The sky brightened with startling speed, as if driven by some unseen force.

The lingering embrace of night, which still held a touch of prolonged charm, was abruptly dispelled as the morning light cast a brilliant glow upon the window paper.

Thus, the darkness scattered away.

“Calculated the time, it should be time for morning class,” Yu Zhen said, sitting up lazily from the bed, offering a casual explanation.

Jiang Wang remained silent.

He lay on the ground, eyes closed, appearing as though he were still asleep.

His heavily injured body, yet to heal, easily succumbed to drowsiness. He slept and woke, woke and slept.

He hadn’t slept enough last night, nor was his mind clear enough.

But, this shouldn’t feel so natural… A voice whispered within him.

Yu Zhen didn’t seem to mind, treating him as though he were truly asleep.

She rose from the bed, effortlessly gathered him into her arms, and placed him upon the bed. Her lips curved into a soft smile as she murmured, “Ah, little pitiful. How can you lie on the ground? What if you catch a cold? Truly, you give people cause for worry.”

Her lazy tone was like the warbling of an oriole.

It was as if she hadn’t been the one to throw Jiang Wang off the bed last night.

The heavily injured and powerless Jiang Wang felt like a vessel adrift on a vast sea. The water, soft and boundless, yet fraught with peril, could carry him to his destination or swallow him whole.

Landing on the bed in that instant was like reaching the shore, finally feeling the tangible touch of solid ground.

“Lying on the floor for a night absorbs the earth’s energy, good for injuries. But lying too long is not beneficial.”

Yu Zhen settled him onto the bed and said softly, “I will return tonight.”

Then, her footsteps light, she turned and walked away.

“How should I address you?” From behind her, the injured man lying on his back opened his eyes.

Clear and calm, these were the eyes of one fully awake—

“Wonderful Jade? Yu Zhen? White Lotus?”

Yu Zhen’s footsteps halted.

After a long moment, she finally said, “Address me however you wish… Those are all me.”

As neither person evaded the truth, this simple exchange became cruel.

“Yes, indeed. Those are all you.”

Jiang Wang spoke the sentence, paused, and continued, “I remember what I owe you, and you should not forget what you owe me, Wonderful Jade.”

His voice was remarkably flat.

Yet, it tore through the night’s amorous facade.

It ripped apart the fleeting illusion of good times and beautiful scenery, revealing reality’s stark, cruelly cold core.

Yu Zhen didn’t speak. She pushed open the door and stepped out.

Jiang Wang also fell silent.

He could still feel the residual warmth on his back left by the person who had just been there.

Like a dying ember, it still gently warmed him.

But his heart was icy cold.

He had no other choice.

Jing Guo’s Cang Shen, Ji Yan Yue, Qiu Tie, Fu Dong Xu.

Qi Guo’s Wen Yan Yu, Shi Ming Peng, the already departed from the Hanging Temple Ku Jue, and Jing Guo’s Zhong Shan Yan Wen.

A total of eight contemporary True Persons, gathered at the Wu Meng Du mountain range!

These eight contemporary powerhouses, merely by suspending themselves in the high heavens without further action, generated a terrifying pressure akin to an approaching hurricane.

Throughout the entire Wu Meng Du mountain range, birds ceased flight, beasts lay still, the wind died down, and trees stood motionless… Even the lava in the volcano mouths seemed to have solidified.

Looking from afar, beneath those eight figures, the entire Wu Meng Du mountain range appeared to have shrunk by half!

Their descent here was, of course, due to a discovery.

“Unexpected indeed.” Qi Guo’s Court Discussing Doctor, Wen Yan Yu, shook his head. “Jing Guo claims my Qi Guo’s heaven’s pride communicates with demons, yet sends him to the ancient demon cave!”

He was a man of middle age, with a humble temperament. His attire and hat were meticulously proper, and between his brows lay an air of elegance.

At this moment, he directed his gaze towards the four True Persons of Jing Guo, his words laced with sarcasm. “In the end, is it that Jing Guo’s internal opinions are not unified, or does Zhao Xuan Yang fundamentally not believe your Mirror World Platform’s pronouncements?”

Zhao Xuan Yang had once received information from the Qian Tian Mirror outside the ancient demon cave, leaving a very brief trace.

He had, of course, employed means to cover it, but when contemporary True Persons conducted a divine sense sweep of the area at close range, this faint trace had nowhere to hide.

The first to discover the location were Qiu Tie and Zhong Shan Yan Wen.

Although the ancient demon cave was hidden at the bottom of the lava river, making it exceedingly difficult to detect, it was impossible to escape the close-range exploration of True Persons.

Zhao Xuan Yang and Jiang Wang’s whereabouts were finally determined.

Qiu Tie had immediately wished to enter and explore, but was blocked by Zhong Shan Yan Wen, who stated that since everyone was here, it would be better to wait for others to gather and enter together to avoid any unclear matters afterwards.

This was a reasonable request, and Qiu Tie had no way to refuse.

Thus, the current scene of eight True Persons gathered at the Wu Meng Du mountain range came to be.

Facing Wen Yan Yu’s inquiry, Fu Dong Xu merely sneered. “Why they entered the ancient demon cave, and how they entered the ancient demon cave, is still unknown. For True Person Wen to open his mouth and declare its nature, is it not too hasty? Instead, it makes one feel particularly guilty!”

The sinister-looking Shi Ming Peng aggressively stepped forward. “It’s not to the point that Jiang Wang kidnapped Zhao Xuan Yang into the demon cave, is it? If he possessed such ability, how could he have been captured by Zhao Xuan Yang?!”

The sooty-black, iron tower-like Qiu Tie and Shi Ming Peng were practically complementary in their physique and appearance.

At this moment, Qiu Tie immediately took a step forward, blocking Shi Ming Peng.

They stood like two mountains butting horns, facing each other.

And the palace-dressed Ji Yan Yue leisurely commented, “Since the Middle Ancient era, all ancient demon caves have been abandoned; no demon lords can traverse realms to arrive. Xuan Yang was pursued urgently and hid within the ancient demon cave, which is precisely a clever move. What problem is there?”

Ku Jue furrowed his brow, his expression innocent. “Who was pursued urgently? Why do I not know?”

“Fellow Daoists!” Zhong Shan Yan Wen interjected at this moment. “Let’s not be in a hurry to argue. Whatever words are to be said, we can enter to see the situation and then discuss. It’s not too late, is it?”

Looking at his appearance alone, he was a withered, thin old man, making it hard for anyone to associate him with the Jing Guo Eagle Yang Guard Great General renowned for slaying demons.

His enemies feared him like a tiger, and his grandson…

Fu Dong Xu immediately took the words, “General Zhong Shan speaks reasonably.”

Wen Yan Yu represented Qi Guo in this matter, and he was not without repeated entreaties from his future son-in-law— in fact, this was precisely the reason the Qi Court dispatched Wen Yan Yu: to indicate their strong support for Jiang Wang’s matter.

At this point, he said, “No matter what, this time we must bring back Jiang Wang. Some people claim to fulfill the demon slaying alliance treaty, yet make themselves disappear. I find it difficult to believe their strength, and even more difficult to believe their character. How can the safety of my Qi Guo’s heaven’s pride be entrusted to the shoulders of mediocre people!”

“Who do you say is mediocre?!” The long-suffering Cang Shen finally couldn’t bear it any longer. “Not old in age, yet yin and yang-like, reaching the tenth level of cultivation!”

“Not seeking self-improvement but only thinking of trampling others—is that mediocre or not? Bullying the greater with the smaller, bullying the Inner Mansion with the Divine—is that mediocre or not? The contention between two countries, not contending within the country, yet bullying a youth not yet of age—is that mediocre or not?!” Wen Yan Yu looked at him with disdain and said coldly, “Old fogy!”

“What did you say!?” Cang Shen was enraged to the extreme.

The usually humble and tranquil Wen Yan Yu was indeed rare to have such moments of confrontation.

Shi Ming Peng glanced at this Doctor Wen, and on his ferocious face, a savage smile appeared.

“Fellow Daoists!” Zhong Shan Yan Wen once again stepped forward to ease the situation. “The people have not yet been found. Do you wish to fight to the death here? I believe you are here to find people, not for a battle, yes?”

“The tree wishes to be still, but the wind does not cease. Since ancient times, my Jing Guo has sacrificed countless lives for the demon slaying alliance treaty, yet I did not expect to have a day of being slandered as engaging in country contention. It truly chills the heart.” Fu Dong Xu shook his head. “Let’s forget it; we will enter and see first, and then discuss!”

With that, he took the lead and descended into the volcano mouth.

The surging lava lake slowly parted in the middle, opening a path for him!