After descending the mountain, my aloof fiancée became completely devoted to me.

"The force that kidnapped Shen Aoxue is far more terrifying than you imagine. Even we are just a small pawn on their chessboard."

Lin Ping's gaze suddenly sharpened. He stepped forward, his imposing aura locking onto Xiao Yu'er: "Explain clearly, who is behind this?"

Little Fish's red lips curled into a strange smile: "You can know the truth."

"However, you have to grant me one request."

"I can not only tell you the secret of the Shen family's disappearance, but also help you unlock 90% of the seal on your cultivation, and even help you fight against those hidden sects that are besieging you."

She slowly approached Lin Ping, a possessive glint in her eyes: "And my condition—from now on, you will protect me and stay by my side."

Lin Ping's eyes were cold and unmoved, his words firm and resolute: "I only want Shen Aoxue's whereabouts; all other conditions are off the table."

Xiaoyuer's smile froze, the probing and scheming in her eyes vanished, replaced by a stubbornness and resentment: "I have the clues you want. If you don't agree to my conditions, you'll never find the truth about the Southern Frontier Secret Realm, let alone Shen Aoxue."

"Do you know her whereabouts?" Lin Ping pressed closer, his invisible aura making Xiaoyuer's breath catch in her throat.

"Of course I know." Little Fish raised her chin, her tone confident and self-assured. "In the entire underground world, only I know the whereabouts of the Shen family. If you want me to take you there, you must stay by my side."

"Take me away from the base and head to the Southern Frontier immediately, and I will forgive and forget what happened." Lin Ping was too lazy to argue, and his tone left no room for argument.

"No!" Little Fish stood her ground, looking up at him in the eye. "If you don't agree, even if I know the clues, I won't say a single word!"

The two were locked in a stalemate, and the atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.

Xiaoyuer was determined to exploit Lin Ping's weakness, leaning forward slightly, still trying to use her seductive charm to disturb his mind.

In the midst of the struggle, a sharp tearing sound rang out!

The shoulder seam of her black silk nightgown was ripped open, exposing a large area of ​​her fair and smooth skin. Her figure was fully revealed.

The sudden turn of events left Little Fish stunned for a moment.

Lin Ping shifted his gaze to the side, immediately turning his head away, adhering to his principles, his expression frank: "Do not look at what is improper."

As a supreme martial arts master, he acted with integrity and disdained taking advantage of others' misfortunes, and immediately tried to retreat and avoid them.

But when Little Fish saw this, a sly glint flashed in his eyes.

Instead of hiding, she deliberately took two steps forward, heading straight for Lin Ping, her body close, her tone teasing and stubborn: "You've already seen it, why are you hiding?"

"You either agree to my terms today, or you can forget about getting any clues from me."

She deliberately stepped forward, pressing him relentlessly, trying to disrupt Lin Ping's concentration and force him to compromise.

Lin Ping frowned, dodging to the side repeatedly, always keeping his distance and unwilling to get entangled in any ambiguous relationship with him.

In the brief moment when he dodged to the side and his mind was momentarily distracted!

call out--

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly tore through the silence of the base!

A dark, cold light flashed from the shadows, moving at a speed that exceeded the limits of the naked eye!

Lin Ping's pupils contracted sharply, and he subconsciously looked up.

In the shadows of the base's ventilation ducts, a figure in black flashed by, a black crossbow in hand precisely aimed at Xiaoyuer's heart!

puff!

The sharp crossbow bolt pierced through his chest in an instant, and blood instantly stained Xiaoyuer's thin clothes.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye, so fast that no one could react.

Xiaoyuer froze, the stubbornness and cunning on his face vanished instantly, replaced by endless astonishment and pain in his eyes.

She staggered, unable to hold on any longer, and fell straight forward.

Lin Ping instinctively reached out and gently held the weak little fish in his arms.

Warm blood instantly soaked his sleeves, and crimson blood kept spilling from the corner of Xiaoyuer's mouth. His breath was extremely weak.

The man in black, hidden in the shadows, struck successfully, his figure transforming into a black shadow that vanished into the depths of the base in an instant, leaving no trace. His movements were extremely unpredictable.

"Cough cough..."

Xiaoyuer leaned against Lin Ping's chest, coughed violently twice, and stared intently at the young man in front of him with unfocused eyes.

All the previous difficulties, scheming, and entanglement vanished, leaving only the weakness of impending death.

With trembling hands, she raised her blood-stained hand, pulled a crumpled piece of paper from her inner garment, and painstakingly stuffed it into Lin Ping's palm.

"The Southern Frontier Secret Realm... Lingyun Mountain... all the Shen family members... are inside..."

Her voice was broken and weak: "I...I didn't lie to you...the conditions just now...were driven by selfish motives...I just wanted to keep you here..."

Lin Ping clenched the note in his palm, his gaze deep and thoughtful, a complex look flashing in his eyes.

He never imagined that his little fish, who had schemed against him step by step, would end up like this.

Just then, my phone vibrated again in my pocket.

Lin Ping freed one hand, took out his phone, and the screen lit up; it was a text message from Zhu Xiaohan.

The short line of text was exactly the same as the contents of the note: "Strange activity has occurred at Lingyun Mountain, and the Shen family's whereabouts have been discovered in the secret realm of Southern Xinjiang."

The two clues perfectly overlapped, completely confirming that the Southern Frontier Secret Realm was indeed the true location where Shen Aoxue and her group were trapped.

The little fish in his arms was breathing heavily, its fingertips gently clutching the hem of Lin Ping's clothes, its eyes filled with a hint of grievance and resentment: "I helped you find a clue... Could you... promise me a small favor... that you will... protect me this once in the future..."

She schemed against him, tested him, and plotted to keep him by her side, but in the end, she became a pawn in someone else's assassination plot.

Lin Ping lowered his eyes to look at the stunning woman in his arms, her clothes stained with blood and her face haggard. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "If what you say is true, I owe you my life, and I will protect you one day."

Upon hearing this, a faint smile managed to appear on Xiaoyuer's pale face before her head lolled to the side and she completely fainted.

The vast, dilapidated underground base was deathly silent, littered with debris.

Lin Ping held the unconscious Xiaoyuer in one arm, clenching the note in his hand, his eyes flashing with a cold light.

He instantly understood all the key points.

Xiaoyuer's base was merely a pawn deliberately left to run by the mastermind behind the scenes. Knowing that Xiaoyuer held clues and wanted to win them over, the other party secretly lay in wait to eliminate him in one fell swoop. This not only eliminated Xiaoyuer, who knew the secret, but also subtly passed on clues to them. Their methods were ruthless and meticulous.

Strange occurrences at Lingyun Mountain, a hidden realm in southern Xinjiang, and traces of the Shen family.

All the mysteries have finally come together in one place.

But he also knew that this seemingly clear clue was definitely a huge trap.

A reclusive sect launches a siege, a mysterious mastermind orchestrates a plot, Western scientific research forces covet the area, and strange events erupt in the southern border region.

A shocking plot targeting him and the Shen family has quietly unfolded in the secret realm of Southern Xinjiang.

Lin Ping looked up at the base exit, his gaze sharp as a blade.

Aoxue, I'm here.