<h2 ss="wp-block-heading">Chapter 5382</h2>


    The leading cultivator was none other than Liu Kun’s trusted advisor. He sneered, “Princess, stop pretending! Don’t you know who we are?”


    Wu Yue’s heart sank. “Did Liu Kun send you? What does he want?”


    “Your Highness will learn the Prime Minister’s purpose in the future,”


    the advisor said calmly. “Until then, please bear with me for a few days. Once the Prime Minister obtains the sacrificial manual, he will release you.” With that, he and his men retreated from the cave, leaving only two cultivators to guard it.


    Wu Yue sat in the cave, filled with confusion and unease.


    Liu Kun had kidnapped her and demanded the sacrificial manual in exchange for her father’s. It was clearly a premeditated n.


    The sacrificial manual contained methods for strengthening and breaking the Demon Soul Seal. Could Liu Kun’s goal be the Demon Soul Seal?


    Wu Yue shuddered at the thought. She had to break this news to her father as soon as possible.


    Liu Kun, leading the remaining troops, returned to the Divine Capital in disarray, heading straight for the Imperial Pce.


    Inside the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Wu Hao anxiously awaited news from the honor guard. Seeing Liu Kun enter, covered in wounds, his heart skipped a beat.


    “Prime Minister, what happened? Why are you in such a state?” Wu Hao asked hurriedly.


    Liu Kun fell to his knees with a thud, weeping bitterly, “Your Majesty! I am guilty! I failed to protect Her Royal Highness!”


    “What? What happened to Yue’er?” Wu Hao abruptly stood up, his face darkening.


    “When we reached the Valley of Broken Souls, we were suddenly ambushed by bandits from the Evil Path Hall.”


    Liu Kun cried, “Those bandits were powerful. I fought desperately, but they still kidnapped Her Royal Highness the Princess.


    Before leaving, they told you, Your Majesty, to exchange the Sacrificial Book for the Princess, otherwise they would… kill the Princess!”


    “The Evil Path Hall! The Evil Path Hall again!”


    Wu Hao was so angry that he was shaking all over. He mmed his palm on the imperial desk, smashing it to pieces. “First, they stole the Thunder Sound Bell, and now they’ve kidnapped the Princess. This is simply too much!”


    “Your Majesty, calm down.”


    Liu Kun advised, “The most urgent task is to rescue Her Royal Highness the Princess.


    Since the Evil Path Hall wants the Sacrificial Book, why don’t we agree to their terms first, exchange it for the Princess, and then unite with the Divine Temple to defeat the Evil Path Hall and avenge the Princess?”


    “No!”


    Wu Hao tly refused. “The Sacrificial Code is crucial to the safety of the Demon Soul’s seal. If it falls into the hands of the Evil Path Hall, they’ll undoubtedly break the seal and release the Demon Soul. The entire Sixth Heaven will be plunged into chaos, with disastrous consequences!


    Yue’er is my daughter, how can I not feel heartbroken? But I’m the Lord of the Divine Kingdom, and I can’t let my selfish desires put the safety of the entire Sixth Heaven at risk!”


    “Lord, the Princess’s life is in danger!”


    Liu Kun said hurriedly. “The Evil Path Hall is ruthless. If we don’t agree to their terms, they’ll really kill the Princess.


    Besides, we can pretend to agree to their terms first, then set up an ambush during the exchange, reim the Princess and the Sacrificial Code, and eliminate the Evil Path Hall bandits at the same time. Wouldn’t that be killing two birds with one stone?”


    Wu Hao frowned, lost in thought. Liu Kun’s words seemed reasonable, but he felt something was amiss.


    If the Evil Path Hall truly wanted the Sacrificial Code, why didn’t they simply send people to infiltrate the pce and steal it? Instead of going through all the trouble of kidnapping the Princess?


    Moreover, Liu Kun’s performance today always made him feel a little deliberate.


    Just then, a guard hurried in to report: “My Lord, there is a ck-robed monk outside the pce requesting to see you. He said he was a messenger sent by the Evil Dao Hall and had a letter to deliver to you, my Lord.”


    “Let him in!” Wu Hao said in a deep voice.


    Soon, a ck-robed monk followed the eunuch into the Hall of Supreme Harmony, handed a letter to Wu Hao, and then turned and left without saying a word.