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

One of them gritted his teeth, turned his head away, and did not answer.

The other person's lips moved twice, as if they wanted to say something, but in the end they just closed their eyes.

Zhao Heng was not annoyed by their attitude; he simply shook his head slightly.

"It doesn't matter if he doesn't say anything, he'll show up sooner or later anyway."

He raised his hand, and a beam of spiritual energy swept over the two of them, enveloping them, and the teleportation light quickly shone.

The bodies of the two Eastern Region disciples were engulfed by the light and quickly disappeared from the spot.

Wang Qingyan sheathed her sword, glanced at the two disappearing golden dots on the map, and then looked at the dense forest shrouded in night. Her tone carried an undisguised irritation.

"That Wang Long is really cunning. We still haven't found his exact location. He's slipping around like an eel."

Zhao Heng stood beside her, hands behind his back, his gaze piercing through the layers of tree shadows, looking towards the distant horizon dyed a deep gray by the night.

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable certainty.

"What's the rush? No matter how much he skis, he's still still on this battlefield."

"The flag-guarding team only has twenty-four flags in total. Eighteen have already been destroyed. Of the remaining six, we will be able to get five of them sooner or later. But the one he has..."

Zhao Heng paused, a very faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.

"I want to take that flag from him myself."

Wang Qingyan glanced at him sideways without replying, but the annoyance in her eyes was gradually replaced by a deeper, more profound light.

She slowly exhaled.

"Alright, once we catch that Wang Long, I'll make sure he sees how we're going to settle the score in the Spirit Realm."

Zhao Heng did not deny it, but simply turned around and walked out of the dense forest.

"Let's go, this area is cleaned up. Let's continue searching eastward. We should also collect the other flags."

His figure quickly disappeared into the depths of the night.

Wang Qingyan followed behind him, her steps becoming lighter, her moon-white skirt fluttering gently in the bushes, like a silent silhouette.

On the viewing platform, the huge map of light and shadow accurately captured the disappearance of the two golden spots from the Eastern Region and marked them as "eliminated".

In the Eastern Region spectator area, some people clenched their fists but remained silent.

In the viewing area of ​​the Qian Yuan Sect in the Central Region, the elder in the dark gold robe held a teacup and saw Zhao Heng and Wang Qingyan's points of light moving rapidly along the edge of the dense forest.

A satisfied smile appeared on his lips. His voice wasn't loud, but it was just loud enough for the people in the surrounding spectator areas to hear.

"This year's Eastern Region event is more lively than previous years, but as lively as it is, it will eventually come to an end."

"Whether it's Wang Long, Ye Niannu, or the Primordial Holy Palace, they're just small sects from the eastern border. Reaching this point is already incredibly lucky. Do they think they can compare to the Central Region?"

"They're still a long way off."

He put down his teacup, his voice carrying a confident composure.

"Whether it's Wang Long or Ye Niannu, they can't escape. Sooner or later, they will fall into the hands of our Qian Yuan Sect."

Someone nearby chuckled.

"Once we catch them, we'll have to 'ask them' how they managed to make our Holy Son and Holy Daughter suffer such a huge loss in the Spirit Realm."

The elder in the dark gold robe picked up his teacup, said nothing more, and turned his gaze back to the map.

On the map, Zhao Heng and Wang Qingyan's dots continued to move eastward, while not far ahead of them, a light blue dot was quietly circling along another path, as if intentionally avoiding direct contact with them.

The next morning, before dawn, a misty fog enveloped the entire hilly area.

When Wang Long woke up from the crevice in the rock, Chen Yuanzhi was already squatting at the cave entrance, holding a blade of grass in his hand, cautiously probing for any movement outside.

Zhou Mingxuan was still meditating and adjusting his breathing. His complexion was much better than last night, but there was still a trace of tension between his brows.

"Sage King Wang, I just heard some noise from the west, like someone is searching this way."

Chen Yuanzhi lowered his voice, his tone tinged with wariness.

Wang Long stood up, stretched his wrists, and silently spread out his spiritual energy threads. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes slightly.

"There are three people from the west, and several more from the south, approaching from a roundabout direction, seemingly heading towards this area."

Zhou Mingxuan opened his eyes and asked in a low voice.

"The old method again?"

Wang Long shook his head, his gaze slightly somber.

"They're not so easily fooled; they won't fall into the trap one by one like they did yesterday."

"Let's try a different strategy today. You two retreat to the southeast and find a secluded spot to hide. I'll lure them away."

"So you're alone..."

"Don't worry, they can't catch me."

Wang Long's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable certainty.

"Remember, the most important thing for you two is to stay safe."

Chen Yuanzhi and Zhou Mingxuan exchanged a glance, then without further hesitation, they tidied themselves up, bent down and crawled out of the rock crevice, quickly moving southeast along the shrub-covered hillside.

Wang Long watched their figures disappear into a grove of low trees before turning his gaze away. He then slowly emerged from the crevice in the rock and headed west along another path.

The morning mist flowed slowly around him, making his figure somewhat blurry.

After walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he saw three figures spread out in a triangular formation on a low earthen slope ahead, clearly conducting a dragnet search.

The three men were dressed in matching silver-gray outfits with a coiled snake totem embroidered on their cuffs—the attire of a major sect in the Western Regions.

Wang Long made no attempt to conceal himself; he even deliberately broke a dead branch when he reached the edge of the earthen slope.

The crisp cracking sound was particularly clear in the morning mist.

The three Western Region cultivators stopped in their tracks, their eyes turning in unison towards the direction from which the sound came.

They saw a gray figure standing in the morning mist, casual in posture, as if waiting for them.

"From the Eastern Regions?"

The leader spoke, his tone tinged with a hint of probing and wariness.

The three exchanged a glance and did not rush forward.

They were not the scattered soldiers from yesterday. Those who survived the first day and actively participated in the search were at least among the top-ranking holy sons and holy daughters in their respective domains.

The leading Western Region cultivator slowly drew his curved sword from his waist. The blade gleamed with a cold, silvery-gray light in the morning glow. The two men beside him also gripped their weapons tightly, but did not immediately launch an attack.

"You're here alone; it seems you came prepared."

He stared at Wang Long with sharp eyes.

"However, we are not unprepared."

Wang Long did not answer, but simply stood there, as if waiting for them to make a choice.

The silence lasted only a few breaths before being broken by a voice coming from the side.

"Is Prince Wang in such high spirits, out for a walk so early in the morning?"