The Master and His Wealthy Fiancée

Just as she had that thought, Murong Qing realized that neither she nor Li Huiran actually had the Celestial Measuring Ruler. 'So what am I even running for?'

These people were chasing the treasure, not them. So, she slowed down, intending to stop.

As if she could read Murong Qing's mind, Xiao Yu, who was right behind them, instantly threw the Celestial Measuring Ruler over.

Murong Qing had already figured it out and had no intention of catching the thing. Just as she moved to dodge, Li Huiran, to her shock, caught the ruler.

"Oh, for goodness' sake, sister! Why did you catch that thing?! Drop it!" Murong Qing cried out anxiously.

But Li Huiran, clutching the ruler, seemed not to have heard a thing. Murong Qing had no choice but to speed up and flee!

Xiao Yu quickly caught up. "Heh! And you said you didn't want it. Now you're running faster than anyone!"

Murong Qing was on the verge of tears. "Who wants it?! It's this precious darling in my arms—she won't let it go!"

Xiao Yu replied hurriedly, "I don't care! I get a share of it either way!"

Murong Qing looked at the figures flying toward them from the distance and said with a touch of despair, "I'm afraid there's no chance. None of us are going to get it!"

The figure drew closer, revealing a wrinkled, hunchbacked old woman.

An Inner Realm Powerhouse had arrived in person. Murong Qing and Xiao Yu stopped in their tracks. The group of Outer Phase experts chasing them also halted, not daring to advance.

The old woman spoke slowly. "I am the Lin Family Ancestor, Lin Yizhi. Hand the item over to me, you three little girls, and I shall spare your lives!"

Knowing that discretion is the better part of valor, Murong Qing put Li Huiran down and said, "Li Huiran, quick, give the item to her. This senior is in the Inner Realm…"

But before she could finish, she realized Li Huiran couldn't even stand steady. She swayed but gave no response.

"My dear sister, don't you dare pretend to be unconscious now! We can't possibly keep this thing!"

Still, there was no response. Murong Qing had no choice but to continue supporting her. As she reached out to take the Celestial Measuring Ruler from Li Huiran's hands, another aged voice echoed, "I am the Guo Family Ancestor, Guo Lin. The righteous path for you three juniors is to hand the item over to me!"

Another elderly man appeared in the air, facing the old woman from a distance.

"What rotten luck. Those golden lights were all just illusions that fooled all of us old fossils!"

A Sloppy Daoist who looked like a beggar then flew over.

"You three are certainly fast, to have already chased them all the way here!" said another aged, richly-dressed old man as he flew to a spot on one side.

Seeing this, the thirteen Outer Phase experts retreated again and again, watching stealthily from a safe distance.

The four Inner Realm powerhouses, each occupying a corner, faced off in the air, their spiritual senses locked tightly on Murong Qing's group of three in the center.

The Sloppy Daoist glanced around and addressed the richly-dressed old man who had arrived last. "Elder Yun, our three families are all among the Six Great Clans. Are you, a mere local tyrant from Yunyazhou, going to try and compete with us?"

The richly-dressed old man's eyes narrowed. "I find it hard to believe the Six Great Clans of today could trust one another enough to join forces."

The old woman gave a cold smile. "And why not? Brother Zhao and I are as close as siblings. There's no reason we couldn't join forces."

Her words made the Guo Family Ancestor, Guo Lin, visibly awkward. He coughed drily a few times. In the past, the Guo and Chen Families had always been in the same faction, but ever since the incident with Chen Dong, the Chen Family had cut ties with them. Even the Lady of the Chen Family, Guo Lingtong, had been removed from the family's official records.

Just then, a hearty laugh echoed from the sky. "HAHAHA! Elder Yun, no need to worry! I, Sotu, have come to help you!" An older man dressed in the style of the steppes flew to a position not far from Elder Yun.

This left Guo Lin in an even more awkward position. The others were now in two-on-two pairings, leaving him completely isolated.

Down below, Xiao Yu slapped her forehead and muttered, "This bunch of old coots. They have absolutely no shame, robbing us juniors!"

Hearing this, Murong Qing wanted to hit her with a few Ice Swords. 'If she hadn't tossed this treasure over, we wouldn't be in this situation.'

If Murong Qing could hear her, then the Inner Realm experts in the air certainly could as well. However, they showed no signs of anger, acting as if they hadn't heard a thing.

Murong Qing tried to pry the Celestial Measuring Ruler from Li Huiran's grasp but found she couldn't pull it free. She didn't dare to use too much force, since Li Huiran was not a practitioner of the Martial Dao.

She had no choice but to whisper in her ear, "My dearest sister, I'm begging you. Please put it down. All these big shots are waiting. Can't we just drop the thing and run?"

With her eyes shut, Li Huiran remained unresponsive.

"If you keep this up, I'm leaving you here!" Murong Qing threatened, though she didn't mean it.

She hadn't managed to wake Li Huiran, but the tension between the Inner Realm experts in the sky was already palpable.

Sotu's voice rang out. "It must be fate that has brought us all here. So, why don't we join forces and eliminate Elder Guo? Then we can split the Guo Family's resources among ourselves. What do you say?"

The gazes of the other four powerhouses instantly converged on the Guo Family Ancestor, Guo Lin.

Guo Lin's heart sank. A black and white halo of light instantly erupted from his body, and without a moment's hesitation, he turned and fled.

As Guo Lin fled, Sotu roared with laughter. "What a mindless idiot! So this is all the Six Great Clans amount to! Elder Yun, it's two-on-two now. Take your pick."

Elder Yun replied calmly, "I'll take the lady from the Lin Family."

"Good!" Sotu roared. His body transformed into a streak of crimson light, slashing directly at the Sloppy Daoist and igniting the great Inner Realm battle.

The Sloppy Daoist scrambled to draw a wooden sword to meet Sotu's curved blade.

A gray radiance and a crimson radiance collided again and again.

Seeing this, Elder Yun also made his move, transforming into a streak of white light as he lunged for the Lin Family Ancestor.