Those who enter the painting are all there hoping to gain something from it.

Currently, the Scroll of the Heavens is what attracts them the most.

Those who died no longer matter; what they care about is how to get more things in the future.

Therefore, they could not possibly let Zhuting go.

Meng Xiuyi shook her head and said bluntly, "She doesn't have the Scroll of the Heavens."

The Shanglin Sect members laughed loudly: "Do you think we'd believe you? A demon who indiscriminately slaughters the innocent, a descendant of someone who schemed against our brothers who have suffered so many deaths—why should we believe you?"

Shangguan Jinghong frowned and said, "Fellow Daoist Li, please don't get too caught up in the act. Entering the painting is like entering a secret realm. The purpose of this is to gain something, so it's only natural that some people will be lost."

He could already sense that the people around him were getting restless.

This statement was a reminder to the members of the Shanglin Sect, and also to others. The matter of the Scroll of Heavens might not be true, after all, it's just a painting. And the Shanglin Sect members are stirring up trouble, their actions mixed with personal grudges; those with clear minds should not get involved.

Meng Xiuyi scrutinized these people and said calmly, "Aren't you afraid that she is the mystery? If you hurt her, you will all return empty-handed."

Someone laughed loudly: "Harm? How could we harm her? We have plenty of ways to make her take out the Scroll of All Heavens!"

A chilling killing intent enveloped Meng Xiuyi and her family like a cold wind.

The Shangguan family, however, were much more clear-headed. Their elders had all been involved in the painting, and they knew very well where they had gone.

Since we've already come this far, if we truly disagree, there's no need to waste words.

At this moment, they all stood up at the same time and walked to Meng Xiuyi's side.

The leader of the Shangguan family was a woman named Shangguan Linglong.

She said, "We have no clue about the mystery in the painting, so I will not stop everyone from choosing their own path. But I am sorry, our Shangguan family has chosen to protect this young lady and stand on Fellow Daoist Meng's side."

Shangguan Jinghong nodded: "It's obvious that someone has plotted against us regarding the barrier. I hope that everyone can be more clear-headed."

"The Shangguan family?" someone hesitated. "Shouldn't the Shangguan family know some inside information?"

The people from the Shanglin Sect sneered, "Inside story? I'm curious now. Is it that whoever gets this girl will solve the mystery? Or rather, whoever this girl chooses will solve the mystery?"

Shangguan Linglong shook her head and said, "The Shangguan family has been practicing painting for hundreds of years, and this is the first time we have seen a living person from the Zhu family. The seniors in the painting family have also said that the old man from the Zhu family was killed and his granddaughter has disappeared. According to Fellow Daoist Meng, Miss Zhu should have been taken away by the Baili family."

This time, by a stroke of luck, Zhu Ting was not taken away.

That's quite obvious.

This girl might indeed be the mystery.

"What Miss Shangguan means is..."

Shangguan Linglong smiled slightly: "Perhaps, rescuing Miss Zhu is the mystery? You see, Miss Zhu is still here, and we haven't been ejected from the painting, which explains everything."

Shangguan Linglong's words touched some people, after all, the Shangguan family was the most experienced, and they would not joke about such a thing.

However, some people believe that the focus should be on the Scroll of the Heavens.

The reason why the Baili family wanted to take Zhuting away was also for the sake of the Zhutian Scroll.

Someone asked, "Now that the young ladies have been rescued, why hasn't the mystery been solved yet?"

Some people were eager to try: "Could it be that the Scroll of the Heavens was not brought out? People have been saying that the Scroll of the Heavens exists, but we have never seen it."

All eyes were once again focused on Zhu Ting.

Since ancient times, things or people who can glimpse the secrets of heaven have been wildly coveted. The path to immortality is long and arduous, and opportunities are elusive. Many people are eager to obtain a portion of the secrets of heaven to correct their own path.

So even if there's only the slightest hope, they're willing to give it a try.

Finally, people began to split into three factions.

Led by Meng Xiuyi, a group of disciples from the Shangguan family joined in an effort to protect Zhuting, along with a few scattered independent cultivators.

On the other side was a faction led by the Shanglin Sect, which proposed that all pavilions hand over the Heavenly Scrolls so that everyone could compete fairly.

Clearly, there are many more people vying for the Heavenly Scrolls.

Another group of scions from aristocratic families formed a third faction. They remained silent, simply standing at a distance, clearly waiting for the two sides to fight and for the third to benefit. This group was led by members of the Zhao family, a family of cultivators, and included a large number of independent cultivators.

Li Dao of the Shanglin Sect looked arrogantly at Meng Xiuyi and her group, and said, "Just as this young master Shangguan said, entering the painting is like entering a secret realm, so it's normal to compete for resources, right? If any conflict occurs between us, it's also reasonable, isn't it?"

Shangguan Linglong's face darkened, but she did not refute it.

However, the Shangguan family members all took out their weapons.

The Shangguan family members came to the painting not for the reward, but for the purpose of "destiny".

Generation after generation, all for the sake of freeing that one from their destiny.

Therefore, they would never change their stance for their own gain.

Zhu Ting looked at these people and smiled sadly.

These people, whether they covet her or protect her, all have ulterior motives.

Even her beloved little sister, whom she's been caring for these past few days, is...

As if sensing her gaze, Meng Wanwan turned to look at her, her small hand grasping Zhu Ting's cold hand.

"Sister Ting..."

Zhu Ting opened her mouth, wanting to ask what these people meant.

What does "entering the painting" and "should have been taken away by the Baili family" mean? But she didn't know where to begin asking.

A streak of light blue flashed before everyone's eyes, and a blue barrier enveloped the Meng family's house.

At the same time, the loud crash woke up Meng Wanwan and Zhu Ting.

It turns out that the group led by Uebayashi Zong has already begun their attack.

Because the number of people was too disparate, Meng Xiuyi immediately set up a barrier. However, this barrier, which was supported by her own spiritual power, could not withstand more than a few attacks before it was broken.

There's no running away; the only option is to fight.

Meng Wanwan squinted at the dark mass of people, feeling surprisingly calm inside.

This was the first time she had faced a choice since arriving in the Nine Realms Continent.

Make a choice based on your own moral compass.

"Protect her well." Meng Xiuyi's gentle voice reached Meng Wanwan's ears, and her head was gently patted.

Meng Wanwan looked up and saw Meng Xiuyi leaping into the air with her sword.

The long sword sliced ​​through the night sky, its azure light cleaving through the thick darkness and illuminating the expressions on people's faces.

He was at the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage, yet he surpassed even the Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage.

“Let’s retreat into the woods,” Helian Xiao said to Zhu Ting, who was still in a daze, as he picked up Meng Wanwan.

Yun Zhao and Chu You were clearly prepared. They each took one hand and pulled Zhu Ting onto the bamboo raft.

Meng Wanwan hadn't reacted yet: "Why go into the woods?"

Helian Xiao sighed, "Little girl... really."

He seemed to want to say something, but held back and said, "Master Zhu left a protective array over there."

As soon as Helian Xiao spoke, Zhu Ting's eyes suddenly lit up.

"Left by Grandpa?"

Helian Xiao nodded: "Yes, I'll tell you what you want to know when we get there."

Zhu Ting stopped resisting and jumped onto her bamboo raft with her. The purple spiritual energy projectiles in the sky had stopped at some point, but the river had been blown beyond recognition.

Zhu Ting braced himself against the bamboo pole and gave a strong push, and the bamboo raft slid quickly.

At the same time, a powerful spiritual force rushed towards them.

It was a long sword, but magnified dozens of times, which slammed into the bamboo raft.

A flash of white light appeared between Meng Wanwan's brows, and a huge talisman appeared in front of them, directly colliding with the greatsword.

The talisman shattered instantly, and the massive spiritual energy impact struck Meng Wanwan directly. Meanwhile, the sword hovered in the air, and a white figure descended from the sky, standing on the sword.