My Highness Hears My Thoughts, And Still Plays Along-Chapter 458 - 439:

His movements were incredibly swift. He burst through the abandoned temple door like a green ghostly shadow skimming over the layers of wild grass, arriving before Yun Ran in the blink of an eye.

Yun Ran: "..."

I didn’t originally need to reveal myself, and I could have carried out the tracking plan...

This rotten fox!

Yun Ran couldn’t help but pinch the little fox in her hand, making the fox stare back with confused and innocent eyes, squeaking indignantly.

Sneering disdainfully, the man in the green robe remarked, "A fox and a person dare to spy on me? Truly, you’re reckless."

As his words fell, he suddenly raised his right hand high and swung it toward Yun Ran’s head.

The hand seemed to grow infinitely larger, shrouding the skies and casting a vast shadow, accompanied by a violent wind, as if it could instantly slam someone into the ground.

The little fox called out nervously, burrowing into Yun Ran’s sleeve.

Yun Ran squinted her beautiful eyes at the giant hand pressing toward her head. The signature move of the owner of the Yellow Springs Inn, the Heaven-covering Ghost Hand? A strike that could shatter mountains and turn all life to ashes?

"Die."

The man in the green robe coldly uttered the word, declaring Yun Ran and the little fox’s tragic end.

Yun Ran snorted dismissively, flicking her sleeve. Seven silver needles shot forth like meteors, swift and precise, piercing seven vital points in the giant hand: Shaoshang, Yuji, Taiyuan, Zhongchong, Laogong, Neiguan, Shaofu, and Shenmen.

Originally arrogant and intending to eliminate his enemy in a snap, the man in the green robe suddenly grunted. The deadly aura-filled hand trembled violently a few times, then exploded back to its original size with a bang.

Staring at his hand, the man in the green robe was incredulous. The Heaven-covering Ghost Hand, which had terrorized the martial world, was broken so easily? Without any effort, with just one move?

"Who are you?"

He stared at Yun Ran with a sinister gaze, seriously scrutinizing her for the first time, seemingly trying to see through her background and lineage.

Yun Ran raised her chin slightly, glancing at him, and tossed out four words:

"Your grandaunt."

"..."

The man in the green robe fell silent for a moment, then angrily shouted, "Arrogant!"

Then he shot up from the ground, transforming his hand into a claw, reaching for Yun Ran’s head.

The momentum of this claw was no less powerful than the previous strike. A fierce wind hurled toward her, as if curious about what color her brain matter was.

Though exasperated, Yun Ran did not underestimate her enemy; using extreme Qinggong and nimble maneuvers, she dodged the claw and counterattacked with a palm strike, the wind carrying several silver needles, two of which whistled toward his eyes.

Under the dazzling sunlight, the needle tips glowed with a ghostly blue light, clearly poisoned.

Under the mask, the man in the green robe turned green!

"Despicable!"

"Tch! As if you’re some paragon of virtue!"

Of course, the man in green was no paragon of virtue, but his martial arts skills were indeed high.

He stretched out his right hand, gathering a black whirlpool in his palm, which absorbed all the flying silver needles, swirling, surging, devouring them, and by the next moment, when the black light dissipated, the needles had all turned to dust.

He spread his hand, the dust scattered in the wind; coldly and arrogantly, he sneered, "A petty trick, how could it harm me? Die!"

As the final word landed, he stomped his foot fiercely. The ground suddenly surged like a tsunami, raising a dirt wall several meters high, dust soaring and rushing toward Yun Ran, instantly engulfing her figure.

When the dust settled, the area around where Yun Ran had stood was covered by a mound over two meters high, nowhere to be seen.

The man in the green robe smiled in satisfaction, yet his smile was incredibly cold. Just halfway through the smile, it froze suddenly, and he jerked his head up.

Above the nine heavens, Yun Ran swooped down elegantly, holding a blade about two meters long, aimed at his head.

The force of the swing was ferocious and powerful, yet her smile was as bright and flawless as a spring breeze.

"Dressed all in green, let me see if your brain matter is green too?"

"Arrogant! Die!"

Suddenly, a wild storm erupted, sand flew, stones scattered, skies darkened.

In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged nearly a hundred moves, yet it was a draw.

Yun Ran was secretly pleased; it seemed her martial arts had recovered quite a bit, at least reaching about eighty percent.

And at least fifty percent had been refined in their recent fight.

Indeed, martial arts should not be neglected; breakthroughs must be made in actual combat. She really hadn’t fought in ages!

But now Yun Ran didn’t want to continue the fight. A victory was nowhere in sight within three hundred moves, and he had two subordinates who could gang up on her anytime, then she’d be outnumbered...

"Even the Ghost King is just like this! Boring, not fun, your grandaunt is leaving!"

Leaving behind a sentence, Yun Ran executed her extreme Qinggong and slipped away, leaving the green-robed man angrily waving his sleeve, stirring up wild grass over dozens of meters.

"Go investigate for me!"