Chapter 43: Li Hexian's Fate Unknown, Heaven Dou City Turned Upside Down

"Roar—!"

Zao Wou-ki's roar shattered the frozen ice.

His Avatar of the Incarnate Soul, standing over five meters tall, stampeded through the woods, vast soul power surging like an out-of-control angry tide, scouring every inch of land over and over again.

"In such a short time, just how far could you possibly run?!"

His gaze swept across the broken branches, shattered trees, and muddy craters.

Nothing!

Still nothing!

Not even the faintest trace of aura could be captured!

At that moment.

The rain gradually subsided.

A bleak, grayish-blue hue began to seep from the edge of the sky.

This only intensified the growing anxiety within Zao Wou-ki's heart.

Yet no matter how he urged his soul power to perceive his surroundings, Li Zhexian's aura had vanished as completely as if he had evaporated from the mortal world.

"That brat was grazed by my Avatar of the Incarnate Soul; the probability of him dying is as high as eighty percent!"

"But I cannot afford to gamble..."

"This boy is far too monstrous!"

"He must not be allowed to live!"

Once his intent to kill was solidified.

He stopped his futile attempts at sensing.

Instead, he resorted to the most barbaric form of destruction.

Boom, boom, boom—!

His giant fists crashed down like falling meteors.

Trees were snapped in rows.

The earth was upturned by the violent force, deep craters merging into one another.

He was going to turn this entire surrounding area completely upside down, digging three feet deep into the ground if necessary just to ferret Li Zhexian out.

The deafening roars tore through the tranquility of the early morning.

Without the cover of the night rain.

Such a commotion was especially grating against the brightening sky.

In the distance, the faint sounds of approaching footsteps and talking drifted over.

Zao Wou-ki's massive form suddenly came to a halt, his expression turning exceedingly ugly.

"Damn it!"

He recalled Qin Ming's warning.

A person like Li Zhexian had a vast network of acquaintances!

This place was no longer safe for a prolonged stay.

Zao Wou-ki dismissed his Avatar of the Incarnate Soul, and his hulking figure vanished deep into the ruined woods.

He had to take Ma Hongjun immediately and flee far away to Heaven Dou City.

Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Xue Qinghe, who had slept poorly last night, had just finished her morning lessons as crown prince.

Walking beneath the towering red walls.

At this moment, she was exhausted in both body and mind.

Yet the mere thought of heading to the Lotus Flower Lake shortly, to share a meal with that scoundrel, made her feel lighthearted once again.

"I need to return to my bedchamber quickly."

It had poured with rain all through the night, leaving the weather as stuffy and humid as a steamer.

She needed to go back, freshen up, and then bring along the Three Immortals Chicken to keep her appointment.

That scoundrel had a particularly picky palate.

If the chicken were steamed a moment too long or too short, he would be able to tell with a single bite.

Thinking of this, the corners of Xue Qinghe's lips curved upward in an imperceptible smile.

Crown Prince's Bedchamber.

Xue Qinghe wiped her long hair. Although she was still wearing men's makeup, a breathtaking, soul-stirring gentleness could still be glimpsed through it.

Right at that moment.

Snake Lance swept in with a gloomy expression, cast a glance at Xue Qinghe, and said through clenched teeth, "Your Highness, I have some news. When you hear it, I must ask you to... remain calm."

"Hmm?"

Xue Qinghe's hair-wiping motion froze.

An ominous predetermination suddenly surged into her heart.

"Speak."

"Last night, a battle between soul masters broke out in the eastern suburbs of the city. Judging by the lingering aura, it's likely a battle at the Soul Saint level."

"The eastern suburbs..."

Xue Qinghe's body abruptly stiffened.

She instantly understood the implication behind Snake Lance's words.

The eastern suburbs—that was where Li Zhexian lived.

"Where is... Li... Li Zhexian?"

"A faint scent of blood lingers at the scene, and Li Zhexian... has gone missing."

All the color drained completely from Xue Qinghe's face.

She swayed three times, reaching out to steady herself against the corner of the table behind her before she could barely manage to stand upright.

Whoosh—!

Xue Qinghe's figure flashed and vanished.

Careless of her unpinned hair and the fact that she wore only simple socks, she had already dashed out of the hall.

From afar.

A voice so cold it could strip the flesh from bones pierced into Snake Lance's ears.

"Lock down the entire city!"

"No one is permitted to leave!"

Dugu Residence.

The back kitchen.

Dugu Yan stood guard over a pot of soup.

From time to time, she pinched a tiny bit of powder and sprinkled it in.

The sight of this left the several family chefs standing nearby trembling with fright.

Miss Dugu had never cooked a day in her life; she really shouldn't mix up cooking with crafting poison.

Just then.

A few maidservants who had gone out to purchase supplies returned.

Without noticing Dugu Yan, they chattered excitedly among themselves:

"You guys didn't hear about it, did you? Soul masters started fighting in the eastern suburbs last night!"

"Oh my, I heard blood flowed like a river, with arms and legs scattered all over the ground!"

"Tsk tsk, and the one who died was even a youth. What a miserable way to go!"

Clatter—!

The soup ladle slipped from her hand and hit the floor.

Dugu Yan slowly turned around. Deep within her pupils, the emerald green that had previously faded ignited once more with an eerie glow, and she stared coldly at the chattering maidservants.

"What did you... say?"

Only then did the maidservants realize her presence, and they dropped hurriedly to their knees in panic.

"Miss Dugu!"

"What did you just say... happened in... the eastern suburbs?"

"The... the eastern suburbs, Miss. People died so horribly..."

Before the maidservant could finish her sentence.

Dugu Yan had already bolted out of the kitchen like a gust of wind.

Dugu Bo, who was regulating his breathing in the courtyard, saw her in such an uncomposed state and asked doubtfully, "Yan Yan, what has happened?"

Dugu Yan bit down hard on her lower lip, her voice trembling as she said, "Li Zhexian... something has happened to him!"

"What?!"

Ye Residence.

"Mother! Come with me quickly!"

Breaking away from her usual gentle and demure demeanor, Ye Lengleng practically grabbed Madam Ye's hand and pulled her urgently toward the gates without a word of explanation.

A trace of astonishment flashed across Madam Ye's graceful and aloof face.

This was the first time she had ever seen her daughter lose her composure to such an extent.

"Lengleng, for a young lady to disregard her decorum like this, what kind of behavior is that?"

Madam Ye frowned slightly.

"Could it be that Li Zhexian has a preference for boorish women?"

"Mother!"

Ye Lengleng's azure eyes were already brimming with tears, her voice choked with sobs.

"Li Zhexian... something seems to have happened to him!"

"What?!"

Madam Ye's expression changed drastically.

She reversed her grip to clasp her daughter's wrist, her pace instantly becoming three parts faster than Ye Lengleng's.

"What on earth happened? Tell me on the way!"

Eastern Suburbs.

That exquisite courtyard backed against the woods...

Perhaps, at this moment, it could no longer be called a "courtyard."

Looking around, broken tiles and wooden beams were strewn all over the ground, replaced entirely by shattered walls, scorched earth, and deep craters.

Even the heavy downpour of last night had failed to completely wash away the lingering scent of blood in the air.

One could easily imagine how unimaginably fierce the battle had been the previous night.

The ruins were surrounded by crowds of onlookers coming to gawk.

A squad of imperial guards strode over, sternly clearing the area.

Xue Qinghe wore a rigid expression.

Step by step, she walked into this once-familiar courtyard.

The devastation that met her eyes drained the last shred of color from her already pale face.

Her footsteps were heavy and slow.

Her gaze swept inch by inch over the broken brick walls, the upturned soil, and the charred, deep craters...

She moved with a kind of cautious, trembling terror.

She was terrified she wouldn't find that familiar figure, and even more terrified... to witness a sight she couldn't bear to see.

Right at that moment.

Another commotion stirred the outer perimeter.

Dugu Bo arrived escorting Dugu Yan, whose entire body radiated a freezing hostility, while Madam Ye pulled along the tearful Ye Lengleng; the two parties arrived almost simultaneously.

When the four of them beheld the tragic scene before them.

The air instantly froze, suffocatingly heavy.

"Who... exactly who did this..."

Dugu Yan's delicate body trembled as patches of green scales erupted along her neck.

Ye Lengleng's azure eyes lost their focus.

"The most urgent priority right now is to find Zhexian."

Dugu Bo's gaze turned icy cold.

Li Zhexian had bestowed a great favor upon the Dugu family.

He was not a man who repaid kindness with ingratitude.

If Li Zhexian had truly been murdered, he, the Poison Douro, would make that scoundrel understand the true meaning of a fate worse than death.

Madam Ye clenched her fists tightly, a biting frost creeping across her graceful cheeks.

"Investigate! Mobilize every single resource the Ye family has in Heaven Dou City! Dig three feet into the ground if you must, but find Li Zhexian!"

Li Zhexian was the hope for her family's Nine Heart Begonia to surpass the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Pagoda.

She would not allow anything to happen to him.

Xue Qinghe stood silently at the center of the ruins.

Her expression was frighteningly calm.

Yet, at that moment, her pupils trembled violently.

Her gaze.

Had nailed itself beneath a pile of shattered tiles—

There, quietly resting, lay a familiar umbrella.

The canopy was torn, the ribs were snapped, and it was caked in mud.

It was precisely the umbrella...

That she had personally gifted to Li Zhexian yesterday.