"Jun Yelan!" the Saintess gritted her teeth and yelled, "May you die a terrible death!" She hadn't expected Jun Yelan to be so ruthless as to lock her in the water prison.
Facing the Saintess's continuous curses, Jun Yelan ordered Lüqi beside him to gag her and take her away directly.
The Saintess was helpless, only able to glare at Jun Yelan with her eyes as she was ignored and led away. Jun Yelan, you will die before me! she thought with a laugh as she left.
Jun Yelan dispatched more men to guard the water prison, preventing the Saintess from escaping or sending any messages. After finishing this, he walked out of the Saintess's palace and unconsciously found himself in the city's garden.
He looked at the pavilion before him, where he had once taught Lan Yan martial arts. This table was also where Lan Yan practiced disguise. He glanced to the side, remembering Lan Yan's wet shoes and socks, and how he had carried her back.
That day, Lan Yan had said he was good to her, but hadn't she been good to him too!
Footsteps sounded from behind. It was Lüqi returning from her errands. "City Lord, the water prison has been properly arranged. There is still no news from the scouts outside the city."
Jun Yelan clenched his fist. He still couldn't find any news of Lan Yan. Worry surged in his eyes, and he said, "At all costs, find her for me. You must find her!"
His words carried a determination he had never shown before!
Lüqi respectfully called out, "Yes, City Lord. Lan Yan is clever and is certainly staying somewhere safe right now."
"With me, she is just a timid person who is afraid of the dark," Jun Yelan said, his words about Lan Yan seemingly endless. "Before, this City Lord always felt the world was uninteresting, and those around me only felt fear and disgust towards me."
But Lan Yan was different. Those eyes could always see through him, and when she looked at him, she was very sad. He thought it was Lan Yan's sorrow, only to later discover it was his own, something even he didn't know.
Now, his sadness had been soothed by Lan Yan.
Lüqi could see that the City Lord was deeply devoted to Lan Yan. "City Lord, I was so utterly disappointed with life outside the city that I came to this dead city. I had already given up hope, but Lan Yan made me change."
"My only wish now is for Lan Yan and the City Lord to be well." Her sister could not live on, but Lan Yan, who was like her sister, had infinite possibilities.
She quietly withdrew.
Only Jun Yelan remained in the garden, gazing at the dark night sky, missing the person in his heart.
Three days passed quickly. Lan Yan had eaten plain meals for three days. Seeing the door open, she complained, "Your Li family is too poor. The food is much worse than in the city."
Sect Leader Li snorted upon hearing this. "Come out." Today, he would make Jun Yelan and Lan Yan pay the price.
Lan Yan's eyes darkened, and she followed Sect Leader Li. She looked around and saw all the righteous individuals had already put on their swords and were heading towards the dead city.
She was forced to follow Sect Leader Li all the way.
Sect Leader Li turned to Lan Yan and chuckled proudly, "You will soon see your City Lord and witness his tragic end firsthand."
"He will not be like that," Lan Yan replied coldly.
Sect Leader Li did not get angry this time, pointing to the procession behind him. "I have gathered all the righteous sects of the martial arts world and obtained the map of the dead city, while Jun Yelan has nothing."
"The people in the dead city are all selfish, having either fled or been killed. He has no subordinates. Relying on him alone, can he withstand all of us? Given that you are my bloodline, I will spare your life after we kill him."
"Pah!" Lan Yan looked at Sect Leader Li angrily. "Even if he is alone, he is stronger than all of you combined. People like you, who cannot win openly, resort to these conspiracies and tricks."
The moment she heard what Sect Leader Li had said, she knew it must have been his doing, orchestrated to leave Jun Yelan isolated. She had said she would always stand by Jun Yelan's side and help him!
She looked down at her palm, praying for it to work later.
Rage ignited in Sect Leader Li's eyes. This rebellious girl was truly disrespecting him. He flicked his sleeves and began discussing the city attack plan with the Li family members beside him.
They soon reached the city gates. Lan Yan was brought to the side, watching the two forces confronting each other, but Jun Yelan had not yet appeared. She watched anxiously.
Sect Leader Li looked at the group from the dead city before him and shouted, "Everyone, as long as you surrender, we will forgive your crimes. Following Jun Yelan has no future."
These people from the dead city were all homeless, and some had followed Jun Yelan. Their eyes held determination, and they raised their weapons, saying, "We will not surrender. We will defend the dead city to the death."
Sect Leader Li, enraged, shouted, "Stubborn fools!" He looked at the Li family members around him and yelled, "Teach them a lesson. We are the righteous army."
The two sides began to fight. Initially, the people from the dead city had the upper hand, but gradually, more members of the righteous sects gathered, pushing back some of the dead city's fighters.
Sect Leader Li's eyebrows rose. Victory was assured. He would continue to be the sect leader, continuing to be worshipped by the righteous, and burst into laughter.
At this moment, someone flew down from the city wall. It was Jun Yelan. He unleashed his palms, pushing back the attacking members of the righteous sects, then drew the soft sword from his waist and killed the foremost group, steadily protecting the people of the dead city behind him.
"City Lord!" The people of the dead city immediately shouted excitedly.
Jun Yelan's eyes were icy. His gaze swept towards the righteous side, and only when he saw Lan Yan nearby did his eyes show a flicker of emotion. He walked forward, dealing with anyone who blocked him with a single sword strike.
His eyes and heart were solely on the person before him. "Lan Yan."
Seeing Jun Yelan, Lan Yan's eyes gradually welled up with tears. She hadn't wanted to cry even when she was captured, but seeing Jun Yelan now made her feel so wronged. She forced a smile and ran towards Jun Yelan, but her arm was grabbed.
Sect Leader Li, seeing that Jun Yelan could not be stopped, sneered, "Jun Yelan, I want to see how far you will go for Lan Yan!"
His gaze fell on the open space ahead.
"Let go!" Lan Yan struggled desperately to shake off Sect Leader Li's hand, but to no avail. She resorted to biting him.
"Ah!" Sect Leader Li cried out in pain, but thinking of Jun Yelan, he didn't release Lan Yan. He looked at the bite marks on his hand and raised his palm to strike Lan Yan's head. However, in the next instant, he saw Lan Yan's cold gaze.
He was stunned. Lan Yan was useful now, and he couldn't lay a hand on her. This rebellious daughter dared to treat him like this; he couldn't keep her alive!
Lan Yan watched Sect Leader Li while subtly moving her wrist, preparing to strike with all her might.
Jun Yelan's clothes were stained with blood, as was his face. Yet, he continued to walk step by step towards Lan Yan, nearing the open space.
Seeing the moment was right, Sect Leader Li reached out and grabbed Lan Yan by the neck, looking at Jun Yelan with a smile.
"You deserve to die!" Jun Yelan crossed the open space, the ground beneath him beginning to loosen and pull him down.
Lan Yan immediately struck out, hitting Sect Leader Li heavily in the chest, and jumped towards the opening. "Jun Yelan!" she reached out, trying to grab Jun Yelan's hand from below, but he continued to fall.