He Lan Tianxia

The pale-faced scholar retreated swiftly ahead, not forgetting to set up several traps, but his gait revealed his nervousness. He hadn't expected Murong Junlan to see through his elaborate scheme so quickly. In fact, the walls of the mercury pool were all sturdy; he had only added a valve in the left cave to activate the mercury blood Bagua diagram on the right. He hadn't expected that Murong Junlan would discover this one-in-a-million loophole the moment the valve was turned.

The pale-faced scholar regretted his carelessness. Now, his only hiding place was the "Dark and Sunless Land," a place known only to him. Not even his servant or the shopkeeper was allowed to set foot there. The "Dark and Sunless Land" was a place where all kinds of poisons were created. Apart from him, even those with outstanding martial arts skills would be poisoned if they entered, and those without martial arts skills would die instantly from the poison. In short, the "Dark and Sunless Land" was a forbidden place of death.

The pale-faced scholar glanced down at the Yan sister in his arms. He paused for a moment, a hint of worry flashing between his brows. He still didn't know if his Yan sister knew martial arts, but ever since he met her, she had always looked like this. Later, she poisoned him and became a sleeping beauty.

Since it's unclear whether she possesses martial arts skills, we can only assume she doesn't. The pale-faced scholar took out a pill from his pocket and put it into Yan's mouth, then carried her into the "dark and gloomy" forbidden land of death.

The "Dark and Sunless" forbidden land truly lived up to its name; the bright sunlight outside was utterly dim here, and the atmosphere within was suffocatingly oppressive. Strangely, the corners of a large white stone cave within this forbidden land were filled with bizarre flowers and plants. Perhaps due to the prolonged lack of sunlight, they all grew gracefully, appearing delicate and fragile, predominantly vines with leafy forms. What was striking was that, despite the complete absence of sunlight, colorful flowers bloomed among the leaves. Only the pale-faced scholar knew that these flowers were all highly poisonous, with varying degrees of toxicity depending on the depth of their color—lighter colors were less toxic, and darker colors were more toxic.

Even in the utterly dark room, a rocking chair stood, surrounded by various flowers. A thin, light sheepskin coat rested on the chair. The pale-faced scholar gently placed Yan Mei on the rocking chair and then walked into the inner room. The inner room was entirely white, even the flowers and plants inside were dazzlingly white—white stems, white flowers, white leaves, and even the flowerpots were white. If it weren't for the faint, dappled light and shadow, one could easily overlook everything here. However, the faint fragrance in the air was so potent that it was impossible to breathe without it; the poison was too strong, and one careless step could cost you your life.

The pale-faced scholar casually plucked a large lily, its center still faintly shrouded in mist. He carried the flower to another forget-me-not, touched some pollen to it, then walked to a stone table, picked up a stone bottle, poured out white powder, and flicked it onto the lily. The lily instantly shattered into a wisp of mist. The scholar made a grabbing motion in the air with his right hand, then walked back to Yan's side. He gently waved his hand in front of her nose, and a small wisp of white mist flew towards her nose. Yan sneezed, and a confident smile immediately appeared on the scholar's lips.

Having done all this, the pale-faced scholar sat down in a rocking chair and closed his eyes to rest, as if waiting for someone to arrive.

Time seemed to drag on. The pale-faced scholar went from initial concentration to weariness, then to restlessness. His brows furrowed almost like a withered chrysanthemum. For a fleeting moment, he felt an involuntary sense of fear. Hadn't his eldest brother and the others already escaped? Had they been melted by mercury? No, that didn't seem like his eldest brother's style. Since Sister Yan had been in his hands for so long, his eldest brother couldn't possibly be unconcerned. The pale-faced scholar was starting to feel impatient. Only now did he realize that waiting for an opponent was also a form of torment.

Most of the day had passed, and there was still no sign of Murong Junlan and the others. The pale-faced scholar grew increasingly restless. He wanted to go out and see what was going on, but he was also worried that they might suddenly barge in. To be honest, he didn't underestimate their strength. In short, he dared not take a single step out of "Darkness and No Sunshine" today.

In this place where day and night were indistinguishable, the pale-faced scholar didn't see anyone from outside the stone gate, but instead was greeted by a beam of light from inside the room. It was blindingly bright, and to his astonishment, the light emanated from Yan Mei. At first, the beam of light faintly circled around Yan Mei, then she radiated light like a glowing entity, and the pristine white flowers and plants, illuminated by the beam, instantly turned vibrant red and green. But before they could even register their presence, in a flash, they all withered and died—yes, all of them withered and died.

It was too fast, happening in the blink of an eye. The pale-faced scholar was so shocked he couldn't close his mouth. This was nearly ten thousand years of his life's work! He never imagined that his beloved Yan-mei would come and destroy it all. Was this retribution from past lives? The pale-faced scholar frantically rushed into the inner room, where all the flowers and plants had withered, and the medicinal powder in the stone bottle had turned from pure white to multicolored. Heavens, was the poison still there?

The pale-faced scholar approached Yan Meimei. The beam of light continued to shine, but it gradually weakened. He could also clearly feel that the pulling force from before had weakened considerably.

Drug use? His beloved Yan was inhaling the poison he had concocted from the Ten-Thousand-Year Flower? My God, he was directly poisoning Yan to death! He had spent ten thousand years developing this poison, only to kill the one he had waited ten thousand years for? If ten thousand years ago he harbored such hatred as he plunged his sword into her and the King of Qi's body, and his heart was filled with such excruciating pain, then this moment of panic was absolutely chilling. The pale-faced scholar stood there completely frozen, large drops of cold sweat rolling down his forehead…

He immediately sat down on the spot and used his hands to draw out the poison gas directly from Yan's body.

"Boom!" A wave of poisonous gas surged towards him, and the pale-faced scholar felt a strong sense of urgency in his chest. He dared not stop; he had to expel the poison that his sister Yan had inhaled into her body immediately.

"Boom boom boom." As Yan Mei's poisonous gas continued to fight off, the pale-faced scholar suddenly turned pale, felt a surge of heat in his chest, and vomited a mouthful of hot blood. He struggled to stay upright, sitting on the ground, gasping for breath. He suddenly felt that his Yan Mei was somewhat unfamiliar. How could this frail woman, raised deep in the palace in his previous life, suddenly possess such secret power? Could it be that she had practiced martial arts in this life, simply keeping it hidden? The pale-faced scholar carefully examined Yan Mei, but couldn't discern any profound foundation in martial arts. Just as he was about to reach out and grasp Yan Mei's hand to test her inner strength, a thunderous roar echoed outside the forbidden area, and the stone gate crashed open.

It's here! It's finally here!

Murong Junlan rushed in first. Although he had already noticed the withered flowers in the cave, his gaze immediately fell on the woman. It seemed that his queen was alright; the reason they were late was because of a small obstacle outside the cave.

"Your Highness, be careful of poisonous gas." Lingyi's nose was the most sensitive.

Murong Junlan flicked his hand and set up a restriction to trap the three people, as he did not want them to be poisoned and knocked unconscious before they even started fighting.

The pale-faced scholar quickly sat down next to Yan Meimei, putting one arm around her waist, without even bothering to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.

Only then did Murong Junlan notice the bloodstain on the ground. He frowned, then quickly glanced around, confirming that only the pale-faced scholar and Yan'er had been there previously. Yan'er fighting the pale-faced scholar? Unlikely. The pale-faced scholar self-harming? Insane. Becoming possessed? Various guesses flashed through Murong Junlan's mind, but he never suspected the pale-faced scholar had inhaled poison gas, because he had never considered that his Yan'er was poisoned, as her complexion appeared perfectly normal at that moment.

The pale-faced scholar wore a smug smile, which appeared poignant because of the bloodstains.

"Release her, and I may spare your life." Murong Junlan suppressed the anger in his stomach.

The pale-faced scholar ignored Murong Junlan, and with a slight push of his foot, he naturally and contentedly swung on the rocking chair, a sight that made Murong Junlan grit his teeth in disgust.

Murong Junlan stopped wasting words and launched a swift attack, striking straight at Mount Hua. Ling Yi and Jiang He also attacked simultaneously. As six palms were about to strike his face, the pale-faced scholar didn't parry a single blow, sitting there motionless as if the blows weren't aimed at him.

Murong Junlan, fearing a trap, had no choice but to abruptly withdraw his palm strike, and the two beside him also quickly stopped and retaliated. Jiang He secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the princess hadn't been injured; he couldn't guess what this guy was up to.

"Why didn't your 'Splitting Mount Hua' technique work?" The pale-faced scholar rocked his chair again and continued, "Brother King, I know you have the ability, but so what? This is a 'Dark and Sunless' death zone. Your restrictions are useless."

At the same time, Ling Yi also felt it, followed by Murong Junlan, and then Jiang He. They were a little dizzy. After all, this "dark and gloomy place" was not made of paper. Although Yan Meimei's strange light caused all the flowers to wither, the poison gas inside was still very strong.

Murong Junlan's steps faltered. He inwardly cried out in alarm and hastily set up two more barriers. He had to try to stop them, even if they didn't work. At least it was better than being directly exposed to the poisonous gas.

"Brother King, you will all die from the poison in half an hour." The pale-faced scholar swayed his rocking chair again.

"Then let me see you off first." Murong Junlan didn't want to waste words with this guy, and the current situation didn't allow him to waste time. He had to rescue Yan'er before his poisoning became too severe. He gave Ling Yi and Jiang He a look, and the two understood. The pale-faced scholar's earlier refusal to engage had forced them to change their tactics; they now had to cleverly win back the princess.

Murong Junlan immediately unleashed his trump card, "Silver Circle Illusion," but oh no, why can't he immobilize anyone?

"Brother King, don't panic. I've studied your trump card for ten thousand years. Although I can't break it, I can avoid it. So this move is useless against me." The pale-faced scholar continued rocking his chair.

Just as Murong Junlan was at a loss, Ling Yi suddenly leaped towards the pale-faced scholar. The scholar, not daring to fight head-on, could only dodge to the side with his sister Yan. At the same time, a thick white mist rose, and the rocking chair swayed and began to fall. In desperation, Ling Yi wanted to cling to the princess but was restrained by the prince's petty nature, so he simply wrapped himself around the crossbar of the rocking chair, desperately trying to catch the sinking iron chair. Ouch! A stinging pain!

Seeing this, the pale-faced scholar waved his hand, and a powder was sprinkled towards Ling Yi. Ling Yi immediately felt numbness in a certain part of his body. Ling Yi knew that this was poison. He had no choice but to use this method to buy time for the prince.

At this moment, Murong Junlan used his desert lightness skill to rush directly towards the woman, while his other hand stretched out into a palm and chopped straight at the face of the pale-faced scholar. Jiang He also rushed over quickly and held the rocking chair firmly.

The pale-faced scholar had originally intended to escape with his beloved sister Yan, but it seemed that his wish would not be fulfilled. In his past life, he had encountered the formidable enemy, the eldest prince, and today he faced the same formidable enemy in this life. He was unwilling to accept this, extremely unwilling. He reached into his bag and pulled out a packet of poison powder, intending to use this final trump card.

"Today it's either you die or I live." The pale-faced scholar squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, his face turning sinister in an instant.

Although it was a bit of a regret, it was worth it to have his beloved Yan remember him forever and die with him. The pale-faced scholar flicked his wrist, and a bag of poison powder was scattered.

"Crack!" Ling Yi, unable to bear the weight, sank into the deep hole, and Jiang He also lunged forward. This sudden turn of events caused Murong Junlan to miss his target, but his quick thinking was beyond imagination. With a flick of his wrist, a thin rope shot out and instantly wrapped around Yan'er's waist. Normally, he could easily lift Yan'er back into his arms, but not today. The pale-faced scholar's hands held Yan'er's waist tightly, and Murong Junlan couldn't budge him no matter how hard he tried. Just then, the pale-faced scholar sprinkled poison powder, and Murong Junlan, with no way to avoid it, plunged directly into the powder. His vision went completely black. Seeing this, the pale-faced scholar struck Murong Junlan's chest with his left hand. "Pfft!" Murong Junlan spat out a mouthful of blood and then fell into the deep hole.

"Your Highness!" Lingyi exclaimed in shock. He regretted his mistake. He endured the excruciating pain, wrapped his tail around Murong Junlan, and dragged him back. Murong Junlan had not yet fainted. He still wanted to struggle to go up and save Yan'er, but Lingyi held on tightly with his tail.

Murong Junlan held on tightly to the thin rope, and the pale-faced scholar couldn't escape for the time being. The rocking chair was suspended in the cave. Jiang He was still holding onto the iron bar on one side. If Jiang He's strength was gone, Murong Junlan's thin rope wouldn't be able to hold on even if it was strong enough, because the pale-faced scholar's palm strike had seriously injured him and poisoned him. If it were an ordinary person, they would have already fainted.

"Slap." The pale-faced scholar struck Jiang He again. Poor Jiang He took the blow and coughed up several mouthfuls of blood. With a "slap," Jiang He fainted next to Murong Junlan.

The iron rocking chair lurched downwards again. If it fell, the pale-faced scholar could escape with the woman through the tunnel. At the critical moment, a force suddenly pulled the rocking chair up—not downwards, but upwards. Yes, it lifted it up.

Who's that powerful?

Just as the pale-faced scholar was wondering what was going on, a furry paw reached out and grabbed him, and then the rocking chair was lifted up steadily.

What's going on? Aren't all three of them injured? How can they still have this ability? Before the pale-faced scholar could figure it out, the rocking chair was lifted up again, suspending him in mid-air, swaying left and right, right and left, swinging!

Oh dear, someone actually helped them swing on the swing! Swinging is usually an extremely romantic thing, especially when you're holding your loved one. But no matter how hard the pale-faced scholar tried to remain calm, his heart was hanging in suspense, unable to settle down. Oh no, he got pushed again, and all his courage was gone.

The pale-faced scholar didn't dare to move rashly. Since he was injured, he had to conserve his strength, as there were many experts around, and he needed to be careful. Who on earth had the leisure to swing on a swing? A dark figure flashed past his eyes, but he couldn't see it clearly.

Swing! The rocking chair swung away again.

The rocking chair swung back up again.

Swing! The rocking chair swung out again.

Hmm? No one's trying to take Yan-mei-mei away, and she doesn't have any offensive capabilities. That's not like the style of the eldest prince and his brothers.

Hmm, the scream was both alluring and chilling. The pale-faced scholar dared not move, and his hands, which were holding Yan, tensed unconsciously. Suddenly, a gust of wind swept through the cave.

"Huh? 'Darkness' is my territory. I haven't even stirred up a hurricane, so who dares to do it?" The shout that followed shocked the pale-faced scholar.

"You beast, get out here!" came the demonic voice of the white-haired woman.

The rocking chair was thrown aside with a "thud" and stopped rocking.

"...?" Insulting me? The pale-faced scholar stared gloomily out of the cave. Before he could finish gritting his teeth, his collar was grabbed, and a hypocritical voice rang in his ear:

"You beast, get out here!" Before the words were even finished, the pale-faced scholar was forcibly pulled up from the rocking chair and thrown into the "dark and sunless" cave entrance.

It all happened so fast that the pale-faced scholar was thrown to the doorway before he could even react. A cold wind blew in through the door, icy cold, and then a white-haired woman with no expression stood menacingly before him.

A white-haired woman? A look of surprise flashed across the pale-faced scholar's face.

The white-haired woman glared at the pale-faced scholar for a moment, then suddenly raised her hand and slapped him twice.

"Beast!"

"...?" The pale-faced scholar was completely dumbfounded. So this "beast" really was cursing me? The pale-faced scholar finally came to his senses. He waved his right hand, and with a "whoosh," the deep hole under the rocking chair closed up again.

"Slap!" Five finger marks immediately appeared on the pale-faced scholar's face. The white-haired woman said, word by word, "This slap was from the Forgetfulness Powder."