Within the forest, the Third Prince was still anxiously awaiting any news about Lin Guiming.
“Third Prince…” At this moment, the Lord of Yuzhou City couldn’t help but speak up, “Perhaps we should just head back first and talk later.”
“Go back?” The Third Prince immediately furrowed his brows.
“How can I return with peace of mind? If something happens to him, the Great Qian Empire will be in serious trouble. Do you understand?”
“I… understand.” The Lord of Yuzhou City nodded, then added, “But Third Prince, that man’s strength is so formidable, he probably won’t get into any trouble, right? Maybe he just got held up for a bit. If there really was danger even he couldn’t handle, then there’s nothing we can do anyway!”
“Hmm…” The Third Prince was momentarily stunned at those words before saying, “What you say makes sense, but there’s no harm in us waiting here, right?”
“Who said there isn’t?”
The Third Prince looked at the Lord of Yuzhou City with an innocent expression.
It was clear that he wasn’t the one who spoke just now.
He then glanced around; the subordinates he had brought along all wore confused expressions as well.
“I told you all to leave quickly. Why won’t you just go?”
The voice came again.
At the same time, a figure slowly emerged from the dense forest.
“Keep in mind… the brothers stationed at the Entrance of the Forest have been waiting anxiously…”
“It’s you?” The Third Prince was stunned.
The man before him was actually one of Luo Haozong’s people from earlier.
“That’s right, it’s me.” The man sneered, nodding mockingly.
“What do you want?” The Third Prince’s heart sank at the memory of what the man had said before, a bad premonition rising within him.
“What do I want? Heh…” The man laughed coldly.
“You don’t really think I’m here to help you find the treasure map, do you?”
The Third Prince’s expression shifted slightly, but he said nothing.
“Let me tell you… Our sect has long since learned about the treasure map. By now, our Experts should have already sent it back to the sect. As for you…”
The man narrowed his eyes and said, “Sorry, but you know far too much already…”
“You!”
Before the Third Prince could say more, figures began emerging continuously from the surrounding thickets, encircling them.
There weren’t many of them—not even as many as the Third Prince’s group—but…
Cold sweat broke out on the Third Prince’s forehead.
A casual glance told him these people were not to be trifled with.
Each was at least at the Skin Refinement Stage, and many were at the Muscle Refinement Stage.
As for the leader…
The Third Prince glanced at him instinctively, sensing that this man was very dangerous—extremely dangerous.
The Lord of Yuzhou City looked at the clearly hostile figures around them and gritted his teeth.
These people were clearly intent on extermination; this battle was unavoidable.
Suddenly, he made a bold move and charged straight at the leader.
To capture the king first—if they could subdue this man, the situation might improve significantly.
However…
Reality was harsh and crushed their hopes.
“Bang—!” With a muffled thud, the Lord of Yuzhou City’s punch was effortlessly caught by the man, who then pressed a tremendous force back through the back of his hand, sending a numbness through his entire arm.
“Hiss—!” He gasped, stepping back several paces, clutching his arm, which was trembling slightly and useless to him.
“Bone Refinement Stage?!” Cold sweat broke out on the Lord of Yuzhou City’s forehead.
He was at the Tendon Refinement Peak, but the man’s strength far surpassed his.
There was only one explanation—the man was at the Bone Refinement Stage, and likely an elite among them.
A master who had perfected Bone Refinement possessed the strength of five wild horses, a terrifying power capable of easily breaking a tree as thick as a bowl with a single punch!
This opponent was no longer within his ability to confront.
“What do we do…?” The Lord of Yuzhou City’s gaze flickered anxiously as he searched for possible strategies.
At the Entrance of the Forest, a middle-aged man clad in armor shook the blood off his spear and continued riding his horse deeper into the forest.
“They really did encounter danger. Your Highness, Third Prince, please don’t let anything happen to you…”