Truly a face of heaven-sent beauty. A countenance of celestial grace. A peerless beauty capable of toppling empires!

"Her eyes held the clarity of autumn water, her bones were fine jade, her face like a hibiscus, her brows like the willow! An endless reserve of gentle grace, an inexhaustible well of captivating charm."

A woman like this, one could scarcely find a second in this turbulent mortal world!

"Miss Guan, do not be alarmed, we mean you no harm." Faced with such a devastatingly beautiful woman, directly meeting her gaze, the two men in black masks hesitated, feeling strangely constrained, and even offered a slight bow, prefacing their statement with an apology. Not bad people. Mei Xueyan was nearly moved to laughter by the pair. Two grown men forcing entry into a lady's private chamber without invitation—and they had the audacity to claim they weren't villains? Were they perhaps pillars of gentlemanly conduct?

"Oh? Since the esteemed guests claim not to be villains, then why the stealth on such a night, under such brilliant stars? You mentioned knocking earlier, yet as the mistress of this house, I certainly did not open the door to you. Your uninvited intrusion seems quite contrary to proper form. Given your actions, I find it difficult to reconcile you with the description of 'good people.' Could you perhaps offer this humble lady an explanation?" Mei Xueyan inquired with a gentle smile.

Awkwardness flickered in both their eyes, leaving them hesitant and tongue-tied.

These two were both peak experts, capable of swift acquisition and immediate departure. This current situation was entirely unexpected; but who were they facing? They were facing the Lord of Heavenly Punishment! Venerable Mei, who sat as an equal to the leaders of the Three Great Sacred Lands!

These were truly supreme experts residing high above the Nine Clouds!

Although Mei Xueyan had completely suppressed her aura, appearing outwardly like any ordinary woman, the innate bearing cultivated from long holding supreme status, looking down upon the world, and commanding legions of Mystic Beasts, could not be so easily ignored.

Even though she sat there calmly, having deployed not a single sliver of Mystic Art, nor circulating a drop of Essence Energy, an invisible aura of immense power radiated naturally from her, already throwing the two experts into disarray of mind and spirit!

This was why they were acting so aberrantly!

It was as if a flock of mice passed through an area where a cat held dominion; though the cat remained unseen and silent, the mice would naturally be seized by primal terror.

"We deeply regret disturbing you so late at night, madam. However, if you would simply hand over that Marrow-Tempering Pill, my brother and I will immediately turn back and depart, daring not to cause the slightest offense!" one masked man said smoothly. "Given your refinement, we trust you will not force my brother and me to return empty-handed?"

"Heh heh, the Marrow-Tempering Pill, you say?" Mei Xueyan's expression shifted subtly, a slight smile playing on her lips as she tilted her head languidly. "And what if I refuse to hand it over? Would you then resort to force?"

What if she refuses? This single sentence sparked a flicker of anger in the two masters. Little girl, we have given you ample courtesy! We refrained from action only because you are a woman, yet you press your advantage to this degree!

"This pill concerns the safety of the world's future; its significance is immense. We truly wished to avoid offense, but if you insist on withholding it, then for the sake of all living beings, we may regrettably have to take our leave by force," the other masked man sighed with feigned regret. Thinking of laying hands on the woman carved from precious jade, a pang of reluctant pity rose within him.

"Concerns the safety of the world's future? For the sake of all living beings? What an enormous mantle to wear! This humble girl truly cannot bear such a burden! Oh, 'take our leave by force'? How exactly do you two strapping men intend to offend me?" Mei Xueyan laughed lightly, her smile as easy and tranquil as drifting clouds. This smile seemed to bring the spring back to the earth, every strand of hair, every curve of her brow and eye, exuding boundless allure, momentarily possessing a provocative charm.

"We... uh..." One masked man's eyes suddenly glazed over! This master, ranked at the Supreme level, whose age was unknowable, was for that instant completely captivated! Such was the supreme degree of Mei Xueyan's beauty and charm—unparalleled under heaven and earth.

Judgment! The other masked man abruptly stumbled back toward the doorway, his palms crossing before him in a posture of extreme readiness: "You... just who exactly are you?"

He had finally sensed that something was terribly wrong! As Mei Xueyan's overwhelming aura slowly dissipated, replaced by a subtle, natural wave of bewitching power, he snapped back to awareness. The instant the realization struck him, a cold sweat drenched his body!

What kind of figure could possibly mesmerize two Supreme-level experts with merely a few sentences?

What an astonishing and alarming event!

His sharp warning managed to jolt his dazed companion back to sobriety. Both men fixed their gazes sharply on Mei Xueyan, their eyes alight with extreme vigilance!

Mei Xueyan stretched lazily, letting out a delicate, pretty yawn, using her jade-white hand to cover her mouth, feigning drowsiness. "I wonder, are the two of you from the Hidden Immortal Palace? Or the Supreme Golden City? Perhaps the Dreamscape Blood Sea? Unless you hail from one of those three places, I doubt you possess such grandeur and loftiness, speaking of the world's safety one moment and the future of humanity the next!"

As soon as these words left her lips, Mei Xueyan's slender, graspable waist suddenly straightened, and her eyes snapped wide open, unleashing two beams of light that felt almost tangible—

Instantly, the two Supremes felt their limbs turn ice cold! Under the gaze of those two eyes, they felt as if their entire beings were transparently exposed! More critically, as those eyes fixed upon them, neither could move!

It wasn't an inability to move, but a sheer unwillingness! Because any movement, however slight, would reveal the smallest crack—a flaw, however minuscule, was still a flaw. And if they revealed a flaw, the woman before them could fell them both! The gap in their strength was simply too vast!

The woman before them was absolutely a master, and a master among masters!

This time, they had truly struck an iron plate, but where had this iron plate come from? It was too unexpected!

"You! Who are you exactly? How do you know of the Three Great Sacred Lands? Since you know where we hail from, how dare you oppose us?" One of the masked men found his face covering completely soaked, sweat pouring off him like rivers collapsing in a landslide.

"The Three Great Sacred Lands? Are they so formidable? Why shouldn't we dare oppose you?" A delicate laugh sounded from the doorway as a girl in green robes gracefully entered, her face bright with a charming smile, her eyes radiant and her teeth pearly white, her hair as dark as clouds, swaying elegantly like a slender willow in the breeze.

The newcomer was none other than Snake King Qian Xun!

The backs of the two men stiffened once more! This green-robed woman who had just entered was, at the very least, a High-Tier Supreme expert, certainly no weaker than the two brothers! Perhaps even stronger!

Such experts were rare enough to appear individually in the mortal world, but tonight, in this single room, they had encountered two, and each was more terrifying than the last.

Their raid tonight had walked straight into an ambush! An ambush was one thing, but being ambushed by these two female fiends—female fiends whom neither brother could possibly handle!

In that moment, both men entertained the thought of immediately returning to the Noble Hall, brutally punishing that fat man, and then rendering him down for lamp oil.

This fat man had truly led them into disaster!

But they were, after all, masters of their generation. In a flash, they regained their composure and managed a dry, rattling chuckle. Though the sound was coarse and unpleasant, it was indeed a laugh, not a cry.

Though the sound was perilously close to weeping, it was barely distinguishable.

"Heh heh, esteemed ladies, I presume neither of you is that Miss Guan Qinghan?" The black-masked man on the left managed a smile, his tension easing, his eyes shadowed with bitterness. "My brother and I admit defeat today, but we wonder, which powerhouse have we fallen into the hands of?"

"You have yet to answer my previous question," Mei Xueyan replied, her eyelids slightly lowered, speaking slowly. "And I am not accustomed to repeating myself, nor am I fond of waiting!"

"Since matters have reached this point, must you truly tear down all pretense and oppose our Three Great Sacred Lands? Leaving no room for negotiation?" the masked man pressed, his voice low and sharp.

"You are mistaken. At most, you two represent but one of the Three Great Sacred Lands. Even if we oppose you, it is only your single faction, not equivalent to facing all three simultaneously!" Mei Xueyan scoffed coldly. "Furthermore, I was showing you courtesy by allowing you to speak first! Do not mistake my forbearance for weakness. Even if I faced the Three Great Sacred Lands at once, I would feel no fear."

"Besides, I was giving you face by asking you to reveal yourselves! You must not be so obtuse as to waste my careful consideration," Mei Xueyan continued languidly. "Your Three Great Sacred Lands affix emblems to every piece of clothing—a truly foolish practice. The moment I strip away this black outer layer, I will know where you are from. My refusal to act now is to spare your dignity, but that does not mean I will not act. You still dare to hold out without speaking? Do you truly believe I am so kind as to let you walk away? I seem to recall I am not that benevolent!"

"Who... who are you?!" Both men recoiled a step, staring at Mei Xueyan in sheer dread. This young woman was intimately familiar with the Three Great Sacred Lands, yet they could not recall any person in this world who matched her description.

"Hmph!" Mei Xueyan remained seated, her expression turning frigid. She did not move, yet a chilling white mist spontaneously erupted from her body, dancing in the air like ethereal snakes. With a swift whoosh, a sudden burst of white vapor instantly sliced across the lapel of one masked man, tearing away a large swath to reveal the purple robe trimmed with silver underneath!

Simultaneously, the masks on both their faces suddenly flew off, exposing two wrinkled, aged visages, thinning grey hair, and eyes filled with extreme terror.

The moment the white mist materialized, both black-masked figures had exerted every ounce of effort to evade, yet they failed to avoid it completely.

"So, you are from the Dreamscape Blood Sea, and even Silver Robe Protectors—a high rank indeed," Mei Xueyan observed calmly. "But you two look unfamiliar. You weren't selected from the mortal realm to join the Blood Sea, were you? Are you natives of the Dreamscape Blood Sea?"

"You...?" Both men were slick with sweat.

"Is that old fellow Hu Yan Tian Feng still well?" Mei Xueyan asked gently, a soft smile on her face. "Did he send you to steal the Marrow-Tempering Pill?"