C11 Fifth Prince!

Curtis Three didn't take care of Rasul as Malen did, so he was even less receptive to Rasul's feelings and opinions. Right now, Curtis Three only cared about leaving this forest as soon as possible while trying to avoid the territory of strange beasts.

Before long, the duo was out of Level-9 strange beasts' territory.

Rasul calculated, 'With Curtis Three's current speed, we should be back in Old Howelllin Town before dark.'

If they were lucky, they might just even arrive before dinner time. However, what happened next proved that reality was no one's mistress. While they were close to leaving Level-9 beasts' territory and about to enter Level-10 beasts' territory, they unexpectedly met a group of people.

It was a group of seven cultivators.

When Curtis Three saw the people, his face immediately darkened, and he stopped walking.

"Fifth Prince, Hubery!" Curtis Three glared at the seven men ahead of him, especially at the young man in his twenties. He was wearing a purple-golden robe and seemed to have an outstanding temperament.

The young man was none other than Hubery—the fifth prince of Daniel Country.

Rasul's face also darkened when he heard what Curtis Three.

Evident from his surname, Daniel, Hubery was a member of the royal family. Within Daniel Country, he had vast influence and great power.

The current king of Daniel Country was by no means a competent ruler, but he did bore two outstanding sons. The three great families had rebellious thoughts because of the king's incompetence; they didn't act on them because of his sons' competence.

Moreover, both princes had exceptional cultivation talent. The fifth prince, Hubery, was the best when it came to cultivation talent. Apart from having brains capable of conjuring up excellent schemes, he also had middle Level-8 cultivation talent.

In the Daniel Country, besides the royal family, the three great families also held quite the sway. According to their strength, they were ranked: Hanson family, Knowles family, and Gibson family.

Despite being ranked above the three great families, the royal family wasn't all the strong. Only 30% of the profits made in the entire Daniel Country belonged to the royal family. The three great families had a monopoly over 60%.

The Hanson family, ranked first among the three great families, was famous for its bloodline inheritance. Of the 60%, 25% belonged to them. The Knowles family, renowned for their pills, enjoyed 20% of the profits. The Gibson family was known for their weapons and had a mere 15% of the total profits. The remaining 10% was occupied by the various other small families and sects.

The three great families had a strength equivalent or just less than the royal family, so no one had a clear upper hand. To seize all the profits and occupy the entire Daniel Country, the three great families had fought with the royal family time and time again. The battles would sometimes be out under the public eye or in the secret chambers where no one could see them. There had even been a few large-scale fierce battles, but no one came out the victor in the end. Such battles depleted the resources of both sides.

To avoid such losses, the four great forces decided to stop fighting large-scale wars. However, that didn't mean they ceased all the battles they did in secret, especially the battle for geniuses.

Rasul was once a reason for one such battle.

When his peak Level-8 talent was unveiled, the patriarch's and the other elders' first reaction wasn't celebrating. Instead, they immediately sealed off the news and arranged three cultivators at the Body Refining Stage as his bodyguards.

If it weren't for the fact that his meridians were damaged and he was now just trash, he would've been on the receiving end of countless assassination plots.

Given the rivalry between the royal family and the three great families—collectively known as the four great forces—Rasul feared that a fight would break out at any moment between them and the fifth prince's group.

"Knowles family members?!" Hubery exclaimed when he saw Curtis Three and Rasul.

"Fifth Prince, he is Curtis Three from the Knowles family's Dark Guards. He is a high Body-Refining cultivator, and he has also mastered a secret technique that can help him increase his strength. He is not to be underestimated," Noticing Hubery's excitement and eagerness, one of the guards beside him reminded.

Hubery's status was too prestigious, and they couldn't let him suffer any injuries. If he were injured, the guards wouldn't have a good end either.

"Who is the other guy?" Hubery shifted his gaze from Curtis Three to Rasul and asked with a puzzled expression.

Curtis Three was a member of the mighty Dark Guards. So, Hubery was puzzled as to why someone so strong was carrying someone else around.

"Fifth Prince, that guy is Rasul. He was a rare genius of the Knowles family, a genius that only appears once a century. Of course, now he is nothing but trash, a trash that only appears once a century. Hahaha."

Rasul could be considered a disgrace to the Knowles family. So—naturally—the royal family members would not let go of the opportunity to humiliate the Knowles family.

"Rasul, they are too strong. I'm afraid I will have to fight them with my life. As for whether we can escape or not... Well, may the Heavens bless us!" Curtis Three compared the strength of both sides and knew that he alone was absolutely no match for them. There was only one way of surviving now: escape.

"Curtis Three, I got it. You can escape now. Don't worry about me." Rasul expressed his understanding toward Curtis Three's decision to abandon him at this critical moment. He didn't hold any resentment in his heart. After all, this was a life-and-death situation, so it would've been insane had Curtis Three put Knowles Kingdom Zhongitan's life over his own.

"Since he is from the Knowles family's Dark Guards, we don't need to show them any mercy. Just kill both of them." When Hubery saw Curtis Three and Rasul whispering to each other, he knew they were plotting an escape plan. A cold light flashed across his eyes as he took a step back and gave the kill order.

"Let's split up and escape!" Curtis Three shouted when he noticed the Daniel Family experts pulling out their weapons one after another. Then he sped up and fled towards the outer perimeter of the Endless Forest.

Rasul didn't follow Curtis Three. Instead, he turned around and entered the territory of the Level-9 beasts.

Rasul had his own plans for what he was going to do.

Being a weak mortal, there was no way he could escape the Daniel Family experts' pursuit. Moreover, if he encountered a Level-10 beast on the way, he would die instantly.

However, his chances of survival would unexpectedly skyrocket if he entered a Level-9 beasts' territory.

First of all, he was a useless person who couldn't cultivate, so he didn't pose any threat to Hubery's group. A Level-9 beasts' territory was filled with danger, so they just might not danger their lives for his.

Secondly, when Rasul and Curtis Three crossed the Level-9 beasts' territory, Curtis Three took a safe path. Thanks to that path, they successfully avoided all Level-9 beasts. If not for the path, they would've encountered a foe every step of the way.

Rasul had a crystal clear memory of the route they took. Maybe a perfect memory was heaven's way of apologizing for taking his meridians.

Additionally, Rasul found that after absorbing previous Rasul memories, his own memories became prominent. He also found that his brain was now sharper and calmer than ever. He could remember anything after a single glance.

So, Rasul decided to return to the Mr. Levineg Tree cave. There, he wanted to replicate enough Meridian Herbs to heal and break through to the Daniel Refining Stage as soon as he could.

When the Daniel Country experts saw Rasul and Curtis Three taking different routes, they didn't know who to chase.

"Don't bother with the trash. Go and hunt down the Knowles family's guard." Hubery's reaction was the quickest, and he ordered them to chase Curtis Three.