More than 1,300 people set out overnight, and the dug-up caves would be silenced forever.

Nearby, a figure descended onto the mountaintop; hidden under a crudely sewn cloak, Xiang Laner watched from afar. She knew what this relocation signified; after two or three months of turmoil, the real confrontation was about to arrive.

Regardless of the outcome, there was one thing she was clearly aware of—she wouldn't dare nor was she capable of doing what Shi Chun did, lacking both the ability and the boldness. Under the same conditions, even the power backing her wouldn't dare let her do so, to place her first, it was unthinkable.

Lately, she often felt an illusion that Shi Chun's manner of doing things seemed even more demonic than those from the so-called Demon Path.

In other words, based on her observations over these days, she could conclude decisively that Shi Chun was not from the Demon Path.

The Demon Path wouldn't do such outrageous things; if Shi Chun were truly a person from the Demon Path, given such great autonomy, his status within the Demon Path would be incredibly high, certainly higher than her own. Was that possible? Hardly.

Her conclusion was: Shi Chun wasn't from the Demon Path, but the skills he practiced in the Land of Exile were the Demon Skill, thus he could be considered a part of the Demon Path.

This was no baseless claim; the Land of Exile, from ancient times, held all sorts of exiled folks, and it wasn't strange for some to inherit the Demon Skill there.

With this conclusion, even if the trip was worth it, it would be explainable to those above.

Under the starry moon, Mulan Qingqing also stood alone at the summit, overlooking the direction where Wang Sheng's troops were stationed, watching, waiting.

She was about to see Wang Sheng again, and her emotions were complicated, unsure of how to face him.

The rationale was simple; whether it was the bet between them or from the perspective of competing at the Sky Rain Meteor Conference, she had lost, and the loss was devastating.

Her side's real achievement was slightly over 40,000 Insect Extreme Crystals, whereas Wang Sheng's side had nearly reached 70,000.

There was no point in making excuses about her shorter duration of plundering compared to theirs.

She understood that this wasn't how capabilities were calculated; even if she hadn't hibernated and continued to snatch tirelessly from start to finish, what she could have secured might not have been more than what she currently had, with many positive and negative factors interplaying.

What she had now was a result that omitted the scattered collection process, achieved with the assistance of more manpower and a broader coordinated effort—an optimized result.

Previously, over seven thousand people had been busy for more than a month, only managing to snatch just over three thousand crystals.

Wang Sheng had led some of Xuan State's weakest troops and clinched first place at the Sky Rain Meteor Conference.

Sixty thousand, almost seventy thousand Insect Extreme Crystals—this was undeniably a top-ranking achievement, one that clearly stood out, and Mulan Qingqing had no doubts about it, nor did she believe there could be a higher achievement.

She, leading Xuan State's finest troops, had instead met with a terrible defeat. Not to mention the massive gap in capabilities, she now had to resort to deceit, using underhanded and dishonorable methods to swindle their rightfully earned victory.

Although her accomplice's rhetoric could gloss it over quite well, she was well aware deep down that this was shameless.

She despised such actions and detested them deeply, but now she found herself repeatedly resorting to them.

Several figures flew up the mountain, landing beside her, and they were none other than the usual few.

Wan Daoyuan reminded, "News has come from their side; Wang Sheng's troops have set out and are circling past Moon Sea. Estimated to arrive here within three hours to join us, depending on their travel speed."

Mulan Qingqing asked, "Are those counterfeit Insect Extreme Crystals ready?"

As much as she hated doing this, since she had already decided to proceed, she still wanted to do it well. If they were going to use such despicable methods and still mess it up, that would truly be a disgrace.

Li Shanshan replied, "Don't worry, I personally oversaw it. I chose the most suitable stones and carved them one by one. Their weight, size, and shape are all quite similar. Kept in black cloth bags, I assure there's no way to tell a difference; this has been repeatedly verified."

Guann Yingjie confirmed, "I personally inspected them; there will be no problems."

Wan Daoyuan calculated, "With our 40,000 crystals and their 60,000, that makes a total of about 110,000. We've secured first place in this Sky Rain Meteor Conference, living up to the expectations of the entire Xuan State. It's likely we'll take the top five spots, maybe even the top ten."

Tang Zhen added, "It benefits everyone. The Domain Master provided a perfect response, having given the Domain Master face; the Domain Master will certainly not stint in rewarding the contributing sects."

Mulan Qingqing cast a cold sidelong glance, "Don't count your chickens before they hatch. The biggest share is still theirs. Being too greedy will make us the laughing stock—it's our own face we're hitting."

Wan Daoyuan reassured, "Don't worry about that. Wang Sheng's contribution to obtaining so many Insect Extreme Crystals is undeniable; he will definitely be credited for it in the merit book. Our four sects can't fill the top five spots alone, so there's room for Youxia Mountain. Anyone truly making significant contributions with Wang Sheng, upon evaluation, will also receive some share of the merits. In short, we'll do our best to make things look decent."

Mulan Qingqing said, "Don't celebrate too soon. Are you sure they'll agree? What if they demand a recount or verification?"

Wan Daoyuan replied, "Unless someone here leaks the information, it's absolutely impossible. Plus, with undercover agents cooperating on their side, they have no reason to pass up the opportunity."

Mulan Qingqing concluded, "You handle it then; I'll have no part in this."

The three team leaders exchanged glances under the star moon, all finding it somewhat amusing, believing that the woman, because of her relationship with Wang Sheng, wished to avoid impropriety, afraid that it would make future interactions between the couple awkward.

Wan Daoyuan smiled and said, "Mulan, this matter has nothing to do with you. You don't know anything. We operated secretly, without your knowledge. The reason is simple, because of your relationship with Wang Sheng, we were afraid you would oppose."

Upon hearing this, Guann Yingjie was utterly disgusted. These guys knew nothing and were blabbering nonsense.

Mulan Qingqing slightly furrowed her brow and said, "There's something I need to remind you of. You can do whatever you want with this matter, but you must not say in front of Wang Sheng that it's because of my relationship with him that you are giving them another chance. Once you say that, Wang Sheng will surely be suspicious."

Guann Yingjie was startled and quickly said, "Right, we can't mention that."

The three immediately showed curious faces; that seemed like such a good excuse, and they had really considered saying it.

Tang Zhen immediately asked, "Why can't we mention it?"

Guann Yingjie replied, "If I tell you not to mention it, then don't. Wang Sheng knows my sister doesn't like him at all. If you say that, he will surely be suspicious."

He emphasized the words "doesn't like him at all" very clearly.

The real reason he knew too well: because the two were not actually an engaged couple at all. Using that as an excuse to placate Wang Sheng, it would be strange if Wang Sheng didn't suspect anything.

"Wan Daoyuan murmured, nodding his head, "I understand..."

But what had to come, finally came. Just a little past midnight, a dispirited group of about a thousand men finally arrived, joining up with the main force.

Mulan Qingqing did not show up, nor did Guann Yingjie come to meet them.

The elite troops stationed there, however, stood on both sides of the valley, forming a welcoming formation, each holding a Sandal Gold Illumination which brightly lit the scene in a purple hue.

The welcomed thousand or so individuals looked wilted; the disarray from their defeat was still plainly visible, with the powder on their foreheads and the crosses on their fronts and backs now seeming even more ragged and descent.

The five from Bilan Sect stood out with a cluster of large black cloth bags hanging from them, guarded and escorted by people from the four sects.

The three, Wan Daoyuan, who came out to welcome them, noticed the sizable black cloth bags and could not help but exchange winks and tsk twice softly.

They then leapt down into the valley to block Shi Chun and the others, exchanging unavoidable pleasantries.

Having heard of the losses encountered in the battle with Di State, they expressed their knowledge and repeatedly offered consolation, mentioning that Mulan Qingqing had declared she would not let any Di State troops slip away and was determined to avenge their brothers.

After the pleasantries, Tang Zhen pointed to the Insect Extreme Crystal convoy following Shi Chun and others, "Wow, Brother Wang, quite a haul you've got there."

At this remark, a round of snickers broke out among the welcoming parties on both sides of the valley.

The laughing crowd was large, the laughter mixed with mockery and a trace of relieved fortune after a narrow escape: nearly five thousand crystals shy, an incredibly close call, they had nearly ended up dispirited themselves.

Hearing the mockery, Wang Sheng's men felt wronged but were helpless as a loss is a loss.

Shi Chun's response, however, was calm, "Indeed many, I heard you guys also got quite a bit, seems even a bit more than us?"

Wan Daoyuan laughed heartily, "Just luck, just luck, you almost beat us."

Shi Chun said, "It's my incompetence, I was careless and let down the brothers who followed me."

These words somehow made Wan Daoyuan and his companions a bit uneasy, and they could only apologize internally.

But just then, suddenly a passionate voice rose, "If the difference is not big, does it mean we didn't contribute, does it mean we don't deserve merit?"

Everyone turned their heads towards the voice.

Who is it? Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang also turned their heads in unison, only to see that it was none other than Master Mai, limping forward with a face filled with sorrow.

Shi Chun and Wu Jinliang looked back at each other, exchanging an understanding glance of surprise. He just arrived, barely stable on his feet, and he's already jumping in?

Wan Daoyuan smiled and said, "Brother, you speak too harshly. Everyone has contributed, whether they are luckily alive or have died in battle, all have exerted their efforts for Xuan State."

Master Mai stopped at the outer perimeter of the protected Insect Extreme Crystal, pointing to the black cloth bags hanging on Bilan Sect, "Alive or dead, that's saying a lot; the dead can't hear what we're saying. I just want to know, since the haul is similar on both sides, why should all the credit go to one side?"

As soon as these words were out, many among those in the welcoming formation on both sides of the valley changed their expressions.

"Interesting," Wan Daoyuan chuckled, his smile seeming a bit malicious, his gaze landing on Shi Chun as he asked, "Brother Wang, what does this mean, could it be your idea?"

Shi Chun gestured dismissively, smiling in response, "I wouldn't dare say that. It has nothing to do with me. If others want to speak, I can't stop them. After all, it's you who decide here, and if you think there's a problem, just drag them away and behead them. I surely won't object, that should prove my innocence, right?"

Wu Jinliang and he simultaneously stepped aside, implying 'kill as you please.'

Wan Daoyuan's smile immediately softened again, "No need for that, no need. Just speaking a few words, no need for shouting or killing. There are no outsiders here, we are all family. Feel free to speak up, all of us are brothers who have risked our lives for Xuan State, and I guarantee, there won't be any punishment for speaking out."

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