"Boom!!"
Amid the intense tremors, Yan Ran's face changed dramatically, somewhat suspecting that Yan Hua sent people to assassinate him.
Then, to his horror, he found that with the intense vibrations, the once nearly kilometer-high Tianlan Peak was actually sinking down, foot by foot.
This scene was as if The Immortal of Colossal Spirit had descended, pressing Tianlan Peak into the ground with one mighty foot!
In an instant, Yan Ran felt as if Tianlan Peak had already sunk two or three hundred meters!
"This, this..."
By this time, Yan Ran no longer suspected that Yan Hua had sent someone to assassinate him. He certainly didn't have the means to invite such a person.
However, what exactly was causing the change in Tianlan Peak?
Could it be that there was an Exotic Treasure emerging from under Tianlan Peak?
Or could it be...
Mu Jinyu has emerged from seclusion?
But as soon as this thought emerged, he shook it off.
Although Mu Jinyu was strong, he shouldn't be capable of causing such a commotion. Even Yan Chengyun, the first powerhouse of Yan Kingdom, probably couldn't achieve such a feat.
Yan Chengyun could exhibit Divine Skills to cut down the top of Tianlan Peak, foot by foot, but he couldn't make the mountain base sink like this.
"Boom!"
As Yan Ran was wavering in his speculation.
With yet another thunderous boom, the bamboo forest in front shattered into a sky full of wood chips.
Accompanied by the clear and prolonged sound of a long howl, a figure, exuding an endlessly terrifying and imposing aura, appeared before Yan Ran.
"This... he is..."
Seeing the imposing figure before him, with a terrifying pit beneath his feet, Yan Ran's pupils contracted sharply.
He suddenly thought that Mu Jinyu had emerged from seclusion.
Furthermore, looking at the deep pit under Mu Jinyu's feet...
Could it be that the terrifying motion, which caused Tianlan Peak to sink foot by foot, was truly caused by him alone?
"Jinyu..."
"Little Mu."
Jian Ruyan and Wen Rou couldn't help but call out when they saw that Mu Jinyu had emerged from seclusion.
"Hoo..."
Upon hearing their calls, Mu Jinyu stopped his long howl, exhaled slowly, opened his eyes, looking like stars, seemingly containing the universe.
"You've come..."
Mu Jinyu gave them a slight smile and began to walk towards them.
"Whoosh!"
Mu Jinyu took a step, and his figure instantly disappeared from where he stood, appearing right in front of Wen Rou in the blink of an eye, hugging her tightly.
After embracing Wen Rou for a moment, Mu Jinyu released the blushing Wen Rou, intending to open his arms for a hug with Jian Ruyan as well.
But Jian Ruyan avoided it with a look of disdain.
Mu Jinyu wasn't annoyed by this; he smiled and turned to look at Yan Ran, who appeared surprised and suspicious, and asked, "Who is this?"
Wen Rou introduced, "He is Yan Ran, the Third Prince of Yan Kingdom. Knowing you eradicated the Liuyun Sect and Blood Sword Sect, he came specially hoping to meet you, but since you were in seclusion, he waited here for a month."
"Oh." Upon hearing Wen Rou's introduction, Mu Jinyu nodded slightly to Yan Ran, saying, "Hello, I'm Mu Jinyu."
His demeanor was indifferent, not overly respectful nor nervous upon hearing Yan Ran's title as the Third Prince.
In his eyes, the Yan Kingdom didn't matter much, and he wouldn't take it seriously.
However, Yan Ran's determination in waiting earned a greeting from Mu Jinyu.
Yan Ran, hearing Mu Jinyu's greeting, still stood dumbfounded, unable to react.
He was stunned by Mu Jinyu's incredible movement technique and, after he stopped the long howl, the earth-shaking motion of the sinking mountain also came to a halt.
This indicated that the earth-shattering commotion that just occurred was indeed caused by Mu Jinyu.
Does this mean that, in some regard, Mu Jinyu's strength might surpass even Yan Chengyun's?!
And that he and Uncle Chi's predictions were wrong, and Mu Jinyu's strength is much more than merely the third on the National Guard List?
If this is the case, wouldn't forming good relations with him ensure his safety even after Yan Hua ascends to the throne?
Perhaps even more than that...
"Third Prince?"
At this moment, an inexplicably puzzled and slightly impatient voice interrupted Yan Ran's thoughts.
Yan Ran immediately came back to his senses, smiling apologetically at Mu Jinyu, and bowed, saying, "Apologies, Mu Country Knight. I was overwhelmed by the display of strength when you emerged from seclusion. I didn't expect your power to be so formidable..."
"Hmm? What did you call me?" Mu Jinyu asked, slightly frowning at Yan Ran's title for him.
Knowing that Mu Jinyu had been in seclusion and probably unaware of his recent ranking as third on Lingyan Country's National Guard List, Yan Ran quickly explained it to him.
"National Guard List? Third? Interesting..."
After hearing Yan Ran's explanation, Mu Jinyu touched his chin and chuckled.
He wasn't overly interested in the National Guard List. After all, he couldn't stay in Yan Kingdom forever. With the Hidden Dragon Conference approaching, he anticipated leaving soon, and after finding a way at the conference to help Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan swap back their bodies, he expected to leave the Kunlun Ruins as well, making it impossible to settle down in Yan Kingdom as some so-called National Scholar.
Wen Rou could see Mu Jinyu's disinterest in Yan Ran, hesitated for a moment, and then shared with Mu Jinyu how in recent days, with his ascent to third on the National Guard List causing a stir throughout Yan Kingdom, various major forces came to visit, but only Yan Ran stayed for an entire month.
"Oh, really?"
Upon hearing Wen Rou's account, Mu Jinyu raised an eyebrow, looked at Yan Ran, his eyes softening significantly, saying, "You really have some determination."
Yan Ran was overjoyed, gratefully glancing at Wen Rou, and then immediately seized the opportunity to invite, "Mu Country Knight, you probably also want to attend the Hidden Dragon Conference to witness the prowess of various powerhouses of Kunlun Ruins, right? It so happens that many Heaven's Pride strongmen from other countries have recently arrived in the Imperial Capital for the conference, and my residence has invited quite a few to stay. Would you like to come with me and have some exchanges with them?"
Mu Jinyu initially had little interest in such invitations, but from Wen Rou's words, he learned of Yan Ran's current dilemma, being heavily suppressed by the Crown Prince and urgently needing a powerful figure as support to intimidate others, lest his life be in danger.
Therefore, considering Yan Ran's persistence in waiting for a whole month, Mu Jinyu decided to help him.
After all, backing Yan Ran and confronting the Crown Prince of Yan Kingdom was a trivial matter to him; even if the future of Yan Kingdom bears a grudge against him, what does it matter?
Should he be willing, he could even help Yan Ran ascend to power, though it was clear their relationship wasn't at that level.
"Alright, I can go with you, but I've just come out of seclusion and have some matters to handle. Will a few days be alright?" Mu Jinyu asked.
Yan Ran was overjoyed at these words, feeling fortunate for persisting till now, he promptly said, "No problem, no problem, as long as you're willing to come, Mu Country Knight, it doesn't matter how late..."
"Alright, then, Your Highness, please feel free to leave. I need to go out for some things," Mu Jinyu nodded gently, then left the back mountain with Wen Rou and Jian Ruyan.
He realized that, after emerging from seclusion and achieving success in cultivating the "Dragon Elephant Prison Suppression Scripture", he lost himself in the moment, causing Tianlan Peak to sink by several hundred meters, and he didn't know whether anyone got hurt.
He needed to quickly go and check.
Soon after, Mu Jinyu learned that there were no inhabitants at the base of Tianlan Peak, so the terrifying disturbance he caused thankfully resulted in no casualties.
It was a great relief.
But unfortunately, quite a few Inner Sect Disciples residing mid-mountain were disturbed from their cultivation by the commotion and sustained significant injuries.
Mu Jinyu immediately went to tend to their wounds one by one.
After spending half a day, he finally healed the injured disciples and went to find Elder Cheng and Elder Lin Feng.
The purpose was to repay them for the favor they gave him with the Sacred Wood Branch.