The man sighed, "Forget it, the Soul Controlling Flute has reached her hands smoothly anyway."
"But she hasn't contracted it," the Wu Shi Beast asked in confusion, "Doesn't that mean destiny is mistaken?"
The man beside him looked towards the sky, his eyes holding an unfathomable complexity, "She will contract it..."
The Wu Shi Beast propped its head, "I don't understand. Why did Father use half his lifespan for time to flow backward?"
The man's hand slowly clenched, "That great battle, only she can stop it..."
"I hope this time, she can make a different choice..."
"So mysterious," the Wu Shi Beast muttered in dissatisfaction.
"Bang—!" Another heavy punch.
"Ouch, Father, I was wrong!"
The man kicked the Wu Shi Beast, "Hurry and follow her to protect her well!"
"Yes..." He disappeared into the forest with great reluctance.
...
On the other side, on the dueling stage of Que Tian Sect.
"What? Not all the participants are here yet?" a female disciple arrogantly put her hands on her hips, "What's there to compete?"
"Exactly. Four against five, winning would still bring shame to our Shen Yin Sect."
"Hahaha!"
The five disciples from Shen Yin Sect laughed wildly.
Ran Shuang gritted her teeth, her eyes filled with anger, "Captain Bai will be here soon."
Ma Huai also stepped forward, "What are you proud of? The four of us can still beat you all down!"
Dongfang Wuji looked at the empty spot beside him, feeling worried.
Bai Ran and Sect Leader Xiong are both absent... Did something happen?
"Elder Lin, please let us substitute for Miss Bai," Ning Xue pleaded with Elder Lin.
His brows were tightly furrowed, "Impossible. This spot originally belonged to Bai girl."
"She hasn't returned by now, which shows how little she cares about this competition!" Gu Ke shouted.
"Yes, Elder Lin. We can't let Que Tian Sect suffer a crushing defeat and disgrace the entire Central Realm."
Elder Lin looked troubled, "This..."
Zeng Rou stepped forward, "Elder, Captain Bai might have more important matters, but the most crucial thing right now is that Que Tian Sect is short a participant, and the competition cannot be delayed any further."
Elder Lin was in a dilemma. The competition had already started for nearly fifteen minutes, and it truly couldn't be delayed any longer. However, he couldn't make the decision to replace Bai girl without authorization.
What should he do...
"Zeng Rou! I haven't had the chance to settle the score with you for pushing Senior Sister Ran into the snake's belly!"
Sun Jianning clenched his fists and shouted at Zeng Rou below the stage, "You still want to compete in place of Captain Bai? Hmph! Have you no shame?!"
Ma Huai's cold gaze swept over Zeng Rou. Ever since they returned, she had been constantly hiding, and now she had finally shown herself.
Elder Lin looked at Zeng Rou in disbelief, "What is going on here?!"
Zeng Rou shrunk her neck, "They are framing me! I never pushed Senior Sister Ran!"
Hearing this, Ma Huai was furious. He was about to jump off the stage when Ran Shuang grabbed him.
"Calm down. Getting off the stage will count as you forfeiting the match!"
He took a deep breath, suppressing the rage in his heart, "I'll settle this with you after the competition!"
"Is Que Tian Sect going to compete or not?" the Shen Yin Sect disciples sneered at them.
"Still having internal conflicts, how laughable."
"Exactly. After waiting for so long, you're still short a participant. Who are you putting on this show for?"
The referee also spoke, "In five minutes, if Que Tian Sect still cannot gather the required number of participants, it will be considered a forfeiture by Que Tian Sect."
In the spectator stands, Fang Tianhui tightly gripped Qin Mu Bai's hand, "What do we do? Sister Bai hasn't arrived yet."
"It's alright, Bai Ran never breaks her word," he gently patted Fang Tianhui's hand.
"Elder Lin, there are only five minutes left!" Ning Xue anxiously stared at Elder Lin, "Please let us compete."
Elder Lin frowned silently, what could be done...
"I am late!" a resonant voice echoed from the sky.
Elder Lin looked up with joy, and everyone's gaze followed towards the sky.
"It's Sect Leader and Captain Bai!"
"That's great! Captain Bai is here!"
"Sister Bai!"
Gu Ke and the others' expressions changed drastically.
The arrival of the two filled the entire Que Tian Sect with joy.
Sect Leader Xiong landed steadily and placed Bai Ran on the dueling stage, "Little girl, win first place for me!"
"Understood," she sighed helplessly.
Bai Ran stretched her muscles, "Keep an eye on Zeng Rou."
She cast a cold glance at Zeng Rou below the stage. Zeng Rou instantly felt goosebumps.
The Shen Yin Sect disciples were stunned, "W-what? What is it? Why are you so confident as soon as she arrives?"
"Que Tian Sect has reached the required number of participants. The competition officially begins!" Sect Leader Xiong stepped down from the stage, and the referee immediately announced.
An overwhelming aura erupted, and the five members of Que Tian Sect were like divine killers, terrifying beyond measure.
The Shen Yin Sect disciples involuntarily retreated.
"The momentum is quite strong, but their strength..."
"Bang—"
Before her words were finished, the four disciples around her fell to the ground.
Bai Ran hadn't even made a move, and the other four had already eliminated the opposing four at lightning speed.
Good! Such speed!
"How is their strength?" Bai Ran curved her lips into a smile.
The female disciple trembled stiffly, "Their strength is also very strong..."
"Bang—" Ma Huai delivered a hand chop, and that woman also fell.
"The competition is over!" the referee announced, "Que Tian Sect wins!"
Instantly, thunderous cheers erupted.
"Bai Ran—! Bai Ran—! Bai Ran—!"
This was a true slap in the face! Without Bai Ran making a move, four against five had instantly defeated the five disciples of Shen Yin Sect!
"I told you, four against five could still beat you down," Ma Huai said indifferently.
"It's your turn," Bai Ran looked coldly at Zeng Rou below the stage.
Escape... must escape...
Zeng Rou trembled all over, she had to escape!
As she turned to leave, Bai Ran appeared behind her without anyone noticing, "What are you running for?"
Zeng Rou's face turned ashen, "I was wrong... I was wrong..."
The other four also descended from the stage and stood behind Bai Ran.
"Zeng Rou, you must take responsibility for your mistakes!" Sun Jianning glared at her.
"Ran Shuang almost died inside the thousand-year-old python, do you know that!" Ma Huai raised his fist, about to strike her.
Bai Ran stopped him and looked at Ran Shuang, "You say, how should she be dealt with?"
Dealt with! Zeng Rou's head shot up, "Fine, Bai Ran! Even if I made a mistake, Sect Leader Xiong should punish me! What right do you have to overstep your bounds?!"
Hearing this, Bai Ran looked towards Sect Leader Xiong on the high platform.
"Don't mind me! Little girl decides!" a resounding shout rang out, and Zeng Rou's expression turned extremely grim.