Chapter 440: Rescue

"Release the people…"

"Your Majesty… please release them!"

"Wu wu wu wu… my son…"

"Please, Your Majesty, save my son!"

"Please, Your Majesty, save my son!"

"Wu wu wu…"

Upon hearing the news, the imperial consorts came one by one from their palaces, kneeling in midair before the Emperor.

The Emperor's face turned as black as it could possibly be.

He had hoped the Ancestor would intervene, but even the Ancestor had failed.

It seems the opponent truly came prepared.

"Release them!"

The Emperor, face dark, gave the order again.

Two more men received the imperial command and headed toward the Heavenly Prison.

Here, the Emperor looked at He He Pingsheng, who lounged below with calm ease, and said: "If I give you the people, will you release my imperial son?"

"Yes," He He Pingsheng said. "I have no grudge against your child and wish to avoid excessive karmic ties. Once I reach safety, I will release your son without fail."

Safety?

The Emperor's expression remained calm, but inside, he had already devised a hundred ways to kill He He Pingsheng.

Release my child, and you will die immediately!

A single man dares to oppose a nation? You are already on the brink of death.

Hehehe…

The Emperor sneered inwardly.

…

The Nascent Soul Third Ancestor, standing high in the sky, now felt awkward.

The opponent was merely a lowly Golden Core cultivator, yet he had kidnapped the royal heirs—and this grand Nascent Soul cultivator was powerless to stop him.

Who could have imagined this?

Below, He He Pingsheng appeared calm, but inwardly he was utterly anxious.

He had barely blocked the Nascent Soul cultivator's spiritual sense attack just now.

He had underestimated the strength of a Nascent Soul's spiritual sense.

Nascent Soul. Nascent Soul.

Just from the literal meaning of this realm's name, it's clear it relates to spiritual sense.

Correct. Once a cultivator enters the Nascent Soul realm, their spiritual sense can take form from formlessness, doubling in strength.

Although Qi's Third Ancestor currently possesses only about one hundred thousand zhang of spiritual sense, in reality, it is twice as strong as the one hundred thousand zhang of a Yuan Ying cultivator.

It's that absurd.

He He Pingsheng secretly swallowed a Soul-Returning Pill to replenish his spiritual sense.

Otherwise, if this old bastard struck again, he wouldn't die instantly—but his soul sea would shatter.

Fortunately, the Third Ancestor in the void dared not gamble.

If he failed to capture He He Pingsheng and all the children died, his reputation would be ruined.

Wait. Wait until the moment you hand over all the hostages—that's when you die.

Less than half a stick of incense later, several people were brought over by Qi's imperial guards.

He He Pingsheng glanced at them.

Master Yu Ning, Senior Brother Xu Xu Kunlun, Zhao Linger, and Tian Tian Xiaoqing.

Besides these, there was also Elder Yu Xuan and two of Yu Xuan's disciples.

Seven people total.

"Master!" Seeing Yu Ning, He He Pingsheng's eyes reddened.

"Is… it you?" Yu Ning, seeing He He Pingsheng, froze in surprise.

She had just heard someone had kidnapped a prince to rescue prisoners—but she never imagined it was He He Pingsheng.

Her own disciple.

"Old Nine…" Yu Ning burst into tears: "Wu wu wu wu… Old Nine…"

Yu Ning was no longer the woman she once was. Her hair was white, her back bent—she was now an old woman.

Not just Yu Ning.

Senior Sister Zhao Linger and Tian Tian Xiaoqing also looked like Daoist nuns.

He He Pingsheng's heart bled.

How many years had passed?

Master and Senior Sisters had been imprisoned by Qi for at least sixty years.

Damn it!

"He He Pingsheng," the Emperor said, watching him, "I've brought them."

"Now release my prince!"

"Dream on," He He Pingsheng sneered. "Bring these seven to me!"

The Emperor remained unmoved: "He He Pingsheng, do you think me a fool?"

He He Pingsheng had no patience for his words: "Kill two."

Puff… puff…

Soon, two more twitching corpses were tossed out from Jiang Lan's Great Freedom Pearl.

"You… you… you…" The Emperor trembled violently.

In his entire life—even during the coup that seized the throne—he had never felt so powerless.

It was unbearable.

As Emperor of Great Qi, he had been reduced to this?

"F-fine…"

The Emperor, helpless, waved his hand: "Take them to him!"

Soon, the seven were brought before He He Pingsheng.

After carefully confirming their identities, He He Pingsheng asked: "Master, are there any other imprisoned disciples?"

Yu Ning shook her head: "None left."

"Good," He He Pingsheng said. "Don't move. Don't resist."

"I'm taking you away."

"Collect!"

He He Pingsheng placed all seven into his Great Freedom Pearl.

Huh…

After rescuing his Master, He He Pingsheng finally exhaled.

"He He Pingsheng," the Emperor, face dark, stared at him: "Now, will you release my prince?"

He He Pingsheng waved his hand, and four girls were thrown out: "I release four princesses first. The remaining twelve, I'll free once I reach safety."

Shhh…

After speaking, He He Pingsheng immediately drew his sword and flew straight toward his manor!

Behind him, the imperial army surged from all directions, and the Nascent Soul Ancestor stepped forward, arriving beside the manor He He Pingsheng had purchased.

Heavy forces surrounded him.

After entering the manor, He He Pingsheng rushed straight to the teleportation array, then tossed out the remaining twelve living princes: "Emperor, I've released them!"

"The deaths of these five princes—karma falls on me!"

"But our feud is not over."

Boom boom boom…

With that, He He Pingsheng activated the great array.

A pale green-white pillar of light erupted skyward.

"Damn it…" The Emperor's face turned as black as a soot pot: "It's a teleportation array?"

Teleportation arrays require at least three breaths to activate.

If they struck now to shatter the array, He He Pingsheng would be unable to teleport.

But the key problem: the princes stood right beside the array.

If they shattered the array, the princes might be caught in the backlash—possibly all dying.

They were caught between a rock and a hard place!

After several breaths of inner struggle, neither the Emperor nor the Third Ancestor dared to act.

Boom…

The teleportation array faded out.

Fortunately, the remaining twelve princes were still alive.

"Pursue!" The Emperor immediately ordered: "He's surely heading toward Liang. The other end of the array must be westward. Third Ancestor… I rely on you to go after him!"

The speed of a Soul Transformation realm is very fast.

The Emperor's meaning is clear: Didn't He He Pingsheng teleport away?

It doesn't matter—it's only tens of millions of miles; the Ancestor can catch up within an hour.

I will definitely catch you.

You're merely a Golden Core; how fast can you possibly be, even if you teleported?

"Everyone else… search the entire city for He He Pingsheng's remnants!"

"Surround the Long Yuan residence!"

The debt repayment period ends in twelve days!