“Ahh…”

Yelu Qianqian was just about to plunge the blade in, when she suddenly found that her broken sword seemed to be blocked by something — no matter how hard she pushed, it wouldn’t go any further!

Yet before her, there was nothing at all — the broken sword hovered less than an inch from Xuanyuan Lige!

How could this be!

Situ Haonan was stunned too. Gripping the broken sword, he discovered an invisible wall before them, impossible to pierce.

And Xuanyuan Lige before them seemed utterly unaware of anything happening behind him — at this point, he too had stopped moving.

Ziqing was shocked and was about to rush forward, when Jun Beiyue suddenly exclaimed, “It’s a barrier!”

Only an invisible barrier could explain the bizarre scene before them!

They’d been trapped within a barrier — Xuanyuan Lige stood outside it!

There had been nothing there just moments ago — how could this be?

“It can’t be Meng Duo’er,” Ziqing said, startled. But who else besides Meng Duo’er could possess the ability to erect an instant seal?

“Look over there!”

Suddenly, Baili Weisheng, who had been standing by without intervening, darted over. “There — Meng Wanyue!”

Following the direction he pointed, they saw — it truly was Meng Wanyue!

Dressed in black robes, her head wrapped in a black cloth, yet her face — anyone present could recognize it at a single glance. It was her!

Wasn’t she supposed to be trapped beneath the boundless deep sea, already retrieved by the Meng clan?

At this thought, Jun Beiyue silently cursed, realizing something was terribly wrong. “The Meng clan is in danger!”

He’d received a letter from the Meng clan patriarch earlier, saying they’d already retrieved Meng Wanyue!

It seemed now that letter had been fake all along!

Why would Meng Wanyue appear here, severely wounded and trapped by the merman’s golden restraints — unless someone had forcibly rescued her, there was no way she could have escaped on her own strength alone!

The boundless deep sea was such a secretive place — who could possibly have found her?

Suddenly, everyone turned to look at Xuanyuan Lige — could it be him?

“Since when did Meng Wanyue learn instant sealing techniques?” Baili Weisheng asked, puzzled.

But no one answered him — everyone was too preoccupied to care, because at that moment, Meng Wanyue had drawn closer!

Right before them, a cold smile curling at her lips, she swept her gaze across each of them in turn, finally settling on Jun Beiyue. “Well done, son! Joining forces with outsiders against your own mother!”

“What exactly do you want? Cut the nonsense!” Jun Beiyue said coldly!

“Who gave you permission to raise your voice at your mother like that! Beiyue, since you show no filial devotion, don’t blame your mother for showing no mercy!” Meng Wanyue snapped furiously.

“You don’t even deserve to use the word ‘mercy’!” Ziqing spat angrily. This old witch — they should have let Baili Weisheng kill her when they had the chance!

“Shut your mouth, wretched girl! You’ll soon learn the consequences of stealing my son away from me!”

As Meng Wanyue spoke, she immediately shot upward, seizing Xuanyuan Lige by the collar and violently dragging him toward her!

At this, everyone drew a sharp breath!

Xuanyuan Lige had already lost consciousness, his already pale face now even more ghastly white — unmistakably reminiscent of his state when gravely ill.

Could it be that the Five-Element seal on his body…

It had to be Meng Wanyue’s doing — otherwise, how could she possibly have mastered instant sealing techniques in such a short time?

Situ Haonan kicked furiously at the barrier. “Old witch, if you have the nerve, let us out!”

Meng Wanyue glanced at her dismissively. “If you’re capable, get out yourselves!”

With that, she cast a meaningful glance at Jun Beiyue and Ziqing, and turning with the unconscious Xuanyuan Lige in tow, walked away!

No one could remain calm — Meng Wanyue’s arrival had been far too sudden, and they’d been just that close, just that close to finishing Xuanyuan Lige off!

Everything, ruined!

Situ Haonan, seething with uncontrollable fury, struck out wildly in every direction, kicking at everything — yet no matter how hard he struck, the barrier remained utterly unmoved.

Yelu Qianqian was so furious she was nearly in tears, watching helplessly as Meng Wanyue’s figure receded toward the east, her fingernails digging into her palms, her breath caught painfully in her chest.

Even Jun Beiyue, facing his own mother, couldn’t stay calm either.

Ziqing was, relatively speaking, the calmest among them — yet even she, try as she might, couldn’t find any way to alert the guards outside the barrier to give chase. At that moment, the archers and shadow guards were all still locked in chaotic battle with the sound-killing troops, no one paying any attention to this corner by the wall.

Suddenly, Xiong Xiaobao cried out, “Mommy, look, it’s Grandpa!”

At this, everyone turned to look, and indeed saw Jue Mingzi, alone, darting out from the western side of the city, chasing desperately after the direction Meng Wanyue had gone.

At almost the same moment, Situ Haonan’s kick suddenly met empty air. Startled, he immediately exclaimed, “The barrier’s broken!”

The barrier had actually broken!

What kind of barrier was this?

No time to dwell on it — everyone immediately gave chase in the direction Jue Mingzi had gone.

Meanwhile, Meng Wanyue was fleeing for her life with everything she had.

She had indeed mastered the instant sealing technique — but the barrier she cast could only be sustained for a short while!

If not for her coordination with Mi’er, she never would have escaped Jun Beiyue and the others’ pursuit at all!

By now, she’d already entered an underground tunnel.

It was Mi’er who had commanded her clan people to dig this desperate escape route!

“Hurry! Hurry up, dig if you don’t want to die!”

Meng Wanyue urged them on, constantly glancing back, worried the tunnel would be discovered.

Mi’er couldn’t hear what Meng Wanyue was saying, but she knew she was urging them on — and this attitude filled her heart with disgust.

Yet, for her young master’s sake, she had to endure it!

Ever since that woman with the ethereal voice had appeared and made her young master stop the “Battle Rising,” she’d known — her young master would die, her young master wanted to die, wanted to die within the Xi Chu capital, wanted to die at that woman’s hand.

But she couldn’t bear to let that happen!

No matter what happened, he mustn’t die — life was the most precious thing of all, and only by living could there be any hope of a miracle!

She knew she couldn’t persuade her young master herself, so she could only turn to Meng Wanyue for help. She’d run to the military camp and released the vicious dog guarding Meng Wanyue, bringing her to the battlefield.

She was deaf, but she wasn’t a fool.

Meng Wanyue had tried to incite her several times already — she’d simply pretended to understand nothing at all.

“Hurry up, what are you staring at, deaf girl!”

Meng Wanyue snapped angrily — anger was the only thing that could mask her fear, how terrified she was of being caught by Jun Beiyue and the others.

“I’m not deaf.” Mi’er spoke coldly. Having spent so much time together, she could read Meng Wanyue’s lips well enough.

At this, Meng Wanyue was utterly dumbstruck. Mi’er pulled out a handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood from the corner of Xuanyuan Lige’s lips, saying coldly, “Protect my young master well. If he dies, I won’t let you off the hook.”

Meng Wanyue said nothing, but a calculating gleam flashed through her eyes — it seemed she’d underestimated this wretched girl…

By now, Ziqing and the others had caught up with Jue Mingzi, who stood frozen in place.

“Is this where they vanished?” Situ Haonan asked anxiously.

“That’s right, right here. I definitely didn’t misjudge it — they vanished in an instant.” Jue Mingzi was quite certain. Though he couldn’t catch up to them, his eyesight was still sharp enough to see clearly!

From a distance, he’d watched Meng Wanyue and Xuanyuan Lige leap into this open field, and then simply vanish.

Everyone was anxious, only Baili Weisheng and Jun Beiyue remaining silent, staring at the grass, lightly treading upon it, as though they’d noticed something.