On Night Yutian's side, things were slightly better. His strength was unfathomable, but with cracks in his meridians, no matter how powerful he truly was, he dared not use his full force, which left him evenly matched with the blue-robed man.
As for Ye Lanshan's side, the opponent's divine beast was a third-tier one, while Eagle Huarong was only a two-pole-tier divine beast—a full grade difference.
Regardless, this had become a bitter struggle, one that heavily favored their enemies.
Seeing the disadvantageous situation, Ye Lanshan gritted her teeth and summoned the Flame Tiger. The Flame Tiger now was nothing like before.
He had undergone rigorous training and was just a step away from breaking through to become a divine beast. Perhaps this was the perfect opportunity.
"Master, how did you provoke such strong enemies again?"
The Flame Tiger was startled the moment he appeared. Good heavens, these were all experts above his level, and there were even two divine beasts—though one seemed to be the master's contracted beast.
Ye Lanshan pointed at the little girl ahead and said, "Go help Eagle Huarong."
"Master, that's a divine beast! How can a mere ninth-tier mystic beast handle a divine beast?" The Flame Tiger scurried behind her, refusing to come out.
"Don't you want to break through to become a divine beast?" Ye Lanshan gave him a sly smile. "Tsk, if you miss this chance to become a divine beast, there might not be a second one."
"R-really?"
The Flame Tiger's eyes lit up, and he slowly peeked out from behind Ye Lanshan.
"Would I lie? Have my words ever failed to come true?"
"Then... I'll go." Trembling, the Flame Tiger braced himself against the divine beast's pressure and stepped forward one step at a time.
Meanwhile, Ye Lanshan charged at the red-robed woman, slapping a paralysis talisman onto her. But with a flick of her robe, the woman shed the garment along with the talisman.
Now unafraid of exposure, Ye Lanshan unleashed the Red Lotus Karmic Fire, and sure enough, she saw surprise flash in the red-robed woman's eyes.
"So you're Ye Lanshan, the one the Holy Land is hunting?"
"That's right, it's me."
At these words, everyone stopped.
The blue-robed man walked over, looking down at her, and said coldly, "I know the Holy Land is hunting you across the world. The only force that can protect you now is us. If you join us, we'll overlook your prison break."
Ye Lanshan frowned, stepped back, and said flatly, "I don't like looking up, and I hate being looked down on."
The blue-robed man was about to flare up, but the red-robed woman stopped him. "You'll scare them. Let me handle this."
"Ye Lanshan, you must know how pathetic your situation is—hiding your true face, using a fake name, living in constant fear. Don't you feel stifled?"
Ye Lanshan wasn't buying it. She met the red-robed woman's gaze and said, "How I live is none of your business. And I don't feel stifled at all."
"Is that so? Then dare you say you don't hate the Holy Land? Join us, and I'll make sure you can hold your head high against them. They won't dare touch you again."
Ling Chunian had already freed herself from the paralysis talisman and crept close, whispering, "Don't listen to them, or you'll regret it."
"I'd rather see them beg for mercy with despair on their faces than have them fear me. So I won't be joining you." Ye Lanshan cracked her neck and slapped another paralysis talisman onto Ling Chunian.
"Then don't blame us." The red-robed woman's smiling face turned cold. In an instant, she was before Ye Lanshan, aiming for her throat.
Though weak in strength, Ye Lanshan had lived two lives and wielded an ancient weapon, barely managing to protect her vital points.
But Ling Chunian, standing beside her, was caught in the blast. Already paralyzed by Ye Lanshan's talisman, the red-robed woman's claw sent her flying like a broken kite.
The others quickly reacted, but with experience from their last fight, Ye Lanshan's group gradually turned the tide and gained the upper hand.
No one noticed Jiang Kui creeping toward Ling Chunian with a large blade, a cruel smile on his face and excitement in his eyes.
"Don't come any closer! Jiang Kui, I'm warning you, take one more step and I won't hold back!" Ling Chunian's voice trembled as she crawled backward.
"Keep pretending. If you could fight back, you'd have done it already. Don't worry, dying under my blade is your blessing." Jiang Kui's sword, thirsting for blood, was already beyond control.
Ling Chunian glanced at Ye Lanshan and the others, who were too busy to help her. Was she really going to die under the Blood-Drinking Blade? How she regretted testing the clan leader at a time like this.
Now, not only had she failed her mission, but she was about to lose her life to that blade.
Ling Chunian slowly closed her eyes, filled with regret, despair, and reluctance, waiting for death. But the blade never fell. She cracked an eye open and looked up to find Jiang Kui frozen in place.
A paralysis talisman—it had to be one. Ling Chunian mustered all her strength to crawl up, wobbled behind him, and spotted the talisman on his back.
Ye Lanshan, in the moment Jiang Kui raised his blade, had glimpsed Ling Chunian closing her eyes in despair. In a hurry, she flung a paralysis talisman.
That was why Jiang Kui stood motionless with his sword raised.
Ling Chunian collapsed slowly, gratitude in her heart.
The bitter battle left both sides battered, neither able to defeat the other.
"Cough, cough, cough." Yue Shu coughed violently, spitting blood.
Ye Lanshan's face changed. She quickly fed him a pill, and after a long while, his complexion improved slightly.
The dungeon was cold and damp; Yue Shu couldn't stay long. She needed to find a way to end this quickly.
Should she reveal her trump card? Ye Lanshan was reluctant to do so unless her life was at stake. But aside from Shangguan Xin and Wu Tengyun, no one could take them down fast.
Just as she hesitated, she suddenly remembered the Fuxi Qin. Right, how could she have forgotten that?
Ye Lanshan immediately pulled out the Fuxi Qin, a faint smile curling her lips. This time, they were sure to win.
"Zheng, zheng, zheng zheng zheng zheng zheng..."
She sat cross-legged on the ground and began playing leisurely.
The red-robed woman's anger flared. At such a critical moment, she was playing the qin—did she have no respect for them? But in her fury, she didn't notice the qin's melody affecting her.