Chapter Seventeen: The Explosion of Fashion

Grandmother Ninth led Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, and Fang Zhe toward the Valley of Heavenly Evil. Her pace was so swift that she quickly left them far behind, forcing the trio to follow in the direction she had vanished.

The distance between the Kingdom of Daughters and the Valley of Heavenly Evil spanned two mountain peaks. Upon crossing the second, they spotted a stone tablet carved with the words: "Trespassers in this valley shall be killed without mercy!"

Han Tianyue and his companions stopped beside the tablet, having completely lost track of Grandmother Ninth.

"What do we do now?" Fang Zhe, though desperate to find the woman in white, asked cautiously, unsettled by the ominous inscription and the mysterious path ahead.

Han Tianyue steadied himself and glanced back at Mao Xuanzi, who remained composed. Finally, Han Tianyue decided, "We enter the valley!"

With that, the three of them pressed forward into the Valley of Heavenly Evil without hesitation. Meanwhile, Feng Shang, Lei Dong, and the teachers and students from Hanlin Academy were in a standoff with the Evil Star and her subordinates. Teacher Xia Zhi chose to meet activity with stillness, and although the Evil Star was flanked by the Seven Heaven-Shaking Flowers and the Four Great Protectors, she dared not make a rash move.

Teacher Xia Zhi was a decisive person. Recognizing her strategy of meeting activity with stillness, the students and teachers familiar with her understood her intent. They exchanged secret signals, silently planning an escape.

Zhentian Hu, growing impatient as the standoff dragged on, bellowed, "If you want to fight, then fight! We aren't pushovers!"

Just then, a teacher from Hanlin Academy leaped forward. "Flying Sand and Moving Stones!" A violent hurricane whipped up, carrying clouds of grit that instantly shrouded the sky.

"Run!" Seizing the opportunity, the group from Hanlin Academy and Feng Shang and Lei Dong fled toward the southwest of the Purple Bamboo Forest.

Stuffed with sand, the Evil Star roared in rage, "You dare use such underhanded tricks!"

Guan Tian, one of the Four Great Protectors, looked coldly at the swirling sand. His lips curled into a smirk. "You dare flaunt a 'Flying Sand and Moving Stones' technique in front of me? Let me show you what it truly means to blot out the sun!"

With a flick of his hand, the bright sky was instantly plunged into darkness.

As they fled, Feng Shang moved with the grace of a swallow, his speed far outstripping that of the students, teachers, and Lei Dong. The moment Guan Tian unleashed his "Sun-Blotting" technique, Feng Shang used his wind-shadow ability to escape the containment.

Running continuously, Feng Shang reached a state of self-forgetfulness. When he could no longer hear any movement behind him, he turned back and smiled, saying, "Safe at last!"

Only then did he realize he was alone, save for the corpse he was carrying on his back. Far behind him, at the Meteor Pit, a massive black dome sealed off a patch of the world.

"Could they have been captured?" Feng Shang was stunned. "What do I do now?" Without Han Tianyue and the others there to provide guidance, he felt lost.

While Feng Shang struggled with his dilemma, Han Tianyue and his companions were facing a more pressing crisis. No sooner had they stepped into the Valley of Heavenly Evil than the clear path dissolved into a thick, disorienting mist.

"It seems we've fallen into a hallucinatory trap!" Having spent time with Duo Na, they quickly realized they had walked into an entrance-guarding illusion. It was merely a diversionary tactic composed of two incomplete restrictions, but because they lacked knowledge of formations, breaking through was no simple task.

They proceeded with extreme caution. Suddenly, Fang Zhe let out a cry.

"What is it?" Han Tianyue and Mao Xuanzi followed close behind.

Fang Zhe picked up a silk veil from the ground, his face tense. "This is the veil belonging to the lady in white!"

Finding the veil confirmed that she had lingered here; it was now certain she had entered the valley. Meanwhile, Feng Shang stared quietly at the patch of earth sealed by the darkness. From within came the sounds of roaring—clearly, the group from Hanlin Academy and Lei Dong were locked in battle with the Evil Star, the Seven Heaven-Shaking Flowers, and the Four Great Protectors.

"They cannot possibly be a match for those women!" The thought of the consequences sent a chill down his spine. "Must I just watch them die?"

"But my abilities are limited!" Feng Shang had always underestimated his own strength. "If I go to save them, I’ll surely end up dead just like them!"

He turned to leave, but hesitated. "Lei Dong once saved my life. If I walk away now, what kind of man would I be?"

Finally, Feng Shang made the first great decision of his life. "Though I fear death, I will die like a man! Han Tianyue, Mao Xuanzi, Fang Zhe, remember to burn plenty of paper money for me on the anniversary of my death!"

He set down the corpse of Lei Dong's wife, Lei Min, lifted his head, and smiled coldly at the dark dome ahead. "Feng Shang is coming!"

"Vortex Storm!" Feng Shang poured all his strength into the swirling gale he directed at the "Sun-Blotting" formation.

As the winds rose, the pitch-black sky began to tremble. Sunlight pierced through the gaps as the barrier shattered, revealing the battered and bloodied students, teachers, and Lei Dong.

"What?" they all gasped in unison as the darkness dissipated.

"It's him!" Every gaze turned to Feng Shang.

Standing in the distance, Feng Shang met their looks—some filled with surprise, some with composure, some with murderous intent, and some with terror.

As for Feng Shang, he felt only a guilty tremor and wore a cold, wry smile, unsure of what to say.