Huanzhu Time Travel: Yan Luo's Unbreakable Love in the Yong Dynasty

Little Swallow leaned on Hongli's shoulder: "Fourth Prince, I feel at ease knowing you said that."

However, unbeknownst to them, danger was closing in on their journey to the frontier. What conspiracies were the Shadow Pavilion and the Spirit Void Sect plotting lurking in the shadows? A breathtaking test awaited them.

As they traveled into a remote mountain forest, the road became increasingly rugged and difficult to traverse. Little Swallow, sitting in the carriage, lifted the curtain and looked outside, frowning as she said, "Fourth Prince, this place looks eerie. Could it be dangerous?"

Hongli held her hand and comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I'm here. But we must not be careless here, we need to hurry through this forest."

The head of the guards driving the carriage replied, "Fourth Prince, bandits often roam these mountains and forests, so we must be careful."

As they were talking, a sharp whistle suddenly rang out. The guards immediately became alert and drew their swords.

"Oh no, an ambush!" the head guard shouted.

A group of men in black emerged from the surrounding woods and quickly surrounded their carriage.

A leader of men in black stepped forward and sneered, "Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, you will not escape today!"

Hongli jumped off the carriage, stood in front of Xiaoyanzi, and shouted, "Who are you? How dare you block my way here!"

The leader of the men in black laughed loudly: "We are from the Shadow Pavilion, and we have been ordered to take your lives!"

Little Swallow jumped out of the carriage and said angrily, "The people of the Shadow Pavilion only know how to use these underhanded tricks. If they have the guts, they should come openly and honestly!"

The two sides instantly engaged in fierce combat. Although Hongli was highly skilled in martial arts, the number of men in black was overwhelming, and the guards gradually found themselves unable to hold them off.

"Fourth Prince, this can't go on!" Little Swallow said anxiously.

At this moment, General Zhao Hui led a troop of soldiers to arrive from the rear. It turned out that he was worried about the safety of Hongli and Xiaoyanzi, and specially brought troops to meet them.

"Fourth Prince, I am late!" General Zhao Hui shouted.

With General Zhao Hui's support, the situation immediately turned around. Seeing that things were not going well, the men in black began to scatter and flee.

"Don't let them get away!" Hongli shouted.

The soldiers gave chase and captured some of the men in black.

Hongli approached the captured leader of the men in black and questioned him, "Speak, who ordered you to come here?"

The leader of the men in black sneered, "I won't tell you!"

Xiao Yanzi said from the side, "Fourth Prince, these people are very stubborn. It seems that the Shadow Pavilion is determined to oppose us."

General Zhao Hui said, "Fourth Prince, we should not stay here any longer. Let's leave this forest and go to the post station ahead to conduct the interrogation."

Hongli nodded: "Alright."

The group arrived at the post station and subjected the leader of the men in black to severe torture, but he refused to utter a single word of the truth.

“Fourth Prince, these people are well-trained; they must be assassins from the Shadow Pavilion,” General Zhao Hui said.

After thinking for a moment, Little Swallow said, "Why are they so desperately trying to stop us from going to the frontier? Is there some secret they don't want us to discover there?"

Hongli's eyes lit up: "You're right. Maybe the Lingxu Sect is up to something big on the frontier, colluding with the Shadow Pavilion."

At this moment, Su Peisheng walked in from outside, bowed, and said, "Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, there is a man outside who claims to be a local hunter. He says he has important news to report."

Hongli said in confusion, "Let him in."

The hunter entered the post station and saw Hongli and the others. He bowed nervously and said, "This humble subject greets the Fourth Prince and His Highness. While hunting in the mountains, I discovered some suspicious people gathering in the valley. They were dressed in strange clothes, as if they were holding some kind of ceremony. They also mentioned the Lingxu Sect and the Shadow Pavilion."

The little swallow asked eagerly, "Where is that valley?"

The hunter pointed in a direction: "It's in the valley to the west, not far from here."

Hongli said to General Zhaohui, "General, let's go take a look."

General Zhao Hui said with some concern, "Fourth Prince, this could be a trap."

Hongli said firmly, "Even so, we cannot let go of any clues."

So they left some soldiers to guard the post station and the leader of the men in black, while the others followed the hunters to the western valley.

In the valley, smoke swirled, and a group of people dressed in black robes were surrounding a huge formation, chanting incantations.

"What kind of eerie formation is this?" Little Swallow whispered.

Hongli shook his head: "I have never seen it either. It seems that the Lingxu Sect is indeed up to something."

Just as they were observing, one of the men in black robes spotted them.

"Oh no! Someone has broken in!"

Instantly, the men in black robes attacked them. Hongli, Xiaoyanzi, and the soldiers immediately met them in battle.

During the fight, Xiao Yanzi discovered a strange stone at the center of the formation, with some symbols carved on it, which were somewhat similar to the symbols on the Shadow Pavilion murals she had seen in the palace before.

"Fourth Prince, look at that rock!" Little Swallow exclaimed.

While fending off the attacks, Hongli looked at the stone and said, "There must be something mysterious about this."

General Zhao Hui shouted, "Fourth Prince, break through their encirclement first, then examine the stone."

The group fought valiantly, finally carving a bloody path and rushing towards the center of the formation. But as they approached the stone, a sudden beam of intense light shot out, blasting them back.

"What happened?" Little Swallow asked in surprise as she fell to the ground.

Hongli helped her up: "It seems this formation is protective; we cannot approach it easily."

At this moment, the men in black robes surrounded them again.

"Fourth Prince, what do we do now?" Little Swallow asked anxiously.

Hongli looked at the enemies around him with a determined look in his eyes: "No matter what, we must break this formation and uncover their conspiracy."

In this critical moment, Xiao Yanzi suddenly remembered that she had seen an ancient book in the Prime Minister's mansion, which recorded some methods for breaking the formation. She closed her eyes and tried hard to recall.

"Fourth Prince, I think I've come up with a solution," Little Swallow said, opening her eyes.

"What method?" Hongli asked.

"We need to find the life gate and death gate of the formation and destroy the formation's core in a specific order," Xiao Yanzi said.

"But where are the gates of life and death?" General Zhao Hui asked.

Little Swallow carefully observed the formation and said, "The place with the weaker light might be the Gate of Life, while the place on the opposite side should be the Gate of Death. Let's start with the Gate of Life."

Following Xiao Yanzi's instructions, the group rushed towards the gate of life. The man in black robes tried desperately to stop them, but under the leadership of Hongli and General Zhaohui, the soldiers fought bravely and finally managed to get close to the gate of life.

Little Swallow concentrated her energy and used her inner strength to destroy the key point of the Life Gate formation. The formation shook, and its light dimmed considerably.

"Well done, Little Swallow!" Hongli praised.

Next, they rushed towards the Death Gate and, using the same method, destroyed its key element. With the last key element destroyed, the formation collapsed with a roar, and the strange stone lost its light.

Hongli stepped forward, picked up the stone, and carefully studied the symbols on it: "These symbols seem to be pointing to a place. Could it be the stronghold of the Lingxu Sect?"

Little Swallow said, "Whether it is true or not, we should go and see."

General Zhao Hui said, "Fourth Prince, our journey will surely be fraught with danger, and we must make thorough preparations."

Hongli nodded: "The general is right. Let's go back to the post station first, reorganize, and then set off to explore."

Back at the inn, they learned some clues about the Lingxu Cult's lair from the leader of the men in black. It turned out that the Lingxu Cult's lair was located deep in a secluded valley, surrounded by traps and guarded by numerous cult members.

"Hmph! Even if there are a thousand difficulties and dangers, I'm not afraid!" Little Swallow said, clenching her fist.

Hongli looked at her and smiled, "Little Swallow, you are always so brave. But we still need to be cautious."

After some preparation, they embarked on their journey once more, heading towards the stronghold of the Lingxu Sect. Along the way, they proceeded cautiously, avoiding many traps.

Finally, they arrived at the entrance to the Lingxu Sect's lair. At the entrance, two guards blocked their way.

"Who goes there? How dare you trespass on the sacred ground of the Lingxu Sect!" the guard shouted.

Hongli stepped forward and said, "I heard that the Lingxu Sect is here, so I came to pay a visit."

The guard sneered, "Fourth Prince, do you think we'd believe you?"

After saying this, the guards attacked them. Hongli and Xiaoyanzi easily subdued the guards.

“Let’s go in,” Hongli said.

Upon entering the Lingxu Sect's lair, they found it eerie and terrifying, filled with a pungent odor. As they slowly made their way along the passage, they suddenly heard a melodious flute tune.

"This flute music is so eerie," Little Swallow said, frowning.

As the sound of the flute grew closer, they saw a person dressed in white standing in front of them playing the flute.

"You've finally arrived," the man in white said slowly, stopping his playing.

Hongli asked warily, "Who are you? Why are you playing the flute here?"

The man in white smiled and said, "I am an envoy of the Lingxu Sect, and I have been waiting for you here for a long time."

"What exactly is your Lingxu Sect plotting?" Xiao Yanzi asked.

The man in white did not answer, but said only, "Come with me, the cult leader wants to see you."

Hongli and Xiaoyanzi exchanged a glance and decided to follow the man in white to see the leader of the Lingxu Sect. They passed through a series of doors and arrived at a large hall. In the hall, a masked person sat on a high seat; this must be the leader of the Lingxu Sect.

"Fourth Prince, Princess Consort, welcome to the Lingxu Sect," the sect leader said in a deep voice.

"What is your purpose in leading us here?" Hongli asked.

The cult leader slowly stood up: "You have been searching for the secrets of the murals in the Shadow Pavilion, secrets that concern the fate of the world. And our Lingxu Cult also has intricate connections with these murals."

Little Swallow exclaimed in surprise, "Your Lingxu Sect is also related to the murals?"

The cult leader nodded: "Indeed. Behind this mural lies a vast treasure. Whoever obtains it will rule the world. And our Lingxu Cult will be the guardian of this treasure."

Hongli sneered: "Hmph! Your so-called treasure, could it have been obtained through treacherous schemes?"

The cult leader, however, disagreed: "In this chaotic world, only the strong can possess everything. If you could join our Lingxu Cult and share this treasure, why not?"

Little Swallow said angrily, "We will never associate with you!"

The cult leader's face darkened: "Since that's the case, then don't blame me for being impolite!"

After he finished speaking, countless believers surged out from all around the hall and surrounded them.

"Fourth Prince, it looks like another fierce battle is about to begin," said Xiao Yanzi.

Hongli gripped his sword tightly: "Don't be afraid, we'll break out of here together!"

Thus, they engaged in a fierce battle with the Lingxu Cult members. During the battle, Hongli discovered a jade pendant on the cult leader's person, which was extremely similar to the jade pendant they had previously found in Zhixi's storeroom.

“Little Swallow, look at the jade pendant on the leader’s body!” Hongli shouted.

Xiao Yanzi looked over and was startled: "Could it be that the Lingxu Sect is connected to the conspiracy in the palace?"

As they fought, they pondered how to respond. Suddenly, Little Swallow had an idea.

"Fourth Prince, let's pretend we're outmatched, lure the leader closer, and then seize his jade pendant," said Xiao Yanzi.

Hongli nodded: "Okay, let's do it that way."

They deliberately created openings and retreated step by step. The cult leader thought they were about to collapse, so he slowly approached.

Just as the cult leader approached, Xiao Yanzi and Hongli suddenly exerted their strength and rushed towards him. The cult leader was shocked and tried to dodge, but it was too late. Hongli thrust his sword at the cult leader, who dodged to the side, and Xiao Yanzi seized the opportunity to snatch his jade pendant.

"How dare you..." the cult leader shouted angrily.

Holding the jade pendant, Xiao Yanzi stood back-to-back with Hongli: "Hmph! Now we'll see what secrets this jade pendant holds!"

Clutching the jade pendant, they searched for a chance to break through the encirclement of the cult members. Meanwhile, within the Lingxu Cult's stronghold, the danger continued to escalate; whether they could successfully escape and uncover the secrets of the jade pendant remained uncertain.