He Lan Tianxia

Finally, night fell. Murong Junlan entrusted "Yan'er" to Jiang He and the others before heading into the mountains. The mountain was shrouded in thick fog, obscuring the natural black lily, and there wasn't even a chirp of insects around.

"Where did the prince go?" Yan'er asked casually when she saw Jiang He still feeding the horses.

"Go to the Black Overlord's Cave."

"What are you doing there?"

"Take the Black Queen Flower, and we'll leave once we have it." Jiang He glanced at "Yan'er" suspiciously, thinking that the princess had indeed lost her memory again.

"Then I'll go out for a bit. See if I can run into the Prince." After saying that, Yan'er turned around and ran into the pine forest, leaving Jiang He behind and shouting loudly.

After "Yan'er's" figure disappeared into the pine forest, Murong Junlan emerged from the shadows.

"Your Highness?" Jiang He asked in surprise.

"She's not Yan'er; there's a high probability she's Black Overlord," Murong Junlan said casually.

"What should we do then?" Jiang He tried to sort out his thoughts.

"Invite the enemy into the trap." Murong Junlan's brows furrowed.

"Inviting the enemy into a trap?" Jiang He was utterly puzzled.

"Your mission is to find the princess's whereabouts as soon as possible, and keep this a secret for now."

"Yes, Your Highness." Jiang He settled the Red Hare and disappeared into the night.

Murong Junlan didn't want "Yan'er" to become suspicious, so he told Luo Xie and Ling Yi to stay where they were and wait for "Yan'er" to return. He then vanished again into the depths of the Black Tyrant King's Cave. It was night again, but he still couldn't find the natural Black Tyrant King Flower. The entrance to the Black Tyrant King's Cave was sealed tightly, preventing even mosquitoes and flies from entering. After circling the mountain surrounding the cave, Murong Junlan went to a place called the Ancient Qin Terrace. After so many days, there had been no movement at the Ancient Qin Terrace. Murong Junlan had almost given up hope for this place, but a faint expectation still lingered in his heart.

Murong Junlan sat quietly by the guqin platform for several hours. He even fell asleep on the big rock where he and Yan'er had sat together before.

"I will not marry him."

"you dare?"

"Why should I, the dignified master of the Overlord Cave, marry down?"

“I told you, his martial arts skills are far superior to yours.”

"So what? If he were so capable, he wouldn't have been able to protect his own queen, and he still hasn't found her by now."

"You don't know, the creature in the Guqin Pool that is neither a Kun nor a fish is called the Beast Kun. It has been sleeping for ten thousand years. Now that it has suddenly awakened, it must be an ominous sign. Also, the Beast Kun does not eat things indiscriminately, and what it eats must be a rare treasure."

"Ancestor, you have underestimated me too much. You have only boosted the morale of others while diminishing your own prestige."

"you?"

"What do you mean 'you'? Anyway, I, Black Tyrant, will not marry him. If you want to marry him, you can marry him yourself."

"...? You bastard, you'll regret this one day."

"We'll see. I'm going back to my cave."

"Wait a minute."

"What's the matter?"

“You don’t have to marry him. Just invite that prince to the Guqin Terrace tomorrow night. I have a way to lure out the mythical beast Kun.”

"Lure out the mythical beast Kun?"

"Remember this, it will be midnight. Midnight. At that time, I will lure you into my trap."

"Will you please enter the jar?"

"This opportunity comes only once. It's either him or me, so we can only succeed and not fail."

"..."

"Inviting you into a trap?" Murong Junlan was groggily awakened by this conversation. From their exchange, he could tell that neither of them had discovered his presence. After speaking, one returned to the Black Tyrant's cave, while the other vanished into thin air. Murong Junlan was truly excited. Tomorrow night, he would see the strange beast Kun. He never imagined that someone else besides him was searching for that monster. Was his Yan'er still there? How was Yan'er now? So many days had passed, and Murong Junlan sat by the large rock, feeling that time was passing incredibly slowly, as if the dawn had been devoured by a celestial dog.

An hour later, Murong Junlan returned to the place where Jiang He had settled the Red Hare. Jiang He hadn't returned yet, but "Yan'er" Black Tyrant had. Surprisingly, that fellow was quite fast. As soon as she saw Murong return, she clung to him.

"Your Highness, where have you been? I've been waiting for you so long my eyes are starting to blur."

"Is that so? Then go to sleep."

"Hey, it's negotiable." Black Tyrant took the initiative to climb over, but Murong Junlan gently dodged him.

"Then let's rest together." Black Tyrant stretched out his arm and wrapped it around her again.

"My beloved concubine, have you forgotten that we are not yet married?" Murong Junlan reminded her.

"Not married yet?" Black Tyrant was a little surprised, but she quickly smiled and said, "Your Highness, I'm afraid of the dark."

"Then you can rest inside the tent. Guard Jiang and I will sleep outside. That way, Black Tyrant won't be able to come," Murong Junlan said deliberately, glancing at Jiang He who had just returned.

"Then I still prefer to be alone with Your Highness." Black Tyrant still wanted to lead Murong Junlan inside, but Murong Junlan pushed Black Tyrant into the tent instead.

“My dear consort, after all, men and women should not be too close. If things go wrong, I have no qualms, but it would be bad if it damaged your reputation.” After saying this, Murong Junlan gave Jiang He a wink, and Jiang He immediately stepped forward to report:

"Your Highness, I have searched the entire Black Tyrant's Mansion several times, but I still haven't found the entrance."

"No rush, we can investigate tomorrow. Now, please rest with me."

"Huh..." Jiang He thought there was something wrong with his ears and was stunned for a moment.

"You heard me right. You're here to rest with me. If some snake, insect, or rat appears in the middle of the night and bites me, can you take responsibility?"

"..." Jiang He barely managed to suppress a laugh. Your Highness, how could snakes, insects, rats, and ants get close to you? Why don't you come up with a more pretentious excuse?

Jiang He lay beside Prince Murong, feeling like a cat on a hot tin roof all night, unable to calm down at all. In the end, Jiang He had to come up with a lame excuse about having diarrhea and took the opportunity to slip away, leaving Prince Murong to lie outside the tent counting stars all night.

The next morning, as soon as Black Tyrant got up, he pestered Murong Junlan to go to the Guqin Terrace. Murong Junlan thought to himself, "Isn't it midnight tonight? Why go there so early?" But since he had nothing else to do, and he also wanted to look for Yan'er's whereabouts, he agreed to go with her.

Guqin Terrace was a mysterious place, and Black Tyrant felt both awe and curiosity towards it. Since the ancestor had chosen tonight to "invite the enemy into the trap," there should be unexpected surprises at Guqin Pool during the day, right? Sure enough, something unexpected happened. When the two thought there was nothing strange about Guqin Pool and turned to leave, Guqin Terrace, which had always had a flowing stream, dried up at a visible speed. Most incredibly, the bottom of the pool was covered with colorful domino flowers, and ethereal mist wafted among the flowers.

Black Tyrant was stunned by this spectacle, his eyes flashing with wonder.

Murong Junlan was also stunned by this sudden sight, and his handsome brows furrowed slightly.

The two of them processed their own guesses and looked forward to what would happen next. What happened next was even more amazing. A large clump of colorful dominoes grew wildly upwards, filling the Guqin Pool into a natural giant flower basket, which was extremely stunning. The alluring beauty hidden among the flowers seemed to be unable to hide a bit of pride, swaying on its own even without wind.

Seeing all this, the two held their breath, not wanting to disturb this eerie scene with their own breath, and they looked forward to something even stranger to come.

"Crackling and booming!" A sudden flash of lightning and thunder streaked across the sky, and the cloudless sky abruptly darkened. Immediately afterward, a whirlwind rose from the Guqin Terrace, and a jet of water shot out from the flowerbeds at the bottom of the dried-up pool, spinning rapidly around the center. The water jet grew larger and larger, and the moment it covered the Guqin Terrace, the enormous water jet shot straight into the sky. The dense clouds in the sky suddenly split open, and a huge dragon sucked the water jet into its mouth, a truly magnificent and astonishing sight.

"A dragon sucking water?" Black Tyrant had forgotten Murong Junlan beside her, and even her own role. She quickly moved to what she considered a suitable spot, then suddenly swept her hands towards the dominoes in the pool, intending to forcibly pull them up to protect them. Unexpectedly, the enormous, gaping maw of the dragon swooped down and swallowed the entire cluster of flowers whole. Black Tyrant panicked, leaping forward to try and stop the dragon's maw, fearing her ancestors might be inside. But it was too late; the maw had already closed. Black Tyrant was filled with frustration, and angrily chased after the gaping maw.

Murong Junlan sensed danger. If the Black Tyrant was eaten by the monster, where would he find the Black Tyrant Flower? Just as Murong Junlan was about to act, a plume of black mist suddenly rose from the pool, followed by a figure catching up with the Black Tyrant and forcibly pulling it down. Seeing that someone had come to the Black Tyrant's aid, Murong Junlan immediately retracted his rope. Strange? Why couldn't he pull the rope back? This was something Murong Junlan had never encountered before. Murong Junlan looked up and saw that the guy playing "Dragon Absorbing Water" was none other than the strange beast Kun! "Well done, I've been looking for you." Murong Junlan lightly touched the ground, and like a swallow, he flew straight towards the strange beast Kun. The strange beast Kun opened its mouth and sprayed out a ring of water in all directions, then swallowed Murong Junlan in a flash.

"Slap!" A loud slap landed on Black Tyrant's face, and Black Tyrant immediately felt a burning pain on his face.

"Who told you to come to Guqin Terrace so early? Ziye, have you forgotten?" The ancestor's voice was filled with extreme anger. Her plan to lure the enemy into a trap had been ruined by the Black Tyrant. She hadn't waited for that extremely yin moment, and what angered her most was that the beast had eaten Murong Junlan again. Yes, it had eaten Murong Junlan again! Her plan...

"Useless." Another palm print appeared on Black Tyrant's face.

"Ancestor, I was wrong." Black Tyrant realized the seriousness of the situation, but her ancestor hadn't told her beforehand that she couldn't come in the morning. Just as Black Tyrant was stunned for a moment, her ancestor leaped up and chased after the strange beast Kun. Instantly, the sky was filled with wind and clouds, and lightning and thunder.

While the fighting raged fiercely outside, the inside was a nightmare. Murong Junlan was repeatedly thrown around. Fortunately, he had practiced many spins while training his desert lightness skill, but those were self-spinning, while this was passive spinning. Passive spinning, because it caught him off guard, would make him dizzy. Murong Junlan couldn't sit or stand properly. He longed to go out and have a good fight.

Murong Junlan searched for Yan'er inside the monster Kun's belly for a while, but couldn't find her. Suddenly, he remembered something: the monster Kun's body contained a sticky liquid that made movement impossible once you were inside. His Yan'er had no chance of escape except to be melted away. Thinking this, Murong Junlan felt a surge of grief and anger. He vowed to destroy the monster Kun today and avenge Yan'er. With this thought, Murong Junlan wielded his thin rope and began to writhe inside the monster Kun's belly. Poor monster Kun, attacked from both inside and out, was quickly defeated and retreated to the edge of the Guqin Pool, preparing to hide inside again.

"Mythical beast Kun, don't even think about escaping!" The Black Tyrant Ancestor blocked Guqin Pool's path.

"Don't think you're safe just because you're hiding in the pool. Our feud must be settled today." The Black Tyrant Ancestor flung a thick black mist at the mythical beast Kun. The mist was dense and had a menacing aura.

The mythical beast Kun shivered, realizing today was a day of reckoning. It decided to first shake the creature inside out; otherwise, even if it swam into the pool with it inside, it would be futile. Kun spewed a jet of water into the sky, then sneezed several times, its nose itching and sore, but the creature inside still wouldn't come out. Suddenly, it remembered that only Black Tyrant possessed the antidote to its internal slime. Without delay, Kun opened its mouth towards the stunned Black Tyrant and swallowed it whole.

Murong Junlan, filled with righteous indignation, swung his thin rope, and Black Tyrant fell to the ground with a thud. Murong Junlan thought something had attacked him, so he swung the rope and captured Black Tyrant. Because of the force, the rope left a scarlet bloodstain on Black Tyrant's body. Black Tyrant rolled to Murong Junlan's feet with a "yah," but this fellow was no pushover. He flung out a black mist from where he landed, which was mixed with a strong floral fragrance. Except for the fact that it was temporarily invisible, it also had a hallucinogenic effect.

Upon smelling the aroma, Murong Junlan immediately held his breath. Because the Black Tyrant's smoke had a de-sticking function, Murong Junlan didn't have time to see who it was before he slipped to the other side of the beast Kun's belly. His hand accidentally bumped into something hard, and his hand immediately reacted by throwing a punch. With a "plop," the hard object rolled down the beast Kun's stomach.

At this moment, the mythical beast Kun was fighting desperately against the Black Tyrant Ancestor. Just as the mythical beast Kun had gained a good opportunity, it suddenly opened its mouth wide and spat out a mouthful of thick blood.

"Mythical Beast Kun, today I will reduce you to ashes and make you spit out the Crimson Spirit Pearl!" The Black Tyrant Ancestor pressed on relentlessly. The Mythical Beast Kun visibly swayed, but it still stubbornly spat out a jet of water mixed with blood at the Black Tyrant Ancestor. The Black Tyrant Ancestor dodged while continuously unleashing his power. Black mist, like clusters of dark clouds, enveloped the Mythical Beast Kun. The Mythical Beast Kun's steps became visibly disordered, and it tried several times to escape back into the pool, but was blocked by the Black Tyrant Ancestor each time.

How could the Black Tyrant Ancestor not know what the strange beast Kun was thinking? Letting it escape back to its cave would mean waiting for hundreds of years again. She was determined to snatch the Crimson Spirit Pearl back today. Thinking this, the Black Tyrant Ancestor unleashed several black clouds with a series of powerful strikes, her entire being filled with excitement at obtaining the Crimson Spirit Pearl.

Seeing that Murong Junlan hadn't fallen to the ground despite being bewitched, Black Tyrant simply pounced on her. She smiled inwardly; as long as she was close enough to amplify the effects of the bewitching drug, Murong Junlan would have no chance to fight back. Although being inside the beast Kun's belly wasn't very comfortable, she was sure she could immediately bewitch Murong Junlan and make her regain the favor of her ancestors for the two slaps she had just endured.

Before Black Tyrant could even laugh out loud, he was punched hard and shoved into the stomach of the monstrous beast Kun by an unstoppable force. Whoosh! Heavens, where did that slide come from? He slid straight down...

Suddenly, the mythical beast Kun, in pain, struggled and leaped into the sky. Then, something unexpected happened. Two identical figures suddenly sprang from the Kun's rear end—upon closer inspection, they were both Yan'er. Because the Kun's rear end was facing Black Tyrant Ancestor, these two figures nearly landed on her face, nearly slamming into her mouth. Startled, she jumped back, and the two of them plunged into the ancient zither pool, which had somehow filled up.

Just then, the beast Kun, in extreme pain, spewed out a jet of blood in mid-air, and a person was caught in the jet of blood and fell into the Guqin Pool with a thud.

"Ancestor, I've helped you lure the enemy into a trap." As Murong Junlan splashed water everywhere, a voice reached the ears of the Black Tyrant Ancestor.