One of my fairy-like friends

However, she still agreed with Yue Qingying's idea. After all, if Mingyan knew what had happened between the three of them, he might not be able to accept it, especially since it wasn't the right time...

Hmm, before that, how can I leave an impression on Mingyan that surpasses Yue Qingying's?

Huang Feiyan was also troubled. She had no one to turn to for help. Her mother and aunt were far away in Dongzhou, and Mingyan would likely have to deal with Ning Feixuan's matter once he returned to Dongzhou. Once this matter was over, Mingyan would have to face his true self. So, by the time he returned to Dongzhou, it might be too late.

But if we're talking about close relatives, it seems like only my second aunt is involved. However, that would be like asking a tiger for its skin—it would come at a price. My second aunt clearly has ulterior motives towards Mingyan; she needs to make a move...

------------------

The four of them wandered around the tomb, which appeared to be a dragon's nest, for a long time before finally getting close to the core area.

Upon approaching this place, Mingyan clearly sensed that the atmosphere here was completely different from before, and somewhat oppressive.

Several more cultivators approached the area, their cultivation levels quite extraordinary. Most of them were at the full stage of Qi Sea, and there were even one or two at the Divine Palace stage. They were either geniuses from the Southern Continent or native geniuses of this sea region.

Ming Yan's group of four included two cultivators at the initial stage of the Divine Palace Realm, one at the initial stage of the Qi Sea Realm, and Feng Shiyi, whose cultivation level was completely unreadable. This combination was quite eye-catching, causing the cultivators who arrived later to watch them warily.

Gu Hanshuang arrived at the same place not long after. She did not linger and went straight into the core area alone, while sending a telepathic message to Ming Yan, "Be careful, there are other things in here besides us."

Mingyan frowned as he watched Gu Hanshuang's retreating figure, then quickly followed after her.

As soon as Gu Hanshuang moved, the others followed without hesitation.

After walking a few steps, Ming Yan saw Ning Zetian, who had also appeared, accompanied by two followers, a man and a woman, both of whom were handsome.

Ning Zetian himself was also extremely handsome and quite eye-catching in the crowd. His cultivation level was at the initial stage of the Divine Palace, which was comparable to that of An Canhui and Bei Mingni.

Mingyan glanced around, somewhat surprised to see Bei Mingni!

Indeed, it really was the Little Kunpeng King. Ming Yan was somewhat surprised. He and Yu Mudan appeared at the same time. Ming Yan saw that the Little Kunpeng King was staring at him intently, but he didn't pay much attention. He was completely different from before. He could fight the Little Kunpeng King without the Little Kunpeng King lowering his cultivation.

When Bei Mingni noticed that Ming Yan had noticed her, her eyes narrowed slightly, revealing a cold glint.

Speaking of which, Yu Mudan seemed to have mentioned that Bei Mingni had gone to cultivate in seclusion for a period of time in order to seek revenge, and must have grown stronger. Ming Yan narrowed his eyes. According to the other party's personality, he would most likely come to challenge him to a fight.

Mingyan withdrew his gaze and delved deeper into the core area.

The others followed, and the groups of people went deeper into the area. Suddenly, a huge space opened up before them!

The surrounding walls were dark brown and interconnected, leading to who-knows-where. In the very center of the space stood a stone statue, plain and unremarkable, without any patterns on it.

"Strange, could this really be some kind of tomb...?" Huang Feiyan wondered. "Besides the immortal medicine, the Panlong Ancient Tree, there don't seem to be any other rare and precious materials here... It's too empty... Or did someone arrive here before us and loot everything?"

Chapter 85 The Catfish in a Bellyband

The others also sensed something was slightly off. Gu Hanshuang frowned, carried her long sword on her back, stepped forward, walked to the stone statue, and placed her hand on it.

Several local cultivators' expressions changed slightly. "What are you doing?!"

Gu Hanshuang paused, turned her head to glance at the group of people, then placed her hand on the coffin lid in the stone chamber and pushed it hard.

The coffin emitted a dull creaking sound. Ming Yan frowned. Although Gu Han Shuang was proud, she wouldn't act rashly. It seemed she knew something.

The coffin lid was pushed open, and soon a crack appeared. Instantly, a golden light flashed out from it and sped towards a nearby passage. But Bei Ming Ni reacted quickly, appearing in front of the golden light in a flash and kicking it back. The golden light was hit and crashed heavily to the ground. When the light dissipated, it turned out to be a plump golden catfish!

The golden catfish was wearing a bib on its chest, dressed strangely, and had hands and feet. It seemed to be an incomplete human, probably a demon. Its cultivation was around the full stage of Qi Sea. It seemed to have been kicked by the Northern Nether Salamander and was dizzy. It groggily got up and was startled to see so many people around it. It immediately tried to run away again.

With a "whoosh," Gu Hanshuang drew her sword, aiming it directly at the golden catfish's brow. A violent sword intent surrounded the golden catfish, which was wearing a bib. The golden catfish immediately knelt down and begged for mercy, its voice sounding just like a child's, "Don't kill me! Don't kill me! I'll do anything! I'll say anything!"

The scene was somewhat eerie: a female swordswoman dressed in white was pointing her sword at a golden catfish with arms and legs, reaching about knee-high, and wearing a red bellyband...

It's really hard not to chuckle...

Ming Yan, who was standing next to him, twitched his lips and almost burst out laughing.

Yu Mudan couldn't help but smile at the slippery scene.

"Fish belly?!" Someone seemed to recognize the catfish and exclaimed in surprise, "What are you doing here?!"

Mingyan looked at the man, who seemed to be a local cultivator with a Qi Sea full stage cultivation.

However, the golden catfish ignored him and instead looked at Gu Hanshuang with a fawning expression, clasping its hands together. "Fairy sister, I am just a catfish who has wandered into this place by mistake. Please spare my life..."

"We can't let it go!" The cultivator who had just recognized the catfish stepped forward angrily. "This bastard stole my ancestor's grave! And he even stole his offerings! Please, fairy, hand it over to me, I want to tear it to pieces!"

The golden catfish wearing a bellyband trembled and said in a panic, "This, this fellow Daoist... you can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want. I have several catfish brothers, it must have been them. You've mistaken me for someone else!"

"Bullshit! You think I'd admit my mistake?!" The young cultivator was furious. He glared at the golden catfish, gritting his teeth and clenching his fists, as if he wanted to smash it to pieces with one punch!

Gu Hanshuang glanced at him and said, "What's the rush?"

Immediately, Gu Hanshuang turned her gaze to the golden catfish and said calmly, "I know you're hiding something. Hand it over, and I might consider sparing your life."

The golden catfish turned its head to look at the furious young cultivator beside it, its voice trembling slightly, "I...you...then you have to protect my safety..."

Gu Hanshuang pressed the tip of her sword against the golden catfish's brow. Faint golden blood seeped from the catfish's brow, and the catfish broke out in a cold sweat, feeling a chill run through its heart. "Do you think you have the right to bargain with me? I can only make sure I don't kill you, but how others treat you is none of my business. If you don't hand over the item, I'll take your fish life with one sword."

When the man heard Yu Nan make a request to Gu Han Shuang, his heart tightened. Although he was a local of the sea area and had never heard of Gu Han Shuang's reputation, his companion, who was at the Divine Realm, had told him that the female cultivator wielding the sword in front of him had extremely high cultivation and was very likely a cultivator at the full level of the Divine Realm. If she really intended to protect Yu Nan, it would be difficult for them to succeed.

The golden catfish with a bitter expression, nicknamed "Fish Belly," hesitated for a moment, and then a long spear appeared in its hand, its quality clearly exceptional.

"This is a sacred artifact, a weapon of a Saint-level expert." Someone's eyes lit up slightly. Even for powerful forces like theirs, the demand for sacred artifacts was considerable. Higher-level sacred artifacts, such as King-level or even Emperor-level artifacts, were generally not entrusted to the younger generation for fear of loss or theft. Moreover, the more powerful the weapon, the greater the consumption. But sacred artifacts were different. Not only were their strength ridiculously high for the younger generation, but their consumption was also just within their current tolerance level...

Of course, even though they are the holy sons and daughters of various powers, and even possess life, who would complain about having too many of such precious things?

Gu Hanshuang frowned, and after a moment of silence, the sword energy around her body subsided. After the fish was freed, it threw the sacred artifact in its hand into the crowd and immediately turned into golden light, trying to escape!

Upon seeing this, the other cultivators from the Southern Continent and the other cultivators from the local sea area immediately reached out to snatch it. The cultivators were of similar cultivation levels and began to fight!

Yu Mudan frowned, realizing something was wrong. Her cherry-colored eyes stared at the golden light she had just received. Suddenly, she made her move, and the laws around her body flickered. Hundreds of vines appeared out of thin air, blocking the surrounding passages. Yu Nan immediately sensed something was wrong! Her body shone with golden light, as if she wanted to use some secret technique.

But at that moment, Bei Mingni arrived! A Kunpeng-like phenomenon appeared behind him, immobilizing the fish belly. Just as he was about to capture it, Gu Hanshuang slashed with her sword, clean and swift, her sharp sword intent overwhelming! Unstoppable, Bei Mingni was forced to dodge, not daring to confront it head-on, and retreated in a sorry state.

Yu Mudan arrived at this moment, her eyes seemingly piercing the soul, and several halos appeared around her, enveloping her. She kicked Gu Hanshuang's longsword, and Gu Hanshuang's eyes sharpened. Her violent sword intent collided with the rainbow-like halo around Yu Mudan, and the violent aura spread out, startling the cultivators who were vying for the sacred artifact.

A cultivator from the Southern Continent was utterly shocked. Someone could actually fight Gu Han Shuang to a standstill, and even hold their own! How come I've never heard of such a person before?

Ning Zetian and his group, as well as Ming Yan and his group, seemed like outsiders.

Ning Zetian pondered for a moment, then immediately made his move. In a flash, his white figure appeared beside the newly freed fish, just as he was about to grab it. At that moment, the phenomenon of the Northern Netherworld Salamander and the Kunpeng appeared, transforming into a giant roc that swept across the sky! Ning Zetian remained calm, his black hair moving without wind. He simply raised his hand and blocked the attack from the Northern Netherworld Salamander. The two remained silent, but their actions showed no mercy. Ning Zetian's two followers did not step forward for the time being, but simply watched the scene unfold.

Huang Feiyan transmitted her voice to Mingyan, "What should we do? Whom should we help?"

"Don't rush." ​​Mingyan had already figured it out. Gu Hanshuang must have made some kind of deal with Yu Nan. So Yu Nan only took out a sacred artifact, and Gu Hanshuang released it. Yu Mudan also guessed this, so when she saw Yu Nan trying to escape, she immediately took action to stop him.

There must be some secret about this fish belly, and Gu Hanshuang knows it very well.

Apart from Ning Zetian's two followers and Ming Yan's group of four, everyone else was fighting together. Ning Zetian's two suitors were only at the Qi Sea stage and could not decide the battle situation. However, on Ming Yan's side, there was Ming Yan himself, a monster whose true combat strength far exceeded his cultivation level, as well as two people at the initial stage of the Divine Palace. If they intervened in the battle, they could almost play a decisive role. However, Ming Yan did not want to get involved too early.

He was waiting, waiting for either Gu Hanshuang or Yu Mudan to speak...

Gu Hanshuang and Yu Mudan were evenly matched, and the two fought for dozens of rounds without a clear winner. As for Ning Zetian and Bei Mingni, their strengths seemed to be roughly equal as well. Ming Yan frowned. Previously, Bei Mingni could fight to a draw with An Canhui, the so-called number one in Dongzhou. Now, after her training, Bei Mingni should be even stronger, but she still couldn't defeat Ning Zetian. Ning Zetian's true strength must be greater than An Canhui's!

Feng Shiyi peeked out from behind Ming Yan, looked at the fighting crowd, and blinked. "Why are they fighting?"

Mingyan turned to look at her and gently shook his head. "It's none of your business. Just watch the show."

Speaking of which, if it really came down to a fight, who could beat the guy behind him?

"Brother Ming, you haven't decided who to help yet?" At this moment, Gu Hanshuang finally transmitted her voice to Ming Yan, "I have reached an agreement with that catfish. If we let it out, it will hand over the treasure it finds to us. This treasure cannot be revealed in front of so many people, otherwise it will cause a lot of trouble."

She used the word "we," subtly conveying a sense of intimacy, which was already quite a concession. Moreover, her tone... Ming Yan frowned; this treasure was probably extremely valuable!

Ming Yan's lips curled up, and he replied telepathically, "Does Fairy Gu really think it will obediently hand over the treasure?"

"Of course it won't, but I'll give it an irresistible reason. I've left a mark on it, so it can't escape." Gu Hanshuang raised her sword and chopped the surrounding vines to shreds. Her sword energy soared into the sky, unstoppable, and her sword intent filled the heavens, enveloping the Jade Peony. While fighting, she transmitted her voice to Ming Yan.

At this moment, Yu Mudan also transmitted her voice, "What do you plan to do? Help me or help her?"

She was surrounded by a colorful halo. Gu Hanshuang's sharp sword energy had little effect when it touched these colorful halos. The vines that Gu Hanshuang cut would grow back. She did not confront Gu Hanshuang head-on, but was just stalling for time. Gu Hanshuang also did not seem to be using her full strength. Both of them were restraining themselves and did not want to fight to the death. They were waiting for Ming Yan's decision.

“I said before that it depends on what Fairy Yu thinks,” Mingyan replied. “Do you want Gu Hanshuang to kneel before you with resentment and unwillingness, or do you want her to kneel before you and beg you willingly?”

Yu Mudan was silent for a moment, then said, "How can I trust you?"

“Jade Fairy, have you ever heard the old saying? If you doubt someone, don’t use them; if you use someone, don’t doubt them. If you doubt me, you don’t need to agree. If you agree, then don’t doubt me anymore. I’ve said it before, the choice is in Jade Fairy’s hands.”

"...Heh, how about this? If you want me to trust you, it's very simple. Does Young Master Ming know about a recording stone?" Yu Mudan transmitted her voice again.

“Explain in detail.”

“I’ll play along with you for now, but you’ll need to record a message with me later so I can make sure you won’t betray me,” Yu Mudan said. “If you do betray me, I can give this message to Gu Hanshuang. Then you won’t be someone we’re both vying for, but rather an enemy we’re both looking at.”

Mingyan pondered for a moment, and finding no objection, agreed.

"That's settled then, you can help her now." Yu Mudan stopped transmitting her voice, and Ming Yan gave Gu Han Shuang a reply. He then transmitted his voice to Yue Qing Ying and Huang Fei Yan beside him, telling Feng Shi Yi to stay where she was for the time being. The three of them then went to meet her.

Both Yu Mudan and Gu Hanshuang frowned. Yu Mudan knew who Mingyan was there to help and that she was just pretending. Gu Hanshuang, however, was unsure who these three were there to help and was somewhat wary. She only breathed a sigh of relief after Mingyan sent her a telepathic message confirming that he would stand by her side.

A strange phenomenon of the sun and moon suddenly appeared behind Ming Yan, and Yu Mudan's movements immediately slowed down. She immediately retreated, no longer continuing to entangle with Gu Hanshuang. She immediately stepped back, frowning as she looked at Ming Yan and the others, "Brother Ming, what is the meaning of this?"

"Don't you understand? Compared to you, a cunning woman, Mingyan has chosen to stand on my side." Gu Hanshuang narrowed her eyes. Now that Mingyan was on her side, the balance of power was off. If it weren't for that golden catfish, it would be the perfect time to make a move... Heh.

Unburdened, the fish immediately tried to escape. Ning Zetian and Bei Mingni abandoned their fight and tried to stop it, but Gu Hanshuang slashed with her sword. The sword energy was too fast and too sharp! Seeing that it cut through the air and that any contact would cause injury, the two had no choice but to give up.

Although both wanted to keep the fish minnow, they were not of one mind. Bei Mingni did so because Yu Mudan gave the order, while Ning Zetian wanted to take advantage of the chaos to seize the fish minnow. However, at this time, Gu Hanshuang and Yu Mudan stopped fighting, so he naturally had no way to keep the fish minnow, otherwise he would have become the target of everyone's criticism.

The fish belly finally found its chance and escaped!

The local cultivator whose ancestral grave had been robbed was furious, but Gu Hanshuang was so strong that he couldn't beat her and could only dare to be angry but not speak out.

"Fairy Gu knew that the fish belly was hiding a treasure, yet she deliberately let it go... Was she trying to keep the treasure for herself?" Jade Peony chuckled. "But are you really sure it will share it with you?"

Gu Hanshuang calmly looked at the Jade Peony, "It clearly threw out its treasure just now, why does this fairy say that?"

Yu Mudan glanced at Ming Yan with a complicated expression, gave a soft snort, called Bei Ming Ni back, and turned to leave.

Before leaving, he sent a telepathic message to Mingyan, "Brother Ming, don't forget to give me some benefits."

Ming Yan remained outwardly calm, but inwardly he chuckled. He knew she wouldn't give up; to gain her trust, he really would have to offer her some benefits...

Gu Hanshuang looked around, glanced at Ming Yan, nodded, and chased after Yu Nan. Ming Yan and the others quickly followed, leaving only the Southern Continent cultivators and the local Sea Area cultivators behind. The two groups had not yet reached a conclusion regarding the Sacred Artifact.

Mingyan quickly caught up with Gu Hanshuang and transmitted his voice, "What treasure is that catfish hiding?"

“An Imperial Artifact,” Gu Hanshuang said calmly, “but it wasn’t a complete Imperial Artifact. Even so… if we had shown ourselves in front of others back then, we would probably have been hunted down when we returned to the Eastern Continent.”

Ming Yan's pupils contracted. What the hell? An Imperial Artifact?! No wonder Gu Han Shuang stopped pressing him for answers and instead planned to let the catfish leave first...

Imperial artifacts, especially unclaimed imperial artifacts like these... those would drive all cultivators crazy, even saints would be tempted! Which holy land or noble family wouldn't want another imperial artifact?

Chapter 86 Eating it grants magical power

"How did Fairy Gu know that it had obtained an imperial artifact?" Mingyan asked.