After fifteen years of cultivation, he finally reached the pinnacle of the first rank!

Chapter 321 The Heavenly Prison's Deadly Intent

Upon hearing this, the Taoist priest Qingye looked thoughtful, then gave the middle-aged man a deep look and said:
"I am willing to make the trip, but are you sure that what you are talking about can really be exchanged for the Dragon-Controlling Divine Sword from that Eighth Prince?"

The middle-aged man slightly raised his head to look at the Taoist priest Qingye, a meaningful look appearing in his eyes, and said:

"If the Eighth Prince is indeed as the intelligence suggests, and is truly extremely interested in those things, then I am certain that he will consider the request made by my senior brother."

The Taoist priest Qingye pondered for only a moment, then casually tossed aside the wine jar in his hand and said:

"Since that's the case, there's no time to lose. I'll go and pay a visit to the Eighth Prince."

……

The Great Li Heavenly Prison.

Li Ru'an, accompanied by Huo Xian in disguise, passed through numerous iron-locked prison doors and finally arrived at the innermost cell of the Heavenly Prison.

Inside the cell, under the dim light of an oil lamp, Li Zhi sat cross-legged as always, concentrating intently on his cultivation, seemingly oblivious to everything happening outside the cell.

Li Ru'an stood in front of the prison gate and looked at Li Zhi inside the cell.

At this moment, Li Zhi slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Li Ru'an outside the cell, then looked away and said:

"Royal sister, what brings you here to visit me today?"

"I've come to see you because I have something to discuss."

Li Ruan spoke with a calm expression, while his eyes subtly scanned the surroundings, secretly checking whether there were any hidden experts protecting them.

But at that moment, Li Zhi suddenly spoke:

"Is my elder sister here to kill me?"

Li Zhi's voice wasn't loud, but when it reached Li Ru'an's ears, it made his eyes widen in surprise.

But she quickly regained her composure and asked without any change in expression:

"Why do you think so?"

In the shadows, she continued to repeatedly check whether there were any hidden experts around.

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi finally stopped cultivating. However, he did not look at Li Ru'an, but instead gazed at the lamplight before him and slowly said:
“My elder sister’s younger brother has already returned to the capital, and he is now famous throughout the world. He is far more useful than me, a prisoner. So naturally, my elder sister has no need for me.”

Li Ru'an's cold face remained unchanged as he looked at Li Zhi in the prison cell and said:
Even so, I wouldn't kill you.

Huo Xian, who was beside Li Ruan, was also sensing the area around the cell and looked up at Li Zhi.

His former "nephew" seemed to have realized Li Ruan's intentions, but he didn't seem surprised at all.

At that moment, Li Zhi finally turned his head slowly to look at Li Ru'an and said:
"My sister and I are actually the same kind of people in some ways. We are not lacking in strategy and intelligence, but we lack opportunities."

"In fact, if my elder sister had been born a boy, she would have been my lifelong enemy."

Upon hearing this, Li Ru'an frowned slightly but did not speak. He simply glanced at Huo Xian beside him.

Seeing this, Huo Xian shook his head almost imperceptibly, indicating that he had not noticed anything unusual around the cell.

Under the dim light of the oil lamp, Li Zhi observed the entire interaction between the two men outside the cell. Suddenly, he gently shook his head and said:

"Royal sister, are you preparing to make your move?"

As he spoke, he looked directly at Li Ru'an and said:
"Before we take action, could you allow me to say a few more words?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ru'an met Li Zhi's gaze without flinching, his eyes filled with coldness, and said:
"Now that you've figured it out, there's no need for me to hide it anymore. Before you die, I also have some questions for you."

Li Zhi nodded slightly, his face showing no surprise whatsoever.

He simply gazed silently at Li Ru'an and said:
"No problem, but before that, let me guess. The reason why my elder sister wants to kill me is probably because of my mother's death?"

Upon hearing this, Li Ru'an's expression immediately turned extremely cold, and he said:
“Li Zhi, you still know it’s for your mother? Your mother has always treated you well. Even though you are not her biological son, she has always treated you as her own and has never shown any favoritism.”

"But you are an ungrateful wretch who dared to poison my mother."

"Ask yourself honestly, should I have killed you, and should you have died?"

Li Ruan's voice was chillingly cold, and a murderous intent was brewing and spreading throughout the entire prison, as if he wished he could tear Li Zhi to pieces in an instant.

However, at this moment, Li Zhi sighed softly and said:

"If I said that my mother's death had nothing to do with me, I've actually been investigating all along..."

However, before Li Zhi could finish speaking, Li Ru'an took out a white porcelain bottle and questioned him sternly:

"This is the poison I found in the secret room of your study. It's exactly the same as the poison I found on my mother. What excuse do you have?"

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi glanced at the porcelain bottle in Li Ru'an's hand and shook his head, saying:
“This poison is indeed mine, but it is not the poison I used to poison my mother.”

“My mother has raised me for so many years. Although I, Li Zhi, consider myself ruthless and know that I am not her biological son, I am not so heartless as to disown my own family, nor would I do anything to harm her.”

As he spoke, a sharp glint flashed in Li Zhi's eyes, and he said:
“Actually, it’s not just you who suspect there’s something wrong with Mother’s death. I’ve also been investigating this matter in secret. The poison in your hand was something I had someone investigate and find.”

"Moreover, I discovered that behind my mother's death, there seems to be an invisible hand manipulating everything. I have been trying to find out who it is, but unfortunately, the other party is very well hidden, and I have always fallen short of it."

Li Ru'an sneered, seemingly not believing Li Zhi's explanation at all, and said:

"Li Zhi, you're only pretending to be a filial son now that things are at hand, but do you think I'll believe you?"

"Even if you use sweet words and beg for mercy on your knees today, I will still kill you to avenge my mother."

As soon as he finished speaking, Li Ruan made a sudden move. Powerful true energy instantly condensed in front of him, transforming into a terrifying golden palm print, which he slammed directly towards the cell in front of him.

The next moment, the prison door in front of him shattered with a crash, and then the golden palm print, carrying a powerful killing intent, continued to fall towards Li Zhi, who was sitting cross-legged on the ground.

Just then, a shadow suddenly and silently emerged from the darkness of the cell.

Immediately, the shadow simply waved its hand lightly, and the palm print that Li Ruan had struck out quietly disappeared, without harming Li Zhi in the slightest.

Meanwhile, under the dim yellow oil lamp, the shadow that drifted out swayed gently, vaguely revealing the figure of an extremely hunched and thin old man.

The old man's figure was obscured, his outline extremely blurry, resembling a human shadow standing there.

However, the old man's cold, hidden gaze, concealed in the darkness, did not fall upon Li Ru'an, but instead fixed its gaze on Huo Xian beside Li Ru'an. Li Zhi was not surprised by this, as if he had already anticipated it, and cupped his hands in greeting:
"Please don't harm my elder sister, senior, and I would be grateful if you could help me."

Upon hearing this, the old man did not speak, but simply nodded slightly before suddenly disappearing from his spot.

The next moment, Huo Xian opened his eyes and his whole body erupted with a powerful killing intent. He casually pulled Li Ru'an behind him and then suddenly threw a punch forward.

In an instant, beneath the shadow of fists, the phantom of a thousand galloping horses appeared, an unstoppable will, carrying terrifying true energy as vast as a river, directly smashing the space in front of them into cracks and vortexes.

The surrounding iron prison doors and walls made of molten iron were collapsing rapidly, and a terrifying force swept forward without stopping.

The old man, who had disappeared, suddenly reappeared, blocking Li Zhi's path. An invisible killing intent emanated from him in an instant.

At the same time, the old man pressed his pitch-black palm down in front of him, and the void before him seemed to bear an unbearable pressure, collapsing in an instant.

It transformed into a dark abyss filled with endless slaughter, which just happened to block Huo Xian's incomparably powerful and terrifying punch in front of him.

The charging fist shadows made contact with the dark abyss, and the two intertwined and annihilated each other, unleashing unimaginable terrifying aftershocks that shot into the sky, seemingly about to blast through and destroy the entire dungeon.

"This person is very strong; he is very likely a master of the Killing Path from the Soul Chasing Hall!"

Huo Xian looked extremely serious and immediately led Li Ru'an away from the prison.

In the current situation, he can neither do anything to the old man nor kill Li Zhi in the short term.

If this drags on any longer, they might not be able to leave once the experts guarding the prison arrive.

Li Ruan did not speak, but retreated through the collapsing dungeon passage, looking at Li Zhi, who was still sitting in the dimly lit cell in the distance.

Li Zhi remained behind the old man, showing no intention of taking the opportunity to escape from the prison.

"If we miss this chance, it may be very difficult to kill him in the future."

Li Ruan remained indifferent, having already guessed that Li Zhi might be protected by a powerful figure.

But to her surprise, the old man's method of concealment was so profound that he was only separated from her and Huo Xian by a cell door.

However, after searching carefully several times, they found absolutely nothing about the other party.

"The experts of the Soul Chasing Hall should not be underestimated. This also shows that Li Zhi's relationship with the Soul Chasing Hall is likely to be deeper than we imagined."

Huo Xian, carrying Li Ru'an, transformed into a blur and rushed out of the Heavenly Prison at an extremely fast speed, glancing back as they fled into the distance.

The commotion caused by his and the old man from the Soul Chasing Hall's attacks had already shaken the entire prison grounds, causing the surrounding streets and houses to tremble, and attracting rows of soldiers and guards to rush over from all directions.

However, Huo Xian merely flashed away with Li Ru'an, and in the blink of an eye, they were the first to leave the guards' encirclement and then disappeared.

“I always felt that Li Zhi didn’t seem to be lying. Perhaps he really had nothing to do with my sister’s death.”

Huo Xianchao glanced deeply behind him, then looked away and frowned as he looked at Li Ruan.

Li Ru'an remained silent, his expression shifting slightly, before shaking his head and saying:

"Don't be easily fooled by his empty words. Besides, even if he has nothing to do with my mother's death, he must die for my brother's sake!"

Upon hearing this, Huo Xian sighed softly but did not say anything more. He then continued to leave with Li Ru'an.

……

Meanwhile, inside the Heavenly Prison.

The hunched old man, who was like a shadow, casually wiped away the remaining aftershocks in front of him.

Sensing several powerful auras emanating from various parts of the prison rapidly approaching, he once again transformed into a shadow, disappearing into the darkness of the surrounding cells.

At the same time, taking advantage of the fact that the experts guarding the Heavenly Prison had not yet arrived, the old man brazenly let out a hoarse voice and said:

"Palace Master, you are still too soft-hearted. People like that who want to kill you must be wiped out completely, otherwise there will be endless troubles."

Upon hearing this, Li Zhi remained seated, continuing his meditation with his eyes closed, seemingly unaffected by the sight of the collapsing prison cells around him. He said:

"I have my own decision on who can be killed and who cannot be killed."

"Not to mention that she and my brother have been together for many years and there is some affection between them, more importantly, she now has a younger brother that no one dares to mess with. If I really kill her, I'm afraid I won't be able to leave Shangyang City."

Upon hearing this, the old man hidden in the darkness fell silent for a moment, then said in a low voice:

"That's true. That Eighth Prince is indeed an extremely troublesome figure!"

In the old man's view, Li Musheng's terrifying martial arts strength was now known to everyone in the capital. To be honest, he didn't think he could stop this person.

At this moment, Li Zhi sighed softly and said:
"Moreover, I did not poison my mother. If I had killed Li Ruan, I fear it would have allowed the mastermind behind the scenes to succeed in his plot."

Just as he finished speaking, three powerful figures arrived at Li Zhi's cell at an extremely fast speed.

What just happened?

A middle-aged man with a simple, ancient face spoke to Li Zhi, while the other two experts looked around, clearly searching for other clues.

At this moment, Li Zhi glanced at the middle-aged man and calmly said:
“My elder sister came to visit me earlier, but she happened to encounter someone trying to kill me. My elder sister and the experts around her stopped the attacker and chased him out of the prison.”

Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man narrowed his eyes slightly and stared at Li Zhi.

However, after Li Zhi finished speaking, he closed his eyes and continued his cultivation, saying softly:
"As for other details, I don't know, and it's no use asking me."

As he spoke, he immediately added:
"In addition, this cell is probably uninhabitable. Please trouble you gentlemen to change my cell."

The middle-aged man's eyes shifted slightly before he looked at his two colleagues.

Seeing that both of them shook their heads and found nothing, he then bowed slightly to Li Zhi and said:

“Young Master Li, you have been frightened. Someone has infiltrated the prison. It is our dereliction of duty. We will have someone move you to a safer place.”

After saying that, he gave an order to someone to take Li Zhi to another cell.

He and another martial arts expert headed out of the dungeon to chase after the assassin Li Zhi had mentioned.

(End of this chapter)