Upon hearing this, Mu Cangwu's pupils contracted slightly. In the next instant, he appeared directly on the spirit boat, came to Lou Yunqi's side, and stared intently at Ruan Qing'an in front of him, who looked exactly like her.
But... there was no pulse, and no flow of spiritual energy.
What remains here is clearly just a wisp of divine thought!
Lou Yunqi said with a grim face: "I just vaguely felt that something was wrong. She shouldn't have been so silent when she saw us, but I didn't expect that when I checked, there was not even a trace of life."
"...Lou Fengzi, you're right this time."
Mu Cangwu was a master of the art of manipulating souls, especially puppetry, where he was unmatched. His divine sense techniques were extremely advanced, and when they were far away, they almost fooled him.
Looking at the "Ruan Qing'an" before him, who was like a puppet, with his head bowed and eyebrows lowered, he kept his eyes half-closed, silent and indifferent.
Lou Yunqi was so angry he laughed.
He slapped the hilt of his sword, and the longsword flew out, pointing directly at Zhan Hongyuan: "Sect Master Zhan, is this your sincerity?"
"...She has legs and wants to run away, what does that have to do with me?"
Zhan Hongyuan spoke in a cold voice, seemingly calm and collected, but inwardly he was somewhat surprised and uncertain—he knew Ruan Qing'an's situation better than anyone else. Not only was his body growing weaker, but he had also been tied to Yanlai Peak by the Fuhui Tree and then personally brought out by him.
How exactly did she manage to run through the whole process?!
The thought sent a chill down Zhan Hongyuan's spine, a vague unease creeping into his heart as if he were gradually losing control...
Just as Mu Cangwu was pressing the issue, the "Ruan Qing'an" in front of him suddenly moved. Her eyes blinked, and a glimmer of life finally appeared in her leaden gray eyes, like a doll that had come to life.
"You've discovered it."
"...Qing'an, must things be this drastic?"
Mu Cangwu sighed softly: "This wisp of divine thought is you, and it is you who is speaking to us. It was not easy to bring you back from the Myriad Dao Sect, but are you really so unwilling to even meet with us?"
"We know what happened inside the Ten Thousand Paths Sect."
Lou Yunqi also said, naturally referring to Zhan Hongyuan's wolfish ambitions. Others still believe in this sect leader, so how can they?
Ruan Qing'an merely chuckled, unmoved: "It's just from one cage to another. Lou Yunqi, Mu Cangwu, I am grateful for everything you have done for me, but—I do not need you to pay such a price for me."
"Unfortunately, you were born to love me, but you were not born knowing what love is or how to love. I, too, was not born to accept you, me, or the people I love."
"I'm sorry, I've let you down this time."
As soon as he finished speaking, that wisp of divine thought, like a flame that had lost its fuel, flickered in the wind like a candle and suddenly went out!
This is the second time she has disappeared right in front of them...
The atmosphere on the spirit boat was tense. Mu Cangwu's hand, gripping the jade-bone fan, tightened uncontrollably, his knuckles turning pale. As he lowered his head, he covered half his face with his other hand, his laughter suppressed yet manic: "Always so unexpected..."
"If only she were a little less useful, why... why is she so powerful that we can't even catch her?"
"Then bring them back."
Lou Yunqi's eyes flickered slightly, his emotions wild and twisted.
Seeing that the two were on the verge of going mad, Zhan Hongyuan took a half step back without leaving a trace, intending to use the spirit boat's defenses to shake them off and run away—so as not to let them go mad and implicate the elders accompanying him from the Myriad Paths Sect.
But just as Zhan Hongyuan stepped back—
"Sect Master Zhan, the people from the Myriad Paths Sect have been returned by my Flying Cloud Merchant Guild, and the Longevity Palace did not interfere. But now you see, the people you promised us are nowhere to be found. Shouldn't your Myriad Paths Sect be held responsible for this?"
Upon hearing Mu Cangwu's words, Zhan Hongyuan's lips twitched.
His pills ran away, his "medicinal herbs" ran away, and now he has to take responsibility for it. What a damn headache...
Zhan Hongyuan wasn't particularly afraid of the two, but he was currently injured and it wasn't advisable for him to engage in a fierce battle, let alone risk having his Wandao Sect dragged into the fray if the two went berserk.
After a brief silence, he said, "What do you mean?"
At this moment, Lou Yunqi finally sheathed his sword and said coldly, "I've heard that the Wandao Sect has recently been hunting down the traitorous disciple Shen Changlin."
"Yes, you don't actually want to save him, do you?"
Zhan Hongyuan's eyes turned slightly cold. This wasn't impossible; after all, Ruan Qing'an valued Shen Changlin, and saving him to make her happy was a good thing.
But Lou Yunqi coldly interrupted, "No."
"Next, the Feiyun Chamber of Commerce and my Changsheng Palace will help capture Shen Changlin. The only requirement is that he be killed."
"..."
After a brief silence, Zhan Hongyuan nodded in agreement.
Only after he and everyone on the spirit boat left did Mu Cangwu reopen Wanhua City and make arrangements for things, while Lou Yunqi instructed everyone from Changsheng Palace to return.
Mu Cangwu finally spoke: "Have you forgotten Shen Changlin's identity?"
Lou Yunqi remained calm and composed: "You mean, the subtle message from Heaven prevents us from killing him?"
"Don't forget, Mu Cangwu, if Qing'an can't accept us, we'll die. Besides... can you accept that she doesn't love you? It's instinct, and you can't avoid it."
"Since that's the case, even if it goes against the will of Heaven, I will kill Shen Changlin. He's really getting in my way."
Mu Cangwu asked in a deep voice, "What about Zhan Hongyuan?"
"I would kill both of them, even if they were together."
...
Meanwhile, a hundred miles away from the Wandao Sect...
Ruan Qing'an changed into a heavy crimson robe, wore a bamboo hat, and a white veil that could block divine sense from probing fell down, obscuring her beautiful face, making her look completely different.
She gazed towards the direction of the Myriad Paths Gate, where flames soared into the sky and the illusory shadows of ancient trees swayed in mid-air, as if mourning.
037: [Ancestor, when did you decide to run away?]
"Before seeing Shen Changlin off."
Ruan Qing'an said with his eyes half-closed, "At that time, I resonated with all the sword-type spiritual treasures of the Wandao Sect, which was a preparation for what was to come."
Borrowing the sharpness of ten thousand soldiers, we break the shackles of the floating tree.
Then, with divine thought, he ignited the fire in his heart, damaging the very foundation of the ancient tree—the so-called metal overcoming wood to escape, and wood generating fire to cause chaos in the myriad paths of the sect.
037: […Wow, wow, our ancestors were awesome!]
Ruan Qing'an chuckled and shook his head: "Alright, stop praising us. We have important business to attend to and can't waste time."
037: [Is it the male lead who's being rescued?]
"no."
Ruan Qing'an paused: "Remember when we were on Yanlai Peak? At that time, Shen Changlin and I both had a vague feeling that his cultivation speed was somewhat unsettling. That was his real hidden danger."
"I believe he can break the current situation of being hunted down, but I need to find a way to break this hidden danger."
037 Seemingly Understanding, Yet Not Quite Confused: [A Hidden Danger?]
Ruan Qing'an nodded slightly, gazing at the distant horizon, as if he could see a giant eye scrutinizing this world, with the pale golden power of the Heavenly Dao omnipresent: "Yes."
"It is a divine blessing, a natural body of Tao."
"Let's go, little system. The climax of the final act is approaching. It's time to unravel all the mysteries and usher in the final chapter."
\u0001
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