Chapter 349: Reencountering the Ancient Prince

Wang Sheng and his companions moved with such efficiency that even the investigation unit found it difficult to keep up.

Just like before, Huai Jing carried Dale in his arms as the group soared above the city using object-controlling techniques. They left the infamous City of Sin in a manner that was anything but discreet.

When they arrived at the designated rendezvous point, the transportation that the investigation unit had arranged hadn't arrived yet. At last, the group was able to rest for a few minutes.

𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Wang Sheng suggested that they find a beverage shop and have Shi Qianzhang treat them. The others readily agreed, giving Shi Qianzhang no room to protest. Among the group, only Shi Qianzhang had income from worldly sources. He was a frequent guest on television programs and online variety shows.

They randomly chose a modest cafe. While the owner gazed at them suspiciously, the five ordered drinks and sat down in a corner.

With one man dressed in monk's robes and two in Daoist robes, it was impossible for them not to draw attention.

Wang Sheng took out his phone. He cared little whether a spy was nearby. He projected a map of the Mediterranean region, tapping on the small mark labeled with the character "Six."

The overhead view of Gambi appeared before them.

"Three devilish blades are hidden here," Wang Sheng said calmly.

"Three?" Shi Qianzhang questioned. "That little nation looks barely large enough to house a few million people. Is the Jialington Group planning to massacre the entire country?"

Liu Yunzhi casually slapped a talisman onto Shi Qianzhang's mouth, and the latter instantly stopped as if petrified, unable to move or speak.

"Just listen. Stop voicing such nonsense."

"Fei Yu," Huai Jing called softly, "Do we have a plan for that location?"

Wang Sheng nodded, but before he could speak, Dale's expression dimmed.

"Gambi now teeters on the brink of civil war," she revealed. "The Dark Faction has propped up a rival regime, stirring up more than half the populace with propaganda. The original government was already riddled with corruption and inefficiency. It exploited its citizens, and the economy constantly teetered on the verge of collapse. They once sought protection from the Light Council, but..."

"But what?" Wang Sheng asked.

"We lost. The team sent there was wiped out overnight," she bluntly replied, then sighed helplessly. With worry clouding her face, she added, "The Dark Faction has grown too powerful. The moment we lost control of Gambi, it fell entirely into their suppression."

"

Amitabha,

" Huai Jing intoned. "Since ancient times, evil has never overcome righteousness."

"That may hold true within your Hua Republic," Dale sneered, "but here in the West, the dark age never ended."

The shop owner, who also served as a waiter, approached with a tray and set their coffee before them. He said a few words in a foreign tongue.

Dale answered briefly, then paid with her phone. Once the owner had left with peace of mind, she whispered to Wang Sheng, "Daoist Master Wang, are we meant to complete some sort of trial, like finish this task in twenty-four hours or under some other condition?"

Wang Sheng lifted the coffee to his lips. The taste was a little different from the cheap supermarket packets he remembered. "Why do you ask?"

"Just wondering why we're in such a hurry," Dale complained wearily. "Since we left the Hua Republic, I feel like we've already accomplished half the mission. Are you really that eager to return?"

"

Mm.

" Smiling, Wang Sheng nodded and looked to the east. "This is but a minor matter. The sooner it is resolved, the sooner I may go back to cultivating in peace."

Liu Yunzhi said, "Fei Yu and Fairy Bu Yu have been apart for thirteen years, and since he got out of the Earth Qi Seal, he has been either traveling or in seclusion. It's about time they spend some time together."

Dale sighed softly. She gazed at Wang Sheng and half-jokingly said, "Why must the prince in my heart be a Daoist priest who's already bound to his childhood sweetheart?"

She didn't even beat around the bush.

Wang Sheng merely smiled faintly. He felt neither awkward nor displeased.

Dale's straightforwardness made Huai Jing and Liu Yunzhi less wary of her. She was open and aboveboard. If she liked someone, she said it aloud instead of resorting to schemes or petty tricks.

Steering the conversation aside somewhat stiffly, Liu Yunzhi asked, "Is Gambi now teeming with experts of the Dark Faction?"

"Most of their forces have already extended their reach to that nation," Wang Sheng answered. "According to intelligence from the investigation unit, the Blood Race is still the strongest among them. Since we've already been exposed, we may very well face an ambush on the way.

"More importantly, there are three devilish swords there, not just one. Since we can't destroy them all at once, we definitely have a tough battle ahead of us."

Huai Jing pondered aloud, "So we can't just launch a sneak attack and slip away?"

Liu Yunzhi frowned. "If there is a head-on clash, will we become a burden to you, Fei Yu?"

Dale blinked. "If we are, does that mean we'll have to stay behind?"

"We've already gotten this far. Would it not be a waste to turn back now?" Huai Jing smiled as he lifted his cup of coffee. "If we do come across someone powerful, you three can just stand behind me. I'll shield you all to give Fei Yu room to fight."

"Why did we come in the first place, then?" Liu Yunzhi asked.

Dale shook her phone. "An imperial camera team?"

Huai Jing shook his head solemnly. "Someone has to do the cursing and shouting. We can't let our main combatant do that himself."

Dale nodded with surprising seriousness, finding the Buddhist master's reasoning sound.

Beside them, Shi Qianzhang's eyes darted mischievously. Without a word, Liu Yunzhi pulled out another talisman and slapped it over his eyes.

Outside the cafe, a business vehicle stopped at the roadside. Wang Sheng received a notice from the investigation unit on his phone.

It was time to move again.

If not for the investigation unit's coordination, flying straight to their target would almost certainly result in being intercepted. After all, they were in foreign lands, and they were unfamiliar with the terrain. Their plans were based heavily on the investigation unit's intelligence. Following its arrangements also made it easier for the unit to coordinate with other parties.

After a short drive, they boarded an old-model helicopter rarely seen anymore in the Hua Republic. Once they had flown a distance, they transferred again to a speedboat that carried them swiftly across the sea toward Gambi.

The Dark Faction lost track of them again, but they were not fools. Wang Sheng had already directly informed the Dami military that their objective was the devilish swords in the hands of the Jialington Group. With three of them in Gambi and Wang Sheng's group vanishing while heading in its direction, the Dark Faction would surely make preparations.

When they were about ten nautical miles from the designated landing point, a man in a tailcoat appeared on the sea, blocking their path. From a distance, he seemed slightly hunched, and his faintly fluttering hair was thinning. Still, he hovered atop the waves without the help of any items.

Wang Sheng stopped Huai Jing, who was steering the speedboat, and told them not to approach for now. Afterward, he leaped from the deck with his sword on his back. He appeared to be walking slowly onto the sea, yet with each step, he instantly crossed more than ten meters.

Shi Qianzhang yawned. "Who is that?"

With her face pale and her voice trembling, Dale answered, "An ancient vampire prince. One of the Dark Faction's most powerful members."

No matter how calm the three pretended to be, she still expected that the man's identity would make Huai Jing and the others show some signs of unease. However, glancing at them made her realize otherwise.

"So that's an ancient prince?" Shi Qianzhang asked with his hands behind his back. "Compared to the elders of our cultivation world, his bearing falls far short."

Huai Jing chuckled. "If you want to make a comparison, it should be with the grand elders of the various sects. They are of the same generation."

"That's probably due to the cultivation methods of the Blood Race. Those ancient princes drank human blood to survive. "They're not that much different than devils," Liu Yunzhi commented. "Our dozen or so grand elders are guilty of their own sins, but they merely attempted to plunder the primal qi of the Small Nether Realm. They never sacrificed humans."

Shi Qianzhang bumped Liu Yunzhi with his shoulder. "You make a fair point, Little Liu."

Liu Yunzhi brushed at the spot with distaste, to which Shi Qianzhang only chuckled.

"You all..." Dale trailed off, her own fear seemingly dissipating as well. Looking up, she found Wang Sheng already two kilometers away and had started negotiations with the ancient prince.

Shi Qianzhang took out several professional filming devices from his Crane-Spirit Treasure Pouch, each one fitted with floating stabilizers. He mounted a long camera barrel.

Looking up, Huai Jing sighed. "You brought all that? We have truly become Fei Yu's imperial camera—"

Dale screamed, interrupting Huai Jing. Shi Qianzhang and Liu Yunzhi pulled out talismans and stood to either side, eyes fixed on the sea.

Three figures had appeared out of nowhere, darting toward the yacht at terrifying speed. Their auras were fierce and powerful.

One of them, a woman with wine-red curling hair, unfurled wings that shimmered with rainbow light, releasing a pressure that made the group's hearts pound.

"A prince and two dukes!" Dale cried in alarm. "They want to capture us to threaten Daoist Master Wang!"

Huai Jing didn't even spare their opponents a glance. "Don't panic."

He slowly lifted his devil-subduing staff and brought it down. A surge of Buddhist light shot skyward, spreading wide like a peacock's fan. He then extended his right hand upright before him while chanting sutras that no one else could understand.

"No self, no others, no beings, no life or death. No truth to hold onto, and no falsehood either..."

In the blink of an eye, a seated Buddha descended, enveloping the yacht completely as countless Buddhist swastikas revolved around it.

Their enemies crashed into the radiant Buddha's barrier like cannonballs, but all they did was cause ripples of light before being stopped. The luminous Buddha remained unmoved.

Huai Jing tilted his head and winked at his three companions.

"A little shield wall from this humble monk."

Far across the sea, Wang Sheng looked away from the speedboat. Flying Haze slowly sank beneath the waves, silently slipping back to him. He then slowly unsheathed Spiritless. With a faint, mocking smile, he stepped forward to face the ancient prince.

His murderous intent surged like a tide.