The person who arrived was precisely Leng Yi.
He wore a long robe of dark purple, embroidered with golden threads depicting the Demon Race’s sacred beast, the Eight-Clawed Fire Dragon.
His light grey long hair was tied up high with a golden hair crown.
Ignoring the nearly ferocious expression on his face, he could be considered to possess extraordinary presence.
Mu Qiuhan noticed the empty sleeve of his left arm.
Knowing that the smartest choice at this moment was to keep her distance from Leng Yi, yet as the Demon Monarch, she could not retreat.
Thus, she stood proudly in place, guarding several vital points around her body even more tightly.
At the same time, the spiritual energy within her body circulated to its peak, ready to defend against a fatal blow from a Mahayana Stage cultivator.
Mu Qiuhan’s long, ink-black hair lifted slightly due to the surge of spiritual energy, and the dark green robe, commonly seen on Jade Dragon Peak, flapped loudly, as if caught by a gust of night wind.
“General Leng,” she said, word by word, “Long time no see. Are you well?”
Leng Yi did not launch an attack immediately.
While Mu Qiuhan assessed him, Leng Yi was also observing Mu Qiuhan.
The rumors were actually true!
How did she manage to return after both her body and soul were destroyed?
But she is indeed still alive.
Could this be the gap between Tribulation Stage and Mahayana Stage?
Could it be that he is destined to remain beneath others his entire life?
A cold glint flashed in Leng Yi’s eyes.
He stared intently at Mu Qiuhan.
In that battle, he had lost an arm.
What about her?
If he wasn’t mistaken, she might be alive, but her former formidable cultivation was gone.
She still looked down on him and spoke to him as she did before.
But now, what qualifications did she have!?
Leng Yi suddenly burst into loud laughter.
When he had laughed enough, he said viciously, almost grinding his teeth, “‘Who did I think it was? Turns out it’s a fish that slipped through the net from the Taiqing Immortal Sect. Running into this Monarch counts as your luck!’”
With that, he mercilessly sent out a palm strike.
In an instant, the strong winds between heaven and earth were stirred up.
Sand and stones were whipped up, and the surrounding trees rustled loudly.
A Mahayana Stage cultivator’s every move could already influence the natural phenomena.
Mu Qiuhan barely dodged the incoming strike, but was still injured by the spiritual energy.
At this moment, the qi and blood in her dantian churned violently, and she almost couldn’t suppress a mouthful of fresh blood.
“Leng Yi!”
She forced the scarlet aura in her mouth back down.
“Are you truly doing this!?”
The person opposite sneered but did not reply, his attacks continuing without pause.
Mu Qiuhan stopped speaking.
The hem of her robe, which had hung still, now flared out behind her like bird wings, and a flash of red flame flickered quickly in her pitch-black pupils.
As her complex hand seals rapidly moved, a giant Fire Phoenix took shape in the air.
Facing the fierce wind, the Fire Phoenix surprisingly did not evade or yield, charging headfirst towards Leng Yi.
Seeing this, Leng Yi snorted lightly.
Looking at the Phoenix rapidly flying towards him in the air, he shook his head.
“An ant trying to shake a tree!”
As his voice fell, a black giant dragon swept down from the sky with fierce winds, instantly cutting off the Fire Phoenix’s path.
The two giant beasts, conjured by spiritual energy, instantly tangled in battle in the air.
The Fire Phoenix tried to attack the giant dragon with its sharp beak and strong wings, while the giant dragon extended a massive claw and struck the Fire Phoenix far away with a single blow.
A clear, mournful cry echoed in the air, and scarlet blood splattered everywhere.
The Fire Phoenix struggled and flew up again.
It attempted to gather strength and charge forward again, but was bitten by the black dragon that came at it.
The giant dragon maw bit down fiercely, actually crushing the Fire Phoenix.
Below, Mu Qiuhan’s body was like a broken toy.
Her internal organs and even her meridians felt as though they had been brutally crushed.
The gap in cultivation was ultimately too vast. She couldn’t even withstand a single move?
Mu Qiuhan hooked the corner of her lips in self-mockery.
Leaning her back against the large tree behind her, her entire body weakly slid down.
Just as she was about to touch the ground, she was brutally yanked up by a force.
Leng Yi grabbed her by the neck.
Just as she had grabbed Leng Yao moments ago.
With just a slight squeeze, she would die here.
Using the last of her strength, Mu Qiuhan whispered, “Leng… Yi…”
Leng Yi stared into her eyes.
Perhaps feeling there was no way for her to escape, he mercifully loosened his grip.
“Is there anything else you want to say? Speak your mind.”
“Don’t… pursue a desperate foe, be cautious… entering the… forest…”
Leng Yi hadn’t expected that this woman, on the verge of death, would be concerned about this matter.
He looked at Mu Qiuhan with a complex expression, the force in his hand loosening for an instant.
Just as Mu Qiuhan’s body slid towards the ground again, a vine beside her suddenly transformed into a woman’s hand.
“Go!”
Shang Ningye steadily caught the falling Mu Qiuhan.
With her incredibly eerie form, she swiftly weaved through the forest.
She held Mu Qiuhan with one hand while rapidly activating a magic artifact with the other.
Behind them, Leng Yi’s strike, filled with rage, pursued them, lifting Shang Ningye’s flying robes.
In the blink of an eye, the two disappeared from the spot.
Leng Yi roared, just about to chase after them, but was blocked by a figure who appeared in the air.
“General Leng, you are so anxious, where are you going in such a hurry?”
“Hua Ganglie!”
“Get out of the way!!!”
At this moment, Leng Yi no longer cared about Hua Ganglie’s disrespect towards him; he tried to forcefully push aside the person blocking his path.
However, Hua Ganglie shifted aside, neutralizing all of that force.
“Leng Yi!”
Hua Ganglie had now clearly seen the surrounding environment.
A battle had just occurred here, and Leng Yi had personally taken action.
Who was it that was worth him deliberately avoiding my surveillance, rushing here personally and attacking?
Were there still such figures in the Taiqing Immortal Sect?
A terrifying thought surged into his mind.
Hua Ganglie dropped his teasing tone and stared intently at Leng Yi.
“Don’t force me to make a move against you!”
Leng Yi knew in his heart that although his cultivation was slightly higher than the opponent’s, he was missing an arm, and he wouldn’t gain much advantage against Hua Ganglie, who was also at the Mahayana Stage.
Moreover, the troops under his command were comparable to his own; if they truly fell out, it would definitely not be a good thing.
He glared resentfully at Hua Ganglie, then stared intently at the place where Mu Qiuhan had just disappeared.
The person who just suddenly appeared didn’t seem like a Witch Spirit, but why would a Witch Spirit’s magic artifact be in her hand?
Was this something they had arranged early on?
Was their goal to lure me into revealing my weakness?
But in that instant just now, he could clearly have killed that woman with a single blow!
Leng Yi hated himself for his hesitation in that moment.
He slammed a fist onto the large tree Mu Qiuhan had leaned against, letting out a loud bang.
The thick trunk immediately shattered into wood chips all over the ground in response.
Hua Ganglie ignored the raging Leng Yi.
He turned towards Leng Yao, who was already stunned to the side, and sternly asked, “Which direction did the Monarch go in?”
Leng Yao shook his head like a puppet on strings.
Hua Ganglie narrowed his eyes.
There was no denial, which means the Monarch truly was here just now!?
What did Leng Yi do just now?
Why is the Monarch nowhere to be seen at this moment?
Who left those drops of blood on the ground?
A sudden chill ran down Hua Ganglie’s spine.
A trace of intense hope suddenly arose in his heart.
Monarch…
May the Monarch, like before, turn misfortune into fortune.
Looking at Leng Yi’s state, whatever he tried to do just now, he likely didn’t succeed.
The most pressing matter is to find the Monarch’s whereabouts before Leng Yi.
But he couldn’t do this personally; he was the only one in the clan who could still contend with Leng Yi.
He had to keep a close watch on Leng Yi, lest another moment of inattention allowed him to escape sight, leading to a great tragedy.
Hua Ganglie pulled out the Great General’s Token belonging to him from within his robes, and one command after another to search for the Monarch was issued at this moment.
Leng Yi watched his actions with cold eyes, knowing in his heart that from now on, he likely wouldn’t get this person’s support again.
Hua Ganglie was indeed an extremely loyal subject, but the object of his loyalty had always been only the Demon Race’s Monarch.
A plan quickly formed in Leng Yi’s mind.
He darted his eyes.
Since Hua Ganglie had chosen to reveal things openly, it was probably no longer appropriate for him to position himself as the new Monarch.
Rather than clash head-on, it’s better to go along with their intentions.
If we can’t compete openly, then let’s see whose people have better luck.
He wanted to see whether destiny lay with him, or with Mu Qiuhan!
One identical order after another was issued by Leng Yi.
It was still to search for the Monarch, still the Great General’s Token, as if at this moment, he, like Hua Ganglie, was a subject who remained loyal to the Monarch.
Hua Ganglie saw through what Leng Yi was thinking and clenched his fists resentfully.
If the Monarch hadn’t personally instructed that the Monarch’s Seal be handed to Leng Yi, and repeatedly warned the Witch Spirits that those within the clan must not harm each other, he truly would have wanted to immediately strangle this incredibly hypocritical person in front of him.
