She couldn’t delay any longer, otherwise the people outside would become suspicious.

Nu Ba was leaning against a small tree, and upon seeing her come out, she simply said, “Let’s go back.”

While Madam Xu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, she also harbored doubts as she blew a silent whistle. Would reinforcements truly come?

After returning to the room, Madam Xu waited anxiously, but nothing happened throughout the night.

Had the whistle not sounded, or had the reinforcements not heard it? She spent half the day in wild speculation, nursing her child several times. Eventually, exhausted, she fell into a deep sleep while leaning against her husband’s embrace.

Until a tremendous “BOOM” came from outside.

Madam Xu awoke with a start, clutching her husband’s hand, she asked, “What was that?”

Before she could finish speaking, the roof was suddenly torn open, and immediately afterward, a massive black shadow appeared before them.

Madam Xu and the two children screamed. Peng Bai immediately shielded them behind him, but then heard the shadow speak in a thunderous voice: “Come with me.”

Peng Bai looked carefully and saw it was an enormous white ape, mountain-like in size, who had demolished their house as easily as if it were dismantling a toy.

He quickly recalled that the State Preceptor of New Xia had a demonic beast, a white ape of immense strength, under his command.

Therefore, when Hu Tian extended his giant palm to grab all four of them, Peng Bai didn’t evade but instead embraced his wife and moved toward it.

However, in a flash of black light, Nu Ba had already pounced down from midair, her sharp claws aimed directly at the back of the giant ape’s skull.

If she struck true, even with Hu Tian’s hard skull, she would likely pierce five round holes through it.

But a long sword extended from the side, slashing down at her hands.

The blade clashed with her claws, sending sparks flying.

In just this brief moment of delay, Hu Tian had already reduced the house to ruins while also scooping up the four people inside. Without looking back, it strode swiftly southward. Nu Ba tried to pursue, but someone blocked her path, smiling and saying, “Long time no see. You and I have an old score to settle.”

The black combat garment revealed a graceful figure, with a beautiful face that could topple kingdoms.

Nu Ba’s usually wooden face rarely showed such gravity.

This formidable opponent before her was none other than Yu Haizhen, the State Preceptor of New Xia. Back when Nu Ba had severely wounded Yu Haizhen on the Xi Kingdom’s front line, directly leading to the fall of the Xi capital, the two had formed a national and personal vendetta. Thus, Yu Haizhen’s smile carried seething killing intent.

At that time, amid countless troops, Yu Haizhen had faced several powerful enemies simultaneously, which allowed Nu Ba to ambush and severely wound her. Now, with old enemies reuniting in this deserted city, it was the perfect opportunity to settle the score.

In the blink of an eye, the two had exchanged dozens of offensive and defensive moves. Madam Xu, lying on the giant ape’s shoulder, could only see two streaks of black light rapidly engaging and separating, growing increasingly distant in her vision.

Nu Ba found a moment to ask, “How did you find this place?”

Yu Haizhen coldly snorted, “Your corpse stench spreads for ten miles, don’t you know?”

Nu Ba remained silent.

Yu Haizhen was, of course, making this up. A jiangshi that had advanced to become a Drought Demon could already prevent its entire aura from leaking out. Not only did its appearance become indistinguishable from normal people, but it also wouldn’t release the slightest odor. What truly guided Yu Haizhen’s tracking was the whistle Madam Xu had blown last night.

That object was called the “Awakening of Insects Whistle,” which only insects could hear.

Yu Haizhen already had ancient insect demons under her command, in astonishing numbers, perfect for searching a city and finding people. However, the Yingshui City was simply too vast. Even if all these creatures were dispatched to search area by area in detail, it would take over half a month to complete. When Madam Xu blew the whistle, the insect demons could quickly lock onto the source position, leading Yu Haizhen and her people to the location.

The reason they waited until tonight to act was to arrange their agents and ensure nothing could go wrong. Yu Haizhen’s attacks were fierce, but inwardly she admired Feng Miaojun. When others dealt with the King of Yan, they would only focus their attention on the transaction itself, but Feng Miaojun had realized that after the King of Yan entered the dream, his physical body would necessarily be hidden somewhere in Yingshui City, most likely placed together with the Peng Bai couple and guarded by his subordinates.

In other words, finding Madam Xu meant finding the King of Yan’s physical body. Most ingeniously, because the soul needed to enter the dream, the King of Yan’s body couldn’t be placed inside a storage space.

If they could find him, perhaps this war that had engulfed two continents could be quickly ended. The task Feng Miaojun had assigned to Yu Haizhen was to remain in reality to rescue Madam Xu and capture the King of Yan—a plan that killed two birds with one stone. Yu Haizhen wondered how Feng Miaojun could devise such a strategy even in a passive situation. She guessed that the State Preceptor Wei probably had contributed to it.

Nu Ba’s claw forced her back two steps, and without looking back, she shot several shuttles downward.

Two muffled groans came from the darkness below.

Those were the cultivators Yu Haizhen had brought along.

Enemies many and allies few, Nu Ba’s expression remained unchanged, but inwardly she was rapidly calculating. Now that their whereabouts had been exposed and Madam Xu had been rescued by the enemy, there seemed to be little reason to remain. Besides, Madam Xu was just an insignificant figure; losing her didn’t matter. Her most important task was to protect the King of Yan’s body from falling into enemy hands.

Surrounded by powerful foes, she fought more fiercely, but the cultivators were undeniably getting closer and closer to the small house she was guarding.

Nu Ba hesitated no longer, turning to pounce downward, exposing her back to Yu Haizhen.

Yu Haizhen certainly wouldn’t miss this opportunity. The tip of her sword gleamed with a point of golden light before piercing deeply into Nu Ba’s heart. Though Nu Ba had skin of bronze and bones of iron, impervious to blades and spears, she couldn’t block this thrust from Yu Haizhen. Everyone heard a “sizzle,” as black smoke rose from the wound.

Nu Ba let out a low groan, seemingly in pain.

Yu Haizhen regarded her as a main force in the King of Yan’s camp and had planned for a long time to deal with her. That sword carried a powerful life force—a great tonic for humans but a violent poison for undead creatures like her.

Nevertheless, she had traded her severe injury for an opportunity, rushing into the house just before the New Xia cultivators could surround it.

This creature was ferocious and rarely seen in the world. Yu Haizhen’s face was as cold as frost as she lightly commanded, “Pursue!”

At this moment, another figure arrived gracefully from the sky, landing on the roof ridge.

Yu Haizhen glanced over, saying with displeasure, “You’re late.”

It seemed like an eternity had passed, as long as a lifetime, before Feng Miaojun finally let out a gentle breath, her gaze becoming lively again.

Only then did she realize she was covered in a cold sweat, with exhaustion permeating her limbs and bones? Without looking in a mirror, she knew her face must be tired and pale.

She had finally finished reading all the Heavenly Demon Calligraphy on the wall.

Actually, rather than saying she had finished reading it, it would be more accurate to say she had memorized it all hastily. The most profound and difficult parts would have to be slowly comprehended in the future. She also compared the turtle imprint in her dantian and found many corresponding parts, which inwardly excited her.

As Feng Miaojun withdrew her spiritual consciousness from the stone wall, she quietly observed the King of Yan not far away. He was still wholly focused on studying the Heavenly Demon Calligraphy, not having noticed her awakening.

She knew that she had been able to quickly read through all the mysteries on the wall because of her years of research into divine symbol patterns. Though the King of Yan’s cultivation was more profound than hers and his knowledge broader, in this specific field, he was not her equal, which was why he remained absorbed even now.

His mind had no distractions—this was a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.