A man in green clothes with gray hair, holding a jade flute in his hand, stood gracefully in mid-air. His peerless face was as pale as snow. Behind him was an abyss of unfathomable depth.
At this moment, the high cliff was filled with countless black-clad men. The leader, dressed entirely in black, had a faint image of a coiling dragon between his eyebrows. He looked no different from twenty years ago. It was Mo Bai.
However, although his appearance remained unchanged, his disposition had undergone a profound transformation. For instance, at this moment, one could no longer detect the once-innocent and honest look on his face. All that remained was a look of cruelty and venom.
Yan Ruyu stood in mid-air, locking eyes with him. His expression remained unchanged. But both of them knew that things had changed. Many things had changed completely. The wind howled on the high cliff.
Mo Bai's eyes were fixed firmly on Yan Ruyu.
"Where have you hidden her?"
Hearing this, ripples appeared in Yan Ruyu's otherwise calm eyes.
He had been searching for her for a long time. If he could find her, he would surely keep her by his side all day. But the truth was that he couldn't find her. Despite trying every possible method, the only time he had seen her was in a dream. Since then, there had been no news of her.
"Where on earth have you hidden her?"
Mo Bai had brought his army to the foot of Qingyun Peak, disregarding his father's opposition. After nearly twenty years of silence, Mo Bai had come prepared this time.
When Zhao Shuning disappeared without a trace, Mo Bai had gone mad. He had roamed the Nine Provinces for three whole years, turning the entire continent upside down. But there was no news of her.
He repented, saying how much he regretted his actions and hoping that she would come back. But there was no sign of her. She had vanished into thin air, and no one could find her.
Mo Bai panicked. He began to grovel before Yan Ruyu, but the latter remained expressionless and made no move.
In this world, if someone wanted to hide a person without being discovered, the only one with such power was the millennium imperial tutor, Yan Ruyu.
Mo Bai was convinced that Zhao Shuning's disappearance was related to Yan Ruyu.
"Today, you've brought the full force of the Ghost Domain to Qingyun Peak just to find her?"
"Yan Ruyu, you know how important Ningning is to me. With your abilities and recent actions, I'm sure you understand the Ghost Domain's plans."
Over the years, the Ghost Domain had grown at a speed that far exceeded the expectations of the several countries.
In the fifth year after Zhao Shuning's disappearance, Mo Bai led the Ghost Domain to occupy the former lands of the four great families. The Zhao family members were placed under house arrest, but Mo Bai treated them very well. He was just trying to force Zhao Shuning out. But there was no sign of her. From beginning to end, there was no indication that she would appear.
An Susu of the An family had now become one of the great elders of the Ghost Domain.
Everyone thought that the country of Dongze Great Wilderness would be the target of the Ghost Domain. But then, civil wars broke out in varying degrees in the other seven countries. It was as if it had been premeditated.
If it weren't for Yan Ruyu, who had disguised himself as the regent of Qingyun Country, he would have been killed before he could recover from his injuries.
After Yan Ruyu had recovered three layers of his inner strength, he quickly organized the various countries to counterattack the Ghost Domain.
Mo Bai's tactics were no match for Yan Ruyu's. The conspiracy that the Ghost Domain had spent more than forty years building was counterattacked by Yan Ruyu in just three years.
But even so, in the Nine Provinces today, just the mention of the Ghost Lord of the Ghost Domain would make people turn pale with fear.
Mo Bai had proven his current status through nearly twenty years of various maneuvers.
"Mo Bai, you will surely regret it again."
"I will never regret it."
"Even if I had to choose again, I would not regret it. Yan Ruyu, in this world, the only one worthy of accompanying her is me."
"So, you gave her the Mo family's bronze medal to control her mind. Isn't it just to make sure she can't leave you?"
"What does it matter to you?"
"Back then, if you hadn't taken the host body without permission, how could the three forces in Ning'er's body have clashed? And how could such immeasurable consequences have occurred?"
"Yan Ruyu, I won't listen to your nonsense."
The millennium imperial tutor, Yan Ruyu, and the Ghost Lord, Mo Bai. Both of them were figures whose every move could cause great changes in the world.
Now, these two men had appeared simultaneously on Qingyun Peak. All for a woman. It was truly a great joke.
Yan Ruyu's face returned to normal, as if nothing could destroy him. Under the mountain wind, his gray hair fluttered behind him, making him look even more peerless and a bit tragic.
"I don't care. If you don't hand over Ningning to me today, I will raze this Qingyun Peak to the ground and destroy you, the millennium imperial tutor."
Yan Ruyu paused for a moment, then disappeared from the cliff, leaving only two words behind.
"Waiting."
Yan Ruyu had disappeared. But Mo Bai felt as if there was an extra obstacle in front of them. He reached out his hand. As soon as he touched it, a thunderous sound rang out. Fortunately, he withdrew his hand quickly. Otherwise, his hand would have been burned black by now.
"What a powerful millennium imperial tutor."
Mo Bai had thought that by breaking the barrier of Qingyun Peak and cutting off Yan Ruyu's retreat, he could capture him alive. But he never expected that in such an urgent situation, Yan Ruyu could escape so easily with just one move.
"Ghost Lord, the one who appeared just now doesn't seem to be Yan Ruyu himself."
Was just a shadow clone this powerful? It could quickly create a new barrier. Yan Ruyu, just how amazing are your abilities?
"So, your master is very powerful?"
Time flashed back to Zhao Shuning. At this moment, she was eating pastries and drinking tea, telling Gu Hanxun the legend of Yan Ruyu.
"Anyway, in this world, I've never seen anyone more powerful than my master."
"I'd like to see for myself."
"You won't get the chance."
"What?"
"Never mind. Anyway, let me tell you, there's no one more perfect than my master in this world."
Gu Hanxun smiled slightly.
"If it weren't for my legs, I should be no less powerful than him."
Zhao Shuning clapped her hands and said very calmly, "Gu Hanxun, you have real talent and you're willing to work hard. But even if your legs were fine, you can't be compared to my master. Moreover, there's no need for you to compare with him. You both have your own strengths. Sometimes, even I'm ashamed of my own calculating nature."
Gu Hanxun's smile remained unchanged. A slap followed by a sweet. He was actually quite happy.
"You're just a little girl."
Zhao Shuning ignored what Gu Hanxun said and focused on studying the brochure in front of her.
"In seven days, it will be the Flower Searching Festival. This is the grandest festival in our Cangwu Country. It's the same every year. Thank you for your hard work."
"It's not hard."
This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Zhao Shuning would never let it slip away. Success or failure would depend on this one move.