Chapter 977: Persistent Pursuit

Although the involvement of the Yin Gui Sect took Happy by surprise, what he never expected was that a portrait of Lady Wang, the master of Manda Villa, would draw the Yin Queen in person. This peak-level warrior of the Mythical Realm, who had been reclusive for over a year and a half, rarely seen, would actually appear in such an unimportant place as Manda Villa.
“It turns out it’s the esteemed Yin Queen. I, Happy, a Shaolin disciple, failed to greet her properly…”
After all, Happy was no ordinary martial artist. Whether here or in the other world, he had already met the Yin Queen before—especially in the other world, where he was well-versed in her various extraordinary skills. Naturally, he wouldn’t panic like an ordinary person at the mere mention of her mysterious communication method.
Under Lady Wang’s astonished gaze, Happy stood calmly in place, revealing the Yin Queen’s identity without hesitation, acting as if he didn’t take the Yin Queen, the head of the Yin Gui Sect, seriously at all.
A faint whirlwind suddenly appeared near the pavilion…
Happy’s eyes narrowed slightly as he subtly adjusted his position, meeting the woman in black who had appeared silently less than five meters away.
The Yin Queen, Zhu Yu Yan.
As both leaders of their sects, Lady Wang’s presence and aura were quickly overshadowed by the Yin Queen, becoming as dim as stars near the bright moon.
“Sect Leader!” “Sect Leader!”
Four disciples of the Yin Gui Sect knelt down as if worshipping a deity.
Zhu Yu Yan didn’t even glance at the four kneeling disciples. She stared coldly at Happy and said, “Hand over that painting, and I’ll spare your life.”
Ding!!
A delayed system notification rang in Happy’s ears:
“Plot triggered! Lady Wang is in danger!”
“Task requirements: Distract the Yin Queen’s attention, lead her away from Manda Villa, and keep her occupied for at least half an hour.”
“After distracting the Yin Queen, head to the Murong family, inform them of Lady Wang’s danger, and request reinforcements to rescue her.”
“Upon completing the task, you can learn the secret hidden behind the painting from Lady Wang herself…”
“If you die during the task, the painting will be lost automatically, and the task fails!”
After hearing the system’s instructions, Happy took a deep breath, his eyes gleaming faintly:
“There’s no need for such trouble.”
Under the puzzled looks of the Yin Queen and Lady Wang, Happy suddenly acted—his sword energy swept through the air, killing the four female demons of the Yin Gui Sect who hadn’t yet stood up. Unprepared, they were slain by Happy’s single strike.
Happy acted with remarkable decisiveness. But…

Happy also paid a heavy price for this. Although Zhu Yuyan cared nothing about the life or death of her disciples, the moment Happy struck, her eyes burned with anger. Almost simultaneously, she pressed a palm on Happy’s shoulder… A massive force, like a torrential flood, crashed into his body. “Ugh!” With a muffled groan, Happy had no time to dodge and had to bear the full force of the palm strike, being sent flying through the air. “Killing a disciple of my Yin Gui Sect right in front of me? Very well, I’ll take your life as compensation. As for that painting, I’ll find it in your corpse!” Zhu Yuyan roared angrily, disappearing once again like smoke, chasing after Happy in mid-air and delivering another powerful palm strike. The entire space suddenly became oppressive, filled with a suffocating sense of danger. Dragon Form! The palm wind swept past his body. “Huh.” In the air, the Yin Queen let out a surprised exclamation but quickly changed tactics, sweeping her palm to target Happy, who had emerged from Dragon Form. Dragon Coiling! Happy kept surprising the Yin Queen. One palm strike missed, the next seemed to hit an invisible wall; her body only swayed slightly before she weakly landed on the pavilion railing. With a few quick moves, she rushed into the misty hot spring corridor… “Trying to run?” Zhu Yuyan certainly wouldn’t let Happy go. She disappeared from her spot like smoke. Lady Wang was left staring at the four corpses of Yin Gui Sect disciples on the ground, a hint of surprise on her face! … Happy carried the painting that the Yin Queen wanted at all costs. The Yin Queen pursued relentlessly, emerging from the inner courtyard one after the other, then heading toward the open training ground of Mantuo Villa under the astonished gazes of its disciples. Although the mission required Happy to only distract the Yin Queen from Lady Wang and buy her at least half an hour to escape, Happy knew that leaving Mantuo Villa was a death sentence. Rather than fighting the Yin Queen on the boat, it was better to find a secluded place to duel! With the Yi Jin Jing by his side, he had strong abilities for continuous combat and self-recovery, and he knew many of the Yin Queen’s deadly techniques well, so he wasn’t without a chance to fight back. Happy leaped from building to building, as if walking on flat ground! “Let’s see where else you can run!” Zhu Yuyan was even faster. Less than a second after Happy landed and bounced off, she was already on the spot where he had stood before, approaching like mist.

The imposing aura of a peak Mythical Realm warrior was unleashed unabated at this moment, along with the Heavenly Demon aura, enveloping Kai Xin. Under such immense pressure, the Qi Jin Jing circulated throughout his body, and the moment Yin Hou raised her palm, he turned around swiftly and struck back! Bang!! The two palm forces collided in midair. Kai Xin was flung far away, while Yin Hou’s momentum was halted, forcing her to watch helplessly as the distance between her and Kai Xin widened by dozens of meters, her gaze turning even colder. “Sly brat.” Risking internal injuries from the palm strike, Kai Xin once again increased the distance between them, breaking free from the Heavenly Demon aura’s grasp and continuing to fly forward without hesitation. Meanwhile, the Qi Jin Jing gradually restored the chaotic energy and blood in his body, healing his internal strength and injuries. Now at the ninth level of the Qi Jin Jing, its recovery ability was extremely strong, and its defensive capabilities had reached 1,200 points—almost surpassing the self-recovery ability of the Nine Yang Divine Art, which was one of Kai Xin’s greatest advantages. Whoosh! The sound of wind filled his ears; the terrifying aura and pressure still clung tightly behind him, closing in slowly. Yet, Kai Xin had already reached his destination—a relatively remote and desolate open area! According to Kai Xin’s memories from the other world… During the martial arts tournament, when the Murong family, Nan Gong family, Manduo Villa, and other sects competed to enter the Hero Villa, battles and spars took place here. Its isolation and lack of people made it an excellent place to deal with Yin Hou. … “Why aren’t you running?” Seeing the fleeing Shaolin disciple suddenly stop in the open area ahead and turn around, Zhu Yu Yan appeared before Kai Xin, less than ten meters away, her figure emerging like mist. She scanned the surroundings coldly and said, “Even if you hand over the portrait now, I will still kill you to avenge my four disciples, unless you abandon Shaolin and join my Yin Gui Sect.” “Right and wrong are distinct; I cannot accept Yin Hou’s kindness.” “It seems you insist on seeking death!” Yin Hou’s tone grew even colder, and dust rose from the ground around her, expanding rapidly like a vortex. The Heavenly Demon Art! Yet Kai Xin remained unflinching, holding fast to his resolve. He calmly watched the vortex envelop him, followed by a powerful pulling force emanating from Yin Hou. Centered on Yin Hou, the Heavenly Demon Art could slowly draw enemies within its range toward her, and no cultivation technique could resist such a pull. However…

Happy knew that while resisting this force, it acted as a demonic aura that could significantly slow down his movement speed, allowing the Yin Queen to catch up with him. But if he did the opposite, things would be different… Happy planted his feet firmly in the ground like pillars, creating two two-meter-long trenches as he slowly moved toward the Yin Queen. *Cough!!!* Yet with Happy suddenly drawing his sword and leaping up like lightning, the Yin Queen’s demonic technique collapsed on its own… *Bang!* As they passed each other, Happy was struck again by her palm, flying backward dozens of meters with his face flushed red. But the Yin Queen’s face turned ashen. Even though she had prepared in advance, Happy’s ingenious sword strike left a wound on her shoulder, causing her to lose the opportunity to pursue in anger and shock. “The Demonic Technique truly lives up to its reputation.” Seeing Happy stand up and speak as if nothing had happened, Zhu Yuyan’s expression grew even darker. “The Shaolin Temple has produced a fine disciple this time. Are you a high monk of the Xuan generation or the Zhi generation…” “Will you just leave if I tell you my master’s name?” Happy asked. The Yin Queen snorted in response: “Dream on.” “Then let’s cut the nonsense. Today, I’ll truly experience the master skills of the head of the Yin Gui Sect!” Of course, Happy wouldn’t reveal that his master was the mad monk. “Little monk, you’re quite bold!” The Yin Queen suddenly shed her earlier icy demeanor and smiled enchantingly. “…” Seeing the Yin Queen’s suddenly captivating smile, Happy didn’t relax his vigilance but instead stepped back a meter as if facing a great threat. Without any warning, the Yin Queen appeared where Happy had stood, her dark aura retracting into her body. With a puzzled murmur, she struck again instantly. This was one of the ultimate techniques in the Demonic Technique—Demonic Deception! Her laughter carried a mental impact, capable of shaking an enemy’s resolve in an instant. Happy, seemingly prepared, dodged away. Subsequent attacks also failed; he knew the Yin Queen’s moves well and would immediately use the Dragon Form to avoid them whenever a deadly strike came. Whenever he got the chance, he would decisively turn around to counter her. After a few minutes, though Happy had been struck by no less than thirty palms and was in a battered state, the healing power of the *Yijin Jing* kept him in combat form. In contrast, the Yin Queen had dozens of wounds on her body and her face was ashen…