C11 Fifth Prince!

Hu San didn't take care of Chu Zhongtian as Chu Fann did, so he was even less receptive to Chu Zhongtian's feelings and opinions. Right now, Hu San only cared about leaving this forest as soon as possible while trying to avoid the territory of strange beasts.

Before long, the duo was out of Level-9 strange beasts' territory.

Chu Zhongtian calculated, 'With Hu San's current speed, we should be back in Luolin Town before dark.'

If they were lucky, they might just even arrive before dinner time. However, what happened next proved that reality was no one's mistress. While they were close to leaving Level-9 beasts' territory and about to enter Level-10 beasts' territory, they unexpectedly met a group of people.

It was a group of seven cultivators.

When Hu San saw the people, his face immediately darkened, and he stopped walking.

"Fifth Prince, Qi Yiloong!" Hu San glared at the seven men ahead of him, especially at the young man in his twenties. He was wearing a purple-golden robe and seemed to have an outstanding temperament.

The young man was none other than Qi Yiloong—the fifth prince of Qi Country.

Chu Zhongtian's face also darkened when he heard what Hu San.

Evident from his surname, Qi, Qi Yiloong was a member of the royal family. Within Qi Country, he had vast influence and great power.

The current king of Qi Country was by no means a competent ruler, but he did bore two outstanding sons. The three great families had rebellious thoughts because of the king's incompetence; they didn't act on them because of his sons' competence.

Moreover, both princes had exceptional cultivation talent. The fifth prince, Qi Yiloong, was the best when it came to cultivation talent. Apart from having brains capable of conjuring up excellent schemes, he also had middle Level-8 cultivation talent.

In the Qi Country, besides the royal family, the three great families also held quite the sway. According to their strength, they were ranked: Liu Family, Chu Family, and Wang Family.

Despite being ranked above the three great families, the royal family wasn't all the strong. Only 30% of the profits made in the entire Qi Country belonged to the royal family. The three great families had a monopoly over 60%.

The Liu Family, ranked first among the three great families, was famous for its bloodline inheritance. Of the 60%, 25% belonged to them. The Chu Family, renowned for their pills, enjoyed 20% of the profits. The Wang Family was known for their weapons and had a mere 15% of the total profits. The remaining 10% was occupied by the various other small families and sects.

The three great families had a strength equivalent or just less than the royal family, so no one had a clear upper hand. To seize all the profits and occupy the entire Qi Country, the three great families had fought with the royal family time and time again. The battles would sometimes be out under the public eye or in the secret chambers where no one could see them. There had even been a few large-scale fierce battles, but no one came out the victor in the end. Such battles depleted the resources of both sides.

To avoid such losses, the four great forces decided to stop fighting large-scale wars. However, that didn't mean they ceased all the battles they did in secret, especially the battle for geniuses.

Chu Zhongtian was once a reason for one such battle.

When his peak Level-8 talent was unveiled, the patriarch's and the other elders' first reaction wasn't celebrating. Instead, they immediately sealed off the news and arranged three cultivators at the Body Refining Stage as his bodyguards.

If it weren't for the fact that his meridians were damaged and he was now just trash, he would've been on the receiving end of countless assassination plots.

Given the rivalry between the royal family and the three great families—collectively known as the four great forces—Chu Zhongtian feared that a fight would break out at any moment between them and the fifth prince's group.

"Chu Family members?!" Qi Yiloong exclaimed when he saw Hu San and Chu Zhongtian.

"Fifth Prince, he is Hu San from the Chu Family's Dark Guards. He is a high Body-Refining cultivator, and he has also mastered a secret technique that can help him increase his strength. He is not to be underestimated," Noticing Qi Yiloong's excitement and eagerness, one of the guards beside him reminded.

Qi Yiloong's status was too prestigious, and they couldn't let him suffer any injuries. If he were injured, the guards wouldn't have a good end either.

"Who is the other guy?" Qi Yiloong shifted his gaze from Hu San to Chu Zhongtian and asked with a puzzled expression.

Hu San was a member of the mighty Dark Guards. So, Qi Yiloong was puzzled as to why someone so strong was carrying someone else around.

"Fifth Prince, that guy is Chu Zhongtian. He was a rare genius of the Chu Family, a genius that only appears once a century. Of course, now he is nothing but trash, a trash that only appears once a century. Hahaha."

Chu Zhongtian could be considered a disgrace to the Chu Family. So—naturally—the royal family members would not let go of the opportunity to humiliate the Chu Family.

"Chu Zhongtian, they are too strong. I'm afraid I will have to fight them with my life. As for whether we can escape or not... Well, may the Heavens bless us!" Hu San compared the strength of both sides and knew that he alone was absolutely no match for them. There was only one way of surviving now: escape.

"Hu San, I got it. You can escape now. Don't worry about me." Chu Zhongtian expressed his understanding toward Hu San's decision to abandon him at this critical moment. He didn't hold any resentment in his heart. After all, this was a life-and-death situation, so it would've been insane had Hu San put Chu Zhongitan's life over his own.

"Since he is from the Chu Family's Dark Guards, we don't need to show them any mercy. Just kill both of them." When Qi Yiloong saw Hu San and Chu Zhongtian whispering to each other, he knew they were plotting an escape plan. A cold light flashed across his eyes as he took a step back and gave the kill order.

"Let's split up and escape!" Hu San shouted when he noticed the Qi Family experts pulling out their weapons one after another. Then he sped up and fled towards the outer perimeter of the Endless Forest.

Chu Zhongtian didn't follow Hu San. Instead, he turned around and entered the territory of the Level-9 beasts.

Chu Zhongtian had his own plans for what he was going to do.

Being a weak mortal, there was no way he could escape the Qi Family experts' pursuit. Moreover, if he encountered a Level-10 beast on the way, he would die instantly.

However, his chances of survival would unexpectedly skyrocket if he entered a Level-9 beasts' territory.

First of all, he was a useless person who couldn't cultivate, so he didn't pose any threat to Qi Yiloong's group. A Level-9 beasts' territory was filled with danger, so they just might not danger their lives for his.

Secondly, when Chu Zhongtian and Hu San crossed the Level-9 beasts' territory, Hu San took a safe path. Thanks to that path, they successfully avoided all Level-9 beasts. If not for the path, they would've encountered a foe every step of the way.

Chu Zhongtian had a crystal clear memory of the route they took. Maybe a perfect memory was heaven's way of apologizing for taking his meridians.

Additionally, Chu Zhongtian found that after absorbing previous Chu Zhongtian memories, his own memories became prominent. He also found that his brain was now sharper and calmer than ever. He could remember anything after a single glance.

So, Chu Zhongtian decided to return to the Yang Tree cave. There, he wanted to replicate enough Meridian Herbs to heal and break through to the Qi Refining Stage as soon as he could.

When the Qi Country experts saw Chu Zhongtian and Hu San taking different routes, they didn't know who to chase.

"Don't bother with the trash. Go and hunt down the Chu Family's guard." Qi Yiloong's reaction was the quickest, and he ordered them to chase Hu San.