The further they traveled along the mountain path, the more rugged and uneven the trail became. Scattered traces of irregular marks lined the way, jagged rocks interlocking chaotically. From a distance, Chen Yi spotted a massive stone mountain looming above the road, precariously supported by arm-thick points on either side, looking as though it could collapse at any moment and block their path.

Chen Yi knew that Master Di Guan's location was drawing nearer and nearer.

Yin Weiyin followed closely behind, carefully bending as she made her way through the artificial mountains. She glanced ahead and saw Chen Yi squatting low as he passed through the narrow passage. His backside was suddenly in the female crown's view.

The curves were rounded but carried a trace of firmness. She suddenly felt an urge to pinch or poke.

But she didn't dare.

For some reason, ever since she returned from the Joyful Sect, Yin Weiyin would occasionally and unintentionally find some aspects of Chen Yi… alluring.

She couldn't pinpoint exactly what, but there was something about him that perfectly aligned with her tastes.

Between them… not necessarily in personality, but physically, they seemed to grow increasingly compatible.

Almost like a mortise-and-tenon joint fitting together seamlessly.

The stone mountains didn't appear just once but kept coming, one after the other. Chen Yi lost count of how many times he had bent down, equally oblivious to whatever the female crown behind him was observing.

After calculating the distance and crossing yet another stone mountain, they reached the end of the mountain road—a cliff face. Countless protruding rocky crags reached out toward the opposite side, but there was only one narrow path across to the other side.

A Zen temple stood tall on the cliff's edge.

Chen Yi led Yin Weiyin forward.

The temple doors bore little dust, and the path was pristine, as though Master Di Guan frequently swept the area, monks treating such daily chores as part of their spiritual practice.

Casually pushing open the temple doors, Chen Yi stepped inside. The main hall was dimly lit, and before the Buddha statue, a lone monk sat with his back turned toward them.

"Master Di Guan."

Chen Yi called out, walking closer.

It seemed the monk heard Chen Yi's voice, for his head moved slightly.

Then,

It rolled down...

Chen Yi's pupils contracted sharply.

The head, streaked with blood, tumbled to the floor. The severed neck showed a clean-cut surface, with dark crimson blood dried around it.

Master Di Guan… was dead!

The ally they were supposed to find for taking on the Boss had died just like that?!

Shock surged in Chen Yi's heart, while Yin Weiyin's face turned pale as she watched the head roll. Half of her Peach Wood Sword had slid out from its scabbard.

She froze mid-draw.

A delicate, boneless hand pressed lightly on the female crown's hand.

In the next moment, a crisp voice, mingled with laughter, teased both of their ears:

"Are you looking for Di Guan?

He's dead.

I killed him."

.........

Swish!

The blade howled as it sliced through the wind.

Yin Weiyin barely saw the alluring figure before her flash aside—the blade brushed through empty air.

Chen Yi had halted the strike.

Just now, he had slowed his blade to avoid accidentally injuring Yin Weiyin.

The enchanting woman who had suddenly dodged appeared in front of the decapitated monk's corpse, standing tall and graceful.

Chen Yi stepped forward silently, blade in hand.

"You're not curious why I killed him?" the strikingly beautiful woman asked, casually kicking away the headless corpse. "To be honest, we were from the same hometown. But alas…"

Without a word, Chen Yi struck again.

Wind-shredding rain-cleaving force swept forward, a blinding white streak tearing through the scene before him.

The woman's eyes hardened. Her long, jade-black hair, previously tied back, sprang to life as if animated, surging forward to meet the fierce blade momentum.

Swish!

The sound of shattering echoed. Whipping winds carried strands of broken hair, scattering them in all directions.

Shock flashed across the woman's gaze. The power behind the strike was astonishing—she gained little advantage in their first clash.

And yet, she had spent nearly ten years of grueling training in the imperial palace's inner sanctum, dedicating half of each year to cultivation within the Underworld.

Time in the Underworld passed differently—one day above equaled a year below.

Even though she had yet to reach the Martial Arts Third Rank by refining her spirit and returning to the void, centuries spent in the depths of the Underworld should have left her close.

The mysterious man before her—though perhaps weaker in skill—was not far below her caliber.

That said, while their martial prowess was comparable…

During those hundreds of years in the Underworld, Dong Guifei had mastered numerous magical techniques.

Some techniques were brought from Goryeo, such as Witchcraft, while others were sourced from the Central Plains, including Taoist Skills. Despite the rigid rules of the imperial palace, the previous emperor's obsession with mysticism had made such texts relatively accessible.

Just as Chen Yi prepared to step forward for another strike, Dong Guifei spat out a single word: "Command."

The scattered strands of hair shot upright like iron needles, transforming into thousands of spikes that surged toward Chen Yi.

The air buzzed with the sound of piercing shrieks. Even with the slowing effect of the Shangqing Heart Method, these hair-spikes forced Chen Yi into making a difficult choice.

Should he swing his blade behind him to clear the tightly packed needles or continue his assault on this enigmatic woman?

As he hesitated, Chen Yi's peripheral vision caught a detail.

Yin Weiyin held one hand in a forming gesture, chanting incantations under her breath.

In an instant, Chen Yi shifted focus away from the needles and charged straight toward the woman.

Dong Guifei showed a flicker of surprise.

Was he unafraid of death?

Moments later, the sudden gusts of wind provided the answer.

A turbulent storm surged through the temple as Yin Weiyin's words concluded, the chaotic winds engulfing the space.

The hair-spikes that had been about to strike Chen Yi twisted wildly midair, some dropping to the ground, others being redirected entirely. Even those still targeting Chen Yi had lost much of their strength.

Another strike of wind-cleaving rain-devastating power shattered a mass of dark flowing hair.

Dong Guifei struggled to manipulate her hair ends, the strands twisting into unnatural, spear-like shapes aimed at Chen Yi.

Chen Yi raised his fist and brought it down hard, smashing through the hair-spear with raw force. The technique of Cangshan Fist broke it apart piece by piece.

A pale shade crossed Dong Guifei's face.

Chen Yi had already closed the gap.

The gleaming blade sparkled with deadly light,

Tearing through Dong Guifei's seemingly fragile physique.

No burst of blood rose to the ceiling,

Instead…

She deflated.

As if a thin sheet of rice paper had been sliced in two, Dong Guifei's form split apart. Even though Chen Yi ceased his attack, her body continued to shred, falling into two pieces of paper.

Chen Yi's expression grew solemn.

That strike was intended only to sever her arm, to capture her alive for questioning.

He hadn't anticipated she was merely a paper effigy.

The half-torn Dong Guifei raised her head to look at Chen Yi, her face unmarked by anguish, instead wearing a dignified, soft smile:

"What dexterous skill… the land of the Ming truly produces exceptional talents."

While Goryeo had its share of masters, the last time one had ranked among the Central Plains' martial elite's top ten was in the Sui-Tang era—a fleeting moment that was never repeated. Since then, her homeland had produced no figure capable of standing at the pinnacle of the Central Plains' martial arts world.

Seeing the paper effigy about to dissipate, Chen Yi asked coldly:

"Why did you kill Di Guan?"

The alluring woman chuckled seductively, as though a thousand charms radiated from her, and responded before vanishing:

"My true body ordered me to. How would I know?"

With that, she crumbled into fragments of paper.

Chen Yi narrowed his eyes in contemplation at her words.

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