Chapter Eight: Is It the Crown Prince?

The movements of these ten women were incredibly sharp; no matter how hard one tried to escape, it was impossible to break free from their pursuit.

"They are the Ten Overlords of the Daughter Kingdom," the woman in white explained as she glanced back at the ten women chasing them. "The tallest is Overlord Qi; the robust and burly one is Overlord Zheng; the short and lean is Overlord Ling; the one with cat ears on her head is Overlord Yao; the one who looks most like a man is Overlord Pi; the one whose eyes always roll white is Overlord Cong; the one who runs with graceful, agile turns is Overlord Wu; the one holding a bouquet of lilies is Overlord Lily; the one with a face like a peach blossom is Overlord Jiu Jiu; and the last, unassuming in appearance but with a sweet voice, is the songstress Overlord Que. Each of them is formidable!"

Upon hearing this introduction, Han Tianyue and the others felt their throats tighten with tension.

The woman in white continued, "Do not confront them head-on under any circumstances!"

Whoosh! Figures flashed through the air, and the purple bamboo forest above seemed to shudder as if swept by a sudden gust of wind.

In the brief moment when the Ten Overlords were distracted, Han Tianyue and his companions slipped into the depths of the purple bamboo forest.

The Ten Overlords landed on the ground, but there was no sign of Han Tianyue and the others.

In truth, Han Tianyue’s group was hiding behind a mound of earth, no more than a hundred meters away from the Ten Overlords.

Everyone held their breath as the Ten Overlords began to patrol the surroundings, unaware of Han Tianyue’s presence.

At that moment, a fiery shadow approached. From afar, it was a figure cloaked in a blazing red cape, their face concealed. Their movements were slow, almost deliberate.

Han Tianyue gazed intently at the figure, a familiar aura emanating from them that caused him to fall into a trance.

Seeing Han Tianyue frozen, Mao Xuanzi turned his head and immediately wore a look of shock. "Isn’t that my sister?"

Mao Xuanzi’s words snapped Han Tianyue back to reality. "It’s the Crown Prince!" Han Tianyue tried to stand, but Fang Zhe and the woman in white gently held him down, whispering, "If you don’t want to die, or for the one in the red cape to die, don’t move!"

The Ten Overlords were relentlessly powerful; even with the Crown Prince’s presence, they would not stand a chance. Besides, the Crown Prince was deaf now. No matter how loudly Han Tianyue shouted, if the Crown Prince could not see him, it was as if he didn’t exist—any commotion would only alert the Ten Overlords.

Suppressing his inner turmoil, Han Tianyue looked with tear-filled eyes toward the figure cloaked in fire. "Crown Prince, I finally found you!"

Suddenly, the Ten Overlords seemed to sense something. Overlord Qi’s towering frame charged forward; Overlord Zheng’s fierce body crashed ahead; Overlord Ling’s nimble form unleashed spiritual light; Overlord Yao’s cat ears transformed into massive golden horns; Overlord Pi wrapped like a tough hide; Overlord Cong’s eyes emitted beams of white light; Overlord Wu’s dance movements swirled through the air; Overlord Lily raised her lilies as the ground blossomed with lilies; Overlord Jiu Jiu smiled enchantingly, filling the sky with allure; and finally, Overlord Que’s song erupted like a blood-curdling scream.

In an instant, a fiery phoenix pierced through the chests of the Ten Overlords, and moments later, they turned to ashes.

Everyone stood agape, stunned by the scene.

"Crown Prince!" Han Tianyue shouted as he rose.

"Sister!" Mao Xuanzi stood as well.

"Crown Prince!" Fang Zhe also rose.

But in that instant, the Crown Prince, riding the fiery phoenix, soared off into the distance.

"Crown Prince!" Han Tianyue screamed with a heart-wrenching cry.

Deaf to all sound, the Crown Prince heard nothing.

Han Tianyue chased after the Crown Prince’s departing figure, but his speed was a mere fraction of the phoenix’s, and soon he lost sight.

"Sister!"

"Crown Prince!"

So close, yet they passed each other like ships in the night. Though Han Tianyue could not be with the Crown Prince, he was relieved—over these days, the Crown Prince had completely transformed, his power far surpassing theirs. "At least the Crown Prince is safe now," Han Tianyue’s sole comfort.

"I didn’t expect Sister to summon her true beast so quickly!" Mao Xuanzi gazed after the Crown Prince’s retreating figure, then thought of the fiery dragon egg within himself—the counterpart to Mao Xuanzi’s phoenix egg—their innate true beast eggs. Yet, for Mao Xuanzi, it was uncertain when it would hatch.

Fang Zhe looked up toward the Crown Prince’s direction, then glanced at the woman in white.

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