Wandering Gods of Day and Night

She hurriedly condensed the secret message to notify the Painter.

Zhou Xuan's words were not only heard by Gu Ling, but also by Nanny Yuan, who was hidden in the fog.

She hadn't expected that Zhou Xuan's reaction would be so sharp; despite being trapped within the Protective Bone Teeth by the disciples of the Fire Sect, worrying little about his own life, he still grasped her intentions for a surprise attack.

"No wonder Jing Deng lost."

Nanny Yuan, at this moment, couldn't afford to hesitate. She had to kill Gu Ling to prevent her from sending out the secret message.

In the fog, she transformed into a Divine Arrow, streaking forward like lightning, hurtling toward the center of Gu Ling's forehead.

"Whoosh!"

The Divine Arrow carried the wind, like a streak of black light, and when the arrowhead was only a foot away from Gu Ling's forehead, a folded fan suddenly suspended itself in front of Gu Ling's face. With a crisp "snap," the fan automatically unfolded, blocking the arrow.

Clang!

Amid the collision of metal and stone, the Divine Arrow, which Nanny Yuan had transformed into, was successfully deflected.

A lean, elegant figure appeared, gripping the folded fan while standing tall, his bearing remarkable.

Yuan Buyu opened the folded fan, shaking it lightly as he gazed at Nanny Yuan. With an amicable smile, as though meeting an old acquaintance, he said, "Heaven to earth, rain to wind, continent to vast skies—for rivals to clash, they must be well-matched,

Your younger disciples sparring with my disciple is just fine, befitting their ranks. Now, us two elders wagering our skills—now that would be proper."

Upon seeing the folded fan, Nanny Yuan immediately recognized him as the storyteller.

She had long heard her mistress speak of Zhou Xuan having a master who was a seven-incense storyteller.

"Hmph, I cannot afford to wager skills with you storytellers."

With Yuan Buyu's arrival, Nanny Yuan knew the tides had completely turned.

She could neither kill Zhou Xuan nor Gu Ling nor stop her from sending the secret message.

Since that was the case, she had to preserve her usefulness and escape swiftly.

"I am now the mistress's sole walker in the human world; I cannot afford to die."

Turning swiftly, Nanny Yuan began to shuttle through the fog, leaving the battlefield behind. Yuan Buyu remained motionless, only lifting the gavel he held behind his back and crushing it within his grasp.

The intact gavel instantly shattered into countless wooden shards, which shot out into the fog…

…

Nanny Yuan could gain tremendous speed within the fog; so long as she didn't leave its confines, she could move freely like Mr. Feng—coming and going as she pleased.

Stretching the fog all the way to North Mountain above East Market Street, her figure fled within the haze like a fish swimming through water, naturally agile.

Moments later, Nanny Yuan appeared within the wild woods of North Mountain. Standing atop the hill, she gazed at the battlefield on East Market Street. The Fire Sect's fire array was still grinding away at Zhou Xuan's Protective Bone Teeth like a millstone,

while Gu Ling was sending the secret message,

and Yuan Buyu was nowhere to be seen.

"Where has that storyteller gone?"

"Tap."

A withered, skeletal finger gently tapped the rib of the fan, producing a crisp, resonant note.

"A disciple of Star Covering, you're at seven-incense, I'm at seven-incense—escaping after a single round without a proper fight seems rather unbecoming, doesn't it?"

Yuan Buyu's voice startled Nanny Yuan into turning her head immediately. There, beneath a wild peach tree, stood an elderly man in a flowing blue robe.

"How did you catch up to me?"

Nanny Yuan was taken aback.

She had never heard of Yuan Buyu possessing any speed-enhancing magic skill.

He clearly hadn't mastered Space Law.

"You didn't escape in the first place, so why would I need to catch up?"

Yuan Buyu once again tapped the fan, and the surrounding environment instantly transformed. Nanny Yuan found herself back on East Market Street, surrounded by the Dragon Dance Team.

"The storyteller's dream realm?"

"What if I told you this is reality—would you believe me?"

"I'd believe it if I could raise fog."

Clenching her right fist tightly, a cloud of white mist began to spread from beneath Nanny Yuan's feet. This time, she attempted to dissolve herself into fog form, to hide within it and escape once again.

But she hadn't stopped to question—why did her first escape attempt fail?

"Star Covering Sect has fog and starlight. Disciples who cultivate the Mist Technique can transform within fog, becoming endlessly mutable,

while disciples who cultivate the Starlight Technique can harness the great power of the stars. You, it seems, are a Mist Sect disciple of the Star Covering Tangkou."

Panic flickered in Nanny Yuan's eyes as she realized that, no matter where she concealed herself within the mist, Yuan Buyu's calm voice carried distinctly and clearly into her ears.

"But unfortunately, this fog does not originate from you—it comes from me."

Yuan Buyu tapped the fan once more, dispersing the mist, and Nanny Yuan plummeted from its clouded embrace.

"I've already entered the dream."

Nanny Yuan abandoned all resistance,

finding herself powerless against the Tangkou of the storyteller, much like the other factions of Jing Country.

The dream realms of the storyteller were too enigmatic; though for three centuries, no storyteller had ascended beyond seven-incense, their renown at seven-incense was unmatched.

As the saying goes, crossing borders to kill foes, the storyteller Tangkou was undeniably supreme.

"In my dream realm, within Ping Shui Prefecture or Mingjiang Prefecture—aside from my senior escaping—perhaps only Lord Jian could quickly flee."

Mr. Feng could escape Yuan Buyu's dream realm because he himself was a storyteller, adept at finding an exit within the dream realm as naturally as eating or drinking.

Lord Jian could escape because his incense power was exceptional—on the verge of advancing to eight-incense and aiming for nine. Yuan Buyu, who had just recently entered seven-incense, could not confine him within a dream.

"As for you, however, a seven-incense disciple of Star Covering—once your mist falls under my dream, escape is no longer an option."

Yuan Buyu said with a smile.

From start to finish, Nanny Yuan had never truly left East Market Street.

The fragments of the gavel had birthed dreams within the mist.

"The storyteller's methods are ever-changing; I am no match. It's a pity for my mistress—she will now lose her sole walker in the human world."

With these words, Nanny Yuan had resolved herself to death,