Chapter 609 - 616: Lan Garden Disappears

The cave was cramped, hampering their movements. They also had to be careful not to injure each other or their allies, so while fighting, they desperately tried to force their way out.

Song Wanning’s sword was a blur. With every strike, she felled several monsters at once, her speed astonishing.

With her companions fighting by her side, she was an unstoppable force against the monsters.

Liu Xingzhi had only his Spirit Pet fighting alongside him. But with its snow-white fur, the pet was like a long blade cutting through a blizzard, swiftly reaping the monsters’ lives.

Thanks to their combined, unyielding efforts, they soon burst out of the cave.

But the sight that met their eyes was horrifying. As far as the eye could see, countless monsters were snarling and clawing as they lunged forward. The beasts blotted out the landscape, leaving nothing else visible.

The swarm was so thick it blotted out the sky, plunging the world into darkness.

Song Wanning’s and Liu Xingzhi’s hearts sank.

They refused to believe this was a coincidence, or that the monsters had simply sensed danger and decided to swarm them.

’We’ve been exposed. The mastermind behind this has finally made their move!’

For now, the only option was to slaughter all these monsters. They could worry about the rest later.

They exchanged a swift glance and immediately stood back-to-back, ready to fight together.

Their techniques were all devastatingly powerful. No longer fearing they might injure one another, they unleashed their full arsenals without reservation.

Song Wanning went a step further, directly summoning the Nine Heavens Divine Thunder to rain down strike after strike.

This technique was the monsters’ bane, annihilating them with incredible speed. However, it also consumed an immense amount of Spiritual Power and wasn’t a sustainable strategy.

"Conserve your Spiritual Power!"

Liu Xingzhi warned her with a low shout, his own attacks growing even more ruthless.

It was good that Song Wanning possessed such strength, but he feared she would deplete her Spiritual Power too quickly. If that happened, they wouldn’t even be able to escape.

"I know."

Song Wanning replied in a low voice, slightly reining in her attacks.

...

「At Lan Garden」

The Shopkeeper received a message via Communication Talisman, and her expression turned terrifyingly dark.

She never imagined that the two people who had visited a few days ago were spies—and that the woman was the renowned Song Wanning!

The Shopkeeper’s face fell. She rushed to the isolation chamber to inspect herself.

Sure enough, she found traces of a medicinal powder on her body. It was so faint she had nearly missed it, but the isolation chamber, equipped with her Master’s tools, was no ordinary room—it was specifically designed to detect these kinds of schemes!

’So, they dared to plot against me!’

The Shopkeeper nearly crushed the Elixir Bottle in her hand, a vicious glint flashing in her eyes.

’I almost fell for her trick!’

’If my Master hadn’t warned me, I still wouldn’t know I’d been exposed. I’d probably still be sitting here like an idiot, waiting for them to go feed the monsters!’

’Song Wanning, is it? How dare she play me for a fool. She must have a death wish! I’ll make her pay!’

The Shopkeeper immediately replied to her Master’s message, preparing to lead a party to hunt down and kill Song Wanning.

"Master, Song Wanning has gone too far! I must kill her with my own hands, or this hatred in my heart will never be quelled!"

The Shopkeeper’s face was a mask of savagery. Her aura surged, soon revealing her true Cultivation at the Mahayana Realm.

’I have a treasure from my Master that can conceal my true Cultivation. Not even Song Wanning and her lot could see through it!’

But her Master quickly extinguished her fighting spirit.

"Do not engage her. You are no match for her!"

The Master’s voice was grave, filled with a deep apprehension toward Song Wanning.

"Master, those old fools from the Huo Family died because they let their guard down. If I am just a bit more careful, I can definitely take down Song Wanning!"

The Shopkeeper was unconvinced. Her power was first-rate; there was no way Song Wanning could be her match.

"They underestimated their enemy. Are you not doing the same?"

The Master sounded exasperated with the Shopkeeper. Her words were a blatant contradiction.

The Shopkeeper fell silent, but deep down, she was still filled with confidence.

However, she would never disobey her Master’s orders, much less dare to argue.

"Enough. I will handle this matter. Your most urgent task right now is to wipe Lan Garden clean. You cannot allow anyone to find the slightest clue!"

"For the time being, stay out of sight. Find a place to enter secluded cultivation."

The Master’s words were an undeniable command, leaving the Shopkeeper feeling deeply frustrated.

’I’ve run Lan Garden for over a hundred years... and I have to shut it down just because of them?’

’Isn’t this an overreaction?’

"What do you understand? It is not just Song Wanning. Other powers have their eyes on Lan Garden as well!"

"My plan is on the verge of success. I will not permit any accidents."

"Do you understand?"

Even through the Communication Talisman, the Shopkeeper felt a terrifying pressure that made her face pale.

"I understand, Master!"

Not daring to hesitate for another moment, she immediately left the secret chamber and began carrying out her Master’s instructions.

「The next morning」

The people of the city were dumbfounded.

Lan Garden, which had been holding an auction just a few days prior, had vanished into thin air overnight.

It had truly vanished—the entire building was gone.

It was as if they had scraped the very land it stood on clean.

"What’s going on? Where is Lan Garden?"

"I have no idea! I was just there yesterday buying something. It was perfectly fine!"

"Damn it! I had items consigned for auction at Lan Garden! Did they just take the money and run?!"

"Maybe they ran into someone seeking revenge?"

"I didn’t hear a thing last night. How could it be revenge? I say they took the money and ran on purpose!"

The crowd was furious. Many of them had consigned items for auction at Lan Garden, and its sudden disappearance had caught them completely off guard.

As struggling Loose Cultivators, it wasn’t easy for them to come by valuable items. Who could stand having them stolen just like that?

For a time, all the cheated Cultivators began searching for any trace of Lan Garden, but their efforts were fruitless.

...

SPURT—

As the last monster fell, Song Wanning was left with little strength.

She drew back her Longsword. Its tip was drenched in blood that splattered to the ground. DRIP. DRIP. DRIP.

Liu Xingzhi hovered in mid-air, confirming that every monster had been dealt with before he descended.

Both of their faces were pale. For a full day and night, they had been fighting nonstop.

If not for Song Wanning’s ample supply of Elixir Pills, the two of them would have fled long ago.

Surrounded by innumerable monster corpses, the heavy stench of blood was all they could smell.

The sight of intermingled red and black as far as the eye could see was deeply unsettling.

After a moment of silence, Liu Xingzhi began to clean up the battlefield.

The Golden Small Sword and her other small companions flew wearily back to Song Wanning’s shoulder, all their usual vitality gone.

"Sister, that was so scary! There were so many monsters!"

"I was so afraid more would just keep coming after we killed them all!"