Ling Yun's reason for silencing him was simple: he had seen something he "shouldn't have seen." Meng Ke'er also had her reasons for wanting to kill him. The two had already begun their covert confrontation before entering the Death Zone. Of course, the main reason was that Chen Nan had "defiled" her in the illusion, something Meng Ke'er could never forgive, and she had to get rid of Chen Nan.
"I didn't expect you to show up so late. I thought you would stop me as soon as we left the Death Zone." Although Chen Nan knew that Meng Ke'er's cultivation was stronger than his, he was not flustered and calmly turned around to look at her.
Meng Ke'er, who had initially been filled with murderous intent, gradually calmed down. At this moment, she showed no emotional fluctuations and said calmly, "At first, I only wanted to use you to get rid of Ling Yun's people."
Chen Nan said, "It seems I'm the first, and Ling Yun is the second. We're both on your kill list. Are the successors of the Holy Land really this hypocritical? If all ten masters escaped, are you going to kill them all to silence them? In the Nameless Demon God's illusionary realm, we were merely naked together; nothing really happened. It was just a dream. Are you really so attached to it?"
Meng Ke'er turned to look at the distant, endless mountains, and said calmly, "I've known for a long time that you harbored hostility towards me. A conflict between us was inevitable, so let's bring that moment forward. As for Ling Yun, he deserved to die. I know he did many shady things in the past, and getting rid of him this time is a way of giving the dead justice."
"Haha..." Chen Nan laughed loudly, mocking, "What a 'successor of the Holy Land'! Clearly wanting to kill to silence witnesses, yet finding a high-sounding reason to justify it, huh!"
Meng Ke'er remained unmoved and said coldly, "If it were Xiao Feng, the top expert of Shenfeng Academy, or the wandering martial artist Kerella, I would never have done this, because I admire their character. As for you and Ling Yun, I really can't find a reason not to kill you!"
Chen Nan quickly considered the situation in his mind. He felt that he had no chance of winning if he fought Meng Ke'er head-on. After all, she was one of the top ten young powerhouses on the continent, and her superb cultivation was beyond doubt. But how could he temporarily avoid a conflict with her?
"Miss Meng, I think a battle between us is indeed inevitable, but not now..."
Meng Ke'er interrupted him, saying, "You think you can make me change my mind? Heh..." She suddenly laughed, a laugh as bright and beautiful as spring flowers in bloom, but then her expression turned cold, and she said, "Don't try to play tricks on me!"
Chen Nan paced back and forth a few times, seemingly deep in thought, then suddenly stopped and said, "What if I gave you a reason not to fight? You'd definitely be tempted!"
"Fine, give me a reason!" Meng Ke'er said coldly from the top of the tree.
"I suspect you desperately want to eliminate Ling Yun, but it seems difficult. Firstly, he's in the City of Sin, and a fight would surely alert others. Secondly, he undoubtedly has some skilled subordinates who would pose a significant obstacle, which is one of the reasons you've been using me to eliminate his men these past few days. My reason for not fighting is that we cooperate. You and I will join forces to eliminate Ling Yun, and then we'll have our final battle!"
Meng Ke'er sneered, "You're really dreaming! You actually think you can use my power to deal with Ling Yun? Haha, how laughable!"
Chen Nan remained calm and composed, saying, "Let me explain slowly. I'm just a lone wolf with no background. If you want to deal with me, it's very easy. But Ling Yun is different. Behind him is the Ling family, one of the ten great cultivation families of the Eastern Continent. The power of such a large family is unimaginable. You may not know how Ling Yun escaped from the death zone. He killed several of our companions, using their lives and blood as a sacrifice to unleash a blood-red spatial magic scroll and escape. If I can walk out of these mountains alive and testify against his evil deeds, he will be utterly disgraced. At that time, even the Ling family might not be able to protect him. Killing him then will be as easy as turning your hand."
Meng Ke'er said coldly, "Do you think people outside will believe you?"
Seeing that she had softened, Chen Nan said, "Even if they don't believe it, they will have doubts, and that's enough. When that time comes, you should immediately come out and support me, and he will surely be ruined. Also, don't worry about him spreading rumors about you and me. At that time, no one will believe him. After all, you are a descendant of the ancient holy land, and both you and your sect have high prestige on the continent. People will definitely believe your words."
Chen Nan looked at Meng Ke'er with excitement in his eyes and said, "Getting rid of Ling Yun is that easy!"
Meng Ke'er suddenly laughed and said, "It is indeed a good plan, but the one who benefits the most is you! It seems that you have been using me from beginning to end. You not only cleared your name, but also successfully brought down your mortal enemy. It can be said that you killed several birds with one stone!"
Chen Nan said, "You can't say that. Ling Yun is now our common enemy, and all of this is just a necessary means to get rid of him."
Meng Ke'er said calmly, "I have considered the plan you mentioned, but I have many ways to get rid of him, so there is no need for me to cooperate with you."
Chen Nan felt a chill in his heart. But then Meng Ke'er looked at him with a half-smile and said, "I think I've been too hasty. It might be better to stay out of it. Let's put our battle on hold for now."
In an instant, Chen Nan understood her intention. Meng Ke'er wanted to continue watching him and Ling Yun fight, hoping to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.
"As you wish, let's postpone our great battle for a while longer." Meng Ke'er stepped onto the jade lotus platform and rose slowly like a fairy, flying towards the distant mountains and forests, gradually disappearing from sight.
Chen Nan frowned. He knew that once he eliminated all of Ling Yun's men, Meng Ke'er would probably turn against him.
Meng Ke'er clearly wanted to use Chen Nan as a tool to eliminate Ling Yun's forces. Chen Nan understood her purpose, but he had no way to reverse the situation at the moment. If he wanted to survive in these mountains, he had no choice but to fight against Ling Yun's men.
Chen Nan closed his eyes and thought for a while, then suddenly opened them and said coldly, "I'll let you have the upper hand for now. Hmph, when I get out of these mountains, I'll make you know what's what, and make you lose both your wife and your army!" He knew that to clear his name, he had to rely on Meng Ke'er. After a brief moment of thought, he had a vague idea.
Countless pursuing troops arrived in the depths of the mountains in batches aboard flying dragons. The fourth-level expert from the Ling family, relying on the trail markers left by the original pursuers, kept a long way ahead of the others, and they properly disposed of the traces of the previous battles along the way.
Two days later, they finally discovered Chen Nan's whereabouts and then sent a signal to the others. Countless people chased after Chen Nan in the mountains and forests, and the great hunt finally began.
Standing atop a high mountain, Chen Nan gazed at the shadowy figures in the distant forest and the flying dragons circling low in the sky, feeling an immense headache coming on. He hadn't expected the pursuing army to be so powerful; several hundred had already arrived, many of them high-level experts.
He had already made close combat with several groups of people and discovered that most of them were actually mercenaries with considerable strength. In that instant, he cursed Ling Yun thoroughly, admiring how ruthless Ling Yun was, spending so much effort to eliminate him.
Within just one day, Chen Nan was on the verge of collapse. The pursuing army was terrifyingly powerful, concealing countless experts and numerous professional assassins. Upon discovering this, Chen Nan gasped in shock. These assassins were like cheetahs, impossible to guard against!
Everything was developing in the direction Ling Yun had predicted. If there were no unexpected events, Chen Nan would not have been able to hold out for more than three days.
The next day, Chen Nan, covered in blood and disoriented, fled swiftly through the mountains. The pursuing army was far too powerful; he faced danger several times. If he hadn't used the sleeping potion he obtained from refining the Drunken Fragrance to incapacitate several groups of experts, he might have truly been killed.
"Damn it, I've killed enough people!" Chen Nan's face was covered in blood; he had slaughtered dozens of people in the past two days. When he realized he couldn't seize the Flying Dragon, he knew he was likely in grave danger, so he began a relentless counterattack, unleashing a bloodbath.
Of course, he hated the Ling family the most, so he always paid special attention to them during the counterattack. If it weren't for the fact that there was a fourth-level expert among the Ling family's assassins, Chen Nan would have already killed all ten of them, but even so, he still managed to kill two of them.
On the evening of the third day, Chen Nan was struck by a palm from a fourth-level expert of the Ling family, causing his internal organs to rupture and him to cough up blood. However, he managed to break through the encirclement.
After traversing countless mountains and running for hundreds of miles, Chen Nan felt he was about to die, coughing up large amounts of blood. He leaned weakly against a large tree, letting blood gush from his mouth, and at this moment he was covered in blood.
His clothes had been torn by swords during the fierce battle, and his body was covered with countless crisscrossing, terrifying wounds. Strips of cloth, soaked in blood, clung to his body.
Chen Nan did not want to die at the hands of the enemy; he wanted to save his last bit of strength to end his own life.
When he finally stopped coughing up blood, he felt something was wrong. The nearby forest was deathly silent, devoid of any life. The vast forest was devoid of birdsong and animal cries, and a foul, fishy smell permeated the air.