If Situ Jingyan had been hiding in the shadows, he could have easily subdued the middle-aged man and prevented him from escaping in that instant. However, he did not do so and instead watched helplessly as the man fled.
Seeing Shen Qianmo's puzzled look, Situ Jingyan did not reply, but looked at Shen Qianmo with a half-smile and said quietly, "Letting the tiger return to the mountain may not necessarily be a bad thing."
A look of understanding flashed in Shen Qianmo's dark eyes. So that's how it is. Situ Jingyan wanted to deliberately let this middle-aged man go, firstly to warn Southern Xinjiang not to act rashly by showing him his serious injuries, and secondly to use this middle-aged man to find the people of the Southern Xinjiang Holy Clan.
"Did Shengge follow?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and asked. The Southern Border Holy Clan's techniques were unpredictable; they could temporarily conceal one's form, but not indefinitely. Moreover, the man had just been injured by her and was bleeding profusely. Even if one could conceal their form, the bloodstains would be difficult to hide.
"Hmm. The Southern Frontier Holy Clan is not simple. Let's follow them and see." Situ Jingyan frowned slightly. The people of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan are skilled in martial arts, and it might not be safe for Shengge to follow them alone.
Shen Qianmo nodded and followed Situ Jingyan, following the marks left by Shengge.
A unique mark of the Demon Palace. Only those within the Demon Palace can decipher it. It is used within the Demon Palace for tracking and communication with fellow disciples. Shengge's mark was left in extreme haste, demonstrating the extraordinary speed of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan.
Following the mark, they arrived at a secluded valley and saw a black figure standing outside the valley.
"Shengge?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow and looked at Shengge. They had already reached the valley, so why hadn't they gone in? Had she lost track of her here?! Impossible. With Shengge's martial arts skills, how could she not keep up with an injured person?
When Shengge saw that it was Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan, a trace of solemnity appeared on her cold face. She said, "I followed them all the way here. That man used that strange skill again, so I think he must have entered the valley."
"Then why not go in?" Shen Qianmo looked at the valley, which looked very ordinary and seemed to have nothing special about it.
"The valley entrance is filled with miasma," Sheng Ge said coldly, his eyes flashing. Miasma is a naturally occurring poison. There is no antidote; the only way is to hold your breath and enter. However, after holding his breath and walking for a long time, he found that the miasma seemed endless. After some thought, he decided to retreat for the time being.
Upon hearing Sheng Ge's words, Shen Qianmo naturally understood that this was no ordinary miasma, and it seemed to be quite substantial; otherwise, given Sheng Ge's skills, she wouldn't have been forced back by it. Since the people of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan were able to enter, they must have a way to deal with the miasma.
This valley must be the hiding place of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan. Do they think they can't be harmed because they rely on the natural miasma as a barrier?!
"Is there another entrance to this valley?" Shen Qianmo raised an eyebrow, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.
Shengge didn't understand Shen Qianmo's meaning, but she frowned and said with a slightly solemn expression, "There is no other entrance."
“Oh. So there’s no other way out.” Shen Qianmo pondered for a moment, a glint of light flashing in her dark eyes. She raised an eyebrow, her smile becoming even more enigmatic, and said with a hint of cunning, “Since we can’t get in, they can’t get out either.”
Upon hearing Shen Qianmo's words, a glint of light flashed in Situ Jingyan's dark eyes. He reached out and wrapped his arm around Shen Qianmo's slender waist, a wicked smile curving his lips. He gently stroked the tip of Shen Qianmo's nose, saying with a mixture of doting and praise, "My Mo'er is truly clever."
Hearing Situ Jingyan's words, Shen Qianmo was not pleased. Her dark eyes were unreadable, as if she was thinking about something. Suddenly, her eyes flashed and a smile appeared on her lips. "I suppose the Southern Frontier can't cure this poison of the Netherworld."
"Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs" is a secret poison of the Demon Palace. Those poisoned will slowly lose consciousness until death. Unlike ordinary poisons, it is not particularly vicious; rather, it is a poison that makes death more pleasant. Because this poison is not insidious, few in the martial arts world know of it, and since the Southern Frontier has little contact with the Central Plains, it is even less likely that anyone would know about "Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs."
"They got off too easy." Shen Qianmo's eyes sharpened, and a faint smile appeared on her lips.
Shengge immediately understood. Adding the poison of the Azure Heaven to the miasma in the valley, Shen Qianmo smiled with satisfaction, while a ruthless glint flashed in Situ Jingyan's dark eyes.
"How is it?" In the accommodation arranged by Nan Yue, Shen Qianmo sipped her tea while leisurely looking at Sheng Ge, and raised an eyebrow to ask.
"All thirty-seven members of the Southern Frontier Holy Clan died at the mouth of the valley." Sheng Ge said in detail, her face cold and expressionless.
Shen Qianmo's ruthless methods proved effective. The Southern Frontier Holy Clan members in the valley thought they could rest easy with the miasma acting as a natural barrier. They stayed inside for a day, planning to launch a sneak attack at night. However, they didn't expect that the miasma would be mixed with the Azure Netherworld, causing them to die without warning.
There was no hint of pride on her face. Shen Qianmo simply responded with a faint sound, her dark eyes revealing no emotion. She placed the teacup on the table and said with a serious expression, "Have you found detailed information about the Southern Frontier Holy Clan?"
"The Holy Clan of Southern Xinjiang worships the Holy Maiden and rules the Holy Son. Under the Holy Son are four kings. Under the four kings are nine protectors." Shengge reported the information she had gathered in detail, then frowned and said, "The group of people in the valley are just one king and his two protectors."
"So, there are also three kings and seven protectors?" Shen Qianmo's expression didn't show much surprise. If the Southern Border Holy Clan were really so easy to deal with, they wouldn't have been able to stand in the Southern Border for so many years.
Sheng Ge's expression remained unchanged as she replied, "That's right. I've heard that the Southern Border Holy Son's skills are unfathomable, and the skills of the Four Kings and Nine Protectors are all quite formidable. The one who fought the Palace Master a few days ago was only one of the Nine Protectors."
Shen Qianmo's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly. The middle-aged man who had fought her a few days ago, while not as skilled as her, was still quite adept. However, she hadn't expected him to be merely a protector, not even one of the Four Kings. The Four Kings' skills must be far more formidable, and the Holy Son was even more unfathomable.
"Can we find out their whereabouts?" Shen Qianmo gradually calmed down. She was indeed arrogant, but not blindly so. The power of the Southern Frontier should not be underestimated, and we must not be careless.
“Your subordinate is incompetent. The lineage of the Four Kings has been wiped out in the valley. The lineage of the Three Kings once appeared in the west of the South City. The other two kings seem to be following the Holy Son, leaving no trace of their whereabouts.” Sheng Ge’s cold, hard eyebrows furrowed slightly as she spoke slowly.
"Then let's focus on investigating the whereabouts of the three kings." Situ Jingyan tapped the table with his hand, his dark eyes like a deep pool, unfathomable, and his thin lips slowly curved upwards.
Shen Qianmo glanced at Situ Jingyan. They really were husband and wife. Just as she had thought. Since the Southern Border Holy Clan's movements were strange and their groups extremely scattered, it would be easier to investigate one lineage first and defeat them one by one.
"What's the situation in Tianmo?" Shen Qianmo glanced at Shengge, then looked up at Situ Jingyan. Her dark eyes showed no emotion, but Shen Qianmo could still see a hint of worry hidden within them. She raised an eyebrow and asked.
Situ Jingyan's dark eyes flickered slightly, the smile on his lips faded, and he tapped the table lightly, saying solemnly, "Yan Xiuling sent people to expose Jinghao's impersonation of me, but with Haoyue here, it shouldn't be a big problem."
Shen Qianmo had never witnessed Haoyue's abilities firsthand, but she had heard quite a bit about them over the years. Since Situ Jingyan trusted him so much, there shouldn't be any major problems.
Tianmo is now besieged on all sides, facing a direct confrontation with the southern frontier and the watchful eye of Linwei from behind. If not handled properly, it could fall into crisis.
"Will Jinghao be alright?" Shengge, who is usually taciturn and doesn't speak unless asked, always loses her composure when it comes to matters concerning Situ Jinghao, unlike her usual self.
"I believe Jinghao can handle it." Situ Jingyan's dark eyes were filled with a confident smile. He believed that Situ Jinghao could handle it, especially with Haoyue's help. There shouldn't be any problems.
At this moment, although there was no major chaos in the Tianmo Imperial Palace, it was not as smooth and peaceful as Situ Jingyan had imagined.
"What are your intentions, young lady?" A woman dressed in blue, her bright eyes filled with a misty haze, yet the probing gaze pierced through the mist, piercing directly at a woman in a light pink dress.
Her clear, watery eyes narrowed slightly as she looked at Haoyue with a hint of annoyance. This seemingly gentle and harmless man had repeatedly ruined her plans, leaving her still unsure whether the person impersonating Situ Jingyan was actually Situ Jinghao, let alone able to expose him. She bit her lip, saying with some irritation, "What business is it of yours what my intentions are?!"
"No matter what the young lady's intentions are, don't waste your time." Haoyue knew that he wouldn't get anything out of Qinglian by asking any further questions, and he could guess about seven or eight parts of Qinglian's thoughts.
The woman before him had an incredibly cute baby face and bright, clear eyes that seemed innocent and naive. However, she was quite cunning. If he hadn't been alert, he probably would have been taken advantage of by her long ago. This was the reason he was curious about her.
Hearing Haoyue's words, Qinglian felt a surge of anger. All that effort for nothing?! That wretched scholar, if he'd angered her, she'd just kill him with a single stroke before investigating this imposter Situ Jingyan.
However, this was just wishful thinking. After all, she didn't know the extent of Haoyue's martial arts skills. Although she silently cursed Haoyue as a pedantic scholar, she really wasn't confident in his abilities. Who could blame her? This guy always acted so mysteriously, his eyes always seeming shrouded in mist, making it impossible to see through his thoughts—it was truly infuriating!
Thinking of this, Qinglian stomped her foot angrily and said to Haoyue in a huff, "Then we'll see."
Haoyue looked at the woman before him with amusement. She was clearly an extremely intelligent and cautious person, so why did she get angry after just a few words? However, the way this woman looked when she was angry was rather endearing.
Everything at the Tianmo Imperial Palace is still ongoing, while the situation in the Southern City is escalating.