He Lan Tianxia

Upon exiting the Valley of Destruction, Murong Junlan felt the invisible oppression in his chest lessen considerably. He guessed that the white-haired woman must have gone to the Bear Cave to find the Lazy Man's Manual, so he chose to go in the opposite direction from the white-haired woman to find his Yan'er.

As he walked, Murong Junlan found himself back under the tree where the woman had dropped the glass lock. He searched carefully, but apart from a slightly broken branch, he couldn't find any other clues. So he continued searching along the path, and before he knew it, he had reached the entrance of the Valley of Destruction again. The white-haired woman hadn't returned, and the power was nowhere to be found. Murong Junlan searched inside the cave again, but to no avail. He took the glass lock out of his pouch and examined it carefully for a while, touching it repeatedly, hoping to find some clue, but all his efforts were in vain. After much thought, Murong Junlan decided to return to the Bear Cave to see if there was any news of the woman, but he was worried that the white-haired woman had probably already turned the Bear Cave into a completely different place.

With this thought in mind, Murong Junlan headed straight for the bear cave. The cave was quiet, with only three bears inside. Luo Rina and the little boy were nowhere to be seen, and the Lazy Man's Manual on the cave ceiling remained unchanged. Murong Junlan frowned, a sense of unease rising in his heart: "Could they have been kidnapped by the white-haired woman?" Murong Junlan considered the white-haired woman a formidable figure; if the two boys fell into her hands, she might just go mad and chop them both up. However, even by nightfall, Luo Rina and the little boy hadn't returned to the cave, and the Valley of Destruction was also deserted, adding to its eeriness and mystery. After much deliberation, Murong Junlan decided to stay in the Valley of Destruction and wait for the white-haired woman. Around midnight, the white-haired woman finally returned, her already somewhat disheveled hair now even more disheveled. Seeing Murong Junlan, she showed no surprise, as if it were expected.

"I've found the woman you wanted to see, but there's a deal between us." The white-haired woman's cold words didn't sound like a negotiation, but rather a necessary condition.

"If it is within my power, I will do everything in my power to help you, even if it means going through fire and water," Murong Junlan said sincerely.

"Ha... That feels good, that feels good." The woman's shrill laughter sounded even more shrill in the darkness, then she gritted her teeth and said, "I want you to avenge me."

"revenge?"

"Yes, revenge." The white-haired woman's eyes blazed with furious hatred.

"Senior, can you tell me who your enemy is?"

"dead."

"A dead person? How do I report that?" Murong Junlan felt a chill run down her spine. If she had thought the white-haired woman was strange at first, she could now call her insane. But to prevent this insane woman from harming Yan'er, Murong Junlan replied without hesitation, "I promise you."

"You promised me? How can you promise me? Do you know how long he's been dead? Ten thousand years, ten thousand years. He made me wait for him in this world for ten thousand years. Tell me, isn't he too cruel? So I want you to help me drag him out and personally cut him into a thousand pieces." As soon as the white-haired woman finished speaking, the old man in the treasure room shuddered.

"Senior, I'm afraid I don't have that ability." Murong Junlan really didn't want to lie to the white-haired woman.

"No, you have that ability. I just need to teach you a set of secret techniques, and you can find him and avenge me."

"Senior..." Murong Junlan was heartbroken. What kind of secret manual was this? He'd probably be doomed after learning it! Absolutely ruthless! Just as vicious as its name suggested. One could imagine the immense and deep resentment behind the hatred. Murong Junlan desperately wanted to see his Yan'er, so he stepped forward and cupped his hands, saying, "May I see my Yan'er first before beginning my training?"

"No," the white-haired woman said firmly.

"Then I'll take my leave." Murong Junlan said, turning and leaving.

"Stop!" The white-haired woman looked at Murong Junlan, who didn't even turn his head. "You stop right there!" The long-haired woman raised her hand, and a cold aura swept over her.

Murong Junlan didn't turn around, only pushing his hands back. But due to the disparity in strength, he still slammed forward violently. Just as he was about to hit the stone wall, the white-haired woman suddenly pulled back, and Murong Junlan seized the opportunity to turn around and strike the white-haired woman with a palm strike. The white-haired woman didn't expect Murong Junlan's sudden change of direction. In her haste, she managed to take the blow, and her body swayed uncontrollably.

"Good heavens, it seems you underestimate me. Annihilation Frost Palm!" The white-haired woman unleashed a series of vicious attacks, forcing Murong Junlan to retreat step by step, causing rocks to fall everywhere in the cave. Murong Junlan also used all his skills, and the two fought fiercely in the cave until the sky darkened.

As dawn broke, the white-haired woman suddenly stopped and muttered to herself, "You are not General Qi, and your kung fu is inferior to his. However, you look too much like him, and that woman looks too much like the Empress. It seems that your fate is not yet over." After saying this, the white-haired woman waved her left hand, and another space immediately appeared in the cave, where the woman was bound hand and foot next to a large rock.

"Yan'er!" Murong Junlan shouted.

"Stop shouting, she can't hear you." The white-haired woman showed no signs of having finished fighting, not even breaking a sweat, as if she were chatting casually. "Now, can you agree to my conditions?"

"Speak." Murong Junlan quickly regained his composure. He stood there gracefully, but his eyes were fixed on his Yan'er. "Leave me here and release her."

"Do you think that's possible?" The woman grabbed a cup and threw it violently at Murong Junlan. "Love? What is love? Is she worth this sacrifice? I want you both to perish, perish!"

Murong Junlan dodged the cup, his eyes still fixed on the woman, his hand secretly clenching into a fist.

The white-haired woman pretended not to see anything, snorted, and mocked, "If you're so capable, rescue her yourself." She then turned and walked towards the woman inside the cave.

Murong Junlan leaped forward, but just as his hand was about to touch Yan'er, a huge hole suddenly appeared beneath his feet with a loud crash. He lost his footing and fell into the hole. In the darkness, Murong Junlan heard the white-haired woman's piercing voice, "Practice your skills diligently and avenge me. Ha…"

She'd been outmaneuvered after all. That cunning, treacherous woman! Murong Junlan felt a lump in her throat, unable to breathe. Darkness, complete darkness, a darkness so intense it was suffocating. Murong Junlan touched the cave walls beside her; they were chillingly cold. Suddenly, a blast of cold air, carrying the stench of blood, assaulted her senses. Murong Junlan quickly dodged, then unleashed a burst of energy. With a "smack," the object slammed against the cave wall, intensifying the stench of blood. Several more blasts of cold air followed. Because her eyes hadn't adjusted to the darkness, Murong Junlan was momentarily disoriented.

A rumbling sound came from behind, the stone wall shifting. At the same time, Murong Junlan suddenly felt his footing give way, and his body plummeted downwards. Unsure of the extent of the danger beneath his feet, Murong Junlan desperately used his desert lightness skill, but this skill relied on rotation, meaning he couldn't maintain his balance for long. He could only leap upwards repeatedly to counteract his descent. As time passed, Murong Junlan grew tired; the upward distance he could ascend became increasingly shorter. At this rate, he would eventually fall. But what was most unbearable was the increasingly strong stench of blood below. Suddenly, the image of the Lazy Man's Manual flashed into Murong Junlan's mind. Normally, the Lazy Man's Manual was practiced in a state of stillness, but in this dangerous situation, he disregarded that and forced himself to practice it while leaping. This kind of practice was extremely dangerous; the alternation of stillness and movement was most likely to cause qi deviation, and a slight miscalculation could lead to instant death. If it weren't for the overwhelming smell of blood, Murong Junlan would never have risked his life.

Silence. Everything was still. His body had miraculously stabilized and was slowly rising. The Lazy Man's Secret had worked! He had actually succeeded while rapidly descending. The usually composed Murong Junlan unconsciously revealed a smile that wasn't even on his part. His body floated back to the platform where the stone wall had moved. Just then, the stone wall had moved to create a large opening, from which a faint light shone. Above the opening, several large characters were faintly visible: Shangyuan Ancient Realm. Without thinking, Murong Junlan stepped into the stone cave. Suddenly, a gust of wind blew down from above, and a huge creature swooped down. Murong Junlan had no choice but to use the move "Addicted to Autumn Moon," lying on his back. The creature's sharp claws flew past Murong Junlan's nose, leaving only two fingers' width of space between them. What a close call! Before Murong Junlan could even catch his breath, the huge creature swooped down again. Murong Junlan dared not be careless, and in an instant, they had already exchanged dozens of blows. The huge creature seemed to be getting stronger with each battle.

A giant vampire bat? After his eyes adjusted to the light, Murong Junlan finally saw clearly what kind of monster this enormous creature was. How could a giant vampire bat appear in the Shangyuan Ancient Realm? Murong Junlan had learned about these ancient records from the Wenyuan Pavilion, but recalling the unpredictable white-haired woman and the eerie Valley of Destruction, it seemed nothing was impossible. Seeing the giant vampire bat attacking again, Murong Junlan decided to defeat the beast as quickly as possible. He threw out his thin rope and used his trump card, the Silver Ring Illusion, to strike first. The giant vampire bat was no pushover either, baring its fangs and claws as it retaliated. Thus, another fierce, life-or-death battle erupted within the Shangyuan Ancient Realm.

The battle lasted nearly two hours, an hour and a half longer than Murong Junlan had initially planned. He was secretly amazed by the monster's abilities. If this giant vampire bat submitted to him, it would be a match for Ling Yi. Taking advantage of the giant vampire bat's swooping down, Murong Junlan also spun out a thin rope, which wrapped around the bat's swooping leg. But the bat immediately realized it had been tricked. Instead of fleeing, it lunged at Murong Junlan in a suicidal attack, emitting a shrill cry. Murong Junlan didn't want to kill it; he only wanted to drive it away and prevent it from blocking his path. Seeing the giant vampire bat swooping down, Murong Junlan didn't dodge. He swiftly shot out a hidden arrow from his right sleeve. With a hiss, the giant vampire bat was wounded by the arrow in its long wing, and blood dripped down, the stench of blood growing stronger. After fighting for more than ten rounds, the giant vampire bat actually rushed out of the cave and swooped down into the endless abyss. Instantly, a strong stench of blood surged up from the cave.

Huh? What's going on? Murong Junlan stood there, a little confused. How did things end up in the abyss? What kind of magic is in the abyss? He couldn't worry about that now. The giant vampire bat was gone, and he naturally walked forward. At that moment, he suddenly heard a rumbling sound of thunder.