Mounted upon Wind Scale, Shi Chun and Laner descended from the sky and landed on a mountain peak.

It was the same mountain where they had met with others last night.

On the opposite peak, a woman dressed in snow-white garb, still the same woman from last night's meeting, had two more companions by her side, Hu Yan and Jin Zaogong.

The two parties gazed across the distance at each other; where stars twinkled last night, it was now midafternoon, and the skies were shrouded in a layer of gray clouds.

Upon seeing Shi Chun and the other, Hu Yan and Jin Zaogong were slightly surprised.

"Wang Sheng?" Hu Yan exclaimed in shock and confusion, "What is this?"

When Mulan Qingqing summoned them, she only mentioned that she needed to see them about some matter. He hadn't suspected any trickery and had directly brought his junior brother to the meeting as obediently as could be. He hadn't expected to see such a scene.

It wasn't until that moment that Hu Yan realized the danger.

"It was me who arranged to meet with them," Mulan Qingqing said.

Hu Yan whispered, "Should we take this chance to capture them?"

"You can't even keep an eye on people. All those in the know have fled, what's the use of catching these two?" Mulan Qingqing replied.

Hu Yan felt somewhat embarrassed and whispered again, "The leverage is in their hands, they're desperate, and we're in a passive position. It's probably impossible to negotiate this matter. Besides, no matter how we negotiate or what promises we make, both sides will not be at ease."

Mulan Qingqing, her gaze complex as she watched the people opposite her, said, "So we can only comply with whatever they ask."

Indeed, this triggered a realization in Hu Yan. If there hadn't been a possibility for compromise, why would the other side have come to the meeting? He exclaimed in shock, "What do they want?"

"The fact that you betrayed them. They can't swallow that," Mulan Qingqing said.

"..." Hu Yan was stunned, and both he and Jin Zaogong were shocked. Then, they looked at Mulan Qingqing as if they had seen a ghost, realizing something, and instinctively started to slowly retreat from her side.

A gentle breeze fluttered the white clothes as Mulan Qingqing stood with her hands behind her back, her face cold and as calm as a still lake.

After backing away a little, Hu Yan and his companion turned and dashed away. But as soon as they leaped up, bursts of blood erupted from their bodies, revealing the form of the hidden Silver Radiance Knight who had been wielding his sword.

Laner was slightly surprised by this.

However, Shi Chun didn't show any sign of surprise. Before landing, he had opened his right eye and activated his superpower to observe the scene, spotting twelve Silver Radiance Knights lying in ambush around Hu Yan. They had effectively surrounded their prey, making escape in any direction an encounter with them.

Moreover, within this large area around them, there were densely interwoven threads, unlike Chao Zhilin's weblike patterns but more rigid lines intersecting vertically and horizontally, creating a three-dimensional chessboard.

In Shi Chun's eyes, the fleeing Hu Yan and his companion seemed like they were deliberately crashing into the Silver Radiance Knights' swords, getting run through instantly.

What was more terrifying was that, after a successful strike, the Silver Radiance Knight along with his sword vanished into thin air. In his fury, Hu Yan punched at nothing but air.

Through Shi Chun's right eye, it was as though the punch had connected, but once the Silver Radiance Knight became invisible, he seemed to be completely unaffected by the physical world.

Thrust after thrust, blood spurted with each sword strike.

The twelve Silver Radiance Knights launched an assault on the two men, their swords randomly piercing and slashing.

Only now did Shi Chun realize that the Silver Radiance Knights were not only revealed when hit, but also at the instant an attack was about to touch someone. They would appear briefly, only making themselves vulnerable to reality in a certain state.

Thus, the frantically counterattacking Hu Yan managed to land a punch on one of the momentarily visible Silver Radiance Knights, obliterating it.

Shi Chun, who had clashed with these Silver Radiance Knights before, knew well that they weren't particularly strong. It was the unpredictability of their attacks that was truly fearsome.

"Ahh..." Jin Zaogong screamed in agony as if he was being dismembered by the chaotic swords.

Hu Yan, having obliterated one of the Silver Radiance Knights, suddenly broke through and darted away, his bloodied form disappearing in a flash.

The Silver Radiance Knights immediately vanished as if they had dematerialized, turned into streams of light that followed the grid of threads to a distance, quickly taking shape and using their swords to block and attack the fleeing Hu Yan.

Had Shi Chun not been able to see the path of the streaming light, he might have believed that the Silver Radiance Knights could teleport.

The one Silver Radiance Knight that had been obliterated also reappeared.

It was clear to sense that Mulan Qingqing's cultivation was much stronger than that of Chao Zhilin, not just by a little bit.

"Mulan, you wretch..."

Under the random slashes, Hu Yan let out a piercing scream before a sword severed his throat, eventually leading to his dismemberment by the chaotic blades.

The fight had begun suddenly and ended just as quickly.

From the start to the end of the fight, Mulan Qingqing, who had continued standing with her hands behind her back on that mountain peak, had not moved an inch, yet two disciples with cultivation equal to hers from Yuanjian Palace had been struck down by her.

Xiang Laner whispered, "As the leading sect of the Four Regions, the power of Su Yuan Sect is indeed formidable."

Shi Chun whispered back, "Those invisible swordsmen, their advantage is in their sneakiness; they are not very powerful. If they really faced a master, they would be useless, probably no match for anyone in the High Martial Great Success Realm."

"You're underestimating them," Laner said. "With just this level of ability, Su Yuan Sect wouldn't be able to stand its ground. There are even more advanced forms of the dismembering technique; these magical soldiers can be so powerful they can move mountains and fill seas. It's just that Mulan Qingqing's cultivation isn't enough yet; she hasn't reached that realm of cultivation."

As soon as these words fell, those magical soldiers and those three-dimensional chessboard-like threads also suddenly disappeared, all converging into one person's body.

Mulan Qingqing's figure immediately flashed, landing beside the two on this side, observing their reactions to see if the last scene had intimidated them.

The result was somewhat disappointing to her. It seemed they had given her a higher regard with a glance, but it did not draw the awe it should have, which, in turn, weighed somewhat heavily upon her heart. She was guessing how Chao Zhilin had been captured; could Youxia Mountain truly be a hidden and prestigious high sect?

Putting her complex thoughts aside for the moment, she said to Shi Chun, "You wanted Hu Yan's head, and I've delivered it to you, even including an extra. Are you satisfied now?"

Extra? Shi Chun found it amusing. You lured Hu Yan out, and if you didn't bring the other one along, how would you explain it when Hu Yan can't return?

He didn't feel like quibbling over this and nodded, "You can tell, Miss Mulan is a woman of her word."

Mulan Qingqing: "You've seen my sincerity. For the matters ahead, I need some cooperation from you to facilitate continuing..."

After consulting with each other, Shi Chun and Xiang Laner immediately returned to their hiding place.

Shi Chun found Chu Jingtang and others, persuading five sects' members to return to their original station, which fell under the control of Hu Yan's people before.

A snake can't move without a head, and soldiers fall into chaos without a leader.

A day or two later, because of the unexplained disappearance of Yuanjian Palace's Hu Yan and others, Mulan Qingqing had no choice but to make new arrangements for those thousands of troops, summoning several teams' leaders to gather at the scene for discussion.

With the disappearance of Hu Yan and Chao Zhilin, of the seven leaders, only five remained.

Aside from Mulan Qingqing and Guann Yingjie, the other three were Wan Daoyuan from Sky Mountain, Tang Zhen from Wuji Palace, and Li Shanshan from Xuanhuang Castle.

In the central cave, the leaders gathered and waited and waited, casually chatting as Mulan Qingqing did not appear.

As the conversation meandered, Li Shanshan from Xuanhuang Castle suddenly asked Guann Yingjie, "Mr. Guann, what was the meaning behind your previous inquiries about Youxia Mountain?"

Wan Daoyuan from Sky Mountain: "Hm, he also asked me about it, asking for my help to inquire with my people."

Tang Zhen from Wuji Palace also nodded.

All three turned their eyes toward Guann Yingjie, noticing that he seemed somewhat downcast, silent, and uncommunicative.

The sullen Guann Yingjie looked up upon hearing this, with a surge of words choked in his chest, not knowing how to begin speaking. At this moment, a chance to continue arose, and he tightened his lips, saying, "I've just learned a bit about Wang Sheng from Youxia Mountain."

Li Shanshan: "What about it? Why do you need to know about him?"

Guann Yingjie, holding back a sigh, hesitated a moment before lowering his head slightly, "He is my sister Mulan's betrothed."

The reason why Mulan Qingqing had not appeared was to give him time to make this matter public.

"Hm?"

"Ah?"

"What?"

The three leaders exclaimed in disbelief, all with shocked expressions, thinking they had heard wrong. Only when they saw the other's reactions were the same did they realize it was true.

The news was shocking enough.

"No..." Tang Zhen waved his hand, feeling somewhat unable to comprehend, "Youxia Mountain, a small sect that even we had trouble finding out about, how could they have a marriage alliance with your Su Yuan Sect, how could he be Mulan Qingqing's betrothed?"

Li Shanshan: "Yes, yes, the difference in status and position is too vast."

Wan Daoyuan: "Listen to what Mr. Guann says; he surely isn't joking about this matter. Mr. Guann, what's really going on?"

Guann Yingjie said woodenly: "I only learned of it from other sects' discussions recently and later confirmed it with my sister, who admitted to it. She just said it was an arrangement made by the previous generation, but she wouldn't go into detail and forbade further questions."

The other three looked at each other, at a loss for words.

"Heh, Miss Mulan has apparently been betrothed all along. Who could have known?" Tang Zhen stroked his chest and sighed.

Wan Daoyuan frowned, "A matter of the older generation, yet that Youxia Mountain doesn't seem worthy enough. It seems that Wang Sheng must have some other background."

Slap, Li Shanshan suddenly smacked the stone table, "I remember now, there were signs of this before. Gentlemen, there's something you probably haven't forgotten, right? A while back, Miss Mulan conveyed a message to everyone, mentioning that a female disciple from Youxia Mountain was wronged and asked for everyone's help in avenging her if they encountered the enemy."

"Oh no." Tang Zhen slapped his forehead, "That's right, that explains it."

Wan Daoyuan also nodded repeatedly, finally understanding.

It became clear why Guann Yingjie was in such a gloomy mood; those who were close and observant could tell he had feelings for his sister.

Watching these people come up with their explanations and then breaking into chatter, Guann Yingjie was speechless and even more puzzled, playing with the talisman under the table, he sent a message to Mulan Qingqing: It's done.

Thus, Mulan Qingqing, who was hiding nearby, sent a message to Shi Chun.

Shi Chun immediately sent a message to Chu Jingtang and the others.

Then, the conversation inside suddenly halted as Wan Daoyuan and the others inside the cave heard a commotion outside, which seemed to be escalating into a physical altercation, so they quickly appeared at the cave entrance to see what was happening.

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