Chapter 4697
Sun Moon City
Lin Keting remained confined to her room, spending her days doing nothing but cultivating.
Though she hadn’t truly reflected on her mistakes, her father had already forbidden her from leaving Sun Moon City.
“Princess…”
The door creaked open as a female cultivator stepped inside.
“What is it?” Lin Keting opened her eyes and looked at the woman before her.
“Take a look at this…”
The female cultivator extended her palm, revealing a sheet of white paper that slowly unfolded before Lin Keting.
As her eyes scanned the contents, she froze in shock.
“A killing order? The Ten Palaces are offering 100,000 fairy spirit stones as a reward for killing Kai?”
“What did he do to provoke them into offering such a massive bounty?”
“No! I have to find my father and ask him to intervene—he must save Kai!”
Lin Keting hurried toward the door, but the moment she reached it, an overwhelming force sent her staggering backward.
“Princess, without the emperor’s permission, you are not allowed to leave this room.”
The female cultivator’s tone was firm.
Lin Keting frowned, her face filled with anxiety.
“Take this killing order immediately and find my master. Give it to him.”
She knew that the connection between her and Kai had been arranged by Taoist Wuji.
If Taoist Wuji saw the killing order, he would surely find a way to save Kai. There was no way she would become a widow before they were even together!
“Understood.”
The female cultivator bowed and quietly retreated.
Lin Keting paced anxiously around the room, restless and uneasy. She was trapped here with no way to contact Kai.
Meanwhile, in the palace, Taoist Wuji and Lin Chong sat drinking spiritual tea, the Ten Palaces’ killing order laid out before them.
“Taoist, I never expected this boy to be worth so much—100,000 fairy spirit stones. Even I’m tempted…”
Lin Chong smiled faintly.
“Haha! The Tenth Palace would rather offer 100,000 immortal spirit stones as a bounty than kill Kai themselves. Can you guess why?”
Taoist Wuji chuckled.
“There are two possibilities,” Lin Chong said after a moment of thought. “First, the Tenth Palace might be incapable of killing Kai or have concerns about doing so. Second, this bounty might just be a way to make Kai suffer. Even if he were killed, the Tenth Palace might never actually pay the 100,000 immortal spirit stones.”
“You’re right, those are both possibilities,” Taoist Wuji said with a slight smile. “But there’s another one—this killing order may not have been issued by the Tenth Palace Master at all.”
Lin Chong was taken aback. “Not issued by the Tenth Palace Master?”
“Have you forgotten? The Tenth Palace isn’t a unified entity. Not everyone follows the Tenth Palace Master’s commands.”
Taoist Wuji’s words carried a deeper implication.
“That’s true,” Lin Chong admitted. “But regardless of the reason, Kai is in for a real struggle this time.”
He then looked at Taoist Wuji with amusement. “So, Taoist, do you intend to help him?”
“Let’s wait and see.” Taoist Wuji’s expression remained calm. “Kai is the son-in-law I chose for Xiao Ting. He must have something special about him. If he were just some useless fool who constantly needed saving, wouldn’t that mean I made the wrong choice for her?”
“Fair enough. We’ll wait and observe,” Lin Chong agreed. “Besides, this is a good opportunity to uncover those hidden forces.”
“The great formation of heaven and earth is shifting. The Heaven Ascension Ladder is about to appear, and the powers lurking in the shadows are starting to surface.”
“This time, the entire world of Heaven and Man will be thrown into chaos. I fear it will completely reshape the balance of power,” Lin Chong said solemnly.
“Yes, the emergence of the Heaven Ascension Ladder will undoubtedly plunge the world into turmoil,” Taoist Wuji replied. “I’m not overly concerned about the hidden forces within the world of Heaven and Man.”
His gaze darkened. “What does worry me are the monsters who have survived for a hundred years inside the Heaven Ascension Ladder. If they manage to escape, that will be the real disaster.”
“You’re right,” Lin Chong said, frowning. “Those who remain inside the Heaven Ascension Ladder are the biggest threat. I can only hope that their true ambition is to ascend to the heavens and that they have no intention of returning to this world…”