Unfortunately, by the time he realized something was wrong, it was already too late.
"The Ye family's formation truly lives up to its reputation, but did you really think this could trap me? What a joke." Yun Qingfeng forcibly broke through the formation.
Ye Lanshan's brows were tightly furrowed. She hadn't expected Yun Qingfeng to be so formidable and troublesome.
"What, no more tricks left? I wonder who can save you now." The restlessness in Yun Qingfeng's brow still hadn't dissipated, and the clarity in his eyes was fading bit by bit.
"Light and Shadow Entwined"—a cascade of light and darkness surged toward her like a waterfall.
Seeing his current state, Ye Lanshan found it eerily familiar. While using the "Six-Sided Fire Shield" and "Water Curtain" to fend off the "Light and Shadow Entwined," she tried chanting a calming mantra to steady his mind.
Gradually, the restlessness in his brow subsided, and his murky eyes regained a trace of clarity.
Coming to his senses, Yun Qingfeng realized how grave a mistake he had made—he had actually unleashed the hidden dark force he'd concealed for years.
Oh heavens, if the Holy Land found out, he would be finished.
At that thought, a ruthless glint flashed in his eyes. Since you all know I possess dark power, none of you will leave alive.
"I never expected someone from the Holy Land to practice the Dust-Avoiding Art," Ye Lanshan said, as if she had caught him red-handed, stressing the words "Dust-Avoiding Art" heavily.
Yun Qingfeng curled his lips into a refined smile. "I never expected Miss Ye to still choose to oppose me after learning of my strength."
"How about we make a deal? I'll help you suppress the side effects of the Dust-Avoiding Art, and you let us off today."
A flicker of interest passed through Yun Qingfeng's eyes, clearly tempted. But being cautious by nature, he didn't easily trust that Ye Lanshan would help him, so he didn't agree immediately.
Seeing his hesitation, Ye Lanshan quickly added, "If you're worried we'll spread the news that you're a dark force user, rest assured. Neither Fu Tian nor I are gossips. We won't breathe a word of this to anyone."
"What makes you think I have reason to trust you or him?" Yun Qingfeng pointed his fan at Fu Tian. "He's an enemy the Holy Land wants dead. Do you think I'd believe an enemy's words?"
Ye Lanshan knew it would be hard to earn Yun Qingfeng's trust, but the problem was they couldn't defeat him now. If they didn't resort to this, they'd be dead for sure.
"I can swear a heavenly oath. I, Ye Lanshan, will never tell anyone that Yun Qingfeng is a dark force user, or may I fall into eternal hell."
"He'll swear one too in a moment," Ye Lanshan said, pointing at Fu Tian, who was still fighting the Holy Land disciples.
A struggle flickered in Yun Qingfeng's eyes. After a long pause, he finally spoke softly, "Fine. If you can suppress my restlessness, I'll let you off today."
Ye Lanshan's tense body didn't relax, but she stepped forward and handed the calming mantra to Yun Qingfeng.
Yun Qingfeng wasn't stupid. After hearing it a few times, he picked up most of it.
"Can this so-called mantra really work?" Yun Qingfeng was somewhat skeptical. Even though Ye Lanshan had used it to awaken his mind earlier, he still had doubts.
"Of course it works. Otherwise, how did you regain your clarity?"
Seeing the sincerity in Ye Lanshan's eyes, he reluctantly believed her. "Fine, I'll trust you this once. If it doesn't work, next time we meet, I won't be so lenient."
"Naturally." Ye Lanshan was quite confident in this regard.
"Light and Shadow Entwined." Yun Qingfeng directly attacked the other disciples, intending to silence them.
"Yun Qingfeng, are you insane? Attacking your own people?" one of the older disciples shouted in disbelief.
"Sorry, I don't want to kill you either, but to keep my dark power a secret, I have no choice but to silence you." Though Yun Qingfeng's expression remained refined, his words were utterly ruthless.
At the last moment of his life, another disciple yelled, "You think killing us will change anything? Do you really believe you've hidden it well? Hah, Elder Ye has known you're a dark force user all along."
Yun Qingfeng closed his eyes tightly, then opened them. "Even if he knows, so what? He won't tell anyone."
"Wings of Carnage." Fearing Yun Qingfeng might waver, Ye Lanshan activated her mystic technique to hasten the group's demise.
When only Fu Tian remained among the crowd, he was stunned. He hadn't heard what Ye Lanshan and Yun Qingfeng had said, so seeing the scene left him bewildered.
"I've killed them to silence them. I hope you'll keep our promise." Yun Qingfeng didn't leave immediately but turned his gaze to Fu Tian.
"What's going on? What kind of deal did you make? Lanshan, how could you make a deal with someone from the Holy Land? They're all hypocrites cloaked in righteousness—their words can't be trusted."
Hearing the word "deal," Fu Tian immediately tried to dissuade Ye Lanshan, wanting to stop her agreement with Yun Qingfeng. But unfortunately, Ye Lanshan had already sworn a heavenly oath.
Yun Qingfeng watched Ye Lanshan with a half-smile, curious to see how she would resolve this contradictory situation.
Ye Lanshan's lips moved slightly. "As long as you swear a heavenly oath never to tell anyone that Yun Qingfeng is a dark force user, we'll at least be safe for now."
"Forget it. I'd rather die than bow to the Holy Land." Fu Tian was ready to fight Yun Qingfeng to the death.
Ye Lanshan shook her head and sighed. "Fu Feng needs you. You can't die now." She said this with utmost seriousness.
Struggle appeared in Fu Tian's eyes, but in the end, he relented and swore the heavenly oath.
Yun Qingfeng upheld their agreement and let them go.
They walked in silence until they reached the courtyard gate, where Fu Tian finally asked, "What deal did you make with Yun Qingfeng?"
"That's none of your concern." Ye Lanshan's voice turned cold, carrying a hint of displeasure.
"You're back! Miss, how did you get hurt? Is it serious?" A voice filled with surprise rang out.
Seeing Ye Lanshan finally return, Ye Yu felt a weight lift from her heart, but noticing her bloodstained clothes, her joy turned to worry.
"It's fine. I'm not hurt. This is all someone else's blood." Ye Lanshan smiled to reassure everyone.
But whether she was injured or not, Sikong Kuang could tell at a glance. He took out a bottle of pills and tossed it directly to Ye Lanshan.
Fu Tian shot them a cold glance and sat down without a word.