As this voice rang out, both sides' attention was drawn to the source of the sound—Princess Qionghua, Chu Kerren.
Mu Qingyan frowned, remaining silent, but a trace of disgust flickered in his eyes.
Fatty Qian looked at Chu Kerren, his expression not much better, and sneered, "Chu Kerren, what new mischief are you up to now?"
He said this because their current predicament was entirely due to this woman.
Of course, the events began when Zi Linling and Ye Lingyuan ascended the Ghost Altar.
After Ye Lingyuan and Zi Linling went up to the Ghost Altar, Mu Qingyan and Fatty Qian were extremely worried.
However, their strength was limited, and they were not recognized by the Ghost Altar, leaving them only able to fret anxiously.
Five days passed, and there was still no news from Ye Lingyuan and Zi Linling.
Mu Qingyan, Fatty Qian, and Qingyu, who was waiting outside, were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Finally, the three discussed it, and decided to have Qingyu go fetch reinforcements, and also send Fatty Qian out, as Fatty Qian carried something important found in the White Tiger's cave.
Who would have thought that Chu Kerren, brandishing a personal letter from Chu Junxiong, the Emperor of Qionghua Kingdom, would threaten the three, demanding they take her to Tianqi Kingdom as well.
Fatty Qian initially had no intention of paying her any mind, but given the implications for interstate relations, Mu Qingyan, as a general, thought it over and finally decided to bring Chu Kerren along.
Otherwise, if Princess Qionghua were to meet with an accident under their watch, it would surely ignite a war between the two nations, and it would be the common people who would suffer.
Qingyu and Fatty Qian felt Mu Qingyan's reasoning was sound, and reluctantly took Chu Kerren, preparing to depart.
As for Mu Qingyan, he naturally stayed behind to await the return of Ye Lingyuan and Zi Linling.
But who could have known that this Chu Kerren was simply a walking disaster?
As soon as they left the White Tiger's cave, Chu Kerren impatiently released a signal, under the guise of summoning her guards.
At this moment, Mu Qingyan was giving Qingyu some instructions, while Chu Kerren was only accompanied by Fatty Qian.
Therefore, by the time the signal was sent, Mu Qingyan and Qingyu were too late to stop it.
It was simply their misfortune.
Although Chu Kerren's guards had suffered heavy casualties, two of them had ultimately survived.
These two guards had followed the markers left by Chu Kerren and found their way nearby, so when Chu Kerren summoned them, they appeared directly.
The reason it was "appeared directly" was that it only took a dozen breaths from the moment the signal was sent to their arrival.
However, it was one thing for these two to appear, but why were they each holding an egg when they did?
The two saw Chu Kerren, bowed, and before they could speak, a demonic gust of wind swept through the air.
Mu Qingyan and Qingyu inwardly cried out in alarm, simultaneously looking at the sky with vigilance.
A nine-tailed falcon hovered low in the air, emitting sharp cries.
A Nine-Tailed Owl!
Mu Qingyan and Qingyu were greatly shocked, their faces turning grim.
The Nine-Tailed Owl was a Level 3 demonic beast, a fighter among the avian species.
This Nine-Tailed Owl was clearly a top-tier fighter among Level 3 demonic beasts, just a step away from entering the ranks of spirit beasts.
Although a Level 3 demonic beast was equivalent to a human cultivator in the Hua Yuan realm, this was without accounting for the demonic beast's physical body.
Therefore, even though Mu Qingyan and Qingyu were both Hua Yuan realm cultivators, dealing with this Nine-Tailed Owl would be extremely difficult.
Because this kind of Nine-Tailed Owl had half a foot in the spirit beast category, meaning its cultivation was equivalent to a human Saint King realm cultivator.
What was going on?
Why would a Nine-Tailed Owl suddenly appear here?
Logically, the divine beast White Tiger's pressure had not dissipated here, so a Nine-Tailed Owl would not have dared to intrude, as the bloodline pressure of a divine beast was the nightmare of other beast tribes.
Yet, this Nine-Tailed Owl had charged in, ignoring the White Tiger's pressure, which indicated it was enraged to the extreme.
The Nine-Tailed Owl's cries grew more urgent and agitated.
Suddenly, Mu Qingyan looked at Chu Kerren's two guards, more precisely, at the eggs held in the guards' arms.
At the same time, Qingyu also noticed the two eggs.
They finally understood why the Nine-Tailed Owl had risked its life to come here.
It was no wonder the Nine-Tailed Owl was furious, having its children stolen!
Qingyu said with a cold face, "Princess Qionghua, if you don't want to die, have your two guards return the eggs!"
Chu Kerren was also startled when she saw the Nine-Tailed Owl.
Her cultivation was only at the peak of the Ju Ling realm, and facing a Hua Yuan realm Nine-Tailed Owl, she was surely doomed.
However, she quickly reconsidered; were there not two Hua Yuan realm powerhouses here?
Thus, her heart, which had been in her throat, settled back down.
While Chu Kerren was wondering how the Nine-Tailed Owl had appeared here, she heard Qingyu's words.
She froze, looked at the eggs held by her two guards, and her thoughts began to churn.
Returning these two eggs would naturally lift the danger.
However, her two guards might perish here, and then she would have nothing to show for it.
Conversely, if these two eggs could hatch into Nine-Tailed Owls, wouldn't she be able to choose one as her mount?
Having such a magnificent mount, and being able to flaunt it to that little vixen Zi Linling, the thought alone was satisfying.
Therefore, after weighing the strengths of both sides, she finally made her decision—she would not return them!
She sneered, "General Mu, Commander Qingyu, I am afraid Kerren cannot obey this command."
Qingyu's face turned even darker, "Princess Qionghua, think carefully. The two eggs in your guards' hands are the offspring of this Nine-Tailed Owl! You stole the Nine-Tailed Owl's children. If it goes berserk, none of you will have a good time!"
Chu Kerren smiled faintly, "Commander Qingyu, your words are a bit alarmist. Setting aside whether these are indeed the Nine-Tailed Owl's eggs, even if it goes berserk, aren't you and General Mu still here?"
After she said this, Qingyu's face turned as black as ink, and even the usually cold Mu Qingyan's eyes held a flicker of anger.
Because her words clearly implied that with the two of them as shields, why should she, the princess, be afraid?
Qian Shaojie's eyes chilled, "Chu Kerren, you're bullying Old Mu and Little Fengzi for being honest people, aren't you?"
Chu Kerren glanced at him with disdain, and arrogantly lifted her head.
The meaning was very clear: this princess is indeed bullying their honesty, so what?
Qian Shaojie was so angry that his flesh trembled. He glared at Chu Kerren and said to Mu Qingyan, "Old Mu, you go do what you need to do. Ignore this imbecilic princess."
Then, he turned to Qingyu and said, "Little Fengzi, let's go. As for this imbecilic princess, let's leave her to the Nine-Tailed Owl for a lesson!"