The dim crescent moon gradually faded as an unknown duration passed, and the eastern horizon began to reveal the first glimmers of the rising sun.
Crimson sunlight bathed the trees and the two individuals who had been locked in a fierce battle all night, creating a stark and almost blinding contrast.
Liu Xiang, perched in the tree, felt a growing weariness. He watched the seemingly endless, childish struggle unfolding below, the participants locked in a back-and-forth that showed no sign of abating.
Impatient, he casually waved his fan, stirring up a strong gust of wind that swept everyone below, entangling them in a web.
"Xingye, go finish off the Wan Gui Wang," Liu Xiang commanded.
"Yes."
He descended like a falling meteor.
Ye Changfeng, blown to the ground by the wind, found the web torn to shreds. He looked up slightly and saw a figure descending from the sky, shouting in displeasure, "Hey! Who are you, and why are you interfering?"
Li Xingye ignored him, flying past him directly to my side. He then coldly drew his sword, preparing to strike. Suddenly, a pink sleeve was flung out, binding his right hand.
He paused, turned, and saw Yu Jiao, his brow furrowing in a helpless expression.
"She's a good person, don't kill her!" Yu Jiao pleaded with him once more.
Liu Shinian seized the opportunity to step forward, intending to take me away. However, Li Xingye was quick, moving forward and using his elbow to send Liu Shinian flying.
"Shinian!" I cried out in alarm, trying to turn away. He grabbed me.
Seeing this, the surrounding people drew their swords, ready to fight him. I quickly called out, "Don't come any closer!"
They stopped, unsure of what to do. Yu Jiao flew forward, grabbed his hand, and implored, "Xingye, Wan Gui Wang is a good person. She helped me. Please let her go."
Liu Xiang, still waiting in the tree, was curious about this woman who had appeared out of nowhere and could seemingly sway the cold and indifferent Li Xingye. He inquired about her identity.
"Who is that woman?"
Jin Yulan looked closely and recognized her. "That woman is Li Xingye's beloved, named Yu Jiao. She is known to the world as the Drought Demoness."
"The Drought Demoness? But I've never heard him mention her. That woman seems to be interfering with our plan. Let's just kill her."
However, Jin Yulan, uncharacteristically, pleaded for her. "Although that woman is of no use to us, she is extremely important to Li Xingye. If I remind him slightly, he will surely not fail to meet the lord's expectations."
"Very well, do as you say."
Jin Yulan casually plucked a leaf from the tree and sent it down. The leaf flew to Li Xingye's eyes, and he intercepted it. He glanced up slightly, understanding that the person above was urging him on. He then ruthlessly pushed Yu Jiao away, no longer paying her any mind.
Yu Jiao's eyes widened in surprise, unable to comprehend his heartlessness. Then, fearlessly, just as she had done at Black Mountain, she stepped in front of me again, resolutely stating, "If you want to kill her, then kill me too."
Li Xingye said coldly, "You are willing to go this far for someone you've known for such a short time?"
"If it were anyone else, I wouldn't interfere. She has shown me kindness, and I cannot let you kill her."
"Fine, don't blame me." He placed his sword at Yu Jiao's neck. Yu Jiao's heart turned to ash, and she silently closed her eyes, awaiting his final blow.
If anyone deserved gratitude, it was Liu Shinian, but she, disregarding her own safety, had repeatedly risked her life to save me. And I, how could I let her sacrifice herself for me?
I pulled Yu Jiao aside and stepped forward. "It has nothing to do with her. Since you want my life, let's see if you have the ability to take it." With that, I spat out a ball of black mist, blinding his eyes, and turned to fly away.
He swung his sword, and a wave of sword energy struck. I dodged it with an aerial flip. He swung his sword again, then flashed before me, placing his sword at my neck.
"Such swift footwork, truly a master. Hey! That master, Wan Gui Wang can only die by my hand. You are not allowed to kill her!" Ye Changfeng, deeply envious of Li Xingye's formidable martial arts, spoke. However, today was supposed to be a contest between their four brothers and Wan Gui Wang. How could he allow Li Xingye to kill her so easily?
Gui Ye sent out a strand of silk, entangling Li Xingye's Seven Star Sword and pulling it outward. Li Xingye lightly flicked his wrist, severing all the silk strands wrapped around the blade.
Ye Changfeng flew in with his sword. Li Xingye met it with a single foot, a movement so light and effortless that Ye Changfeng felt utterly dismissed. His kick was met with Li Xingye's "Shadowless Kick," sending him flying.
Then, he swept his sword horizontally, intending to finish me. However, the moment the blade touched me, it transformed into blooming scarlet Lycoris radiata. He looked slightly surprised and quickly glanced towards the direction of the Four Evils. He saw that I had already been brought behind him by Fu Zimò. Without a word, he raised his sword and unleashed a wave of energy.
"Heaven and Earth Annihilation!"
"Quick, dodge!" Zhu Yan shouted urgently. Then, the others scattered to the left and right. A series of crackling explosions followed as the sword energy carved a deep沟壑 in the ground, extending into the forest.
"Such terrifying power!" Zhu Yan, witnessing such formidable strength for the first time, exclaimed in awe. He then looked at me and chuckled, "Wan Gui Wang, it seems you are indeed a troublesome potato, hahaha."
I replied, "This potato of mine requires a skilled hand to harvest."
"Wan Gui Wang, though we have no prior acquaintance, you are a worthy opponent. I admire you. Rest assured, I will not let anyone else kill you before me." Ye Changfeng declared.
"His strength far surpasses ours. His target is me. You don't need to lose your lives in vain for me."
Ye Changfeng, however, was unfazed and laughed heartily. "What do you take us for? We are not mere hangers-on. Let's go together!" With that, he charged forward, sword in hand, and the others followed suit.
Xue Gucheng also shouted, "Let's go together!" and drew his saber. Liu Shinian, though lightly injured, unhesitatingly drew his sword. Yan Wushuang and Yue Jiugong also joined the fray. Shi Sanniang was about to step forward to fight alongside us but was pulled back by Yu Jiao. She shook her head, saying, "You cannot win against him. Don't go to your death."
"I cannot just stand by and watch them join the battle without doing anything."
"It's alright, you stay here." Yu Jiao forcibly pulled Shi Sanniang back.
The group attacked from all sides with their swords, surrounding Li Xingye. Li Xingye remained calm, turned, and lightly called out, "God Demon Annihilation." A wave of sword energy was unleashed, and with a cry of "Ah!", everyone was sent flying by his sword energy. He then straightened himself and lunged at me with his sword.
"Muye!" Liu Shinian, without hesitation, flew forward and blocked me.
"Shinian!" I pulled him back, shielding him, exposing my back to Li Xingye. As he thrust his sword, a surge of black energy erupted, wrapping around his sword and pushing him back. The black energy struck with great speed, burrowing into his arm and climbing upwards. Li Xingye felt as if ten thousand insects were drilling into his flesh, crying out in pain, "Ah!", and dropping his sword.
Seeing Li Xingye in agony, Yu Jiao, both anxious and worried, flung out her sleeves, binding his arm at the highest point to prevent the black energy from entering his entire body. The black energy did not press further but instead shot out of his arm, drifting in mid-air. It let out a few laughter-filled "Hahaha" before flying back into me.
Li Xingye clutched his arm in pain. Yu Jiao lifted his sleeve and saw his entire arm covered in black veins. These veins protruded as if they were Li Xingye's own meridians, a shocking sight.
"Xingye, let's go!" Yu Jiao embraced him, flicking her sleeves to retrieve the Seven Star Sword. Then, she scattered a handful of peach blossoms. The blossoms fell at their feet, scattering into thousands of delicate, vibrant flowers. The peach blossoms rose with the wind, enveloping them and lifting them into the air as they flew away.
Jin Yulan watched this scene, astonished. "This Wan Gui Wang actually possesses such great power."
"An illusion. She's lucky. Next time, she won't be so fortunate. Let's go." Jin Yulan, unwilling to accept defeat, followed Liu Xiang away. However, beneath the vast expanse of trees, scattered everywhere were those who had suffered severe internal injuries and were spitting blood.
"Shinian, how are you?" I asked, shaking Liu Shinian in my arms. He turned and spat out blood, then gave a wry smile. "I won't die." Shi Sanniang also rushed to check on their injuries. Fortunately, none of them were ordinary individuals. Had they been less skilled, such an attack would have sent them to the afterlife. Even so, this immense force had inflicted considerable internal injuries upon them.
I looked at the Four Evils, who were also injured and lying nearby, and sincerely invited them, "You are also injured. Come to Black Mountain with me to recuperate for a few days."
Ye Changfeng waved his hand, feigning nonchalance, and stood up. "It's fine, no need." He walked forward with forced composure, but after only a few steps, he coughed up blood. I quickly stepped forward to support him and urged him again, "Come back to Black Mountain with me. I have medicine there to treat your injuries." He smiled slightly, looked up at me, and asked, "Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
I shook my head. "It's not too late to have a rematch after you've recovered."
"Alright, in that case, we'll go back with you." Thus, the injured group began their journey towards Black Mountain.
Meanwhile, Yu Jiao, after escaping with Li Xingye, arrived at the banks of the Black Water River. The peach blossoms dissipated, and the two landed on the shore.
"Xingye, how is it? Does it still hurt?" Yu Jiao asked anxiously. It was clear she cared deeply for Li Xingye. At this moment, Wan Gui Wang's illusion vanished, and Li Xingye no longer felt any pain. He curiously lifted his sleeve and saw that the black veins on his arm had completely disappeared.
Seeing his arm restored to normal, Yu Jiao was overjoyed. "That's great, that's great! Your hand is alright."
"It was an illusion," he murmured. Yu Jiao, not fully understanding his words, asked, "What illusion?"
"The black veins we saw just now... it was an illusion."
"Whether it was an illusion or anything else, as long as you are alright, that's all that matters." He looked behind him, guessing that Wan Gui Wang and the others had already departed, then looked forward and said, "Let's go."
"Yes." The two walked forward together and disappeared into the light.
Shi Sanniang knew that it would take a long time for so many people to return to Black Mountain. She sent a message ahead to those waiting at Black Mountain, asking them to come and pick them up. Soon after, Heifeng and Lin'er descended from the mountain with others to meet them. As they approached, they witnessed a peculiar sight. A group of people, who had left looking energetic and healthy, were now pale-faced and listless, as if they had been sickly since childhood.
Heifeng couldn't help but burst into laughter. "Hahaha, what happened to all of you? You all look like you haven't eaten enough." Yan Wushuang weakly retorted, "Still laughing? Sooner or later, you'll end up like us." Heifeng, feigning discretion, covered his mouth but laughed even more boisterously. Lin'er shook his head and urged him, "Stop laughing, stop laughing. They are seriously injured. Hurry and take them back up the mountain."
"Yes, yes, yes." Heifeng, with a playful grin, walked over and prepared to carry Yan Wushuang on his back. Xue Gucheng, watching the man's bold and casual demeanor, weakly warned, "You, you'd better behave yourself."
"Got it, got it." Heifeng, while giving perfunctory replies, called out to the people ahead. "You, come over and carry them, carry them back to Black Mountain."
"Yes." The people behind them, receiving the order, stepped forward and carried the injured individuals one by one, heading back to Black Mountain. Lin'er walked up to me and asked with concern, "Ghost King, are you injured?" I shook my head and simply said, "Let's go back to Black Mountain."
"Alright." I followed behind the group, returning to Black Mountain.