"Ah..." The crowd gasped. Whoa, what just happened?
"Husband..." The veiled woman in white ignored everyone’s shock and instead called out sweetly to the impossibly handsome man.
"Wife." The man saw her coming and flashed a heart-stopping smile—one that instantly slayed half the women present.
"How can you still be so calm, husband? I was worried sick!" With that, she dove straight into Eli Crane’s arms, shamelessly soaking up his unique scent.
Eli Crane smiled and hugged her back. Honestly, he’d known she was following all along. He’d told her a thousand times not to worry and not to come, but she never listened. As for Silver Consort’s lethal palm strike, he’d already guessed what was coming the moment Ivy turned around—because as long as she was here, he had nothing to fear.
"Don’t you ever scare me like that again!" Ivy wrapped her arms around his waist and scolded him a little. Was this fool really not aware Silver Consort’s palm was a killing move? If she hadn’t come, the consequences... She didn’t even dare imagine it.
"Your cultivation’s gotten even stronger, wife. How am I supposed to ever catch up?" Anyone with eyes could see how powerful Ivy’s palm strike had just been. Eli was thrilled, but also a bit anxious—she was so perfect now that all of them felt nervous, scared they’d never keep up with her pace.
Ivy chuckled quietly and whispered so only he could hear: "Hey, since you admit I’m so amazing, next time let me ‘torment’ you. Don’t think you can always come out on top!"
Swish—Eli’s face went bright red at Ivy’s words. Of course he got her meaning; it was their private, in-bed secret. She was so daring he had no idea how to respond.
Seeing Eli Crane getting shamelessly teased until he blushed, a voice grumbled from the crowd: "Has Old Seven been getting way too lucky lately?" Caleb Miles, masked and brooding, was not amused.
"Exactly! I object!" Butterfly Rogue chimed in, protesting too.
"Old Seven is just too awesome. I’m seriously impressed," Liam Willow said, pure-hearted and starry-eyed with envy.
"Hey, I’m pretty great too! I know poisons, I’ve got martial arts, and I’m ridiculously good-looking," Lucian Vane insisted, though his eyes still betrayed genuine admiration.
"Looks like I need to train harder—no way I’m falling behind." Adrian Night smiled, a rare sly glint in his eyes. Secretly, he decided next time he’d drag Old Seven into joint practice; with Eli around, he’d definitely spot what Adrian needed to work on. Perfect!
"Huh? Why aren’t you saying anything?" Suddenly, everyone noticed Ethan Chu was silent. Did he still have unresolved trauma or something?
But the next second, Ethan Chu floated out with, "I’m the emperor, you know! Even if my martial arts aren’t as strong as Xin’er’s, I’ve got thousands of troops. Heh, I just wave my sleeve and they’ll all help her!" Satisfied with himself, he couldn’t help but laugh.
At this, all the husbands chorused, "Shameless! Disgraceful! Have you no shame?"
Nina Xu watched Ivy Shen like this, and her heart rippled again with complicated feelings.
Colin Kerr had been quiet these days, just silently watching over Liam Willow like an invisible bodyguard. Now, seeing Ivy Shen so powerful, he finally smiled—no more jealousy, just pure respect.
‘Kraaa—kraaa—’ The white crane’s cry quickly snapped everyone back to reality.
Everyone looked up at the white crane circling in the sky, too stunned for words. The crane wasn’t even that big, but that woman had just stood on its back—and before anyone saw her move, Lonely Heart was already sent flying. Who was this woman?
Silver Consort lay on the ground, unable to believe what she’d just seen. The man in white was already shocking enough, but the sudden appearance of this woman was even scarier. That palm strike just now—her cultivation wasn’t just higher, it was probably several times stronger. Silver Consort couldn’t even gauge her real power.
Terrifying. Seriously terrifying. How could someone this powerful just show up in the martial world after only half a year?!
"Sect Master!" Yvonne Li smiled slightly as she spoke.
Her words instantly solved the mystery for everyone. So this woman was the Hunks Sect’s master! No wonder she was so light on her feet, no wonder she was so insanely strong!
"You worked hard," Ivy Shen said gratefully to Yvonne Li.
Yvonne Li flashed a smile, but shot Ivy a mildly annoyed look—she hated being treated like an outsider. Then she turned to Elder Hua, who was supervising the match: "Elder Hua, is the match over yet?"
Elder Hua glanced at the crowd, then at the group on stage, eyes complicated. On one hand, they were ridiculously strong. On the other, watching them flaunt their lovey-dovey antics in broad daylight was honestly uncomfortable. Was the martial alliance really going to be handed to people like this?!
"What’s wrong, Elder Hua? Got any objections?"
"But just now, she..."
"She was the one who cheated first. Our sect master only stepped in to keep the vice sect master from getting hurt. Besides, I bet everyone here actually appreciates it—thanks to that palm strike, Lonely Heart won’t be living much longer. Shouldn’t that be enough to let go of your grudge?" Yvonne Li said, seeing the elders stay silent and just kept talking anyway.
"Let go? City Mistress Li, what do you mean by that?" The crowd was baffled.
Just then, Yvonne Li strode forward and—smack!—gave Lonely Heart a slap. The crowd gasped. Losing was one thing, but did she really have to humiliate her like that?
Of course, no one dared say that out loud—this was Yvonne Li’s turf.
Hiss—while everyone was quietly gossiping, Yvonne Li reached out and tugged at Silver Consort’s face. With a faint ripping sound, the infamous face everyone in the martial world wanted dead was revealed.
Suddenly, cries of shock erupted, followed by a tidal wave of curses and spit—enough to drown a person.
"Silver Consort! She’s actually Silver Consort!"
"Shameless! How does she even have the nerve to show her face here? What does she want?"
"Kill her! That witch deserves a miserable death!"
Right now, Silver Consort was like an eagle with clipped wings—totally grounded. The crowd’s insults and spit could practically drown her.
She knew her shinbone had been shattered—she was completely helpless now. Today was likely her last day alive.
In an instant, she felt like she’d dropped from heaven into hell. Had the urgent news reached Dragon City yet? If Her Majesty saw her now, she’d probably die of rage!
Was she really going to die here today?
No, she didn’t want to die. She was so unwilling!
Unwilling—Jue’er hadn’t called her mother yet, hadn’t had any children, hadn’t taken the throne. She couldn’t rest, couldn’t die in peace.
"Kill her! Avenge us!" The crowd was ready to rush the stage—among the innocent dead were their own relatives, friends, and comrades. Now that the culprit was right here, of course they wouldn’t let her go.
Just then, a black smoke bomb went off onstage. In a flash, Silver Consort’s figure vanished.
The crowd shouted and searched everywhere, but Ivy Shen stayed perfectly calm. She glanced in the direction the black-clad rescuers had taken Silver Consort, and couldn’t help but smile.
Silver Consort, I’m sparing your life. Are you grateful?
Yvonne Li smiled at Ivy Shen—Lanny’s work was as clean and efficient as ever.