Su Fan was deep in thought when he suddenly saw Xiao Zhiyi staring at him blankly.
Su Fan was startled for a moment, then realized he had forgotten to use the invisibility spell when he came up.
"Su Fan?"
Xiao Zhiyi said dazedly, looking at Su Fan.
"Long time no see."
Su Fan smiled at Xiao Zhiyi and said.
Xiao Zhiyi remained impassive. Having been locked up here for so long, he was already numb.
"Why are you here? To mock me? Or were you also captured?"
Xiao Zhiyi asked Su Fan doubtfully.
"I'm looking for Xiao Xue'er, your sister."
Su Fan did not hide it. Xiao Zhiyi was also of royal blood, and it was likely he would not survive, all falling victim to the Heavenly Mandate Su Fan's poisonous hand.
Xiao Zhiyi nodded.
"Although I don't know what's happening outside, and I don't have the energy to care, I can tell you that Xiao Xue'er was taken away yesterday."
Xiao Zhiyi said to Su Fan with an indifferent expression.
"What? Taken away by whom?"
Su Fan was stunned. It seemed he hadn't come to the wrong place, just a step too late!
"My third brother, Xiao Zhihong."
Xiao Zhiyi said with a wry smile.
He had already guessed what had happened outside. The princess was captured, and Xiao Zhihong could enter and exit the Ministry of Justice's prison at will. It seemed Xiao Zhihong had won in the end.
It was quite laughable that his third brother, whom he cared about the least, had achieved ultimate victory.
"Why take her away? What does Xiao Zhihong want to do?"
Su Fan frowned and asked Xiao Zhiyi.
"How should I know? Do you think I would know more here?"
Su Fan's brows were tightly furrowed.
"Thanks."
Su Fan thanked Xiao Zhiyi.
If Xiao Zhiyi hadn't said anything, he really wouldn't have known Xiao Xue'er's whereabouts.
Xiao Zhiyi waved his hand at Su Fan carelessly, as if he had completely given up.
Su Fan shook his head helplessly.
Then he left the Ministry of Justice's prison.
Xiao Xue'er had been taken away by Xiao Zhihong, most likely to the imperial palace.
Seeing that dawn was breaking outside, it was a bit unsafe for Su Fan to go to the imperial palace at this time. Su Fan decided to observe the surroundings first.
After dawn, a luxurious carriage emerged from the imperial palace.
Surrounded by guards and servants, it majestically headed out of Tianlong City.
"Who is this? So extravagant?"
The surrounding commoners exclaimed in surprise.
"It's the驸马 (Fù mǎ - Emperor's son-in-law), can't you see the 'Su' character on the carriage? He's probably going on an outing with the princess."
"An outing? Didn't the late emperor just pass away? Is it appropriate to go on an outing now?"
Someone said with some confusion.
"Hush, keep your voice down. Royal matters are not for us to discuss. Be careful, or you'll lose your head!"
The person was immediately frightened into silence and sheepishly shrank back.
Su Fan's eyebrows twitched.
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan's carriage?
Su Fan knew that the Heavenly Mandate Su Fan wouldn't leave the city for no reason. Such a grand display must have a purpose.
"Could it be to lure me into a trap?"
Su Fan couldn't figure out the reason. The only explanation was that the Heavenly Mandate Su Fan was doing it intentionally, making people believe the princess was in the carriage, to lure him to rescue Xiao Xue'er.
But Su Fan had no choice. Even if he knew it was a trap, he had to go and investigate.
The carriage traveled unimpeded out of Tianlong City, which was under lockdown.
Su Fan followed closely, using the invisibility spell to leave Tianlong City without being discovered.
Finally, the carriage stopped by a riverbank outside Tianlong City. Su Fan was very familiar with this place; it was where Qi Ling had assassinated Xu Fengnian.
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan emerged from the carriage and then waved to his subordinates, ordering them to bring Xiao Xue'er out as well.
Xiao Xue'er was bound at this time, with a gag in her mouth.
"This is a good place. Your identity is special, so I can't kill you openly. I can only send you away here."
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan said to Xiao Xue'er expressionlessly.
"Mmmph!"
Xiao Xue'er wanted to say something, but her mouth was gagged, and she could only make muffled sounds.
"Sorry, I can't let you speak."
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan had no intention of removing the gag from Xiao Xue'er's mouth.
He could not refuse the imperial family's orders. If Xiao Xue'er were to regain her ability to speak, it might cause problems.
Su Fan observed everything from the shadows and was somewhat surprised to find Xiao Xue'er really in the carriage.
However, the situation didn't look good now, as the Heavenly Mandate Su Fan seemed intent on killing Xiao Xue'er.
Xiao Xue'er was dragged to the riverbank and fell to the ground due to the soldiers' rough handling.
"Proceed."
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan ordered his subordinates.
However, his eyes were secretly scanning the surroundings, as if he were wary of something.
Seeing that Xiao Xue'er was about to be harmed, Su Fan could wait no longer and immediately took action.
His figure flashed, and he appeared beside Xiao Xue'er.
"I'll take you away!"
Su Fan grabbed Xiao Xue'er's arm and prepared to leave immediately.
"I've been waiting for you!"
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan's voice reached Su Fan's ears.
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan had been waiting for Su Fan to make a move. Everything he had done was to lure out Xiao Yan or Su Fan.
It would be best if Xiao Yan appeared; after killing all the royal family, he would have no worries. If Su Fan came, it would be the same; by eliminating Su Fan, no one would have the strength to stop him!
As soon as the Heavenly Mandate Su Fan finished speaking, a large amount of river water gushed out from underground. The water sprayed into the air and then froze, forming a huge semicircular cage around them, completely trapping Su Fan.
Instantaneous Movement!
Seeing this, Su Fan grabbed Xiao Xue'er and tried to teleport away, but the cage could not hold him.
Su Fan's figure appeared directly beside the cage; he did not teleport out.
"Why is this happening?"
Su Fan was suddenly confused. Why had his teleportation failed? Why hadn't he appeared outside the cage?
"Don't bother. Do you think I don't know you? You might have some means I don't know about, but it's impossible to escape using spatial abilities. With the Spirit Binding Array combined with the power of the Heart of Ice, escaping is not that simple."
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan had made thorough preparations and would not be without defenses against Su Fan's abilities.
"What do you want?"
Su Fan's expression changed, and he quietly shielded Xiao Xue'er behind him, giving her time to remove the gag from her mouth.
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan waved his staff, and the ice cage behind Su Fan emitted a cold air, instantly freezing Xiao Xue'er behind Su Fan.
Su Fan sensed the movement behind him and was shocked. By the time he realized what was happening, it was too late; Xiao Xue'er had already been encased in ice.
"You only have five minutes. She can only last five minutes in this ice at most."
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan said to Su Fan.
Su Fan's expression was grim.
The Heavenly Mandate Su Fan was forcing him into a decisive battle!
Golden flames ignited on Su Fan's body. In their last battle, they were evenly matched. This time, Su Fan didn't know if he could defeat the Heavenly Mandate Su Fan, but he had no other choice; he had to fight!