The charming widow of the Marquis's mansion: The stable boy carries the flag and raises the dra

The man in black's voice changed slightly, and even the short blade in his hand unconsciously drooped a little. His confidence and arrogance had long since vanished.

His companions behind him didn't dare to move at all. They had been forced to kneel on the ground by the aura released by Ye Niannu, and the weapons they were holding were trembling slightly.

Wang Long didn't waste any words with him. He raised his hand and guided the Heavenly Gang Sword Light in an arc through the air, landing precisely on the black-clad man's short blade.

The short blade flew out of his hand, twirled several times in the air, and stuck into the soil several feet away with a dull thud.

Immediately afterwards, a golden sword of spiritual energy condensed and took shape, passing through the black-clad man's dantian and precisely piercing the core of his spiritual power.

There was no blood, no external wounds, but the man in black seemed to have his spine removed; his legs went weak, and he suddenly knelt on the ground, letting out a suppressed roar.

He braced himself on the ground with both hands, his whole body trembling violently, veins bulging on his forehead, and his face turning ashen white in an instant.

With his dantian destroyed and his spiritual power dissipated, the emptiness and excruciating pain surging from the depths of his body made it impossible for him to utter complete sentences; he could only let out muffled whimpers.

"You...you've destroyed my cultivation..."

His voice was hoarse and desperate, filled with barely suppressed anger and fear.

He looked up at Wang Long's calm and expressionless face, and his whole body trembled even more violently.

"I am a member of the Central Plains Holy Land! If you dare to kill me, the Holy Land will not let you off! You are but a mere Saint Realm cultivator; even with the assistance of a Supreme Realm expert, you cannot withstand the wrath of the Holy Land!"

Wang Long looked at him coldly, as if he were looking at a fool.

Regardless of whether it's the Central Plains Holy Land or even if the Great Emperor himself came, he'd have to behave himself here.

He walked up to the other person, looking down at the face that was contorted with pain and fear. After a moment, he spoke calmly.

"The Holy Land of Central Plains? What are you doing in the Great Qian Dynasty?"

The man in black gritted his teeth, still trying to maintain his dignity with the last bit of stubbornness, but his trembling body and unfocused eyes had already betrayed him.

He remained silent for a few moments before speaking in a hoarse and intermittent voice.

"We were just following orders...we don't know the specific reasons..."

"Not sure?"

Wang Long's voice remained calm, yet it carried an undeniable sense of pressure.

The man in black trembled even more violently, making muffled sounds in his throat, as if he wanted to say something, or as if something was blocking his throat.

After a long while, he managed to squeeze out a complete sentence.

"All I know is that... these cracks didn't just seep in from the outside; they existed in this space all along."

"The cracks already existed; our artifacts merely activated them, causing them to manifest prematurely. As for why we chose Daqian... I truly don't know. All that was said above was that this place is the easiest to loosen."

He raised his head and looked at Wang Long, his eyes filled with an almost humble plea.

"That's all I know... Killing me won't do you any good."

Wang Long stared at him silently for a while, making sure there was no obvious flickering or evasion in his gaze before slowly withdrawing his gaze.

"You are still useful, so I will spare your life for now."

He raised his hand, and a golden aura, like an invisible rope, bound the man in black along with his limp companions, forming a tight spiritual energy cage.

He then picked it up and stuffed it into the specially designed isolated space in the storage ring.

After doing all this, Wang Long turned and walked towards the rock that had been eroded by the formation.

The dark blue patterns had completely disappeared, but a layer of fine energy traces remained on the surface of the rock, like scorch marks, and felt strangely warm to the touch.

Wang Long squatted down, gently touched the surface of the rock with his fingertips, and remained silent for a moment.

Ye Niannu walked to his side, looked down at the rock, and spoke softly.

"What they mean by the cracks already existing is that these cracks were not opened temporarily, but rather that they activated the vulnerable nodes that were already there in advance through some means."

Wang Long nodded.

"I guessed so. That would explain why there are more and more cracks lately, not just in Daqian, but in various states in the Eastern Region. There must be a big plan behind this."

Ye Niannu's expression was solemn.

"The Holy Land of Central Plains... those people are far away from us, yet their reach is so far."

Wang Long didn't reply. He stood up and glanced at the cleaned-up mountain valley.

Dusk had completely fallen, and a mountain breeze swept by, dispersing the last trace of spiritual energy left from the battle into the night.

"Let's go. The rift won't open from here again for now. Have General Zhao strengthen patrols of the northern mountains. If any similar suspicious traces are found again, report it immediately."

Xiao Qiu slowly descended from the sky, and Wang Long and Ye Niannu leaped onto its broad back.

The golden figure soared into the sky once more, cutting through the deepening night, and flew towards Canglang Pass.

The garrison at Canglang Pass remained in place, waiting.

When Wang Long's figure reappeared above the city wall, a long-suppressed cheer erupted from the city wall.

Zhao Wudi, accompanied by several generals, quickly approached. His gaze fell on Wang Long, and only after confirming that he was unharmed did he breathe a long sigh of relief.

"Sir, is there anything unusual in the mountains to the north?"

"It's been fixed, and no new cracks will appear from that location for the time being."

Wang Long didn't elaborate; he was just a minor general, not even a member of the Great Qian Dynasty.

The Central Plains and the Holy Land were too far away for him.

Wang Long patted Zhao Wudi on the shoulder.

"Hold the pass first. If there is any further abnormality, send a message to the capital immediately. There are corresponding demon-hunting teams there that can provide support."

Zhao Wudi quickly clasped his hands in agreement.

Then Wang Long and Ye Niannu jumped onto Xiao Qiu's back and sped away into the distance.

"My lord, where are we going?"

Ye Niannu looked in the direction Xiao Qiu was heading and asked in confusion.

"Naturally, it's Tianque City!"

Wang Long gazed into the distance and murmured.

This matter concerns the Central Plains Holy Land, and it's not something he, a mere Holy Realm cultivator, can resolve. Song Tiange must be informed.

Knowing it a moment earlier could have saved many lives.

The cold winds of the northern border of the Great Qian still howled behind them, but Wang Long and Ye Niannu had already ridden Xiao Qiu through layers of clouds.

Golden wings broke through the morning mist and flew towards the core of the Eastern Region.

"My lord, what do you think Lord Song's reaction will be when he hears this news?"

Ye Niannu leaned on Wang Long's shoulder, her fingertips twirling her black hair, her tone casual yet serious.

Wang Long gazed at the churning clouds ahead and remained silent for a moment.

"He should have noticed it long ago. The cracks were appearing more and more frequently. As the central hub of the Eastern Region, Tianque City couldn't have been unaware of it."

"But this artificial activation... I'm afraid this is the first time he's ever heard of it."