The bridge's middle section was covered by Danya's "Shadow Pearl," preventing any attack from the evil spirits.
She secretly breathed a sigh of relief but worried about her junior disciple, Fusheng, especially since he brought along a burdensome mortal wife.
Then, she inadvertently witnessed this scene.
"Junior disciple—"
Ziying stood beside Fangrui, her sharp female voice striking their eardrums. She quickly turned her head to look, her expression also changing.
"Senior disciple Fusheng—"
Danya, with sleeves drawn and hands behind his back, raised his eyebrows, feigning surprise. "How did Junior disciple Fusheng fall?"
Elder Jiuli and several elite disciples had already reached the first third of the suspension bridge. The middle was filled with a large group of ghastly green monsters causing disturbances. Combined with the three people blocking the pathway ahead, only faint screams could be heard amidst the howling wind and ghostly cries.
Had something happened?
They were anxious, trying to see but unable to. Their feet, stepping on the iron chains, swayed like a swing.
Furthermore, disciples of the Void Gate were chasing behind them, busy fleeing for their lives, leaving no room for delay.
Liujiang Fusheng gritted his teeth, unable to move as more and more ghost heads entangled his feet, even his grip weakening.
"A Yi, hold on tight!"
As Gu Junshi was a "mortal," she naturally couldn't stand steady, swaying in the wind, her sleeves fluttering like broken, delicate wings. Just then, Danya finally arrived. He panted lightly, pulling her into his arms and shielding her, holding her tightly, completely disregarding Liujiang Fusheng below.
"Senior disciple, save Junior disciple Fusheng!"
Fangrui and Ziying were behind him. Now they paid no attention to his unusual behavior with this Gu Yi. Seeing swarms of monsters tenaciously pulling Liujiang Fusheng downwards, they quickly crouched down, trying to reach out and pull him, but ultimately missed.
"Junior disciple—"
Fangrui let out a shrill cry in the wind.
Liujiang Fusheng was finally dragged down. His robes fluttered open, and the hundred or so evil spirits clinging to him cackled, while more, trailing ghastly green light, circled him.
He struggled to urge the spiritual energy within him to float, but failed again and again.
Would he die?
His face was as pale as snow, and his disheveled hair added a hazy, fragile, and dizzying touch.
"A Yi..."
The coldness of the cliff wind rushed into his nostrils, making it hard to breathe. His suffocating head was a blank slate.
At this moment, instinctively, he uttered the name most deeply engraved in his heart.
Gu Junshi turned her head. The biting wind lifted her sideburns, brushing past her nose and lips. Her long, narrow eyes were dark and clear.
In her calm gaze, Liujiang Fusheng saw no trace of emotion for his fall.
Why?
His expression was stunned and blank.
Why wasn't she worried about him?
Why wasn't she pretending anymore, no longer deceiving him?!
An uncontrollable fire suddenly ignited in his heart, almost burning his organs and blood to ashes.
Was it because... she had played enough in this life, and now she wanted him to die again?
His bloodless lips were re-dyed with a scarlet hue. The corners of his mouth curled, his face, like a clear lotus in water, was covered with a deep, dark shadow, splitting into fine cracks. A blazing, madly woven hatred erupted in his eyes.
"A Yi—"
A Yi.
His dear A Yi.
He still remembered her name.
Junshi.
Gu Junshi.
He wouldn't die... even if he died, he would crawl back from hell to find her!
Gu Junshi quietly watched him turn into a speck of ink and disappear completely into the vast, bewildered night. At the same time, she transmitted to the Ghost Infant, "Push Ziying down as well."
The Ghost Infant froze, turning its face in confusion.
"Not willing?"
The Ghost Infant paused, then said emotionlessly, "No, they can't get close to that pearl..."
Just then, Gu Junshi's eyes suddenly changed. Her dark pupils reflected an overcast light, appearing a deep purple. With a 'zi' sound, the "Shadow Pearl" above shattered and exploded.
The Ghost Infant jolted, shocked, and witnessed her terror once more.
At this moment, Gu Junshi was undoubtedly a terrifying, formidable villain.
With her casual words, she intended to take two innocent lives.
No reason, no room for refusal.
The Ghost Infant's face turned cold and dark. The next second, it controlled a monster to push the unguarded Ziying from behind.
"Ah—"
Ziying let out a sharp cry, her body like a weak, powerless object swept by the wind into the abyss.
Now everything was complete.
They naturally wouldn't know that the true intention of Daoist Dusheng for the "Wen Shan" suspension bridge was not to cross the bridge, but to let people experience the state of "finding life in despair."
The higher a cultivator's realm, the more they could comprehend a state of mind. Every breakthrough and advancement was like walking a tightrope or treading on thin ice.
But there was no absolute despair in this world. If you didn't give up, heaven would naturally leave a way out for you.
Based on this idea, Daoist Dusheng had set up a teleportation array beneath this seemingly perilous suspension bridge. Those who fell would not be in danger; instead, they would be sent to a safe place – Laishan Ravine.
In the original plot, the protagonist Ao Tian also fell while saving Ziying.
In Laishan Ravine, Ao Tian would obtain a supreme treasure. Thinking that the original plot involved the third female lead, the treasure-hunting spirit, discovering the secret passage, she had also bundled up the third female lead, Ziying, and sent her down as a precaution.
Of course, being alone together could also accelerate their romantic development.
"Junior sister—"
Fangrui frantically reached out, but couldn't grasp her. She could only watch helplessly as she fell into the abyss along with Junior disciple Fusheng.
With a sob, Fangrui couldn't help but cry softly.
Danya heard the sound and frowned. Just as he was about to turn back, Gu Junshi coldly grabbed a strand of his falling hair and pulled it across his face.
"You stood by and did nothing just now?"
She hadn't not heard Ziying's fall, nor Fangrui's weeping and sorrow.
But... what did they have to do with him, Danya?
His scalp felt a sharp pain, but Danya didn't feel offended at all. He simply thought Gu Yi was upset because Liujiang Fusheng had fallen.
He lightly encircled her waist with one arm, a hint of melancholy on his brow, his eyelashes trembling like butterfly wings. "A Yi, I could only save one person at that time, so I naturally chose the one my heart leaned towards. Even if you blame me, I will not change my choice."
"Is that so?"
Her dark eyes instantly turned blood-red, as if possessed by a ghost, her expression bearing a strange, sinister aura.
She raised a palm and struck him away.
This palm was enough to severely injure his internal organs. Danya stared at her with disbelief. The wind blew his robes, disheveling his hair. Blood continuously flowed from his mouth, soaking through his collar.
With his last bit of strength, he rolled up his sleeve, grabbed an iron chain, and stabilized himself in mid-air.
Cough, cough...
"Why..."
Was it because of Liujiang Fusheng that she attacked him?
In this moment, his mind was chaotic. Instead of being surprised that she possessed such formidable skills to injure him, he was instead indignant and resentful about the reason she attacked him.
At this moment, disregarding the setting of the "Wen Xin" suspension bridge, Gu Junshi, who did not cultivate spiritual energy, traversed the distance with a gust of wind and calmly reached the opposite side of the cliff.
A white figure flashed past his eyes. Chen Daoshan looked back in shock. Upon meeting Gu Junshi's extremely evil eyes on the cliff face, his heart pounded violently, and his face lost all color. "Her eyes! She's also been possessed by monsters!"