After nine lifetimes of reincarnation, the yandere villainous heroine descends.

"stop!"

An aged, rebuking voice suddenly came from afar, carrying an undeniable air of authority.

Immediately afterwards, a figure in a gray robe stepped through the air, his beard and hair were all white, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's.

Seeing the perilous situation, his brows furrowed instantly, and he was about to intervene.

Facing the golden spear aimed directly at his face, Lu Wanheng's eyes remained calm and undisturbed.

A clear, cold voice came through the roar of the flames, each word distinct: "They consider me number one simply because I have never lost since I was born."

"Arrogant! Take this move from me first!"

Zhan Qianyuan roared, urging the golden figure to press the spear even lower, the intense heat almost burning cracks in the space.

Lu Wanheng slowly raised his arm, extended only one finger, and gently touched the hundred-foot golden spear that was hurtling through the air.

In an instant, the atmosphere between heaven and earth suddenly froze, and even the flow of time seemed to be slowed down by half a beat.

A wisp of pure white true energy bloomed from his fingertips, like an ice lotus just beginning to bloom, its clear light overflowing, and in an instant it spread wildly in all directions like a tide.

The raging flames that had just been burning the sky and scorching the ancient wilderness were completely swallowed up by a bone-chilling cold in the next moment.

Wherever the cold air passed, the golden flames in the sky extinguished and solidified at a speed visible to the naked eye, turning into specks of cold, broken light.

The surface of that imposing golden spear rapidly condensed layers of thick ice crystals, dimming its golden light and revealing the dark, cold spear shaft beneath.

Upon seeing this, Zhan Qianyuan's beautiful eyes narrowed suddenly, filled with shock.

She could clearly sense that the connection between her soul and that golden battle shadow was being frozen and severed inch by inch by this chilling aura.

"impossible……"

Before she could finish speaking, the panic in her eyes was replaced by an even stronger, overwhelming fighting spirit.

"Break it!"

Lu Wanheng's expression remained calm and unwavering, his fingertips still hovering in mid-air, his eyes indifferent and deep, like a bottomless, icy pool.

The spreading chill had already condensed into a frozen domain, completely trapping the golden battle shadow within.

Even the outside world was completely isolated by the biting cold emanating from this icy region.

Stop.

Upon seeing this, the gray-robed old man outside shouted loudly.

He was about to forcefully break through the ice zone.

But just as he was about to make his move, a violent roar suddenly erupted from the icy region.

"Bang!"

Within the icy domain, the hundred-foot-long golden spear shattered inch by inch in the frigid air, turning into countless golden dust particles that were scattered by the icy wind.

The golden figure, having lost its support, quickly faded and eventually vanished completely into the icy realm.

Zhan Qianyuan was struck as if by a heavy blow, coughing up blood and breathing heavily.

Lu Wanheng withdrew his fingertip, and the ice domain instantly vanished.

Looking at Zhan Qianyuan, she said coldly, "First place isn't something you fight for."

As soon as she finished speaking, Lu Wanheng stopped her attack. At this moment, her mind was full of Shen Shuchou, who had stepped into the desolate ancient land, and she had no intention of getting entangled with him anymore.

The seemingly easy crushing blow actually caused her internal energy to stagnate slightly, requiring a moment to adjust her breathing.

But the gray-robed elder had no intention of letting the matter rest. His gaze, sharp as a hawk's, was fixed on Lu Wanheng as he said in a deep voice, "The dignified Holy Maiden of Qingxuan is so arrogant, injuring my sect's Holy Maiden on the territory of my Burning Heaven Holy Land. Does she really think that Burning Heaven has no one to rely on?"

Lu Wanheng first glanced at Zhan Qianyuan, his tone laced with cold sarcasm: "What? The younger one can't beat you, so you have to call the older one to back you up? With this kind of behavior, you dare to argue with me?"

"you!"

Zhan Qianyuan choked and her face turned red.

"presumptuous!"

Seeing that Lu Wanheng was ignoring him, the old man in the gray robe shouted angrily.

"How dare you be so disrespectful to your elders? Is this the kind of disciple the Qingxuan Holy Land teaches? Today, I will teach you a lesson on behalf of your sect!"

Having said that, his aura surged, and he slightly raised his withered hand, ready to make a move.

Lu Wanheng's expression remained calm, but the coldness in his eyes deepened.

Just then, another calm voice suddenly rang out: "When did it become your place, the Burning Heaven Holy Land, to interfere with the Holy Maiden of Qingxuan?"

Before he could finish speaking, a figure in a green robe stood in front of Lu Wanheng; it was Elder Chen from the Qingxuan Holy Land.

His longsword was drawn with a "whoosh," its cold, sharp blade pointing directly at the gray-robed old man. The true energy flowing through the sword caused the surrounding air to tremble slightly.

"If it's time for a fight, my sword is just thirsty."

Elder Chen's beard and hair fluttered slightly.

Upon seeing the newcomer appear, the gray-robed elder abruptly halted his attack.

He recognized the person at a glance, and a hint of apprehension flashed across his face.

"What, you're too scared to make a move?"

Elder Chen sneered coldly.

"Since you dare not, then get lost. I will give you some face out of respect for the sake of you being Elder Burning Heaven."

"you!"

The old man in the gray robe was so angry that his face darkened.

"That's enough!"

Just then, another voice descended from the sky.

"You, as key figures of the two holy lands, are arguing and quarreling like children here. What kind of behavior is this?"

Before the speaker could even be seen, the entire room fell silent instantly.

Seeing this, the gray-robed elder could only grit his teeth and say coldly, "Chen Xuanfeng, this matter is not over!"

After saying that, he turned and left with Zhan Qianyuan beside him.

"A cowardly turtle."

Chen Xuanfeng scoffed dismissively.

He then turned to look at Lu Wanheng, his brows furrowing sharply: "Your Highness, what are you doing here?"

He was sent by his sect to lead a group of talented disciples to this place, but he never expected to meet Lu Wanheng here.

In his memory, this saintess was always aloof and detached from worldly affairs, residing in the Saintess Temple year-round and rarely stepping out of the mountain gate, let alone fighting with people from other holy lands.

Lu Wanheng didn't answer his question, but instead looked up at the barrier separating the inside from the outside: "How can we get in?"

Elder Chen followed her gaze to the desolate ancient land and shook his head helplessly: "The magic array here has already activated on its own, with strict rules. Only cultivators below the Nascent Soul Realm can enter. Apart from that, we can only wait for the magic array to dissipate on its own; there is no other way."

"When will that magic circle dissipate?"

Lu Wanheng continued to press, his voice calm yet carrying a compelling silence.

Chen Xuanfeng pondered for a moment, his expression grave: "No one can say for sure. It could last as short as three months, as long as half a year, or even more than a year."

Upon hearing this, Lu Wanheng remained silent.

The restrained chill emanating from him seemed to intensify due to the extended timeframe.

"Is the Holy Maiden worried about her disciples?"

Seeing this, Chen Xuanfeng quickly reassured them, "Don't worry, the people I selected this time are all exceptionally talented. They can protect themselves in such a dangerous situation and nothing will go wrong."

He changed the subject abruptly, as if suddenly remembering something, and asked with a hint of regret, "As for the Holy Maiden, why didn't you bring that brat Shen Shuchou along to broaden his horizons this time? I still regret not being able to take him as my disciple back then."

Upon hearing this, Lu Wanheng simply uttered three words: "He's inside."

Chen Xuanfeng was taken aback at first, then blurted out, "This kid... he's already at the Nascent Soul stage?"

"no."

Lu Wanheng's voice remained calm, but it made Chen Xuanfeng's heart sink.

"No?"

His brows furrowed instantly, and his tone became more urgent, "Not even a Nascent Soul cultivator? How could the Holy Maiden let him in?"

Chen Xuanfeng was really anxious.

Although this desolate ancient land restricts entry to those at the Nascent Soul stage, those who enter are all carefully selected Nascent Soul cultivators from various sects.

Those below the Nascent Soul stage are like lambs entering a tiger's den; forget about finding opportunities, just surviving is a stroke of luck.

In Chen Xuanfeng's heart, he had placed high hopes on Shen Shuchou since five years ago, believing that he would surely become a great man in the future.

If such a genius were to perish in this desolate ancient land, it would be a great loss to the Qingxuan Holy Land, and even more so for him.

Lu Wanheng lowered his eyes and remained silent. His usually cold heart was now both agitated and filled with regret.

She should have appeared and taken Shen Shuchou away back in Wang'an Town, but she was so engrossed in the subtle emotions of secretly spying that she never showed up.

"I will bring him out."

As soon as Lu Wanheng finished speaking, he was about to step forward.

Chen Xuanfeng hurriedly stepped in front of her and said in a deep voice, "Nonsense! Let's not even talk about whether you can break this formation. Even if you can, the various forces will never allow you to act so recklessly."

"At this point, we can only trust that kid. Don't worry, he'll be fine."

Even so, Chen Xuanfeng himself didn't have much confidence.

Five years ago, Shen Shuchou was indeed stunningly talented, but now, among the prodigies who have stepped into the desolate ancient land, which one is not a peerless genius?

Meanwhile, within the ancient, desolate land...

As soon as Shen Shuchou stepped inside, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

The world around him seemed to be isolated, all his senses became blurred and sluggish, and even his retreat was completely blocked by an invisible force.

What troubled Shen Shuchou the most was that he had clearly come in with Si Anhe.

But now Si Anhe was nowhere to be seen by his side, as if they had been teleported to different locations as soon as they entered this desolate ancient land.