CHAPTER 71

On the Brink of Collapse

"Get your filthy hands off me! I can walk on my own!" Young Master Ding, who hadn't appeared for quite some time, burst onto the scene with his usual explosive temper. He roared at the man shoving him from behind, his slightly pale face making him look like a little tiger whose claws and fangs had been pulled but still bared its teeth and snarled fiercely.

"You're nothing but a prisoner! Who do you think you are? Want me to cut you down?" The guard tasked with escorting him scowled menacingly and raised his hand as if to strike, but was stopped by another companion.

"Enough, enough. No need to waste words on him. Our orders are just to keep him under close watch, not to lay hands on him... If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?"

His partner was loyal and brave, but had one flaw, he acted without thinking, impulsive and reckless, often causing trouble. Because of this, he had been reprimanded by their superiors countless times, yet he always accepted the criticism humbly but never changed, leaving his companion anxious yet unable to persuade him otherwise.

Though this hot-tempered, pale-faced young man might have low cultivation, his attire was not something an ordinary cultivator could afford. He clearly had significant backing... In the conflict between the righteous and demonic paths, low-level followers like them were mere cannon fodder. There was no need to stir up trouble, it was better to quietly carry out their assigned tasks without inviting unnecessary trouble.

Thinking this, his attitude toward Ding Ding grew increasingly gentle, though he remained extremely vigilant during the escort, leaving no room for escape.

'D@mn it all! Just because I haven't shown my claws, you think I'm a sick cat? Just wait! Once I get the chance, I'll make you see what I'm made of, and show you exactly why flowers are so red!'

Ding Ding reluctantly followed the fully armed squad of black-armored soldiers, fuming inwardly: 'These d@mned demonic bastards! After capturing the two of us, they just tossed us aside without a second thought. What's the meaning of that? And Beautiful Master, why hasn't she sent anyone to rescue us yet...'

He glanced worriedly at He Gu, who was being escorted by another squad, neither bound nor shoved, with two pretty maidservants accompanying her under the guise of "serving and protecting." It looked less like a kidnapping and more like an invitation as a guest. Yet this obvious difference in treatment didn't make Ding Ding feel the slightest envy or jealousy. Instead, it filled him with endless worry: 'Usually, such respectful treatment meant that Senior Sister had caught the eye of some high-ranking figure and was being taken back to become a "mountain stronghold wife"!'

'When things go against the norm, there must be something sinister at play, the ancients truly didn't deceive us... How dare they try to steal someone who belongs to me!'

'When Beautiful Master comes to rescue us, I'll make sure she chops these overconfident toads into mincemeat! Hmph!'

Meanwhile, He Gu, who followed the procession unhurriedly without the demeanor of a prisoner, appeared calm on the surface but was lost in a whirlwind of thoughts.

She kept replaying the scenes that had unfolded one after another over the past few days. The more she thought about it, the more confused she became, feeling as though she had sunk into a quagmire of conspiracy with no way to struggle free.

Ever since returning from the Abyssal Secret Realm, she had been unwilling to accept the reality of being branded a traitor to Chonghua. Yet she was powerless to change anything. Under the absolute martial suppression of their captors, aside from comforting Ding Ding and giving herself silent reassurances, she could only pray silently for an early rescue by her sect.

Until that silver-clad woman clutched the jade pendant she had worn since childhood and declared with unwavering certainty, "Hmm... though the Phoenix-Guiding Jade only lit up halfway, it did indeed react... You are my daughter, without a doubt."

She scrutinized her for a long moment, her brows slightly furrowed, yet every movement exuded an irresistibly captivating charm. "My name is Leng Yan, and yours is Leng Qing. You must inherit your grandfather's legacy, unite the demonic path, and stand against the righteous sects... Understand?"

There was not a trace of maternal warmth in her expression upon finding her long-lost child. Even her eyes were as cold as frost and snow, almost making one doubt everything she said, and indeed, she herself did not believe a word of it.

Her daughter?

Ha! Aside from herself and her master, there was likely no third person in the world who knew that the renowned He Gu of Chonghua Sect, ranked among the top ten most gentle and beautiful immortals in the cultivation world, was, in fact, an unmistakable man.

It was all thanks to the Azure Wood Dragon Pendant he had worn since childhood, which concealed his true aura. His master had said that hiding his identity was to evade enemies, but when he pressed for details, she refused to reveal more. Grateful for his master's nurturing kindness, he had never considered correcting the misunderstanding, to this day, even Ding Ding, whom he secretly admired, remained unaware of this secret.

Therefore, he could not possibly be the "long-lost daughter" this woman spoke of.

But this wasn't necessarily a bad thing, was it?

Since the woman so arbitrarily believed it based solely on a jade pendant, why not go along with the mistake? Perhaps there would be an opportunity to escape the clutches of the demonic path and find a way out!

This self-proclaimed Leng Yan treated others with extreme indifference, not even showing warmth to her "own child," as if she were an ice sculpture devoid of emotion. She neither demanded that she call her "mother" nor made any effort to reminisce about the past or rebuild their shared memories. This suited him just fine, giving him time to ponder the series of events.

From the moment he was targeted in the Abyssal Secret Realm, it seemed the demonic sects had long planned this operation to capture the "long-lost daughter" this woman spoke of. However, despite all their calculations, they had mistaken the target, truly laughable.

Yet, what unsettled him was the lingering feeling that an invisible hand was guiding all of this... Hopefully, it was just overthinking!

Earlier, he had overheard Leng Yan discussing something with the leader of the demonic sect. In the past few days, he had been separated from the main group and escorted toward the demonic sect's rear headquarters. With both formidable experts absent, this was the perfect opportunity to find a way to escape!

Having made up his mind, He Gu gave a reassuring glance to Ding Ding not far away, his thoughts already racing with plans.

Chonghua Sect.

Ye Zhiqiu maintained the dignified composure of a sect leader, unshaken even if Mount Tai were to collapse before her. After briefly glancing at Tong Tong, who lay unconscious on Jiya's back, and confirming she was unharmed and would soon awaken, she shifted her gaze back to her beloved disciple, Su Yan.

Her slender, porcelain-white fingers tapped lightly on the armrest, her eyes filled with a confident smile. After forming her Nascent Soul, Yan'er's swordsmanship had improved significantly... That k!lling star from the Bingyan Island was indeed a troublesome opponent. Old Lie truly spared no expense in nurturing that seedling... What a pity that he was now about to fall into Yan'er's hands.

Tsk, tsk, that arrogant brat brought this upon himself. Can't blame Yan'er!

Thinking this, the fiercely protective Ye Zhiqiu's smile deepened.

"Su, take this!" Jia Siwen couldn't stand Su Yan's arrogant, nose-in-the-air attitude the most. He had no interest in feigning politeness or false modesty. Gripping his broadsword, he charged straight at Su Yan, aiming directly for her slender, pale neck with a fierce and ruthless attack, clearly intending to sever it in one strike.

The moment an expert makes a move, you know if they have what it takes!

This Jia Siwen attacked with vicious, no-holds-barred ferocity, his chances of winning looked great!

The few people placing bets nodded and placed their storage pouches on Jia Siwen.

Yet Su Yan merely responded with a cold smile. Though she appeared to block casually and unhurriedly, lower-level cultivators couldn't even trace the trajectory of her sword's gleam, all they saw was a flash of crimson, and the ferocious Jia Siwen was sent flying backward. After landing, he staggered back three large steps before steadying himself, a testament to the immense force behind that counterattack, far from ordinary.

Still as a maiden, swift as a fleeing hare, truly the bearing of a master!

Seeing how effortlessly Su Yan countered, was there even any question about the outcome?

The hands that had just reached out were immediately withdrawn. Under the bookmaker's disdainful gaze, the bettors placed their stakes before Su Yan's marker, feeling refreshed as they casually picked at their ears, pretending not to notice.

Watching his long-prepared strike being effortlessly defused by his opponent, Jia Siwen's eyes shifted, igniting with blazing fighting spirit, thankfully, he hadn't carelessly ended her life back then, or he would have missed this once-in-a-lifetime opponent, an irreparable regret!

With a hearty laugh, he slashed a half-foot-long gash on his left wrist, letting his gleaming silver broadsword greedily drink his bl0od, the blade gradually soaked crimson, appearing eerie and menacing.

'Let me show you what I'm capable of!'

Within the Bingyan Island formation, a gaunt and lean old Daoist's eyes flashed with a sharp gleam. Though his gaze remained fixed on the arena, his spiritual sense constantly monitored Ye Zhiqiu's movements on the other side, a faint smile playing on his lips: 'Didn't expect that, did you? My disciple possesses the rare Bl0od Fiend Physique, unseen in a millennium. Enhanced by secret techniques, he can hold his own even against a Spirit Division cultivator in single combat, what's a mere Su Yan to him? Just wait and see! The era of Bingyan Island is about to arrive! Ahahahaha...'

While the Bingyan Island Master was lost in his rich inner monologue, the situation on the field changed. The previously evenly matched Jia Siwen and Su Yan began shifting into a one-sided suppression, with Jia Siwen gaining the upper hand, ever since he fed his beloved blade his bl0od, his attack power surged dramatically as if divinely aided. Both his offense and defense had improved by several levels, putting Su Yan in a very awkward defensive position.

Struggling to hold her own against him, Su Yan wondered inwardly: 'How did this guy suddenly become so powerful? It's like he's been completely reborn...'

Distracted by her thoughts, she felt a sudden pain in her arm, the tip of the blade had sliced open a wound.

Frowning, Su Yan looked at her opponent, unconcerned about the bl0ody gash on her arm, to her surprise, after drinking her bl0od, the blade became even more bewitching, emitting an aura that sent shivers down the spine, like the oppressive presence of an ancient behemoth standing before her. Weaker cultivators would likely have dropped to their knees on the spot!

What she didn't know was that Jia Siwen's weapon had quite the extraordinary origin.

As one of the guardian weapons of the Bingyan Island, the Xuelang Hou [Snow Wolf's Howl] sealed within it the soul of an eighth-tier demonic beast, bl0odthirsty and immensely powerful. The purer and rarer the bl0od, the greater the weapon's might. Coupled with Jia Siwen's Bl0od Fiend Constitution, a physique that, through secret techniques, could increase bl0od essence reserves and accelerate bl0od regeneration, unless he was k!lled in a single strike, he could simply wear down his opponent, making him virtually unbeatable.

Faced with such a thorny situation, Su Yan remained unperturbed, calmly exchanging blows while silently contemplating a way to break the enemy's defenses.

Just as the two were locked in a stalemate, a sudden change occurred.

A furious roar from Jiya forced Su Yan to ignore the enemy lurking behind her and turn around.

What she saw instantly chilled her to the bone.

Tong Tong, who had been sleeping peacefully on Jiya's back, was now held captive in someone's arms, a dark dagger pressed against her delicate neck, poised to strike!

At that critical moment, Su Yan forgot all about the fierce battle with Jia Siwen and the onlookers pointing and whispering around them. Her heart was entirely focused on Tong Tong, who remained blissfully unaware of the danger she was in. Without a second thought, she left her back defenseless and lunged toward the assailant, slashing with her sword.

At the same moment, Jia Siwen's devastatingly powerful blade came crashing down toward Su Yan!

"Pfft!" As Tong Tong slowly opened her eyes, she was met with a spray of warm bl0od splattering across her face.

The arms holding her were gentle yet firm, and even though the exquisitely carved face had lost its color, in her eyes, it was more breathtakingly beautiful than ever before.

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