Thousands of figures flickered in the night, rushing towards Tianxian City without the slightest delay.
Within Tianxian City, countless fires blazed into the sky, and mist of blood permeated the air, revealing the tragic state of the city.
"I wonder how Father Emperor and the others are doing!" Princess Linglong worried, "What if Father Emperor meets with misfortune!"
"Rest assured, Dragon Emperor's strength is formidable and he won't be in danger easily!" Lu Fan comforted, "Tianxian City is just ahead. Once we reach the city, we'll know the specific situation!"
"Heh heh, even if they are not in danger now, they will be eventually!" Prince Shangguan said coldly, "The Nine Heavens Dynasty has made complete preparations this time!"
"If I were you, I would choose to shut up!" Lu Fan said coldly, "You are nothing but a cripple now, without any cultivation. If you weren't of some use, you would be a corpse!"
Prince Shangguan's face turned ashen, his expression exceptionally grim. Lu Fan's crippling of his cultivation, even if he survived, meant he could never become the future ruler of the Nine Heavens Dynasty, a devastating blow to him.
Not long after, Lu Fan and the others entered Tianxian City. As soon as they reached the city walls and looked at the tragic scene outside, their hearts were deeply touched.
"Father Emperor!" Princess Linglong called out, a hint of joy in her voice. The Dragon Emperor being safe made her naturally very happy.
"Linglong?" The Dragon Emperor asked with slight surprise, "Why have you come? Weren't you told to guard the imperial city?"
"Father Emperor, rest assured, the imperial city is extremely safe!" Princess Linglong chuckled, "Not only that, but I've also brought you a gift this time!"
The Dragon Emperor looked puzzled, unsure of what gift Linglong had brought.
"This is Prince Shangguan of the Nine Heavens Dynasty. Now that we have captured him, we can use him as a bargaining chip to force the Nine Heavens Dynasty to retreat!" Linglong pointed at Prince Shangguan.
"A prince of the Nine Heavens Dynasty?" The Dragon Emperor exclaimed, "Truly remarkable ability to capture him!"
"It's all thanks to the consort!" Princess Linglong said seriously, "If the consort hadn't acted, the imperial city might not have been saved!"
The Dragon Emperor glanced at Lu Fan and was very pleased with him, "After this battle, you will be richly rewarded!"
"Dragon Emperor, this is not the time to talk about that!" Lu Fan interjected, "The priority now is to stop the fighting! Looking at the battlefield, the many experts of the White Dragon Dynasty are at a disadvantage, which is quite unfavorable for the overall war effort!"
The Dragon Emperor frowned. He knew very well that the situation was not optimistic, but things had reached this point, and he didn't know what to do.
Lu Fan said no more, grabbing Prince Shangguan and ascending into the air, exuding a powerful aura.
"Prince Shangguan is in my hands. Those from the Nine Heavens Dynasty, you should reconsider!"
With these words, everyone looked towards Lu Fan, surprised. They didn't know whether Prince Shangguan was real or fake.
"How could this be!" Grand Tutor Wen's expression changed. Prince Shangguan had led a group of experts to raid the imperial city. Under normal circumstances, the imperial city should have been taken by now, but now he was captured, appearing quite disheveled.
"Grand Tutor Wen, others may not recognize the Prince, but you surely must!" Lu Fan asked again, looking towards Grand Tutor Wen.
"He is indeed Prince Shangguan!" Grand Tutor Wen stated directly, "Speak, what do you want to do to let us have our Prince back!"
"A seven-day truce!" Lu Fan said coldly, "Otherwise, do not blame me for taking his life!"
"Don't listen to him, I am already crippled!" Prince Shangguan shouted, "Strike directly at the heart of the enemy, break through the city, and seize the White Dragon Empire!"
Grand Tutor Wen stood frozen, then hesitated. If it were any other matter, he wouldn't care, but the person before him was Prince Shangguan. The Great Emperor of Nine Heavens had only one son. If something truly happened to him, even he couldn't bear the responsibility.
"I think you better shut up!" Lu Fan knocked him unconscious with a palm strike, his expression becoming even more indifferent.
Many experts of the White Dragon Dynasty looked at Lu Fan, astonished. This was the Prince of the Nine Heavens Dynasty, and he had acted so decisively.
"Do not harm the Prince!" Grand Tutor Wen said coldly, "Otherwise, today will be your death day!"
"Grand Tutor Wen, there is no need to get agitated. If you follow my words, he will surely be safe!" Lu Fan chuckled.
"Ridiculous, do you think by holding the Prince hostage, you can stop the army from advancing?" Grand Tutor Wen stated, "The Great Emperor of Nine Heavens has ordered the capture of the White Dragon Dynasty!"
"Rest assured, as long as you agree to a seven-day truce, I will return him unharmed. Otherwise, do not blame me for being merciless!" Lu Fan's expression was cold.
But suddenly, Grand Tutor Wen moved like an arrow loosed from a bow, lunging towards Lu Fan with immense power.
"Consort, be careful!" Everyone shouted warnings. The three family heads not far away rushed to help, and even Steward Li, who was several miles away, was heading towards Lu Fan. Grand Tutor Wen was a seventh-grade Venerable, a being of such power, how could Lu Fan easily contend with him.
"This kid is truly too careless!" Liu Qianjiao, who was not far away, frowned. If he were hit by Grand Tutor Wen, his life would be in danger.
On the city walls, the Dragon Emperor also stood up abruptly, but he was too far away to intervene in time.
*Boom...*
A massive impact echoed across the battlefield, as Lu Fan and Grand Tutor Wen collided, dust filling the air. Everyone's hearts shook. They thought Lu Fan's life was in peril, but to their surprise, Grand Tutor Wen was sent flying back, appearing extremely disheveled. Lu Fan, on the other hand, stood firm, not budging an inch, and more importantly, Prince Shangguan was still in his hands.
"Impossible, this is absolutely impossible!" Grand Tutor Wen was filled with shock and disbelief. How could Lu Fan, so young, possess such formidable strength.
"Sneaking an attack on a junior is not a skill!" Lu Fan sneered, "I have delivered my message. If you dare to send out troops within seven days, I will personally present Shangguan's head!"
Lu Fan's words were icy as he walked back towards the city walls with Prince Shangguan. The people present were utterly stunned, not knowing what had happened.
"How did this kid become so strong!" White Tiger felt a chill emanating from its back. With such immense strength, if he turned his attention to them, even Azure Dragon might not be able to stop him.
"He broke through, he is now also a Spirit Venerable!" Azure Dragon muttered, "And not just any ordinary Spirit Venerable. His actual combat power might have already reached the Earth Venerable realm!"
"Earth Venerable combat power?" White Tiger's expression changed. It knew that above the seventh-grade Venerable was the eighth-grade Venerable, also known as Earth Venerable. Above Earth Venerable was the ninth-grade Venerable, known as Heavenly Venerable. Those who could become Heavenly Venerables were one in ten thousand. It was rumored that the Great Emperor of Nine Heavens and the Dragon Emperor were Heavenly Venerables, ruling their respective dynasties.
"Beat the gongs to retreat!" Grand Tutor Wen's face was ashen as he finally gave the order. With Prince Shangguan captured, he dared not act rashly, especially with the strength Lu Fan had displayed, which filled him with concern.