This sudden turn of events left everyone in the underground palace, who had been locked in chaotic battle, stunned. The place fell into a brief, deathly silence.
No one had expected there to be someone else here.
Within the shattered, collapsed passageway,
Jiang Lan stood there, wisps of blood-colored mist steaming like fog and curling around him.
Even his face was obscured, blurred beyond recognition. Only his eyes showed, calm and indifferent.
"I hadn't detected any trace of this person's aura before. There's another passageway over there as well..."
Even Ye Ming, who had been fighting the Myriad Laws Sect disciples, darkened slightly. His thoughts raced as he sent the opponent before him flying with a palm strike, then drifted to a nearby spot to watch the situation unfold.
Above one of his palms, a blood-red pattern flickered faintly, and what seemed to be the aura of a soul surfaced within it.
His gaze held a trace of apprehension as he looked toward the depths of the underground palace, at the tall figure wreathed in blood-colored mist.
Had the other party not suddenly attacked, he would not even have sensed any trace of his cultivation aura.
Though he stood there in plain sight, he seemed fused with heaven and earth, man and nature as one, returning to simplicity, like an ordinary person.
"There is something deeply strange about this person. Even I cannot see through him. You must be careful."
A hoarse, low voice rang out in Ye Ming's mind, making his expression grow even more grim and his wariness deepen.
Even Old Ghost had said so. That was enough to show how terrifying the person ahead was.
"Are you seeking death?"
A casual voice suddenly rang out, breaking the silence.
Jiang Lan looked toward the figures who had been sent flying and thrown to the ground.
Several of them were struggling to their feet, blood at the corners of their mouths. Yet as they looked at him now, their faces carried inexplicable fear and trembling.
They had not even seen how Jiang Lan attacked. They had only felt heaven and earth around them suddenly tighten.
Boundless force bore down upon them. It was as though an invisible giant hand had seized them, leaving them unable to move even a finger. Then they were slapped flying, their organs seeming to have shifted from their places.
Perhaps even the elders of their sects could not accomplish such a thing.
What was more, the other party's voice sounded very young.
Just what faction had produced such a young monster...
"Cough, cough... Please forgive them, Young Master. They were merely anxious and worried just now, with no intention of offending you. They bore no ill will..."
At that moment, the figure who had awkwardly darted aside to evade Jiang Lan's kick coughed several times and rose with some difficulty from the pile of rubble.
The wooden hairpin beneath her jade crown had fallen away, and her dark hair spilled loose around her shoulders. Her clear, radiant eyes could not conceal their shock.
The edges of a wax-yellow, ordinary human-skin mask on her face had broken away, exposing part of a fair, delicate face as white as snow.
"Miss..."
Those injured, bloodied figures hurried to her side.
One young girl wearing a maidservant's bun quickly moved to support her.
"Miss? Heh, so even you, Junior Sister Song, harbored ulterior motives. You concealed your identity all along and lay dormant within my Myriad Laws Sect."
In the distance, the burly man could not help but sneer upon hearing this.
His clothes were torn and blood stained the corner of his mouth. Clearly, Ye Ming had ambushed him during the battle just now, leaving him seriously injured.
Beside him, many Myriad Laws Sect disciples already lay sprawled on the ground amid pools of blood, their fates unknown.
He then looked toward Ye Ming, who was watching from nearby, and said bitterly,
"I thought you, Ye Ming, were honest and worth befriending. I treated you sincerely all the way here, yet I never expected you to be so calculating, plotting against us."
"Brother Wang Yan, that is not quite right. Fortuitous opportunities belong to those fated to obtain them. Along the way, you had me scout the terrain for you again and again, repeatedly putting me in danger and nearly costing me my life. At a time like this, do not pretend to be some good man. We are all birds of a feather."
Ye Ming merely sneered at this. Murderous intent flickered across his honest-looking, slightly dark face.
"Hmph, merely the advantage of a sharp tongue." The burly man named Wang Yan snorted coldly.
Jiang Lan's gaze was calm and indifferent. He had no interest in taking part in such a spectacle of dogs biting dogs.
Had it not been for the unexpected incident blocking his path, he would not have lingered even a moment longer.
The woman who concealed her true face had clearly sensed his aura earlier. That was why, while being sent flying, she had deliberately smashed through the Stone Wall beside the passageway to force him to reveal himself.
He had originally planned to quietly take the Blood Immortal Sect's inheritance, but it seemed he would have to be delayed for a while.
"Young Master, I am Wang Yan, an inner disciple of the Myriad Laws Sect in Danzhou Prefecture. By my master's orders, I came here to investigate the reason behind the demonic beast disturbances on the Blood-Colored Plateau. I bear no ill will."
"One of these two has lain dormant in my Myriad Laws Sect for a long time. I know not what she seeks, but I suspect she may be connected to the remnants of the former Blood Immortal Sect."
"As for the other, though he claims to be a Rogue Cultivator, he is deeply calculating and ruthless in his methods. He likely has considerable ties to the Blood Immortal Sect as well."
"From what I know, the Blood-Colored Plateau is connected to the Blood Immortal Sect that once brought calamity upon the Nine Provinces Continent. Judging by these two's motives, this place may well be one of its ruins..."
"The Blood Immortal Sect brought disaster upon the world and is reviled by all under heaven. Should it rise again, the living beings of the Nine Provinces Continent will surely be plunged into misery once more."
"Why not join forces, Young Master, and wipe out these remnants of the Blood Immortal Sect, restoring peace to all living beings under heaven?"
Wang Yan looked at Jiang Lan and cupped his hands. His gaze was sincere and solemn, while his tone rang with righteous conviction.
Though he could not sense the slightest fluctuation of magical power from Jiang Lan, he could not possibly regard him as an ordinary person.
That display just now alone was enough to make him wary and vigilant.
"The Blood Immortal Sect?"
Jiang Lan seemed slightly surprised, then smiled faintly. "Indeed. The Blood Immortal Sect has brought disaster upon the world, and all under heaven seek to destroy it. Since these two are connected to the Blood Immortal Sect, naturally I cannot allow them to leave."
Upon hearing this, the woman surnamed Song's expression seemed to change slightly.
Not far away, Ye Ming's brows furrowed, and the wariness on his face grew even stronger.
Delight appeared on Wang Yan's face as he cupped his hands once more. "Young Master speaks truly. If these two are allowed to leave, who knows how many disasters they will bring upon the outside world..."
Before he could finish, the delight on his face instantly vanished, replaced by ruthless resolve.
His entire body turned into a streak of light as he lunged at Jiang Lan in an instant.
Radiance surged between his palms and fingers, runes flashing as the aura of Dao arts unfolded, seemingly transforming into a rain of glowing mist that engulfed everything below.
The other Myriad Laws Sect disciples behind him also reacted swiftly, producing all manner of talisman treasures and magical artifacts as they charged at Jiang Lan together.
In the dim underground palace, streams of dazzling light instantly flooded the place, driving away the darkness and illuminating it.
This sudden attack did not surprise Jiang Lan in the slightest.
The changes in Wang Yan's breathing, heartbeat, and vital fluctuations had remained within his perception all along.
Naturally, he knew the other party's intentions.
He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, his expression utterly calm.
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