Outside, the wind blew, and Xiao Shan's steady steps faltered slightly.
"Where is the Goddess?"
The young servant, bent over, led the way and pointed, "In the forest ahead, General. Hurry, the Goddess has been clamoring to see you!"
"Heh heh... Who else would she look for if not this general? She's so clingy."
"Yes, yes, the Goddess and the General have such a good relationship."
In the dead of night, the forest was damp and cold. Birds and insects were silent, an eerie quiet.
"Where is the Goddess?" Xiao Shan shook his head.
"General, look ahead, isn't that her?" The servant pointed forward.
Xiao Shan looked and indeed, it was his wife!
Huh? Why was she hugging someone else?
"You, Xie Bo! How dare you hug my wife!" Xiao Shan roared, drawing his saber to strike, but his hand grasped only air.
"Where's my damn saber? I'll cut you to death, you bastard!"
Xie Bo before him smiled seductively, tightening his embrace around Ling Yao as if in provocation.
"Heh heh, General, it seems the Goddess is not satisfied with you! She said she wants this prince to serve her tonight!"
Xiao Shan was enraged. Under the moonlight, the bulging veins on his forehead and his clenched fists making cracking sounds were clearly visible.
"You're asking for death!"
He lunged forward but grunted, his feet feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, and he fell to his knees.
"Hahaha!" Xie Bo burst into laughter.
For a moment, the surrounding air grew chillingly cold.
"Xiao Shan! Aginyiri chose you, the Great Yao Divine Lord, but in the end, you're just mortal flesh. To have grown into this after reincarnation, it's truly a trial for her to have chosen you!"
"Hand it over!"
Xie Bo suddenly stepped forward, his sinister eyes filled with bloodthirsty intent, his hand forming a claw and striking towards Xiao Shan's head.
But at that moment, a brilliant red flame flew over, scorching his hand.
"Ah!"
He cried out in pain.
It was the Red Lotus Karmic Fire again!
Damn Feng Ling Yao, why is she so persistent!
By the time he tried to move again, it was too late. Xiao Shan before him suddenly stood up and kicked out.
How could this be? Wasn't he affected by the muscle-relaxing powder?
At this moment, the real Ling Yao and Xie Bo emerged from the shadows. Xiao Shan spat with disgust.
"With your stench, you dare impersonate my wife and embrace a tree with such posturing? Truly a feat for you."
"You, you weren't enchanted, nor did you take the muscle-relaxing powder?"
Sai Er Bo now realized her situation was dire. Half of her face bore a black and red burn, making her appearance even more terrifying.
She hated Feng Ling Yao to the core, but most importantly, she needed to capture Xiao Shan. By capturing him, she still had a sliver of a chance to turn the tables.
With a wave of her hand, a group of black-robed figures descended around them.
She looked at Xie Bo, who stood beside Ling Yao.
Good, very good, this fool who knows no fear!
Did he think Feng Ling Yao could save him? Too foolish!
Meanwhile, Meng Jiu and Chi Yun also appeared, unleashing a wave of potent poison and engaging the black-robed figures.
Ling Yao's gaze was fixed solely on Sai Er Bo. This time, she would not let her escape.
Xiao Shan began setting up a formation with the meteorite.
Sai Er Bo sneered, "You think this broken stone can trap me? Don't you know this is just a stepping stone in my courtyard?"
Xiao Shan paused, glanced at the meteorite in his hand, and then continued arranging it.
"It's enough to trap others."
This stone might not trap this demoness, but for ordinary people who don't understand formations, it would be difficult to escape.
Today, not a single Qi Rong person who came here would leave alive.
Sai Er Bo's sinister eyes remained indifferent. To her, the lives of others meant nothing; they were merely insignificant ants.
Her target was only Xiao Shan!
A black mist rose around them, and Sai Er Bo's figure gradually disappeared.
Ling Yao unleashed her brilliant red flames, dispelling the black mist. She still couldn't see Sai Er Bo's figure until the sound of fighting erupted from Xiao Shan's side.
Though Xiao Shan's martial arts were excellent, he couldn't grasp a formless entity.
A humanoid black smoke swirled around him. The jade pendant on his chest emitted a faint red glow, restlessly wanting to resist.
Xiao Shan grabbed it; he couldn't let the jade pendant shatter unless absolutely necessary, especially since it would harm Ling Yao.
Ling Yao began chanting, and flames detached from her hands, heading straight for the black smoke. The flames, now inextinguishable, acted like a shadow, relentlessly pursuing the dark figure.
The black shadow finally escaped Xiao Shan's vicinity, its agitation and fear evident as it fled with increasing urgency.
Any lingering trace was immediately consumed by the flames.
Until the black smoke tired and faintly revealed the human figure within, Sai Er Bo's terrifying face flickered in and out of view.
Then, the black shadow suddenly reverted to human form and swiftly seized Xie Bo, who was observing the battle.
The Red Lotus Flame followed closely, hovering in the air, hesitant to act.
"Feng Ling Yao, let me go! Otherwise, I'll kill him!"
Sai Er Bo was exhausted. If she didn't escape now, she would truly perish here. As for capturing Xiao Shan, that would have to wait for another time.
The Red Lotus Karmic Fire exerted a near bloodline suppression on her; the black lotus within her body had no strength to resist.
However, she hadn't anticipated that Xie Bo truly hated her and would instead tightly grip her body with both hands, shouting towards Ling Yao, "Princess! Kill her!"
"My father is already under her control, and the Southern Border is in peril. Kill her! Kill her!"
Ling Yao had never imagined that a woman of such charm and grace, whose voice was always soft and never sharp, would one day roar like this, as if trying to tear her lungs out.
"Xie Bo!"
The two were pressed close together. The power of the flames was immense. If Sai Er Bo were killed, Xie Bo would inevitably be injured. Minor wounds could be healed with her own blood, but severe ones would be beyond saving.
She needed to find the right angle to strike.
"Princess! Kill!" Xie Bo roared again.
Sai Er Bo was at her limit, held tightly by Xie Bo. However, Xie Bo was, after all, frail, and his strength was limited.
She cried out like a ghoul, her body contorting, on the verge of breaking free.
Seeing Ling Yao hesitate, Xie Bo, embracing Sai Er Bo, charged towards the flames.
When the flames touched the evil entity, they surged. Sai Er Bo's body ignited, and Xie Bo's face was also caught in the blast.
Indeed, it was divine fire. It hurt so much!
"Xie Bo!"
At this point, Sai Er Bo was too weak to struggle further.
Ling Yao intensified the flames, engulfing her completely. She curled into a ball, rolling on the ground like a fireball.
"Feng Ling Yao, Xiao Shan, you won't have a good end either. Just wait, just wait, ah—"
The piercing scream finally faded. The fireball on the ground extinguished, leaving only a pile of ashes. A gust of wind blew, and nothing remained.
"Xie Bo! How are you?"
Ling Yao quickly helped Xie Bo up, only to see his once beautiful face a mess.
"It's nothing, it's nothing!" Ling Yao bit her finger and placed it in his mouth. "You'll recover. Take a sip."
At this moment, all formations suddenly vanished. Bodies lay scattered on the ground. Xiao Shan, Meng Jiu, and Chi Yun had dealt with all the Qi Rong people.
He scanned the area and then saw Ling Yao.