Chapter 313: Following After Them

Seeing the two approaching figures, Yi Chen couldn’t help but find his heart pounding heavily.

’...but how...just how did they discover me?’ he thought with a frown as he saw them coming closer and closer to the door inside which he was hiding.

’Should I escape...but where...’

Several thoughts flooded his mind as a wave of worries fully took over him. Escaping wasn’t an option. If he were lucky, he might be able to outrun Cao Li, but that definitely wasn’t the case with the emperor, who was already at the First Heaven Ascension Stage.

Luckily, what he feared the most didn’t happen as the two of them soon went past the door and kept walking forward.

’Phew...I worried for nothing,’ he sighed in relief while keeping his eyes on their figures as they walked down the corridor without any signs of stopping before taking a turn.

’I should start following them now...’ Yi Chen thought, seeing this as he was no longer in their line of sight, and sneakily got out of the room and started following after them.

Using the pillars to his advantage, he kept closing in on them while keeping an eye on the several guards who were patrolling around him.

Whenever one was about to approach him, he would jump to the ceiling and, digging his fingers in it, he would stay there until the guard passed by.

’Hurry up and move, you slacker...’ Yi Chen cursed, seeing the guard below him taking his sweet time to move past him, and the moment he was gone, he began rushing towards Cao Li.

Thanks to all the guards he encountered one after another, even though he was following the two of them, the distance between them had only increased rather than decreased.

Luckily, after evading more and more soldiers who were mostly at the Late Meridian Refinement or early Qi Absorption stages, he became more and more confident in hiding himself and soon increased his pace.

Following them for another couple of minutes, he finally caught up to them.

With his back against the wall, Yi Chen was currently at the edge of a sharp bend with a subtle frown on his face.

Both the emperor and Cao Li, who had been walking without a stop all this while, had suddenly come to a stop on the other side of the bend and just stood there for a couple of seconds without doing anything.

’Just what are the-’

"Come out." Cao Li’s words rang out the very next moment.

’!!!’

Yi Chen’s heart skipped a beat the moment he heard her words as blood began rushing to his face. However, still hoping that she might have been referring to someone else, he stayed at his spot as his breath began to quicken.

However, even that hope went away the very next second.

"Hurry up! I don’t have all night!" Cao Li roared in an irritated manner.

’Fucking shit...’

Knowing that if he were to delay things for any longer, then he would only be making things more difficult for himself, Yi Chen took a step forward to reveal himself, but just then, he noticed twenty or so black figures materialise out of thin air in front of Cao Li, making him immediately hide himself again.

"What took you bastards so long? Leave the two of us alone for a few hours, understand?" Cao Li asked with an irritated snort.

"Yes, madam." The twenty figures that were draped in black robes all responded in unison as their figures flashed away the very next instant.

Sensing those twenty men rushing out of the palace, although Yi Chen was relieved that he wasn’t caught, a chill ran through his spine, realising just how close he had always been to getting caught.

All this while, after he had caught up to them, he had been deliberately keeping a constant distance from them, always ensuring that he remained roughly fifty meters away from them, which was the maximum range of his spiritual sense at the moment.

He had done this to ensure that he wasn’t accidentally discovered by the two of them, only to find now that, along with the two of them, there were several others who had been hiding in the shadows all along.

’So spiritual sense isn’t completely reliable...’ Yi Chen thought to himself while adjusting his breathing.

Meanwhile, Cao Li and the emperor turned towards the huge door next to them.

The emperor took a step forward and pushed open the door before gesturing towards Cao Li in a subservient smile.

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"Madam Cao Li, please."

*Snort*

Cao Li snorted in annoyance and, with folded hands, walked through the door. Seeing this, the emperor followed her inside as the door closed behind them.

’Luckily, those men are gone now...’ Yi Chen sighed in relief and, a few moments later, made his way towards the door, which was almost fifteen meters in height.

Directing his spiritual sense inside, the layout of the room became clear to him the very next moment.

Rows of seats could be seen on both sides of the room, and in between, there was a massive carpet that led straight towards an elevated platform under which there were a series of steps.

On the elevated platform, a domineering throne was present, and the moment Yi Chen’s eyes fell on the throne, it became obvious to him.

’Ah, so it’s a throne room...’

Yi Chen raised his eyes in realisation as he saw Cao Li making her way towards the throne with the emperor’s figure following behind.

Now that they were all by themselves, Yi Chen noticed that the emperor’s back had become more hunched than before as, with slowed steps, he followed after Cao Li.

Stopping a few inches away from the throne, she took out a fresh piece of cloth from her storage ring and, using her spiritual energy to control it, wiped the armrest clean. It was only when the armrest looked spotless that she turned around and took a seat.

Observing this behaviour, Yi Chen was instantly reminded of the final remark which the system had given him, making him want to curse out in annoyance.

Leaning back on the backrest, Cao Li folded her legs and looked imposingly at the emperor, who had his head pointed downwards and his hands folded in front of him.

If not for the crown he was still wearing, one wouldn’t even be able to tell that the old man in front of them was the actual emperor.

The next second, Cao Li started saying something to the emperor, which unfortunately Yi Chen was unable to hear at all as the door in front of him was firmly closed.

’If I were to open the door now, they’ll know about my presence...’ Yi Chen thought with a frustrated expression, but still not wanting to give up so easily, he decided to take a slight risk.

Placing his finger right at a spot on the door through which both Cao Li and the emperor’s figure would be visible, he emitted a sharp, pin-sized Qi the next moment.

The sharp Qi penetrated straight through the door, creating a gap just enough for Yi Chen to not only hear the conversation that was going on between the two of them clearly, but also see it.

"Stop staying silent and answer what was asked. Why did that happen?" Cao Li’s piercing voice reached the emperor’s ears, causing him to shudder subtly in a submissive manner.

"I-I apologise, Madam Cao...I’ll see to it that nothing of that kind happens again." Yu Ding answered while bowing to her.

"It should have never happened in the first place. You dare soil such an important occasion by calling such unsightly guests? Is the founder’s birthday ceremony something just anyone could attend?!"

Cao Li roared while glaring at him.

Hearing her words only caused Yu Ding’s back to hunch further as he kept bowing towards her again and again while saying, "Forgive me this once, Madam Cao. I’ve already blacklisted them from future invitations, so I beg for Madam Cao’s mercy."

As he said that, he knelt on the ground while slamming his head on the ground.

Seeing this scene, Yi Chen couldn’t help but raise his eyes. The previous appearance of an old, refined man could no longer be seen in him, and only that of a frail old man begging for forgiveness remained.

’Just why...’ Yi Chen furrowed his brows at the sight.

Even though the Violet Heaven House held a huge status, it was still a fact that at this moment, Yu Ding was the most powerful one in the room.

Even if he was scared of their combined might as a Heaven Ascension Stage cultivator, he should still have some leeway to show Cao Li her place if need be...at least that’s what Yi Chen thought.

Raising his head to look at Cao Li’s eyes, Yu Ding showed just how anxious and fearful he was as he said, "...even if Madam Cao wishes to punish me, please don’t do anything to that...I won’t be able to live without it..."

Hearing those words, a sneer formed on Cao Li’s face, and while resting her chin on her hands, she said, "Fine, punishment it is then. Give me your sword."

Hearing those words, the fear and anxiety immediately disappeared from Yu Ding’s countenance, being replaced with a subtle hint of expectation.

He quickly drew out his sword from his waist and respectfully handed it over to her.

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