A-Zhao was still waiting for her; she could die, but A-Zhao mustn’t!
Bai Shuo suddenly looked up. “Hey, Hua Da Tie, one more dead celestial wouldn’t harm you, would it?”
Hua Hong narrowed her eyes, watching Bai Shuo closely.
In the shadows, Fan Yue also turned his gaze toward her.
Meanwhile, in the stone hall below the Yiren King’s palace, the young celestial and demon disciples lay unconscious. Bei Chen and Chong Zhao sat silently in chains, while Mu Jiu restlessly wriggled and squirmed, exhausting his last bit of strength without budging the dark energy that formed the chains. Finally, he resigned himself.
He glanced at the others beside him, then called to Chong Zhao. “Hey, kid from the Piao Miao sect, you’re not seriously thinking that girl is coming back, are you?”
Chong Zhao’s eyelids twitched, but he didn’t look up.
“The Yiren King dared to capture us—he clearly has no intention of leaving us alive. The city’s spirit is sealed, and even if Jin Yao himself arrives, he can’t break the Yiren King’s dark array. What can she do? She probably ran off with her little pretty-boy disciple, just tossing you a few comforting words to keep you calm while you die.”
Although Bai Shuo had left with confident promises, Mu Jiu didn’t believe she could save them. Against overwhelming power, Bai Shuo’s cleverness was useless. But, since there was nothing else to do, he enjoyed stirring up the celestials.
“She said she would return.” Chong Zhao finally looked up, his voice calm and resolute.
“Return, my foot! Only you would believe that girl’s nonsense.”
Just as Mu Jiu finished speaking, footsteps echoed in the empty stone hall. Mu Jiu’s eyes widened in surprise, his face lighting up. “No way! Did she actually come back?!”
Chong Zhao’s head shot up, his eyes on the corridor, a mix of hope and apprehension in his gaze.
In the moonlight, a shadow cast across the ground. From the side, Bei Chen’s voice broke the silence.
“It’s not Bai Shuo.”
The stone hall fell suddenly silent.
Not far from the city wall, the night was dark and eerie. A chilling wind swept by, and lanterns swayed high in the distance like ghostly flames.
Hua Hong frowned, thinking she must have misheard. “What did you say?”
“I said, take him and go. I’m going back.”
The young man looked at Bai Shuo, stunned.
Hua Hong rose from her seat on the rock and touched Bai Shuo’s forehead, checking for a fever. “Are you out of your mind? Do you realize what going back means?”
“I know how to write the word ‘death,’” Bai Shuo replied, her voice calm as she looked firmly at Hua Hong. “Either you let me go now, or I’ll bite my tongue right here and die in front of you. Hua Da Tie, it’s your choice.”
In the moonlight, the young man’s hand tightened into a fist.
“Master,” he murmured, but Bai Shuo, filled with urgency, didn’t hear him.
“Even if you knock me out and drag me out of the city, I’ll find a way to end my life once I wake up. I have a hundred years left, but you can’t stay with me that long.”
Bai Shuo’s expression was resolute, devoid of fear. Hua Hong couldn’t help but feel a twisted amusement bubbling up. She knew Bai Shuo too well after living as neighbors in South Sea City for months; her so-called half-immortal acquaintance was greedy, a lover of good food, and afraid of death. Yet, here she was, using her life to bargain, ready to throw it away?
The hall’s master—often called “the Pig” for his bluntness—had once told her Bai Shuo couldn’t die, though he’d never explained why, and she hadn’t asked. But until Fan Yue’s true form was restored, Hua Hong couldn’t afford to take the risk. She lowered her gaze, remaining silent.
Suddenly, the young man broke the silence, looking at his master with a mixture of understanding and sadness.
“Master, give it up. She’s repaying a debt. Your life doesn’t compare to the person she wants to save.”
His words struck like lightning. Bai Shuo was stunned, while Hua Hong narrowed her eyes, turning to study Fan Yue in silence.
“Save someone? Are you saying she’s disregarding hundreds of lives to save someone? Who would Hua Da Tie want to save?” Bai Shuo couldn’t believe it. The Hua Hong she knew regarded life with indifference—was there someone in this city of resentment that she still cared about?
Fan Yue looked at Hua Hong. “The Locking Spirit Array was built by Twilight, a divine formation that kills any lesser being who dares enter its core. You entered the array, intending to destroy it. How did you survive?”
Bai Shuo blinked, realizing she had overlooked this crucial detail.
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