Chapter 1171: A Frightened Bird

Ye Liuyun's progress is relatively slow; he can only handle them one by one. Moreover, after dealing with ten stone men, they have to stop to rest and take a pill that restores the soul.

The onlookers, seeing these stone men being subjugated by Ye Liuyun, couldn't help but laugh silently.

"Hahaha, the Seventh Prince really took a big loss this time! The boss wanted to buy at first, but he wouldn't sell. Now it's a total loss!" Zhu Youfu couldn't help but burst out laughing.

The Fourth Prince watched Ye Liuyun with envy, saying nothing.

He also wishes to claim these stone men for himself. However, he neither encountered such an opportunity nor has the ability to seize these spoils, leaving him only with a longing gaze.

Zhuge Feiyu joined Zhu Youfu in exclaiming, "It's all fate! Some people can't keep good things even when given to them!"

He believes that in Ye Liuyun's hands these stone men can unleash far more power than in the Seventh Prince's, so their being taken by Ye Liuyun is destiny.

"Exactly, how could I be the boss if my luck were bad!" Zhu Youfu also became proud.

Outside the city, the Seventh Prince grew frantic, sending people twice to enter the Formation to investigate; each time they were trapped by the Formation's Illusion Array, unable to get out, unable to see where the stone men were, and unable to relay any news.

When the Seventh Prince saw that the two did not emerge, he realized Ye Liuyun must have set a trap inside, so he dared not send anyone in again and could only wait outside for news.

The stone men gave him far too much hope; he wants to see the result to make himself give up hope.

Even now he still fantasizes that those stone men could wipe out Ye Liuyun and his group completely!

If it were someone clever like Zhuge Feiyu, he would already have fled with his companions by now.

Even Emperor Xia, watching their performance from within the palace, frowned.

Among these princes, the Seventh Prince is probably the most dim-witted!

Some ministers who do not back the Seventh Prince immediately seized the chance to mock him.

Others defended the Seventh Prince, saying he is young and inexperienced.

In truth, they all know the Seventh Prince's chances are slim. But if the Crown Prince and the Fourth Prince get into trouble, then even a fool like the Seventh Prince would have his turn.

The ministers each harbored ulterior motives, and Emperor Xia offered no comment, merely continued watching.

If he were to make any statement, all the ministers would instantly side with him, echoing his words, and would even try to infer his meaning and make subtle moves behind the scenes.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, he will not express his stance lightly. In a matter as significant as choosing the Imperial Family's successor, he is even less likely to speak up in advance.

The Seventh Prince waited outside the Formation for several hours, until Ye Liuyun transferred all the stone men's Divine Sense into his own.

At this point, Ye Liuyun and his clone were both exhausted to the bone.

But after consulting with the others, he still gathered up the stone men and then climbed the city wall together with them.

He paused the Formation, and in front of the Seventh Prince, closed the city gate again.

Zhu Youfu, on behalf of Ye Liuyun, shouted to the Seventh Prince: "Thank you, Your Highness, for your generosity; those stone men, my boss has taken them! Now it's your turn!"

"What? They're actually fine? Where did those stone men go?"

"Why did they open the city gate? The gate is open, yet no one comes out?"

"Could it be that Ye Liuyun released that invisible beast?"

The Martial Cultivators around the Seventh Prince kept debating. Especially Zhu Youfu's remark, "Now it's your turn," had an unexpected effect, making them feel a chill in their hearts.

At this moment the Seventh Prince was filled with regret. He hadn't expected three hundred Di Zun First Rank stone men to be handed to Ye Liuyun so easily. Had he known this outcome, it would have been better to sell them to him earlier for some Spirit Stones.

Ye Liuyun simply stood on the city wall, smiling as he watched them, saying nothing.

Zhuge Feiyu and the Fourth Prince also stared at them.

"Your Highness, we should retreat! Ye Liuyun has finished dealing with the stone men; now he's coming after us," a Martial Cultivator urged the Seventh Prince.

"Indeed, Your Highness, they just opened the city gate, surely releasing that invisible beast! Let's leave quickly; if we delay, we won't be able to escape!" other Martial Cultivators also urged the Seventh Prince to withdraw immediately.

They all believed that Ye Liuyun opening the gate meant releasing that beast to attack them.

Ye Liuyun might not kill the Seventh Prince, but he would dare to kill them. So each of them was extremely nervous, unwilling to stay here to await death.

In any case, the stone men have all been taken by Ye Liuyun, so staying any longer is pointless.

At that moment, a gust of fresh wind blew, and a Martial Cultivator let out a startled "Ah!" and bolted.

In fact, Ye Liuyun never sent out the Black Tortoise.

After discussing with the others, they felt the Seventh Prince and his group no longer posed a threat, and it wasn't worth pursuing them; a little intimidation would suffice.

Thus they simply smiled at them, making them think Ye Liuyun would send a beast to slay them.

The first Martial Cultivator to flee did so because his nerves made him see threats everywhere.

He thought that after Ye Liuyun eliminated the stone men, he would certainly turn against them.

When he ran, the others assumed he had discovered something and immediately followed.

Even the Seventh Prince, subconsciously, ran along with them.

Thus, the Seventh Prince's party, like birds startled by a bow, fled completely in an instant, leaving the few people on the city wall laughing so hard they could barely stand.

After Ye Liuyun waited until they were far away, he reactivated the Formation for defense, then returned to the Xuan Kong Shi to cultivate and restore his soul.

Zhu Youfu celebrated by barbecuing with the Fourth Prince and others.

"Now Fourth Prince is a sure winner, right?" Zhu Youfu asked Zhuge Feiyu for confirmation.

Zhuge Feiyu nodded: "If nothing unexpected happens, the Fourth Prince is guaranteed to win!"

"Unexpected? What could possibly go wrong?" Zhu Youfu said, instantly becoming alert.

"I was just saying 'if'!" Zhuge Feiyu explained.

"But I think such a misfortune could very well come true!" Zhu Youfu said, then immediately contacted Ye Liuyun.

He only felt something was off by intuition, yet he was extremely confident in his gut feeling.

Ye Liuyun was cultivating when he was abruptly interrupted.

After emerging, hearing Zhu Youfu's warning, he couldn't help but frown.

Logically, he didn't believe any further mishap could occur. Yet Zhu Youfu's intuition was accurate, like the time they were attacked by a herd of cattle in the valley.

Ye Liuyun thought it over and still released those three thousand Metal Puppets and some beasts, following the prior plan to have them handle the defense.