This Is What a Villain Is Like

From start to finish, he never once saw the figure of his attacker, only faintly smelling a delicate fragrance that slowly dissipated in the Void.

"Miss Li’s strength... is truly terrifying..."

"I’m afraid none of us could withstand a single strike from Miss Li."

Luo Ying, Ao Xu, and the other young Celestial Prides were all inwardly shaken by what they had just witnessed.

The Taiyi Sect’s Quasi-Saintess, Li Mengning, had not acted often since entering Qianyuan Prefecture. But every time she did, a single sword strike was all it took to grievously wound her opponent.

And after striking, her figure would vanish without a trace.

With Meng Mo defeated in a single strike, the other young Celestial Prides behind Jiang Lan stepped forward and quickly snatched away the jade vials. After a quick count, they found over ten stalks of Celestial Essence Seven-color Grass, netting them another huge sum of points.

Jiang Lan wasted no time with words. He had his men drag Meng Mo and his group over to interrogate them about Xiao Teng’s whereabouts.

Naturally, Meng Mo and his men refused to talk, even on pain of death. Had this been the outside world, Jiang Lan would not have shown them any mercy. But with so many people watching, especially Emperor Xia, he certainly wouldn’t kill them.

So he had Ao Xu and the others handle the interrogation. They certainly had their ways of making Meng Mo’s group talk.

Unable to withstand the torture, and unwilling to endure the public humiliation, Meng Mo and his men had no choice but to reveal Xiao Teng’s location.

However, a full day and night had passed, so they didn’t know where Xiao Teng and his group were exploring now.

"Then make Xiao Teng come here. You have Communication Jade Talismans. He values you all so highly, I doubt he’d be willing to stand by and watch me cripple your cultivation, turning you into useless invalids."

Jiang Lan said coolly, his brow furrowed slightly.

Hearing this, the faces of Meng Mo and his men contorted in horror. Many of them grew pale with fright.

If they lost their cultivation, they would be no better than cripples. Xiao Teng certainly wouldn’t treat them the same way he did before.

Furthermore, without the protection of Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion, it would be child’s play for the Prime Minister’s Mansion to deal with them.

In the outside world, many spectators were displeased with Jiang Lan’s methods, especially the members of Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion. But all they could do was grit their teeth, their eyes filled with indignant rage.

But one had to admit, this was indeed Jiang Lan’s style.

Casualties were inevitable in the Qianyuan Prefecture competition. The fact that he hadn’t killed Meng Mo and his men could, in a way, be considered merciful.

As for whether Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion would later seek retribution from the Prime Minister’s Mansion over this... that remained to be seen.

On the surrounding mountains, scores of figures had already gathered to watch the spectacle.

Many of the young Celestial Prides who arrived later watched the scene by the ice lake, their hearts pounding with lingering fear—especially those who had already been robbed by Jiang Lan.

"Thank goodness we didn’t offend him. Otherwise, given his temperament, he could kill us and we’d just have to chalk it up to bad luck. Who would seek justice for us afterward...?"

"Even Her Majesty Emperor Xia would probably turn a blind eye and pretend she didn’t see."

"Those guys from Prince Zhenbei’s Mansion can only pray that Xiao Teng comes back to save them once he gets the news."

"Actually, Her Majesty Emperor Xia never should have added that extra reward. If it weren’t for the Dragon Transformation Pool, that guy might not have even entered..."

"And look what happened. Everything’s been thrown into chaos, and all the points we worked so hard to accumulate have been stolen."

Many of the young people sighed and grumbled amongst themselves.

In the outside world, Emperor Xia’s gaze toward Jiang Lan was faintly hostile.

She had opened the Dragon Transformation Pool out of goodwill, only for Jiang Lan to pull a stunt like this.

News of this incident spread quickly, and soon, all the young Celestial Prides in Qianyuan Prefecture had heard about it.

Many from the younger generation, who had already given up on any hope of taking the top spot, thought for a moment before also heading toward that area.

There was never a shortage of people who loved a good show and didn’t mind seeing things escalate. Besides, Xiao Teng was a renowned figure in the Imperial Capital, bathed in a dazzling halo of glory since birth, with both his strength and talent being exceptionally formidable.

"Heh, if Xiao Teng and Jiang Lan run into each other, Xiao Teng will most likely be the one to suffer."

"He may have many experts with him and be quite powerful himself, but the Taiyi Sect Saintess at Jiang Lan’s side is enough to defeat them all..."

"But Jiang Lan probably has no idea that he’s being targeted himself."

"The Taiyi Sect Saintess is strong, but she’s no match for that girl in white. That one is a complete monster."

Prince Wuxuan’s third son, Xia Jie, and the eldest son of Prince Chong’an’s Mansion, Chong Xiuyuan, followed in a grand procession behind the white-robed girl on her snow-white Celestial Horse, watching as she made her way deep into Qianyuan Prefecture.

She seemed to have a clear destination, not just wandering aimlessly. Based on the news they’d received, her current path was leading her straight to Jiang Lan’s location.

It was clear she was now after the points Jiang Lan had accumulated.

This filled the group of young nobles, who had been stewing in frustration for some time, with eager anticipation. They couldn’t wait to see Jiang Lan suffer a crushing defeat at her hands.

The white-robed girl didn’t care in the slightest about her target’s background or identity. If she decided to rob someone, she did so without a single wasted word.

She was so impossibly cold and aloof that the young nobles didn’t dare to show the slightest bit of temper around her.

They were especially shaken to see her travel so fearlessly, completely unconcerned about passing through dangerous areas or encountering any threats whatsoever.

’She wasn’t just strong, she was brazen.’