Chapter 223: Ning Daoqi.

Master Feixuan frowned at Wanwan, while Qin Mengyao's face showed a hint of displeasure. Even Jin Bingyun couldn't help but narrow her eyes at Wanwan.

Wanwan's words offended the three of them from Cihang Jingzhai.

Of course, Wanwan's status inherently incurred hostility.

"Oh, don't look at me like that. I'll be scared. And I'm not wrong, am I? This must be Sister Jin Bingyun, who went to the Magic Master Palace and was ultimately captivated by the Magic Master Pang Ban. What do you think? Now that you've completely surrendered to Pang Ban, why not join the Magic Master Palace? That way, our two families can have some connection." Wanwan changed the subject and directed it directly at Jin Bingyun.

Jin Bingyun's face paled slightly.

Qin Mengyao then activated her aura, locking onto Wanwan, as if she would attack her if she said another word.

Sensing Qin Mengyao's aura, Wanwan continued to smile, seemingly unfazed. Yet, a weight grew heavier within her. She

hadn't expected this heir of the Cihang Jingzhai of the Great Ming Dynasty to be even more exceptional than Shi Feixuan. She could sense a dangerous aura from Qin Mengyao. Qin Mengyao

, in both realm and strength, was far superior to Shi Feixuan. However, Wanwan's strength was comparable to

Shi Feixuan's. In other words, in terms of overall power, she was slightly inferior to Qin Mengyao.

This filled Wanwan with a sense of resentment. As the most accomplished disciple of the Yingui Sect of the Great Sui Dynasty, even having achieved the title of Saint Maiden, she had lost to the heir of the Cihang Jingzhai of the Great Ming Dynasty.

"I must surpass Qin Mengyao. I must become stronger than Qin Mengyao," Wanwan fiercely told herself.

At that moment, Wanwan no longer even had the heart to compete with Shi Feixuan, and instead wanted to compare herself with Qin Mengyao.

"Oh! This is truly terrifying! I'm alone, yet I have to face three disciples from the Cihang brothel. Especially since they have no respect for martial ethics and are attacking me. This is truly terrifying!" Wanwan said as she moved closer to Ye Xiu, looking like she wanted to rely on him.

A normal man, seeing Wanwan like this, would probably be tempted to help her. Unfortunately, Wanwan's charm had no effect on Ye Xiu.

Although Wanwan was indeed very beautiful, and her acting was indeed beautiful and pitiful, to Ye Xiu, this was like a drama worth appreciating. Ye Xiu even watched Wanwan's performance with a spectator's mindset, and even wanted to tip Wanwan a few coins.

Seeing Ye Xiu's unyielding attitude, Wanwan couldn't help but frown, doubting even the abilities she'd cultivated since childhood.

"Miss Wanwan, you should be from the Great Sui Dynasty, like Master Fairy, right? I wonder why you've traveled all the way from the Great Sui Dynasty to the Great Ming Kingdom?" Ye Xiu didn't want to continue playing this ambiguous role with Wanwan.

It was mainly because Ye Xiu was self-aware. He felt that with so many women around him, they would probably be wary of him being too intimate with a stranger. Therefore, Ye Xiu consciously kept a certain distance from Wanwan and the others.

"Calling me 'Miss Wanwan' is too unfamiliar. Master Ye, just call me Wanwan. The reason we came to the Great Ming Kingdom is, of course, because—" Wanwan almost blurted out the diary,

but she didn't say it.

First of all, matters like the diary should be kept secret. Even if most people present knew about it, it would be difficult to say it out loud.

Another point was that just as Wanwan was about to bring up the diary, a strange feeling prevented her from speaking. If she had insisted, she would have likely died.

Wanwan couldn't bring herself to speak about the diary, but suspicions welled up in her.

Previously, when she and Shi Feixuan had discussed the diary, everything had seemed perfectly normal. They had freely discussed the diary.

But why couldn't she bring it up now?

Wanwan's mind raced, pondering the similarities between her and Shi Feixuan. Both

were from the Sui Dynasty, but she didn't think the Sui Dynasty was a factor in whether or not she could bring up the diary.

Was it gender? Since both Wanwan and Shi Feixuan were women, women could discuss it?

But now, Ye Xiu in front of her was a man, and even Linghu Chong beside her was a man. Was it because she could only bring it up with women, and not men?

Wanwan thought this might be a factor, but she didn't think it was that reason.

So, in the end, Wanwan speculated that the reason she and Shi Feixuan were able to discuss the diary was because they were both its owners—

and at that last thought, her eyes suddenly lit up: "Could it be that the people on Ye Xiu's side weren't actually the diary's owners? The only ones holding the diary were her and Shi Feixuan? If she killed Shi Feixuan, wouldn't that mean she was the only one left holding the diary?"

Wanwan couldn't help but glance at Shi Feixuan subconsciously.

Ye Xiu looked at Wanwan curiously as she suddenly stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at Shi Feixuan instead: "Miss Wanwan?"

"Master Ye, I can't tell you the reason I came to the Ming Empire right now. If you want to know, how about we discuss it privately later?" Wanwan smiled at Ye Xiu with an ambiguous smile.

"...That's unnecessary," Ye Xiu chuckled dryly.

"Eh? Young Master Ye, you're making me feel unattractive. Am I really that ugly?" Wanwan once again adopted a pitiful air.

It was Ye Xiu's Immortality Technique that offered some resistance to Wanwan's Heavenly Demonic Art, so her spirits remained relatively stable.

Meanwhile, Huang Rong and the other girls, whose strengths had grown thanks to their diaries, couldn't help but feel a pity for Wanwan, wanting to hide her from them.

This time, Wanwan unleashed her full force, activating her Heavenly Demonic Art to its fullest extent, which was why it had such an impact on Huang Rong and the other girls.

"Hmph! As expected of a demonic woman from the Yin Gui Sect," Qin Mengyao snorted coldly. A strange wave of Qi instantly struck Wanwan's Heavenly Demonic Force Field, causing a slight disturbance.

Huang Rong and the others regained consciousness instantly, their gazes toward Wanwan becoming even more terrifying.

And looking at Qin Mengyao, who had spoken, they unconsciously felt a touch closer. After all, it was Qin Mengyao who had awakened them.

Wanwan couldn't help but glance at her, her eyes narrowing slightly. She realized that Qin Mengyao was truly formidable. She seemed to be deliberately searching for an opportunity, constantly staring at her. The moment Wanwan activated her Heavenly Demonic Force Field, she immediately struck out. At least this time, she easily gained the favor of Huang Rong and the other girls.

Wanwan turned and smiled at Qin Mengyao, completely targeting her.

Shi Feixuan, who had come from the Great Sui Dynasty with Wanwan, felt a sense of strangeness after seeing Wanwan's performance. She felt as if she had been ignored.

This made Shi Feixuan a bit uncomfortable. After all, she had always considered Wanwan her rival. Although she always acted decisively and ruthlessly when facing Wanwan, she actually felt a bit like a friend and foe.

Now Wanwan didn't pay much attention to her, instead focusing her attention on Qin Mengyao. This made Shi Feixuan feel abandoned, a feeling she disliked deeply.

Ye Xiu, unable to get any useful information from Wanwan, turned to Shi Feixuan and asked her why they had come to the Ming Kingdom.

Shi Feixuan seemed more honest than Wanwan, but she didn't want to reveal the diary in public. "Actually, part of the reason we came to the Ming Empire was because we received news that the Mongol Yuan Dynasty magician Pang Ban had become a celestial being. We also learned that you seemed to be targeted by Pang Ban, and to stop him, we came to find you."

Shi Feixuan wasn't exactly lying; at most, she only revealed part of the reason, leaving the rest hidden.

Ye Xiu was taken aback by Shi Feixuan's words. He assumed that Shi Feixuan must have shared the same information channel as Qin Mengyao and the others, and therefore knew about Pang Ban's situation, and by extension, that she was being targeted by Pang Ban.

As for Wanwan—Ye Xiu felt that perhaps Wanwan had been keeping an eye on Shi Feixuan, and seeing her running in their direction, she had chased after her.

Ye Xiu's suspicions seemed quite plausible.

Wanwan had originally planned to wait until there were no outsiders around to discuss the diary with Ye Xiu.

However, she was surprised that Ye Xiu almost never failed to make contact. It seemed as if someone always followed him around, making it impossible for her to find a suitable opportunity.

Then, Wanwan discovered that Ye Xiu himself seemed unaware of the diary, or rather, that an outsider might be its owner.

Conversely, the women around Ye Xiu seemed quite familiar with the diary.

Even Dongfang Bubai and the others weren't surprised by Wanwan's or Shi Feixuan's presence.

Finally, Wanwan couldn't help but test Huang Rong and other people who were less powerful than her and who didn't seem dangerous to her. The answer was clear: everyone around Ye Xiu, with the exception of Linghu Chong, the male Huashan disciple, was the owner of the diary, even Jin Bingyun.

Although she had already guessed that many people around Ye Xiu would have obtained the diary, Wanwan couldn't help but feel a strange feeling after confirming the answer. It felt strange, like having to queue up for something.

But a normal queue? That wasn't something Wanwan would do.

As a demonic woman from the Yin Gui sect of the demonic sect, expecting her to obediently queue up was simply too difficult.

Anyway, Wanwan began to think about how to approach Ye Xiu, how to make him obsessed with her shiny white feet. Ideally, her favorability with Ye Xiu and the mentions of her in his diary would far surpass Shi Feixuan—no, far surpass Qin Mengyao.

Wanwan's eyes darted around, thinking of some wicked idea.

...

"Ning Daoqi!!!" Wanwan's master, Zhu Yuyan, looked grimly at the old Taoist priest in Taoist robes who appeared before her.

This old Taoist priest looked perfectly ordinary, like an ordinary person. Yet, Zhu Yuyan could sense a faint sense of threat from him.

Therefore, Zhu Yuyan was certain that this old Taoist priest was a Grand Master.

And she didn't think there could be any other Grand Master who would approach her except Ning Daoqi, a lackey of Cihang Jingzhai.

"It's you, the old Taoist priest. I heard that Master Zhu seems to have ascended to Grand Master status, so I sent my blessings," Ning Daoqi said with a shameless smile.

"Blessings? Haha—" Zhu Yuyan sneered, her sarcasm barely concealed. "Old Taoist priest, you're probably following orders from Cihang Jingzhai to test me, aren't you? Or even to kill me if I'm not strong enough?"

"This is for the sake of the people of the world!" Ning Daoqi said flatly, his words extremely shameless.

"For the common people? Haha, you old Taoist, you're truly laughable. If you truly care about the common people, then tell those nuns at Cihang Jingzhai to behave themselves and stop constantly thinking about choosing an emperor on behalf of Heaven. Especially now that the Great Sui Dynasty still exists, and it's doing well, they're actually thinking about doing it again. Don't they know that their actions will cause civil unrest within the Great Sui Dynasty, ultimately sparking war, leading to even more displacement and the separation of families?" Zhu Yuyan scoffed bluntly.

"These are just labor pains. For the sake of more people's lasting peace, the now-abandoned Great Sui Dynasty is better off gone." Ning Daoqi shook his head, stubbornly speaking.

"You guys are really good at deceiving yourselves. You've told so many lies that you've started to believe them yourself." Zhu Yuyan sneered, growing increasingly disdainful of Cihang Jingzhai and even Ning Daoqi. "Wasn't Cihang Jingzhai overthrown because Emperor Yang Guang of the Sui Dynasty didn't believe in Buddhism and didn't worship Cihang Jingzhai?"

"Master Zhu has misunderstood. Yang Guang is incompetent and unjust. Letting him continue to rule the Sui Dynasty is detrimental to both the country and the people."

"Yang Guang has become what he is now, isn't it all because of you? When Yang Guang first succeeded to the throne, he was also quite outstanding. He did a lot for the country and the people. If nothing unexpected happened, the Sui Dynasty would have experienced rapid development under Yang Guang's rule. But because Yang Guang was unwilling to accept the control of Cihang Jingzhai, he aroused the hostility of Cihang Jingzhai. Cihang Jingzhai contacted the major families in the court to target Yang Guang, causing Yang Guang's northern expedition to Goguryeo to fail three times. In the end, Yang Guang found himself suffering heavy losses and was isolated and helpless, so he gave up. When it comes down to it, it was still Cihang Jingzhai who was at fault."

"Master Zhu has a deep misunderstanding of Cihang Jingzhai, and he has also a deep misunderstanding of this old Taoist! In this case, let this old Taoist personally experience Master Zhu's Heavenly Demonic Method." Ning Daoqi seemed to be unable to argue, so he started to act directly. As soon as Ning

Daoqi made a move, he directly used his signature skill, Sanshou Eight Pounces.

Ning Daoqi's free-hand Eight Pounces combined countless infinite variations within eight essential principles. The moves were free-flowing, unfettered by fixed rules, like a free-spirited horse, unfettered by any constraints. It was like riding a cloud or controlling a dragon, a marvel beyond words.

The essence of the Eight Pounces lies in the word "emptiness." Emptiness can generate energy, and thus, emptiness is infinite. Purity leads to emptiness, and this emptiness becomes reality.

Though the states of emptiness and reality differ in countless ways, they all converge within the laws of nature, profound and profound, transcending greatness and smallness. Despite her advancement to Grandmaster status, Zhu Yuyan still felt a deep sense of danger from Ning Daoqi's free-hand Eight Pounces.

She activated her full power, wielding the Heavenly Demonic Art, and a Heavenly Demonic force field enveloped her, attempting to entangle Ning Daoqi. However,

Ning Daoqi's free-hand Eight Pounces proved to be a nemesis to the Heavenly Demonic force field, seemingly unable to constrain him.

In the blink of an eye, Ning Daoqi's hands had broken through layers of obstacles and arrived in front of Zhu Yuyan, one hand in front and one behind, rushing towards Zhu Yuyan.

Zhu Yuyan's expression was solemn. The Heavenly Demon Force Field had no effect on Ning Daoqi, so she retracted all the Heavenly Demon Force Field and compressed it between her hands.

Zhu Yuyan's hands, carrying the Heavenly Demon Force Field, directly met Ning Daoqi's hands.

Bang bang bang——

In the blink of an eye, Ning Daoqi and Zhu Yuyan had already exchanged several rounds.

Zhu Yuyan retreated several steps, her arms slightly numb, but she managed to deflect Ning Daoqi's attacks.

Ning Daoqi, however, didn't retreat a single step. Instead, he stood his ground, repelling Zhu Yuyan once more before slowly withdrawing his hands.

"Master Zhu has indeed become a Grandmaster. I, the Taoist priest, would like to congratulate you," Ning Daoqi said calmly.

"Thank you. We are both Grandmasters, and Ning Daoqi, your strength is indeed superior to mine." Zhu Yuyan's expression grew more relaxed.

From their initial exchange, Zhu Yuyan could sense that Ning Daoqi was stronger than her, but only to a limited extent.

While Ning Daoqi could defeat Zhu Yuyan, he couldn't stop her if she wanted to leave.

Knowing he couldn't keep Zhu Yuyan, Ning Daoqi stopped after just one round.

In fact, the reason why Ning Daoqi came to find Zhu Yuyan was mainly because he accepted the commission from Cihang Jingzhai and wanted to see if Zhu Yuyan had really become a Grandmaster.

If Zhu Yuyan became a Grandmaster and Ning Daoqi could keep her, then let Ning Daoqi keep her. If not, then let Zhu Yuyan know that there is also a Grandmaster standing behind Cihang Jingzhai, so that Zhu Yuyan cannot attack Cihang Jingzhai at will.