Chasing after her husband? Is it even possible to win him back?

"I must convince the people of Baidi City to believe in the stance of Longquan Sword Manor, and to believe in me..."

“You mean…” Ao Hanli’s expression shifted slightly as she realized something.

Chu Xunfeng didn't speak again, but turned to look at the dark night sky.

He has people who know him well when he gambles on the flying shuttle, such as Miss Xu Bailing, his senior brothers and sisters, his master Xu Jiujing, or even the leader of Baidi City.

---at the same time---

In the Chigu Basin, at the border of Yongzhou and Dizhou, a dozen or so young disciples from Baidi City, led by the Fourth Elder Jiang Shu and Xu Bailing, were fleeing towards Yongzhou.

Xu Bailing led eleven disciples to form a sword formation, looking after each other's backs, while Jiang Shu held the line behind the disciples' sword formation.

Xu Bailing, sword in hand, led the way, her gaze sweeping across the desolate, empty valley, her expression inexplicably blank.

About a quarter of an hour ago, the shuttle was suddenly attacked while flying over the basin. The shuttle itself was just a means of transportation. Although it had a certain defensive capability, it was not a magic weapon for attack. It was shot down by sword energy mixed with Yin energy after only a few seconds of resistance in the sky.

If Jiang Shu hadn't taken it, the shuttle would probably have been destroyed in mid-air.

Upon landing in the basin, the attackers quickly surrounded the city and launched an attack on Baidi City.

The disciples of Baidi City, wielding bizarre weapons emanating a sinister aura, and the wandering warriors, most of whom were at the Earth Profound Realm, were also present.

The missing disciples and wandering warriors of Baidi City have all become puppets controlled by the ghost soldiers.

Without time to think, the group could only form a battle formation and break through the encirclement, fleeing towards Yongzhou.

Xu Bailing looked back and saw that the disciples and wandering warriors controlled by the ghost soldiers were still clinging to her back. If it weren't for her mother leading the team, a bloody battle would have been inevitable.

At this moment, let alone whether their group could escape this basin valley, once they entered the territory of Yongzhou, who knew what else awaited them in that misty forest.

Not to mention, what will happen at the sword-tasting competition held by Longquan Sword Manor in Lancang City?

"Miss, don't get distracted, we're almost there." A low shout brought Xu Bailing back to her senses.

She turned to look at Yao Jiangshu beside her and nodded gently.

Xu Bailing turned her gaze away and looked straight ahead; the misty forest and sea of ​​trees were just ahead.

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Imposter

The Misty Forest is located at the border of Yongzhou and Dizhou. Its unique name alone shows that this forest is related to mist.

The Misty Forest and the Sea of ​​Trees not only meet at the border between the two provinces of Yong and Di, but to the north of the Misty Forest and the Sea of ​​Trees lies the Black Forest, which is occupied by the Ghost Clan.

However, the Misty Forest and the Black Forest are not directly connected; a desolate area separates them.

The perilous terrain that runs across the entire forest divides it into two parts, north and south: the Black Forest to the north and the Misty Forest Sea to the south, where Xu Bailing and the others are currently hiding.

No, it's less about hiding and more about...

"Master, those... those people didn't seem to pursue us after they drove us in." A woman who looked younger than Xu Bailing hid behind a big tree and spoke to Elder Jiang Shu with a relieved expression.

"Don't let your guard down. Just because they haven't caught up doesn't necessarily mean it's a good thing." Xu Bailing squinted and glanced at her junior sister. "The fog in the Misty Forest is thinnest at noon and thickest at midnight. It's almost the end of Hai hour now. Under these circumstances, I don't believe that group of people didn't set up an ambush in the forest. Don't let your guard down."

The girl, who had just rushed into the forest and breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the pursuers had not followed, turned pale.

“Little Bell is right. The Misty Forest is close to the Desolate Land, and there are definitely many unknown dangers within it.” Jiang Shu looked at the thick white mist gradually spreading in the forest, then turned to the disciples gathered around her and reassured them, “You don’t need to worry too much. With me here, nothing will happen.”

After Jiang Shu finished speaking, he glanced at his daughter's furrowed brows but said nothing more, instead urging the disciples to set off quickly.

"Miss, let's go." Seeing that Xu Bailing was still lost in thought, Yao Jiangshu tugged at Xu Bailing's sleeve and pulled the young lady back to her senses to catch up with the group. "What's wrong with you? It's not good to be in a daze like this."

"No... I have a feeling." Ever since the shuttle was attacked, Xu Bailing has been experiencing a lot of terrible emotions. She has a feeling that the events of the Autumn Hunting Gathering are happening right before her eyes.

The premonition was so obvious that she would frequently reach out and touch the "Heavenly Horizon" pendant hanging around her neck, which had been activated once but had lost its effectiveness.

Last time, in the Southern Wilderness Mountains, she was teleported to the territory of the White Tiger God. If Chu Xunfeng hadn't been with her, she probably would have died at the hands of the White Tiger God.

But this time... Chu Xunfeng is not here.

"How do you feel?" Yao Jiangshu raised an eyebrow, looking at Xu Bailing's somewhat gloomy expression, and her expression also became serious.

“Just like the autumn hunt, the same forest, the same attack. Although many places are different, the feeling is very similar, like a sack being tightly bound. Only this time... it was much more dangerous than last time.” Xu Bailing’s fingers traced the thickening white mist in the air, and the stirred mist dispersed a little. Xu Bailing suddenly stopped.

Before she could even take a closer look, her earlier momentary perception seemed like an illusion; the distant tree shadows remained just tree shadows, with no human figure in sight.

"Alert!" Xu Bailing's low shout put everyone on high alert.

The sword formation was instantly completed, with the disciples of White Emperor City standing back to back, wary of any possible attacks that might occur from within the thick white fog.

However, nothing happened.

"Little Bell?" Jiang Shu looked at her daughter.

"I just saw a fleeting figure. They're probably trying to test our patience," Xu Bailing whispered in response to her mother's question. "We must be careful."

"Hmm." Jiang Shu's gaze swept over the gathered disciples, and after seeing their expressions of understanding, she said nothing more.

After a short rest, the group from Baidi City set off again towards Yongzhou.

During the rest of the journey, the fleeting figure appeared several times, but the group, who were already prepared, patiently formed a defensive formation and successfully resisted the harassment time and time again.

However, regardless of the figures that appeared time and time again, or the disciples of Baidi City who formed formations time and time again, they all knew in their hearts that this matter was nothing more than a minor skirmish.

The dense fog in the misty forest had not yet fully erupted, and the missing disciples of White Emperor City, who were controlled by the ghost soldiers, were still nowhere to be found. The frequent appearances of figures were merely harassment, only trying to wear down the group's mental energy.

"How long until midnight?" Xu Bailing asked.

"At most, there's still half an hour left." Yao Jiangshu lowered her sword stance and sighed softly.

"We've only covered one-fifth of the distance, maybe even less." Jiang Shu squinted. "Be prepared..."

Before Jiang Shu could finish speaking, the faint humming of swords and blades in the thick fog interrupted her. A heavy footstep, treading on the damp earth, silently approached from behind the group.

Faint human figures appeared and disappeared in the white mist.

And... a second set of footsteps followed closely behind.

The fog grew thicker as midnight approached, and the sound of footsteps and the leaden figures in the fog weighed heavily on the hearts of everyone in Baidi City.

"Don't rush." ​​Just as Jiang Shu was about to speak and tell everyone to run away, Xu Bailing suddenly spoke up, "They're not getting close, let's slowly retreat."

"Little Bell." Jiang Shu was starting to feel the pressure. After all, among the missing wandering warriors were several Earth Profound Realm cultivators. If a fight really broke out, she probably wouldn't be able to stop them.

"Listen to me, retreat slowly, step by step." Xu Bailing was unusually calm at this moment. If everyone fled now, they would definitely expose a weakness and be defeated one by one. If it were Chu Xunfeng... if it were him...

How would he think?

What will you consider?

With lightning speed, Xu Bailing figured something out after a brief moment of thought. She pulled Yao Jiangshu back little by little, rapidly explaining her guess, "If these fellow disciples wielding strange weapons could really surround and kill us, the people hiding behind them wouldn't have needed to go through the trouble of driving us into the misty forest. They already made their move in the basin valley. The dense fog here treats everyone equally and won't show any mercy to the mastermind behind the scenes."

“These people are just a pretext to put pressure on us, serving the same purpose as those figures that kept appearing before.”

"What they want is for us to panic, then stretch out our ranks to force us to create openings, separate us, and finally defeat us one by one."

Xu Bailing's analysis was very convincing. Everyone followed Xu Bailing's steps and retreated little by little. The figure in the thick fog also followed step by step without attacking or killing the people of Baidi City.

Everyone calmed down by then, but a voice suddenly rang out from within the thick fog.

"Very good analysis, almost all of which hit the nail on the head."

"Impressive! Should I applaud you, Xu Bailing from Baidi City?"

Xu Bailing froze in the crowd.

Because the male voice that rang out from the thick fog was Chu Xunfeng's voice.

The worst guess seems to have come true.

Chapter Thirty-Four: The Attackers

In the thick fog, the voice, tinged with laughter, seemed to come from all directions, making it impossible to pinpoint the speaker's exact location.

Among the crowd, only two people recognized the voice. Xu Bailing suppressed the emotions surging in her heart and forced herself to calm down. She turned her head and looked at Yao Jiangshu beside her.

Yao Jiangshu also recognized the voice and subconsciously turned to look at Xu Bailing. The two exchanged a glance and both sensed the other's attitude.

doubt.

Jiang Shu, who was surrounded by the sword formation, frowned slightly. She only had a vague memory of Chu Xunfeng's voice and had not yet matched this strangely familiar voice with a specific person.

"What, do you find it strange?" Chu Xunfeng's voice rang out again. "You think I wouldn't do such a thing?"

His solitary laughter only deepened the two women's suspicions.

"Since you dare to speak up! Why don't you dare to show your face and confront me? You're such a despicable person!" Jiang Shu uttered these angry words, stirring up her wind-elemental spiritual energy, seemingly trying to disperse the boundless thick fog.

The white mist suddenly surged, and with the raging wind, a small area centered on the sword formation instantly dispersed. Jiang Shu immediately looked at the shadowy figures following behind the group.

They were indeed men and women dressed in the uniforms of the White Emperor City disciples. Each of them held a sword with wisps of Yin energy emanating from it. Their expressions were blank and their faces were expressionless, as if they had no consciousness. They were like living dolls.

Just as Jiang Shu was observing what was behind him, the disciples who had formed a sword formation were also looking around, seemingly trying to catch the person who had not yet appeared, who was hiding in the thick fog.

However, the area where the white fog was dispersed was not large at all, only a few feet in size visible to the naked eye. The thick fog further out was not stirred up by the gale at all, and even the dispersed fog gradually gathered over, as if it was about to engulf the group.

It is now midnight.

Just as the thick fog was about to dissipate and everyone was on guard, a cold blade suddenly appeared in the fog and struck the youngest disciple in the sword formation.

The junior sister's expression changed, and she withdrew and retreated, while her left and right sides, with a sword and a saber, simultaneously parried the dagger hidden in the mist.

The sword, sharpened by the cold edge, struck the dagger with the blade. The senior brother wielding the blade missed his target, merely causing the thick fog to churn. The senior sister beside the junior sister, who was holding a sword, blocked the dagger but could only watch helplessly as the dagger, having missed its target, rapidly retreated back into the thick fog.