SSS-level catastrophe? That's my wife!

He continued strolling leisurely southward, a hint of seriousness hidden in his low voice: "Brother, they've really hidden themselves well."

"When we first arrived at the mountain range, those three auras of high-level seventh-tier cultivators..."

"Could it also be a force under the kingdom's control?"

"Let's hurry up and catch up with him."

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure blurred into the night, speeding towards the outer center.

Southern end of the Hidden Dragon Mountains.

Lin Mu, dressed in a black robe and wearing a white mask, was traveling north at full speed.

The gray-robed guards along the way were frozen solid in an instant without sensing any hostility, and eventually turned into ice crystal powder that dissipated in the wind.

Lin Mu's gaze swept across the mountains, but a sense of unease welled up in his heart: "Such dense guards must be the kingdom's headquarters."

He immediately shook his head and chuckled, trying to suppress the inexplicable anxiety: "You're overthinking it. Even against the envoy of the State, the two of us could certainly put up a fight."

Even if we are outmatched, self-preservation shouldn't be a problem.

Halfway up the mountain.

The woman with the blood-red mask did not accompany the three kings to Zhenbei City.

She wanted to go home first to prepare breakfast for her husband before going to fulfill her promise.

In her eyes, the trip to Zhenbei City was nothing more than a final farewell.

If the Red King were truly alive, she would consider joining forces with the kingdom to destroy the enemy.

After all, she knew better than anyone the harm that the SSS-level Calamity King posed to the world.

Her black outfit accentuated her graceful figure as she walked lightly down the mountain, a gentle smile always on her lips, murmuring softly:

"My son and daughter are becoming more and more successful, especially Yan Yan, who can even say that she wants to protect her family."

At this point, she couldn't help but laugh out loud, her eyes almost overflowing with warmth: "Yan Yan is so cute... but the most unexpected thing is still the son."

"Everyone outside says that Zhen'e Court is a dying candle, so it's barely believable that they would recruit an Awakened One with no real strength."

"But I know that the head of Zhen'e Court is still alive. As long as he is, Zhen'e Court is still the Zhen'e Court before the final battle. How could he allow someone like my son to enter?"

Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, sensing that something was amiss, yet she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She could only sigh helplessly, "Alas... I truly hope you will always remain carefree ordinary people, forever peaceful and happy, and never be tainted by the darkness of this world."

"Especially for my son, meeting such a beautiful and well-behaved girl like Nianhe is an incredible surprise..."

"I wonder what that silly kid is doing right now?"

"Do you keep in frequent contact with Nianhe?"

As she spoke, her expression grew even more joyful, as if she could already see the future: "I really look forward to them getting married soon, and having lots of kids. If you can't manage, Mom will help you take care of them. Mom loves kids so much!"

As soon as she finished speaking, her figure flashed into the night and sped down the mountain.

……

Lower half of the mountain

A group of gray-robed guards paced along the mountain path, their eyes filled with growing doubt as the shift change time passed.

The people changing shifts down the mountain should have arrived long ago; did they all oversleep?

They gripped the weapons at their waists, exchanged uneasy glances, and their Adam's apples bobbed involuntarily.

"Whoosh—"

A figure imbued with the aura of a mid-seventh-tier cultivator suddenly landed, the hem of his gray robe sweeping across the pebbles on the ground, making a soft rustling sound.

The guards froze, immediately kneeling on one knee and shouting in unison, "Elder Guan!"

Guan You's sinister face remained expressionless; he merely nodded coldly and strode forward, his low muttering echoing in the night wind: "Why did the Envoy and Lord Qing insist on leaving me in this wretched mountain range?"

"Could it be that my strength, at the mid-seventh tier, is not enough to impress them?"

He abruptly stopped, chuckled, and a hint of arrogance flashed in his eyes.

That was absolute confidence in his own strength, as if everything in the world should grovel at his feet.

"I, Guan You, will surely become the strongest being in this world!"

"At that time, I'll be the one to set all the rules!"

The voice just fell,

"boom--"

An extreme icy domain suddenly swept in, instantly freezing the air into icy mist!

Guan You's pupils contracted sharply, and his blood seemed to freeze instantly.

Before they could react, they found themselves completely encased in a layer of transparent ice, becoming a human-shaped ice sculpture.

He mustered his last strength to open his eyes a crack, only to see a black shovel gleaming coldly in the moonlight, hurtling straight toward his face!

"Bang!"

The shovel fell, and blood mixed with ice shards splattered out, shattering the ice sculpture with a crash.

The guards not far away turned into countless ice crystals the moment they were frozen, and disappeared into the night wind.

Two figures in black robes walked side by side to Guan You's corpse.

One of them, carrying a shovel, said with a mocking tone, "Brother, this guy is really funny. He claims to be the strongest in the world. He's probably drunk some fake alcohol."

Shovel shrugged and fired off a series of questions: "So, the three people I encountered when I arrived were three of the Four Kings?"

"But why is one missing?"

"Also, what are they going to do after leaving the Hidden Dragon Mountains at this time?"

Lin Mu frowned and fell into a brief moment of contemplation.

A hint of seriousness flashed in his eyes, as if he were untangling a jumble of clues. He then said in a deep voice, "Could it be... that the kingdom is planning something big today?"

He looked up at the mountain peak, the moonlight shining on his mask: "We've come this far, let's explore the depths of the mountains first."

The man with the shovel grinned憨厚ly, his dark face radiating arrogance: "Fine, you name who you want to mess with, and I'll mess with them!"

"If I really encountered the envoy who protects the nation, I'd give him a good thrashing with a shovel!"

As soon as they finished speaking, the two of them dashed towards the mountain peak like two bolts of lightning.

The gray-robed guards along the way were instantly wiped out before they could even cry out in alarm, their blood staining the rubble beneath their feet.

They stopped in their tracks at the same time when they came to a wide-open mountain area.

Not far ahead.

A woman dressed in black, wearing a blood-red mask, stood still, the moonlight outlining her slender yet upright figure.

She also paused slightly, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes beneath the blood-red mask.

"It's you again."

Lin Mu and the woman spoke in unison.

"Um?"

Tieqiao's eyes widened in surprise. He leaned close to Lin Mu's ear and whispered, "So, brother? Is he friend or foe? Should we take his picture?"

The woman suddenly chuckled, her clear, cold voice becoming hoarse as it came through the blood-red mask: "What a coincidence, Chief of the Zhen'e Court, the White Reaper, we meet again."

As soon as she finished speaking, her delicate hand was already lightly gripping the hilt of the sword, the blade seemingly ready to burst from its sheath at any moment and slash at the two of them.

Lin Mu looked up at her, his voice deep and resonant as it came through the mask: "You got away last time, but you won't be so lucky this time."

"I'm only giving you one chance to live. Tell me your identity, and... whether the people behind the kingdom are here."

He paused, then added in a deep voice, "In the last battle, I believed you still had a conscience."

"Therefore, life and death are a choice you make."