"Humble words, self-satisfied demeanor—everything about him fully displayed the grace of the premier sect of Sheng Province, equally making the onlookers take notice."

"Of course, it also meant he was indeed flattered by the sycophancy and no longer pestered Bian Jixiong; he let Bian Jixiong off without realizing it."

Bian Jixiong, who sat back down at his seat on Wukang Mountain, didn't look too pleased. He glanced around, including the sky, and saw no mirror image. He asked aloud, "From where do we watch?"

This was his first encounter with the Heavenly Mirror's image; he normally had no chance to see it.

Elder Ke said, "It's still nighttime in the West Pole, and the image from the Heavenly Mirror hasn't been unfolded yet. At first, it was even displayed at night, but later, when they found out almost nothing could be clearly seen, no one requested it anymore, so it was no longer activated at night."

Yin Huixin looked at the sky and commented, "Let's wait."

She wore a faint look of worry on her brow, concerned for Bian Weiyin, knowing her daughter had taken it upon herself to stir up trouble this time. To a certain extent, Shi Chun and company's breaking away from the group and causing trouble was also due to her daughter's disobedience. Moreover, they had angered the Domain Master. This time, her daughter would surely be severely punished, and she wouldn't be able to protect her. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to justify it to the sect.

As for Shi Chun and company, she was well aware that they were as good as dead—no one could save them.

The seats at the site were almost fully taken. Sects that had left the venue because their delegates were overwhelmed had now mostly returned to watch the outcome reveal. This opportunity was not available to just anyone—some of the smaller families in the capital city even lacked the qualification to enter.

Many sect leaders moved about, greeting and networking with leaders of other sects.

Also, many people were discussing the points of light on the Mountain River Map. It was apparent that most of the lights had already gathered around the exit of the West Pole or were converging in that direction, implying many were about to leave the stage.

Young Master Nan, who had reserved a mountaintop viewing stand early on, was also experiencing a bit of overcrowding.

Miao Dingyi's family was all there, and Gong Shaoci was accompanying Miao Yilan. The two young people had been in frequent contact recently, but they had not yet taken the step to define their relationship.

One family from the Shanbu Continent was of Right Minister status, and the other, the Bowan Building manipulators; a marriage between the two families would be significant. Even Miao Yilan knew that this matter involved the other side of Shanbu Continent and would depend on her father's position. Her father had always been noncommital about this matter, though her mother had been urging her father all along, but he never loosened up.

Her father had also inquired about her feelings, asking if she liked him, to which she replied that she could not clearly say. So her father said, "No worries, you're still young. It's fine to be friends first, no rush."

Young Master Nan looked haggard, uninterested in entertaining the various distinguished guests, hiding in a small building, gazing out the window, waiting for the mirror image to appear.

The best viewing stand was empty; those people wouldn't arrive early until it was time—they weren't concerned about not finding a seat once they got there.

As dusk fell, the Domain Masters finally began to appear one by one. The first to arrive immediately requested to see their concerned sects, so the mirror images popped up over the parade ground ahead of schedule.

The scene within the image was still a bit hazy, as it was not yet fully light on the other side, showing only silhouettes. However, this quieted down the once-bustling parade ground considerably; those who had been conversing returned to their places and sat down...

In the cave, Shi Chun, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, took out an immobilization charm—it was a message from Bian Weiyin: they could leave now.

Shi Chun glanced at the sky outside the cave, knowing that he couldn't leave right away and couldn't absolutely guarantee there wouldn't be consequences. What if they lost contact? So there was no need to keep others waiting, he replied: "You go ahead."

Bian Weiyin: "I'll wait for you."

Shi Chun: "No need. You go first."

Bian Weiyin: "Then I'll go out and wait for you outside the exit."

After thinking for a moment, Shi Chun replied: "Okay, got it."

Once he had secured the charm, he called over Chu Jingtang and instructed, "Contact those six families functioning as scouts. It's not convenient for them to travel with us; tell them not to wait for us and to leave first."

"Okay," replied Chu Jingtang, turning to use his charm to make contact.

Bian Weiyin, hiding within the cave, also peeked her head outside, checked the dimly lit sky, and then retracted back inside.

The exit was actually very close to her, but she decided to remain cautious and not take any risks.

She was well aware that the area around the exit was not only unsafe at the moment, it might even be more dangerous than usual—there were always those who lay in wait.

The likelihood of people from other continents waiting to ambush at another's lair was not high. Rather, it was her own people from Sheng Province who were more dangerous. Having spent time with Bai Shuchuan and his group, she knew some would not hesitate to harm even their fellow Shengzhou people in pursuit of being first.

She decided to wait for daylight, as with more people moving around near the exit during daylight, those with ulterior motives would not dare to act rashly.

Only after it was fully light did she emerge from the cave, rapidly flying toward the exit.

In a short while, other returning silhouettes were visible, and then more and more people were seen, all heading in the same direction.

The visible exit of Xun Gate had its seals open, with the arriving people flooding in.

Xun Gate had also been prepared for them. After an inspection confirming their identity tags and handing in their immobilization charms, they were allowed to leave through Xun Gate.

Many left directly, without a single Insect Extreme Crystal to their name; at least half of them had been there simply to make up the numbers.

Those with an Insect Extreme Crystal went to one side to count and register first.

After Bian Weiyin stepped out of the sealed area, since she neither had an Insect Extreme Crystal nor wanted to leave just yet, she stood off to the side upon entering, not daring to block the way, isolated and waiting. She frequently craned her neck in hope, her spirits lifting at the sight of someone familiar, only to realize upon closer inspection it wasn't the person she expected.

The guard soldiers soon noticed her odd behavior, and quickly, two of them came over to drive her away, "What are you doing standing here? Get going!"

Bian Weiyin hastily replied, "Please forgive me, honorable immortal generals, I am waiting for someone."

There was no question of forgiving or not forgiving. After sizing her up, they noticed she was rather attractive and that her clothing was clearly not her own, resembling something counterfeit, one of them sternly demanded to inspect, "Your hand charm."

Bian Weiyin had no choice but to roll up her sleeve, revealing the chain on her wrist for inspection.

After verifying the authenticity of the chain, the one who inspected her turned to his colleague and said, "She's from Wukang Mountain."

"Wukang Mountain?" The other seemed somewhat surprised; he too leaned in to check it out, and afterwards, he eased his tone and warned Bian Weiyin, "Don't wander around after you've come in."

Bian Weiyin quickly responded, "Rest assured, I dare not wander."

Then the two guard soldiers left.

Bian Weiyin watched them go with some confusion, feeling something strange about their mention of Wukang Mountain. What about Wukang Mountain?

She noticed that the two soldiers went over to other guards and seemed to point at her, causing many guards to scrutinize her, making her feel uncomfortable all over. She had no choice but to turn her head away and continue to wait in silence.

In a hollow between the mountains, Bai Shuchuan, whose white clothing had become dirty, stood up and looked at the golden light already emerging on the horizon, shouting, "Alright, come out now."

More people emerged from other hollows, not one of their garments intact, looking as wretched as beggars, all with blood stains on their bodies.

This was the most elite force of Sheng Province. The troops that Bai Shuchuan had originally organized had mostly been wiped out; he had even lost two sect members and, left with no choice, had to form a strong alliance with other powerful sects of Sheng Province.

After the group gathered, Bai Shuchuan sheathed the notched sword in his hand and sighed to the sky, "It's finally over. Let's go."

Their position was not too far from the exit. They had lain in ambush there wanting to snatch some more; they had managed to stop some returning people but hadn't caught anyone with valuable goods. Now that daylight had broken, and they were too close to the exit, it was no longer suitable to act against their own province's troops.

The group of people thus put away their weapons and headed back.

A burst of rapid flying brought them to the sealed area's exit, and just as they stepped out of the sealed terrain, Bai Shuchuan immediately caught sight of Bian Weiyin waiting on the side. He was momentarily stunned, then strode over briskly.

Bian Weiyin also saw him and felt a bit guilty, and somewhat nervous.

Standing in front of her, Bai Shuchuan scrutinized her up and down; it was apparent that her clothing didn't fit properly, loose and ill-fitting, obviously men's clothing, yet not diminishing her charm. Precisely because of this, Bai Shuchuan was somewhat angry, "You're still alive? Then why didn't you respond when I contacted you?"

Bian Weiyin calmly replied, "I lost the artifact communication charm."

"Is that so?" Bai Shuchuan looked to the side, signaling, "Let's have a search."

A group of men immediately surrounded her with leering smiles.

Bian Weiyin didn't want to offend them, but facing this situation, she had no choice but to resist. She couldn't allow herself to be humiliated in public and shouted, "Help!"

At her call, several of the guard soldiers rushed over and scolded, "What are you trying to do? This isn't a place for you to cause trouble."

The group dared not act recklessly anymore, and Bai Shuchuan stepped forward to answer, "The immortal general is worrying too much. We're all troops from Shengzhou Province, just discussing how to distribute the merits," pointing at the bulging black cloth bags carried by his companions.

His gaze towards Bian Weiyin, however, carried a venomous warning, daring her to speak nonsense.

Bian Weiyin knew that this grudge was now settled, and seeing their loot, she couldn't hold back and directly demanded, "Some of that Insect Extreme Crystal is also due to the effort of Wukang Mountain."

Since they had wasted so many immobilization charms and even led to the death of Gan Tangyu, she felt she had every reason to claim what she was owed.

"Merit?" Bai Shuchuan laughed as if he had heard the greatest joke, "Cowardice in the face of battle, and still speak of merit? I think you should rather consider how Wukang Mountain will explain itself to the Domain Master. Or would you like me to show some mercy with my words? If so, remember to come find me after we're out. If I'm satisfied, we can discuss everything." With that, he swept his gaze across Bian Weiyin's chest, chuckling as he turned and walked away.

His meaning was quite explicit, unconcerned about speaking before the guard soldiers. As the most powerful sect in Shengzhou Province, how could there be no one in the court to speak for him? With no evidence against him, the few soldiers couldn't do anything to him.

His companions also left with a teasing smile.

Biting her lip, Bian Weiyin stood frozen in place, feeling a bit panicked. This was the very reason she had found it difficult to get off the tiger's back earlier. Her worst fears had come true, and she faced actual threats. At a loss, she reached for the artifact communication charm again and informed Shi Chun of Bai Shuchuan's threats.

She had just finished the message when she remembered that the charm couldn't make contact inside the barrier, but as she was about to put the charm away, she felt a burning sensation in her hand and saw that Shi Chun had replied.

Looking at it, she saw faint writing emerge: "Just a lowlife, don't worry. I will handle it."

Bian Weiyin instinctively looked up towards the gap in the barrier, roughly understanding why she was able to make contact. Then, looking at the message on the charm, the corner of her mouth curled into a satisfied smile. She remembered the events that had taken place in the darkness, similarly reassured by his words. At this moment, she felt inexplicably at ease.

Shi Chun, who had put away the artifact communication charm, had already led a motley crew to the foot of an open mountain slope. Those elite troops had arrived a step earlier, and he caught sight of Mulan Qingqing, white as snow amidst the crowd.

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