Lu Ming was also wounded, and listening to their conversation made him anxious. Unable to contain himself, he interjected: “Yan Qing, take the master away first. We’ll cover your retreat.”

Three pairs of eyes turned simultaneously toward Yan Qing.

This fellow’s earth-burrowing skills were exceptional, moving underground far faster than cultivators could travel on land—a tremendous advantage in these remote mountains and wilderness.

Yan Qing was momentarily stunned, then immediately responded: “Yes, of course! Master, please come with me.” He moved to support Yun Ya’s arm.

To bring someone underground, physical contact was naturally necessary.

Yun Ya’s expression remained unchanged, and he even extended his arm voluntarily.

However, just as Yan Qing was about to touch him, Yun Ya flipped his wrist and suddenly reached for Yan Qing’s pulse point!

His movement was incredibly swift—even Lu Ming, standing right beside him, hadn’t noticed.

But Yan Qing withdrew his wrist as quickly as if electrocuted. Then he leaned back and kicked out at Yun Ya’s abdominal wound.

This kick used at least seventy percent of his strength, with extreme viciousness. If it had connected solidly, even an unwounded person would have suffered a ruptured abdomen and spilled entrails.

Both moved with extraordinary speed. By the time Lu Ming and the leopard demon noticed, cold light was already flashing before their eyes!

A sudden, dramatic turn of events.

The leopard demon was closest to Yan Qing and startled, instinctively about to retreat when suddenly its body felt weightless—someone had grabbed it by the neck and thrown it forward!

The person’s technique was exceptionally skillful, pressing directly on the leopard’s Dazhui acupoint, followed by a violent surge of spiritual power that completely sealed its meridians. Despite possessing significant cultivation, the leopard couldn’t summon even a hint of strength and could only flail its claws as it was thrown forward!

Two feet ahead stood Yun Ya!

Sword energy crisscrossed the air. This strike came from the State Preceptor, aimed directly at—

The leopard suddenly realized there had only been Yan Qing behind it.

This short, stout fellow had somehow become an enemy.

Before the thought could complete in its mind, a sudden pain stabbed through its back.

Standing to the side, Lu Ming witnessed the strange events unfold: Yun Ya suddenly turning on Yan Qing, his sword flashing like lightning, while the latter reacted even faster, surprisingly grabbing the nearby leopard and throwing it forward.

“Master, be careful—” Before Lu Ming could finish the word “careful,” Yun Ya suddenly grabbed his collar and retreated ten feet. The speed was extreme as if he’d been punched away.

In the next instant, the thrown leopard exploded into a mist of blood while still in midair!

The mist, though primarily blood-red, carried a faint green tinge, clearly having been doctored with something extra. Where it passed, the green leaves sizzled and dissolved into nothingness!

Poison mist? Lu Ming’s expression was filled with shock and doubt.

Yan Qing clicked his tongue twice: “State Preceptor Yun, what a ruthless heart, treating your subordinates this way?”

Yun Ya’s face grew even paler, but remained calm as still water: “We both know that once you appear before me, you can’t fool me.”

With Yan Qing blocking the path, Yun Ya simply stopped and stood his ground.

Yan Qing curled his lip: “That I didn’t know.” As soon as he finished speaking, his figure began to distort slightly, like ripples forming on a smooth, mirror-like surface of water.

When the ripples disappeared, the person standing before Lu Ming had completely changed.

It was precisely the one he had always believed to be an incomparable match for his State Preceptor.

“Queen of New Xia!”

Feng Miaojun’s gaze, however, fell on Yun Ya’s abdomen. Though no blood had seeped through, his recent exertion had intensified the smell of blood, indicating that his wound had reopened.

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her mind.

This pain was growing increasingly intense. She discreetly suppressed it and sighed softly: “I’ve searched for you with such difficulty.”

Yun Ya seemed not to hear, only staring at her: “Why did you latch onto An’an? The Yan King was also in the Dream City at that time.” If she was a Celestial Demon, why not possess the Yan King instead?

“Do you truly not know, or are you pretending?” She laughed lightly. “We Celestial Demons cannot transfer our soul power to others.” Otherwise, the cultivation she had sacrificed in the realm between reality and illusion would have been inherited by other Celestial Demons long ago, rather than waiting over three hundred years until Feng Miaojun entered the Dream City.

So it was true. Yun Ya’s heart sank. Even though he had suspected as much, having her confirm it personally still felt like a heavy stone pressing on his chest, stifling and oppressive.

“I am An’an, and An’an is me. It has always been so.” She looked at Yun Ya, her smile perfect and exquisite. “I merely reclaimed the soul power that rightfully belonged to me from the Dream City.”

Lu Ming looked at her, then at Yun Ya, feeling that her words contained an astonishing amount of information. Was the Queen of New Xia openly admitting her identity as a Celestial Demon, confessing that she had been deceiving the State Preceptor for many years?

Yun Ya spoke, each word seemingly encased in ice: “Why could I never sense your presence within An’an?”

She tilted her head slightly: “That is my little secret.”

Her eyes sparkled as she smiled gracefully, truly embodying exquisite beauty and charm. Standing together with Yun Ya, they appeared to be a perfect match made in heaven.

Yet Yun Ya saw the sinister coldness beneath her captivating gazes as if he were staring into the eyes of a venomous snake.

This feeling was all too familiar to him—an instinct developed from countless battles against Celestial Demons.

Whenever a Celestial Demon approached, he could sense it through instinct.

Suddenly, Yun Ya understood why the Celestial Demons had disappeared over the past few decades, and why Feng Miaojun had come to his side instead.

Only by completely and thoroughly changing both body and soul, removing even the imprint of a Celestial Demon, could she prevent him from discovering her true identity!

Only then could she approach him and implement her plan.

But her deception was so perfect, she had done more than just fool him…

Just as Xiao Yan had repeatedly muttered behind his back:

What a cursed affinity!

During this brief delay, figure after figure suddenly emerged from the mist, surrounding the area. The man at the front moved with the might of a dragon and tiger, tall and imposing—the Yan King had arrived.

His gaze fixed on Yun Ya like a hawk, carrying intense murderous intent.

“Yun Ya.” He slowed his pace, exuding smugness. “So you too have such a day!”

His mortal enemy was severely wounded and now surrounded by his subordinates, with even a Celestial Demon having arrived. The scene was so magnificently arranged that he couldn’t see even the slightest hope for Yun Ya’s escape.

The taste of imminent victory was too sweet; he wanted to savor it a while longer.

He took a deep breath, the faint mist moistening his lungs—truly refreshing to both body and spirit.

Yun Ya breathed slightly heavily, his lips turning bluish: “You dare ally with a Celestial Demon? You will face divine retribution.”

Though he spoke the words “face divine retribution” casually, the Yan King’s smile immediately faded. From others, such words might be merely desperate curses, powerless and empty, but coming from Yun Ya’s mouth, they carried profound meaning.

Celestial Demons were abhorred by heaven and earth. For the Yan King, as a cultivator, to aid a Celestial Demon was to oppose the very world in which he existed!

What good end could come to those who opposed the heavens? The Celestial Demon clan was a bloody example.