The Second Prince Feels Confident Again

"Kekeke... This Emperor has a merciful heart and dislikes unnecessary slaughter. Though you are guilty of heinous crimes, I am willing to grant you one chance. Run. Flee for your life. If you can escape my grasp, you may yet live."

The Second Prince glanced at the twelve pools of blood behind Gu Qingfeng and swallowed hard.

"Do you mean it?"

Bam!

Without another word, Gu Qingfeng kicked the Second Prince, shattering his internal organs and sending him flying hundreds of feet away.

"Gah—!" The Second Prince coughed up mouthfuls of blood and fragments of his organs, but he paid no heed to his injuries. Gasping and spitting blood, he staggered away in desperate flight.

Gu Qingfeng watched the Second Prince's embarrassing escape with deep satisfaction.

For some reason, the stronger he became, the more he enjoyed this game of cat and mouse—watching his prey struggle for survival, clinging to hope before plunging into despair. The thrill of holding life and death in his hands was intoxicating.

The Second Prince ran farther and farther, his figure soon vanishing from sight. Yet he kept glancing back in terror, fearing Gu Qingfeng would appear behind him at any moment.

Even when he saw no sign of pursuit, he felt no relief, no safety.

Then his eyes locked onto the towering silhouette of the Border Pass in the distance, and a feverish hope ignited within him.

If he could just reach the Border Pass, he would be safe. Truly safe!

......

"Master, kill him now! If you don’t, he’ll reach the Border Pass!" Shangguan Wan'er urged, her voice sharp with impatience.

Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow. "What happens if he enters the Border Pass?"

"Master, you may not know this, but the entire Star River falls under the jurisdiction of the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty. The Border Pass is their creation—a means to control the entire river.

The Border Pass is colossal, like a kingdom unto itself, teeming with mortals and immortals alike. But whether human or celestial, all exist to serve the Celestial Officials.

These officials are envoys of the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty, dispatched to govern the Border Pass.

They have decreed that no violence is permitted within its walls. Violators face execution without trial.

In the Star River, the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty is heaven itself. Their officials are its angels, their words divine law. No one—no matter how powerful—dares defy them. Not even the mightiest factions from the upper reaches would dare.

It’s not that the officials themselves are invincible, but they represent the dynasty’s authority.

So, Master, do you understand now? If Shangguan Ji reaches the Border Pass, you can no longer kill him."

Hearing this, Gu Qingfeng’s eyes gleamed with excitement.

The Border Pass? Celestial Officials? Directly under the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty?

Wasn’t this a gift from the heavens?

Gu Qingfeng had been agonizing over how to reach the Star River’s source and enter the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty to find his family. Now, here was a direct path!

Traveling from the lower reaches to the source would take years—if not decades—and the journey was fraught with peril. The further one ventured, the stronger the foes. What if he encountered... virtuous people along the way?

This very concern had kept him from setting out directly for the source.

But now, everything had changed. The Celestial Officials in the Border Pass were servants of the dynasty—subordinates of his family.

Surely, they had means to contact the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty at the source. A teleportation array, perhaps? A direct passage? How perfect would that be?

"Master, why are you hesitating? That dog Shangguan Ji is about to enter the Border Pass!" Shangguan Wan'er pressed, frantic.

Gu Qingfeng only smiled mysteriously. "Let him. Come, we’re going in too."

With that, he strode confidently toward the Border Pass, his three female slaves in tow.

......

"At last... I’ve survived!" The Second Prince, brandishing the token of the Feather Transformation Celestial Dynasty, stepped past the Border Pass’s gates.

Inside, the streets bustled with life, packed with crowds as dense as any mortal metropolis.

"Ahahahaha—!"

Ignoring the odd looks from passersby, the Second Prince threw back his head and laughed wildly, drunk on the euphoria of survival.

He knew—he was safe now.

No one. No one! Dared spill blood within the Border Pass.

This was the law decreed by the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty’s officials.

To defy them was to defy heaven itself. The punishment was death—or worse.

"Cough—!" The Second Prince suddenly doubled over, hacking up another chunk of his ruined innards.

Such injuries would have killed an ordinary man, but he was a True Immortal. His body should have healed long ago, were it not for Gu Qingfeng’s bizarre and overwhelming power.

Yet despite the agony, the Second Prince grinned through bloody teeth.

He had lived. And as long as he lived, there was hope. Hope for vengeance.

No matter how strong Gu Qingfeng was, could he stand against an entire dynasty? Could one man topple the Feather Transformation Celestial Dynasty?

If twelve Earth Immortals weren’t enough, he would summon Heaven Immortals. The dynasty had no shortage of them.

"Dare to cross this prince? In the days to come, I will make you beg for death!" the Second Prince snarled.

Just then, a mocking voice drifted from behind him.

"Oh? Who exactly are you planning to torment?"

The Second Prince whirled around, his blood running cold. There stood Gu Qingfeng and his entourage.

His first instinct was to flee—but then he remembered where he was. Straightening, he met Gu Qingfeng’s gaze with a venomous glare.

"Fool. Your greatest mistake was letting me live!"

The Second Prince’s face, streaked with blood, twisted into a savage smile.

"To repay your... mercy, I swear this: for the rest of your miserable existence, I will hunt you with every resource at my disposal. I will spare no effort, no expense, no cruelty!

"Wherever you flee—to the ends of the world—I will find you. I will chain your soul and torment you for ten thousand years!

"Ahahahaha—!"

The Second Prince’s mad laughter echoed through the street, drawing curious stares from the crowd.

To the long-term residents of the Border Pass, such scenes were uncommon but not unfamiliar. Many had sought refuge here to escape their pursuers.

Time and again, the hunted would stagger to the Border Pass, knowing their enemies dared not strike within its walls.

For in the Star River, to defy the will of the Starry Zenith Celestial Dynasty’s officials was to court annihilation.