Who was he?

Dressed in official robes, dignified and imposing.

Long sleeves draped down, giving him an even steadier aura.

Handsome features, cold eyes. When his gaze swept over, there was an indescribable sense of scrutiny, sharp and thin like a carving knife, giving one a feeling of superiority.

Indeed, he was superior.

This was “official authority.” Jian Chou had spent so many years at the Xie family and had always seen several visiting officials. They all had a heavy “official” air about them, somewhat similar to this person before her, yet different from him.

This person’s “aura” was very clear, very cold. In just an instant, Jian Chou judged: from a worldly perspective, this was someone difficult to get along with.

However…

Were there such strange cultivators in Shijiu Zhou?

She frowned warily and didn’t speak for a moment.

While she was sizing up her opponent, he was also sizing her up.

Zhang Tang had been an official for quite some time. Although he had poor connections in court due to being too upright, too autocratic, and too taciturn, no one had ever dared deny his current position.

Who didn’t put on a respectful appearance when seeing him and call him “Lord Zhang the Court Justice”?

He was just somewhat eccentric in temperament, but when it came to reading people’s expressions, he was a cut above others.

Because all the cases he tried were major court cases, and the prisoners he had tortured in jail numbered in the hundreds, if not thousands.

Now, discovering Jian Chou’s scrutinizing gaze, Zhang Tang also made his judgment.

He understood the rules.

However…

The woman before him gave him an extremely dangerous feeling.

Her plain clothes were slightly stirred by the wind, and that ridiculously huge Ghost Axe floated in mid-air, with her standing on it.

The myriad ghost patterns on the Ghost Axe appeared particularly fierce in Zhang Tang’s eyes.

However, having already witnessed evil spirits in the Flower Withering Crimson境, Zhang Tang didn’t feel much alarm seeing this. He quite liked this axe.

Although…

A person could stand on an axe, and an axe could fly in the sky—these two details combined somewhat surprised Zhang Tang.

This person, before him, was probably one of the “cultivators” mentioned in the previous conversations.

Among all those who had spoken before, only one was female.

Zhang Tang, with his good memory, remembered that the woman claimed to be a cultivator from Kunwu, named Gu Qingmei.

And the only one who had never spoken—that senior from the due east—was probably a robust man.

So this person, before him, had a high probability of being Gu Qingmei.

However…

Zhang Tang’s years of case-solving intuition told him: there was something wrong here.

Jian Chou’s face appeared plain at first glance, but looking carefully, one would discover she wore almost no makeup, making her brows and eyes appear light and difficult to notice.

But with careful observation, one could see that her eye corners and brow tips carried an indescribable elegance.

Her slightly upturned eye tails perhaps had just a hint of charm.

However, that was just a hint—merely a small embellishment.

Zhang Tang looked at this face, and as he looked, his brows slowly drew together toward the center.

A trace of faint killing intent appeared in his eyes.

Why…

Did this female cultivator’s face give him an indescribably familiar feeling?

Though doubtful in his heart, Zhang Tang didn’t voice his questions.

At such a time, any question could give the opponent an advantage.

Although the opponent was a cultivator while he was merely mortal.

Jian Chou also didn’t speak.

She also felt heavy wariness in her heart.

Among the seven people, excluding herself, there was Gu Qingmei—this person wasn’t her; there was a monk—this person wasn’t that either; there was a rough-natured man—this person was possible, but Jian Chou instinctively ruled it out because it didn’t seem right; there was also someone who was a mortal from the Thirteen Immortal Islands, desperately seeking immortality, who wouldn’t have this seven-tenths tranquility; there was a stingy one who seemed like a merchant cultivator who had once offended Gu Qingmei with loose lips—this person was too somber, also unlikely.

Then only one choice remained.

The one from due west who had once called himself “this official”—

Someone who walked slowly on the road but surprisingly walked steadily.

Jian Chou had speculated about this person’s identity because she had discovered that the due west person’s speed was similar to the northwest person from the mortal lonely island. But later, this person’s trial-clearing speed increased, even surpassing her own, making her doubt her judgment.

Only now, seeing the official robes before her, did they finally match with those two words, “this official.”

Should she say her luck was good, actually encountering the equally mysterious “due west” person?

Zhang Tang stood on the giant lotus leaf while Jian Chou floated in mid-air.

The two faced each other, sizing each other up, but making no sound.

All around was quiet.

Only Ye Pianpian, sitting askew on the giant lotus leaf, looked around with great interest, as if seeing something, hearing something, and giggling.

This strange laughter made Jian Chou involuntarily divide some attention.

If Ye Pianpian could see, then someone must have done something amusing or interesting.

But she couldn’t hear it, and there was no movement from within the stone disc either.

That meant…

“You can’t see or hear it.”

Ye Pianpian reminded them with unusual friendliness, her snow-white lotus arms supporting her tilted head, letting her full head of deep, dark green hair slide along the lotus leaf’s edge. She seemed to scan around, her gaze lingering long on Jian Chou and Zhang Tang.

“Oh my, everyone seems so interesting.”

Interesting?

Jian Chou frowned.

Since…

The rule was that after starting combat, the stone disc would immediately lose its voice transmission function, then—

Jian Chou suddenly twisted her neck, making a “crack” sound as if stretching her muscles, then smiled slightly at Zhang Tang, whose pupils had contracted. She reached out, and the Ghost Axe flew from her feet, landing steadily in her palm.

The blood-connected feeling arose again.

Whatever the opponent’s identity was almost obvious, but what her own identity was, no one knew.

So what did it matter what the opponent’s identity was?

What she needed to do was defeat this person in the shortest time and gain entry to the Jade-Green Vastness!

So at that instant, she unhesitatingly launched an axe strike!

Cleaving Air!

Three afterimages flashed past and were already before Zhang Tang!

“Tsk tsk… truly a ruthless woman…”

Ye Pianpian shook her head with feeling, appearing to pity certain people.

Her leisurely tone actually couldn’t be heard as caring at all, but rather like watching a show with schadenfreude.

In one corner.

Gu Qingmei looked at the male cultivator standing opposite her, frowned, and directly grabbed her sword, about to slash over.

Hearing Ye Pianpian’s words, she couldn’t help but pause and look sideways—

Gu Qingmei thought Ye Pianpian was talking about her.

Ruthless?

How was this ruthless?

Gu Qingmei knew she couldn’t argue with that seductive woman, so she simply turned her head back to look at her opponent.

Qian Que now felt like cursing his family’s eight generations of ancestors. What terrible luck must he have to encounter such a terrible situation!

He had prayed a thousand times, ten thousand times, fearing most to encounter either Gu Qingmei or that master from due east. Who would have thought—damn it, what you fear most comes to pass—now he had encountered Gu Qingmei!

From the moment he saw this unlucky woman, Qian Que was so choked by fate that he couldn’t say a word.

Seeing Gu Qingmei about to slash with her sword, Ye Pianpian said Others couldn’t hear what was said here?

Then…

His eyes rolled, and Qian Que steeled his heart: Do it!

At that instant, Qian Que’s expression suddenly became spirited, seeming to have righteous courage.

He had already stored away his golden abacus, ready to take out a more powerful magical artifact for attack. Now his hand shook, and he suddenly pulled from his Qiankun Bag!

A golden spear appeared in his hand.

Seeing this, Gu Qingmei immediately laughed coldly with contempt.

Qian Que laughed loudly, his voice changing to become firm and resonant, full of vigor: “This must be Miss Gu from Kunwu! Communication on the stone disc was quite inconvenient earlier. I am Meng Xizhou, please enlighten me, Miss!”

Damn it!

If that unlucky woman knew he was the one who had mocked her earlier, would he still have his life?

So before life, face was nothing!

He didn’t seek to pass the trial now, only to save his life!

Qian Que didn’t have the confidence to clash head-on with Kunwu’s core disciple.

Gripping his long spear, he put on a spirited expression while already calculating 108 ways to surrender in his mind.

In another corner.

Meng Xizhou didn’t yet know that his image as a true man had been frantically tarnished by someone using forceful methods.

At this moment, his attention was entirely focused on the man not far ahead.

This was an ordinary person down on his luck, clearly with decent features but with undisguisable dust and weathering all over his face, overly exhausted, looking at him with strangely fearful eyes.

“I, I I…”

As soon as Qin Ruoxu’s voice came out, Meng Xizhou knew it was him.

Frowning tightly, he hadn’t expected to draw someone he had promised to help.

Meng Xizhou had always thought himself quite warm-hearted…

But now.

He looked at his opponent and said, “You’re Brother Qin Ruoxu, right? You should surrender.”

Qin Ruoxu had known he would be in grave danger upon meeting a cultivator, but seeing Meng Xizhou, a strange hope rose in his mind!

What if?

But the instant that “what if” thought emerged, Meng Xizhou shattered all his dreams with one sentence.

He stared at Meng Xizhou in shock, unable to accept: “Why? Didn’t you say you’d help me?”

Why?

Meng Xizhou was stunned by the question.

He suddenly felt: Well, I shouldn’t run my mouth in the future! I should be silent like that senior from due east!

Silence creates masculine charm!

So…

After thinking through this issue, Meng Xizhou nodded to himself, then stepped forward and kicked without hesitation!

“You—”

Qin Ruoxu was caught completely off guard and was kicked flying by this foot!

“Ah!”

Originally standing on the lotus leaf, he instantly became a shrinking black dot, disappearing in the distance!

Meng Xizhou shaded his eyes with his hand, gazing into the distance, then sighed: “I’m truly a real man!”

Kicking someone at the slightest disagreement—exactly like the domineering style of Yashan’s eldest senior sister!

Thinking of his recent reputation, Meng Xizhou felt deeply honored and couldn’t help showing a knowing smile—

Decided, he’d continue being this handsome in the future!

Ye Pianpian’s gaze suddenly became strange.

Interesting…

Most of these seven people were quite interesting.

She smiled with narrowed eyes, casting a soul-stirring, seductive glance at Meng Xizhou, who had finished his battle.

“The entry battle is over, the Killing Red discs will reopen. Everyone, be careful~”

Such deep scheming!

Standing to the side, though unable to see others, Liao Kong could discern the progress of events from Ye Pianpian’s various words.

This entry battle had seven participants. Excluding one lucky person, six would be divided into three matches, meaning ultimately three people would be eliminated.

However…

Except for Ye Pianpian, who knew everything, no one could know who remained!

Maybe the strong ones, maybe those with incredible luck, where the strong encountered each other and were eliminated while the weak got lucky…

Those who had grudges before might be able to disguise themselves after this round.

The further down they went, the more treacherous this game would become.

Who knew if some extremely cunning characters would emerge?

Fortunately, fortunately.

Buddha be praised, only the last trial remained.

Liao Kong wiped the cold sweat from his head. Thinking of himself being the lucky one without an opponent, he felt greatly moved—

It seemed that doing good deeds indeed brought good karma.

Still in a corner.

“Bang!”

Sparks flew everywhere!

Jian Chou hadn’t expected at all that this official-robed man’s vertical mark between his brows was so strange.

Her axe strike was blocked by ripples emerging from between his brows!

Having had her bones tempered by Azure Lotus Spirit Fire, Jian Chou was all too familiar with this aura.

That was Azure Lotus Spirit Fire!

No need to say more—the Azure Lotus Spirit Fire from the Chaotic Red Flying Flowers trial had been obtained by three people: herself, Gu Qingmei, and that cultivator from due west!

Another thing matched up.

Jian Chou was now certain of this person’s identity.

She frowned tightly, feeling this person actually knew no techniques, had never even cultivated, but was only relying on the instinct of the spirit fire between his brows to “fight,” or rather—

Defend.

Completely passive defense.

Such combat held no real feeling; Jian Chou fought boredly.

Seeing her earlier axe strike blocked by those ripples, Jian Chou suddenly threw her entire axe directly at the man!

The huge axe was hurled through the air with mighty force!

Though Zhang Tang remained calm, he didn’t completely understand this so-called “battle.”

This wasn’t his world, nor his battlefield—he’d been at a complete disadvantage from the start.

However…

He strangely felt no fear of the patterns on that Ghost Axe.

Seeing the giant axe coming, Zhang Tang just felt somewhat breathless.

However, the greater crisis wasn’t on the axe!

But on—

This woman’s leg!

Jian Chou disliked this purely crushing type of battle.

So she wanted a quick resolution.

Having perfectly achieved the third layer of “Human Vessel,” executing the Heaven-Flipping Seal was simply unstoppable!

One leg swept out, and a massive leg shadow rushed out the instant she struck!

Boom!

The massive Azure Lotus Spirit Fire exploded, creating ripples, with lotus-like radiance spreading from Zhang Tang’s brow!

But even so, the striking force of the Heaven-Flipping Dao Seal was completely beyond Zhang Tang’s ability to resist!

In just an instant, his entire body exploded backward!

The Azure Lotus Spirit Fire in the vertical mark between his brows finally tilted skyward, deflecting Jian Chou’s Heaven-Flipping Seal attack, but by now Zhang Tang himself had reached the lotus leaf’s edge.

Three steps, two steps, one step!

The last step barely stopped!

Zhang Tang’s face alternated between red and white, his internal blood seeming to churn continuously.

However, he forcibly endured it, raising his sharp, cold gaze to Jian Chou’s face.

“You’re not Gu Qingmei.”

No evidence, only intuition so keen it was terrifying.

Jian Chou’s face showed no smile.

At this moment, such a gaze made that strange familiarity even stronger.

Jian Chou had seen all sorts of officials at the Xie family and was very familiar with the Great Xia’s official dress codes. This person was a Court Justice, in charge of criminal and prison matters.

She had no deep impression of such a face.

The deepest impression should be of such a pair of eyes.

She had seen them at the Xie family, though it was just a brief encounter!

Ye Pianpian’s voice rang from another giant lotus leaf: “Oh my, your match is also over—so, the loser is eliminated.”

Saying this, she lightly waved her hand.

A breeze blew over, making the lotus leaves sway.

Zhang Tang stood at the lotus leaf’s edge, his gaze on Jian Chou’s face not withdrawing.

He said word by word, calmly and with certainty:

“This official has seen you before.”