The mood among the Xuan State's contingent was decidedly glum.

No, not everyone, just Mulan Qingqing's elite group from Xuan State. They looked disheartened, their spirits low.

The group walking ahead of them, a rabble, strutted with arrogant expressions, casting glances back at the lined-up elites, barely suppressing their smirks.

Once upon a time, they wouldn't dare cut in front of the elite troops, always consciously following behind.

Yet now, the elite troops had lost their natural air of authority and were meekly queuing behind them.

Even Mulan Qingqing, though at the front of her group, was lined up behind them. The utter delight of having even Mulan Qingqing queued up meekly behind couldn't be described in words.

The rabble strutted in arrogance, and nothing more.

But they also didn't dare go too far.

Chu Jingtang and others, who had first broken the iron chains, immediately looked around, searching for Wang Sheng and others. After several glances with no sign of them, they instead noticed the Purple Cloud Sect's Lao Changtai and others, who came back from the same 'pirate ship' and returned earlier.

The representatives of the six sects were waiting for them right there. As soon as they saw them return, they immediately gathered to greet them.

Seeing the rabble strutting about while Mulan Qingqing and the others behind them hung their heads like frostbitten eggplants, Lao Changtai nosed his lip and asked in a low voice, "What happened?"

"What else could it be? Took a loss, got played hard by Wang Sheng... by our Master," Chu Jingtang whispered the details of the wagered duel.

Lao Changtai and others were both thrilled and shocked to hear this; they hadn't expected Mulan Qingqing to be bested by Wang Sheng in a one-on-one challenge.

Some, in disbelief, quietly asked, "Really? Could it be a deliberate loss, considering they have dirt on Wang Sheng?"

Someone immediately replied in a low voice, "No way it was a throw. If it weren't for a master's secret intervention, Mulan would have been slaughtered by Wang Sheng. Look at the carried-back Guann Yingjie, completely ruined, his legs chopped off by Wang Sheng. No way that level of a throw would happen."

"That's enough." Chu Jingtang waved his hand, curbing the topic, and puzzled, said, "Where's Wang Sheng, then? He and his sister came back first, on the Wind Scale. They should have arrived earlier. Where are they?"

"They haven't returned."

"We've been waiting here the whole time, keeping an eye on the entrance. We definitely would've noticed their return."

"Indeed, with so many of us here, it's impossible we all missed them."

A group of early arrivals were all talking at once, assuring that Wang Sheng and the others had not come back.

Chu Jingtang exclaimed, "This doesn't make sense. How could they not have arrived riding the Wind Scale? It's not likely something happened on the way, is it?"

As they said this, not just him but his companions changed expression, exchanging looks of concern. What kind of mishap could stop Wind Scale in rapid flight through the sky? At least a Human Immortal Realm cultivation would be hard-pressed to do so.

They subconsciously thought of that master who secretly helped Mulan Qingqing escape.

The more they thought about it, the more alarmed and worried they became. Chu Jingtang, changing his tune, said sternly, "Stop dawdling, start searching! Check within the crowds, ask around more."

The group immediately disbanded, searching around, digging through the crowds in the corners, asking everywhere if anyone had seen Wang Sheng and the others from Youxia Mountain.

Suddenly, a cry of alarm erupted from a group in the corner, "Brother Chu, here, quick!"

The emotion carried in that cry was indiscernible, a chilling mix of shock and coldness.

The guards above and below Weng City all turned their gazes to the source of the commotion. Seeing no disturbance or further noise, they refrained from intervening.

But that particular cry was indeed peculiar, and even Mulan Qingqing and others who had just entered turned to look a few times, having no interest in other matters, each lost in an overwhelming sense of loss.

Chu Jingtang and his allies didn't understand what prompted such an odd cry, never having heard such a thing in their lives, and they rushed over.

The crowd parted to reveal Beiting Sect's lead, Fang Zicheng, pale as a ghost, standing before five grey-clothed youths.

The scene presented by the two sides was bizarre, Fang Zicheng looking as if he'd been frightened out of his wits, while the five grey-clothed youths also seemed terrified, huddled together like a clutch of frightened quail, trembling, their eyes reflecting a tense "why".

Lao Changtai slapped Fang Zicheng's shoulder, "Mr. Fang, what on earth are you screaming about? What's going on?"

Fang Zicheng glanced at the allies who'd come running, and with despair in his pale eyes, he pointed at the five grey-clothed youths, his hand shaking violently. His voice trembled, "They... they... they say... they say..."

He couldn't manage to spit out a complete sentence, as if struck by a horror too immense to face again.

What the devil? Many who came at the sound were perplexed, unable to understand.

As Wang Sheng's allies, the group too was startled by this. Had some ill omen come true? Had tragedy truly befallen Master Wang Sheng on the way?

And what of the Insect Extreme Crystals?

Hearts cooled by the thought, the crowd's mood turned bleak.

Seeing Fang Zicheng with his soul seemingly flown, Chu Jingtang couldn't help but grab his arm and gave it a painful squeeze, demanding, "Speak clearly, what happened?"

After the pain, Fang Zicheng finally regained some composure, speaking through a bitter expression, he finally let it out smoothly, "They said they are disciples of Youxia Mountain."

"What does that mean?" Chu Jingtang was sceptical, as were the rest who didn't understand.

Fang Zicheng, seeing everyone's reaction, felt a pitiful dread and added with a feeble breath, "They said they are disciples of Youxia Mountain. They claimed there are no people named Wang Sheng and Gao Qiang in Youxia Mountain, nor any junior sister named Feng Meimei."

Now it was clear, and everyone began to grasp the meaning, ending up agape and as if their souls had scattered. Fake?

Certainly, one side was fake, but which? The five before them or the three missing?

Anyone with even a semblance of logical ability could grasp the truth.

Upon thinking about the massive amount of Insect Extreme Crystals that had been lugged away by Wang Sheng and the others, those who had regained their senses inhaled sharply, finally understanding why Fang Zicheng had been so terrified.

Yet, they still dared not believe it.

Some, especially Chu Jingtang, Wang Sheng's chief accomplice, his face nearly swelling into a pig's head, flushed and then paled, before turning ashen. He pulled Fang Zicheng aside and confronted the five young men in grey, demanding, "How can you prove you're from Youxia Mountain?"

One of the young men extended a weak finger, pointed towards the soldiers of Xun Gate acting according to the law, and said nothing. The message was clear, though—very simple, a check was all it would take.

Chu Jingtang was at a loss for words. Fine, setting that aside, he still wasn't convinced and clung to his doubts, "That's not right! Ten thousand participants, and we gathered a crowd of seven thousand. With so many of us, how is it possible that not a single person recognized you?

Even if we hadn't met before the conference, we were neighbors living together on the sacred mountain just before departure, weren't we?"

The implication was, how could none of the more than seven thousand people have seen someone from Youxia Mountain? How could Wang Sheng dare to so blatantly impersonate someone from Youxia Mountain? Logically, they should have been discovered easily.

Little did they know that even if their ruse was exposed, what could be done about it? Wang Sheng and his associates dared to do it because they were not afraid of being discovered, surely possessing the ability to handle the complexities that would arise post-exposure.

The young man pointed again, this time towards some sect members gathered nearby, "Our neighbors on the sacred mountain are all here."

What? People looked around at these so-called neighbors with eyes wide, nearly popping out of their heads, and noticed that, after being pointed out, they all appeared timid and fearful of getting into trouble.

At a glance, it was clear they were disciples from small sects, unused to being surrounded by so many major sects, a shocking sight indeed. They were afraid, unsure what event they had gotten mixed up in.

Chu Jingtang, with his dry mouth and parched tongue, still stubbornly objected, "How coincidental that the neighbors on the sacred mountain just happen to be gathered together?"

The young man replied prudently with lowered eyes, "We had arranged it on the sacred mountain, to stick together in the same area in West Pole, close to each other for support, and to leave together after the conference."

That was the reason for the coincidence; essentially, they had not separated.

Chu Jingtang looked at the thick city walls, wanting to bash his head against them. After taking a deep breath, he no longer wanted to speak or ask questions, and took the five so-called disciples from Youxia Mountain to the soldiers to verify their identities.

The reality was harsh; the five individuals were genuine disciples of Youxia Mountain.

A sect could only bring in five people; there couldn't be any others.

Looking at the genuine disciples from Youxia Mountain with their cowering demeanor and comparing them to Wang Sheng and his group's demonic behavior, it was clear that they were not from the same sect. The difference in bearing and elegance was as distinct as clouds from mud, certainly not from the same nest.

How ruthless, how could they dare?

Thinking about what he had helped Wang Sheng do, Chu Jingtang truly despaired and suddenly let out a howl to the sky, "Wang Sheng, fuck your ancestors!"

Lao Changtai collapsed to his knees on the ground, his legs simply giving way, done for. He had no idea how he would face his Sect; he was certain he wouldn't be able to get through this!

Suddenly, someone cursed Wang Sheng, and Mulan Qingqing and the others, upon hearing this, looked over and saw it was one of Wang Sheng's close lackeys, puzzled.

In front of Mulan Qingqing, they cursed her fiancé—what did that mean? Wan Daoyuan didn't understand and went forward to find out himself.

Sometimes, it's better to play dumb; knowing too much is indeed frightening. Wan Daoyuan panicked on the spot.

But he was better off; he had only been deceived, unlike Chu Jingtang and his ilk, who were accomplices.

However, he couldn't understand—how could this be false? That was Mulan Qingqing's fiancé! How could Mulan Qingqing possibly mistake her own man? It was too preposterous.

They definitely had to get to the bottom of this, and Wan Daoyuan immediately brought the five individuals from Youxia Mountain over to Mulan Qingqing.

By now, the Youxia Mountain disciples, dragged here and there, probably understood the situation; what calamity had they wrought? Hidden away peacefully, coming out peacefully, how could they have been impersonated?

Without any reason or grudge, why impersonate small sects like theirs, as though they could mess with the larger sects. Wouldn't it have been better to impersonate a more powerful sect?

They couldn't fathom what the impersonators were thinking.

Upon understanding the situation, Mulan Qingqing was stunned and wanted to know what Wang Sheng and the others were thinking.

Wang Sheng, Gao Qiang—these names, upon reflection, were clearly made up on the spot.

The impersonators of Youxia Mountain, even their names were fake, and without changing clothes, how could they dare?

Their method of impersonation was too crude!

Wan Daoyuan and others kept asking Mulan Qingqing, wasn't he your fiancé?

Mulan Qingqing stood there in a daze, silent, as if she couldn't hear anything at all.

Later, the gates of Weng City opened.

A voice from the guards announced, "Participants from West Pole may exit!"

Mulan Qingqing didn't even know how she managed to leave Weng City. Among the swaying figures before her, she saw familiar faces coming to meet them—Ji Qinghe, the elder, and two fellow disciples. Mulan Qingqing's pupils constricted.

Ji Qinghe frowned slightly, noticing her unusual demeanor and pale, ashen face—what happened, had she been injured?

A sudden burst of fresh blood spewed from Mulan Qingqing's mouth, and then she collapsed, eyes closed.

"Mulan!"

"Miss Mulan!"

Cries of alarm resounded.

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