throng of figures at the mountain's base, numbering three to four hundred.

Curious, Ning Qi wondered how the giant dragon could tolerate such a crowd in its domain. He crept closer and, after observing for a while, his expression turned to one of anger.

Before the crowd stood ten children, around five or six years old, their faces streaked with tears as they cried out, desperate to return to the adults. But they were pushed away again and again. Ning Qi saw that they were bound by ropes.

"Father, mother! Please save me! I don't want to die!"

"Uncle, save me!"

Amidst the crowd, desperate cries echoed as someone screamed for the children, their faces etched with hopelessness. They tried to break through to reach the children, but were held back by the sturdy young men around them.

"Please, I'm begging you to spare my child. He's only five years old!"

A woman wept uncontrollably, her hands reaching up to the heavens, trying to grasp her child who was reaching back towards her.

In that moment, a gaunt old man, likely in his sixties with the cultivation level of a three-star Battle Spirit, spoke coldly to the young men beside him: "These fools don't appreciate what's good for them. Without sacrifices to Lord Chi Yan, how can we hope to survive? Take them away, lest we incur Lord Chi Yan's wrath!"