Although they had now left the village, and he knew the Crimson Ghost Sect was surely setting up some kind of scheme, Lin Yun understood that he alone could not possibly stop them.
For now, his only option was to find Chen Suning. Since she had tasked him with keeping an eye on the Crimson Ghost Sect, she must know what they were truly planning. By combining the intelligence he now possessed with hers, perhaps he could unravel the truth of the entire matter.
However, even Lin Yun didn't hold out much hope for such a straightforward outcome.
"You say you can protect me, but we're talking about a Prince of the Daye Dynasty," Fang Yu'er said, walking ahead of him and glancing back with curiosity. "And he's no ordinary prince. Even Her Majesty the Empress has to show him some respect." She was genuinely curious if this man truly possessed such an ability.
Lin Yun replied, "Rest assured. Prince Zuo Cheng is currently walking a path of self-destruction. Before long, his plans will be riddled with holes. When that time comes, the number of people who want to kill him will be far from few."
He knew that Chen Suning still had many methods she had yet to employ. Prince Zuo Cheng might be triumphant now, but when the great edifice of his power was about to collapse, he would be powerless to stop it.
Fang Yu'er remained full of doubt. If it weren't for the fact that Lin Yun was so strong she couldn't escape, she probably would have run off long ago.
The journey back was naturally much more familiar. Along the way, Lin Yun contemplated the various possibilities. The plan he was forming was risky, but it was also the best solution he had. Even if he called upon the Beast Taming Sect and the Marvelous Sound Sect, they would still be unable to stop the Crimson Ghost Sect's plans. After all, behind the Crimson Ghost Sect were the Shangqing Temple and the Flowing Cloud Sect, pulling the strings.
These three factions, all flowing in the same corrupt current, held immense influence in the cultivation world. What's more, it was highly likely that the Shangqing Temple was secretly influencing Prince Zuo Cheng's judgment. While this was only Lin Yun's speculation, all the evidence was gradually pointing in this direction.
Meanwhile, although Prince Zuo Cheng had deployed numerous resources to hunt for Lin Yun, they had turned all of Wangjing upside down and still hadn't found a single clue.
"What a bunch of useless trash!" In his manor, Prince Zuo Cheng roared at the dejected figures standing before him. "Why is it so difficult for this prince to get you to do one simple thing?"
While hunting for Lin Yun wasn't his most important task at the moment, since he had been invited here by the Empress, Lin Yun was naturally a crucial part of her plans. If he could eliminate Lin Yun beforehand, wouldn't that completely shatter the Empress's scheme? That was why Prince Zuo Cheng had been so dedicated to finding this vulnerability.
But it was a pity. The people he had sent out couldn't find so much as a spider's thread or a horse's track leading to Lin Yun. It was no wonder he was so enraged.
The men standing before him, however, felt extremely wronged. They had, of course, done their best to search, but Lin Yun wasn't even in Wangjing. No matter how skilled their methods, how were they supposed to find him?
Just then, a mysterious figure from behind stepped forward. "Your Highness, no need to worry. I believe that boy is no longer in Wangjing. Our people have also been searching in secret recently and have found the Beast Taming Sect's stronghold. However, they did not attack it. It is likely the boy had already left the capital long ago."
To have been responsible for the death of a prince, even if an unimportant one, was a matter that would surely make Lin Yun a drowning dog that everyone would want to beat.
Hearing this, Prince Zuo Cheng finally let out a breath of relief. "Apart from that, how is the investigation into the other matter?"
A golden light flashed in the mysterious figure's eyes, but he shook his head. "We have no leads."
While Prince Zuo Cheng was flying into a rage, Lin Yun and Fang Yu'er had already entered Wangjing. With Lin Yun's cultivation, hiding his tracks was, of course, an easy task. He led Fang Yu'er and quickly slipped past the palace walls.
In the process, however, he did notice several divine senses lock onto him.
Feeling these scans, the Chongqing Bird spoke, annoyed. "You brat, you're really audacious. The Imperial Palace is filled with countless experts. You're the only one who would dare to do something like this."
Forcibly entering the Imperial Palace with a woman in tow, and completely disregarding its defensive forces—only Lin Yun would do such a thing. Fortunately, the people here had all seen him before. And since he possessed such strength, he naturally wouldn't submit to Prince Zuo Cheng so easily. So, Lin Yun wasn't particularly worried.
Passing through the defenses, Lin Yun soon arrived at the inner palace.
Since he had left last time, it was as if he had completely vanished from the world. During this period, Chen Suning had also sent people to search for him. At the end of the day, she was still worried he had fallen into Prince Zuo Cheng's hands. If that had happened, it would be a huge problem.
Although she knew Lin Yun was powerful, who knew how many death-sworn warriors Prince Zuo Cheng had at his command after scheming in the Daye Dynasty for so many years? Even with Lin Yun's strength, he would have absolutely no chance of victory if he had to confront the Prince in such a place.
Feeling extremely agitated, Chen Suning put down the book in her hand and wondered aloud with a hint of anger, "That damned brat. Don't tell me he couldn't even fulfill his agreement with Us and just got himself killed?"
But just at that moment, a man's teasing voice came from her side.
"It is a rare honor for Your Majesty to be so concerned about me."
A moment ago, she had been dejected, but now, the gloom on Chen Suning's face was swept away. But when she looked up and saw Fang Yu'er standing beside Lin Yun, her expression instantly darkened again.
"Lin Yun, you have some nerve! How dare you bring a stranger before Us within the Imperial Palace?" As she spoke, Chen Suning was genuinely furious.
However, Lin Yun's next words extinguished her anger.
"Your Majesty, I have found the Crimson Ghost Sect. And the person beside me is one of the experts they dispatched this time."
Sure enough, hearing that it was about the Crimson Ghost Sect immediately calmed Chen Suning's mood considerably.
"Very well. Then tell me, what is the Crimson Ghost Sect planning to do this time? And how far have they progressed?"
Lin Yun, in turn, was trying to gauge Chen Suning's own thoughts. This matter was not so simple. The Crimson Ghost Sect had been causing trouble in the Daye Dynasty for years, yet the throne had never seemed to care. But this time, they were showing so much interest. This couldn't help but make Lin Yun suspect that there was another, hidden story here.
This Empress is not simple. She hasn't told me the whole truth.
"Your Majesty, I did not see everything, but I have a general idea of the situation. However, if we wish to deal with them, we will need to borrow Prince Zuo Cheng's power."