Fu Ling sneered with a hint of mockery. “Who would’ve thought that the mighty Lord of Hao Yue Hall would stoop so low, disguising himself as a mere mortal and playing dead before me?”
Ignoring her, Fan Yue strode toward Bai Shuo, stopping three steps away. He raised a brow.
“You put on quite the performance. Even I nearly believed you. Such a deceitful mortal—I’ve never seen one quite like you.”
Bai Shuo shivered, barely managing a shaky smile. “Th-thank you for the compliment, Your Highness… erm, Hall Master? How should I address you?”
She blinked, but her gaze darted to something in his eyes—a demon arrow flying toward them.
“Look out!” she yelled. Fan Yue didn’t move, but suddenly, Wu Yong sprang up from the ground, smashing the arrow in two with his staff. He staggered back a few steps before regaining his footing.
“Master.” Wu Yong’s form blurred as he transformed into his true self, Cang Shan, and stepped protectively in front of Fan Yue. Fan Yue turned, his icy stare landing on Fu Ling.
With both sides on edge, Bai Shuo used the opportunity to stealthily inch toward the unconscious Chong Zhao, checking his breathing.
Thank goodness, he was still alive! Bai Shuo nearly wept with relief.
“A mere ‘Mountain-Cutting Staff’?” Fu Ling scoffed at Cang Shan. “So, this is the famed protector of Hao Yue Hall? Pitiful.”
“More than enough to deal with you!” Cang Shan roared, his staff covered with a layer of frost.
“Fan Yue! You dared to leave the far north; today will be your final day here on Mount Mu Xiao!” Fu Ling’s hands glowed as she drew back her Cloudfire Bow, aiming three arrows at Fan Yue.
“Cloudfire Arrows?! Be careful, Master!” Cang Shan yelled, jumping in front, but Fan Yue moved even faster, conjuring a shield of frost in his palm, blocking the three arrows.
Though injured, Fan Yue wasn’t much weaker than Fu Ling, who only held a slight advantage. Their powers clashed, and the resulting shockwave sent energy crackling up to the sky.
Amid the chaos, Bai Shuo dragged Chong Zhao toward the donkey. Please don’t notice me, please don’t notice me, she repeated to herself, cold sweat forming on her brow.
Then, the clear sky above them burst with radiant light as divine energy cascaded down from the Ninth Heaven, surging toward Mount Mu Xiao.
Not good! The sacrificial ritual for five hundred souls has finally drawn the attention of the Immortal Realm! We can’t let the Immortals catch Cold Spring Palace at fault.
Fu Ling’s face darkened. “Wen Zhu!”
“Form the array!” shouted the purple-clad man behind her. He and the others leaped into action, their combined demonic energy surging into the Cloudfire Arrows. The power of the arrows intensified, and with a sharp crack, Fan Yue’s frost shield began to shatter.
“Master!” Cang Shan swept his staff to protect him but was immediately deflected by Fu Ling’s power, coughing up blood as he fell to the ground.
As Bai Shuo dragged Chong Zhao closer to the donkey, she paused momentarily at Cang Shan’s desperate cry.
Didn’t hear it, didn’t hear it… she repeated, biting her lip as she hoisted Chong Zhao onto the donkey. The donkey, however, seemed keen to toss him off. Bai Shuo grabbed its ear and whispered something quickly, and the donkey froze, deflating into obedience.
On the other side, Fu Ling cast a cold glance at Cang Shan. “Pathetic!” She tossed her Cloudfire Bow into the air, leaped up, and combined her hands with her followers, fusing their energies to launch the three Cloudfire Arrows directly at Fan Yue.
A muffled groan broke out behind Bai Shuo, and she stopped, glancing back despite herself.
Fan Yue was coughing up blood, his face pale as the frost shield cracked further. Just as the Cloudfire Arrows shattered the ice barrier and were about to strike his forehead, Bai Shuo’s heart clenched. Remembering the item in her pocket, she pulled out the wooden pig talisman and, drawing a knife from Chong Zhao’s belt, slashed her palm.
As her blood dripped onto the pig talisman, it began to glow intensely. The Cloudfire Arrows were mere inches from Fan Yue’s forehead, and Bai Shuo felt her breath catch.
“Go, Dragon One Pig!” she yelled, hurling the talisman toward the Cloudfire Arrows with all her might.
A tremendous explosion echoed through the forest, and in the flash of blinding light, Bai Shuo kicked the donkey’s rear, launching them into a desperate sprint out of the woods.
Bai Shuo quietly retreated, clutching the disloyal donkey, huddling on the ground in a pitiful display.
The donkey stared down at her with wide eyes, as if to ask: What grudge do we have between us? All I did was eat two pounds of hay, and this is what I get? Even if you want someone to die with you, couldn’t you find a decent guy? Why drag a poor donkey into this?
Bai Shuo blinked and said nothing.
Mu Fan, hanging his head weakly, watched as he was dragged to the edge of a small grove.
Without warning, the sky suddenly darkened.
Everyone looked up in shock, seeing a blood-red charm slowly spreading across the sky, cloaking the once-clear heavens in darkness.
“What in the world is that?” The bandits recoiled in fear, even Zhang Chao’s hand paused mid-grab for more gold leaves.
Wu Yong’s face darkened as he looked toward Mu Fan, who was frowning up at the sky, his gaze turning icy.
Bai Shuo watched the ominous change with a strange expression, sighing and giving the donkey a weary glance.
Even with a heart as clever as hers, Bai Shuo realized she couldn’t outwit the twisted whims of fate.
A cold voice shattered the silence. “Break!”
The blood-red charm covering the sky cracked with a thunderous noise as a streak of red light shot through, shattering it to pieces.
As the light faded, a young woman in red appeared out of thin air, leading a group of masked figures in purple robes. Not far from her lay an unconscious Chong Zhao.
“A-Zhao!” Bai Shuo’s face paled, unable to contain her concern. She almost rushed forward but restrained herself, anxiety filling her eyes.
“You…!” Zhang Chao took a step forward, his voice trembling. Raising his axe toward Fu Ling, he only managed a feeble display of bravado. Fu Ling swept her hand, releasing arrows made of demonic energy that flew from her palm toward the bandits.
With a sickening “thud,” blood splattered across the ground. Zhang Chao looked down at the demonic flower lodged in his chest, his grip on the gold leaves loosening as he collapsed, eyes open in death.
One by one, the bandits fell, even Wu Yong and Mu Fan were not spared. The last arrow flew toward Bai Shuo’s forehead, but Fu Ling hesitated, her hand twitching slightly, and the arrow dissolved into nothingness.
The disloyal donkey saw the blood-soaked ground and gasped, tipping over and pretending to be dead.
Blood from the fallen soaked Bai Shuo’s clothes, her face ashen, and her grip on the donkey trembling. In mere moments, only she and the unconscious Chong Zhao remained alive in the forest.
Fu Ling looked down at Bai Shuo with a mocking smile. “So, the fool’s companion really was hiding here all along.”
Bai Shuo didn’t dare to speak, shrinking closer to the donkey, trembling in silence.
Fu Ling watched Bai Shuo's frightened expression and gave a dismissive snort, turning toward Chong Zhao. One of the purple-clad figures behind her murmured a warning.
“Second Mistress, let’s focus on the task. Now that we’ve entered this mountain, the Lord of the Hao Yue Hall must be aware. Any further delay could…”
“When did I give you permission to question my methods?” Fu Ling cast him a cold look, making him shudder and step back in silence.
Bai Shuo watched as Fu Ling approached the unconscious Chong Zhao, stretching her hand toward his forehead.
“You wanted to know the whereabouts of Long Er, didn’t you? Help me save him!” Bai Shuo suddenly shouted. “Otherwise, you’ll never find it!”
A tense silence fell over the forest. Fu Ling looked at Bai Shuo in surprise, while the purple-clad figures exchanged puzzled glances, suspecting she was rambling nonsense. But soon, they heard a deep, chilling laugh.
The laugh held a blend of anger, surprise, and icy amusement.
From among the bodies of fallen bandits, the supposedly lifeless Mu Fan slowly rose. The blood and grime vanished, revealing a pristine white robe embroidered with drifting clouds and a crescent moon on the flowing sleeves. His dark hair spilled over his shoulders, and though he looked like a youth, his eyes were piercingly cold.
The purple-clad figures gasped and drew their swords, stepping back. “The Lord of Hao Yue Hall!”
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