"Not running? I wonder if you'll still be so calm once we've caught you." Yun Fengqing held a sword in his hand—a divine artifact, its profound energy so dense that it was clearly no ordinary weapon.
"Do you really think you can catch me?" Ye Yutian finally shed his disguise. His dark, terrifying aura was like that of a god of slaughter, a bloodthirsty smile curling at his lips, contempt in his eyes. Yun Fengqing couldn't help but feel overshadowed.
Even Mu Xinlian was stunned by the murderous intent radiating from him—cold, ruthless, decisive. She prided herself on having weathered countless storms in her life, yet she lacked the courage to even lift her head and look at him. This showed just how terrifying Ye Yutian had become.
"Radiant Holy Bird."
Yun Fengqing took a deep breath. He refused to believe he could always be outshone by him.
"Thunderflash."
Ye Yutian lightly pointed a finger at the sky. The cloudless heavens swiftly darkened, and thousands of thunderbolts struck down in unison. Not a single one of Yun Fengqing's men survived; only he, protected by his divine artifact, managed to escape the strike.
"How is this possible?"
Not only Yun Fengqing refused to believe it, but even Mu Xinlian couldn't accept it. After spending so much time with him, she had never realized he could be so chilling.
He didn't even blink when killing, as if those lives meant nothing.
Such bloodlust, such coldness—was this his true face all along?
"I was careless, but don't get too cocky. I recall you seem to care a lot about that Ye Lanshan, don't you?" Yun Fengqing spat out a mouthful of blood, then took out a pristine silk handkerchief to wipe his lips, reverting to his elegant demeanor as if unharmed.
"Trying to capture my master? You're far too confident." Mu Xinlian let out a cold laugh. Anyone wanting to seize Ye Lanshan would have to get through her first, and she wasn't someone easily defeated.
"Indeed, trying to catch me? I doubt you could even if I stood right in front of you." Ye Lanshan retracted the Devourer beneath her feet, holding it in her hand. A dense, sinister aura enveloped the weapon, giving it a bone-chilling appearance.
"Ye Lanshan, I wondered why I couldn't find you anywhere. So you've been running around with Ye Yutian. But I heard you have a fiancé in the Moon Kingdom who avenged you in a rage. What do you think he'd say if he knew you were gallivanting with another man?"
Yun Fengqing's surroundings were wrapped in profound energy, the light element enhancing his saintly image.
"That's none of your concern. Right now, you'd better think about whether you can make it out of here alive." Ye Lanshan tilted her chin nonchalantly.
A flicker of coldness passed through Yun Fengqing's eyes, but in the end, he fled. Watching his hurried retreat, Ye Lanshan and Ye Yutian didn't give chase.
"I'm truly sorry this happened. I didn't think things through this time." Ye Lanshan's eyes were heavy with undeniable exhaustion.
"It's not your fault. No one expected the other side to know your plan in advance, did they?" Ye Yutian's icy expression softened, transforming from a cold-blooded killer into an incredibly warm presence.
"I thought I could have everything under control, but now I keep failing." Ye Lanshan let out a self-deprecating laugh, her usual pride shattered in that moment.
Before Ye Yutian could respond, Mu Xinlian spoke up first: "This isn't your fault. How could we predict the mind of a madman? Who would have thought there was a traitor among the Spirit Clan?"
It seemed those lunatics were skilled in manipulation too. Dealing with them wouldn't be easy.
"Have you seen Feng Qing?" Ye Lanshan furrowed her brow. Wasn't Feng Qing supposed to lead them there? Why was he nowhere to be seen?
"He ran off long ago." Mu Xinlian had no respect for Feng Qing. At the first sign of danger, he abandoned his companions and fled, showing no sense of responsibility.
"I see." Ye Lanshan felt no real disappointment. She hadn't expected much from him anyway. Could she really count on a chance acquaintance as a true ally?
"Roar~"
"Roar, roar~"
"Roar, roar, roar~"
The cries of countless beasts echoed across the distant mountains. Just how many spirit beasts were needed to create such a commotion?
"That's the madmen's territory." Mu Xinlian glanced toward the source of the sound.
"Let's go check it out." Ye Lanshan took the lead, stepping onto the Devourer and flying in that direction.
Ye Yutian cast a curious glance at the Devourer, surprised that an enlarged dagger could carry someone through the air. But he didn't slow down, catching up to Ye Lanshan in no time. "What's that weapon you're standing on? It can even fly with you."
"It's called the Devourer. It doesn't fly on its own—I have a technique called Sword Flight." Ye Lanshan briefly explained.
"The Devourer, that ancient killing tool. I never thought it would end up in your hands." Ye Yutian showed no confusion at the name, only a growing sense of pride.
"Ye Lanshan, why are you here?" Feng Qing was directing all the spirit beasts in the Sunset Mountain Range to attack the madmen's lair when his peripheral vision caught sight of her rushing over.
"Didn't expect to see you here too, brother?" Feng Qing was surprised by Ye Lanshan's arrival, but then spotted Ye Yutian, forcing an awkward smile.
"What are you doing?" Ye Lanshan watched as hundreds of spirit beasts trampled those who came out to defend into pulp, yet they never entered the cave.
"I was seeking revenge, but I didn't expect you to show up." Feng Qing scratched the back of his head, wanting to explain but not knowing where to start.
"In that case, let's go all the way." A smirk curled at Ye Lanshan's lips. Gone was the earlier dejection; her face now radiated confidence and composure.
Before anyone could react, Ye Lanshan shot into the cave like a beam of light. Ye Yutian followed without a second thought, and Mu Xinlian, seeing them dive in, reluctantly trailed behind.
Feng Qing stood frozen on the ground, still processing what had just happened. How had everyone suddenly run off?
"Hey, wait for me! I'm coming with you!" Once he snapped out of it, he hurried after them.
Huo Feiyan, Xia Ri—hold on. I'm coming to save you.
On the operating table, a grim scene unfolded. Xia Ri lay with her chest and abdomen torn open, intestines spilling everywhere, one arm replaced with a mechanical limb. But a check of her breath showed she was already dead.
"Another failure?" A faint sigh drifted through the air, as crisp as mountain snow and clear as spring water. No one would guess that the voice belonged to a raving madman—the one Ling Chunian and the others despised to the core.
Ye Lanshan burst in, only to find countless identical tunnels branching off in every direction.
She closed her eyes, carefully sensing Huo Feiyan's location. "This way, let's go." Opening her eyes, she swiftly ducked into one of the tunnels.