He Lan Tianxia

The two exchanged over a dozen more blows, evenly matched. Although it was pitch black, both were top-tier masters, intimately familiar with each other; the duel was equally intense in the dark. In her memory, this was the first time Murong Junlan had proactively challenged the white-haired woman. This woman was not to be trifled with; it was best to avoid her if possible. If she hadn't remained inactive for over a month, and if Ling Yi hadn't disappeared, she would never have taken the risk of stirring up this hornet's nest.

Murong Junlan was determined to lure the white-haired woman away so that Jiang He could go into the cave to see what was going on. Murong Junlan could guess that the white-haired woman had captured Ling Yi, Young Master Bai, and the shopkeeper, and tortured them inside, as well as the woman with the Twin Snow Swords. But to have the white-haired woman guard them outside all day and night for over a month? It didn't seem like the white-haired woman's style at all.

Human refining? Murong Junlan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. What was this ruthless, bloodthirsty demon king capable of? Thinking this, Murong Junlan twirled the thin rope in his hand even more frantically. He was determined to get to the bottom of this tonight; Lingyi, Murong Dubai, and the shopkeeper—they absolutely couldn't be harmed. Although Murong Dubai was always trying to steal his beloved concubine and constantly opposed him, it would be a pity to use him for human refining on the white-haired woman; he couldn't bear to do it. Although Murong Junlan was wicked, he had a unique skill in poison making. If only he could cooperate in refining elixirs to save lives in the future.

"Jiang He, flint." Murong Junlan reminded Jiang He so that he could see everything around him clearly.

"Yes, Your Highness." Jiang He quickly struck the flint in his hand.

"Snap." The white-haired woman struck with a palm strike, extinguishing the flint. Jiang He lit it again, but the white-haired woman seized the opportunity to strike again. Murong Junlan's thin rope couldn't withstand the wind and couldn't help Jiang He, so he could only relentlessly attack the white-haired woman with the rope.

Finally, the flint lit up.

Accustomed to the darkness, the group felt momentarily uncomfortable when illuminated by the light. However, their simultaneous attacks from Murong Junlan and the white-haired woman clashed in the middle. *Crack!* A block of ice from the Annihilation Cold Palm strike met the thin rope in the middle, scattering ice crystals. The chilling aura of the ice traveled along the rope to Murong Junlan's hand.

This woman's martial arts skills have improved again. If it weren't for the past month of teaching the old man's secret manuals at the Dark Woodcutter Temple, and gaining some insights into the essence of martial arts and internal energy cultivation, her hand gripping the thin rope would surely be chilling to the bone. Her original intention of training Yan'er's martial arts had unexpectedly become a case of unintended consequences.

Sure enough, there was a cave at the bottom of the cliff.

Murong Junlan tried his best to drive the white-haired woman away, but to no avail. The more the white-haired woman guarded the cave, the more likely it held the secret Murong Junlan sought. If she wouldn't move, then so be it. Murong Junlan unleashed his full power, engaging the white-haired woman in a fierce and epic battle. The sight left even the seasoned Jiang He utterly impressed.

In this battle of wits, Jiang He was somewhat helpless. He squatted there, feeling around for stones, when suddenly, "Hmm? What's that?" He touched it again, and the thing actually bit him. Jiang He got angry and chopped it down. He relit his flint, only to find a scattering of turtles, each about the size of a palm, lying haphazardly at his feet. The turtles, perhaps startled by the fight, all raised their heads, previously looking away, now staring intently at Jiang He. Seeing their gaze, an idea immediately popped into Jiang He's head.

Scratching turtles. Although this skill was a special treat the prince gave to his princess, Jiang He was going to have some fun on Turtle Island today. Jiang He used both hands to swat up several large turtles and threw them into the cave. Humans can't get close, but turtles, you white-haired woman, you'll have a hard time dealing with them!

Jiang He threw several times in succession, and the white-haired woman was indeed starting to struggle to keep up. Murong Junlan's attacks were even more deadly. After Jiang He had thrown more than ten times, the white-haired woman finally revealed an opening, and Jiang He seized the opportunity to slip into the hole.

Seeing Jiang He enter the cave, Murong Junlan was momentarily distracted. The white-haired woman's palm strike landed, hitting Murong Junlan's left shoulder. Fortunately, he deflected the force quickly, with only half the impact landing on his shoulder, but it still caused him pain and numbness for a while. To protect Jiang He, Murong Junlan now occupied the cave entrance, and the two engaged in another round of intense combat.

"Jiang He, how is he?" Murong Junlan was still worried about Jiang He inside. But she asked several times without getting a reply from Jiang He.

Seeing that Murong Junlan was multitasking, the white-haired woman attacked even more recklessly. Her goal was to retake the cave entrance; she couldn't let Murong Junlan and Jiang He ruin her month-long efforts.

"Jiang He, Guard Jiang!" Murong Junlan called out several times, but still received no response from Jiang He. He pondered whether to go in. What if there was nothing inside? Then the two of them would be trapped inside by the white-haired woman. But judging from the white-haired woman's reaction, there should be something they wanted inside. If he wasn't mistaken, the woman with the Twin Snow Swords was probably more likely inside. Falling from such a high cliff, she would be seriously injured even if she didn't die.

Murong Junlan quickly surveyed the surroundings. Apart from the white-haired woman herself, she probably couldn't use anything else to seal the cave entrance. In that case, he needed to go into the cave as soon as possible to see what was going on. At least, he didn't know what was happening inside Jiang He.

The white-haired woman watched as Murong Junlan drew ever closer to the cave entrance, her palm strikes growing ever more forceful. Yes, her success or failure hinged on tonight. A month had passed peacefully; what was Murong Junlan doing here tonight? Did he possess clairvoyance, or did her concoctions generate some kind of magnetic field, attracting them here? No, she absolutely could not let Murong Junlan enter the cave. She had already been extremely worried when Jiang He went in, but she still held onto hope. If she let Murong Junlan in, all her efforts of the past month would be in vain.

The white-haired woman secretly pulled out two poisoned darts from her person and slammed them down. Suddenly, Murong Junlan collapsed to the ground with a thud. At that moment, a turtle was thrown out of the cave and flew straight at the white-haired woman.

The white-haired woman dodged aside, then slapped Murong Junlan, who was lying on the ground, and with a cold laugh, rushed into the cave without thinking. She knew Jiang He's skills very well, but at this crucial moment, she could not afford to make any mistakes.

Another turtle was thrown over. The white-haired woman was in a great hurry; she didn't even notice that Murong Junlan had followed her in.

The first impression Murong Junlan had was of a dense swarm of turtles. This great demon had killed countless turtles in the past month.

Jiang He walked deeper into the cave, the white-haired woman following closely behind, and Murong Junlan keeping a distance. Because Jiang He carried a flint, the dark cave was faintly illuminated by piles of turtle shells and a narrow path barely wide enough for one foot to pass through. Jiang He deliberately stepped on the turtle shells; some of the softer shells immediately shattered, making a screeching sound. Jiang He was intentionally making noise to cover for Prince Murong.

After several detours, it seemed they had finally reached the end. Jiang He was being chased and was in a bit of a mess. This woman was indeed skilled; she didn't even catch her breath while chasing and fighting.

At the very bottom, Jiang He stood still. He raised the flint high, and a torch appeared in his hand without him noticing. He placed the flint against the torch, and with a whoosh, the torch lit up.

What a sight! Murong Junlan gasped.

At the bottom of the cave, where turtle shells littered the ground, stood four skeletons, their identities unknown. Bound together were several people: the woman with the Twin Snow Swords, Young Master Bai, and the shopkeeper. A snake hung from the snake, which Murong Junlan immediately recognized as Ling Yi. Bound next to Ling Yi was Cang Ying, whom he hadn't seen in a long time. Both Ling Yi and Cang Ying seemed to have been knocked unconscious by some kind of fumes, their heads drooping, appearing as if they were on the verge of death. The woman with the Twin Snow Swords and the shopkeeper were also unconscious. Only Young Master Bai stared fiercely at the white-haired woman with his angry eyes, but when he saw Jiang He, his somewhat dazed eyes flickered.

Murong Junlan couldn't stand it any longer and charged over with the word "save him." Only then did the white-haired woman look at the man who had been poisoned by the hidden weapon in astonishment, who was actually standing alive in front of her. Only then did she belatedly realize that she had been tricked.

It was a bit too late; Murong Junlan's thin rope had already attacked from behind. The move was even more ferocious than any of the previous attacks, and the anger emanating from it could practically ignite gunpowder from a distance.