Hearing Ian Song abruptly call off the operation, Shaoyang Chen and the other five Fusion patriarchs were visibly disappointed.
Ian said, "First, I need to plan something important. Second, after destroying so many branch altars, the Prime One Church must be furious. The rest of the altars are sure to be guarded by Fusion experts now. With our current strength, a head-on attack is suicide!"
Hearing this, Shaoyang Chen and the others sobered up, realizing they'd let all that loot go to their heads and forgotten just how powerful the Prime One Church really was.
Ian continued, "For now, focus on building up your sects and raising your cultivation."
"Yes, sir!"
The five Fusion patriarchs answered together.
After giving a few more instructions, Ian left Lesser Sun Sect. He’d already made up his mind: no matter how dangerous, even if the Prime One Church had laid a net over the Royal Capital, he would go and take Lila Li away.
As for why he didn’t bring the five Fusion patriarchs along—
He knew that even with them, they wouldn’t make much difference. Five Fusion experts sounded impressive, but in a place crawling with top-tier Prime One Church powerhouses, they’d be nothing special.
As for how to actually rescue Lila, Ian still had no clue. He was certain she’d be tightly watched by experts, and there’d be no chance to sneak her away early.
Leaving Lesser Sun Sect, Ian retreated directly into the Divine Temple.
There were still eleven days left until Lucas Li and Lila Li’s wedding. With the Divine Temple’s hundredfold time dilation, that meant he had over three years inside. If he spent all that time cultivating, he could reach late Soul-Split.
But even that level of strength wasn’t nearly enough.
So, he decided to dedicate the next three years to mastering formations.
With a thought, Ian summoned his Martial-Soul avatar, Evan Huang, to study formation manuals, while his main body continued researching talismans, aiming to break the third restriction on the five Array Flags within those three years.
At the Prime One Church, in a quiet courtyard atop a scenic spirit peak—
Lila Li stood listlessly among the flowers, her face haggard. Not far away, Annie Chan watched her, worried.
No one knew how much time passed before Lila let out a long, melancholy sigh. Now she was bait to catch Ian Song, and her feelings were a tangled mess—she wanted him to come, but she also hoped he wouldn’t.
She wanted him to come and take her away, because she refused to marry Lucas Li. But she also knew that if Ian showed up, he’d likely end up dead.
If he didn’t come, the Church’s scheme would fail, but she’d become someone else’s wife.
"What am I supposed to do?" she asked herself silently.
She’d thought about escaping the Church, but there were at least ten Fusion experts guarding her spirit peak. With her cultivation, there was no way out.
"Sigh, it’s all my fault he’s in this mess."
Just thinking about it made her want to cry.
Annie Chan wanted to comfort the Saintess, but she couldn’t find the words.
In the blink of an eye, ten days passed.
Tomorrow, Lucas Li would come to the Prime One Church to escort Lila Li for the wedding.
Still having no news from Ian Song, Victor Li grew anxious and personally went to Immortal Cloud Pavilion.
"Any luck reaching him?"
Victor Li asked Pavilion Mistress Bei.
"No, nothing."
Pavilion Mistress Bei shook her head. Ian had left her a jade slip—supposedly, crushing it would summon him. But even after she broke it, Ian hadn’t shown up.
Victor’s face fell. He started pacing anxiously around the room, muttering, "What do we do, what do we do... Tomorrow is the wedding. If my second brother barges into the Royal Capital, he’s doomed!"
"Your Highness, you really don’t need to worry so much. With Ian’s intelligence, he’s surely seen through this trap. He might choose not to show up at all," Pavilion Mistress Bei comforted.
"I hope you’re right."
Victor sighed. He respected Ian’s wisdom deeply, but just hoped he wouldn’t do anything reckless. If Ian really threw himself into the Royal Capital, even the smartest person might not make it out alive.
The next day, the Sixth Prince Residence was decked out in lanterns and packed with guests—a scene of bustling festivity.
Meanwhile, Lucas Li, the groom, led a grand bridal procession straight to the Prime One Church.
Today, Lucas looked nothing like his usual decadent self—he was spirited, handsome, and imposing. The procession rode directly to the spirit peak where Lila Li lived.
The courtyard on the spirit peak was hung with festive lanterns, but in the small, quiet inner yard, Lila still refused to put on her phoenix wedding robes.
"Saintess, the bridal procession is already at the foot of the spirit peak—please, change your clothes!"
Two middle-aged matrons pleaded with her, looking troubled.
"Save your breath. I’m not changing!" Lila answered coldly.
"That’s not up to you!"
A cold voice rang out. Derek Ying strode in, raised a hand, and sealed Lila’s Nascent Soul on the spot. He turned to the matrons and ordered, "Get her into the phoenix robes, now! If you delay the auspicious hour, I’ll hold you both responsible!"