Chapter 443: Escape from the Royal Palace

Ninth Princess was also a bit surprised, but she didn't panic, smiling as she said to the man, "Eight brother? How dare you say that? I was locked up, and you didn't plead for me. Now the confinement is lifted, and you're still hoping I'd be locked again?"

"Oh, it's lifted so quickly? Then congratulations! I still need to get some Golden Peng Essence Blood, so I won't stay with you!" he said, about to walk inside, clearly not wanting to talk more with this shrewd sister.

"Eighth Prince, the Golden Peng Essence Blood has all been taken by Ninth Princess!" the old man at the gate registering reminded him.

"What? Ninth sister, you took all the Golden Peng Essence Blood? Why take so much at once?" Eighth Prince asked, puzzled.

"Of course it's for cultivation! I didn't take much; there wasn't much left anyway!"

The old keeper of the Treasure Vault moved his lips, but dared not speak against Ninth Princess. "What do you mean 'not much'? The remaining blood, each person has been cultivating it for two years!"

"You…" Eighth Prince also guessed Ninth Princess was being reckless. Yet he never could handle this sister, and after a while said nothing. He just stamped his foot in anger and swept his sleeves away.

"Let's go quickly! This guy must be going to ask the Crown Prince for the essence blood. If the Crown Prince learns I escaped, that'll be trouble." Ninth Princess transmitted the voice to Ye Liuyun.

Immediately, the three of them returned the same way. Halfway they placed Ninth Princess into the Storage Ring, and Lao Wu led Ye Liuyun straight out of the Royal Palace. The journey was smooth; no one paid attention to a guard and an attendant.

After leaving the Royal Palace, they quickened their pace, heading straight for the Royal City.

"Phew! Finally we left the Royal City without danger." After emerging, Ye Liuyun let out a long sigh.

Yet just as they exited the Royal City, a squad of attendants chased after them. Lao Wu instantly recognized from afar that those were the attendants of the confined princess.

"We've been exposed! They're coming!" Lao Wu transmitted the voice to Ye Liuyun.

"It's fine, they won't know the princess is with us. Just mislead them, send them in another direction."

He estimated that after the Eighth Prince went to see the Crown Prince, the matter was exposed, prompting those attendants of the confined princess to investigate, and they discovered the princess missing. But they likely don't know the details of her meeting the Eighth Prince.

Sure enough, Lao Wu misled them, and they believed him, thinking Lao Wu was also looking for the princess.

"We split up to find the princess. I'll take a group this way. You all split into two teams and search separately."

Lao Wu, with Ye Liuyun, sprinted toward Qingcheng. Those attendants also divided into two squads, heading elsewhere.

After they ran far enough, Ye Liuyun shed the attendant's clothing and armor, and stored them away.

Lao Wu also stopped and said, "Young Master Ye, from now on please take good care of the princess. I can't follow you any longer, or they'll find me."

"Huh? You want the princess to stay with me forever? But how can I keep her with me all the time?" Ye Liuyun also got flustered. If that's the case, the princess would be impossible to shake off.

"When I return, I'll say the princess also deceived me, ran away, and I couldn't find her, so the punishment shouldn't be too severe. Whenever the princess wants to go back, she can." Lao Wu told Ye Liuyun this, then headed straight back to the Royal City.

Hearing that the princess could still return, only being kept by his side for a while, Ye Liuyun felt relieved. He immediately said goodbye to Lao Wu and returned to the Qingcheng branch.

After he went back, he didn't release the princess. He only told Piao Yun that he had rescued the princess, and she went back to cultivate. The others at the branch didn't even know he had ever gone out.

The news of the princess's escape never spread through the Golden Peng Dynasty. They only sent many people to search for a while, then gave up.

Ye Liuyun waited until they stopped searching, then released Ninth Princess.

By then, Ninth Princess's realm had already risen to Golden Core Ninth Level Summit, and she was preparing to break through the Heavenly Gang Realm. If she hadn't been busy cultivating, she would have been unable to stay still long ago.

"Did we succeed in eloping?" Ninth Princess asked Ye Liuyun as soon as she emerged.

"We escaped the Royal Palace; now this is my Qingcheng branch's Cultivation Room," Ye Liuyun explained to her.

"Ah, still in Qingcheng? That's not far from the Royal City! Should we run farther so they can't find us?" Ninth Princess worried she might be captured again.

"No need, they don't know it was me who did it, so they won't find me here. The more dangerous the place, the safer. Just keep a low profile and avoid being seen."

While speaking, Ye Liuyun also released Wu Qingcheng, Lei Ming and others.

"Come, let me introduce you to the people around me; you can cultivate with them for now."

Ye Liuyun introduced everyone to her. This Ninth Princess was now very obedient and sensible, showing no shrewd or domineering side. Probably afraid Ye Liuyun would be displeased and send her back.

She also borrowed a set of clothes from Wu Qingcheng, swapping the princess attire for it. Ye Liuyun thought her current outfit looked much better.

Next, Ye Liuyun intended to send them all back to cultivate, but these women had already cultivated enough during this period and wanted to go out for some experience.

Ye Liuyun thought for a moment and called Piao Yun over.

"Piao Yun, didn't you say that within our jurisdiction there's a Li Jiang, where a secret realm is suspected to have appeared?"

"Yes, Master. Since we're unsure of any danger, we haven't sent anyone to investigate." Piao Yun replied.

Ye Liuyun immediately said to Piao Yun, "Alright. Arrange it first, then I'll take you to that secret realm to investigate; maybe we'll find some opportunity!"

"Yes." Piao Yun agreed, then left to make arrangements, soon returning to meet Ye Liuyun.

The others were temporarily stored in the Storage Ring, lest too many people attract attention along the way.

With Piao Yun leading the way, the two of them quietly left the Qingcheng branch, hurrying toward the secret realm at Li Jiang.

The Li Jiang river itself wasn't swift, but the spot where Piao Yun took Ye Liuyun to showed a black‑hole‑like vortex at the riverbed.

The vortex didn't draw water, but the pressure it generated made the current much more rapid.

Ye Liuyun opened his Golden Pupil, confirming the black hole was indeed an entrance to a secret realm space. However, the aura inside was indeterminate; he didn't know what kind of secret realm it was, nor what dangers might await.