“Little vixen, last time I said I despised that pretty little face of yours and wanted to ruin it. I thought I’d missed my chance, but it seems fate has delivered you to me again.”

Looking at the surrounded Wan Xiaobei and her group, Niu Xifang’s face twisted into a smug, cruel smile. “Let me think about how to kill you next.”

Wan Xiaobei’s eyelids twitched violently. “Sister, when you were trapped by the formation earlier, didn’t I also refrain from attacking you? How about we put aside our grievances and work together?”

“You didn’t kill me only because you didn’t dare,” Niu Xifang sneered. “In front of so many people, which of your ragtag bunch would dare to kill a disciple of the Azure Mystic Sacred Land?” She turned her head, spitting her next words at Qi Keping. “Isn’t that right, you coward?”

Qi Keping’s face stiffened, but he forced a smile. “Fangfang, I don’t know about others, but I and my Qi clan are definitely not like that. You are the love of my life; I would never dream of harming you!”

“Hmph, that’s more like it.” Niu Xifang snorted, looking smugly at Wan Xiaobei as if showing off a prize poodle.

“Sister, your relationship is truly touching!” Wan Xiaobei quickly seized the opening. “Sister, you look like the happiest woman in the world. I envy you so much. It was my fault before, offending you and making you unhappy. Could you give me a chance?”

“How about this: on the day of your wedding, I will definitely bring a grand gift to repay your mercy and congratulate you and brother-in-law on your union. I wish you a long and happy life together, loving each other until your hair turns white…”

“You have a silver tongue, but unfortunately, your flattery has backfired.” Before Wan Xiaobei could finish, Niu Xifang curled her lip in disgust. “Allowing this coward to marry into my Artifact Resonance Peak is already a great honor for him. Expecting me to grow old with him? Is he worthy?”

Qi Keping’s face froze, but he quickly recovered his smile. “Fangfang is right! Being able to become a son-in-law is already a tremendous honor. Moreover, Fangfang is destined to become an Immortal. That I can have a marriage with her is a blessing cultivated in my previous life. How dare I presumptuously seek to grow old together?”

This… Wan Xiaobei was stunned, giving Qi Keping a deep, pitying look.

“Little bitch, don’t try to negotiate peace. I said I would kill you, and I won’t be swayed by a few pretty words.” Niu Xifang seemed to have lost patience, taking a heavy step forward. “Tell me, how do you want to die?”

“Niu Xifang, this is my Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion…” An elder beside Wan Xiaobei tried to intervene, but she stopped him with a raised hand.

She pursed her lips, her expression hardening. “I want to challenge you!”

“Challenge?”

“Yes!” Wan Xiaobei nodded. “I backed down from the arena that day. This time, I want to muster my courage!”

“Just you?” Niu Xifang scoffed.

“I’ve heard that the Artifact Resonance Peak Master, Yuchi Chunlei, is straightforward and honest. Her personal disciple must have truly inherited her teachings. Is Senior Sister Niu someone who fears a challenge?”

“Of course not!”

“Then, would Senior Sister Niu be willing to accept the challenge without using the power of the jade slip?”

“You…”

“If I lose, you can kill or slice me as you please. If I win, I only hope Senior Sister Niu will no longer attack me. I wonder if Senior Sister Niu is willing to uphold the prestige of Artifact Resonance Peak?”

“Hmph, what’s there to fear?” Niu Xifang snorted coldly, stepping forward. “Come on. Dealing with you isn’t worth wasting my jade slip.”

Seeing her agree, Wan Xiaobei secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

But the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion members beside her were frantic. “Pavilion Master, no! She is a personal disciple; you are no match for her!”

“Yes, Pavilion Master! We will cut a bloody path for your retreat. There’s no need to clash head-on!”

“We are willing to die to cover you!”

“Although I am the Pavilion Master, I am also a cultivator,” Wan Xiaobei said softly, her voice firm. “If I fear battle, I will hide behind others my whole life, never advancing.”

Seeing they still wanted to dissuade her, she added, “Rest assured, I’m not mindlessly seeking death.” She glanced at the disheveled Niu Xifang hoisting her large blade. “I have confidence!”

Since childhood, she had been doted on by thousands. Countless experts had praised her aptitude and potential. But she had been too well-protected, rarely fighting, and never engaging in life-or-death combat.

Before entering Falling Rain Valley, seeing Feng Bugui slay an enemy with one sword made her blood boil. After entering, seeing the murals ignited a desire to become stronger. She didn’t know the story behind them, but she saw the female protagonist’s regret hidden beneath her longing.

Regret for not becoming stronger sooner.

“It seems you have some courage, but unfortunately, you still won’t escape death.” Niu Xifang sneered. “Tell me, how do you want to die?”

Wan Xiaobei didn’t speak. Her gaze locked onto Niu Xifang as she pulled a golden jade abacus from her Storage Ring.

Greed flashed in Niu Xifang’s eyes. As a personal disciple of Artifact Resonance Peak, she knew treasure when she saw it. “Such a good thing is wasted in your hands.”

Hesitating no longer, Niu Xifang hoisted her large blade and charged. She moved like a wild bull, full of unstoppable momentum.

Even Wan Xiaobei was startled. She barely had time to raise her arms to block.

Clang!

With a deafening bang, Wan Xiaobei was sent flying backward, coughing up blood mid-air.

The Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion members moved to intervene, but the surrounding young talents immediately drew their weapons, blocking them.

“Don’t worry about me!” Wan Xiaobei shouted, scrambling back to her feet.

Niu Xifang pressed her advantage, slashing down again with terrifying force. Wan Xiaobei retreated in panic, dodging with all her might.

“Hmph! Let’s see how long you can keep dodging!” Niu Xifang snorted, her long blade a blur of motion. She was a powerful cultivator, her aura immense, her moves grand and sweeping. Wan Xiaobei could only exhaust herself dodging.

The onlookers shook their heads.

“This girl has absolutely no experience.”

“Her strength seems decent, but Niu Xifang isn’t weak. She won’t last long.”

“A Foundation Establishment Great Perfection cultivator, yet completely lacking combat sense. Five moves. She’ll be defeated in five moves.”

“I’d say three.”

However…

Three moves. Five moves. Ten moves. Even up to thirty moves!

Wan Xiaobei, who should have been quickly slain, unexpectedly held on. Although she looked disheveled, she continuously dodged, twisted, and leaped under Niu Xifang’s relentless attacks.

The small abacus in her hand clicked non-stop.

“Have you noticed?” someone whispered. “She seems… to be constantly adapting to Niu Xifang’s attacks!”

“Learning on the battlefield? What kind of talent is this!”

“What is she doing with that abacus? What is that artifact?”

From skepticism, the crowd’s mood shifted to astonishment. Wan Xiaobei wasn’t just surviving; she was evolving. From being hard-pressed, she began to handle the situation with ease. The abacus clicked, and with each sound, her steps became more precise, avoiding Niu Xifang’s blade by hair’s breadths.

“That abacus… is the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion’s Heaven-Reaching Abacus!” someone suddenly exclaimed.

Heaven-Reaching Abacus?

Before anyone could ask, Niu Xifang, growing impatient, roared, “Damn eel, do you think you can keep dodging forever?”

She hurled her long blade. In mid-air, it split into dozens of flying daggers, forming a deadly net slashing toward Wan Xiaobei.

But the person who recognized the abacus shook his head. “Niu Xifang has lost.”

What? Qi Keping’s eyes sharpened.

“The Heaven-Reaching Abacus can calculate fortune and misfortune, avoid killing intent,” the person explained. “And… it contains the techniques of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams! For so long, that woman seemed to be dodging in panic, but in reality, she was setting up a formation.”

As if to verify his words, Wan Xiaobei stopped flicking the abacus. Her jade-like foot lightly tapped a spot beside her.

Hum!

Streams of golden light erupted from every position she had previously stepped on, connecting instantly to form a massive array.

Wan Xiaobei stood still, looking calmly at the incoming daggers.

A halo of light flashed, and the daggers vanished into thin air right before they struck her.

Sss… sss…!

Everyone turned their heads to see Niu Xifang covered in terrifying bloody holes. She had been struck by her own weapons! One of the flying daggers hovered right at the center of her forehead, emitting a sinister chill.

“Fairy Niu, you’ve lost,” Wan Xiaobei said weakly.

“I… how did you do that?” Niu Xifang stammered, disbelief written all over her face. She tried to recall her weapon, but it was forcibly controlled by the formation.

“How I did it need not concern you,” Wan Xiaobei said, frowning. “I only ask one thing: Senior Sister Niu, will you keep your word…”

Before she could finish, Wan Xiaobei’s eyes widened in horror.

A sharp blade pierced through Niu Xifang’s chest from behind.

Niu Xifang stiffened. She tried to turn her head, to see who had betrayed her.

“Don’t turn around,” a familiar voice whispered in her ear. “Seeing your face would disgust me. I’m afraid I couldn’t control myself and might ruin my plans.”

Niu Xifang’s pupils dilated. It’s him!

Before she could scream, the blade twisted, shredding her heart meridian completely.

Azure Mystic Sacred Land, Artifact Resonance Peak personal disciple Niu Xifang. Dead!

Squelch!

A hand pressed against the back of Niu Xifang’s head as the blade withdrew. The killer slowly stood up, his gaze filled with cold killing intent directed at Wan Xiaobei.

Qi Keping!

The Azure Mystic son-in-law had killed his own fiancée! And now, his eyes conveyed only one meaning: Silence all witnesses.

But just as the Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion members braced for a fight, a gurgling sound echoed from the thinning fog.

Rain Ghosts with glowing red eyes emerged one after another, surrounding everyone. They were densely packed, stretching as far as the eye could see. This scene wasn’t isolated; it was happening throughout the entire Falling Rain Valley!

The mindless creatures had become a disciplined army, ensnaring every disciple in the valley.

Panic spread like wildfire.

Suddenly, the Rain Ghost army parted. A single Rain Ghost draped in white cloth and carrying a bamboo basket walked forward.

Everyone stared, their minds going blank.

On the white cloth hanging from the Rain Ghost, two large, crooked characters were written:

“Robbery!”