Chapter 1452: Chapter 1452: Jealousy, Absolute Jealousy

"Who exactly is that person?" Mu Hanyan asked.

When the Netherworld Beast appeared again and demonstrated the power of a Sword Saint Realm, both Mu Hanyan and Ye Lanfeng mistakenly thought that Yun Qianmo’s prior warning was because of it. But later, they realized they were wrong.

Even with the power boost from the lunar eclipse, transforming into human form through the Moon-devouring Nether Prison, and pushing its strength to the limit, Xu Ming was still no match for Ye Lanfeng and posed no fatal threat to Mu Hanyan. Yun Qianmo had actually referred to that mysterious black-clothed man.

His power was too strong, and even Ye Lanfeng struggled against him. It was due to his entanglement that Ye Lanfeng was unable to rescue in time. If it weren’t for Ye Yanran awakening and understanding her Innate Divine Ability of Heavenly Rain Divine Healing, she likely would have died at the hands of Xu Ming, with even Ye Lanfeng unable to save her.

What was that person’s identity, and why was he helping the wicked? What was his connection with the Jiuyou Netherworld? Why did Yun Qianmo know of his existence, and what was their relationship?

"I’m not sure either, it just seems somewhat familiar." Ye Lanfeng gazed into the distance.

The black-clothed man wore a black scarf over his face, making it impossible to discern his appearance. His cultivation techniques and martial arts were completely unfamiliar, yet for some reason, instinctively, he felt a sense of familiarity.

Though aware that speaking of it might add to Mu Hanyan’s worries, he didn’t want to conceal the truth. When Mu Hanyan was grievously injured and on the verge of life and death, his heart ached with despair. After surviving such a separation, he cherished Mu Hanyan even more and refused to hide anything from her.

"Oh?" Mu Hanyan looked at Ye Lanfeng in surprise.

"I’m not certain either; it’s just intuition." Ye Lanfeng smiled, suddenly squeezing Mu Hanyan’s hand and looking deeply into her eyes, saying, "But none of that matters. You only need to remember one thing: whether in life or death, I will always be by your side, forever."

"Mm." Mu Hanyan nodded heavily, leaning into Ye Lanfeng’s embrace.

The morning sunlight spilled over them, cloaking them in a golden, soft veil, their passionate embrace stopping time, as if they were a perfect painting. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Zirong and the others watched from a distant corner, whispering as they looked at the two figures embracing high above.

"We used to suspect something about them, but seeing them like this, it’s really..." Zirong scratched his nose, not finishing before Jiang Yuzhe scratched his own nose, muttering, "Is it envy?"

"What am I envious of? I have a fiancée." Zirong glanced at Jiang Yuzhe, giving him a look as if seeing an idiot.

"I have a little tigress myself." Jiang Yuzhe puffed up his chest, retorting defiantly.

Then, both turned to Huayue, who shot them a cold glance, leaving behind a single word, "Idiots," before turning to leave.

"Jealousy." Zirong huffed.

"Definitely jealousy." Jiang Yuzhe echoed.

In the days that followed, elite members of various Chambers of Commerce continued to occupy Beining and Qingyang Passes. The two fortified passes, after reconstruction, returned to their majestic and rugged state, solid as a fortress. However, Exotic Beasts never appeared again, and even within thousands of miles of the Longyan Mountain, powerful Exotic Beasts were hard to find.

This was not surprising. The Exotic Beast riot swept across the entire Holy Court Continent, with those deep in Longyan Mountains basically coming out in full force. Anyun Country was the first to be hit because of its proximity to Longyan Mountain. In fact, after Anyun Country’s urgent calls for help, other countries soon suffered fierce Exotic Beast attacks as well.

Although numerous, the Exotic Beasts were finite. In the previous decisive battle, all the Exotic Beasts attacking towards Lu’an City were annihilated. It is estimated that not only the area within the canyon was affected but also within tens of thousands of miles. The Exotic Beasts won’t recover their Primordial Energy for a thousand years and have no power left to launch another attack.

After nearly three months of arduous defense, the first reinforcements finally arrived, followed by a second, then a third.

The battles in other counties of Anyun were far less severe than those in Lu’an City and Beining Qingyang Passes. After the initial chaos, local troops quickly organized effective counterattacks. After calming the local unrest, they immediately split their forces to reinforce Beining Pass.

At the time, over thirty thousand troops were stationed at Lu’an City, including Beining and Qingyang Passes. Among them were mostly battle-hardened border forces, with some commanders even reaching the Great Sword Master Realm. Even if the Exotic Beasts were at their best, they could not pose any threat to Lu’an City and the Beining Qingyang Passes.

Of course, Mu Hanyan and the others didn’t need to stay any longer. After saying farewell to the Fifth Prince and others, they led their team away.

At Beining Pass, the horns sounded again, with countless soldiers and civilians kneeling on one knee, paying the highest respect to Mu Hanyan.

Mu Hanyan waved back to them from afar, followed by hundreds of noble family’s sons riding their Sword Pets, also waving and shouting in unison.

Although in the final battle at Qingyang Pass, all the Exotic Beasts leaped into the abyss with Xu Ming, most of those who retreated from Beining Pass were tamed by Mu Hanyan’s Divine Beast Contract, becoming the Sword Pets of those noble family’s sons.

After repeated bloody battles, not only did the three Great Families of Mu He Yan and their attached families suffer no losses, but each member earned a Sword Pet, filling their coffers to the brim.

The biggest beneficiary, however, was the Zhang Family. This time, they bet everything on supporting Mu Hanyan, and Mu Hanyan did not let them down. Every Zhang Family member who participated in the war gained a Sword Pet, significantly boosting their strength.

In contrast, the five families siding with Dan Tai Xuan, except for the conscientious Fang Zhe who fought promptly, faced heavy casualties. Less than two hundred survived, many injured, with half missing limbs.

Undoubtedly, this contest among the Eight Great Families saw the utter failure of the four families. Mo Family’s Young Master Mo Yanhong not only perished at Qingyang Pass but also became a major laughingstock. Mo Family would surely be expelled from the Eight Great Families, with the Zhang Family taking their place.

Looking at Mu Hanyan’s clear and beautiful face, Zhang Chihua was filled with emotions, recalling the initial encounter with Mu Hanyan and the astonishing decisions of Zhang Moyang. His admiration for his father’s foresight knew no bounds.

As for the chances of Changsun and Song Qu’s families maintaining their positions in the Eight Great Families, that would depend on discussions among the elders and the Emperor upon returning to the capital. Yet, seeing their injured companions and a ruined Changsun Yi’an, alongside the babbling, fan-waving lunatic Song Yu, even they held little hope.

(The annual meeting has begun! Ooo~~ Heading to Japan tomorrow, for some indulgence and relaxation! Once a year, hope you all indulge me this time, hahahaha, mwah mwah mwah, updates might be less frequent. But there won’t be a hiatus.)