Chen Qingyuan was preparing to approach the warship when suddenly, five furious female Heaven’s Pride appeared before him, launching various Dao Techniques and wielding deadly weapons that gleamed with cold light.

Retreat!

In such a situation, the only option was to temporarily retreat and wait for the next opportunity.

Chen Qingyuan took out a three-foot-long green blade from his Xumi Ring and continued to tangle with the women.

“Boom, boom, boom…”

The battle was intense, with sword energy flying everywhere.

Xiao Yanran managed to seize the treasured sword that Chen Qingyuan had initially taken out, and she swiftly moved in to attack again.

“Whoosh!”

Her whip, agile like a snake, seemed to come from the front but in the blink of an eye, it was behind Chen Qingyuan.

Chen Qingyuan had to fend off the attacks from the women while also trying to locate the exact position of the extraterrestrial meteorite, making the pressure immense.

However, Chen Qingyuan had many hidden cards up his sleeve. Every time the women thought they had him cornered, they would find themselves just a bit short. This happened several times, making everyone believe that Chen Qingyuan was incredibly lucky.

“Slap!”

Chen Qingyuan found an opportunity and slapped a woman in a red dress on his left, sending her flying several miles away, leaving a deep palm print on her shoulder.

Clang—

A woman dressed in armor, holding a long halberd, appeared like a valiant female general.

The long halberd came from the right, and Chen Qingyuan quickly retreated a few steps, raising his treasured sword to block in front of him. The halberd changed its trajectory and swept across.

Fortunately, Chen Qingyuan was prepared and blocked it with his sword, avoiding injury.

“Rogue, you deserve to die!”

Someone from above formed a seal that looked like a giant mountain, intending to trap Chen Qingyuan.

Chen Qingyuan unleashed a powerful aura, forcing everyone around him to retreat. Then, he thrust his sword towards the sky, piercing through the giant mountain seal and injuring the woman above, forcing her to retreat to stabilize her injuries.

Xiao Yanran continued to fight Chen Qingyuan head-on, while the others attacked with various techniques.

Even so, the combined efforts of over thirty people couldn’t defeat Chen Qingyuan.

“What is he hiding?”

Xiao Yanran frowned, realizing that Chen Qingyuan was intentionally holding back, as if trying to conceal something.

After hundreds of rounds, even with their formation, the Pear Blossom Palace disciples couldn’t defeat Chen Qingyuan, leaving them frustrated and doubting their own strength.

They were all peers, so why couldn’t thirty of them defeat one person?

It didn’t make sense!

Xiao Yanran’s eyes turned cold, deciding to hold nothing back and have her fellow disciples use all their trump cards. She didn’t believe that with everyone’s life-saving cards, they couldn’t defeat this mysterious person.

“You’ve forced my hand.”

Chen Qingyuan seemed to have reached his limit and shouted.

Immediately, his sword unleashed a shocking power.

A mysterious Dao Mark flower appeared under his feet, resembling a star, containing supreme power.

“Star-Plucking Tower’s Borrowing Star Nine Li Technique!”

Xiao Yanran and the others recognized it at a glance, exclaiming in surprise.

Could he really be from the Star-Plucking Tower?

This question popped into everyone’s mind, and many even confirmed in their hearts that Chen Qingyuan was indeed a disciple of the Star-Plucking Tower.

Chen Qingyuan had been holding back to hide his true identity. Now, forced into a corner, he had no choice but to go all out.

There was no time for further thought; they formed a formation to respond.

Chen Qingyuan had spent years cultivating this Dao Technique from the Star-Plucking Tower to a minor achievement, putting in significant effort to find an opportunity to frame the Star-Plucking Tower.

“Retreat quickly!”

Xiao Yanran, fearing her fellow disciples would be injured, quickly shouted.

The women dared not confront Chen Qingyuan head-on and retreated in all directions.

Chen Qingyuan’s intention wasn’t to attack them but the warship.

Seizing the opportunity, Chen Qingyuan rushed towards the warship in the shortest time, breaking through the barrier with a single sword strike.

At the same time, Chen Qingyuan’s target was clear. He overturned the bottom three layers of the warship, found the ten-meter-high extraterrestrial meteorite, and stored it in his Xumi Ring.

The Spirit Vein Detection Technique wasn’t just for finding Spirit Veins; it also had some effect on other spiritual objects.

“Damn!”

Seeing this, Xiao Yanran’s face turned pale, and she hurried forward to stop Chen Qingyuan.

However, the Dao Technique Chen Qingyuan had just used from the Star-Plucking Tower was powerful enough to delay them for a few breaths. By the time the women surrounded him, Chen Qingyuan had already taken the extraterrestrial meteorite and was heading into the distance.

“Chase!”

At Xiao Yanran’s command, the thirty-odd women pursued relentlessly.

Unfortunately, after several hours of pursuit, they could only watch as Chen Qingyuan disappeared into the depths of the starry sky, his whereabouts unknown.

“Star! Plucking! Tower!”

Xiao Yanran clenched her fists, unable to hide the anger in her eyes.

Whether the person who stole the extraterrestrial meteorite was a disciple of the Star-Plucking Tower was no longer important. Since he used the top Dao Technique of the Star-Plucking Tower, the grudge naturally fell on the Star-Plucking Tower.

As for the truth, Xiao Yanran and the others didn’t care.

They needed to give themselves an explanation and also give an explanation to the Senior Sister of Pear Blossom Palace. So, the Star-Plucking Tower had to take the blame.

After several days of running, Chen Qingyuan arrived at an extremely remote star. Confirming he wasn’t being followed, he finally stopped to rest.

“Ah—”

He let out a long breath, leaning against a giant rock and sipping some wine, feeling very relaxed.

“I really am a genius.”

A wisp of divine sense entered the Xumi Ring, and seeing the mysterious extraterrestrial meteorite, his mood brightened.

“Isn’t this a bit unethical?”

After a few sips of wine, Chen Qingyuan actually said such words.

The next moment, the corners of Chen Qingyuan’s mouth lifted slightly, and he muttered to himself, “The extraterrestrial meteorite is fated to be with me; it’s not my fault. Besides, the Hundred Veins Banquet is a stage for peers to compete. You can’t blame me for that. Even if the Pear Blossom Palace wants to cause trouble, it’s the Star-Plucking Tower that will have a headache, not me.”

Thinking of this, Chen Qingyuan finished the wine in his jug in a few gulps, stretched lazily, and planned to rest for a few days while also gathering information on precious resources.

Meanwhile, the disciples of Pear Blossom Palace gathered.

“Where’s the item?”

Seeing the damaged warship and the disheveled appearance of Xiao Yanran and the other disciples, the Holy Maiden of Pear Blossom Palace guessed the outcome and asked with a dark expression.

Xiao Yanran bit her red lips, walked forward a few steps with her head lowered, not daring to meet the Holy Maiden’s eyes, and said with guilt, “Senior Sister, it’s our incompetence that allowed the treasure to be stolen by a rogue.”

“Useless bunch!”

The Holy Maiden, dressed in a snow-white long dress, caused ice to form within a ten-meter radius around her, exuding extreme coldness that made one’s soul tremble.

“Who did it?”

Punishment would come later; first, she needed to know who was responsible.

“Star-Plucking Tower.”

Xiao Yanran didn’t care about the truth and directly blamed the Star-Plucking Tower, thus shifting part of the responsibility away from herself.

“Oh?”

Hearing this, the Holy Maiden squinted her eyes slightly, her thoughts unknown.