Today, Wu Wang suddenly understood why the masters of the Human Domain were so fond of the Dao of Heaven and Earth.

When fleeing for one's life, the divine skills of the Dao of Heaven and Earth were truly useful!

Xiao Jian Daoist used his Sword Dao to soar through the air, his sharp Sword Dao cutting through the world, already quite swift. The Grand Elder further utilized the Dao of Heaven and Earth to empower the space around the three of them, causing Heaven and Earth to distort, which considerably increased their flight speed.

That renowned Young Master, a capable minister of the Heaven Palace, was actually unable to keep up with the three of them for a moment!

After chasing them for a thousand miles, the Young Master's figure flickered, and she instantly returned to the vicinity of the giant crab.

She watched the gray smoke the woman in green had transformed into, her eyes shimmering with divine light, and the woman in green reappeared.

In truth, the Young Master was not particularly skilled in duels; her domain was the propagation and lineage of all living beings between Heaven and Earth. From her previous diplomatic mission to the Human Domain, it was clear she leaned towards the path of a 'civil official.'

Moreover, the enemies of the Heaven Palace did not require her personal intervention to be quelled. Even in the Human Domain's chronicles of grievances, records of the Young Master taking action were scarce.

Wu Wang also hadn't anticipated that the Divine Spirit certain to appear today would be this particular Young Master...

Is the Heaven Palace also short-handed?

In a camouflage barrier laid out by the Grand Elder, amidst the rocks of a marine trench, Wu Wang, Xiao Jian Daoist, and the Grand Elder were each somewhat nervously watching the situation inside the Cloud Mirror.

They hadn't gone far. After fleeing for a while, they had immediately looped back underwater to the vicinity of the giant crab.

Xing Tian and his master were currently entangled with the giant crab. Xing Tian had climbed onto one of the crab's massive pincers and was unleashing the Northern Wilderness specialty technique, 'Old Fist Random Pummeling,' upon the giant crab... to no effect whatsoever.

The giant crab even seemed to handle its pincer more gently, observing the little black dot upon it.

Xing Tian's master had also regained his composure. Taking advantage of the Young Master's previous lack of attention towards him, he began to conceal his aura, slipping into the shadows beside the giant crab and watching Xing Tian's back.

"Sect Master, what are our next steps?" the Grand Elder asked in a low voice, his gaze fixed on the Young Master, an irrepressible fighting spirit in his eyes.

Wu Wang didn't answer, still organizing his thoughts.

After a short while, he asked, "Have Lin Qi and Fairy Ling gotten far enough away?"

"They've reached a safe location," Xiao Jian Daoist replied with a scolding laugh. "Wu Wang, you told them to retreat south, and they took off like their tails were on fire, much faster than when they arrived. The scouts from the Four Seas Pavilion, along with the few Heavenly Immortals from the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion who were tracking the giant crab, have all been retrieved. No need to worry about them."

"Mm," Wu Wang acknowledged, continuing to observe the Cloud Mirror.

The Young Master descended from the sky, not even glancing at Xing Tian or his master, her attention solely on the woman in green.

At this point, Xiao Jian Daoist also inquired, "Wu Wang, why did we suddenly reveal ourselves earlier? And why could we only injure the Ten Days, not eliminate one or two of them? Those Ten Days, in my opinion, aren't exceptionally strong; they must usually be protected by powerful treasures."

Wu Wang hesitated.

How could he explain this?

Could he reveal that truly slaughtering one or two of those suns would be tantamount to shaking the very foundations of the Heaven Palace system, directly igniting a war between gods and humans?

Besides, if the Human Domain were to focus on cultivating and supporting that young fellow Da Yi in the future, what reason would there be to fear the Ten Days?

"The time to deal with the Ten Days has not yet come," Wu Wang stated with deliberate profundity, continuing to watch the Young Master and the woman in green through the Cloud Mirror.

When Xing Tian had relayed the images of the murals from the ancient Rain Mistress Nation, they had already understood what had transpired there and identified the source of the calamity.

The disaster originated from the Heaven Palace.

Previously, Wu Wang and the others' sudden attack on the Ten Days to lure away the Young Master, instead of hiding and waiting, was actually a move born of desperation.

This was, in effect, a desperate gamble, an attempt to forcefully carve a path through a trackless swamp.

When Wu Wang discovered that the Rain Mistress Nation had decided to conduct the Ritual of Ten Days, he had roughly deduced the ensuing scenario:

This ritual signified the Rain Mistress Nation's complete submission to the Heaven Palace, sacrificing a member of their tribe to express their loyalty. Afterward, Divine Spirits would inevitably descend to resolve the giant crab disaster. Once the Ritual of Ten Days successfully began, the Ten Days would appear to scorch the girl. The Resentment Power generated by the girl would enrage the woman in green, and the giant crab would immediately trigger a tsunami to submerge the Rain Mistress Nation. A God from the Heaven Palace would most likely appear at the most critical moment, display divine power, and compel such a nation of sorceresses to submit once more in their despair. A perfect divine performance.

In such circumstances, Wu Wang had to attempt to solve two thorny problems.

First, how could they rescue Little Gu Duo and the others from the giant crab's maw? This would clearly require the intervention of a God from the Heaven Palace.

Second, if the Heaven Palace discovered that Heavenly Immortals from the Human Domain were traveling with the Young Master of the Northern Wilderness's Big Wave Tribe, and that the former were protecting the latter, they would undoubtedly conclude that the Northern Wilderness and the Human Domain had formed an alliance. The Northern Wilderness would then face immense trouble.

Then, Xing Tian, in his typical hot-headed fashion, had wanted to go and hack the giant crab to pieces. His master, even more impetuous, had wanted to join him.

At the time, Wu Wang had sighed inwardly. The Northern Wilderness bloodline in Xing Tian's teacher feels even stronger than Xing Tian's own.

And so, the fourth stratagem was born—act separately!

This separation wasn't aimed at the head of a certain future God of War of the Great Wilderness.

Xing Tian and his master would pretend not to know them. Xing Tian, in his capacity as the Young Master of the Northern Wilderness, would rescue Little Gu Duo and her group. They, as experts from the Human Domain, would rescue the few Heavenly Immortals. Wouldn't that solve it?

Of course, the plan sounded simple, but its execution was extremely complex, and it had a fatal flaw: Xing Tian no longer possessed the baptismal power of the Star God.

The subsequent events unfolded as Wu Wang had deduced. However, what surprised him and his companions most was the appearance of such a strong god: the Young Master.

Instantly, the situation became far more complicated.

Hoping to deal with the Young Master with only three Transcendent Realm experts was a fool's errand. Even if the Young Master wasn't skilled in duels, she was not someone Xiao Jian, the Grand Elder, and Xing Tian's master could handle.

The Young Master was no fool; deceiving her would be incredibly difficult and a true test of Xing Tian and his master's acting abilities.

Xiao Jian Daoist's sword strike against the Ten Days, their deliberate appearance, and subsequent retreat were all part of Wu Wang's calculated ruse to deceive the Young Master and divert her attention.

But Wu Wang had to admit, this plan was almost entirely a gamble.

He had to gamble that the woman in green was crucial to the Young Master, so the Young Master wouldn't relentlessly pursue the three of them.

He also had to gamble that Xing Tian could handle such a situation.

By now, the fourth stratagem was halfway complete, and Wu Wang's confidence had grown considerably.

No other reason, really. The Grand Elder and Xiao Jian Daoist, as they fled and showed their backs to the Young Master, looked utterly magnificent! As for escaping, the Blood Hand Demon Lord was second to none!

The Grand Elder transmitted from the side, "Sect Master, why don't we try to... eliminate this Young Master?"

Wu Wang looked at the Grand Elder, wondering how someone his age could still be so full of fiery passion.

Xiao Jian Daoist laughed. "The Young Master isn't someone we can handle. We'd need an expert at least of my master's caliber. Wu Wang, what do we do next?"

Wu Wang gazed at the figures of the Young Master and the woman in green in the Cloud Mirror, speaking in a low voice, "Prepare yourselves. As soon as the giant crab releases Little Gu Duo and the others, we strike, rescue them, and flee. Daoist Brother, do you have any magic treasure capable of holding people?"

"I didn't bring any such thing."

"No matter, I did."

Wu Wang took out several brown leather bags from his sleeve and handed them to the Grand Elder and Xiao Jian Daoist.

"We only have one chance, and we must seize the precise moment."

The Grand Elder and Xiao Jian Daoist nodded with grave expressions.

Xiao Jian Daoist, noticing the words 'Long Jade' on the treasure bags, suddenly frowned and muttered, "Aren't these the stolen goods from the Fourth Main Hall that the repository reported missing? How could they..."

The Grand Elder snorted. "Can it be called stealing when it concerns the Hall Master? Watch your words, Daoist Friend."

Xiao Jian Daoist quickly said, "Ah, I was just asking. A casual question. I definitely didn't mean to imply the Hall Master embezzled anything."

Wu Wang sighed internally.

I feel like these two seniors are subtly insinuating something about me, and they even have concrete evidence!

"Let's discuss how we'll make our move."

With that, the three of them concealed themselves in the sea trench and began to whisper.

They discussed this and that, devising their methods.

Before long, the specific steps for the rescue operation took shape.

Xiao Jian Daoist voiced a concern, "The question is, can Xing Tian demand the people from the Young Master? If his identity is exposed by the Young Master, and it's discovered he's practicing Human Domain cultivation methods, what then?"

"At this point, we can only choose to trust Brother Xing Tian."

Though Wu Wang said this, he too had many reservations.

Xing Tian had been seen through by an Elder of the Rain Mistress Nation at a single glance before; the probability of the Young Master discovering his secret was almost certain.

But this was an unavoidable risk. They could only see how Xing Tian would perform.

After all, he's a formidable man capable of contending with the Heavenly Emperor. He should have his own destiny. Nothing too bad should happen to him before the Heavenly Emperor chops off his head... right?

The maneuvering room Wu Wang had in this matter was already exceedingly narrow.

The Cloud Mirror currently displayed the Young Master incessantly pacing around the woman in green.

The latter sat on the giant crab's back, her entire body trembling faintly, as if she might collapse at any moment.

Wu Wang and the others couldn't hear what the Young Master was saying, but they could see that the two appeared to be negotiating.

Under the cover of night, the Rain Mistress Nation had returned to tranquility. The girl lying atop the Earth Tower looked rather pitiful, yet still clung to a fragile thread of life.

Just then, a black dot leaped onto the giant crab's back, landing near the Young Master and the woman in green. It was Xing Tian.

The Young Master's brow furrowed slightly. She pointed at the woman in green, and a flash of white light completely enveloped her.

She turned her head slightly to look at Xing Tian and coldly asked, "Who are you?"

"Xing Tian of the Northern Wilderness's Big Wave Tribe!"

Xing Tian's rough voice, still carrying a trace of lingering anger, boomed as the nine-foot-tall warrior stepped forward, extended a large hand towards the Young Master, and shouted, "Return my sister to me!"

"Hmph!"

With a cold snort from the Young Master, visible ripples spread out from beneath her feet. Xing Tian's sturdy body staggered backward as if hit by a heavy blow.

But Xing Tian growled, struggling against the force.

The wave pushing him backward finally shattered after he had retreated several tens of zhang.

Xing Tian took another step forward, his voice firm. "Return my sister to me! She was swallowed by your giant crab!"

The Young Master turned, her left hand behind her back, her right held poised before her. Though a simple posture, it possessed an indescribable elegance and beauty.

She looked at Xing Tian and said coldly, "Insolent one. Do you not even know the word 'please'?"

Xing Tian paused, staring at the Young Master. He slowly bowed his head, raised his left hand to his heart, and said softly, "Please, return my sister to me!"

"Stand down. I once received a kindness from Lord Star God and do not wish to pursue matters with you people of the Northern Wilderness."

The Young Master spoke indifferently, then pointed a finger at the giant crab. The massive creature lowered its head, opened its great maw, let out two croaking sounds, and then spewed forth streams of light.

Xing Tian was overjoyed at the sight. He bowed to the Young Master in thanks and then sprinted towards the edge of the giant crab.

Fortunately, the giant crab had shrunk to a fraction of its former size; otherwise, Xing Tian would have had to run for quite some time.

The streams of light transformed into numerous unconscious figures floating silently on the sea, over a thousand in number, the vast majority being the dark-skinned people of the Rain Mistress Nation.

The Young Master merely glanced at them, seemingly finding them somewhat distasteful, and looked away.

At that moment, Wu Wang watched the Young Master's retreating figure through the Cloud Mirror, his palms sweating.

Her silhouette possessed a natural, unadorned beauty, and the Divine Power radiating around her made her resemble a blooming daffodil.

Suddenly, the Young Master turned around. A flash of Divine Light crossed her eyes, locking onto Xing Tian's retreating figure.

"Stop."

Xing Tian froze, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he turned his head to look at the Young Master.

The Young Master asked coldly, "Why do you not bear Lord Star God's mark?"

She even dropped the somewhat archaic pronouns 'Wu' and 'Er,' opting for plainer speech.

Xing Tian's lips trembled slightly, but he merely gazed at the Young Master.

In the trench, the Grand Elder swept his sleeve, tucking Wu Wang into a treasure bag and securing it in the safest part of his sleeve. He and Xiao Jian Daoist then immediately moved towards the giant crab's location.

—This was their pre-arranged plan. Wu Wang currently lacked the strength to face the Young Master. If he were left somewhere, they might not be able to retrieve him in time, potentially leading to complications. It was better for the Grand Elder and Xiao Jian Daoist to carry Wu Wang with them.

Besides, both of them knew exactly what to do next.

Not far beneath the giant crab, Xing Tian's master gripped his iron staff, desperately concealing his aura, ready to erupt at any moment.

"I ask you, why do you not bear Lord Star God's mark?"

An intense pressure emanated from the Young Master, forcing Xing Tian to take an instinctive step back.

"From where does your power originate?"

"Sigh."

Xing Tian suddenly sighed, looking down at his own palm, at the lines etched there.

His fierce eyes reddened with a touch of resignation as he said softly, "Actually, I am the former Young Master of the Big Wave Tribe."

The Divine Power that had been about to surge from the Young Master condensed slightly.

Xing Tian continued in a low voice, "I committed an unforgivable error and was stripped of the blessing bestowed upon me by the Star God. I know I bear an unpardonable sin, and I know I have no face to meet my father, who invested countless efforts in me. Hearing my sister was in trouble, I rushed here regardless of the cost. Even if I must trade my life for hers, it would be worth it. She... is the future leader of our Big Wave Tribe."

With that, Xing Tian looked at the Young Master, his sharply defined features etched with an indescribable anguish.

"Take your sister and go."

The Young Master turned away, walked over to the woman in green, retracted the white light, and resumed her watch over her.

Xing Tian sighed, this time not daring to show any joy. He turned and strode away, breaking into a run after a short distance, then leaping several times before plunging into the sea.

While the body tempering of the Northern Wilderness and the Body Cultivation of the Human Domain were fundamentally different, their outward manifestations—the enhancement of physical combat strength—were very similar.

If the Young Master were to capture Xing Tian and examine his body, she would instantly discern the truth.

But for the Young Master, if she were to truly act against Xing Tian, it would be to kill him, not capture him.

At that moment, the Grand Elder and Xiao Jian Daoist, concealed in the water, exchanged a glance and continued to lurk beneath the sea.

The Grand Elder patted the pocket in his sleeve containing the Sect Master, tucking it in even deeper.

Xing Tian leaped and bounded across the sea's surface. The giant crab's protruding eyes swiveled slightly, trying to follow his movements.

Before long, at the farthest edge of the people, Xing Tian found the unconscious Little Gu Duo, a few Heavenly Immortals from the Human Domain, and the group of female warriors from the Northern Wilderness.

Xing Tian didn't dare try to wake them. Showing a rare moment of astuteness, he found a rope, tied the arms of the female warriors together, and then hoisted Little Gu Duo onto his shoulder.

Xing Tian turned his head and shouted, "Wave Step General, aren't you going to come and help?"

Xing Tian's master blinked, immediately called out an affirmative, and leaped to Xing Tian's side, slinging one end of the rope over his own shoulder.

Then, master and disciple strode across the waves, speeding away over the sea.

The few Heavenly Immortals from the Human Domain still floated quietly on the water, their bodies wrapped in strands of azure light.

The Grand Elder and Xiao Jian Daoist exchanged a look, both seeing the difficult decision in the other's eyes.

Among these 'captives' disgorged by the giant crab, there were also dozens of mortals and minor cultivators from Human Domain merchant caravans.

But these two Transcendents were not indecisive. They quickly settled on a plan.

Rescuing those few Heavenly Immortals would mean the least loss for the Human Domain.

On the crab's back, the Young Master's fingertip glowed with a faint white light as she pointed it towards the forehead of the woman in green.

The woman in green trembled, trying to shrink back, emitting sharp shrieks.

"Come here," the Young Master said coolly, the white light at her fingertip growing brighter as she pressed forward.

The woman in green suddenly let out a low snarl. Spiderweb-like cracks appeared all over her body, making her resemble a shattered porcelain doll that had been crudely glued back together.

Just then, quietly, slowly, under the curious gaze of the giant crab and in the calm waters, the several unconscious Heavenly Immortal experts began to sink silently beneath the waves.

On the crab's back, the Young Master closed her eyes and took a deep breath. The white light at her fingertips erupted, once again binding the cracking woman in green in place.

These experts from the Human Domain...

These Human Domain frogs in a well!

Did they think she couldn't see those few Heavenly Immortals sinking, or sense the faint fluctuations in Heaven and Earth?!

She whirled around, her figure flashing as she shot towards the sea's surface.

Instantly, a sword light erupted from the water, its edge so sharp that the Young Master instinctively dodged hundreds of zhang to the side!

Xiao Jian Daoist burst from the sea, his treasure bag already open. He swiftly gathered the Heavenly Immortals into it and tucked it into his sleeve.

The Young Master pressed down with her hand. Heaven and Earth froze, all sound ceased, and hundreds of divine birds materialized in the air.

Quicker than words could tell, torrents of blood-fiend energy coalesced into roaring phantoms of ghouls and demons, sweeping towards the Young Master!

Divine swords flashed in Xiao Jian Daoist's eyes as he slashed directly at the Young Master!

But just as the divine swords were about to land, Xiao Jian, who had launched a full-blown offensive, suddenly spun around and fled towards the horizon. The Grand Elder shot out from the water, grabbed Xiao Jian Daoist's arm, and with Heaven and Earth twisting around the two Transcendents, their speed surged dramatically!

"Thunder."

Divine Light erupted from the Young Master's eyes. Thunder roared across a thousand-li radius, and Thunder Dragons rained down upon Xiao Jian and the Grand Elder. But the two, fleeing for their lives in concert, moved with incredible speed. Enduring several thunderbolts, they had already covered a hundred li.

The Young Master's figure flashed, appearing a hundred li away. But then she paused, turning her head to look at the giant crab, which had been startled by the lightning.

The main task was more important.

But these fellows... did they think she was soft-hearted?

Two small wooden puppets suddenly appeared at the Young Master's fingertips. Her gaze fell upon the retreating figures of Xiao Jian and the Grand Elder.

With a flick of her elegant hand, the puppets exploded into divine light. And in the Young Master's hand, two... Spiritual Storage Treasure Bags appeared.

"Hm?"

The Young Master frowned slightly. Have the Human Domain experts already figured out a way to counter my divine skills? She glanced at the people-holding treasure bags with some distaste before tossing them to float beside her.

She took a step, reappearing on the giant crab's back. Looking at the woman in green, she murmured, "Still unwilling to submit?"

The woman in green shrieked again, the cracks on her body growing more pronounced...

Meanwhile, the Grand Elder and Xiao Jian Daoist, traveling like the wind, caught up to the three Flying Shuttles. They enveloped the shuttles with the power of their Great Dao and sped towards the Human Domain.

Inside one Flying Shuttle, Fairy Ling anxiously asked, "What about him?"

The Grand Elder took a breath and smiled. "No worries. For convenience, the Sect Master was placed in a Spiritual Storage Magical Item by me and is in my..."

The Grand Elder suddenly froze mid-sentence.

Xiao Jian, beside him, said with lingering fear, "That Young Master is truly formidable. It's a good thing her attention was divided."

Lin Qi urged, "Quick, let Teacher out! Don't let him suffocate!"

The Grand Elder's arm trembled. With his left hand, he fumbled in his right sleeve and pulled out... a small wooden puppet. His old face turned pale as he said in a low voice, "We... might need to immediately request the Pavilion Master of the Benevolent Emperor Pavilion... to pay us a visit."

Xiao Jian Daoist's eyes widened as if they would split. He frantically searched his own sleeves, pulling out two treasure bags and another wooden puppet.

The Sect Master... was gone!

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