"I kill precisely because they're from the Holy Land. If you weren't from the Holy Land, I wouldn't even bother killing you." Ye Lanshan produced several talismans and swiftly pasted them onto the bodies of the Holy Land disciples. Though this elder was formidable and not to be trifled with, with a divine beast around, even if another one showed up, it wouldn't be a problem.
"You, you, you—the Holy Lord will never let you off!" Elder Hong roared, utterly battered by the divine beast's attacks.
"Once you all vanish into this Misty Forest, who would know I killed you?" Ye Lanshan paid no heed to his bluster.
"Ye Lanshan, if you let us go, we swear we'll never capture you again. We won't breathe a word about you being here. Please, spare us—consider that we never attacked you before!" The Holy Land disciples wept pitifully, snot and tears streaming down their faces.
"Let you go?" Ye Lanshan's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.
"Yes, yes, yes! Just let us go, and we promise we'll never hunt you again." The disciples showed no sign of deceit, instead looking relieved.
"If I let you go now, you'd probably send people up the mountain to catch me before you even reach the bottom."
She had to admit, she'd guessed right—that was exactly what they were thinking.
Their faces stiffened. How did she know? No, the main thing now was to escape from her. Once they got out, they'd definitely tattle to the Holy Son.
"We are honorable disciples of the Holy Land—we mean what we say and keep our word. How could we possibly think that?"
Ye Lanshan twirled her dagger in her hand, ignoring their sweet talk. Her expression was inscrutable, impossible to read, yet the faint immortal aura around her made her seem even more sacred than the Holy Land's own.
After a long bout of pleading with no response from Ye Lanshan, they finally gave up. With vicious looks, they lunged at her in a sneak attack.
"Ah~"
A piercing scream tore through the sky. Ye Lanshan grabbed the attacker's arm, twisted it until it snapped, and covered her own ear with the other hand.
"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts! Let go, let go!" The attacker's face went pale, sweat pouring down his forehead. His white robes were stained with mud and blood, a picture of utter disgrace—a complete embarrassment to the Holy Land.
"Let go? So you can try again? Do you think that's possible?" Ye Lanshan smiled sweetly, but her actions were merciless. She shattered every bone in his body, leaving him a limp heap on the ground, writhing in pain, unable to even speak.
"Sigh! Fine, I'll grant you release."
With a single slash, his head flew to Elder Hong's feet. Elder Hong, already struggling to fend off the two divine beasts, was terrified by the head at his feet. The eyes were wide open, filled with despair, fear, and lifelessness, the face twisted in agony—so grotesque he couldn't bear to look again.
"Ye Lanshan, don't go too far!" Elder Hong roared in fury, but he was helpless. He could barely handle the two divine beasts, let alone with Ye Lanshan added to the mix.
"Me, go too far? Isn't it always the Holy Land that goes too far? How dare I compare to you?"
Everything the Holy Land had done to her, she would repay a thousandfold. They wanted to threaten her with her grandfather? She would make Yun Qingfeng watch in despair as the Holy Land crumbled piece by piece, powerless to stop it.
But for now, she was still weak. She needed to pit them against each other to reap the benefits.
The slaughter ended quickly. Staring at the scattered limbs and broken bodies, she felt nothing. Perhaps killing so many had numbed her heart.
But she hadn't forgotten her plan. Before that, though, she had one more nuisance to deal with.
"I never expected a noble divine beast to have a voyeuristic hobby."
A burst of flame shot toward Feng Qing. He extinguished it effortlessly, then descended from the air with a light laugh. "You're quite perceptive. But I'm curious—when did you notice me?"
He thought he'd hidden perfectly, not even a trace of aura leaking. How had she found him? Feng Qing was baffled.
"Just now, during the fight."
Thinking back, Ye Lanshan had to thank the Holy Land disciples. If not for them, she might never have realized Feng Qing was spying nearby.
"I said I'd help you deal with those lunatics. If that makes us allies, then allies don't betray each other, right?"
Feng Qing smiled. "Of course. Since I'm your ally, why would I betray you?"
"Then remember what you just said." Ye Lanshan gave him a meaningful glance, and that single look sent a chill down his spine, as if something bad was about to happen.
"Naturally."
Feng Qing forced out the words, feeling a sense of impending doom. Maybe he was overthinking it.
But he wasn't. Ye Lanshan was indeed planning to use him.
"I might need your help with something. As an ally, you wouldn't refuse, would you?"
"How could I? If it's within my power, I'll help."
"Good." Ye Lanshan nodded. Looking at the mess around her, she thought for a moment and told Feng Qing to lure the others over.
"Are you sure? Lure them here? What exactly are you planning?"
Feng Qing looked at her like she was crazy. If he brought them here, everyone would know who killed the Holy Land disciples.
"I thought you were brilliant, but I guess I was wrong. I'm going to shift the blame, of course."
Feng Qing was speechless. That hadn't occurred to him.
"Are you going or not? If you wait any longer, they'll be down the mountain." Ye Lanshan glanced at the sun, estimating the time. They should be heading down soon.
"Oh, fine." Curious about how she planned to divert suspicion, he quickly went to find the group chasing the Five Mystic Fruit.
"Help! Help!" Ye Lanshan disguised herself again, this time as a frail, delicate woman—the kind that easily stirred protective instincts.
"Miss, what happened to you?"
A group, originally chasing the divine beast Feng Qing, arrived to find a woman covered in blood, her hair a tangled mess.
She lifted her head, her pale face glistening with tears, looking utterly pitiful.