After the ceremonial guard left the south gate of the Divine Capital, they proceeded all the way towards the direction of the Three Halls.
After travelling for about two hours, a treacherous valley appeared ahead, which was precisely the ambush location selected by Liu Kun, “Soul-Breaking Valley”.
The valley had sheer cliffs on both sides, with only a narrow passage in the middle, and looking up, one could only see a sliver of sky.
Liu Kun reined in his horse and gave a wink to the deputy general beside him.
The deputy general understood immediately, stepped forward, and shouted loudly to the team, “The valley ahead is narrow, there may be an ambush, everyone proceed with caution!”
The soldiers immediately raised their weapons and vigilantly observed their surroundings.
Liu Kun then urged his horse to the side of the imperial carriage, pretending to be concerned as he said, “Your Highness the Princess, Soul-Breaking Valley has treacherous terrain, please be extra careful inside the carriage, and do not poke your head out to look around.”
Inside the carriage, Wu Yue felt a stir in her heart. She had heard that although Soul-Breaking Valley was dangerous, bandits rarely appeared there. Liu Kun was so tense, could there be something suspicious? She replied calmly, “Thank you for your concern, Prime Minister.”
At that moment, a series of gong sounds suddenly rang out from the cliffs on both sides of the valley, followed immediately by countless black-clothed cultivators leaping down from the cliffs, wielding weapons and charging towards the ceremonial guard.
These black-clothed cultivators each had powerful auras, with the lowest being at the eighth grade of the Earth Immortal Realm, and the leaders even reaching the ninth grade of the Earth Immortal Realm, on the same level as Zi Yuan.
“Oh no! It’s the people from the Evil Path Hall!”
Liu Kun pretended to be panicked and shouted loudly, “Protect the princess! Drive back the bandits!”
The soldiers of the State-Suppressing Legion immediately engaged in battle with the black-clothed cultivators.
In an instant, the valley was filled with flashing blades and shadows of swords, and the booming sounds of colliding spiritual energies echoed incessantly.
The black-clothed cultivators attacked fiercely, clearly well-prepared. Although the soldiers of the State-Suppressing Legion were well-trained, under the opponent’s surprise attack, they quickly fell into a disadvantage, with casualties steadily increasing.
“Prime Minister, the bandits are too strong, we can’t hold them off!” the deputy general shouted anxiously.
Liu Kun’s “face was grave”, he gave a wink to a few trusted aides beside him, and said in a low voice, “Protect the princess well, I’ll go resist the bandits!”
With that, he circulated his spiritual energy, his aura at the first grade of the Human Immortal Realm erupted, and he charged towards the leading black-clothed cultivators.
Those trusted aides understood, quietly approached the imperial carriage, and taking advantage of the chaos, suddenly smashed open the carriage compartment.
Wu Yue was greatly shocked upon seeing this, and just as she was about to take out her communication jade token, one of the aides covered her mouth and forcibly abducted her, fleeing towards the depths of the valley.
“The princess has been abducted!”
A soldier shouted loudly.
Liu Kun “flew into a rage”, after exchanging a few moves with the leading black-clothed cultivators, he deliberately revealed a flaw, was struck on the shoulder by the opponent’s palm, staggered back a few steps, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.
“Damn it! How dare you abduct the princess!” He shouted to the soldiers, “Chase them quickly! We must rescue the princess!”
However, the black-clothed cultivators clung tightly to the soldiers, preventing them from pursuing.
The leading black-clothed cultivator sneered, “Prime Minister Liu, don’t waste your effort! We’ve taken Her Highness the Princess for now. If you want her back, have Wu Hao bring the Sacrificial Treasure Canon in exchange!”
After saying that, he led the black-clothed cultivators in a feint, retreated towards the depths of the valley, and soon disappeared into the dense forest.
Liu Kun looked in the direction where the black-clothed cultivators had left, a barely noticeable gleam of triumph flashed in his eyes, then he quickly put on an anxious expression and said to the soldiers, “Quickly, clean up the battlefield, return to the Divine Capital immediately, and report this matter to the sovereign!”
The soldiers dared not delay, quickly cleared the battlefield, carried the wounded, and followed Liu Kun in haste back to the Divine Capital.
Along the way, Liu Kun deliberately pretended to be in a sorry state, coughing from time to time, appearing as if he was seriously injured.
Meanwhile, the abducted Wu Yue was soon brought to a hidden cave.
When the cultivator who had covered her mouth released his hand, Wu Yue immediately questioned, “Who are you? Are you really from the Evil Path Hall?”
