"AHH!" As everyone watched Shen Haoran with caution, a piercing scream shattered the silence.

"You... you actually killed Brother Yang! The Yang Family won’t let you off, and neither will the Wu Family!" Wu Mengqi roared madly.

Hearing Wu Mengqi’s words, the others looked at her as if she were an idiot, their hearts filled with regret. ’How did we end up treasure hunting with a woman who was all chest and no brain?’ The situation was crystal clear—Shen Haoran’s strength was undeniable. Yet Wu Mengqi still dared to threaten him with the names of the Yang and Wu Families. ’Isn’t she just courting death?’

"Oh? So you’re saying the Wu Family wants to get involved in this as well?" Shen Haoran said softly, walking toward Wu Mengqi. As he did, the Black Flame on his arm flared up, flickering with a dangerous light.

"You... what do you want?" Sensing Shen Haoran’s undisguised killing intent, Wu Mengqi grew frightened and instinctively began to back away.

"What do I want? You should know perfectly well. I’m decisive. I don’t leave behind any loose ends," Shen Haoran said in a cold voice.

As Shen Haoran drew ever closer, a cold sweat instantly soaked through Wu Mengqi’s clothes. She collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward on her hands and feet.

"However, you should consider yourself lucky you’re a woman. I won’t attack a woman who can’t fight back." With that, Shen Haoran retracted his killing intent and turned his head away.

Freed from Shen Haoran’s oppressive presence, Wu Mengqi let out a long sigh. For a moment there, she felt like she’d just taken a trip to the Ghost Gate! But before she could feel relieved, Shen Haoran’s voice, like something out of Hell, sounded once more. "However, I also won’t tolerate the existence of anyone who could become a threat to me! Even if that person is a woman!"

The moment Shen Haoran finished speaking, a giant beast wreathed in black flames materialized before Wu Mengqi. Before she could react, the beast opened its cavernous maw. A terrifying suction force suddenly erupted, pulling an illusory figure from Wu Mengqi’s body and swallowing it whole.

The instant the illusory figure was swallowed, Wu Mengqi’s pupils shrank. The light in her eyes slowly faded, leaving her gaze completely vacant.

"Hahaha, satisfying!" After swallowing the phantom from Wu Mengqi, the great black beast couldn’t help but let out a long roar to the sky. The deafening sound echoed at the bottom of the cliff, making everyone present dizzy and unsteady on their feet.

Luo Xiaowen stared at the giant beast behind Shen Haoran, too shocked to speak. She had never imagined that Shen Haoran had such a powerful Spirit Beast to protect him. What’s more, for all her knowledge, she couldn’t even identify what species it belonged to!

"Changmao, stand down," Shen Haoran said, not wanting to see the beast’s smug look, and dismissed it curtly.

Hearing Shen Haoran dismiss it so quickly, Changmao reluctantly vanished on the spot.

After Changmao disappeared, Luo Xiaowen finally came to her senses. Looking at Wu Mengqi, who was collapsed on the ground, she asked, "Little Brother Shen, what did you do to her?"

"Don’t worry, she won’t die. Her Spiritual Thought was just severely damaged," Shen Haoran said with a shrug.

"Her Spiritual Thought was severely damaged!" Luo Xiaowen echoed, glancing at Wu Mengqi on the ground with a bit of pity. ’A person’s Spiritual Thought is the very source of their mind. If it suffers severe damage, a mild case might result in losing the ability to move. A severe case would likely turn them into a simpleton, or even leave them in a vegetative state! Judging by Wu Mengqi’s condition, it must be the latter.’

However, Luo Xiaowen’s pity lasted only a moment before she dismissed Wu Mengqi from her thoughts. After all, she had brought this upon herself.

"You’ve revealed quite a few of your secrets. What do you plan to do about these Martial Artists?" Luo Xiaowen asked, pointing to the crowd of onlookers.

Hearing Luo Xiaowen mention them, the Martial Artists instantly tensed, bracing themselves for Shen Haoran’s judgment.

But now, Shen Haoran was in a bind. ’I’m not some bloodthirsty maniac, I don’t want to kill all the Martial Artists here. But almost all of my secrets, aside from Elder Yan, have been exposed. If word of any of this gets out, it will bring me enormous trouble, and could even threaten my family. That’s something I absolutely cannot allow to happen!’

"Why don’t you leave them to me? I’ll take them into the Celestial Martial Auction House and personally supervise them. I’ll make sure your secrets aren’t leaked," Luo Xiaowen proposed, seeing Shen Haoran’s dilemma.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran was still hesitant. ’My relationship with Luo Xiaowen is decent, but we haven’t reached the point where we’d trust each other with our lives. Moreover, my connection with the Celestial Martial Auction House is just a business partnership. Can I really trust her?’ He couldn’t be certain.

"Don’t worry. I’ll stake the reputation of the Celestial Martial Auction House on it. I guarantee your secrets won’t be leaked," Luo Xiaowen said, as if sensing his thoughts.

"Alright, then," Shen Haoran nodded. ’She’s putting her reputation on the line. What else is there to worry about?’

Seeing Shen Haoran agree, the Martial Artists present all breathed a collective sigh of relief. If Shen Haoran had truly decided to kill them, they would have been powerless to resist. This outcome was far better than they could have hoped for.

"Alright then. Shall we head out now?" Luo Xiaowen asked. There were no treasures left in the main hall of the Spirit Emperor’s Tomb above; it was time to end this expedition.

"No, you guys go on ahead," Shen Haoran said with a smile. "I’m going to wait here for Ling Xuan. I’ll probably be leaving Celestial Martial City after this. If fate decrees it, we’ll meet again."

"Alright then..." Hearing that Shen Haoran was leaving, the light in Luo Xiaowen’s eyes dimmed.

"Hey, if you get the chance, come find me in the Imperial City. I’ll be waiting for you there!" Unwilling to lose track of Shen Haoran so easily, Luo Xiaowen told him where her home base was.

"The Imperial City?" Shen Haoran’s gaze sharpened as he spoke in a cold voice. "Don’t worry, I will definitely go." ’The Imperial City... that’s where my mother is imprisoned!’

"Good, I’ll wait for you! When you get there, use this token to find me." Luo Xiaowen handed an exquisite Jade Pendant to Shen Haoran. Without lingering further, she gathered the others and left the bottom of the cliff.

Watching Luo Xiaowen’s departing figure, Shen Haoran gave a wry smile. He glanced at the Jade Pendant in his hand, which was engraved with the character "Luo," and put it away.

"Shen the kid, you seem to have quite the luck with the ladies," a wizened voice suddenly echoed beside Shen Haoran’s ear. Immediately after, Elder Yan’s figure slowly materialized.

"Hmph. Elder Yan, you have the nerve to show your face? Where were you when Ling Xuan was so badly injured just now?" Shen Haoran huffed coldly. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"You brat, you think I didn’t want to save that young lady? She’s the one who trapped me in the Soul-Locking Stone!" Elder Yan exclaimed. ’I never would have guessed Ji Lingxuan would be carrying a Soul-Locking Stone!’

"Hmph. Soul-Locking Stone? I’ve never heard of it. Sounds like an excuse to me!" Shen Haoran refused to believe him.

"You..." Elder Yan was speechless. ’This is one of those situations where words just fail you!’

"Cough... Brother Haoran..." As the two were bickering, Ji Lingxuan finally regained consciousness.

"Ling Xuan, you’re awake! How are you feeling? Any better?" Shen Haoran asked anxiously.

Seeing Shen Haoran’s anxious expression, a warmth spread through Ji Lingxuan’s heart. She said sweetly, "I’m much better now. And you shouldn’t blame Elder Yan. It’s true, I was the one who trapped him in the Soul-Locking Stone."

"Alright. But you can’t be so rash and willful anymore. From now on, just leave this kind of thing to me," Shen Haoran said softly.

"Mm-hmm."

"Alright, since the young lady is fine, let’s leave this place," Elder Yan suggested.

Hearing this, Shen Haoran nodded. He walked over to Yang Yu’s body, removed the Storage Ring from his hand, and then helped Ji Lingxuan walk toward the exit.

After Shen Haoran had gone, silence once again descended upon the bottom of the cliff, leaving only a pool of fresh blood to show that anyone had ever been there at all...