(The previous chapter and this one were published in the wrong order, which has now been corrected. If you find duplication, please return to the previous chapter. Another chapter will be added shortly as compensation. Apologies, and please understand.)

With the USB drive coming out of Tantai Wanrong's house, before getting in the car, Li Zhaojun seemed thoughtful and said, "Elder sister and Sis Ya both seemed a bit off today."

"How so?" Ye Fan smiled and asked.

"Perhaps they were moved by the news of our upcoming marriage, reflecting on their own matters. Both are my sisters, and they're still single, which isn't easy," Li Zhaojun replied.

Ye Fan said nothing. Outside the community, Sun Ning's car had been waiting for a long time. After they got in, Sun Ning handed over the phone, saying, "Mr. Ye, someone is looking for you."

"Who?" Ye Fan took the phone. On the other end, Wu Ding's frightened voice came through, "You've been out for so long, are you planning to run away and live in a world of two with Yun Zhao?"

Tantai Wanrong and Zhao Tianya's moods weren't great, and over here, Wu Ding's mood wasn't good either.

"Senior sister, Zhao Jun and I are out visiting friends and relatives, do we really need your supervision?" Ye Fan said coldly.

"I won't supervise you, but you'd know if you came back and looked..."

Wu Ding didn't elaborate, and Ye Fan didn't know the situation. He immediately had Sun Ning drive to the hotel. Before reaching the hotel entrance, they saw police blocking the road. The hotel area seemed poised for a major battle. Ye Fan approached to ask and found out someone had reported terrorists inside the hotel, and they were preparing to evacuate civilians before launching a full assault on the terrorists inside.

"Could they have mistaken Senior Sister Wu Ding and Junior Sister Qing Xu as terrorists? What did they do?" Ye Fan was curious. There weren't many spiritual energy waves around, but there was a strong spiritual pressure that didn't come from Wu Ding, nor was it emitted by Lan Jing, but rather seemed to come from someone with more powerful cultivation.

Ye Fan instinctively thought of the Red Firebird - the woman who called herself "Beast Spirit."

"We are hotel guests, can we go in?" Ye Fan asked the policeman blocking the road.

"No, there's a terror attack inside. Going in is suicidal. The SWAT team is ready to move in. Young man, don't do anything reckless!" An old policeman came over to warn him.

Unable to enter from the front, Ye Fan had to think of another way. The best option now was for him and Li Zhaojun to hide their presence and use invisibility to enter the hotel during broad daylight.

However, this hiding technique required full concentration, so they couldn't use flying swords to enter. They had to first walk to a deserted spot and then slowly, step by step, make their way past the barriers towards the hotel.

...

...

About fifteen minutes later, they reached the hotel stairwell. The elevators couldn't be used, so they had to take the stairs.

Inside the hotel, the SWAT team was in action, yet dared not venture above the sixteenth floor because explosions were coming from above, and all surveillance equipment above the sixteenth floor had been destroyed. They knew there weren't many guests upstairs, but the situation was unclear, and there was a risk of hostages, preventing a hard assault.

The stairwell on the fifteenth floor was also lined with armed military police.

Ye Fan didn't say much and, along with Li Zhaojun, swiftly slipped upstairs from the stairwell. The military police only saw a shadow disappear, without seeing what it specifically was.

"Continue holding position!" After Ye Fan stood still, a voice from the military police below echoed up.

When Ye Fan reached the sixteenth floor, the hallway was empty, but it sounded like a battle was going on inside one of the rooms.

The two battling sides were the Red Firebird on one side, and Lan Jing, Wu Ding, Min Shang, and Qing Xu on the other.

The Red Firebird's cultivation was far superior to the four of them, yet she didn't kill or injure. It was like a cat playing with mice, exhausting the spiritual energy of the four women.

"Junior brother, get in here and help us!" Wu Ding called out urgently as she sensed Ye Fan's arrival.

Ye Fan opened the door directly, seeing the room ravaged. What was a good hotel room was nearly torn asunder. Yet the fighters on both sides had exercised great restraint, forming a protective barrier outside the room with their spiritual energies. As of now, even the windows hadn't been shattered, though the furniture inside had mostly turned to charcoal, giving off a choking smell.

"Senior, what is the meaning of this?" Ye Fan stood at the door, questioning the Red Firebird.

The Red Firebird instantly transformed into a human figure, taking on the guise of the previous woman. She sneered at Ye Fan and said, "You lied to me!"

"When did I ever deceive you, senior? You were the one who wanted to find Miss Lan Jing's mother," Ye Fan retorted.

At this point, Ye Fan already sensed that Lan Jing's mother was actually outside. But since Lan Jing's mother was a Soul Body, apart from him using the Tongling Mirror to perceive her, no one else, not even someone as powerful as the Red Firebird, could detect the Soul Body.

The woman was very angry. She had been quite arrogant, thinking she could find Lan Jing's mother even without Ye Fan's help. But upon reaching the East Sea, she realized she couldn't detect any trace of Lan Jing's mother unless the person was already dead; otherwise, it couldn't have been so thoroughly concealed.

The woman glared at Lan Jing and demanded, "Tell me, where is your mother?"

Lan Jing gritted her teeth and said, "Where my mother went is none of your business. You are a bad person!"

She spoke firmly because Lan Jing saw people with her heart. While she might not discern people's intentions, she could tell if someone's heart was malicious. It was clear to her that the woman claiming to be her mother's sister had ulterior motives for finding her mother.

"What business do you have with Miss Lan Jing's mother, senior?" Ye Fan suddenly asked.

"I have something to ask her!" The woman sneered.

Ye Fan probed Lan Jing's mother's location. Even if he claimed that Lan Jing's mother was nearby, no one there would believe it, as he was the only one who could detect it. Words alone wouldn't suffice.

Ye Fan said, "You can ask me if you have anything to ask."

"You brat, who do you think you are? You're nothing but a lowly mortal, an ant!" The woman retorted angrily.

"How do you know for sure without asking, senior?" Ye Fan replied.

"Very well, I'll ask. Do you know her mother's true identity?" The woman demanded loudly.

Ye Fan pondered for a moment. He didn't consult Lan Jing's mother and directly replied, "Lan Jing's mother is the Nine Heavens Mystical Woman, formerly the Nine Heavens Mystical Bird, while you are the Jiuyou Su Girl, formerly the Nine Underworld Firebird. Did I say it wrong?"

The woman was taken aback, scrutinizing Ye Fan and asking, "You... you actually know?"

Not only was the woman surprised, but Lan Jing and her mother were also shocked. Lan Jing had never known that her mother was the Nine Heavens Mystical Woman, and Lan Jing's mother herself hadn't realized that her identity had already been revealed.

Lan Jing's mother asked a question, coming back through the Tongling Mirror: "How do you know my identity?"

Ye Fan didn't answer but turned to the Nine Underworld Firebird and said, "Is there anything else you wish to know? I will answer two questions. Once done, kindly leave us in peace, senior, and do not disturb us!"

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.