He seemed a bit angry with the news he got back.

Although it is true that he lacked similar experience, relatively speaking, he had given the other party a chance to counterattack, yet they chose not to take it, even blatantly exposing it.

He wasn't sure if the opponent's mental reflexes were poor or if they were just frightened.

Either way, he wasn't happy. What's the deal with these famous sects acting all high and mighty with this sort of quality?

Turning back, he knocked Xun Lingyin unconscious again.

On the other side, Hu Yan, looking at the message on the amulet, confirmed his suspicion and felt a chill in his heart.

When he received the false message, he had considered going with the flow and attempting a counterattack, but what did he have to use for an execution?

This wasn't something that could be shared with outsiders. It wasn't possible to mobilize a large force to surround and attack. Just him and Jin Zaogong?

Four men, including one from Su Yuan Sect, had failed to settle things. If he and his fellow disciple went, it wouldn't be to silence them but rather to deliver themselves into the hands of others for silencing.

He also considered notifying Mulan Qingqing and asking her to bring Guan Yingjie, which together with the two of them would definitely be stronger than the previous four.

The problem was, why wasn't Wang Sheng afraid? By impersonating his disciple, wasn't he luring them over?

He thought it best to be cautious.

No matter how much they respected Su Yuan Sect, they couldn't risk the entire Yuanjian Palace, especially not knowing the full extent of Wang Sheng and his associates. Those from Youxia Mountain seemed stronger than they had anticipated.

One reason he didn't contact Mulan Qingqing first was that he feared she might drag him into recklessness.

After some thought, he took out another amulet for contacting Mao Zhong and sent a message: Junior Brother Mao, how are things?

This situation definitely required full confirmation; they couldn't rely solely on one-sided information.

Shi Chun, Xiang Laner, and Wu Jinliang all turned their heads to look at the pile of amulets on the ground. Among them, a faint shadow flickered, quite conspicuous against the night sky, signaling that another message had come through.

Shi Chun immediately bent down to sift through the pile and picked one up, bursting into laughter upon reading it.

Xiang Laner and Wu Jinliang also looked over, and after seeing the message, Wu Jinliang also chuckled.

Shi Chun immediately replied: Don't bother. All three of your disciples are in my hands.

For Hu Yan, this was an expected development. Once confirmed, he threw the amulet back onto the table and took out another, sending a message to Junior Brother Zhu: Junior Brother Zhu, how are things?

Seeing another faint light flickering among the amulets on the ground, Shi Chun again flipped through them, raised an eyebrow, and replied promptly: Your disciples' lives are in the palm of my hand. Do you wish to save them?

Hu Yan's heart sank. He replied: Wang Sheng, if anything happens to my disciples, you at Youxia Mountain better brace for annihilation!

"Hahahaha..." Wu Jinliang, who was looking on, laughed out loud.

Even the bystander Xiang Laner couldn't help but shake her head slightly. The threat of destroying Youxia Mountain would hardly intimidate these two rascals. They were so reckless they didn't even care about the fate of Wukang Mountain, wildly unconcerned.

Shi Chun glanced at the corpse of Zhu Ze and replied: Because of what you just said, your Junior Brother Zhu is gone.

Wu Jinliang was laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach, getting kicked in the butt by Shi Chun, who found him annoying.

Hu Yan angerly shot back two words: You dare!

It was merely a textual expression of anger, in reality, he was quite calm.

Shi Chun retorted: I want to see how long you can keep hopping around.

Hu Yan no longer paid any attention, laid down the amulet, and took out the one for contacting Mulan Qingqing, sending a message: Mulan, there's been an accident. They failed. They might all be in Wang Sheng's hands now.

He added a simple flower motif to the message.

At this moment, Mulan Qingqing was standing at the cave entrance, looking at the moon with her hands behind her back.

Guan Yingjie hadn't returned to his forces either. He sat inside the cave, admiring his senior sister's silhouette against the moonlight.

Both were waiting for the messages from Chao Zhilin and Hu Yan. The amulets linked to them were placed on the stone table when one suddenly began to pulse with a faint light.

Guan Yingjie glanced back and quickly stood up, calling out, "Senior Sister, there's a message."

Mulan Qingqing had already turned around, her skirt swishing as she quickly approached the table to check.

Upon seeing the message, both were greatly shocked.

Guan Yingjie exclaimed, "How is this possible?"

Mulan Qingqing quickly took the amulet and responded: Hu Yan, are you joking?

She added a cross mark to the content.

Hu Yan: Wang Sheng has already contacted me using their amulets. The situation looks grim. Please confirm again.

Mulan Qingqing: Alright.

She set down the amulet in her hand, picked up the one for contacting Chao Zhilin, hesitated on how to reply, and then sent just two words: Wang Sheng?

Shi Chun, waiting by the pile of amulets, sneered, "Finally."

He picked out the pulsating amulet, looked at the content, and his eyebrows went up slightly as he replied: Mulan Qingqing?

Mulan Qingqing: It's me. How is my disciple doing?

Shi Chun: I'm not as ruthless as you, not taking the lives of other sects' disciples lightly. They're just injured, still very much alive.

Seeing this message, Mulan Qingqing sat down weakly on the stone stool, her normally icy face showing an exhausted look as her worst fears had indeed come to pass.

She was most worried not about Chao Zhilin's safety but that the Su Yuan Sect's reputation might be beyond saving. The larger the sect, the more crucial its reputation.

When they came here representing the sect, bearing great expectations, they created such a big blunder. Truly, death was hardly sufficient punishment, and a million deaths would not absolve their guilt.

Guann Yingjie's face also turned deathly pale, regretting that he had initially encouraged sending people into the Moon Sea to find someone. His Adam's apple bobbed as he murmured, "How is this possible..."

Mulan Qingqing took a deep breath, steadied her emotions, and then picked up the mother-son talisman to contact Hu Yan, sending a message: Immediately take control of the Bilan Sect people.

Hu Yan: We're short on people, afraid it's not going to be easy.

Mulan Qingqing: Find a way.

Hu Yan: Alright.

He took out the mother-son talisman to contact Jin Zaogong.

Meanwhile, Mulan Qingqing continued to reply to Wang Sheng: What do you want?

Shi Chun: I've seen shameless people, but never as shameless as you. I'm not calm right now, I need to cool off before we can continue talking.

Mulan Qingqing directly threatened: For the Su Yuan Sect, exterminating Youxia Mountain would be as easy as flipping one's hand!

Shi Chun: You nearly wiped me out; I have no way out. The life and death of Youxia Mountain is not for me to worry about. Do whatever you want to extinguish it.

Mulan Qingqing turned her head to exchange a look with Guann Yingjie, both somewhat taken aback. It was their first time seeing someone speak so disrespectfully of their own sect, treating it as nothing.

Guann Yingjie said in a heavy voice, "Senior sister, we've encountered a tough one this time!"

Mulan Qingqing sighed. "I've thought too much. He doesn't even care about his own life and death, planning to openly defy us at the end of the conference. Why would he fear our threats? If we put ourselves in his shoes, we went too far, pushing him into a corner."

After finishing speaking, she continued to reply to the message, asking: How do you want to let off steam?

Shi Chun: I won't calm down unless a few people die. Either Chao Zhilin dies, or Hu Yan dies. Choose one.

Wu Jinliang, who was watching from the side, laughed uproariously, "Hu Yan, I'd like to see where you can run now."

Xiang Laner, who had been paying attention all along, couldn't help but take another look at Shi Chun and realized this guy really held grudges; he was determined not to let Hu Yan get away.

One thing she was certain of: the true disciples of Wukang Mountain would never do such a thing, no wonder they didn't let Bian Weiyin follow. If Bian Weiyin knew, she would definitely stop it.

Mulan Qingqing replied: I don't care about their lives. With your intelligence, you should know what I care about the most.

Shi Chun: I know, it's the reputation of the Su Yuan Sect. Just give me Hu Yan's head, and we can talk about everything else. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss.

Mulan Qingqing: I'll think about it.

She didn't dare to make further intense remarks, trying to stabilize the situation as much as possible.

Shi Chun: I have limited patience.

Mulan Qingqing didn't reply again, asking for a time limit would have been inappropriate.

She tapped her fingers on the table, a bitter look on her face: "I was too careless. I had already guessed that this Wang Sheng was not easy to deal with—I should have gone there myself."

Turning to her Junior Brothers nearby, who wanted to offer comfort, she said: "Some things can't be explained clearly with a mother-son talisman. Borrow a Wind Scale for me; I'll go to Hu Yan's place myself and figure things out first."

"Okay." Guann Yingjie complied and flashed out of the cave.

The swiftness of the Su Yuan Sect in borrowing items was unquestionable; soon he returned with a Wind Scale, "Senior sister, I will accompany you."

Mulan Qingqing: "We can't all be absent; someone must stay here to keep things in order."

Guann Yingjie: "Then I'll run the errands, senior sister, please stay and take charge."

Mulan Qingqing shook her head, not wanting to argue further. Her feelings towards these Junior Brothers were complicated. "Ask around to see if anyone knows the situation with Youxia Mountain. We're too passive, too careless, and know nothing about our opponent. Youxia Mountain is capable of cultivating such disciples; we must visit when we have the chance."

After speaking, she flashed out of the cave, ascended the night sky on the Wind Scale, and disappeared rapidly into the night.

Shi Chun in the wilderness also stowed the useful mother-son talisman, "Take the living ones."

No sooner had he said that, Xiang Laner dashed toward Junior Brother Zhu, landing and sweeping her hand through the air. A black mist, like a python or a dragon, burst forth from her hand, directly entering Zhu Ze's mouth and nose.

In no time, Zhu Ze's body visibly withered away, quickly turning into a pile of dust as if weathered away.

The black mist retracted into her sleeve, and with a sweep of her hand, her clothes lifted, dispersing the digested dust in the wind.

Shi Chun looked at each other with astonishment.

When she flashed over to them, Shi Chun clicked his tongue: "No wonder even the disciples of the Su Yuan Sect are no match for you. You don't seem like an ordinary person of the Demon Path."

Xiang Laner retorted: "Do you think you look like someone of the Demon Path?"

Seeing the other party shrug indifferently, she explained further, "I haven't had a proper fight with the Su Yuan Sect, but I've long heard of them. If it really came to a fight, even if I could win, it wouldn't be easy. The leading sects of the Four Regions possess formidable strength in the Cultivation World, respected even by my Demon Path. Their elite disciples are not to be trifled with. Mr. Chao was careless and underestimated his opponent; otherwise, the outcome would have been unpredictable."

Hearing her say this, Shi Chun hmm'd and turned his glance toward Chao Zhilin, his eyes flickering as if he had some plan in mind.

He also took out a Wind Scale, and as it began to spin, he, along with the hostage, soared into the sky.

What needed to be exposed had already been exposed. Staying in this place would mean either laying traps for others or guarding against being trapped. It was better to seek another place to settle.

Inside the central cavern, Hu Yan paced back and forth with his hands behind his back.

Jin Zaogong suddenly flashed in, his face looking rather troubled.

Hu Yan immediately felt something was amiss upon seeing him and asked in alarm: "What happened?"

Jin Zaogong said with great embarrassment: "The people from the Bilan Sect... they're gone."

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