Chapter 336

Damn it!

The Ninth Imperial Prince glared at the Thirteenth Imperial Prince's white tiger and cursed loudly.

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince said: "Ninth Brother, you're not thinking of attacking my mount, are you?"

"Father Emperor has already said: even within the secret realm, brothers are forbidden from seizing each other's belongings!"

"Whoever grabs this Black-and-White Lotus Root owns it!"

"If you dare attack my mount, you'll regret it when we get out!"

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince strode forward triumphantly.

He was about to seize the black-and-white lotus root.

But at that moment, the Ninth Imperial Prince revealed his true trump card.

He pulled out a talisman.

He Pingsheng had seen this talisman before—it was a third-rank 【Swift Step Talisman】. The Ninth Imperial Prince had lost three of them to He Pingsheng's robbery, but he clearly had far more than three.

Snap…

He stuck this talisman onto the Earth Dragon Ostrich's back.

Double boost.

The Earth Dragon Ostrich's speed was already three times that of an ordinary human; now, with the talisman, it instantly became six times faster.

The Ninth Imperial Prince nearly became a streak of wind, racing forward.

Damn it… damn it…

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince erupted in curses.

But there was nothing he could do—his mount was merely an ordinary white tiger, not a beast; even with a Swift Step Talisman, he couldn't accelerate a common tiger.

As the Ninth Imperial Prince caught up to the Thirteenth Imperial Prince, the cultivators harassing He Pingsheng abandoned their pursuit and fled.

He Pingsheng's speed surged again.

Boom…

At the same time, He Pingsheng extended his spiritual sense.

During the fight, many others had caught up from behind.

He Pingsheng didn't dare slack off—he kept racing forward at full speed.

He didn't catch up to the Ninth Imperial Prince, nor to the Thirteenth Imperial Prince.

When he reached the black mud pool, the Ninth Imperial Prince had just emerged from the water, holding a segment of black-and-white lotus root.

"Hahahaha…" The Ninth Imperial Prince laughed loudly: "Everyone—don't fight me for it anymore! I've won!"

The Ninth Imperial Prince sat atop the Earth Dragon Ostrich, raising the black-and-white lotus root in his hand.

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince's face turned as dark as storm clouds.

He didn't get it!

He truly didn't get it!

"Damn it…" He couldn't help but glare at He Pingsheng: If not for this bastard interfering, I would've been the one to claim the black-and-white lotus root!

Damn it!

Damn it!

"Your Highness!"

"Your Highness…"

"Your Highness…"

Several servants rushed to the Thirteenth Imperial Prince's side.

"What if…" One servant's eyes gleamed with lethal intent: "What if I go and take it from him?"

"No!" The Thirteenth Imperial Prince shook his head: "Father Emperor said: princes must not fight each other!"

"Heh…" The servant smiled: "From today on, I am no longer your servant. Everything I do henceforth has nothing to do with you!"

With that—

The servant dashed toward the Ninth Imperial Prince with a thud.

The other servants also swore to sever ties with the imperial family, then surrounded the Ninth Imperial Prince.

The Thirteenth Imperial Prince didn't move.

But it was clear that the black-and-white lotus root would still end up in his hands.

"You dare steal it?"

The Ninth Imperial Prince was furious.

"Heh… Ninth Imperial Prince, you're mistaken. We're no longer imperial servants—we're here solely for this opportunity!"

"Sorry!"

"Attack!"

Eight servants charged toward the Ninth Imperial Prince at once.

Fortunately, the Ninth Imperial Prince had the Earth Dragon Ostrich beneath him—he bolted away like a flash.

He Pingsheng feared the black-and-white lotus root might change hands again, so he couldn't risk hesitation—he flashed with golden light and followed after them.

Not far ahead, he saw the Ninth Imperial Prince being beaten senseless.

There was nothing to be done!

Though the Ninth Imperial Prince had the Earth Dragon Ostrich, it was still a beast—once attacked, it couldn't run anymore.

"Your Highness, old man has no intention of living anymore—but I don't want to drag you down with me!"

"Hand over the black-and-white lotus root, and you may live!"

"Otherwise, we all die today!"

Eight men surrounded the Ninth Imperial Prince in a tight circle.

The Ninth Imperial Prince held up the black-and-white lotus root and said: "Fine… step back first, or I'll crush this root into dust right now!"

"Alright…"

The eight men slightly parted, creating a narrow path.

They weren't worried he'd escape—the Earth Dragon Ostrich was already dead.

Nor were they worried he'd shatter his Life-Death Token.

The Life-Death Token required at least three breaths to activate—three breaths were enough to kill a man ten times over.

"Catch it…"

The Ninth Imperial Prince hurled the black-and-white lotus root with all his strength—not toward the Thirteenth Imperial Prince's servants, but toward He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng instantly unleashed fivefold speed, snatching the lotus root out of the air.

The eight servants would not let this go—they all charged after He Pingsheng.

He Pingsheng didn't bother fighting them—he simply increased his speed to fourfold and kept sprinting forward.

His speed was now unmatched; without the Ninth Imperial Prince's Earth Dragon Ostrich, no one could catch him.

After chasing for half a stick of incense, the pursuers lost sight of He Pingsheng and finally stopped.

"Stop chasing!" The Thirteenth Imperial Prince waved his hand: "It's pointless!"

At this point, three breaths were no longer enough to catch anyone.

And once someone shattered their Life-Death Token, three breaths were enough to teleport away instantly.

So pursuit was meaningless.

He Pingsheng's spiritual sense was immensely powerful—over five thousand zhang.

So the moment the pursuers gave up, he sensed it immediately.

Yet he still ran through the Earth Dragon Gully for half a day before finding a hidden cave to hide in.

Upon entering the cave, he casually set up several second-rank arrays.

Because second-rank arrays were easier to set up.

Once the arrays were in place, the enhancement began.

He Pingsheng pulled out the black-and-white lotus root.

It was a segment of black-and-white lotus root, about one foot long, glistening with moisture.

From its appearance, it was impossible to tell if it was ripe or not—but He Pingsheng knew it was likely unripe.

From the outside, it was impossible to tell if it was ripe or not, but He Pingsheng knew this thing was most likely unripe.

Since the black-and-white lotus root was only third-rank, the Treasure Basin could enhance it easily.

After one hour inside, it split into two.

He Pingsheng swiftly removed one from the Treasure Basin.

The other remained inside for further enhancement.

The next morning, the enhanced black-and-white lotus root was finally in his hands.

The enhanced root had grown larger.

Its black-and-white stripes had transformed into intricate black-and-white Taiji patterns.

"Huh…" He Pingsheng weighed the lotus root in his hand: "So this is the true mature form!"

"Perfect—this size should be enough to brew ten batches of 【Supplement the Dao Elixir】!"

"Perfect! This much should be enough to refine ten batches of 【Supplement the Dao Elixir】!"

Put it away.

He put away the mature black-and-white lotus roots.

Hmm…

Next, he needed to think about how to go out and claim his reward.