In that instant, Yan Qingwu and Mu Lanxue, who were in a standoff, as well as the abducted Wang Mu, all fell into a brief stupor. This was especially true for Wang Mu. To be spirited away by a mysterious Spell, right under the noses of these two individuals... Needless to say, the perpetrator's strength was certainly not beneath theirs.

There's a third party involved?

Wang Mu's mind was a complete mess. Just who the hell is this? Which villain is so brazen?

Yan Qingwu and Mu Lanxue quickly vanished from sight, as if they had dived into water and escaped thousands of miles, leaving no trace. Almost instantly, Wang Mu felt as if he too had been transported an unknown distance away.

On the other side, the red-robed figure snapped back to reality, her eyes twinkling with a peculiar light. "Oh, how interesting. I didn't expect this person to show up... And to snatch someone away right under my very nose... Truly amusing."

She turned towards Yan Qingwu with a charming smile. "Yan Sword Immortal, don't tell me this was arranged by you. I don't remember you teaming up with her?"

Yan Qingwu's face remained expressionless, making it impossible to gauge her thoughts.

"Look at that taut face of yours," Mu Lanxue sneered. "So, it seems it wasn't you. Tsk, someone else has also infiltrated your Ancient Saint's Secret Treasure... How is it that you only detected me?"

Yan Qingwu remained silent. She, of course, knew who had acted. She even knew that this person had ventured into the Holy Land Sect of her own Sword Sect. However, she had assumed the other party was after the same thing. Compared to Mu Lanxue, this individual seemed slightly more reasonable and easier to deal with. But to think they actually came for Wang Mu?

What's the deal with this kid? Yan Qingwu murmured inwardly. Setting aside the karmic connection with herself, how did Nanrong Biyou get involved too?

Trying to take someone from my Holy Land... Do they underestimate me, Yan Qingwu, so much? She gazed into the void, a sword light seeming to flash in her eyes.

Mu Lanxue's eyes glinted with interest as she glanced in a certain direction... And this is something I cannot tolerate either, can I?

「In a corner of the Holy Land.」

"Are you Wang Mu?"

The mysterious woman, cloaked in a layer of mist, stood before Wang Mu. Her voice, crisp and clear as an oriole's song, held a touch of curiosity. "Hmm, it's the same indeed."

Wang Mu braced himself as he eyed the figure. Another woman. Why 'again'... She was indistinct, shrouded in a layer of luminous mist, as if her entire being was pixelated. If the woman hadn't spoken, Wang Mu might not have even registered her presence; he would have felt compelled to simply overlook her. He had no idea what kind of advanced concealment Spell it was.

"This Senior..." Wang Mu replied cautiously, "May I ask who you are...?"

He was completely baffled, utterly unable to guess this person's identity. He looked around. It seems... we're not too far? And why does it feel like we're right in the center of that ancient forest? Good heavens, we really aren't far at all? Yet, the surroundings were enveloped in a faint, thin membrane, like some sort of restrictive barrier, isolating this area from the outside world and forming a self-contained space.

"Me?" The woman laughed. "You guess. If you guess correctly, I'll hand you over to Yan Qingwu. If you're wrong, I'll give you to Mu Lanxue."

Wang Mu was speechless.

"What if I neither guess right nor wrong?" he asked. I'm not guessing!

"Then I'll just throw you into the sea to feed the fish," the woman stated.

Wang Mu took a deep breath, not doubting for a moment that she was telling the truth. Instantly, his mind raced, reviewing his experiences over the past three years, searching for any detail he might have overlooked. From Aunt Hong bringing him to Anle Village, learning Chopping from Uncle Tie Niu, and Fishing from Grandpa Yu, to encountering that Little Jiao Huo...

Huh? Wait. That Little Jiao Huo? A flash of insight struck Wang Mu.

I remember my second encounter with Little Jiao Huo. She asked me to help her catch a Divine Fish, a Linglong Bilateral Fish. That Divine Fish could supposedly conjure the image of one's destined partner, and she said she wanted to give it to the great Immortal Bi You. At the time, I suspected this Immortal Bi You was Nanrong Biyou, one of the female protagonists from the game. I hadn't intended to catch it, but the fish got hooked anyway... Back then, there were three months left until the Immortal Realm ritual she mentioned, which also happened to be three months before the Sword Sect Mountain Gate's disciple recruitment assessment... After Little Jiao Huo returned, she must have presented the fish... If there was nothing wrong with the Divine Fish, then Immortal Bi You must have used it by now, right? After she used the Divine Fish, did it really conjure my image? If all this is true, then this person... could she be that Immortal Bi You?

For a moment, Wang Mu's scalp tingled. Have I exposed myself? Even if it conjured my image, Nanrong Biyou shouldn't know where I am, right? How did she find me so quickly? It couldn't have been that Little Jiao Huo... Only she knew about me! Furthermore, she was the one who presented the Divine Fish! So, when Immortal Bi You used the Divine Fish and it conjured my likeness, that little creature must have spilled the beans. Damn! A miscalculation! In that instant, Wang Mu connected all the dots.

Wang Mu opened his mouth, just as he was about to reveal the woman's identity. Suddenly! He broke out in a cold sweat. If I say it, that might truly mean I've exposed myself! Why? The premise for my deductions is knowing that Immortal Bi You would see my image after using the Divine Fish! But... why would an ordinary villager like me know whose image a Great Immortal—a being revered in this era—would see after using the Divine Fish? Never mind an ordinary villager like me; even powerful experts from other factions couldn't possibly know this. Unless they were those peerless figures from Immortal Bi You's era who are still alive. There's only one possibility. That is, I am Dongfang Mu.

At this thought, Wang Mu's heart trembled violently. Once I speak the correct answer, this Immortal Bi You will absolutely not hand me over to Yan Qingwu!

"Well?" The woman observed Wang Mu, a smile playing on her lips. "It seems you've figured it out?"

Her laughter sent shivers down Wang Mu's spine.

"No!" Wang Mu calmly waved his hand. "I have never met you before, Senior. I've lived at the foot of Gu Yun Mountain since childhood, so how could I possibly know you? As for why you've captured me, I truly cannot comprehend." He sighed. "Based on my limited understanding, perhaps it's related to this place? Are you also seeking some Treasure? Are you using me to threaten Elder Yan? Frankly, to Elder Yan, what significance does a nobody like me, who hasn't even begun cultivating, hold? Though I don't know what Treasure you're all after..."

The woman stared at Wang Mu. "Young man, you're lying," she said leisurely.

"Why would you say that, Senior?" Wang Mu steadied his nerves.

"A person who can cultivate the Hundred Refinement Body Technique to eighty layers is no nobody," the woman stated slowly.

"That might just be diligence and a bit of talent," Wang Mu replied, his expression unchanging. "Besides, isn't this just a Body Refining Method? Compared to all of you, am I not still a nobody?"

The woman snorted coldly, her voice suddenly sharp. "Kid, since you can't guess, let me give you a clue. Do you remember when, at Yunlai Creek, you and a Mermaid sneaked into Linglong Love and caught a Divine Fish?"

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