The mountain wind howled, and a figure in black flashed by with extreme speed. In an instant, the night sky returned to its tranquility.
On the outskirts of the desolate realm, Ye Tinglan stood with his hands behind his back against a stone cliff. His black hair flowed beneath his jade crown, and a chilling aura emanated from his handsome face.
He had personally searched the desolate realm but still found no trace of Feng Yinwan.
If she wasn't even here, then where could she be?
The palm behind his back tightened for a moment. As he turned to leave, a faint rustling sound reached his ears from afar.
In an instant, Ye Tinglan's figure vanished. In the direction where the commotion originated, two figures in black robes appeared silently.
"Hurry up," one urged. "The Holy Master said he must see her tonight!"
The other replied impatiently, "I know, I know. I want to hurry, but I'm carrying an ancestor! Stop rushing me, or you carry her!"
Upon closer inspection, the person slung over his shoulder was wearing white medicinal robes. Their face bobbed up and down with the movement, and that appearance… it was Jiang Wan!
Ye Tinglan's brows instantly furrowed with stern coldness.
It was him again!
Previously, in Jiangzhou, he had been tracking the black-robed figures, only to be tricked by him outside a dilapidated temple.
Now, in the desolate realm, he was searching for Feng Yinwan's whereabouts, only to encounter him entangled with these black-robed figures again. Was there a connection between him and the black-robed figures?
After some thought, he attacked.
The outskirts of the desolate realm were sparsely populated. In the darkness that stretched as far as the eye could see, the killing intent arrived too quickly and too fiercely, clearly catching the black-robed figures off guard.
"Who are you to dare interfere in the affairs of the Xuanmen?"
Ye Tinglan had no intention of speaking. With a wave of his palm, another killing blow was unleashed.
Seeing that the situation was unfavorable, the black-robed figures immediately shifted their stance, intending to evade him and continue forward. However, Ye Tinglan's attacks were too swift, forcing them to stop.
With a "bang," two palm strikes met head-on, and the resulting blast of air directly blew off the mask from Feng Yinwan's face.
The black-robed figures were clearly at a disadvantage. They took a few steps back while carrying her, while the other took the opportunity to scatter a drug towards Ye Tinglan.
The drug condensed into a dark mist in mid-air, quickly engulfing Ye Tinglan's figure. Even with his internal energy, Ye Tinglan couldn't disperse it, so he held his breath and retreated.
"You have been afflicted by our sect's 'Oblivion of Dust and Joy.' If not quickly resolved, your vital energy may surge, risking sudden death. Please leave immediately!"
For a master like Ye Tinglan, getting entangled with them was undoubtedly a big trouble. They naturally had no intention of making an enemy; they only needed to force him away.
Not wanting to prolong the fight, the two figures picked up Feng Yinwan and continued their journey. However, from behind them, Ye Tinglan suppressed his disordered breath and lunged after them again.
"Leave him behind."
This "him," of course, referred to Feng Yinwan, who was being carried by the black-robed figures.
This command was unexpected. Feng Yinwan's heart tightened for a moment upon hearing it.
That voice… was it Ye Tinglan?!
That's right, she had woken up long ago. She had regained consciousness shortly after being taken out of Yunzhou City.
Along the way, from the conversation between the two black-robed figures, she could almost confirm that they were the same two from the dilapidated temple!
And the person they were taking her to see should be the man who caused her bracelet to show abnormalities that day, the one they referred to as the "Holy Master."
When Ye Tinglan suddenly appeared midway, she didn't understand the situation and hadn't acted rashly. Now… could she instigate him to follow the clues with her?
Her beautiful eyes flickered, and a silver needle hidden in her fingertips quickly pierced the black-robed figure's back.
The sharp pain was fleeting, but the black-robed figure stiffened and flung her away.
"You weren't unconscious?"
Her body was firmly held by a pair of large hands. Feng Yinwan was startled. As she turned her head, Ye Tinglan pushed her away again, his expression cold and even carrying a hint of… disdain!
"If you're fine, stand on your own."
Feng Yinwan: "..."
Unexpectedly, the other black-robed figure was also stunned by this turn of events.
As he was about to make a move, his internal energy became uncontrollably scattered. He looked at his companion in surprise. After being pricked by the silver needle at the acupoint, his companion's condition was clearly worse than his!
The corners of Feng Yinwan's lips curved upwards. An empty medicine pouch fell silently to the ground from her fingertips.
"Did you two not expect this? All this way, and you didn't notice anything amiss?"
The two looked at the empty medicine pouch simultaneously, their faces immediately darkening.
To poison them without them noticing meant she had started her actions at least since leaving the city!
Then all this way…
Thinking of her quietly pretending to be dead, the two felt a chill run down their spines.
This woman… was truly insidious and cunning!
However, Ye Tinglan was currently poisoned, but they still had medicinal pills to protect themselves. Facing this woman alone was not enough to be feared!
The two took out medicinal pills from their bodies and swallowed them. They exchanged a glance across the distance, their target clear: Feng Yinwan.
With seven, eight, nine, or ten bottles of poison "borrowed" from the alchemy room, Feng Yinwan wasn't nervous upon seeing this; instead, she felt a little excited.
She had been bored to death listening to the old man's ramblings during the day. This was a good opportunity to test the efficacy of the medicine.
However, before she could even throw the poison in her hand, a figure flickered before her eyes, and Ye Tinglan struck both of them back with a palm strike.
The air exploded before her eyes. The wide hood of her medicinal robe was lifted, and Feng Yinwan was shocked to realize that her mask had fallen off!
Her heart tightened, and she subconsciously wanted to cover her face, but another mist descended before her eyes, and the black-robed figures retreated rapidly.
"Hey…"
They couldn't let them escape like this!
Forgetting about her mask for the moment, Feng Yinwan lifted her foot to chase after them, only to see light and shadow interweave before her, and that black-robed figure fell towards her first.
"Ye Tinglan?"
The moment she caught him, a searing heat rapidly spread through her clothes.
Feng Yinwan was slightly startled. Remembering the black-robed figures' words that he was poisoned, her brow furrowed. In the next instant, her body was tightly wrapped by those long arms.
The breaths that fell on her ear were deep and rapid. The heat from his body was scorching and terrifying. Even the most obtuse person would know what kind of drug he had taken. Feng Yinwan's heart tightened, and she curled her elbows, instinctively trying to push him away.
However, this little strength was still insignificant to Ye Tinglan.
He took this blow squarely, but his movements didn't stop at all, as if he couldn't feel any pain.
"Ye Tinglan!"
She called out to him, but he encircled her waist with one hand and forcefully pinched her chin.
The force of his lips landing on hers was not gentle; it could even be described as rough and barbaric.
Feng Yinwan bit him, and a strong metallic taste of blood spread in her mouth. Yet, he remained unmoved. He even raised his hand and tore open her collar.
The scene before her momentarily overlapped with a memory. Feng Yinwan's beautiful eyes widened, and her breathing stopped.
This kind of situation, this kind of forceful aura… she had only seen it in one place!
It was the water pavilion in the Ink King's mansion on the night she transmigrated!