"You trash, what right do you have to steal my woman? Today, I will surely scatter your soul!" Seeing Liang Xiaoke being driven back step by step by his assault, Fang Jiuyou grew ever more pleased with himself...

As he spoke, a sharp dagger suddenly appeared in his hand, which he raised and hurled toward Liang Xiaoke...

The semi-transparent dagger left a faint trace in the night sky, arriving directly at Liang Xiaoke's heart. Sensing the keen edge of the blade, Liang Xiaoke’s face registered a look of "panic." He lunged sideways at full speed, but his usually swift movements seemed sluggish, as if utterly exhausted—a beat too slow. The dagger plunged directly into his chest...

"Waaah..." He opened his mouth, and a torrent of blood, drawn from some unknown source, sprayed out, dazzling and brilliant against the night sky...

His body plummeted straight to the ground. After a few tremors, he lay motionless, clearly beyond the reach of death...

Seeing Liang Xiaoke dispatched with such ease, Fang Jiuyou’s face became a mask of triumph. He didn't even bother checking if Liang Xiaoke was truly dead, turning instead to sprint toward the direction of Man Lou...

He couldn't fathom that anyone could survive a direct stab to the heart, not even a Martial God...

Only after Fang Jiuyou’s silhouette vanished into the night sky did Liang Xiaoke, who had been playing dead so convincingly, execute a perfect backflip. He sprang up from the ground, yanked the dagger from his chest, and praised it with genuine admiration: "A fine dagger. Though it lacks any inherent energy, the material itself is truly razor-sharp. To leave such a good dagger behind, that fellow must be rich, eh? Heh heh... But this makes things even better; once we kill him, all his treasures will belong to us brothers, right? Hahahaha..." Thinking of Ye Jingyu’s ingenious, poisonous counter-scheme, Liang Xiaoke burst into roaring laughter...

In Ye Jingyu's plan, if Fang Jiuyou had been present, no matter what seductive arts Yao Yao employed, it would have been difficult to trick Xuanyuan Ruoxing. However, in Fang Jiuyou's absence, even with reservations, Xuanyuan Ruoxing would find it hard to refuse Yao Yao’s allure, naturally sowing discord between the two men...

Especially when Fang Jiuyou returned to find his subordinate slain by Xuanyuan Ruoxing—at that point, even the greatest misunderstanding would be impossible to reconcile...

Then, their group wouldn't need to lift a finger; they could just sit back and watch the tigers fight, reaping the fisherman's reward...

At that moment, Fang Jiuyou hurried back to Man Lou, anticipating the victorious embrace of Yao Yao, only to find the entire establishment eerily silent, save for his four personal guards standing frozen nearby...

"Where is everyone?" Fang Jiuyou demanded immediately...

"Reporting to Young Master, the Prince has left with Miss Yao Yao!" stated the man who was clearly the guard captain, then proceeded to recount everything that had transpired after Fang Jiuyou's departure...

"Xuanyuan Ruoxing, damn your ancestors..." Hearing the news, Fang Jiuyou's eyebrows shot up. I was painstakingly fighting duels outside, and you took the opportunity to seize my woman? After all the respect I showed you...

"Go..." In his towering rage, Fang Jiuyou didn't stop to consider why Yao Yao would invite Xuanyuan Ruoxing after he left. In his mind, even if Yao Yao had actively invited him, Xuanyuan Ruoxing shouldn't have accepted. Yao Yao was the woman he desired; on what grounds did that dog dare to compete with him?

Even if Xuanyuan Ruoxing was a prince of the Tianyuan Empire, in Fang Jiuyou’s eyes, he was merely a lapdog meant to bring him pleasure. Now that this dog had stolen his woman, how could he not be enraged?

The self-absorbed Fang Jiuyou failed to contemplate the scheme that might lie behind these events. To him, he was the god of this world, and no one was permitted to defy his will...

Taking his four guards, Fang Jiuyou sped off in the direction Xuanyuan Ruoxing and the others had departed...

Several moments earlier, on that same street, Fang Wu and Fang Liu were surrounded but showed no trace of fear; instead, their faces were laced with mockery...

"Little brat Xuanyuan, we are still within Miao City, barely a few miles from Man Lou. My brothers are inside Man Lou. If a fight breaks out, they will rush over instantly. Do you think those three Martial Saints can stand against my brothers?" Fang Liu sneered, looking at Bai Tianyu and the others whose auras clearly surpassed their own...

"If you hadn't mentioned it, I might have forgotten. Mr. Yu, I must trouble you to make a move!" Xuanyuan Ruoxing replied with an air of sudden realization, speaking toward the empty air. As his words fell, a spectral image flickered into existence from the void...

His form flickered in and out of visibility within the emptiness—sometimes substantial, sometimes ethereal—giving everyone a dreamlike impression. However, the immense energy radiating from him caused the expressions of everyone present to shift dramatically. Even Ye Jingyu and his company lurking in the shadows paled; they had truly not expected Xuanyuan Ruoxing to have such a powerful expert guarding him. It was fortunate they hadn't attempted a direct kill...

"True Immortal...?" Bai Tianyu gasped. He never imagined Xuanyuan Ruoxing had such a supreme powerhouse accompanying him...

The man called Mr. Yu didn't spare Bai Tianyu and the others a glance. With a single beckoning gesture, a curtain of sapphire light formed from his hand, directly enveloping the two Martial Saints and the three men, Bai Tianyu among them...

"My Lord, this is my Heavenly Rain Water Screen. It will hold for one quarter-hour," the man told Xuanyuan Ruoxing before vanishing once more. Were it not for the blue water barrier present at the scene, everyone might have doubted he had appeared at all...

"This is merely a shred of Mr. Yu's power. Mr. Yu is currently preparing to face his second Thunder Tribulation, so he could not manifest his true body. Uncle Bai, you have a quarter-hour to eliminate these two servants!" Seeing the shocked expressions on everyone’s faces, Xuanyuan Ruoxing stated calmly...

Hearing Xuanyuan Ruoxing's words, Bai Tianyu, Bai Tianhu, and Bai Tiankun exchanged a look, seemingly coming to a mutual decision...

"My Lord, rest assured, we will take these two lives within the quarter-hour," Bai Tianyu declared, bowing to Xuanyuan Ruoxing as if making an oath. As his words faded, Bai Tianhu and Bai Tiankun shot forward instantly...