86: Chapter 86: Cooperation Conceals a Deadly Trap; The Princess's Smile Hides a Dagger

"Grand Princess, what a calculation."

He crushed the blue bricks beneath his boots, the heavenly prison chains clanging within his Meridians.

"If my guess is correct, there is still a Restriction hidden within this Blood Phoenix Contract, right?"

Chu Fengge's wide sleeves paused slightly, and her skirt, embroidered with a golden Phoenix, fluttered without wind.

"Young Master is quite sharp."

Her fingertips lightly brushed the essence blood, and a wisp of it suddenly transformed into a phantom of a chain.

"However..."

Her red lips curled into a cruel arc.

"Do you still have a choice now?"

The blue bricks on the ground suddenly softened, and seven pillars of blood burst from the earth, interweaving in the air to form a cage.

"Blood Evil Soul Refining Formation?"

The blood-gold patterns in Gu Han's pupils surged violently.

"No wonder you chose the hour of the Rat..."

"This woman is just stalling for time!"

"It seems if I don't spank her, this woman won't know who's boss."

Before the words faded, his figure suddenly blurred.

A pit a zhang deep exploded where he had previously stood, and nine Bone-Eroding Nails pierced through his afterimage, nailing into the blood pillars and forcibly tearing a gap in the Formation.

Chu Fengge's beautiful eyes narrowed slightly.

"It seems Young Master has hidden quite a bit of his skill while at the Zhenwu Division."

Gu Han had already flashed outside the Formation, his saber unsheathed without anyone noticing when.

The blade reflected the blood moon, carving a ten-zhang gully into the alley wall.

Amidst the flying gravel, he suddenly spun and slashed into empty air.

"Clang!"

The sound of clashing metal shattered the eaves on both sides, and a Phoenix-patterned short sword appeared in the Void Realm.

As the blade vibrated, Chu Fengge's figure dissipated like smoke, then solidified three zhang away.

"If the Grand Princess truly wants to cooperate..."

Gu Han used the tip of his saber to flick a piece of gravel, precisely striking one of the blood pillars.

"You might as well be a bit more sincere."

"If you keep playing these tricks, I won't play with the Grand Princess anymore."

The moment the blood pillar collapsed, a Dragon's roar echoed from deep within the alley.

The ground suddenly heaved, and viscous black blood seeped through the cracks in the blue bricks; it was clearly the aura of the Dragon corpse from earlier that day.

Chu Fengge's expression changed abruptly, and seven purple-gold bells shot out from her waist, setting up the Big Dipper Demon-Sealing Formation in the Void Realm.

Amidst the vibrating bell chimes, she suddenly used her fingers to slash open her wrist.

"With my essence blood as the guide."

"So that's how it is..."

Gu Han suddenly laughed, looking at Chu Fengge with a meaningful expression.

"The Grand Princess intends to borrow the Imperial Astronomical Bureau's..."

"Shut up."

Chu Fengge's wide sleeves rolled, and the Phoenix-patterned short sword turned into a stream of light, piercing straight at his throat.

"Take an oath! Otherwise..."

The sword tip paused three inches from his throat.

"Otherwise, are you going to kill me, Grand Princess?"

The cold gleam of the sword blade reflected the sneer at the corner of his mouth, and the heavenly prison chains shot out from his spine, twisting the short sword into fragments.

"Does the Grand Princess really want to fight to the death here?"

The blue bricks beneath his boots silently turned to powder, and thirty-six phantoms of the heavenly prison chains wove into a wheel behind him.

The moonlight shone on the Buddhist patterns on the surface of the chains, bathing the entire alley in interlaced gold and red.

Chu Fengge's wide sleeves paused slightly.

She sensed two completely different powers surging within Gu Han's body.

The magnificent righteous Qi of the Buddhist Vajra Body was merging with some sort of older, more ferocious aura.

What shocked her even more was that the agitation of the Dragon corpse deep within the earth's veins was actually echoing the young man's breathing rhythm.

"Young Master has some impressive methods."

Her red lips curled into a dangerous arc, and the seven purple-gold bells suddenly pulled together into a ring.

The "Chu" character Phoenix patterns on the bells lit up one by one, and the blood curses on the walls on both sides of the alley twisted accordingly.

"I have changed my mind."

The drop of essence blood on her fingertips suddenly split into two.

"Swear by the martial Dao Origin, and I will tell you the secret of the Dharma Form."

The blood-gold patterns in Gu Han's pupils flowed.

A martial Dao Origin oath is different from an ordinary Heavenly Dao oath; those who break it will be forever stuck at their current Realm.

For this woman to dare use her cultivation Foundation as collateral, what she seeks is likely more than just killing a few old monsters from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

"Grand Princess, why not tell me first, which ones do you want to kill?"

He feigned indifference, using the tip of his saber to flick a piece of gravel, while secretly injecting a wisp of Heavenly Prison True Qi into the earth's veins.

The True Qi traveled along the Evil Qi left behind by the Dragon corpse, capturing three obscure auras in the direction of the Imperial City.

"The Supervisor, Sikong Hui."

Chu Fengge crushed the blue bricks with her embroidered shoes; for every word she spoke, a blood pattern appeared in the air.

"The Left Envoy, Yan Jiuxiao."

"The Right Envoy..."

Before the third blood pattern could fully form, Gu Han suddenly retreated three zhang.

The ground where he had stood exploded, and nine Bone-Eroding Nails burst from the earth, with the star patterns of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau clearly engraved on the nails.

"It seems we don't have to wait three days."

Gu Han sneered, watching the three figures appearing at the entrance of the alley.

The old man in the lead held a bronze astrolabe.

Chu Fengge's phoenix eyes were filled with malice, and as her wide sleeves rolled, she flung out twelve red ribbons.

"Phoenix Dancing in the Nine Heavens?"

Sikong Hui's voice sounded like a rusted blade scraping bone; as the astrolabe rotated, the seven Bone-Eroding Nails formed a killing Formation in the air.

"The Grand Princess is actually colluding with outsiders to deal with her own family; this old official has no choice but to... clean house."

"I'm sure the late Emperor wouldn't blame this old official."

"Old dog, you're courting death."

Chu Fengge suddenly crushed the essence blood in her palm, and nine fire Phoenixes flew out from the blood mist.

Gu Han, however, noticed a Jade Slip sliding out of her sleeve.

It was clearly the construction map of the Imperial Mausoleum underground palace.

"Boom."

The moment the fire Phoenixes collided with the Bone-Eroding Nails, Gu Han's figure cut into the battle like a ghost.

When his long saber slashed toward Sikong Hui's face, he suddenly changed his move, his saber Qi sweeping across Yan Jiuxiao, who was holding a bow on the right.

"Pfft."

The sound of a bowstring snapping and the sound of flesh tearing rang out simultaneously.

While retreating rapidly, Yan Jiuxiao flung out three Soul-Chasing Arrows, but they suddenly veered when they touched Gu Han's lapel, instead piercing the throat of his companion on the left.

【Slaying a sinful person, plundering two hundred and thirty remnants of fate】

A System notification flashed in Gu Han's eyes, but his movements did not stop.

He deliberately exposed a flaw, letting Sikong Hui's astrolabe chains wrap around his left arm.

"Junior..."

The old man's sneer had just begun when his expression suddenly changed drastically.

The moment the astrolabe chains wrapped around Gu Han's left arm, the thirty-six heavenly prison chains within his body suddenly erupted.

"Crack!"

The chains coiled and killed like dragons, actually shattering the astrolabe chains inch by inch.

Sikong Hui's expression changed abruptly, and just as he was about to retreat, Gu Han had already closed in on him like a ghost.

"Old dog, do you know how to write the word 'death'?"

The moment the astrolabe chains wrapped around Gu Han's left arm, the thirty-six heavenly prison chains within his body suddenly erupted.

"Crack!"

The chains coiled and killed like dragons, actually shattering the astrolabe chains inch by inch.

Sikong Hui's expression changed abruptly, and just as he was about to retreat, Gu Han had already closed in on him like a ghost.

"Old dog, do you know how to write the word 'death'?"

His five fingers formed a claw, locking onto Sikong Hui's crown, and Heavenly Prison True Qi surged in like a tide.

"Ah!"

Sikong Hui screamed, blood flowing from his seven orifices, as the Meridians in his body snapped inch by inch.

"Stop!"

"It's your turn!"

Gu Han's gaze was like a blade, sweeping toward the last Cultivator from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau.

That Cultivator's face turned pale, and he turned to flee.

"Can you escape?"

Gu Han sneered, stepped out with the Heavenly Prison Steps, and his figure vanished instantly.

"Pfft!"

The next moment, his saber had already pierced through the Cultivator's heart from behind.

【Slaying a sinful person, plundering three hundred and ten remnants of fate】

The System notification text floated before his eyes, but Gu Han's expression remained indifferent.

He withdrew his saber, turned around, and looked at Chu Fengge.

"Grand Princess, can we talk about cooperation now?"

A strange light flickered in Chu Fengge's beautiful eyes, and her red lips curled slightly.

"Young Master has some impressive methods, actually cutting down two great experts of the Imperial Astronomical Bureau with your blade."

Hearing this, Gu Han couldn't help but frown slightly.

"What does the Grand Princess mean?"

"Wasn't it three people?"

Only then did Gu Han remember that when he killed Sikong Hui, the System did not give a notification.

Gu Han's saber tip was still dripping blood, but his gaze was locked tightly onto Chu Fengge.