"I'm sorry, I cannot let you pass." Yan Yuqing blocked the path of the young man in white. "My friend is in the Land of Nothingness, and if you go there, you will surely..."
"Yan Yuqing, let him pass." Mo Mo grabbed his hand, preventing him from drawing his sword. "If you wish to go, then go, but please do not harm the innocent civilians of Wuji City."
The young man in white glanced at Mo Mo. "I have come only for the people of the Land of Nothingness."
"In that case, please proceed." Mo Mo made way, pulling Yan Yuqing aside. Yan Yuqing, confused but obedient, asked after the man had disappeared.
"Why did you let him go? He's going to cause trouble for Xiao Man'er."
"She anticipated someone would come, and that person's cultivation is not low. So she instructed me in advance that if the person who arrived was exceptionally powerful, and we were no match for them, we should let them pass and not interfere. Our responsibility is to protect Wuji City and shield its people from the beast tide."
"But I'm still worried..."
"Don't worry, the Land of Nothingness is her territory," Mo Mo said softly. Moreover, the Land of Nothingness was sparsely populated and vast, so any conflict would have minimal impact. The only thing that made her uneasy was how eerie this young man was, his cultivation profound and unfathomable. She worried that Xiao Man might not be his match.
"I find this person rather unsettling," Yan Yuqing said, swatting away a demon beast that had scaled the city wall. "He looks so young, yet for some reason, I feel a chill down my spine. It makes me very uncomfortable."
"I feel it too," Mo Mo said, looking in the direction of the Land of Nothingness. "Let's hope they'll be alright."
"They intend to release the Demon Lord. If you had been suppressed for ten thousand years, and someone suddenly set you free, what would you do?"
"I would be deeply grateful, ask them what their wishes are, and help them fulfill them as a token of my thanks."
"That's a normal person's reaction. Can you estimate the Demon Lord with the mindset of a normal person?" Yan Yuqing sneered. "He might just think, 'You ants of the human race, ten thousand years ago you ambushed me and suppressed me. Now, I shall first vent my anger on a few of your insignificant lives.'"
Mo Mo's lips twitched. "If things turn out as you say, I'll skin you alive."
"If this beast tide continues, you won't need to skin me; these tens of thousands of demon beasts outside will devour us." Yan Yuqing leaped up, slaying demon beasts. They would likely have to wait until Xiao Man and the others released the Demon Lord for the beast tide to recede. It remained to be seen if this beast tide was connected to the white-clothed youth who had passed earlier. If so, Xiao Man and the others would be in danger.
"Lord Yan, the beast tide is ferocious and we may not be able to hold it back. We should order the civilians to retreat," suggested City Lord Yan.
"City Lord Yan, it's not that I won't let you retreat, but we have nowhere to retreat to," Yan Yuqing said with a wry smile. "We can only endure. If we cannot, and we open the teleportation array of Wuji City, we will be attacked from both sides. The Four Great Sects will undoubtedly pour in and slaughter Wuji City!"
At noon, when the sun was at its strongest, the beast tide gradually began to recede. The Flame Violent Ape leading the charge let out two roars, and the demon beasts that had charged into Wuji City began to withdraw.
"They're retreating," Yan Yuqing said excitedly. "The beast tide has receded."
Mo Mo collapsed onto the ground, wiping the sweat and blood from her face. "They've finally retreated. Otherwise, we would all be finished."
"I wonder how Xiao Man'er and the others are doing?" Yan Yuqing looked towards the Land of Nothingness. That white-clothed youth was unfathomably strange, and he had gone to the Land of Nothingness. He wondered if Xiao Man and the others were safe.
Yue Ran, along with several experts, was lurking on the outskirts when they suddenly saw a young man in white approaching leisurely.
"Who is that?" Yue Ran asked, puzzled.
"Appearing at this time, and not someone we know, he's likely an enemy, not a friend!" Yao Yao whispered. "Young Master Yue Ran, be on guard."
"This person looks rather frail."
Yao Yao glanced at the youth. Could someone frail enter the Land of Nothingness? His cultivation was likely already at the peak of the Transformation God stage. Such a person appearing here was hardly a good omen.
"Halt!" Yao Yao issued a warning. "Advance further, and you will bear the consequences."
The young man in white stopped, his gaze falling on the barren land, his face filled with pity. "This was once a fertile land. I never expected it to become a barren wasteland today. The Demon Lord was bloodthirsty in life, and even in death, he causes much harm."
"He is indeed an enemy," Yue Ran frowned. "Should we attack?"
"Young Master Yue Ran, the opponent is a peak Transformation God stage cultivator." Yao Yao felt a headache coming on. Forget Yue Ran; even if all of them attacked together, they wouldn't be a match for the young man.
The young man paused for a moment before continuing forward. Yao Yao's brow furrowed. "Stop!"
"This matter has nothing to do with you, so don't get involved." The young man's voice was gentle as he walked, his steps slow yet in an instant he had bypassed them and headed directly for Yangming Valley.
"Stop!" Yue Ran jumped out, blocking the young man's path. "What do you want?"
The young man's calm gaze scanned Yue Ran from head to toe, his tone exceptionally gentle. "Who are you?"
"This young master goes by no other name than Yue Ran!"
"Surname Yue, so you must be from the Heavenly Sword Sect." The young man's voice was faint. "It's a pity your bloodline is impure, with traces of... I see now."
"This young master is no longer from the Heavenly Sword Sect." Yue Ran drew his sword. "If you want to pass..."
Before Yue Ran could finish speaking, the young man was already in front of him. With a mere push, Yue Ran was sent flying, crashing ungracefully in the distance. He was unable to retaliate, let alone resist.
"Even your father was no match for me, let alone you. For the sake of your youth, I will not hold this against you." With that, the young man moved with lightning speed, disappearing into Yangming Valley in an instant.
"No, stop him..."
"Young Master Yue Ran, let's leave here first." Yao Yao, along with another person, helped Yue Ran up and quickly fled.
"Are you just going to abandon my elder sister?"
"Young Master Yue Ran, it's not abandonment, but our Venerable Master's orders. We are to lie low." Without giving Yue Ran a chance to resist, Yao Yao struck him unconscious. "We retreat first. The Venerable Master has ordered everyone to lie low to avoid harming innocents."
"Miss Yao Yao, aren't we going to save the Venerable Master?"
"It's not that we're not saving her, but we cannot become her burden. Without us hindering her, the Venerable Master can come and go freely." Yao Yao said with full confidence, always executing Xiao Man's orders without hesitation.
The young man in white paid no heed to Yao Yao's actions and continued rapidly towards the seal. He could sense the seal weakening, and a confused light flashed in his eyes. For ten thousand years, this seal had never weakened. Now, it was weakening, and he had to rush there as quickly as possible.