After a while;
The Necromancer King nodded in seriousness, "Alright, I accept your alliance, the assistance, and the conditions that followed through. However, the heads of the Shang Dynasty ruler and his kids are mine."
"Deal."
Soon, both of them disappeared from there. After a while, the necromancer king's entire undead army also disappeared from the forest, at the same time.
***
Meanwhile, at Fujian Island;
Early in the morning, Shang Jiao was seen intensely sparring against a white tiger, which has shrunk to her size for the moment.
She raised the exquisite staff adorned with several crystals on its head and spoke out the long incantation, "Oh, the goddess of snow and ice, Tengliu, I crave thou to bless me the strength to unleash the serpent of ice and vanquish the enemies from my sight."
The tip of the semi-divine staff glowed for a second before conjuring a giant ice serpent.
She rode on top of the serpent as she flew toward her opponent.
Baihu (White tiger) stretched her head a bit forward and opened her mouth widely.
When the ice serpent and Shang Jiao neared it, the white tiger let out a powerful roar, releasing a sonic attack.
One kilometer away, Shang Xiang was sleeping in his bed and he sprung up in alert and fell down.
Meanwhile, the sonic wave blew away the ice serpent and Shang Jiao alike.
Xuanwu, the Black tortoise, which was keeping an eye on her, couldn't help but sigh and closed its eyes for a couple of seconds. When it opened the eyes, they were glowing while a bruised Shang Jiao also was enveloped by a golden aura of light. Her ether energy was recovered and she was healed in an instant.
Getting up, the princess puffed her cheeks and complained, "You told me you won't use any skills. You cheated me, Baihu."
The white tiger answered in its usual deep voice, although it is a female, "It is just a manipulation of sound, not an inherent skill, Shang Jiao. Anyways, the morning spar is over. Go and eat up. Qinglong (Azure dragon) will be your next training partner."
"Ugh… that guy with a fiery temper? We don't get along." Shang Jiao shivered for a moment.
"Well, you can't expect to get along with fire beasts," commented the white tiger in response.
"Alright," Shang Jiao let out a deep sigh as she turned around and walked away.
***
Royal Palace, Eastern Sun Kingdom;
"No, you won't go"
"Yes, I will."
"I said you won't. It is too dangerous."
"Oh, yeah? I will house arrest you if I have to, Sister Zan Rong."
"Marina Zan, that's my name, little king. And I would like to see you try. You cannot keep me under surveillance 24/7. The moment I see the chance, I will go there."
"Then, Lan Jing will seal your remaining cultivation too. We have strict instructions from Mr. Lu."
"Who the heck is Lu Zhen to decide what I want to do? I'm grateful for his help in unlocking my memories but he can't control my life. Moreover, I don't belong here. So, let me go…"
Zan Rong and Ouyang Zen argued with each other as the former wants to visit the ruins of Khambhat where she was found by Ouyang Zen's grandfather.
Zan Rong intends to return to her world before searching for her lover while Ouyang Zen felt that she should be patient.
After seeing how the Phoenix Empire ended up, he doesn't want any opportunity to displease Mark until they become close enough for the latter to turn a blind to his mistakes to some extent.
Furthermore, Lan Jing is on Mark's side and Ouyang Zen needed Lan Jing. This legendary realm expert is the reason why there is no civil war in the kingdom. Once he disappears from Ouyang Zen's side, the thirteen-year-old knew that it won't take long for the Helios City filled with chaos.
Since Mark specifically requested him to keep an eye on Zan Rong until he says, Ouyang Zen, even more, wanted to keep his promise now.
Zan Rong originally didn't plan on going rogue either. But, as Mark was taking a while, she felt like her problem is being ignored and she decided to take matters into her own hands.
As Ouyang Zen really did house arrest the girl whose behavior was no longer the same as the one he was familiar with, the latter's stubbornness only increased further.
As the night arrived, she did exactly what she warned him. Around half past 3 in the morning, when Lan Jing isn't around and the soldiers were half drowsy, she successfully escaped the royal palace on a flying horse.
After three hours of nonstop travel, she finally reached the location.
Meanwhile, at the royal palace of Lunaris, Western Moon kingdom;
Mark was walking back and forth in seriousness. He couldn't get his sleep as the words of a stranger echoing his head.
"No, there's no way it is possible. Technically, I'm not even Lu Zhen. He is dead in reality. So, the fortune telling shouldn't even apply to me. After all, I only gave Lu Zhen's birth details to him and he saw based on that…"
18 hours earlier;
After having lunch, with an excuse of going for a ride to recheck for the spot decided for the runway in the outskirts of the city, Mark left in his vehicle.
He reached the trader's district and dismissed the vehicle before going on foot and looking for something.
Eventually, he stopped before the fortune-telling shop named Ming Jing Tang (Hall of the Clear Mirror). It has quite a long line outside.
Mark calmly joined the line without intending to draw attention. The last thing he wanted is a rumor about how he consulted a fortune teller. His black robes and hood did draw some attention but it is a common sight seen everywhere. So, people didn't mind it much and with some patience, Mark finally entered the tent after an hour.
There, he was met with the sight of a tall man with long white hair that was reaching as far as his waist.
He sure gave the impression of a sage in one glance.
After confirming his identity through the Eyes of God (upgraded from Sage Eyes), he sat down and let down his hood.
The old man let out a smile as he commented in their first meeting, "Son, you have the radiance of someone from a royal bloodline. Tell me, what do you wish to know?"
Mark was taken aback at first but calmed down himself and acted as if he wasn't affected by his comments. He didn't know whether this fortune teller was indeed special as the rumors or did he just praise him to fool him like the others.
He said, "I heard that you are the best fortune teller in this city. You can tell the fate of the people with their time of birth. I'm curious."
"No, you are not," replied the old man named Li Chunfeng. After a brief pause, he added, "I see the clear disbelief in your eyes. You don't believe in fortune-telling. You merely wanted to test me."
Mark was certainly surprised by Li Chunfeng's remark. He didn't deny it and just asked in a serious tone, "Then if I give you two birthdays and the time of births, will you tell me their fate?"
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