Chapter 231: Chapter 206: It’s Starting Already?

Most importantly, Gao Neng had also discovered a problem: the guard from the Third Guard Army impersonating the Prince was all alone.

How did that saying go again?

You’re thirsty.

And it starts to rain.

You’re hungry.

And pies start falling from the sky.

Sweet!

’If I don’t pull off a robbery and get some saber practice in at a time like this, then getting this strong would have been a complete waste.’

"Halt!" Gao Neng leaped out from the ground, propping the Horse-Cutting Saber on his shoulder. "This tree was planted by me, this road was opened by me. If you wish to pass through here, leave your toll money behind!"

"???" The guard, who had been racing toward the Elf Royal City, was instantly dumbfounded.

’What the hell?’

’How could a robber pop up on the road to the Elf Royal City? And this robber seems to be... a human?!’

’What do you call this?’

’This is called courting death!’

"Hmph, looking to practice on me? This is a little interesting!" The guard didn’t sense a powerful aura from Gao Neng, which meant the opponent was at most Tier Three.

Although he was also only Tier Three, he was an elite among those in the Tier Three Late Stage. On top of that, he was wearing precious armor that could withstand a blow from a Tier Six expert.

What did he have to fear?

Without any hesitation, the guard drew an Elf Long Saber.

Gao Neng didn’t draw.

He was waiting for the guard to come to him.

The distance between the two of them closed continuously.

Then, Gao Neng drew his saber.

"SHING!"

The blade emerged with a flash of white light.

Like a falling star, it slashed straight for the guard’s head.

The guard instantly felt an immense pressure. He realized with stark clarity that the human youth before him was strong—at least, stronger than he was.

"BOOM!"

The two sabers collided.

Gao Neng neither retreated nor dodged.

As for the guard, he sprayed blood from his mouth as if it were free. But he still clenched his jaw and used the knockback from the blow to roll backward rapidly.

"He didn’t die from one slash?" Gao Neng was a little surprised. ’I have a gut feeling I can one-shot a Tier Four right now, so why isn’t this Tier Three dead?’

’Could he be an elite mob?’

’Lots of HP!’

Just as he was thinking this, he saw the guard impersonating the Prince sprint away in another direction without looking back.

’He’s pretty fast.’

’But is he as fast as a Flying Earth Dragon?’

"SWOOSH!"

A figure shot out from beneath the ground.

The Flying Earth Dragon spread its wings, its three-meter-tall body blocking the guard’s path. At the same time, its two scythe-like serrated blades came slashing down.

"BOOM!"

The guard, already heavily wounded, was slashed down to his knees.

"Judging by your attire, you seem to have a high status. You must have quite a few treasures on you, right? This haul... is going to be huge!" Gao Neng walked over, saber in hand, his gaze chillingly cold.

"Wait!" The guard’s face paled in horror. His death wasn’t a big deal, but his mission was crucial. "I am the Thirteenth Prince of the Wood Elf Race! We are a peaceful people; we have never even waged war against humans. If you kill me today... the Wood Elf Race will not let you go!"

"Whoa, a Prince?!" Gao Neng feigned a jump, his expression becoming extremely tense. "But even if I kill you now, you guys won’t know it was me, right?"

"Nonsense! Of course we’ll know!" the guard bit out through clenched teeth.

"Oh? How would you know? I don’t believe in such magical things!" Gao Neng said in disbelief, closing in on the guard step by step.

"A Soul Mark! As long as my Soul Mark exists... the fact... that you killed me will definitely be known!" The guard slowly backed away, his hand tightening on his saber.

"Definitely know? Heh... what a joke. Doesn’t your race’s rebirth cycle take twenty years? Even if they found out, it would be twenty years from now, wouldn’t it?"

"We Dar—no, we Wood Elf Race are different!"

"Different? How are you different!"

"That’s our secret. I won’t tell you!"

"Trying to trick me? I’m not falling for it. If you don’t talk, I’ll kill you!" Gao Neng didn’t hold back. He raised his Horse-Cutting Saber and swung it down at the guard.

The guard closed his eyes.

Quietly awaiting his death.

He bit his lip so hard it bled, but he still refused to speak.

But the saber...

...stopped right before the guard’s forehead.

"So you’re really not afraid to die? Alright, let’s make a deal. If you can prove you’re a Prince of the Wood Elf Race, I’ll let you go. Otherwise, I’ll kill you!" Gao Neng spoke again.

"You’re serious? You’ll really let me go?" The guard was clearly surprised. A moment ago, when facing death, a chill had already run down his spine.

No one truly wants to die.

Even he was no exception.

"Of course. We humans always keep our word," Gao Neng said with a nod.

"Alright. This is the identity Token of the Wood Elf Race. You can see for yourself, my name is on it." The guard finally fumbled for an identity Token and produced it.

Gao Neng took it and glanced at it.

Sure enough, the name ’Jami’ was written on it, and it also designated him as a member of the Wood Elf Race’s Royal Race.

’The information my ability showed...’

’...is really reliable!’

"You’re Jami?" Gao Neng asked.

"That is correct. I am the Thirteenth Prince of the Wood Elf Race." A proud look appeared on the guard’s face.

"Then what are you doing in the Dark Night Elf Clan’s territory? You can at least tell me that, right? Otherwise, why should I believe a Prince of Wood Elves would travel all this way to get here?" Gao Neng asked again, feigning confusion.

The guard hesitated.

He was weighing the importance of the matter.

"If you’re going to give me some excuse like ’just passing by,’ don’t even bother. I won’t believe it. But if you were to say you’re here to propose a marriage... I might consider believing you." Gao Neng twitched his Horse-Cutting Saber again, his threat clear.

"You... How did you know I... No, that I am here to propose marriage?!" The guard was visibly startled. This matter was top secret.

’Unless there’s a spy within the Dark Night Elf Clan!’

"Alright, I know everything I need to know. The rest... you probably won’t say anyway. In that case, you can just die!" Gao Neng raised his saber and slashed down.

"No!!! You said you wouldn’t kill me! You’re going back on your word!"

"CRACK!"

The guard’s head was lopped off with a single slash.

"Naive," Gao Neng commented casually as he glanced at the dead guard before him. But soon after, he saw a small, translucent squirrel dart out of the guard’s body.

Previously, he never would have sensed this thing’s existence.

But now, he saw it...

And not only did he see it.

He could also feel a familiar aura.

"A Soul Mark!"

"This guard actually had a Soul Mark too?!"

"Kill it!"

With a single thought, Gao Neng released the power of the mark from his own soul, merging it with his Spiritual Power and forging it into an incomparably sharp dagger.

"PFFT!"

The dagger struck the little squirrel.

The little squirrel’s body shuddered instantly, its eyes filled with indignation and terror, but in the end, it dissolved into tiny fragments of light. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

’That was close. It almost got away. So, does this mean the secret to the Elf Race’s resurrection lies within the ’Soul Mark’? But wait, that’s not right... When that dumb system assessed it, it said the Soul Fruit came from the Celestial Race. What’s the connection here?’ Gao Neng couldn’t quite figure it out at the moment.

However, that didn’t stop him from looting the corpse.

’A guard impersonating a prince to propose a marriage ought to have some betrothal gifts on him, right?’

Gao Neng first stripped the armor off the guard’s body. Then, he started searching... and quickly found some decent items.

Among them, the most special was a ring.

’A Spatial Ring?’

Gao Neng probed it with his Spiritual Power and discovered a bow inside. The name of the Seventh Princess, Wu Dingxiang, was engraved upon it.

As for the material, he couldn’t identify it.

But it seemed to be made from a very ancient type of wood.

’A treasure!’

Gao Neng had the system appraise it.

"Ding! One High-tier Oak Bow, valued at 67,000,000 Alliance Coins. Do you wish to recycle it?" a mechanical voice soon rang out.

"67 million? Not bad. This bow must be the betrothal gift." Gao Neng immediately put the bow away, then peeled the mask off the guard’s face.

He tried it on.

It felt like a pretty good fit.

"Speaking of which, now that I have the identity of a Prince, it should be pretty safe to go take a look at the Elf Royal City, right? Hehe, I really am a genius!" Gao Neng was delighted.

This skin mask was excellent; it even came with two elf ears. His Wood Elf disguise was so good that not even gods or ghosts could see through it.

’A perfect plan.’

’Just one look, not a second glance. The moment there’s trouble, I’m out of there!’ Having made up his mind, Gao Neng picked up the guard’s Elf Long Saber.

After changing into the clothes the guard had used for his Prince disguise, he began to sneak toward the Elf Royal City again.

However, just in case, he still decided to sneak into the Royal City from underground.

’Go through the main gate?’

’I’d have to be crazy to go through the main gate!’

The outfit looked flawless, but if anyone actually questioned him, he wouldn’t know a thing. It was only useful for shifting the blame after being discovered.

’A genius’s plan must be meticulous.’

’Get cocky? Not a chance!’

...

「Several hours later.」

The time was approaching dawn.

A sliver of the red sun appeared in the sky, slowly dyeing the dark horizon crimson. Sunlight spilled down, illuminating the mist-shrouded forest.

On the walls of the Dark Night Elf Royal City, the guards kept a tight watch.

This was because today was the grand ceremony for the Seventh Princess to receive marriage proposals again, and there could absolutely be no more accidents.

A Great Elf stood at the city gate, looking out expectantly. He was waiting, but even after the sun had risen, the "Prince" he was waiting for had not arrived.

’Why isn’t he here yet?!’ A flash of anxiety crossed the Great Elf’s eyes. ’Based on the timeline, the Prince impersonated by the guard should have arrived by now.’

’There’s not much time left!’

Nine o’clock was the time for the Seventh Princess’s marriage proposal ceremony.

’Why isn’t he here yet?’

’Could there have been an accident?’

’Impossible!’

’The Human Alliance’s army has already retreated, and all the spies who infiltrated the city have been caught. What kind of accident could possibly happen at a time like this?’