Mu Rong Sheng Rui's gaze fell upon Xia Hou Ying.
"Do you intend to betray me?" Mu Rong Sheng Rui's voice was calm. Xia Hou Ying had endured too much of Du Gu Man's tutelage; his heart had been wavering. Had it finally stopped?
"I cannot allow the realm to descend into chaos," Xia Hou Ying stated calmly. "You have lost your reason, and she is a qualified ruler."
"So, this is your reason for betrayal?"
"No, you are mistaken," Xia Hou Ying replied steadily. "I am loyal to the people. I was, and I am now. There is no betrayal."
"I never thought you would learn to quibble now," Mu Rong Sheng Rui chuckled. "For the sake of the people, you choose her. If, one day, she becomes an enemy to the people, what will you do?"
"I will oppose her." Xia Hou Ying uttered these four words without hesitation. The Xia Hou family had served with unwavering loyalty for generations, and now he, Xia Hou Ying, was becoming the one who deviated from the norm. But it didn't matter. He had done nothing to betray his conscience or himself.
Mu Rong Sheng Rui shrugged at Feng Mo Ran, "It seems both of us are quite unsuccessful as leaders. Those close to us are betraying us one by one."
An unspeakable coldness swirled in Feng Mo Ran's eyes. A direct confrontation might not be his strength, but he had no other choice but to fight. Moreover, Xiao Man was present. By using Xiao Man to open the formation, and if Xiao Man refused to hand over the Tongtian Tower, he would take Xiao Man and the Tongtian Tower together. Then, he wouldn't fear Xiao Man's refusal!
"Speaking of which, there's one more thing I forgot," Feng Mo Ran said slowly. "Do you know who killed your father?"
Xiao Man's expression remained unchanged. She merely stared coldly at Feng Mo Ran. No matter what Feng Mo Ran said, she would not waver. Today, she was determined not to let Feng Mo Ran leave this place.
"Master, how about this," Xiao Man proposed. "You commit suicide, and I will spare everyone else."
"What do their lives have to do with me?" Feng Mo Ran said cruelly. In his eyes, everyone except himself was a pawn to be manipulated, a piece to be discarded at any moment. How could he sacrifice his own life for mere pawns?
"So, Master intends to drag them to their deaths with you," Xiao Man sighed. "Those who follow you are truly pitiful. None of them meet a good end."
Feng Mo Ran sneered, his gaze falling on the circular platform. Sometime earlier, the patterns on the platform had been filled with blood, emitting an eerie glow. However, the final condition was still needed for activation!
At this moment, Feng Mo Ran suddenly attacked, aiming directly at Mu Rong Sheng Rui. Mu Rong Sheng Rui retreated repeatedly, while Wei Wu Ji lunged forward to block Feng Mo Ran. Despite their cooperation, they had never trusted each other, so when Feng Mo Ran launched his attack, Wei Wu Ji acted without any reservation.
Xiao Man and Nan Gong Yu exchanged glances. What game were they playing now?
Suddenly, Feng Mo Ran threw several smoke bombs, filling the room with dense smoke. Xiao Man pushed Nan Gong Yu away, executed a backflip to evade the attack, and landed precisely on the circular platform.
This was exactly what Feng Mo Ran wanted. He held Wei Wu Ji, whose neck had been slashed and was now lying on the platform, bleeding profusely. Mu Rong Sheng Rui was also slumped at the edge of the platform, his life or death unknown.
Feng Mo Ran looked at Xiao Man, a dangerous smile curving his lips, and lunged at her. Xiao Man blocked him with her sword held before her chest. Lowering her head, she fired a hidden dart from behind her back. To her surprise, Feng Mo Ran did not dodge at all, allowing the dart to strike him. He then seized Xiao Man.
"Xiao Man!" Amidst the smoke, Nan Gong Yu could not discern Xiao Man's location, but he knew where the fighting was and immediately rushed towards the center of the commotion.
Feng Mo Ran glanced at the approaching Nan Gong Yu, grabbed Xiao Man's wrist, restrained her, pulled out the dart embedded in him, and fiercely plunged it into Xiao Man's palm. Xiao Man cried out in pain, a muffled groan escaping her lips. Blood gushed from the wound, dripping onto the formation. The patterns on the formation immediately lit up. Joy flared in Feng Mo Ran's eyes. It was possible. Xiao Man's blood could indeed ignite the formation!
From within the smoke, a figure rapidly approached. However, Feng Mo Ran was so focused on Nan Gong Yu that he failed to notice the approaching figure.
A sword slashed in diagonally, forcing Feng Mo Ran to release Xiao Man, or risk losing an arm. Although he released her just in time, his arm was still cut, his blood staining his white robes, making a stark contrast.
As soon as Xiao Man was free, instead of creating distance from Feng Mo Ran, she tightened her grip on her dagger and lunged towards his throat. She had to kill Feng Mo Ran, this devil!
Yan Chi thought Xiao Man would flee after repelling Feng Mo Ran, but instead, she charged forward, tackling Feng Mo Ran to the ground. The dagger in her hand moved slowly but surely towards Feng Mo Ran's throat.
Feng Mo Ran grabbed Xiao Man's hand, attempting to wrest the dagger away. But Xiao Man was determined to kill him. With a surge of strength she hadn't possessed before, she became incredibly powerful. The dagger inched closer to his neck, yet he could not budge it.
"Xiao Man." Nan Gong Yu rushed over, but as soon as he stepped onto the circular platform, he realized something was wrong. He couldn't move, as if something beneath his feet had seized him. No matter how hard he struggled, he couldn't break free.
Yan Chi was in the same predicament. He had intended to help, but he was immobilized, struggling futilely, as if trapped in quicksand, the more he struggled, the weaker he became.
"What's happening?" Xia Hou Ying asked, confused, about to step forward to help.
"Don't come up!" Nan Gong Yu shouted at him. "There's something wrong with this place."
"A'Man!" Chu Qing Ge looked anxiously at Xiao Man. Everyone then noticed that Feng Mo Ran and Xiao Man seemed to be half-swallowed by the formation. Xiao Man tried to move her legs, but found she couldn't, as if her legs had merged with the formation. Feng Mo Ran himself had been completely consumed by the formation. Sudan Novel Network
Xiao Man struggled desperately but in vain. Her gaze fell upon Nan Gong Yu, who was struggling not far away, and she suddenly understood. They had fallen into a trap.
Cen Yu struggled to stand up, intending to rescue Xiao Man.
"Cen Yu."
"I'll save you right away..."
"Protect my child!" Xiao Man said sternly. "If anything happens to him, I will haunt you even as a ghost!"
Cen Yu stopped in his tracks. Xiao Man's child was also Wen Mo Han's child. This momentarily halted him.
"Yin Feng."
Xia Hou Ying stood by the formation, hesitating whether to step in, but Xiao Man's gaze stopped him: "Stop Tian Que."
"Master!" Zhan Tian Que and Mo Mo arrived, and they immediately went to rescue them. Xia Hou Ying blocked Zhan Tian Que but failed to stop Mo Mo. Mo Mo charged directly into the formation, reaching out desperately towards Xiao Man, but could not touch her.