Zhou Qing’s lips curled slightly as he resealed her lips, "Just wait and see!"

After speaking, he exchanged a glance with Luo Lingling, and the two of them immediately gave chase.

...

Deep within the Blood Maple Forest, the color of the maple leaves grew increasingly dark red. The three of them cautiously walked at the forefront, occasionally confirming the approximate location sent by Xiang Chuan earlier.

"This should be the place..." Mo Lanxin suddenly halted, her voice dry and raspy.

In front of them was a suddenly appearing canyon. The blood maple trees on both sides were neatly cut, with fresh resin oozing from the cut surfaces, indicating recent activity here.

Zhao Hanyue clutched his faintly aching back, a trace of doubt appearing on his pale face, "Something’s not right... these marks are too deliberate..."

The three exchanged looks, seeing the same fear in each other’s eyes.

After over twenty years of spending day and night together, they were all too familiar with that person’s habits.

For example, in terms of common knowledge, Ghost Mastiff was always cautious, repeatedly confirming every detail before taking action.

He often boasted about his junior sister, saying he learned these cautious habits from her.

Moreover, Xiang Chuan and Lan Caiwei had not yet appeared, an unsettling feeling instantly lingering among them.

"I understand now!" Mo Lanxin suddenly exclaimed, her face turning completely pale.

Under their astonished gazes, her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"This is a trap... Ghost Mastiff is not here at all! He deceived Xiang Chuan, perhaps even taking control of him..."

"Ghost Mastiff is always thorough despite his rough manner; look at these neat cuts, he’s showing off to us."

Upon hearing Mo Lanxin’s words, Zhao Hanyue and Man Jinggang’s expressions changed dramatically.

"He found allies, slaying Nangong Ye in public, and soon after, news from heavily wounded Xiang Chuan arrived about his traces."

"He must have calculated that we would contact the Nangong Family, and they would certainly come. If there was nothing, what do you think the consequences would be?"

Mo Lanxin stopped to swallow a gulp of saliva.

Zhao Hanyue’s Adam’s apple bobbed violently, the saliva he swallowed seemingly tinged with the taste of blood, "The Nangong Family would unleash their fury on us..."

"Using a borrowed knife to kill!" Man Jinggang’s sole eye widened round, his voice squeezed through his teeth.

Mo Lanxin gave a bitter laugh, "Yes, using a borrowed knife to kill. Today, among us three, someone might be used as an example by the Nangong Family to kill the chicken to scare the monkey..."

Their faces grew even paler, and even their breathing became cautious.

"Not only that, do you remember the ’Wolf Is Coming’ story Ghost Mastiff once told us?" Mo Lanxin suddenly asked.

The two seemed to recall something, their pupils contracting suddenly.

Today there was no sign of Ghost Mastiff, and if there’s still no sign next time... would the Nangong Family believe them?

The fury would rain down upon them again and again...

Until one day, when Ghost Mastiff really appears, the Nangong Family would no longer believe them.

And with their current broken state... could they still be his opponent?

This wasn’t a conspiracy, but a blatant strategy.

Ghost Mastiff was forcing them into a dead end in the most legitimate manner.

At this moment, watching the hesitant trio, the Great Elder Nangong Xuan narrowed his eyes. He no longer wished to draw out Ghost Mastiff but instead, his Divine Sense swept over the entire canyon like a tide.

The four elders behind him dispersed tacitly, each occupying a position, surrounding the canyon completely.

Twenty Divinity Transformation Cultivators stood on guard outside, ensuring even an ant couldn’t escape.

Since Nangong Ye was publicly slain above the Inner City half a month ago, the entire Imperial City had been mocking the Nangong Family.

The other dozen-odd Spirit Severing Realm families blatantly sent people to "console" them, their words implicitly suggesting that the Nangong Family was in decline.

"Do you need help?" — These seemingly concerned words were actually blatant insults!

If we don’t tear Ghost Mastiff limb from limb today, how can my Nangong Family stand proudly in this Imperial City?

"I’ll handle it!" The Second Elder Nangong Sha strode forward, pulling a bronze ancient mirror from his sleeve.

The mirror’s surface glowed faintly, directly revealing a concealed cave entrance deep within the canyon.

"Interesting, let’s see where you’ll run this time!"

Seeing the entrance shrouded by the Restriction, Nangong Sha snorted disdainfully. The bronze ancient mirror in his hand shot a beam of cyan light straight at the cave entrance.

"Boom!"

A massive explosion shook the entire canyon.

At the cave entrance, dozens of blue runes simultaneously lit up, forming a massive spider web that intercepted the cyan light.

But it only held for the span of three breaths before the rune web shattered.

"Is that all?" Nangong Sha chuckled as he was about to step forward when his expression suddenly changed.

The shattered runes did not disappear but transformed into countless blood-colored blue threads, silently wrapping around his legs.

At the same time, the blood maple tree stumps on both sides of the canyon burst open, and countless wooden spikes shot towards the Nangong Family members like a torrential downpour.

"Tricks of the trade!" 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

Nangong Xuan waved his broad sleeves, and a red barrier enveloped everyone. The wooden spikes clashed against the barrier, producing a dense sound reminiscent of rain hitting plantain leaves.

As the smoke cleared, the canyon lay in ruins.

"Merely a mid-stage Divinity Transformation, yet quite capable, but that’s the extent of it!"

Before his voice faded, Nangong Xuan’s hands quickly formed an ancient Dharma Seal.

The Spiritual Qi between heaven and earth instantly boiled, condensing behind him into a towering hundred-zhang-tall blood-colored Dharma Aspect.

The Dharma Aspect had three heads and six arms, each palm harboring a strange vertical eye.