The Lankao Spring and Autumn Map appeared. The moment it unfurled, it sucked away every Princess Chunshui within the ruins of Yao Fang Courtyard.

The plague of the Princesses Chunshui seemed to be completely resolved in that single moment.

How could such a turn of events be merely unexpected?

It was like a fully drawn bow, yet before it could be released, the target ahead suddenly and bizarrely shattered.

Or like someone throwing a punch with all their might, only for the opponent to drop dead before the fist could even land...

But was it really over just like that?

No. Things were just getting started.

Ye Sheng stood face to face with Song Ciwan, holding the scroll.

The night wind blew. Song Ciwan smiled faintly. "Brother Ye, what a fine scheme."

A look of shame crossed Ye Sheng’s face. The Lankao Spring and Autumn Map automatically rolled itself up in his hand. He took a red cord from the Brocade Pouch at his waist and instantly tied the Treasure Map tight.

He said, "Brother Lu, my apologies. I did not intend for this. However, this Lankao Spring and Autumn Map is of truly great use to me."

Song Ciwan said nothing. Ye Sheng continued, "I was fortunate to have Brother Lu’s help today, and the plague of the Princesses Chunshui is resolved. When we return to the real world, I will be sure to reward you generously. I have rights to the Bright Moon Spring in the Bright Moon Grotto Heaven once per year. How about I yield my access for the next ten years to you, Brother Lu?"

Song Ciwan’s brow twitched, but she remained silent.

Ye Sheng tightened his grip on the Lankao Spring and Autumn Map. "At Dingbo Tower, I have a quota for three Upper Grade Magical Artifacts that can be custom-made by a Master Level Artifact Refiner. How about I give all three of those slots to you, Brother Lu?"

"All the required materials will be provided from my personal stores!"

Still, Song Ciwan said nothing.

...

The sky grew even darker. The deepest blackness before the dawn had not yet passed.

In the distance, the sounds of music and revelry from Bright Moon Square never ceased.

Faintly, someone could be heard cheering, "My feet! My feet don’t hurt anymore! This is great!"

Then, someone else shouted in anger, "No! How can this be? Didn’t the pain stop? Why won’t my feet return to normal?"

"Damn it! This is awful! My feet! No! I don’t want feet like this! Help me! Master, help me...!"

A little closer, Wang Yi’s voice could be heard, as if just waking from a dream. Filled with a mix of joy and confusion, he said, "Huh? The Princesses Chunshui? How... they all seem to have vanished?"

Zhou Bo, too, sounded like he was waking from a dream, somewhat bewildered and surprised. "The Princesses Chunshui... are they really all gone? What’s going on?"

They couldn’t see Song Ciwan or Ye Sheng, nor did they have the comprehensive light-screen view of the Cultivators on Wangjiang Mountain.

Furthermore, the Lankao Spring and Autumn Map had been buried near the back entrance of the old Yao Fang Courtyard, while Zhou Bo and Wang Yi, previously surrounded by a horde of Princesses Chunshui, had been located at the front entrance of the ruins.

Yao Fang Courtyard was vast, and the two entrances were quite far apart. With their lines of sight obstructed, Zhou and Wang hadn’t seen a thing.

Therefore, the sudden disappearance of the Princesses Chunshui was a truly bizarre event for the two of them.

Wang Yi said nervously, "Brother Zhou, such strangeness is a sure sign of trouble. We must remain vigilant."

Zhou Bo readily agreed. "You’re right. That’s exactly it. Even though the Princesses Chunshui have vanished, we cannot let our guard down."

He added, "Brother Wang, your earlier deduction was spot on. As long as we remain unmoved, the Princesses Chunshui really can’t harm us directly. ’When facing fiends and demons, a calm heart is paramount.’ The old texts truly do not lie."

Wang Yi earnestly expressed his agreement.

After a brief discussion, the two decided to stick together and scout the surrounding area.

Zhou and Wang gradually walked away, their voices drifting back sporadically. "Brother Zhou," Wang Yi said, "the shouting over there is especially loud. Why don’t we go take a look to the east?"

Zhou Bo replied, "An excellent idea, Brother Wang."

After weathering the recent crisis together, the bond between Zhou Bo and Wang Yi had clearly grown stronger.

Zhou Bo added, "The contract I wrote earlier was made of a special material. Logically, I should still be able to sense the Princesses Chunshui bound by it. But for some reason, the connection has been severed."

Wang Yi replied, "Then we must be even more careful! These Princesses Chunshui are truly unusual mutated Demon Fiends..."

"Indeed, that’s right..." Zhou Bo agreed.

Their voices faded into the distance, eventually blurring into the sounds of music from afar.

Under the cover of night, the long-silent Ye Sheng finally made his move.

He turned, and a pair of fully formed wings unfurled from his back in an instant.

This was his Supreme Skill: The Roc Takes Flight with the Wind!

When he had used it before, the wings on Ye Sheng’s back were clearly illusory shadows. But at this moment, his Kunpeng Wings were as sharp and distinct as if they were real!

It turned out Ye Sheng had been hiding his true strength all along!

With this pair of solidified wings spread, his speed was far beyond merely approaching the Divinity Transformation realm.

He could rival, or even surpass, an ordinary Divinity Transformation expert!

With a single flap, the distance between heaven and earth seemed to shrink.

He crossed the void, his speed seemingly about to rip open the dark fabric of the sky.

In that dark and bizarre world, a sliver of light—like a fleeting, white cloud—leaked through.

He was so fast that even Song Ciwan’s Grasshopper technique, which had reached the stage of Returning to the Essence, could not possibly catch up.

After all, Grasshopper’s level was too low.

No matter how much one trained it or improved it, its upper limit was clear.

How could it possibly compare to the speed of a true Supreme Skill?

As the light leaked through, Ye Sheng sighed, "Brother Lu, I have no intention of being your enemy. My apologies..."

Behind him, Song Ciwan still said nothing. She simply drew the blade from her waist.

Song Ciwan did not draw her blade lightly; she much preferred to use the Little Black Insects from her Five Poison Jar.

But when she did, her strike was always brutally simple and aimed directly at the heart of the matter.

The strike was traceless, like an antelope hanging by its horns, and as swift as a white colt flashing past a crack.

The blade fell.

Illusion Breaker!

The human heart is always filled with too many illusions; it is a fundamental aspect of life that neither time nor space can erase.

And as long as illusions exist, one cannot escape the blade of the Illusion Breaker.

And so, the blade struck home!

The strike had no light of its own, yet it seemed to have caught up to the light.

It caught the wings of the great roc, and the fleeting passage of time and space.

It skimmed across the human heart, leaving a gentle slash.

Ye Sheng’s "My apologies..." had not yet finished echoing when, far down the path, he abruptly stopped in his tracks.

He stood frozen, his voice cut short.

A moment later, Wind Shadow—the ultimate state of Song Ciwan’s Grasshopper technique—brought her before Ye Sheng.

Ye Sheng stood rooted to the spot, his eyes slightly open, making no sound or movement.

Of course, he was not dead.

Song Ciwan once again stood opposite him. She reached out, took hold of the scroll in his hand, and gently pulled it from his grasp.

The Lankao Spring and Autumn Map, which had once escaped from Song Ciwan’s grasp, now, at this moment, settled strangely into her palm.

She held the Lankao Spring and Autumn Map and let out a soft sigh.