Suppression From Wan-Er . . .
"You've been tailing me since my arrival," Cha Eun Xiao observed as he gazed at Ning Biluo. He furrowed his brows and questioned, "Why are you shadowing me? Wouldn't it be more prudent to monitor the Boundless Lake members?"
Ning Biluo's initial intent was indeed to surveil the Boundless Lake individuals. They were his sworn enemies. The Boundless Lake had relentlessly pursued him, even resorting to poisoning him, claiming that his assassination group had been obliterated, prompting martial factions to hunt him down. Had Cha Eun Xiao not crossed paths with him, Ning Biluo's fate would have likely been sealed long ago.
Ning Biluo harbored an intense and deeply rooted grudge against the Boundless Lake, motivating his presence here. Given that the Boundless Lake members were also in the vicinity, Cha Eun Xiao found it unsurprising that he was being followed. Nevertheless, the notion of anyone tailing him, especially the world's premier assassin, was discomfiting.
"Because you're in danger," Ning Biluo responded. "I owe you."
Perplexed, Cha Eun Xiao muttered, "Owe me what?" Then, realization dawned upon him. "Ah, I see. You do owe me a favor, don't you?"
"Anything, anytime. I'd give my life for it," Ning Biluo asserted solemnly.
"Very well," Cha Eun Xiao replied, taking a deep breath. "Given the current chaotic circumstances, having you at my side makes me significantly more confident."
Indeed, he felt more than merely confident. To Cha Eun Xiao, Ning Biluo appeared as a beacon of hope amid a blizzard of despair.
They proceeded back to the General's House. Cha Eun Xiao's intention was to formulate a plan to address the prevailing disturbances.
...
Meanwhile, in the east of the city, on the same night, Wan of the Clouds unexpectedly materialized. She glided like a ghost in white, entering the yard of a residence.
With unwavering authority, she announced, "Members of the Sunlight Sect, show yourselves and answer to me." Her voice, though melodious, resonated with indomitable power.
A brawny man inside the house bristled with anger, his stature towering. "Who is this woman, and where does she get the audacity to address us, members of the Sunlight Sect, in such a manner?" he thundered. "I'll wring her neck for this insolence!"
With an unrestrained rage, he kicked open the door and charged outside. Simultaneously, more than a dozen men emerged from various rooms, spilling into the yard.
Three of them cast their gaze upon the white-clad figure in the yard, their faces instantly losing color. However, the man who had just arrived a few days earlier was irate, unable to tolerate an affront to his sect. He stormed out in a blaze of fury. As an older man sought to caution him, it was already too late.
Wan-Er caught wind of the man's response, her eyes flashing with a tinge of madness. As her lithe figure surged into action, over a dozen white silhouettes darted toward the man with lightning speed.
Before the man could even react, a barrage of white shadows descended upon him. Sensing the perilous situation, he cried out, but it was too late. His hand had barely begun to wield the sword when he felt a grip on his wrist.
A sense of dread washed over him. He hastened to employ his martial skills, executing a kick in a desperate bid to break free from the restraint. If the woman refused to release him, she would bear the brunt of his kick. He believed she wouldn't be able to withstand it, after all, she was but a woman.
In most circumstances, the man's strategy would have been sound. He was on the right track and likely would have succeeded. However, this particular moment was a crucial exception.
As he launched the kick, he suddenly experienced a searing pain in his knee. A finger had plunged deep into it. Startled, he felt a tap against his face. The finger delivered a resounding slap to his cheek.
The force of the slap sent the man hurtling through the air, despite his sturdy build and towering stature. He executed a mid-air somersault before landing, catching a glimpse of the white-clad figure as it closed in on him. Before he even reached the ground, the figure had subjected him to over a dozen savage kicks.
Three brutal blows to the chest shattered his ribcage, while two strikes to the head caused him to spew blood. His legs were utterly mangled, and his ribs were reduced to splinters. The remainder of the kicks targeted his mouth, preventing him from emitting more than a muffled groan.
Evidently, Wan-Er was chastising him for his vulgar language, primarily concentrating her blows on his mouth.
— Boom! —
His body collided with the ground, spiraling across the floor. Blood oozed from his mouth, tinged with shards of broken teeth. Astonishingly, a Sky Origin Stage cultivator like him was unable to control his body's trajectory and was left writhing on the floor. He rolled toward the door and crashed into the stone steps. — Boom. — From there, he rebounded, ultimately lying on the ground, his agonized moans accompanied by an unmistakable look of terror in his eyes.
Cha Eun Xiao found himself in an utterly defenseless situation as he pondered, [Who is this woman? Why am I completely unable to retaliate?]
Wan-Er, in response, gave a disdainful snort and proceeded to tread on the man's body. Her voice dripped with coldness as she chastised, "Is this how the Sunlight Sect's disciples conduct themselves? It appears I must aid you in disciplining your men!"
One of the elderly disciples, bearing a white beard, quickly stepped forward and restrained the others in his sect. "Please, Lady Wan-Er, exhibit mercy. There's no need for any reckless actions. This is Lady Wan-Er from the House of the Chaotic Storms!"
Over a dozen highly skilled cultivators of the Sunlight Sect had gathered with the intent to confront and raise their voices, but they all came to an abrupt halt.
"Lady Wan-Er of the House of the Chaotic Storms!"
The name acted like a powerful enchantment, simultaneously causing all of them to abandon their combative intentions.
The elderly disciple with the white beard found himself drenched in a cold sweat. He had never anticipated that Wan of the Clouds would visit them following the humiliation they suffered during the auction.
[What could her intentions be? Is she here to obliterate us?]
"Wan of the Clouds."
That name resounded like thunder to every member of the Sunlight Sect.
Nine centuries earlier, Chang Qingzi, the top cultivator of the Sunlight Sect and the most distinguished cultivator in the Land of Han-Yang, had disparaged Wan of the Clouds with his words. At that time, Wan of the Clouds had been the same youthful girl she appeared to be now, only eighteen years of age. In a remarkable display of audacity, she had publicly challenged Chang Qingzi to a duel during the Sunlight Sect's one-thousand-year anniversary celebration. She had not only bested him but had also battered him to a pulp, leaving him looking like a battered pig's head!