"Imperial Concubine, this matter has nothing to do with you. You'd best not make an enemy of Spirit Hall."
The Soul Saint clenched his fists and issued a warning.
"Then come at me!"
Ye Yunxi smiled faintly. This was the perfect chance to test her Soul Saint strength.
In an instant, nine fluffy fox tails unfurled behind her, their snow-white fur shimmering with silver light.
Seven Soul Rings rose from beneath her feet: yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black!
Seven Soul Rings in all, with three Ten Thousand Year Soul Rings to cap them off. The Soul Saint's pressure swept over everything around them!
"Just what I need to warm up."
Ye Yunxi rolled her wrist, her eyes gleaming with anticipation.
The male Soul Saint's pupils shrank, and his expression changed completely.
"You're a Soul Saint?!"
Hadn't the Crown Prince said she was just a frail woman? You can't set me up like this!
Before he could react, Ye Yunxi stepped forward, her figure suddenly transforming into a streak of red. With the boost from Lingbo Microsteps, she moved so fast that all he could see was her afterimage.
The Soul Saint's vision blurred. His opponent had already appeared in front of him, fist clenched and swinging toward him.
He hurriedly activated a Soul Skill to block, but Ye Yunxi's fist was incredibly fast.
Every attack seemed to find an opening in his defenses.
Bang!
Smack!
Thud!
In just a few moves, the Soul Saint was beaten into a sorry state.
He was completely dumbfounded. This was no ordinary Soul Saint—her fists hit with the force of a massive impact.
He tried to counterattack, but couldn't even touch the hem of Ye Yunxi's clothes. He could only defend passively, and soon several wounds had appeared across his body.
Ye Yunxi had had her fun. Her eyes turned cold, and Soul Power erupted beneath her feet as she closed in. Her long, slender leg snapped up and kicked the Soul Saint hard in the chest.
"Ah!"
The Soul Saint let out a scream and slammed into a tree trunk. He spat out a mouthful of blood, and his aura instantly weakened.
This sight left Qian Renxue rooted to the spot, mouth slightly agape, her eyes full of disbelief.
Was this really the same little fox who only knew how to act cute, annoy him, and play clever tricks?
She had faced a Soul Saint head-on, completely suppressed him with her speed, and then kicked him flying. Her strength was far beyond that of an ordinary Soul Saint!
He had never known that this little fox had grown so strong!
Bai Chenxiang was even more dumbstruck. She forgot to get up, her cheeks still flushed as she gazed at Ye Yunxi with adoration.
The Imperial Concubine wasn't just beautiful—she was incredibly strong, too!
Just then, an urgent voice called out, "Chenxiang! Are you all right?"
A group of people in matching uniforms rushed over. At their head was Bai He, the chief of the Speed Clan.
When he saw his unconscious clansman on the ground, the battered Soul Saint, and Ye Yunxi and Qian Renxue standing protectively in front of Bai Chenxiang, his expression darkened at once.
Seeing them arrive, the Soul Saint knew the mission was secure. He didn't dare continue fighting. Struggling to his feet, he glared at Ye Yunxi before turning into a streak of black and vanishing into the woods.
Bai He had no time to chase after him. He hurried to Bai Chenxiang's side and helped her up, his face full of concern.
"Chenxiang, are you hurt? Who did this to you?"
Bai Chenxiang shook her head and pointed in the direction the Soul Saint had disappeared, her voice still shaken.
"It... it was someone from Spirit Hall! Thank goodness the Imperial Concubine and the Crown Prince saved me!"
"The Imperial Concubine and the Crown Prince..."
Bai He was a wary man by nature. Seeing Ye Yunxi and Xue Qinghe appear out of nowhere, he couldn't help wondering whether this incident had something to do with them.
Still, there were only two of them, and they hardly seemed capable of being behind what had happened.
Just as he was puzzling over it, a clansman hurried over with a report.
"Chief, something terrible has happened! Spirit Hall has destroyed all our intelligence outposts outside the clan!"
Bai He shuddered. "What is Spirit Hall trying to do?"
"Chief Bai He, now that this has happened, why not hear my proposal?"
Ye Yunxi stepped forward and asked with a faint smile.
"Your proposal? The Imperial Concubine showed up out of nowhere, and then my granddaughter was besieged by powerful enemies. That hardly makes your proposal convincing."
Bai He looked at Ye Yunxi, whose strength was formidable.
Ye Yunxi had already prepared her explanation. "It's only natural that Chief Bai He would be suspicious. But the Crown Prince and I came here alone to discuss cooperation. We didn't bring a single person with us. And we only happened to meet you on the way."
"Logically speaking, why would we go to all the trouble of destroying your intelligence network and attacking your granddaughter, Bai Chenxiang?"
"Why would we take on such a thankless task? If we really wanted to do that, we could simply force you into it."
Bai He had to admit that her reasoning made sense.
The Crown Prince and the Imperial Concubine had come alone to discuss cooperation, without bringing any guards.
That certainly showed sincerity.
After thinking it over, Bai He bowed and said, "I was presumptuous. I shouldn't have doubted the Imperial Concubine and the Crown Prince."
"This isn't the place to discuss cooperation. Please come with me to the clan, where we can talk."
Watching Ye Yunxi handle everything so effortlessly, Qian Renxue felt that the more she learned about her, the less she understood her.
Ye Yunxi had suddenly revealed Soul Saint strength, shown an incredible gift for persuasion, and even dispelled Bai He's suspicions.
Her abilities were entirely beyond Qian Renxue's understanding.
On the way, Bai Chenxiang walked shyly beside Ye Yunxi.
"Why are you so shy, Miss Bai?"
Ye Yunxi's sudden question startled Bai Chenxiang like a little cat.
"Ah, I... I just wanted to thank the Imperial Concubine for saving my life," Bai Chenxiang said bashfully.
"So how would Miss Bai like to repay me for saving your life?" Ye Yunxi teased.
"I..." Bai Chenxiang's ears turned red, and she froze, at a complete loss for words.
She didn't even dare look Ye Yunxi in the eye.
Ye Yunxi didn't tease her any further and continued on toward the clan.
Before long, they arrived at the Speed Clan's main hall.
"May I ask what kind of cooperation the Imperial Concubine has in mind?"
Bai He asked respectfully. Quite a few of their intelligence outposts had been attacked, and he truly needed an ally.
"We'd like to invite Chief Bai He to relocate near Heaven Dou City. We'll personally provide the Speed Clan with a dedicated residence and station a strong guard force there, so your clansmen's lives won't be in danger."
"The Speed Clan would only need to remain loyal and provide the Crown Prince with intelligence support. In return, the Crown Prince would provide you with resources and the money you need, while keeping the Speed Clan's location secret."
"Once the Crown Prince succeeds to the throne as Heaven Dou Emperor, I'll help the Speed Clan build the greatest intelligence network on the continent."
At Ye Yunxi's words, Bai He's expression shifted. He could see how much she was offering them.
He'd never dared to dream of building the greatest intelligence network on the continent, but now the opportunity was right in front of him.
Before Bai He could respond, Ye Yunxi pressed on.
"Chief Bai He, the Speed Clan once belonged to the Clear Sky Sect, but ever since the sect shut its gates, it hasn't cared whether you lived or died. Now you have the chance to leave the Clear Sky Sect and establish yourselves independently. Why not seize it?"
"The Strength Clan has already agreed to cooperate with us."
Thank you to everyone who has followed along this far.
I only just realized that I hadn't edited the previous few chapters. I was writing late at night and got muddled.
I've revised the earlier chapters to make them more reasonable.