Ye Luan stared in horror at her bound hands, her fury ignited.
She suppressed her rage with great effort and looked at him coldly.
"Let me go, and I won't move."
Xie Beihan chuckled, his fingertip caressing her cheek as he remained silent.
Without a second thought for the two, Tantai Ye drew his saber and leaped forward.
The cold, sharp blade cleaved through the entire chain, glinting fiercely, emitting a harsh, grating sound.
Tantai Ye's eyes were filled with a savage crimson. His strength increased with every blow, but he couldn't break the chain, only leaving behind a serrated edge.
Xie Beihan turned his head, looking at the figure in the air, a smile playing on his lips.
"Waste your efforts. This Xuan Chain is forged from thousand-year cold iron; it cannot be broken."
As soon as he spoke, Tantai Ye leaped down, the chilling, murderous blade aiming directly for Xie Beihan's heart.
Xie Beihan sneered, drew his own saber, leaped into the air, and shot out several feet high.
Beneath the dark, heavy sky, the figures in purple and black clashed fiercely, their movements like afterimages, too fast for the eye to follow.
Ye Luan strained to reach her arm out along the lock. Her slender fingers bent at unnatural angles. Fortunately, her arms were thin and long enough. She managed to hook her poison powder from her pouch.
She suddenly dropped down, her toes touching the ground. Seeing her chance, she flung it upwards.
The several black-clad figures around them instantly collapsed.
Ye Luan rejoiced. She nudged the stool towards the fallen black-clad men. After much effort, she reached their side, kicked one of them, and found the key to the mechanism.
Just as she was about to pick it up with her mouth, a deafening sound came from ahead.
Startled, she looked up. As far as her eyes could see, a thunderous cavalry charge broke through, making the very earth tremble.
"General!"
It was the King of Lingnan leading a small contingent of elite soldiers.
Before they arrived, they had received a letter from their king. They specifically sought out a蛊师 (gu master) to obtain medicine that could counter the蛊虫 (gu worms) of the Holy Land. After consuming it, they were unaffected by the poison.
He saw Tantai Ye fighting in the air and immediately tried to help.
But at that moment, at the distant end of the dragon tower, the decaying, ornate gates slammed shut.
Two figures on horseback, cloaked in blood-red mandalas, rode in, followed by a troop of men.
It was Chi Yan and that monk!
Ye Luan quickly clutched the key in her hand and returned to her original position.
The sky was overcast. Across the land, a battle erupted instantly, filled with the screams and roars of combat.
The two figures fighting in mid-air trailed silver light, their killing intent permeating the air, whistling through the wind like serpents.
Tantai Ye's eyes were阴鸷 (sinister), his saber held horizontally across his chest, blocking the incoming sword. Sparks flew from the collision, sharp and terrifying.
"Xie Beihan, you court death!"
Xie Beihan sneered, forcing the other man back with his strength. "I will make you die willingly."
With that, he ceased fighting, sheathed his saber, and leaped down, landing on the altar.
Tantai Ye looked at the person chained in mid-air, his phoenix eyes filled with malice as he glared at Xie Beihan.
On the ground behind them, the King of Lingnan's men began to falter. The eerie fragrance of the surrounding mandalas caused dizziness and disorientation.
Blood and corpses rained down like a scarlet shower, dyeing the forbidden land.
Chi Yan looked at Xu Qing ascending the altar, his lips pursed, and followed.
Tantai Ye stood alone on his horse in the desolate forbidden ground, a battlefield stretching behind him. Blood stained the mandalas on both sides, terrifyingly brilliant.
The King of Lingnan rode closer, his voice filled with worry.
"General, we can't go on. This place is extremely strange. Shortly after entering, I felt my strength halved. Our men cannot hold out much longer."
They had sent scouts multiple times to gather information and learned that their madam was imprisoned in the forbidden land.
The general, who had originally planned a stealthy rescue, abandoned the idea upon learning it was in the Holy Land and decided to openly attack the sacred tower with his troops.
However, their forces were almost trapped outside. The perimeter of the Holy Land was surrounded by gu worms, preventing a large number of people from entering this accursed place.
"I've long heard of a forbidden land in the Southern Border, extremely eerie. Look around; it's like stepping into hell."
It sent shivers down one's spine.
Tantai Ye ignored him and looked at Xie Beihan, speaking coldly.
"Let her down and let them take her. I will submit to your judgment."
Xie Beihan stood before the railing, Chi Yan and Xu Qing beside him.
Hearing Tantai Ye's words, his thin red lips curved into a sinister arc.
"I want to dig out your heart, are you willing?"
Tantai Ye's hawk-like eyes swept over the figure chained to the tower. A saber instantly appeared in his hand.
Ye Luan gasped, "Tantai Ye, no! You can't trust his words!"
Xie Beihan glanced back at Ye Luan, who was shouting from the side, then at the four black-clad figures on the ground, and let out a scoff.
He approached and lifted her chin. "My words cannot be trusted? What have I lied to you about?"
Ye Luan refused to look at him, forcefully shaking his hand away.
Xie Beihan's eyes turned cold. He gripped her chin, forcing her to face him.
"Answer me."
A glint flashed in Ye Luan's downcast eyes. She held back her tears with all her might and raised her tear-filled gaze to him, tinged with disappointment.
Xie Beihan chuckled, "Are you starting your act again?"
Even as he said this, he opened the mechanism and pulled her up.
Tantai Ye's expression darkened as he watched Ye Luan being held by Xie Beihan.
"Is that... is that not the Princess of Beiqi?"
The King of Lingnan beside him exclaimed in surprise at the sight.
When Ye Luan was enfeoffed by imperial decree, he had returned to the capital to deal with matters in Lingnan and happened to see Ye Luan.
Feeling humiliated by being seen by Xiao Chi Zhan's men, Ye Luan struggled forcefully.
But Xie Beihan did not allow it, holding her waist and pressing her against the railing.
Chi Yan raised an eyebrow and stepped further away.
Tantai Ye spoke coldly, "The Emperor of Beiqi stoops to such a vile act as taking another man's wife. How will history record this?"
Hearing this, Xie Beihan laughed heartily.
"History is written by the victors. So, are you going to dig or not?"
Tantai Ye asked, "Will you keep your word?"
Xie Beihan raised an eyebrow, "Do you have a choice?"
"---"
The gloomy sky suddenly flashed with scarlet lightning. A desolate, cold wind swept across the fields of red mandalas.
Tantai Ye swiftly thrust his saber towards his own heart.
"General, no!"
The King of Lingnan rushed to stop him.
Ye Luan's hidden weapon, already clenched in her palm, suddenly flew out, directly striking Tantai Ye's saber and deflecting it in an arc to the ground.
Xie Beihan sensed her movement and did not intervene.
He lowered his gaze to her, a smile on his lips.
"Little girl, if you move again, I'll tie you up."
"Digging out hearts is too bloody, I don't like it."
"Oh?"
Xie Beihan casually looped his arm around her waist and let out a light laugh.
After a moment, he changed his mind and spoke.
"Come, let the person down."