I long to return home!

Without knowing why, Huai Zhen was imprisoned in the Imperial City Prison.

The place was dark and damp, shrouded in darkness. The place where Huai Zhen was imprisoned, whether carefully prepared or not, was slightly better than a typical prison cell, and even had a small window through which one could look out at the sky.

Huai Zhen has been imprisoned here for seven days. The cell is equipped with restrictions that he cannot break, and he is also unable to use any magic. Shen Lingjiao has not seen him once in these seven days.

He sat on the hay, circulating his internal energy and regulating his breathing. Unbeknownst to him, his cultivation had reached the peak of Foundation Establishment since that battle, and he was only one step away from the Great Perfection.

This perfection is similar to the Great Perfection but also different. It is the critical value between the peak of Foundation Establishment and the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. Although one has the strength of the Great Perfection, one's cultivation is not considered solid.

In addition, Huai Zhen was surprised to find that his badly damaged right arm was recovering at an astonishing speed. Now, without using magic, he could swing it normally, as could his previous internal injuries.

The blood in my body is churning, and the vitality is growing stronger day by day.

Many days passed without him realizing it. Looking out the window, he saw snow falling everywhere. Although there were restrictions and blockades, it seemed that they had been deliberately loosened, and his divine sense could detect it. Huai Zhen then extended his divine sense a hundred feet away and realized that it was the end of another year, but he could only spend it in prison.

Thinking of this, Huai Zhen couldn't help but sigh softly. The ways of heaven are unpredictable, and in the end, she would still have to spend it alone.

Three days later, Huai Zhen officially broke through to the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment. Looking at the spiritual power in his hand, which was even more abundant than at his peak, he felt a little regretful.

"Although I am at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment, it is extremely difficult for a pseudo-spiritual root to form a golden core. According to the records of the predecessors of the Xiaoyao Sect, if a pseudo-spiritual root cultivator wants to form a golden core, it will take at least forty or fifty years, or even a hundred years, without the help of a fortuitous opportunity." Huai Zhen said in a low voice. He knew that his lifespan had been reduced sharply from the moment he contracted the hidden illness, and his true lifespan was no more than a hundred years.

No matter what, I must achieve the Golden Core stage; I must find my lost memories!

Huai Zhen made up his mind and began to practice breathing exercises. Suddenly, a commotion came from inside the prison, accompanied by sounds of fighting.

As the sound grew closer, even without using divine sense, one could see Lei Mengying charging in alone with a knife. The jailers in front of her were forced to retreat, not daring to step forward to stop her.

To Huai Zhen's astonishment, the Nascent Soul expert who had previously pressed him forward arrived in an instant, his hand clenched behind his waist, and a powerful pressure blocked Lei Mengying's steps.

"His Majesty has decreed that he is a serious criminal. Even if you are a princess of a nation, I may not be able to harm you, but this is the Yin Yue Empire, how can a junior like you act recklessly!"

"Get out of the way!" Lei Mengying shouted, swinging her knife as she went.

The purple light carrying lightning flashed, but it was easily caught by the Nascent Soul cultivator's two fingers, and the residual spiritual energy it emitted repelled the surrounding prison guards.

"Hmph, your cultivation is truly remarkable. This blade is also no ordinary item. Among your peers, I'm afraid only His Highness can rival it." The Nascent Soul expert praised Lei Mengying's cultivation, the blade between his two fingers emitting a crackling current that made his fingertips feel slightly numb.

"At just over twenty years old, he has already reached the Pseudo-Core Realm. I'm afraid there are only about thirty people like him in the entire world from ancient times to the present."

"If we could marry His Highness, we would truly be a match made in heaven." The Nascent Soul expert couldn't help but smile.

Upon hearing these words, Lei Mengying's expression turned angry and her gaze turned cold. She hated nothing more than using her own interests to bind others to her own.

"Get lost!" With that, she withdrew the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Blade and swung her right arm in a horizontal slash.

Clang!

The blade struck the Nascent Soul cultivator near the waist as if it were striking metal, producing a metallic clang. The Nascent Soul cultivator no longer hesitated, his gaze sharpening as he forced Lei Mengying's spiritual energy back into his body, causing the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Blade to lose its luster.

"Little girl, this is my last warning to you: leave immediately, or I will use some force to send you back!" the Nascent Soul expert shouted, as terrifying spiritual power surged from his body.

Lei Mengying snorted coldly, completely ignoring him. After retracting her Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Blade, she walked straight towards the cell where Huai Zhen was imprisoned. When she arrived at the door, she looked at the Nascent Soul cultivator and said coldly, "Open the door. I can go in by myself, can't I?"

Upon hearing this, the Nascent Soul expert was somewhat stunned. He had never seen anyone attempt to break him out of prison and lock him up. At this moment, he didn't know what to do, so he quickly sent a telepathic message to Zhao Xin.

A moment later, the divine sense received a response, and Zhao Xin, sitting on the dragon throne exuding domineering aura, replied, "Let her be."

After speaking, his gaze softened, and he gently stroked Shen Lingjiao, who was lying on his lap, displaying the full extent of a loving father.

"Father, the sickly man isn't a bad person. I beg you, please let him go, okay?" Shen Lingjiao pleaded with her doting father, putting on a pitiful act.

If it weren't for Lei Mengying's prison break, Zhao Xin might have considered it. But this prison break made him realize even more that Huai Zhen was playing tricks, not only seducing his own country's princess, but now also trying to steal his beloved little darling.

“No, if he’s not a bad person, why has he appeared at your residence time and time again? Father must find out his background.” Zhao Xin said sternly, but his expression changed completely when he looked at Shen Lingjiao.

Upon receiving instructions, the Nascent Soul cultivator dared not disobey, opened the prison door to let Lei Mengying in, and then left after settling the injured jailer.

Inside the cell, Huai Zhen was quite surprised to see Lei Mengying walk in. He frowned and asked in confusion, "Your Highness?"

Upon hearing this, Lei Mengying was furious and reprimanded her sharply, "You really are a blockhead! You treated her like that, and in the end you're going to jail. Humph, you're truly hopeless and unreasonable."

Hearing Lei Mengying's reprimand, Huai Zhen dared not speak. He could only wait until Lei Mengying's anger subsided before asking, "Then what does Your Highness mean by this?"

"roll!"

...

One day later.

Lei Mengying sat cross-legged on the dry grass, her expression tense. She watched as her spiritual energy surged towards her dantian, indicating that she was forming her core.

But forming a core is not that easy, and unsurprisingly, it failed.

Exhausted, Lei Mengying leaned against the dry grass, panting heavily. This was her tenth attempt at forming her core. In the previous attempts, she had managed to hold on for several days, or even half a month.

Perhaps due to the scarcity of spiritual energy here, he was exhausted in just one day.

Seeing this, Huaizhen quickly stepped forward to help him up and asked carefully, "Your Highness, are you alright?"

Lei Mengying waved her hand, "It's alright, just a lack of spiritual energy." As she spoke, she took the opportunity to adjust her breathing and looked at Huai Zhen beside her. Seeing that Huai Zhen's right arm was bound with strips of cloth, she asked curiously, "What happened to your hand?"