However, Yun Ya never appeared. Instead, three small spheres shot out from the fog, falling directly toward the Yao army.

That was…

Miao Feng Xian, with his exceptional eyesight, recognized these objects immediately and couldn’t help shouting: “Get away! Everyone get away!”

They were explosive venomous insects, their power far beyond what any mortal flesh could withstand.

When these insects matured, their skin became thinner than cicada wings, and the slightest touch could detonate them—a process almost impossible to prevent.

The Yao soldiers where they fell scattered quickly, and nearby cultivators erected barriers to counter the imminent shock waves.

With three consecutive “booms,” the ground caved in, creating several large craters. The previously tight encirclement of Yao soldiers was forcibly blasted open, creating an exit.

As smoke curled upward, Mo Tizhun rushed to block the gap but saw no one escaping. He shouted: “Watch the fog! They haven’t come out yet!”

Two breaths later, the fog dissipated.

Except for the lingering smoke from the explosions, the battlefield where over a dozen powerful experts had clashed was now clear, with nothing obstructing the view.

It was empty.

The Wei Kingdom’s State Preceptor, who had incurred everyone’s wrath, had vanished.

Zhao Rushan strode forward, pacing back and forth across the space to confirm there was truly no illusion array concealing anything, before saying gravely: “This fellow has escaped!”

Somehow Yun Ya had used some method to break free from the encirclement.

“Could he have transformed into someone else? He has shapeshifting abilities,” Miao Feng Xian’s face was like ice. “Everyone who participated in the battle, step forward!”

Including Zhao Rushan, all the Yao cultivators who had joined the fight stood before him.

Miao Feng Xian questioned each one, asking specific questions that only the individuals themselves would know. This demonstrated his deep understanding of his subordinate cultivators.

But under everyone’s watchful eyes, each person answered correctly.

Mo Tizhun shook his head: “Using shapeshifting insects to imitate someone isn’t done casually. The first transformation requires careful study of the subject’s facial details—even the movement of a single muscle must be observed, or else you would see through the disguise at a glance.”

Feng Miao Jun’s shapeshifting insects were originally given by Mo Tizhun, so his words were most credible. This meant that in just over ten breaths of time, Yun Ya couldn’t possibly have found a nearby cultivator to impersonate.

Molding one’s face into a different shape requires time and complete concentration.

So, had that fiend truly escaped from the encirclement of thousands?

Just then, someone rushed in from outside and quickly bowed to Mo Tizhun. If Feng Miao Jun were still here, she would likely recognize him as one of Mo Tizhun’s attendants. Seeing his subordinate, the great State Preceptor’s expression relaxed slightly as he laughed coldly: “Fortunately, I came prepared.”

He nodded to his subordinate, who prostrated himself on the ground and transformed into a monster—bright red all over, the size of a leopard, with copper-bell eyes, a mouth full of fangs, and a large nose. “This is a Fire Rong, its sense of smell is ten times stronger than the most sensitive hunting dog.”

Miao Feng Xian naturally knew what to do. He extended his blade, letting the creature identify the blood scent on its edge.

After memorizing it, the Fire Rong sniffed around the ground where the powerful experts had just fought, suddenly speaking in human language: “He’s severely wounded.” Then it took off running in a determined direction.

“Pursue!” Everyone’s spirits lifted.

The shapeshifting insect was an overpowered loophole, and Yun Ya had used it several times. How could Mo Tizhun be unprepared? Since the naked eye couldn’t distinguish truth from falsehood, they would borrow a more sensitive nose. At least for creatures like the Fire Rong, scents never lied.

This time, Yun Ya was surprisingly obedient. With one command from Feng Miao Jun, he didn’t hesitate and directly pinned the object into his hair.

Throughout this process, Feng Miao Jun pulled him along as they ran outward.

Their surroundings were a blur of darkness, nothing visible. It seemed as if only the two of them remained in this world, with only their clasped hands preventing them from losing each other. Yun Ya instinctively tightened his grip on her hand, then tightened it again, unsure of what he was feeling.

She had come.

If discovered, even she wouldn’t escape unscathed. He had always thought she would prioritize her own life.

Feng Miao Jun, however, felt anxious. Yun Ya’s palm no longer had its usual heat but instead carried a slight coolness.

She knew this was a sign of excessive blood loss.

No matter how strong he was, his body wasn’t made of iron. She needed to get him out of the encirclement quickly to treat his wounds and stop the bleeding, ensuring his life wasn’t endangered.

Suddenly the world brightened as they ran out of the dense fog.

To do this under everyone’s watchful eyes was tantamount to suicide, yet Yun Ya didn’t stop her, didn’t even hesitate, just followed her out.

At that moment, he didn’t even consider whether this girl might be deliberately harming him.

If she dared to act this way, she must have her reasons.

Outside, the daylight was bright, and of course, there was still a sea of Yao soldiers. But Yun Ya suddenly discovered that everything had become enormously large, almost filling his entire field of vision.

Just as he was surprised, a somewhat worn copper-studded military boot came down from above, like Mount Tai pressing down on him and Feng Miao Jun.

The two naturally wouldn’t be stepped on. They dodged aside and continued running forward.

Each Yao soldier appeared to them like a towering tree, and they were now hiding in this forest. The chaos triggered by the explosive insects continued, and who would notice two people, barely larger than ants, at their feet?

The thousands of Yao soldiers became the best cover for the two fleeing figures.

They moved extremely fast. Even if a soldier happened to look down, the human eye couldn’t track their movements, just as humans can’t see the trajectory of a flea.

By the time Miao Feng Xian was checking his subordinates, Feng Miao Jun and Yun Ya had already run beyond the crowd, heading toward the dim, deep forest.

Fortunately, this was the Imperial Garden, abundant with trees and grass. The Yao people revered nature and wouldn’t trim plants into the rigid horizontal and vertical styles favored by the Yan people. Otherwise, the two would have found it difficult to hide.

Yun Ya looked at her with a particularly strange expression. Feng Miao Jun touched her face, remembering that she was still disguised as a Yao soldier—a rough man with a delicate girl’s voice, who had been holding a handsome man’s hand while running several hundred zhang.

Well, that image was truly something to behold.

Once they entered the forest, they left the scope of the miniaturization array and returned to their normal size. Before they could catch their breath, Yun Ya looked back at their path: “They’re coming. That creature has a keen sense of smell.”

Feng Miao Jun peeked from behind a tree and saw the Yao army separating as a beast rushed toward them at high speed. Worst of all, two State Preceptors followed behind it. “It’s the Fire Rong. Do you have any way to shake it off?” She had seen descriptions of this creature in the Smoke Sea Tower and immediately felt the situation was dire.

“Originally, no,” Yun Ya stared directly at her. “Now, perhaps I do.”