CHAPTER 353: CHAPTER 353

The Fifth Prince brought a squad of Imperial Guards to the Heavenly Prison. The prison gate was tightly shut, and even upon his arrival, no one came out to greet him, which made him quite angry.

Ordering someone to push open the gate, a wave of purple mist unexpectedly rushed towards them. The Fifth Prince instinctively stepped back, and the Imperial Guards in front of him instantly fell to the ground, losing consciousness.

"What’s going on?!" The Fifth Prince was suddenly shocked, retreating several meters.

Fortunately, the purple mist wasn’t thick and quickly dissipated into the air.

The guards behind hurriedly stepped forward to check the condition of the unconscious ones, finding that they had only temporarily lost consciousness, with nothing else amiss. They then dragged them aside and cautiously inspected inside the Heavenly Prison.

At a glance, they could faintly see several unconscious prison guards in the main hall. To see inside the cells clearly, they would need to walk further in.

"Damn, these people really have a backup plan. I said they surrendered too easily back then. It seems I’ve underestimated them!" The Fifth Prince exclaimed through gritted teeth.

Upon hearing this, some of the Imperial Guards felt a bit speechless. Wasn’t this hindsight pure and simple? If there had been true suspicion back then, they wouldn’t have been left unchecked, right?

"Hurry up and get inside!" The Fifth Prince, seeing the guards unmoving, waved his hand impatiently.

A few guards took a deep breath, covered their noses, and walked inside.

Fortunately, there was no residual purple mist inside. Upon a closer look, it was found that both the prison guards and the inmates within the cells were all lying there unconscious, but none had been injured by anyone.

Apparently, those people simply escaped without attempting to open the cells and create a disturbance.

Arriving in front of the cell where Cen Lizhui and his companions were previously held, several guards looked at the broken lock on the ground and the Immortal Lock Stone lying quietly, exchanging glances with traces of fear.

What level of cultivation does a strong adversary possess to be able to destroy a lock encrusted with an Immortal Lock Stone?!

Is this something a team like theirs can handle?!

The Fifth Prince waited outside, becoming increasingly impatient as the guards failed to return.

"Did they pass out inside?" The Fifth Prince glanced at the sun, growing anxious. What if his father, the Emperor, couldn’t wait any longer and got angry? His father’s temper wasn’t easy to deal with right now...

The Fifth Prince gritted his teeth, knowing the Heavenly Prison’s location was remote, making it difficult to find anyone nearby to help immediately. Unwilling to keep his father waiting, he had no choice but to enter himself.

After taking only a few steps inside, he ran into the returning guards, sparking immediate anger: "What are you useless for! Where are the people? Why didn’t you bring them out?!"

"They’re not in the cell. They’ve already escaped."

The Fifth Prince suddenly felt his world spinning. How could he explain this to his father?!

"Quick, quickly find them and bring them back! What’s the use of having so many men if I have to shout before you take action!"

The guards dared not voice their anger, vaguely aware that the Fifth Prince’s status was growing in the presence of the Emperor. Anyone guarding Yangxin Hall would know this. Since the Emperor fell ill, the other princes were summoned less frequently, while the Fifth Prince was being called upon more often.

They immediately ran outside.

"Do you know which direction to pursue in?"

"There are only two directions. We’ll split up and act separately..."