Night deepened, and the frost carried a faint chill of autumn.

At that moment, Ling Feng had changed into night attire once more and quietly slipped into the Imperial City.

By now, almost everyone imprisoned by Yan Jinghong had already been rescued by Ling Feng. Only a few key figures remained.

People such as the Cangqiong Sect's sect leader Yue Zhonglian, the Ascendant Eagle General Deng Xian, and Yan Cangtian were all being held inside the Imperial City. Tonight, Ling Feng intended to rescue them one by one. After that, it would be time for the final battle against Yan Jinghong.

As long as Yan Jinghong no longer held any hostages, Ling Feng was certain that in a direct fight, his strength would surpass Yan Jinghong's.

Whoosh!

A dark figure flashed past, slipping around the city guards in an instant. With Ling Feng's movement technique, even the heavily guarded imperial palace might as well have been undefended.

"According to the information from the Tianmeng Chamber of Commerce, Sect Leader Yue should be hanging from a tower on the western side of the Imperial City. He is whipped and exposed to the sun every day. With his elemental force sealed, even a Human Emperor's physique cannot endure for long."

A trace of concern flickered in Ling Feng's eyes. Yue Zhonglian had only just recovered from severe injuries. He had to be rescued as soon as possible.

With the aid of Boundless Vision, Ling Feng avoided every patrol with ease. Before long, he had already approached Yue Zhonglian without anyone noticing.

Yue Zhonglian was suspended high atop a tower over a dozen zhang tall. The skin on his wrists had long been torn open, exposing pale bone beneath. Once a figure second only to one in the empire, the sect leader of the Divine Guardian Sect now lay there, barely breathing, letting out faint groans as if his body had already gone numb.

His eyes were clouded, his aura weak. Without the medicinal pills keeping him alive each day, he would have already fallen into the Yellow Spring.

This was no act of mercy from Yan Jinghong. He simply did not want Yue Zhonglian to die too easily.

"Sect Leader Yue!"

Ling Feng frowned and rushed forward. The guards nearby only felt their vision blur before they collapsed one after another.

Ling Feng had used the Nightmare Heart Technique, dragging them into illusions without a sound. With their meager spiritual power, they would not wake for at least three days.

"You... you are..."

Yue Zhonglian slowly opened his eyes and looked at Ling Feng, but he could not see clearly. He was so weak that even keeping his eyes open was a struggle. Everything before him was a blur.

"I'm Ling Feng. I've come to save you."

Ling Feng raised a finger and lightly sliced through the tendon ropes binding Yue Zhonglian's wrists. Supporting his body, he slowly descended from the tower.

Yue Zhonglian sucked in a sharp breath. The ropes had nearly embedded themselves into his flesh. Even the slightest movement sent waves of pain through him.

Seeing the wounds on his wrists, Ling Feng quickly took out a bottle of Heaven-Incinerating Dragon Flame Essence and dripped it onto the injuries.

The spirit liquid seeped into the wounds at once, gradually repairing the rotting flesh. Its healing effect was nothing short of extraordinary.

"Senior, how do you feel? Any better?"

Under the effect of the essence, Yue Zhonglian's wounds began to close, and his aura steadied slightly. He forced his eyes open, and the moment he recognized Ling Feng, his expression changed.

"Young... Young friend Ling... go... Leave now! Don't worry about me. This is a trap..."

"Don't worry. I've got this!"

Ling Feng supported Yue Zhonglian and was about to open a teleportation passage to the Five Elements Heavenly Palace when he suddenly sensed something wrong.

The surrounding space-time power had become strangely distorted. He could no longer accurately locate the entrance.

He lowered his head and saw a strange six-pointed star array lighting up beneath his feet. Black light surged upward, forming a dark prison that sealed both him and Yue Zhonglian inside.

"Thunder God Shadow!"

Ling Feng's expression shifted. He shot upward, attempting to break through from above. However, once the black barrier rose to a hundred zhang, it began to close.

Holding Yue Zhonglian, Ling Feng did not dare transform into lightning, fearing he might injure him. That hesitation cost him the moment.

He was just about to break through when the space above sealed completely. In an instant, the surrounding space-time power fell into chaos. A space-time tide erupted, and a crack opened beneath their feet.

In the blink of an eye, both Ling Feng and Yue Zhonglian were swallowed without a trace.

The black barrier vanished, shrinking back into the six-pointed star array. The square returned to silence, as if nothing had ever happened.

In the next moment, two shadowy figures drifted into view.

One of them, a middle-aged man holding a pitch-black demonic sword, threw his head back and laughed.

"Hahaha! Regent Prince, you truly are brilliant! That brat loves saving people, doesn't he? Let him keep saving now! Hahaha! Now that he's fallen into the Devil Domain, let's see how he escapes!"

This man was the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord, Li Qingling. Ling Feng had previously destroyed one of his demonic shadow avatars, costing him a great deal of strength. But now that Ling Feng had fallen into the Devil Domain, there was no chance of his return.

"The Seven Emotions Devil Domain is not a true devil realm. It is only a space between the Xuanling Continent and the Devil Domain."

Yan Jinghong stood with his hands behind his back, his expression cold. "With his ability, he may still find a way out."

"Then... Regent Prince, what's the point of sending him there?"

Li Qingling frowned. Hearing that Ling Feng still had a chance at survival left him displeased.

"I want him to be eroded by demonic qi. Within three days, he won't escape. And when he finally returns, he will only see that his woman already belongs to me!"

Yan Jinghong smiled coldly. "His soul is too strong for the Devil's Wheels of Seven Emotions to subdue directly. But if he is consumed by anger, combined with the demonic qi from that place and the evil qi he absorbed from those hostages, I will be able to control him completely!"

"I will make him kill the companions he values with his own hands. Then I will use him to deal with Jingwang and sweep away every obstacle in the empire."

"A brilliant plan! Truly brilliant!"

Li Qingling burst into laughter. "No wonder you ignored him while he rescued those rebels. You had him completely under control from the start!"

"Hmph. Companions, bonds, all of it is nothing but a burden."

Yan Jinghong's voice turned cold. "Ling Feng is not ruthless enough! That is why he is destined to fail!"

A chilling aura spread from him. Even Li Qingling shuddered.

For a moment, he felt as if the man before him was becoming more and more like Lin Canglang.

The same ambition. The same depth of calculation.

The difference was that Yan Jinghong had already surpassed Lin Canglang by far.

Back then, the plans he and Lin Canglang had made were now being realized step by step. Yet in the end, all of it had been achieved through Yan Jinghong's power.

Thinking about it, there was something almost ironic about it.