Is someone else going to play the victim?

Frozen in place, the cultivators watched as a silver-haired, blue-eyed beauty emerged from within the Stone Demon King.

They were utterly stunned, bewildered as to how anyone could have been inside the monster.

Some immediately recognized Bai Lan, recalling her recent challenge against Xue Feng on the Heavenly Ranking.

As for Ye Chong and his companions, trapped within their icy prisons, their faces were a mask of utter disbelief and frustration.

They were completely at a loss for words.

Yet, they were undeniably captivated by Bai Lan’s current appearance.

In this state, she was several times more beautiful than usual, exuding an ethereal, otherworldly aura that seemed to transcend the mortal realm.

Bai Lan had already secured what she desired.

She had also heard the announcement from the Void Heaven Realm, confirming that the world-class boss reward had been directly bestowed upon her.

This was an incredibly generous bounty, explaining why so many had fought for it.

Alas, after all their efforts, Bai Lan had effortlessly reaped the benefits.

Bai Lan’s gaze swept over the trial participants.

She noted that her Frigid Moon Divine Radiance hadn’t frozen everyone; out of nearly a thousand individuals, only about nine hundred were ensnared.

A few dozen had managed to avoid the immediate freeze, yet even they remained trapped, unable to break through the spatial stasis.

Moreover, one person had completely ignored her Frigid Moon Divine Radiance, moving freely through the frozen space.

That individual was Long Lingyu.

His body shimmered with a radiance that even Bai Lan couldn’t comprehend, seemingly nullifying her power.

Others had resisted her power through their own formidable abilities.

Bai Lan calculated the time, realizing it was unwise to linger.

With a burst of speed, she fled towards the edge of the Stone Demon Forest.

The moment Bai Lan departed, Long Lingyu immediately gave chase.

As for the others, they couldn’t be bothered for now; escaping was paramount.

Any division of treasures would have to wait until they reached a safe location.

In truth, Kong Xiu and his group hadn’t exerted much effort during the treasure hunt.

However, Bai Lan had sent them a message as she left.

After Bai Lan’s departure, those who hadn’t been frozen quickly broke free from their restraints.

With furious expressions, they pursued her in the direction she had vanished.

The remaining cultivators, still encased in ice, needed a few more seconds to break free.

They could only watch helplessly as Bai Lan and her companions made off with the immense treasure.

However, just as the spatial freeze was about to dissipate, an unexpected event unfolded.

A streak of light, carrying a furious power, shot down from a distant peak.

At the precise moment Bai Lan’s spatial freeze faded, it exploded in the center of the frozen area.

Ye Chong and the others, caught completely off guard, were instantly engulfed by the violent force.

All those frozen in place instantly disintegrated into starlight, vanishing.

They had been annihilated, nearly a thousand individuals, in a single strike.

Only a deep crater and scorched earth remained.

The trial participants on the periphery who had survived paled, their gazes collectively snapping towards the origin of the meteor.

Roughly a thousand meters away, atop a yellow earth slope, stood a young man wielding a golden bow.

His eyes, too, were golden, and his build was robust.

It was he who had loosed that devastating arrow.

“Hmph! If I couldn’t get the Stone Demon King, I’ll just collect some interest!” Bai Lan scoffed, then put away her bow and left.

Bai Lan hadn’t anticipated that someone would exploit her power to kill nearly a thousand trial participants, including Ye Chong and Xia Mi.

Fortunately, they had all revived outside the Stone Demon Forest.

“Damn it, who was that?” the revived Ye Chong and his companions fumed.

“To ambush us while we were frozen, launching such a powerful, widespread attack from afar! That strike was easily comparable to a peak Foundation Establishment realm attack!”

First, they were restrained by Bai Lan’s power, then attacked by another trial participant from a distance.

Had they not been with Bai Lan, they might have suspected a trap orchestrated by her and this unknown assailant.

They, of course, knew the truth, but others were not privy to it.

However, while the three of them understood, the other survivors did not.

All the others attributed their deaths to Bai Lan, believing the late-stage attacker was also her accomplice.

“Despicable! This is outrageous! To use such underhanded tactics against us! Bai Lan, was it? I’ll remember you, you wretched hussy!” Curses filled the air from those who revived outside the Stone Demon Forest.

Bai Lan’s reputation in the Void Heaven Realm was likely ruined; she had truly stirred up a hornet’s nest.

Yet, Bai Lan was still in full flight.

“Lady Bai, you go ahead. I’ll hold them off for you.” Long Lingyu, trailing behind Bai Lan, glanced at the dozens of trial participants rapidly closing in and quickly spoke.

He realized his energy was depleting rapidly, and if he couldn’t shake them, they would soon catch up.

“Mm, be careful. Just delay them a bit.” Bai Lan nodded, then accelerated her escape once more.

Long Lingyu, however, came to a halt, smiling at the approaching trial participants.

When Kong Xiu saw Long Lingyu stop, he knew he intended to block their pursuit.

After a moment’s thought, Kong Xiu suddenly moved against the surrounding trial participants.

Bai Lan had informed them as she left, indicating she didn’t intend to hoard the spoils.

They hadn’t contributed much to acquiring the treasure, so it felt inappropriate to do nothing.

Kong Xiu instantly immobilized about a dozen people near him.

“Damn it, Kong family! What are you doing?” The immobilized Sky Pride cultivators began to struggle frantically.

It was too sudden; who would have guessed that Bai Lan had an accomplice among the pursuers?

“Heh heh, my apologies, everyone. That lady and I are together. I cannot allow you to catch her,” Kong Xiu said with a smile.

While his sneak attack wasn’t enough to kill them, it was sufficient to pin them in place for a few minutes.

After those few minutes, he estimated he would also be finished.

As for those not immobilized, they were left to Long Lingyu.

Long Lingyu, in turn, blocked the path of Sheng Hui and the others.

“I apologize, but this path is closed.”

Long Lingyu said with a wide smile to Sheng Hui and the others.

Many present had witnessed Long Lingyu’s battle with Song Que, knowing he was a formidable opponent, not easily dealt with.

“Long Lingyu, is it? Are you with that Bai Lan?” someone inquired.

“Whether I am or not, it makes no difference. As I said, this path is closed. I advise you all to give up,” Long Lingyu stated again.

However, among this group were powerful figures from the Heavenly Ranking who held no fear of Long Lingyu.

“Hah, how arrogant! You think one person can stop dozens of us? Perfect, this young master will test your abilities and see why you defeated Song Que.”

A young master conjured a unique ancient cauldron.

As he activated it, the cauldron released a multitude of divine birds, their power effortlessly reaching the Foundation Establishment realm.

Each divine bird possessed the combat strength of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

But Long Lingyu’s goal was to obstruct everyone.

Seeing the young master engage Long Lingyu, the others intended to bypass him and continue their pursuit of Bai Lan.

Bai Lan was still within their sight; there was still a chance to catch her.

However, just as they were about to move.

“I said, no one is permitted to pursue.” Long Lingyu’s voice, like thunder, resonated within everyone’s minds.

An inexplicable force halted their steps.

When they looked at Long Lingyu again, a bizarre scene unfolded before their eyes.

Behind Long Lingyu, a figure shrouded in mist appeared.

The figure’s appearance was indistinct, but from its silhouette, it was clearly a woman of unparalleled beauty.

She gazed at everyone with a pair of uncanny golden eyes.

These eyes were extraordinary, their patterns and pupils entirely unlike those of ordinary people.

The minds of all present were instantly drawn into these eyes, plunging them into a profound illusion.