403: A dark and windy night

Qian Xiaosen interjected, "Young Master Tianbao, in my opinion, you should just return to secular life! Fahua Temple has no future. Right now, the lifeblood of Blue Star is in the hands of our Sinkhole Base. Only here can we possibly create miracles. In the future, breaking out of Blue Star and roaming the stars—that is the ambitious goal our generation should pursue!"

"This... This Humble Monk will make a decision when the time is right!" Tianbao didn't agree immediately, but his tone already revealed his true thoughts.

Long Yuan waved his hand and said, "Indeed, Young Master Tianbao grew up in Fahua Temple since childhood and is proficient in Buddhist principles; how could he give it up so easily? Let him make his own decision. No matter what he decides, as long as it doesn't conflict with the fate of Blue Star, we will support him!"

"Brother Tianbao, just stay with us!"

"Yeah, yeah..."

"We will definitely break out of Blue Star together..."

Amidst the chattering of the Young Attendants, the flying car slowly landed on a main road. Up ahead, a faint curtain of light appeared, catching the attention of Tianbao and the children. "What is that? It's so beautiful..."

"That is the entrance to our base! Let's go!" Duan Hu said, seizing the opportunity.

The car drove toward the entrance at his command. As it approached, several beams of light scanned the vehicle and everyone inside. A prompt said, "Scan passed. Welcome to the City of the Future!"

The light gate slowly opened a gap, and the car "whooshed" inside... While Tianbao and the others were touring and getting familiar with the base, two uninvited guests arrived in South Yue City!

On the top floor of a hotel near the Spiritual Root testing point set up by Xuanji Tower, two figures stood looking down at the crowd waiting for their Spiritual Roots to be tested... Why were they called uninvited guests? Because they should have been in Dingyuan City in the northwest of Great Ming, presiding over the war. If Qi Huaiyi were here, he would definitely recognize them at a glance—it was Prince Ding and his eldest son, Zhu Deqin!

The two had actually left Dingyuan City in secret, going directly to Yingtian Prefecture to find Sabado, the Master of Xuanji Tower, and then stopped by South Yue City on their way.

"Father, we've been watching for so long, and we haven't seen anyone with Cultivation Aptitude!" Zhu Deqin said.

"How could Cultivation Aptitude be so easily obtained? Even we don't have it, let alone others!" Prince Ding sighed.

"Father, I'm not reconciled! With my talent, how could I not have Cultivation Aptitude? Could Sabado be lying?" Zhu Deqin gritted his teeth.

Prince Ding shot him a glance and snorted, "Even your father, with a Martial Commander cultivation, doesn't have Cultivation Aptitude. What does your talent count for? Don't overthink it; if you don't have it, you don't have it. You can't force these things! Better to think about how to control those who can cultivate... It seems now that only by quickly seizing resources can we better control them. That is the main purpose of our trip!"

"Father is right! When do we strike?" Zhu Deqin asked.

"Wait until tonight. A dark and windy night is perfect for getting things done! I want to see how my dear ninth brother begs for mercy before me, hahahahaha..."

"Father's wisdom is profound!"

As the central city of the largest base in the south, the main district of South Yue City was almost a city that never sleeps. Even in the early hours of the morning, lights were still ablaze, crowds were moving, and business was booming.

As night fell and the lamps were lit, many vendors appeared on both sides of the road. They set up their equipment and tents—some grilling pancakes, some grilling meat, some stir-frying noodles, some selling stinky tofu, and others selling fruit and drinks. It attracted quite a few customers. South Yue City did not ban such mobile vendors, considering it a small way for the common people to earn extra money. Don't underestimate these night market vendors; the income of those who did well was enough to support a family's daily expenses.

"Come, come, fresh grilled oysters straight from the sea!"

"Please take a seat, everyone. Order whatever you like..."

"Miss, how about a cup of Ice Snow Red Tea? It's made from Mystic Ice from the Far North!"

"Hey handsome, I see you have an extraordinary skeletal structure and a glowing forehead. Why not try a grilled pig trotter? Third-tier Black-armored Pig trotters are a rare delicacy..."

"Hengbi Ice Spring, big clearance sale!!!"

"Hengbi Ice Spring? Didn't they go bankrupt? How is their ice spring still being sold? It's not expired, is it..."

"Ahem, friend, this ice spring is still within its shelf life..."

"Tch..."

The sounds of vendors and customers talking rose and fell, creating a noisy atmosphere... Just then, "Rumble!" A loud explosion shattered the peaceful and bustling secular atmosphere. Everyone looked up in surprise and saw the northwestern sky suddenly light up. The sound seemed to come from that direction!

"What's going on?!"

"I don't know. The weather forecast didn't say there would be thunder tonight, did it?"

"That direction seems to be toward the Prince Fus Mansion. It couldn't be..."

"What are you thinking? The weather is unpredictable. These southern thunderstorms come out of nowhere!"

"That's true..."

Rumble, rumble, rumble!

Before anyone could react, another series of booms rang out. The light in the northwest grew even brighter, and gusts of wind howled. The stalls in the night market creaked under the pressure, and some were already toppling over, instantly turning the scene into chaos!

"Not good!"

"Something definitely happened!"

"Quick, let's go see!"

"Seeking trouble leads to death; if you want to go, you go..."

There were many clever people in the city. Seeing this situation, they knew something strange was happening. After all, the moon was high and the sky was clear just a moment ago—where would a thunderstorm come from? Such loud noises were very abnormal. Many people, seeing things were going south, scattered and fled. However, many busybodies, relying on their cultivation, ran toward the northwest... At this moment, many people around the Prince Fus Mansion widened their eyes, unable to believe what they were seeing. Many of them were actually spies sent by various major factions to keep an eye on the residence. They hadn't expected someone else to strike before their own factions did, so they watched while frantically sending out messages.

Not far from the main gate of the Prince Fus Mansion, two figures slowly appeared. They were two men dressed in black, both tall and sturdy, with black masks covering their faces and bright, piercing eyes. One of them had hair and a beard that stood on end, possessing an extraordinary Aura. He looked at the Prince Fus Mansion before him with a slight frown, seemingly finding things to be somewhat beyond his expectations.

These two were, of course, Prince Ding and his eldest son, Zhu Deqin. After dark, they had come from the direction of the hotel. They had thought they could easily enter the Prince Fus Mansion and seize Prince Fu, making him their Puppet to completely control the entire residence, turning it into their own property and a political asset. However, after arriving, they found that the residence seemed to be enveloped by a Formation. After checking around and finding no gaps to enter, Prince Ding simply tried to attack it. To his surprise, the Formation was extremely sturdy; even he, at the Late Stage of Martial Commander, could not break through it!

...