CHAPTER 260: CHAPTER 260 THE LITTLE PRINCESS HAS GONE MAD

Inside and outside the mountain, silence fell in an instant.

Countless young geniuses who had come from afar all watched this place attentively. That was a young genius from the Purple Gold Divine Clan, Golden Cicada. Who was he challenging?

A completely nameless guy.

Glancing at Golden Cicada and then sweeping over Chen Pingping, no one recognized this fellow.

"Looks like Golden Cicada is pretty pissed off," someone whispered.

"Isn’t that the truth! He’s practically fuming."

"Who’s that guy anyway?"

"Don’t know." The discussion ended with those sparse words.

Golden Cicada took a few steps forward, his face cold as he looked at Chen Pingping. "Do you dare?"

To be honest, if this were the Heaven Martial Continent, Chen Pingping would have slapped him backhanded to teach him why flowers are so red.

But this was the Spirit Realm, and he didn’t want to reveal his strength.

Lan Xiuzhi snorted coldly and walked out holding an Earth Chicken. "What do you want?" In her eyes, the young geniuses of the Purple Gold Divine Clan were too strong. Ordinary cultivators stood no chance.

Naturally, Chen Pingping was no match for him either.

"It’s none of your business, move aside!" Golden Cicada said coldly. "If you’re a man, step out and fight me to the death. What skill is there in hiding behind a little girl?"

"I don’t want to either!" Chen Pingping said helplessly. "But I can’t beat you!"

Ah? What?

Everyone was speechless.

The last thing men wanted to hear was "I can’t do it." How could he just admit defeat? He should at least try to cover it up or find some excuse.

Even Golden Cicada was taken aback for a moment and, momentarily, had nothing to say.

If you can’t win, why fight?

The logic was sound.

Golden Cicada’s face was stern. "Fine, I’ll give you time to grow. Half a month? Or three months? Half a year?"

"Do you think cultivating is like eating?" Chen Pingping rolled his eyes. "Give me a hundred years then!"

"No, that’s too long," Golden Cicada refused.

"Then eighty years is also fine."

"Rejected!"

"Fifty!"

"One year at most!" Golden Cicada said icily.

Hmm!

Trading for a year of peace doesn’t seem too bad.

By that time, the Earth Chicken should have absorbed the essence of the Ancient Phoenix from the Phoenix Cauldron, right?

Feasible!

After thinking for a while, Chen Pingping said, "Agreed, but I have to make one thing clear: you can’t make a move against me during this year."

Golden Cicada sneered, "Of course!"

In his eyes, one year was nothing at all. It would pass in the blink of an eye, and then he could cut down Chen Pingping, along with that chicken and that dog.

After Golden Cicada left, Lan Xiuzhi finally spoke with a light sigh, "You’re too impulsive. The young geniuses of the Purple Gold Divine Clan are not to be trifled with!"

Chen Pingping nodded. "I know."

"Forget it, let’s not talk about this anymore." Lan Xiuzhi looked at him. "You still have a year. By the way, what realm are you at now?"

"I think I’m a Divine King!" Chen Pingping said, slightly embarrassed.

The Saintess at his side almost spat blood. Glancing at him, she understood him perfectly.

Lan Xiuzhi said, "Being a Divine King isn’t enough. Golden Cicada broke through to the King Tao realm a year ago. He also comes from the Purple Gold Divine Clan, has cultivated many powerful Tao methods and Divine Skills, and possesses the Divine Clan bloodline. You’re simply no match for him."

After a pause, she added, "Come back with me!"

"For what?" Chen Pingping blinked in surprise.

"You’re a friend of this princess, so you must defeat Golden Cicada. Otherwise, wouldn’t I lose face?" she said earnestly.

Chen Pingping’s mouth fell open slightly, moved.

In all his decades, apart from that unreliable master of his, hardly anyone had cared for him like this.

Was this girl too naive?

He looked at the Earth Chicken in Lan Xiuzhi’s arms, pondering whether he should cook the creature.

「Several days later.」

The news of Golden Cicada’s challenge to Chen Pingping quickly spread throughout the territories of the Three Great Imperial Dynasties. It caused a buzz of shock among everyone, who had only one question: "Who is this Chen Pingping?"

Can a nobody really be qualified to be Golden Cicada’s opponent?

Atop Liang City.

Zhangsun Yige sighed, "The little princess has gone mad."

By his side, Hu Ming nodded. "That guy isn’t simple."

Lan Xiuzhi, along with Chen Pingping and the Saintess, returned to the Imperial City. They went to the princess’s mansion that belonged to her but where she had never lived.

After she made arrangements for Chen Pingping and the Saintess, she hurried into the imperial palace.

The Saintess couldn’t help but speak up, "What are you planning to do?"

"Nothing much!" Chen Pingping shrugged. "As you can see, the little princess and I hit it off right away; it’s a shame we didn’t meet sooner..."

"This is the Spirit Realm, don’t mess around," the Saintess watched him closely.

"Are you concerned about me?" Chen Pingping smiled.

The Saintess simply shut her mouth.

She couldn’t figure Chen Pingping out. If you said he wasn’t much of a man, he still liked to tease girls. But if you said he *was* a man, well, back at the Sacred Grounds, he had publicly rejected their goodwill.

Why?

Am I, the Saintess, so lacking?

How am I inferior to the Moon God?

The more she thought, the angrier she got. She immediately walked away, thinking, What does it matter what he wants to do? I’m here to search for the Great Tao imprint in the Undying Furnace; it’s not related to him.

As long as Chen Pingping didn’t interfere with her affairs, she naturally wouldn’t expose his identity and origins either.

「Several hours later.」

Lan Xiuzhi returned to the mansion cursing, "I’m so furious! Those wretched ministers, that hateful Imperial Father..."

Chen Pingping was walking the dog in the courtyard and, hearing her voice, looked up and asked, "What happened?"

"I’m only eighteen this year, at the first stage of the King Tao realm, and they actually want me to go in search of the Undying Furnace! The audacity!" Lan Xiuzhi gritted her teeth. "Shouldn’t such tasks be handled by my imperial brothers?"

Huh?

Chen Pingping was stunned for a moment.

Being at the first stage of the King Tao realm was indeed too low, nowhere near sufficient for the search for the Undying Furnace.

Lan Xiuzhi continued, "They said the Phoenix Cauldron could resonate with the Undying Furnace, so it has to be me who goes."

Because of her unusual constitution, she could withstand the Power of the Great Tao from a Heaven Tao Divine Weapon. No one else could, making her the most suitable candidate.

Secondly, wasn’t this also what Chen Pingping most wanted to see happen?

As long as the Phoenix Cauldron remained in Lan Xiuzhi’s body, the Earth Chicken could continue to absorb its essence. If it were returned to the imperial dynasty, he would probably have to find another way.

But this brought up another issue.

What if Lan Xiuzhi found the Undying Furnace?

The Three Great Imperial Dynasties attacking the Heaven Martial Continent again...

Sigh... Chen Pingping was dismayed!

The Saintess nearby, however, brightened up and said with a faint laugh, "Then let’s go!" She had also heard that the Phoenix Cauldron could resonate with the Undying Furnace, which was why she had approached the little princess.

Lan Xiuzhi turned pale and complained, "The Life Prohibited Zone of the Spirit Realm isn’t a joke. For tens of thousands of years, countless individuals have entered the zone in search of great opportunities, but only a few have ever walked out alive."

She didn’t want to go.

The Saintess spoke up, "It’s alright, we’ll just be careful."

Lan Xiuzhi added, "It’s not a matter of being careful. Aside from the Heavenly Phoenix Imperial Dynasty, young geniuses from the Heavenly Dragon and Ancient Dynasties are also involved. Therefore, the danger is far greater than that."

"Did you refuse?" The Saintess walked over.

"No!" Lan Xiuzhi said. "I had no choice but to accept, but I stated a condition."

"What condition?"

"I want to take my friends with me," she spoke seriously.

Chen Pingping, who had been drinking tea behind her, suddenly sprayed it out, dumbfounded.

The Saintess laughed. Yes, that’s right, take this guy with her. He possessed formidable combat abilities and had even ventured into all five Life Prohibited Zones of the Central Continent.