His Highness removed his glasses, the corners of his mouth revealing a bitter smile, "I really didn't expect to still get caught by you."

Lin Chen smiled faintly, "Capital City isn't a place you can come and go as you please."

His Highness slowly stood up and suddenly pulled out a phone.

Lin Chen's gaze hardened, and just as he was about to snatch the phone, His Highness laughed, "Don't worry, I'm calling my girlfriend, she's even preparing to pick me up!"

Lin Chen's reaching hand stopped midair, and he nodded.

As the call connected, a gentle voice came from the other side, "Little Nine, is your flight delayed? I've made your favorite black pepper steak, and there's salmon, sushi!"

Hearing the girl's voice on the other side, His Highness's body trembled slightly, yet a smile slid across his lips, "Yume, something urgent came up here, and I'm afraid I won't be able to make it back!"

"What? You promised to take wedding photos with me!" the girl's somewhat dissatisfied voice came from the other side.

"I'm sorry, really sorry!" As he spoke, His Highness's eyes even began to moisten.

Lin Chen had not expected such a bloodthirsty person to also have such a tender side.

"Hmph, then when are you coming back!" the girl on the other side asked.

"Oh, the company has sent me to a very far place, it might take a long time this time, Yume take care of yourself, alright I need to board my plane now, goodbye." After finishing his words, His Highness abruptly hung up the phone.

Lin Chen watched this scene, feeling somewhat bitter himself.

This was probably their last conversation, His Highness likely wouldn't have the chance to chat with this girl again.

After hanging up the phone, His Highness gave Lin Chen a bitter smile, "Sorry to make you see that, thank you for letting me make that last call."

Lin Chen nodded and said, "Please proceed, Your Highness!"

The corners of His Highness's mouth twitched, and a streak of black blood flowed from his mouth, "Lin Chen, I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be able to go with you, but my death is not the end of your troubles, but the beginning."

As his voice fell, His Highness collapsed to the ground, his consciousness gradually blurring, and he saw a beautiful girl running and jumping in a forest.

"Yume, I'm sorry, I won't be able to see you in a wedding dress."

Looking at the corpse on the ground, Lin Chen helplessly shook his head, His Highness had taken an extremely toxic drug, there was no chance to save him again.

What shocked Lin Chen the most was that he had just tried to use the Soul Capturing Technique to control His Highness to prevent him from taking poison, but it had failed.

Originally, Lin Chen had hoped to use His Highness to find clues about his father's imprisonment location, but unexpectedly, that line of inquiry had now been cut off.

...

On a cliff, an ancient construction sits against the mountain, its base over a bottomless abyss.

The lights inside the ancient castle flickered, casting an eerie glow.

At that moment, the door of a stone cell within the castle slowly opened, and a young man walked out.

"Xiao Si, how did it go?" At this time, a person enshrouded in a black robe asked with a hoarse voice.

The young man revealed an evil smile, "I've extracted all that guy's memories, but found no clues about Tianyan."

"Impossible, at that time, he was the only survivor of the Lin family." the man in the black robe frowned.

"Doesn't he have a son?" Xiao Si suddenly said.

After a moment of thought, the robed man suddenly said, "Spread the news to the outside world that Tianyan is on Lin Chen."

"But this will attract many competitors!" Xiao Si asked doubtfully.

"Tsk, tsk, this is exactly the effect we wanted. Lin Chen is not as simple as you think; getting involved with him will be troublesome. Having more people to act as cannon fodder will allow us to emerge victorious amidst the chaos," the man in the black robe sinisterly chuckled.

"How shall we deal with Lin Hai?" Xiao Si asked.

"Erase this memory from him, treat him well, and keep him as a valuable hostage in our hands," the man in the black robe sneered coldly.

In the Five Poisons Sect, a man with a centipede-like scar on his face hurriedly ran into the grand hall: "Hall Master, we have news about Tianyan."

"What? Where?" the Sect Hierarch of the Five Poisons stood up in alarm.

"It's in Lin Chen of the Lin Family in the Capital City," said the Poison Centipede, his face lighting up with joy.

"Haha, Tianyan has finally appeared. Once we possess Tianyan, our Five Poisons Sect will be invincible," exclaimed the Sect Hierarch, thrilled.

"It appears Tang Bao'er was rescued by this Lin Chen," the Poison Centipede mentioned.

The Sect Hierarch's eyes slightly narrowed: "You personally lead the elite of our sect to the Capital City under the pretense of retrieving Tang Bao'er. Capture Lin Chen and the Holy Maiden together."

In the Xu Family of Jiangnan, Family Head Xu Liang looked at the note brought by Zhou Ming and slightly narrowed his eyes.

"Rest assured, Nephew Zhou, we will seek justice for the Zhou family. It's been a long trip for you to our region; let me arrange a few beauties to take good care of Young Master Zhou," Xu Liang said with a smile.

"Thank you, Family Head Xu," Zhou Ming said excitedly, being led out of the reception hall by the Xu family butler.

As soon as Zhou Ming left, a young man flashed out from behind the screen.

"Family Head, this presents a perfect opportunity for us to enter the Capital City," Xu Ming said with a smile.

Xu Liang nodded, "Take our family elites to China and make sure to get your hands on Tianyan."

All of China was stirred up by this news, with countless powerful individuals converging toward the Capital City.

Meanwhile, Lin Chen, in the eye of the storm, remained oblivious, training daily with Zhao Xiaohua.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

In the woods, figures flitted about as Lin Chen continually launched attacks on Zhao Xiaohua.

However, Zhao Xiaohua's movements were ghost-like, making it extremely difficult for Lin Chen to break through her defense despite using all his strength.

"Boom!" Lin Chen threw a punch, but what he hit was only Zhao Xiaohua's afterimage; her real body was already several meters away.

Panting, Lin Chen asked, "Xiaohua, why are you so formidable? Who taught you your kung fu?"

Zhao Xiaohua smiled faintly, "My kung fu was taught by a scoundrel."

"A scoundrel? That scoundrel must be really impressive," Lin Chen said as he wiped his sweat.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xiaohua burst into laughter: "Don't you want to know who that scoundrel is?"

Lin Chen grinned, "Even if I ask, you're sure to say that my cultivation level isn't enough and knowing now wouldn't help much."

Zhao Xiaohua nodded, "At least you're aware of that."

Lin Chen stood up and continued, "Let's go again!"

Despite often being outmatched in his sparrings with Zhao Xiaohua, Lin Chen was keenly aware that he was improving daily. His combat skills had significantly evolved compared to before.

Every strike and angle chosen by Zhao Xiaohua constantly amazed Lin Chen.

Seeing such rapid progress in Lin Chen, Zhao Xiaohua's smile grew wider. In fact, she really wanted to reveal the true identity of that scoundrel to Lin Chen.