One hundred and twenty-six.

Before Ye Yin could speak, a thunderous explosion erupted from within the space. The intensity of the sound waves caused the very boundaries of the dimension to tremble, as if they were on the verge of shattering completely. Both of them were startled.

"You should leave first," Ye Yin said, standing up to address Zhi Qiu. "Since everyone has been able to regroup, I suspect Ouba’s subordinates have already been dealt with. He cannot escape this fog, and it is safer outside than in here."

Zhi Qiu’s expression dimmed. "As expected, I am only a burden to you all now."

Ye Yin had never seen Zhi Qiu, usually so calm and composed, look so vulnerable. Her heart softened, and after a moment of hesitation, she said, "Then... please wait for me outside. If something goes wrong, I will have to trouble you to help me get away."

Zhi Qiu smiled faintly. "Very well."

Returning to the battlefield, Ye Yin was stunned by the life-or-death struggle between Ye Yu and Zhuo Chenglan. She raised a hand and conjured a thick wall of fire nearly ten meters high to separate them, then rushed to Ye Yu’s side, shouting, "I told you to watch him, not to kill him!"

"Open your eyes and look properly! I am acting in self-defense!" Ye Yu retorted furiously. "Where did you pick up this piece of junk replica cauldron? He smashed it to pieces in a few hits. Just now, because I was worried about hurting him, I nearly took a claw to the gut. If I hadn't dodged, my intestines would have been spilled!"

Ye Yin’s face turned green. "Fine, I wronged you. Go deal with Ouba’s side; leave him to me."

"Get lost! With your soft-hearted and weak-handed attitude right now, if you don't get torn to shreds by him, I'll take your last name!" In her agitation, Ye Yu forgot that she and Ye Yin already shared the same surname.

"That body belongs to my man; if he is to die, it must be by my hand," Ye Yin replied. "I am certain he thinks the same."

Ye Yu glanced at Ye Yin, said nothing, and headed to the other side.

Zhuo Chenglan wiped blood from the corner of his mouth, his golden eyes fixed unblinkingly on Ye Yin, as if she were a delicious, easily dismantled meal. The undisguised bloodthirst in his gaze reminded Ye Yin of a wolf king on the ice plains, prompting her to grip her sword tighter.

Without any warning, the two launched a serious attack on each other almost simultaneously. Their movements were so fast the naked eye could barely track them. The killing intent was palpable, and the atmosphere was even more terrifying and stifling than it had been with Ye Yu. Every strike was aimed at the opponent’s vital points; there was not a trace of a lover's affection. If Ye Yu had been able to glance over, she would have been absolutely shocked.

"I think I have a grasp of your strength," Ye Yin panted, blood dripping from her chest and arms. "Though it is difficult, I will do my best to kill you."

"Kill me?" He revealed a dangerous smile. "As long as I live, he has a chance to regain control of this body. Are you sure you want him to be buried along with me?"

Ye Yin froze.

In that moment of vulnerability, Zhuo Chenglan appeared before her like lightning. He seized her neck with one hand to pin her down, and with the other, used witch-vines to bind her securely before tossing her into a corner of the hall.

"You cannot kill me." He looked down at Ye Yin as she curled on the floor, his eyes and voice equally cold. "So, do not struggle in vain."

Ye Yin suddenly laughed.

"What are you laughing at?"

"You cannot kill me either, can you?" Having advanced to a Long-Witch, she was no longer as easily restrained by the witch-vines as before, though she could not break free easily without suffering a major drain on her vitality. This was not the time for a desperate gamble, so she did not struggle further.

Zhuo Chenglan knelt on one knee and tore open the blood-stained front of Ye Yin’s clothes. His sharp fingertips traced slowly over the skin above her heart, instantly leaving striking red marks and beads of blood. "As long as my master permits, I will surely tear this open and devour your heart."

Ye Yin looked into his eyes, two conflicting emotions warring violently within her. She could not tell which would prevail, feeling only the lingering, icy pain of a thousand cuts at her heart, and the sharp thorns of the witch-vines. He withdrew his hand and licked her blood from his fingertips, his smile darker than the night.

At the same time, a thick bolt of lightning was deflected back by Ouba’s protective barrier. Qiao Xinran stumbled back dozens of steps, and had it not been for a nearby cultivator who quickly pulled her back, she would have fallen hard.

"What do we do? Everyone can barely defend against his attacks; we cannot keep going like this!"

The more precious time became, the faster it slipped away. Qiao Xinran looked at the watch on her wrist, her anxiety evident. "Oh no, less than half an hour left..."

"What are those two doing?"

Qiao Xinran followed the cultivator's gaze and felt a surge of fury. Although the reality was that Ye Yin was being bound, tortured, and threatened by Zhuo Chenglan, from Qiao Xinran’s perspective and mindset, their actions looked like public intimacy.

"Damn it, when is this? Go pull her over to fight Ouba!"

The Grand Uncle-Master is truly something—why hasn't he made a move yet?

As Qiao Xinran was grumbling to herself, a man in a cloak, his face obscured, suddenly emerged from the crowd behind and charged straight forward with a sword. Ouba’s protective barrier seemed like nothing to him; he broke through it easily and thrust toward the center of Ouba's brow.

Ouba’s expression shifted, and he leaped up, slapping the armrests of his throne. Once he left the throne, the protective barrier surrounding him vanished, and for the first time, everyone truly felt his presence.

"So there are experts among you," Ouba said, his eyes full of mockery and composure. "I wonder who you might be?"

The man did not answer and slashed directly at him. The two began to clash, both fierce fighters, making it difficult to determine who had the upper hand.

"Your sword is interesting. A moment ago, you were holding nothing."

"You are observant," the man said in a low voice. "This sword is condensed from the mist of the 'One-Line Sky' binding fog; it is perfect for dealing with a demon like you." With that, he used a movement technique to shift rapidly in front of Ouba, slicing toward his throat.

Ye Yin’s eyebrows twitched.

Though the 'One-Line Sky' was a top-tier treasure, it was still forged by a god-level entity like 'Countless Elephants.' To be able to manipulate the mist it derived... what kind of profound cultivation level must this person possess?

Suddenly, light and shadow became a blur. The man’s techniques were increasingly fierce, and his speed grew faster. Ouba gradually faltered and ordered Zhuo Chenglan to assist. Zhuo Chenglan abandoned Ye Yin, transformed into a giant white wolf, and joined the fray.

The turn of events was so sudden that everyone was stunned, and for a moment, no one thought to lend a hand. Unexpectedly, the man was even more terrifying than they had imagined; he needed no help at all. After a dozen blows left Ouba severely wounded, he turned and thrust his sword toward the wolf-form Zhuo Chenglan, as if intending to sever its head.

Zhuo Chenglan did not dodge but rushed forward, seemingly intent on taking the strike head-on to bite the man’s throat.

"No!!!"

Ye Yin’s body reacted faster than her mind. She forcibly shattered the witch-vines on her body, leaped forward, and threw herself in front of Zhuo Chenglan to block the blow.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant. Just as Ye Yin expected to be run through, a strange thing happened—the expected pain did not arrive, and her ears were filled with the sound of everyone gasping.

Zhuo Chenglan, unable to stop his momentum from her fierce tackle, crashed into the wall and fell heavily to the ground. Ye Yin turned her head, horrified to discover that Ouba had blocked the strike for her. The sword, condensed from mist, pierced through Ouba, and he collapsed with a crash.

"I am... glad you are safe." Ouba’s voice was faint, and after speaking, he lowered his head and stopped breathing. A moment later, the mysterious man stepped forward to check, nodding. "He is indeed dead."

Wait, what kind of divine plot twist is this?

Ye Yin was too shocked to speak, and the atmosphere at the scene became exceptionally strange.

Qiao Xinran stood with her mouth agape, unable to speak, when the mysterious man suddenly asked her, "What does your grandfather say?"

Qiao Xinran awoke from her trance and hurriedly used the Wu-Sea Needle to contact Fuyunzi outside the field. After a brief, whispered exchange, Qiao Xinran’s face looked worse than if she had eaten excrement. "Grandfather says that man is not dead; he is still in the mist."

The crowd erupted in an uproar. Ye Yin shivered—what did this mean? Could it be that Ouba was not the true mastermind?

"As I thought," the mysterious man said. "When the host locked by the 'One-Line Sky' binding fog dies, the mist should dissipate completely, regardless of the time limit. It seems that person is still among us. How much time is left?"

"Five... five minutes..."

Everyone’s eyes turned toward Ye Yin. Their gazes were filled with suspicion, doubt, and fear, leaving Ye Yin with a lump in her throat.

She could understand why they suspected her—from their perspective, Ouba’s final act looked exactly like a sacrifice to save his master!

"I am not..."

"It is not her," Ye Yu interrupted. "She entered the mist with us; that proves the target is someone else. It cannot be her."

"That makes sense... could it be the wolf behind her?"

"Stop guessing blindly. It is better to kill a thousand innocent people than to let one slip through," a cold, aged voice said. "Let us just kill them all. After all, it is for the sake of the world."

"Wait a moment." A voice as melodious as an oriole descended from above. A stunning woman in black robes slowly landed on the ground, smiling at the crowd. "The one I am with cannot be the person you are looking for. Since Ouba is dead, our deal with him is dissolved, so I must take him with me."

Ye Yin looked at the woman. Her skin was whiter than snow, her eyes charming like silk, and her figure was curvaceous and full of allure. She never looked at Ye Yin once, her intimate gaze fixed entirely on Zhuo Chenglan. Zhuo Chenglan, who had been baring his fangs at the crowd, became quiet upon seeing her. She stroked the white wolf’s body with her fair hands, and the wolf lowered its head, emitting a gentle whimper. The scene felt like needles pricking Ye Yin’s heart.

Everything Ouba had said surfaced word by word. Ye Yin turned away, unwilling to witness their physical touch. Her hands trembled slightly, and a dark, overwhelming emotion eclipsed her lingering hope, her heart sinking deeper and deeper.

"So it is the daughter of the Wilderness Emperor," the mysterious man said. "Your father and I are old acquaintances; I cannot refuse to give you this face. If you can take him out of the mist, it proves he is not that person, and it serves to clear our suspicions. Please, go ahead."

"Many thanks. I will remember this favor. We have a long road ahead; if you ever encounter difficulties, our demon tribe in the Yunze District will certainly provide all possible aid." With that, the Dragon Maiden smiled and climbed onto the back of the white wolf. The two rode the clouds and disappeared into the darkness. As the white wolf passed through the mist, it encountered no obstruction, proving it was indeed not the target.

With Zhuo Chenglan gone, all suspicion fell on Ye Yin. She forced herself to sit up, secretly gathering her witch power while saying calmly, "The reasons why I am not that person have already been stated by Ye Yu; I do not need to repeat them."

"That is not necessarily true," the mysterious man challenged. "Perhaps the real Ye Yin has already been killed by you, and you are merely mimicking her appearance."

"That is true..."

"Why not make her walk a few steps to see?"

"No, there is not enough time. What if she runs away?"

Ye Yin was so angry she wanted to roll her eyes. These mindless bastards—did they want to kill her that badly?!

Ye Yu was about to speak, but Qiao Xinran glared at her, signaling her to be quiet. Ye Yin scanned the surroundings, and when she saw the faint, upturned corner of the mysterious man’s mouth, she suddenly shuddered. "Pardon my intrusion, but I feel I have seen you somewhere before. Who are you?"

"Don't suspect blindly. He was in the group from the beginning; he was just not very conspicuous. I am very clear on this." Qiao Xinran sneered. "He is my grandfather’s uncle-master, Kong Chengzi."

Kong Chengzi? Kong Chengzi...

"Liar!!" Ye Yin burst into laughter. "It is truly a thief shouting 'stop thief'! You are the one behind it all!"