"Wang Hui! What is the meaning of this?" Seeing Zhu Bufan suddenly flash beside Yue Lan, and Wang Hui blocking his own attack, Grand Steward Liu was immediately filled with shock and anger.

In fact, this was also an oversight by Lanyue Pavilion; planted for many years on the first level, they had believed that no one had the courage to challenge their authority. Security had long become lax on the outside but tight on the inside. But indeed, within the first level of the tower, Lanyue Pavilion existed like an Emperor of its own terrain. To provoke Lanyue Pavilion within the first level was not just like pulling teeth from the mouth of a tiger—it was more like pulling teeth from the mouth of a Demon Beast, totally unthinkable for ordinary people.

The most important point was that regarding the so-called kidnapping, who would waltz into the opponent's territory, then invite the kidnapping victim for a meeting, and afterward inform the victim that they've been kidnapped? Breaking into someone else's lair for a kidnapping was an audacious, unheard-of method, yet it surprisingly produced an effect, even catching the astute Grand Steward Liu off guard by their absurd purpose!

"Ha!"

With a fierce cry, Yue Lan, dressed in a cheongsam, threw a punch toward the charging Zhu Bufan. The air around her seemed to be compressed by the power of her fist, blasting directly at Zhu Bufan. Unexpectedly, this beautiful and charming woman clad in a cheongsam was also hiding her true strength. Just from the power of that punch alone, it was clear her strength was no less than that of the Body Tempering Seventh Layer Heaven.

"Hmph!" Instinctively reacting, facing Yue Lan's Embroidery Fist, Zhu Bufan quickly met it with a palm. The uncontrolled Power collided with Yue Lan's Embroidery Fist, the scattering Qi Force causing a mess around them. Yue Lan, taking advantage of the momentum, drifted toward the main door, clearly having planned to use Zhu Bufan's power to quickly escape the reception room.

'Whoosh'

A water screen abruptly burst forth from the doorway, blocking Yue Lan's path of escape. Turning her head, she saw the indifferent Huo Ling still seated in her chair, but the four Hanhai Spirit Pearls beside her told Yue Lan that the water screen was her doing.

"You!" Seeing her plan to use the momentum to escape being thwarted, Yue Lan's eyes sharpened, but soon, she didn't have time to continue glaring at Huo Ling. Zhu Bufan's Purple Cloud was already pressing against Yue Lan's neck, the coldness emanating from the edge of the blade as if it could directly slice through the skin.

"Stop!" Just as Wang Hui and Grand Steward Liu exchanged a palm strike, each taking two steps back, Zhu Bufan finally yelled out loud. Seeing Yue Lan taken hostage, Grand Steward Liu immediately clenched his teeth and said, "Let her go! This old man guarantees your safe descent to the second level!"

"Ha ha, it seems Grand Steward Liu indeed has this capability." Hearing Grand Steward Liu's words, Zhu Bufan revealed a hint of a smile, finding it hard to believe how smoothly the hostage-taking had gone, and he couldn't help but scorn Lanyue Pavilion's internal defenses for being so weak.

Concentrating Primordial Qi at his fingertips, Zhu Bufan pointed twice toward Yue Lan's lower abdomen in the air; she watched in horror as she found her Primordial Qi would not rise.

"What exactly have you done?" The still calm Yue Lan, feeling her Primordial Qi being sealed the moment the Purple Cloud pressed against her, angrily demanded an explanation from Zhu Bufan.

"Don't be afraid, it's just a temporary sealing of your Primordial Qi, which will soon recover. As long as Miss Yue Lan 'escorts' us out, I promise to release the seal on your Primordial Qi." In truth, this method of sealing Primordial Qi was taught to Zhu Bufan by Emperor Yan. By pressing on a few specific points, one could seal the flow of the opponent's Primordial Qi, of course, provided that the Cultivators are not too far apart in terms of strength.

"Release her, and this old man will immediately ensure your safety to the second level! Be careful not to hurt her!!" Seeing Zhu Bufan sealing Yue Lan's Primordial Qi, Grand Steward Liu became anxious and quickly repeated himself.

"He he, Grand Steward Liu jests, even if we trust your character, we can't possibly return this lifesaving Protective Talisman to you now, right? Besides, Lanyue Pavilion has plenty of forces; if we return Miss Yue Lan to you, I'm afraid we wouldn't be able to leave Lanyue Pavilion at all." Zhu Bufan laughed softly. Although he sheathed the Purple Cloud, he did not leave Yue Lan's side. Should any mishap arise, he was still in a position to take Yue Lan hostage immediately. Meanwhile, the guards of Lanyue Pavilion who had already heard the commotion here, upon arriving and seeing the scene, were all stunned. To have the audacity to come to Lanyue Pavilion to cause trouble, and even holding the pillar of Lanyue Pavilion, Miss Yue Lan hostage, this left them shocked as well as inexplicably furious.

"You!!" Hearing Zhu Bufan's words, Grand Steward Liu appeared very angry, his breathing becoming heavy. In contrast, the held Yue Lan recovered her composure and with a frosty look, swept a glance at the three of them before speaking with a voice laced with a chilling coldness: "Very well, today, I admit my defeat. Unexpectedly, there are people bold enough to come blatantly into Lanyue Pavilion to 'kidnap' me. It seems I will have to be more guarded against such 'kidnappings' in the future. Thanks to your reminder, people as 'upright' as you are rare nowadays."

"Mutual indeed, Miss Yue Lan. Apart from having a somewhat 'bumpy' face, you're quite good-hearted—doesn't the saying go that true beauty is in the spirit, not in the appearance? I'm sure Miss Yue Lan would also be willing to help us leave, right?" Zhu Bufan could certainly detect the sarcasm in Yue Lan's words and responded with a chuckle, turning the tables on her, especially when Yue Lan heard Bufan describe her face as 'bumpy', which made her fair face turn deadly pale. When had the nation's beauty ever been described in such a way?

Zhu Bufan didn't hesitate at all as his hand landed on Yue Lan's shoulder. Following Yue Lan's murderous gaze, Bufan, along with Huo Ling and Wang Hui, slowly began to back out from the Lanyue Pavilion's guest hall in a triangular formation. Without any orders from the Grand Steward, the guards didn't dare to move and merely stepped back, allowing the trio to leave unhurriedly.

Once the four of them exited the guest hall, more guards surrounded them. Seeing this, Zhu Bufan added a bit more strength to his hand, causing Yue Lan to let out a soft grunt.

"My apologies, Grand Steward. Could you perhaps have these guards step back? If I get frightened and accidentally hurt Miss Yue Lan, that would be rather regrettable." As Zhu Bufan applied more pressure, Yue Lan's delicately arched eyebrows furrowed slightly. Seeing this, the Grand Steward promptly waved away the encircling guards.

"Zhu Bufan! As long as you do not harm Miss Yue Lan, I assure that you three will reach the entrance unharmed. However, should anything happen to Miss Yue Lan, I swear, you will not find peace even in death. I will extract your souls and ensure you never turn over a new leaf!"

"Heh, Grand Steward, there's no need for anger. We merely wish to arrive safely at the gates leading to the second level, and we definitely will not harm Miss Yue Lan, rest assured." Seeing how concerned the Grand Steward was for Yue Lan, Bufan felt relieved at last. It seemed Wang Hui's guess was correct; Yue Lan was surely not just a simple auctioneer.

Under the Grand Steward's signal, the guards of Lanyue Pavilion quickly retreated, leaving behind several Bone Forging Realm cultivators to follow Bufan's group, along with the Grand Steward. Just exhibiting this level of strength was already far beyond what Hei Qing and the four commanders had led.

After leaving Lanyue Pavilion, they headed towards the gate, ignoring Yue Lan's murderous glares. Bufan kept his arm around Yue Lan's slender waist, hastening their progress. Being able to take advantage of the situation to cop a feel delighted Bufan immensely. Of course, had Yue Lan been less pleasing to the eye, he would not hesitate to hand her over to Wang Hui to manage. There was no doubt about that.

Following Wang Hui's directions, the group sped on their way, and after traveling for over an hour, a sky-reaching sea-blue light pillar appeared before them. Around the light pillar, they could vaguely see a large number of soldiers patrolling.

As Zhu Bufan and the others approached, the patrolling soldiers quickly surrounded them. At that moment, Grand Steward Liu arrived, flashing a token, causing the surrounding soldiers to swiftly disperse and clear the way for everyone present. Liu's quick dispersal of the soldiers was naturally out of fear that Bufan would harm Yue Lan again.

"Do you really desire so much to reach the second level? Do you understand what it's like on the second floor?" Blocked by the soldiers, everyone slowed down, and seizing the opportunity, Yue Lan, who had been scowling the whole time, suddenly asked Bufan.

"I'm not aware, I've only been here for a few days. How could I possibly know about the second level? But we need to leave this place, and since it's clearly impossible to leave from the first floor, we must try the second level. As for Master Wang's situation, I believe you, Miss Yue Lan, are certainly more aware than I am." Zhu Bufan kept walking and smiling slightly as he spoke to Yue Lan.

"Heh, so it's like that. Well, allow me to make a prediction here. I can assure you, you will regret going to the second level. Trust me, when the time comes, you will realize just how foolish your actions were." Yue Lan didn't get angry because of Bufan's demeanor but instead showed a meaningful and schadenfreude-tinged smile that was impossible to hide.

"Oh? Are you suggesting that the people from Lanyue Pavilion are already waiting below for us to fall into a trap?" Hearing Yue Lan's words, Zhu Bufan looked down at her but only met a face brimming with a deep, unspoken smirk, which irritated Bufan considerably.

"What are you doing!!"

An angry shout erupted as Yue Lan glared at Zhu Bufan with fury.

At the sound of Yue Lan's enraged and shocked outcry, everyone's attention was drawn, especially that of Grand Steward Liu. Seeing this situation, Bufan knew things were turning sour and weakly explained: "Eh, those two bumps were just too hard, and they seemed a bit too unusual. I thought you might have hidden some hidden weapons inside, just checking, just a quick check…"

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