Chapter 191
Qi Meng Sheng inclined her head to look at Shen Nong Ding. The firelight spread out in her white hair and ice crystal body, like ice and fire’s accidental encounter, intertwining, devouring, and colliding with each other. The outcome of the battle is hard to tell: "Look, the Shen Nong Ding has long been prepared for you. The fire is enough, and the base material has been discarded. Only your core is needed to be thrown in, and the Absolute Human Emperor can be refined." She slowly turned her head. Her gaze was cold, which also carried some pity with a meaning that is difficult to understand, "The core goes in, or you go in."
Xie Bi An looked fiercely at Qi Meng Sheng with a fearless gaze, and said word for word, "Just, come."
Fan Wu She shielded Xie Bi An with Ting Mo in front. His heart was full of struggle. In front of them is a deadly situation. He does not see any chance to turn the situation around temporarily, because Qi Meng Sheng is too powerful. The absolute power will make all the small tricks have no place to hide. Xie Bi An praised him several times for bringing the two of them out of danger, that is because he did not encounter this absolute, overwhelming power before. The only force that can fight against her is a force that can be compared to her.
With his current cultivation level, unless he summons the Shanhe Sheji Map, he has to risk his life fighting. But the Shanhe Sheji Map was too far away from him, so how could he get there in time?
However, Xie Bi An gently pushed his sword away and took two steps forward, "Since it is me that you want, then let go of my junior brother and Lord Lan." He also knew that they were no match for Qi Meng Sheng, so there was no need for the three of them to stay here and wait for death.
Qi Meng Sheng said in a cold voice: "None of you will be able to leave."
Xie Bi An's ankle was suddenly caught by a coldness. He looked down in shock as transparent frost instantly crawled up his body and froze his limbs, and his whole body rose up in the air.
"Senior brother!" Fan Wu She leaped up and reached out to pull Xie Bi An.
Qi Meng Sheng waved her hand, and row after row of ice spikes flew at Fan Wu She and Lan Chui Han.
The two of them dodged wretchedly, but under such a strong attack, they could not get past the rain of arrows to save Xie Bi An.
Xie Bi An desperately releases spiritual power to fight against the ice wrapping around his body. This was the trick Lan Chui Han had fallen for at that time which directly sealed him in the ice coffin, and he was also the same as Lan Chui Han, struggling so hard but could not get out. The coldness penetrated into the bones, and his body became increasingly stiff, even his mind began to daze.
"I said before, you have no room to resist. The core goes in, or you go in. I advise you to keep yourself alive."
Xie Bi An was so cold that his teeth kept chattering. He shivered and said, "If you dare, dare to dig my core, I will, break my own, heart chakra."
"No, you can't even make the decision to die." Qi Meng Sheng closed her five fingers with a cruel face.
The frost was like a cocoon with consciousness, wrapping Xie Bi An layer by layer. With one look, they were about to form a new ice coffin and seal him into it.
Suddenly, a massive thunder sounded through the sky. It was oppressive, dull, and it shook the peoples' hearts until they trembled, like someone trapped them in a pot and beat it.
Looking up, the ink-washed sky kept flashing blue lightning, but when they were able to distinguish carefully, they realized that it was not lightning, but a large number of talismans on the boundary being attacked, dispersed and reorganized. They were desperately trying to emit their last light before they were about to die out.
"Chidi City's boundary!" Hua Xiang Rong exclaimed.
Qi Meng Sheng narrowed her eyes, "Li Bu Yu is really old and useless. He's only breaking the boundary now."
A hole was formed in the boundary, then it dissipated at a speed visible to the naked eye, and the sound of thunder rang out again, but this time it was penetrating like piercing a body and deafening to the ears, with a real incandescent lightning bolt that fell from the sky.
"Dodge quickly!" Yun Xiang Yi roared sharply.
The crowd of cultivators scattered like birds and beasts*, desperately running away. But the power of the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant could not be underestimated. Instantly, there were several charred bodies in the white snow.
In the next moment, a thick spiritual pressure descended from the sky.
Qi Meng Sheng's complexion changed and she hurriedly flashed to one side.
Fan Wu She took the opportunity to rush over and try to grab Xie Bi An, but Qi Meng Sheng was still one step ahead of him and "grabbed" Xie Bi An towards herself.
A black shadow smashed into the ground with a loud boom. The snow and fog flipped, and the earth was smashed into a huge crater. Many cultivators were bounced out by the force.
When the crowd stared with their eyes, a sharp blade with coldness radiating all around was penetrated into the ground. It is none other than the Qingfeng Sword.
"Mas…ter…” Xie Bi An, who was about to be sealed with ice, used his already stiff tongue to make a plea for help that almost only he could hear, but he knew that his master would be able to "hear".
Zhong Kui landed on the ground right after the Qingfeng Sword. His solemn face was not angry but powerful, and he alone was worth a magnificent army with thousands of men and horses*. He glared at Qi Meng Sheng fiercely, "Bullying my disciple again. Today I will use the Qingfeng Sword to send you to the West* early."
More and more cultivators flew into Chidi City. Li Bu Yu’s heroic order gathered the world. That day when Chidi City was invaded was just the beginning of the war.
Qi Meng Sheng, however, looked very calm, obviously expecting this outcome: "It was the time when the Thunderfire Stones blew up the city walls, you guys took the opportunity to mix in with the people, right? I originally scheduled to open the furnace tomorrow at sunrise. The moment First Fortress Qian’s Yang lines were broken, I knew that the formation of Chidi City would not last long, so I opened the furnace early. Fortunately, just in time."
"Just in time?" Li Bu Yu was in mid-air with his sword. The Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant in his hand was still shining with sparks, "Qi Meng Sheng, you're on the verge of death, yet you're still dreaming."
Qi Meng Sheng looked at Li Bu Yu with a tone of contempt, "Li Bu Yu, you are the one who is dreaming. You're losing your eyesight, and you actually still can't see through it until now."
"See through what?" Li Bu Yu said sternly, "You have slandered me and sowed discord. Does anyone believe what you, a demonic cultivator, says?"
"Return my disciple." Zhong Kui pulled out the Qingfeng Sword and pointed it at Qi Meng Sheng, "You can't refine the Absolute Human Emperor, and you are no match for the entire immortal cultivation world."
"Immortal cultivation world? Who represents the immortal cultivation world? The Immortal Alliance?" Qi Meng Sheng sneered, "The immortal cultivation world a hundred years ago once belonged to the Daming Zong Clan. Now you are all following the lead of this villain Li Bu Yu. The Zong Clan has been destroyed, yet you guys are living more and more in the past."
"Cut the crap!" Fan Wu She roared sternly, "Let him go!"
As the sky turns white, the first rays of the morning light struggle to break through the darkness of the earth's horizon, giving the earth a new lease of life. The dense shadows of people in the top and bottom of Chidi City flashed more clearly, and a great battle was about to take place.
At this time, Qi Meng Sheng let out a string of laughter. That laughter was so creepy that it sent chills behind people’s backs.
"This is a rare moment in a hundred years ah." Qi Meng Sheng sneered, "Almost all the old people from that year are here, so let's relive the old dream together."
Zhong Kui looked aghast: "What are you talking about? What do you want to do?"
Qi Meng Sheng smiled grimly: "Since when did Li Bu Yu represent the Immortal Alliance, and when did the Immortal Alliance represent the entire immortal cultivation world? He called on the immortal cultivation world to fight against me, a demon cultivator, but I clearly haven't eaten a single human core yet. On the contrary, if your dignified Alliance Master Li hadn't eaten Emperor Ning Hua Zong Ming He's human core, he wouldn't be here today!"
Everywhere was silent.
Qi Meng Sheng had accused Li Bu Yu at that time at Mount Tai, but Li Bu Yu was in a high position of power, and after he refuted, no one dared to openly question him. Just that, everyone had seeds of doubt planted in their hearts.
"You’re making false accusations!" Li Bu Yu roared, "Qi Meng Sheng, you are at least a generation's Immortal Lord, how dare you falsely accuse without evidence? Do you think you can escape this calamity by sowing discord? Let me tell you, the immortal cultivation world will get rid of you, the demoness, and be happy afterwards!"
"No evidence?" Qi Meng Sheng laughed loudly, "Since the entire immortal cultivation world is gathered here today, I will show you what is evidence. By then, some people's swords may not know who to point at."
Li Bu Yu secretly clenched his hand, and an ominous feeling rose in his heart.
The Golden Trunk Jade Policy once again appeared on Qi Meng Sheng's palm. She looked at Zhong Kui: "In fact, I have always admired Heaven Master. In this world, those who are truly selfless and self-sacrificing are so pitifully few, but Heaven Master has contributed twice in this life - you've offered the Eastern Emperor Bell, as well as protecting and raising the reincarnation of the Human Emperor."
When this statement was spoken, the world was shocked.
Fan Wu She looked at the Golden Trunk Jade Policy in Qi Meng Sheng's hand, and already understood what she wanted. At this moment, it was like he was the one wrapped in the ice coffin. Despair struck, and he experienced the chill of near death.
Li Bu Yu widened his eyes, which were covered with a layer of white mist, and slowly turned his neck to look at Xie Bi An, who had most of his body sealed in the ice.
Xie Bi An was still conscious, but he was already too frozen to speak. His blood flow was reduced to a minimum, and he was so muddled that he might faint at any moment.
The pages of the Jade Policy began to flip without any wind.
Fan Wu She madly attacked towards Qi Meng Sheng: "No------"
No, you can't, No! He cannot remember it, he cannot remember everything from his previous life!
The Golden Trunk Jade Policy appeared in front of Xie Bi An's eyes.
Chapter 192
The Golden Trunk Jade Policy is the "Book of Life and Death" containing the fate of celestial beings. In the resistance of Xie Bi An, it cruelly poured out all kinds of past lives to him, like a waterfall smashing through his heart’s lake. The fragments of memory reorganized in front of his eyes, in the order of time, one by one.
A young child, whose steps were still unsteady, was practicing a move with a wooden sword in a decent manner.
In the lonely and cold Qinghui Pavilion, Shen Shi Yao hugged him and shed tears: "Heng Er, you must work hard, must cultivate well, and get your father's appreciation when you grow up. You must fight for mother."
He caught a cold, and his fever did not subside. Shen Shi Yao cried hysterically, "Does he even remember he has a son?!"
His second brother, who was only a year younger than him, always wore the most luxurious clothes, ate the most delicious snacks, and even the unsharpened* practice sword was forged by the Giant Spirit Villa with a large sum of money. Every bit of progress was appreciated by Zong Ming He, while he just stood at one side in silence.
His ninth brother was born. So small, so soft, and only knew how to call out big brother when he just started learning to speak. He clung to him all day long, and never minded that he was the prince who was treated coldly.
Xiao Jiu grew up, cultivated with him in the morning, and could only sleep when he told him a story in the evening.
Xiao Jiu grew up again. Still big brother this, big brother that, counting meticulously the delicious dishes made by big brother, and changing the menu everyday.
They practiced swords together, meditated together, planted flowers in the orchid garden, made cakes in the kitchen, played and ran wildly in the back garden of Wuji Palace. They'd sneak off to Daming City to eat a bowl of sweet and sour jelly in the hot summer, and enjoyed the snow around the furnace in the cold winter.
He also grew up. He went out alone to travel, beheaded demons, performed religious ceremonies to help the evil spirits find peace, and saved Li Bu Yu. His cultivation finally got his father's attention, and he worked hard just to win the championship in the Jiaolong Assembly.
Everything changed during the attack when he took Xiao Jiu out of the palace for the first time.
He missed the Jiaolong Assembly, and he nearly died.
He befriended Xu Zhi Nan, and together they tracked down the core-stealing demonic cultivator. Since then, a deep conspiracy was dragged out of the darkness by them, but they were dragged into the darkness instead.
Qi Meng Sheng, Hua Yu Xin, Lu Zhao Feng, those who were involved in the vortex of destiny with him, made a shocking wave and left with the ebbing tide, exposing the unpleasant truth on the shoals under the sun.
So the nightmare officially set off.
The out-of-control mother poisoned second brother and framed Xiao Jiu. Chu Ying Ruo killed herself. The closest brothers turned against each other, and he learned from his biological father that he was raised safely only for the golden core in his stomach.
This decade was the darkest.
He escaped Zong Ming He's pursuit and nearly froze to death in the snowy plains of Kunlun, but accidentally enlightened the eighth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword at the point of death.
In order to save Shen Shi Yao, he walked right into a trap on Mount Shu and fought with Zong Ming He on the Eight Trigrams Platform. In the end he couldn’t bear it.
But Shen Shi Yao took advantage of Zong Ming He's serious injury to kill him, and then hanged herself. He carried all of it to preserve the reputation of his parents and ancestors. With the support of Li Bu Yu and Xu Zhi Nan, he officially ascended to the throne and became the emperor.
At the most turbulent time of the Daming Zong Clan, the treasure of the sect, the Shanhe Sheji Map, was stolen.
And then the chaos of Wuyun Sect dragged the entire immortal cultivation world into a war that lasted for years. Huaying Sect was tragically destroyed. He adopted the only son of Hua Jun Cheng and named him Zhong Ming.
After that, his ninth brother, who had not been heard from for ten years, returned. He brought the Shanhe Sheji Map and Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman with him, and single-handedly slaughtered the entire Wuyun Sect, and since then there was no more Xiao Jiu in the world, only the Supreme Demon Zong Zi Xiao.
From that moment onwards, the state power has changed owners.
The latter memories are only more cruel and unpleasant. Xie Bi An howled in horror and resisted with all his mental and physical efforts. He didn't want to see anymore, he didn't want to know anymore!
But the memories continued to flow like a flood, rushing into his mind.
His Xiao Jiu was back, no, Zong Zi Xiao was back.
A duel to the death, he was defeated. The crumbled Sanqing Hall*. The wrecked battlefield. He was pressed onto the throne, which was a symbol of supreme imperial power, and was extremely humiliated and ravaged by his younger brother, who was brought up by himself.
A dignified Emperor Zong sank to the bottom and became the puppet and forbidden property of the Supreme Demon. He was violated wantonly, and was done whenever Zong Zi Xiao wanted. They were led by the twisted hatred, repeatedly pulling and tearing, hurting and being hurt, staging an unpleasant and absurd drama.
He is bent on stopping Zong Zi Xiao from continuing his sins, but Zong Zi Xiao is bent on making the ultimate immortal core. And that ultimate immortal core was in his belly.
Ten years later he returned to Mount Shu, found out the real cause of his parent's death, and exposed Li Bu Yu, a hypocritical and murderous villain. However, it was too late. He saw the shadow of Zong Ming He in Zong Zi Xiao. The worst mistake in his life was he should not have been born with a golden core with an imperial destiny, and finally he ended up like that.
Forced to revisit his past life from the Golden Trunk Jade Policy until his death brought the play to an abrupt end, Xie Bi An felt as if he had died over and over again, and the memories of his past life and present life were mixed and confused, with endless pain and fear lingering on his heart in pieces.
When he finally remembered everything about his previous life as Zong Zi Heng, what he imagined to be invaded, replaced, and covered did not happen. He just woke up, Xie Bi An is Zong Zi Heng, and Zong Zi Heng is Xie Bi An. They are originally one person. He woke up. He came back. Across a hundred years of time, through reincarnation, he was brought back to earth, brought back to this conspiracy that has not yet ended.
There is no end. Not even his death can stop the greedy lust. He was forced to wake up, forced to gaze at this absurd world and absurd people once again.
He didn't want to come back, but he did.
Recovering the memories of his previous life seemed to be a lengthy process, but in reality, it only happened in an instant. When he opened his eyes with tears, he saw Fan Wu She, who raised his sword and stabbed towards Qi Meng Sheng regardless of everything, but was fiercely beaten back by Qi Meng Sheng.
Fan Wu She was lying on the ground. With a look that could penetrate everything, he looked at Xie Bi An from a distance.
Xie Bi An’s heart was thrown alive into the burning flames, so painful that he was going crazy.
Fan Wu She, Zong Zi Xiao, they, or rather, he, had joined them to make up a centuries-long scam just for the sake of the Absolute Human Emperor.
He was too stupid. Obviously knowing that his past self was constantly reminding him through his memory who the person in front of him really was, yet he was stubborn and deceived himself. Actually, he knew it in his heart, but did not dare and refused to admit it. He did not want to return to the nightmare of his past life, but did not know that he was already deep in the nightmare.
Those utmost care, those deep and sincere love, those confessions and promises that were said without hesitation, were all false.
There was no Fan Wu She in this world. There was no little junior brother. There was no Xiao Jiu. Only Zong Zi Xiao. From the beginning to the end, there was only that person who wanted to dig out his core --- the Supreme Demon Zong Zi Xiao.
Xie Bi An's tears dried up at this moment. He just looked at Fan Wu She, silently, vacantly, and deadly.
Fan Wu She opened his mouth, but coughed out a mouthful of blood. His eyes became hot. His internal organs were writhing with pain, and he saw a long-ago but familiar look on Xie Bi An's face.
His big brother had returned.
So his big brother would look at him like this? That gentle, generous, smiling emotion just disappeared from those eyes that quickly dimmed their luster?
Xie Bi An closed his eyes. A drop of tear slipped across his face, dangled over the edge of his jaw, and finally fell, falling into pieces.
"Senior brother ... big brother ..." Fan Wu She called with a murmur. That tone was clearly a dying man asking for help.
"Qi Meng Sheng, what have you done?!" Zhong Kui shouted.
"Can't Heaven Master guess?" Qi Meng Sheng said coldly, "Do you think that taking in the reincarnation of the Human Emperor as your disciple and raising him by your side can keep him safe? As long as that core is in his stomach, he will not have peace for one day."
"Asshole!" Zhong Kui glared angrily, "As long as there are no heartless demonic cultivators like you in the world, he will naturally be at peace."
Qi Meng Sheng laughed long and hard, "Do you think I'm the only one who wants his core in this world? Heaven Master has no desire, is noble and outstanding, but unfortunately we are all mortals. Without me, there will be others."
"I'll kill you first to set an example." The Qingfeng Sword in Zhong Kui's hand flashed with a stern and murderous light.
Chapter 193
Qi Meng Sheng was not fearful to Zhong Kui's threat, but turned to Xie Bi An: "Emperor, now that you have seen your past life's memories on the Golden Trunk Jade Policy, you shall come and corroborate whether Li Bu Yu ate Emperor Ning Hua's golden core. Not only did he eat a human core, he also suppressed Emperor Ning Hua with the Big Dipper Zhengji Binding Demon Formation at Diancang Peak to bless the Wuliang Sect with the destiny of great wealth and fortune."
Xie Bi An slowly looked at Li Bu Yu, who was also looking at him stiffly with a pale face matched with those fog covered eyes, making people unable to help but associate it with dark clouds covering the sun, which shows even more lifelessness.
Li Bu Yu eyes became opaque due to the aging of his physical body, a disease also known as cloudy eyes. It is mostly shown in the elderly. The surface of the pupil is gradually covered by a layer of white mist. Although not completely blind, with the passage of time, it gets gradually more difficult to see things. Li Bu Yu is an immortal cultivator, his heart is more nimble than his physical eye, so this opacity does not affect him pulling out his sword, but it makes him unable to see other people's faces clearly.
Otherwise, even after a hundred years, he had never forgotten Emperor Kong Hua's outstanding appearance.
Li Bu Yu was greatly shocked, and he said in a trembling voice, "You ... are you really Emperor Kong Hua?"
Yet Xie Bi An did not say anything. Just awakened, he is in the crisis of his past life and present life intertwining. His brain is just in great confusion.
He remembered, he remembered everything. All the love, hate, joy, sorrow, schemes, betrayal, injustice, humiliation, pain, and suffering that he experienced in those short 30 years, he remembered all of them. Even the sadness and hopelessness of the last moments of his life seemed to have happened just a while ago.
The Way of Heaven is not benevolent. Those who forced him into a hopeless situation in his previous life are still in front of him, and after a hundred years, the greed for the thing in his belly is only burning more and more.
Why should he wake up? He chose to leave because there is no longer any bit worth remembering of this world of mortals and people in his heart, but he was forced to remember everything. He is no longer just Zong Zi Heng, he is still the Xie Bi An who has a home, flowers, freedom, a loving master and a junior brother. This life has made up for the many things he missed in his previous life; those beautiful and blessed things he could not ask for. He does not want to die.
Zong Zi Heng should disappear. It'd be good if there was only Xie Bi An in this world.
Xie Bi An was feeling pain and hatred. He did not want to look at either Fan Wu She or Li Bu Yu. He did not know what to do.
"Bi An." Zhong Kui yelled, "Look at master."
Xie Bi An looked at Zhong Kui with tears in his eyes. Obviously, his eyes were dense with tears and he could not see Zhong Kui's face clearly, but he could imagine Zhong Kui's eyes and expression at this moment. It must be reassuring, forgiving, and loving. His brows were deeply furrowed. That expression belonged to Zong Zi Heng, which was frozen and full of worries. His lips were tightly pursed. That belonged to Xie Bi An's grievance and plea for help.
"No matter who you were in your previous life, you are only Zhong Kui's disciple." Zhong Kui grinned, "With your master around, no one can harm you."
Tears welled up once more in Xie Bi An's eyes, but he immediately blinked hard to expel the tears that were in the way of his eyes. Now is not the time for self-pity, let alone crying. In his previous life, he chose to die because he had nothing left, but now he has his master, he has Official Lord Cui and Bo Zhu. He has a home, he has a family. How can he let down these people?
At this moment, he changed back to the calm and serious Human Emperor Zong Zi Heng. His cold gaze slowly sweeping across the scene. When he saw Li Bu Yu, he felt extremely hateful, but he could not show it because his face had been frozen. Li Bu Yu, a hypocritical and murderous villain, not only harmed his whole family, but at the last moment, he even set him up by faking his death. If he could live through today, he would definitely kill him with his own hands.
When his gaze fell on Fan Wu She, his heart was still aching like a death from a thousand cuts. Whether it was Zong Zi Xiao in the previous life or Fan Wu She in the present life, they had torn open one wound after another on his soul, and these wounds will always be bloody and impossible to heal in a lifetime. This man had abused him, retaliated against him, forced him to die, and now he had deceived him by disguising his identity, making him unknowingly deliver his trust and ... to the person who least deserved it.
Hatred erupted in Xie Bi An’s eyes.
Fan Wu She’s heart stirred with pain. The look in his eyes, which seemed so long ago and yet so vivid, was like a long sword splitting his disguise and releasing the demons he had imprisoned in the deepest part of his three immortal souls and seven mortal forms.
If there was only Xie Bi An in this world, he would also want to be Fan Wu She only for the rest of his life, but Zong Zi Heng was back. His big brother was back, and he can no longer "trap" Zong Zi Xiao.
In a matter of moments, Xie Bi An's heart had struggled several times. Fear, hatred, and anger were disturbing and intertwining, almost crushing him, but finally, his master’s voice made him calm down.
He wants to live. He wants to go home with his master.
So the most important thing now is to defeat Qi Meng Sheng.
Qi Meng Sheng chose this time to let him recover his memories of his past life just to drive a wedge between him and Li Bu Yu, so that Li Bu Yu will be left utterly isolated, and those who saw the wind and set the helm* will immediately have a pompous reason to betray the Immortal Alliance and switch to supporting Cangyu Sect. This battle would probably be a crushing defeat. He must stop Qi Meng Sheng first!
Xie Bi An mobilized his spiritual power and silently recited the Zong Clan's Heart Technique. The technique that penetrated deeply into his bone marrow, even though it was impossible to exert the power of his previous life due to the limitations of his body, it still injected a surge of power into this body that was frozen stiff.
With a low roar, the spiritual pressure instantly erupted, and the layers of the ice coffin wrapped around the body split apart with a bang.
Xie Bi An fell to the ground. His stiff limbs made him unable to move for a while.
Qi Meng Sheng pounced towards Xie Bi An, trying to trap him in the same way. Fan Wu She got up from the ground and rushed over quickly, but Zhong Kui came with an even faster speed and appeared beside Xie Bi An in less than a blink of an eye. His Qingfeng Sword struck out a magnificent and harsh sword Qi, forcing Qi Meng Sheng back.
Zhong Kui picked up Xie Bi An and said urgently, "How are you feeling?"
Xie Bi An's body was regaining consciousness little by little as he used his spiritual power to stimulate the blood to circulate rapidly in his body: "I’m fine, I'll be fine soon."
"Wu She." Zhong Kui called out, "Come and watch over your senior brother."
Xie Bi An's body stiffened again. He didn't look at Fan Wu She and forced himself to stand up, "No need, I'm fine." He was clearly aware at this moment, his mind was like a dam that would suddenly bear the impact of a ten-thousand-pound flood and collapse, but the more so, the calmer he had to remain. For example, Li Bu Yu’s secret. At this moment, Fan Wu She’s identity must not even be exposed. If the world knew that the Supreme Demon Zong Zi Xiao had not only been reincarnated, but had also become Zhong Kui's second disciple, the whole immortal cultivation world would be out of control, and if Qi Meng Sheng reaps the benefits from others’ dispute, everything would be over.
Fan Wu She clenched his fists. He looked at Xie Bi An's back with his eyes full of struggle.
Qi Meng Sheng is obviously dissatisfied with this result: "Emperor, don't you want the world to know how your mother consort died and how Emperor Ning Hua died? Do you want to bear this eternal infamy of killing your father, the emperor, for Li Bu Yu?!"
Fan Wu She was stunned. So it really wasn't Zong Zi Heng who killed Zong Ming He, but Li Bu Yu?! When he knew that Li Bu Yu had eaten Zong Ming He's core, he already had this suspicion. After all, the human core had to be dug out when the person was alive.
But why did Zong Zi Heng admit to this felony of killing his father, the emperor, without ever defending himself?
Amidst the uproar of the crowd, Xie Bi An pretended to look at Qi Meng Sheng calmly, endured silently and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. If Immortal Alliance Li has done evil, he won’t be able to hide from the truth and the judgment of justice." Xie Bi An glanced at Li Bu Yu coldly and shifted his gaze back, "But now, you are the demonic cultivator who has Qi deviated, went berserk, killed innocents indiscriminately, and wants to eat human cores."
Li Bu Yu looked at Xie Bi An with complicated eyes and secretly sighed in relief.
Qi Meng Sheng's face showed a grimace as she sneered, "Good. Very good, Zong Zi Heng. You are good at enduring humiliation in your life. You must be deeply moved by yourself, right? Unfortunately, your resentment is hard to dispel. You can't be a saint. You're indecisive, and you can't be an evil person. What happens in the end is that you fail to protect anyone, and you can't even save your own life."
Xie Bi An's face, which had just regained some color, turned white again. This is what it feels like to have his vital part cut by a knife. Qi Meng Sheng's words simply contain blood in every word.
"Evil people do evil, at least for their own benefit, but stupid people commit stupidity only to harm others and harm themselves." Qi Meng Sheng spread her hand, and the pair of Ice and Snow Jade appeared on the palm, "Let’s settle this."
In the eight fortresses of Chidi City, Cangyu Sect cultivators, who were equipped with ice crystals, came out of the nest. Li Bu Yu’s heroic order not only brought the Immortal Alliance, but also half of the immortal cultivation world.
This battle will shake Jiuzhou.
The immortal families each opened an attack.
Zhong Kui held his Qingfeng Sword and led the army forward.
Li Bu Yu held the Wuliang Sword in one hand, the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant in the other hand, and was ready to strike.
And the Chunyang Sect’s substitute Sect Leader, Elder Zhao Wen, was also incumbent to go in front of the enemy formation. He took out his Golden Carved Jade Suit and put it on while releasing his spiritual pressure, preparing to transform into a vajra giant. But his face soon surfaced an odd look.
Zhao Wen looked down at his Golden Carved Jade Suit, and released strong spiritual pressure again. His body still didn’t change. His expression gradually changed: "What, what is going on?"
The others also noticed his strange appearance.
Qi Meng Sheng hooked her lips and smiled, spreading her other hand: "Zhao Wen, are you looking for this?" A magnificent and bright Golden Carved Jade Suit appeared in her hand.
The Chunyang Sect cultivators turned pale with fright.
"The Golden Carved Jade Suit! How, how could it be in her hands!?"
Zhao Wen widened his eyes. He looked at the one on his own body, and then looked at that one in Qi Meng Sheng's hands: "You ... impossible ..." At that time, Yun Xiang Yi and Hua Xiang Rong stole the Seven Stars Life-Sustaining Lamp and Xu Zhi Nan died. No one found out that they also stole the Golden Carved Jade Suit?!
"You, you, you dare to steal the Chunyang Sect’s treasure!" One of the elders from Chunyang Sect cursed out of control, "Demoness, you deserve to die. You shall not die well, you ..."
Xie Bi An, like many others in the present scene, had their hearts cooled* before the battle. The fusion of the ice crystal and the body of Qi Meng Sheng was already almost unbeatable, and now she puts on the Golden Carved Jade Suit?
Chapter 194
Zhao Wen still couldn't believe it: "Impossible. After master went into seclusion, the Golden Carved Jade Suit has always been placed in our sect's treasure vault. How could it be swapped!?"
"Since the Flying Plume Ambassadors were able to steal the Seven Stars Life-Sustaining Lamp, naturally they were able to steal the Golden Carved Jade Suit as well." Lan Chui Han was a bit dissatisfied with Zhao Wen’s incompetence. He grew up in Chunyang Sect when he was young, so he was quite attached to Chunyang Sect. Just that in a hundred years, Chunyang Sect has never produced a real genius anymore. After Xu Zhi Nan’s death, as Xu Zhi Nan's first disciple, Zhao Wen became the substitute Sect Leader, but his strength was not enough to convince the public. Now, he wasn’t even aware that the treasure of the sect had been switched. Making a fool of himself in the front line was simply increasing the ambition of the enemy and extinguishing one’s own might.
The Chunyang Sect was scared and anxious. Seeing their own magical treasure in the hands of the enemy is simply a great humiliation.
"It's not the same, the Seven Stars Lamp is always carried by master." Zhao Wen looked at the counterfeit in his hand at a loss for words, "My sect's treasure trove is well-fortified. How could it be like this?"
Qi Meng Sheng looked at Zhao Wen from above. Her gaze was contemptuous, even containing some anger, "Useless person." She put on the Golden Carved Jade Suit.
Zhong Kui said in a loud voice: "Qi Meng Sheng, the more you use your spiritual power, the faster you will die. Controlling two top grade magical treasures at the same time is just digging your own grave."
"Before that, I will kill all of you first." Qi Meng Sheng's body suddenly expanded. Her flesh body was semi-fused with the ice crystal, and the ice body was covered with the Golden Carved Jade Suit. At this time she was like a bright, golden frost giant, covering the light from the sky that had just appeared on the earth's horizon, enveloping Chidi City under her huge shadow.
The crowd craned their necks and looked at the mountain-like threat before them.
"You guys have broken the boundary of Chidi City by luck, but you guys can only stop at this point."
"It is you who will stop at this point." Zhong Kui flew up, and his Qingfeng Sword stabbed sharply towards Qi Meng Sheng.
With a wave of Qi Meng Sheng's hand, countless ice spikes descended from the sky like falling rain, forming an overwhelming and impermeable net. Some low-ranking cultivators were instantly pierced, greeting the sunrise of Chidi City by blood and miserable howls.
Xie Bi An stabilized his emotions, held his sword and attacked towards Cangyu Sect. He may have countless reasons to collapse, but one reason is enough to sustain him to fight this battle.
At this moment, in Chidi City, the magical treasures came out altogether. Ice arrows were all over the sky. The spiritual pressure of each party is no better or worse than each other. Like a tsunami, it swept through the whole city, turning it into a living hell with shouts of murder.
Xie Bi An had to go through several rounds with the enemy. He suppressed the hostility in his chest and transformed them into fierce attacks. Among the splash of blood, he saw panic and avoidance in the surrounding people. When he suddenly returned to his senses, he realized that he unknowingly was not using the Qingfeng Sword Technique, but the Zongxuan Sword Technique!
The Zongxuan Sword Technique is known for its ruthlessness and aggressiveness. Not quite like the swordplay which cares about mutual exchange and not exchanging brute force. It is more like a knife, where every move is not just aimed at suppression, but more about seeing blood and taking lives. The sword is a gentleman's weapon. Its body is upright. High orthodox immortal families love to brand themselves with their swords. If it was not because the Zong Clan unified the immortal cultivation world, the Zongxuan Sword with this kind of hungry wolf-like swordplay would have to be despised. This is also an important reason why the Zongxuan Sword Technique was classified as a forbidden art after the destruction of the Zong Clan.
This is also the reason why in his previous life he felt that the Zongxuan Sword Technique was not right for his temperament and wanted to create the Junlan Sword Technique, but no one could deny the power of the Zongxuan Sword Technique.
Xie Bi An held his Pei Xue and looked at the bloody ground. His body cannot help but shiver. With his current cultivation level, he is still far from that year, but when he unconsciously used the Zongxuan Sword Technique to fight and kill in bloodthirsty pleasure, it was as if he had returned to a hundred years ago, when he was still the Emperor Zong who could compete with the Supreme Demon.
And this great battle was just better than the one when Zong Zi Xiao was besieged by the immortal cultivation world a hundred years ago.
It’s been a hundred years. Whether it was Zong Zi Xiao or Qi Meng Sheng, the greed for his golden core has never stopped.
Xie Bi An felt pain in his heart. His eyes grew scarlet. He growled and raised his sword to meet the ice arrow flying towards his face.
Led by Zhong Kui and Li Bu Yu, the sect leaders from each immortal family attacked Qi Meng Sheng together.
The frost giant Qi Meng Sheng, with the support of the Ice and Snow Jade and the Golden Carved Jade Suit, each blow seemed to have the power to split heaven and earth apart, and those sect leaders who had been devoted to cultivation all their lives and had the strength of a patriarch level were unable to take a single blow in front of her and suffered heavy defeats one after another.
The Golden Carved Jade Suit is extremely consuming of spiritual power. Even if Xu Zhi Nan wore it in his prime, he could only withstand it for 5 minutes. Just these 5 minutes, not many people in heaven and earth could tolerate it. And the ice crystal is providing a steady stream of spiritual energy for Qi Meng Sheng, and is also accelerating the destruction of her already feeble flesh. But no one knows whether she or they will be the first to be destroyed.
Those who experienced the battle of the siege of the Supreme Demon a hundred years ago could not help but compare yesterday and today, and they found out how similar they were. Zong Zi Xiao relied on the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman to absorb Yin energy and turned it into spiritual energy. This Yin energy gave him tremendous power to summon endless Yin soldiers for him, but also continued to erode his mind and body. If Zong Zi Heng hadn't committed suicide to stop him, he probably would have killed everyone. But in the end, after tearing apart the Fengdu boundary, he died from the backlash of Yin energy during the confrontation with the Underworld.
At this moment, Qi Meng Sheng's life is only a hair's breadth away from death, but as long as she still has a breath of air, the immortal cultivation world will suffer countless deaths and injuries.
Zhong Kui's Qingfeng Sword pierced through the Golden Carved Jade Suit and directly wounded Qi Meng Sheng's ice crystal body. The Heavenly thunder lured by the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant once again lit up the dawning night sky like daylight, and this blow also caused Qi Meng Sheng to suffer a great deal. Qi Meng Sheng's counter-attack also became more frantic, and the corpses in Chidi City were scattered everywhere.
Xie Bi An killed back another wave of attacks. He suddenly felt a harsh airflow beside his ears. He realized that there were cold arrows behind him. The moment he turned around, a black shadow flashed, and the ice arrows had been cut down to the ground.
Xie Bi An focused with his eyes, and Fan Wu She turned around at the exact time. In the chaos of the battlefield, the two of them faced each other without any warning. Everything around them seemed to have come to a standstill, and only the breath flowing between them was the only reality left in this world.
Xie Bi An thought about a hundred years ago. At the last moments of his life, they also looked at each other like this. He looked at Zong Zi Xiao’s tears and mumbling lips, but could not hear anything. The world was too quiet. His life was placed in the noisy strife. When it ended, it should have ended in silence. Although he saw the black death aura in Zong Zi Xiao’s eyes fade, that pain and remorse may be able to briefly bring back Xiao Jiu. He was trying to listen to what Xiao Jiu was saying.
Now he understands. No matter how much he earnestly hopes for and how much he deceives himself, Xiao Jiu will never return.
Fan Wu She opened his mouth and said softly: "You shouldn't have remembered."
Xie Bi An looked at him indifferently, "I have been fooled by you all along."
Fan Wu She gritted his teeth and said, "If you didn’t remember, I can just treat you as Xie Bi An, and I can just be Fan Wu She."
"There is no Fan Wu She." Xie Bi An's heart ached like a twinge, "There was never Fan Wu She." Whether it was his beloved ninth brother or his favorite junior brother, they were all illusions and dreams in a bubble that either disappeared or never existed. He can still remember his joy at knowing he had a junior brother, and how he and his junior brother had fallen in love during their time together and the few times they had shared difficulties, but it was all fake!
What kind of thoughts did Fan Wu She have in mind when he came to his side? And what was he thinking when he looked at him who was tormented by the memories of his past life, and even blamed himself for confusing him with Zong Zi Xiao?
A person who had a bitter hatred for him, humiliated him in every way, even tried to dig up his core, reincarnated and refused to let him go, lurked by his side for two years, lured him to fall into a trap step by step and willingly let him deliver his trust and feelings. How malicious and cruel is this?
"You shouldn't have remembered." Fan Wu She murmured and repeated, "You shouldn't have remembered."
"Zong Zi Xiao, no matter what you want to do." Xie Bi An strongly suppressed his heartache and said in a hoarse voice, "I will stop you."
"I ..."
Xie Bi An fiercely turned back and swept with his long sword, repelling the enemy who was sneak attacking. Fan Wu She still wanted to say something. He looked at Xie Bi An's distant back and the swarming enemies, and could only give up.
The sun rose, and the ancient holy light shone on the earth, correlating the fire of the Shen Nong Ding, exposing the bloody battle in the Chidi City clearly to the world.
The killing intent shook the sky. Blood and flesh filled the field. There had not been such a great battle in the immortal cultivation world for a hundred years.
Although Qi Meng Sheng was bruised and battered, she was still suppressing Zhong Kui and Li Bu Yu, who were draining spiritual energy like flowing water. Their attacks were obviously weak.
The battle has reached a stalemate that if victory and defeat cannot be determined, more and more people would die for nothing.
Li Bu Yu gasped and shouted, "Heaven Master, this demonic woman has two top grade magical treasures, and with the addition of the ice crystal, her strength is no less than Zong Zi Xiao a hundred years ago. I'm afraid, the only way now is for you to summon the Eastern Emperor Bell."
"No way." Zhong Kui roughly wiped off the blood from the corner of his eyes and gritted his teeth, "Once the Fengdu boundary breaks, there will be thousands of evil spirits running into earth to cause chaos."
"The Underworld also has thousands of Yin soldiers and underworld commanders, so it won't be a problem to resist for a while. If we can't stop Qi Meng Sheng, the earth will experience a catastrophe."
"What is the point of tearing down the east to make up for the west?" Zhong Kui's gaze was unwavering, "I have made a heavy oath to never use the Eastern Emperor Bell."
"There are priorities!" Li Bu Yu said furiously.
Zhong Kui didn't even look at Li Bu Yu and said coldly, "The Eastern Emperor Bell must never be moved. There is no need to say more."
"You ..."
Qi Meng Sheng released a fierce cold ice spell. The temperature of the entire battlefield plummeted, even the flames of the Shen Nong Ding no longer had heat. This invincible attack greatly boosted the Cangyu Sect members’ military spirits, plus everyone was equipped with ice crystals, making them very brave.
The battle gradually began to tilt. More and more casual cultivators summoned by the heroic order wanted to escape by sword flight. They were just there to take advantage of the opportunity to reap the benefits. Seeing Qi Meng Sheng killing greatly in all directions, they were unwilling to leave their lives here as well.
"Heaven Master, summon the Eastern Emperor Bell!"
"Yeah. The only thing that can defeat this demonic woman is the Eastern Emperor Bell!"
Not only Li Bu Yu, but even the other cultivators began to plead Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui roared sternly, "Absolutely not!"
In the midst of this chaotic battle, a man dressed in an icy gray cultivator’s uniform, yet spotless, suddenly appeared above Shen Nong Ding.
This person's appearance could not be seen from this distance, but the mask on his face already told everyone his identity.
Qi Meng Sheng jerked her head to look at Shen Nong Ding.
Only to see Yun Zhong Jun throwing something into Shen Nong Ding.
"Ah Yun, what do you want to do!?" Qi Meng Sheng let out a lion's roar that resounded throughout Chidi City.
Everyone was stunned as they looked at Yun Zhong Jun.
What did he want to do?
Chapter 195
After Yun Zhong Jun threw in the unknown base material, he actually began to recite incantations over Shen Nong Ding, apparently trying to refine something.
At this time, they are still two miles away from Shen Nong Ding. They could even feel the overwhelming heatwave. The cultivators who quenched the fire for Shen Nong Ding had to use ice crystals as a shield to block the high temperature. Yun Zhong Jun cultivates cold ice magic and is most afraid of fire, so how can he resist being roasted?
The color of Qi Meng Sheng's pupils presents a demonic brilliant gold in the shadow of the firelight. At this time, her face stiffened with age had an obvious panic. The conclusion of this battle is already favoring her. As long as Zhong Kui did not summon the Eastern Emperor Bell, the immortal cultivation world could no longer compete with her. She was only a few steps away from achieving her goal --- throwing Xie Bi An into Shen Nong Ding, and the Absolute Human Emperor that could transform her would be refined...
But now Yun Zhong Jun is going to use her painstaking preparation of the furnace fire to refine something else?! This move is no different from a turtledove occupying the magpie's nest*. Taking away the firewood from under the cauldron* will ruin all her hard work.
Qi Meng Sheng roared in anger and rushed towards Shen Nong Ding.
How could the immortal cultivation world let go of this golden opportunity? Zhong Kui and Li Bu Yu took the lead in blocking her way, while the sect leaders and elders from various sects swarmed on her. As long as they destroyed Qi Meng Sheng's chance to refine the core, they could turn the tide of the battle!
"Where are the Flying Plume Ambassadors!?" Qi Meng Sheng called out as she fought with Zhong Kui and the others.
"Disciple is here!" Yun Xiang Yi and Hua Xiang Rong replied in unison as they stretched their ice wings and flew towards Shen Nong Ding.
Xie Bi An, Lan Chui Han and Song Chun Gui almost rushed over at the same time, but they were blocked back by Cangyu Sect's rain of arrows. The two women were so fast that they already flew far away in the blink of an eye.
At this moment, one person rose up with a sword and took advantage of the gap to chase after them.
It was none other than Fan Wu She.
Qi Meng Sheng attacked fiercely, and was eager to get rid of Zhong Kui and others to stop Yun Zhong Jun. She fought and advanced. The center of the battlefield was moving towards Shen Nong Ding.
They saw that Yun Xiang Yi and Hua Xiang Rong had already drawn their bows and aimed at Yun Zhong Jun, but the burning heat over Shen Nong Ding made them very uncomfortable, and the flapping of their ice wings became significantly slower.
"What do you want to do!?" Yun Xiang Yi said sternly, "Yun Zhong Jun, you betrayed your master and committed treason. Do you know how the Cangyu Sect treats traitors?"
Yun Zhong Jun turned a deaf ear and continued to recite the incantation.
Ice arrows shot out in unison.
With a wave of his hand, Yun Zhong Jun swept the ice arrows away and gave the two women a sidelong glance: "With just you guys, you want to stop me?"
"You've been scheming for years for the position of sect leader. We still don't know how many things you've done behind the scenes to harm the sect. As a senior sister of the Cangyu Sect, I will expel you on behalf of my master today!”
Yun Xiang Yi and Hua Xiang Rong spaced out from the battle array. With Yun Zhong Jun as the center, they formed an angle from each other. The ice arrows shot out as fast as lightning. Yun Zhong Jun had no choice but to discontinue the incantation and fight them.
Fan Wu She flew over Shen Nong Ding. The fierce waves of heat constantly smoldering the skin. Even with spiritual protection, it is so painful that it makes him shiver. Imagine how much pain these three cultivators who practice cold ice magic have to endure. Therefore, they certainly will not last long.
Fan Wu She's hand shook, and Bieyanghong appeared in his hand. His spiritual power emerged, apparently ready to attack. He shouted at Yun Zhong Jun: "What do you want to do!?"
Xie Bi An looked at Fan Wu She differently. That soul-hooking chain is a soul weapon. It is most effective against ghosts. Fan Wu She is still not used to this weapon, so it is rarely used. Could it be that Fan Wu She also wanted to stop Yun Zhong Jun? He asked back in a higher voice, "What do you want to do?"
Fan Wu She turned his head to look at Xie Bi An and said coldly, "You don't understand, he ..."
"I'm honoring our agreement." Yun Zhong Jun said sorrowfully, "Still don’t want to help me restrain them yet?"
"The agreement..." Xie Bi An stared deadly at Fan Wu She, "What agreement did you guys make?"
Lan Chui Han’s expression was extremely profound: "I have long felt that this person was fishy. When did you guys collude together!?"
But Fan Wu She ignored them and still ruthlessly shouted: "Tell me what you want to do. First you concealed your identity, and now you are doing something unplanned. If you dare to hurt him ..."
"Rubbish!" Yun Zhong Jun interrupted him roughly, "From your previous life to this life, this person will only turn you into a weak waste." When his words fell to the end, the lingering sound actually became hollow and illusory, as if someone had yanked his voice out of his body. In the next instant, he suddenly froze on the spot like a puppet. He was obviously detached from this body, not only his voice.
When everyone was stunned at what was happening in front of them, no one noticed that a bizarre red cloud appeared behind Yun Xiang Yi.
With a stabbing sound, a few tiny blood drops splattered, like small pebbles thrown into the water, which did not even start a decent ripple.
Yun Xiang Yi felt a gust of wind behind her, then her body went numb. Her eyes widened, and her pupils contracted violently. She slowly lowered her head. A pale, strong arm penetrated her chest. The arm was connected to a hand with long, sharp nails like a falcon, holding a fresh, red heart, which was still beating.
Yun Xiang Yi's temperament is similar to Qi Meng Sheng's when she was young; cold and proud, calm and self-possessed. She is a rare beauty. Although her natural talent is not as good as Qi Meng Sheng, it was also not bad. It’s enough to support the position of sect leader, and she is the most loved and trusted by Qi Meng Sheng. She had a lot to offer, but this time, that pair of radiant eyes had completely lost its luster.
All these changes happened in an instant. When the crowd came back to their senses, Yun Xiang Yi’s limp body had fallen straight down into the flames of Shen Nong Ding.
"Senior sister-----" The tragic cry resounded through the clouds. Hua Xiang Rong shot out like an arrow, chasing after Yun Xiang Yi's falling body.
Qi Meng Sheng looked at all this with a hideous face.
The one holding her heart was wearing a flowing red robe, with sickly pale skin, a demonic and beautiful appearance, a pair of evil, cold eyes, and a hint of a bloodthirsty smile. That heart is still moving in his hands like some pleasing gadget, and the dripping blood is only just makeup that fits him extremely well.
A red-clothed, fierce ghost who was born from the lowly Hungry Ghost Path, yet he became the first of the ten underworld generals, who was a prison warden in charge of the hellish penalties. The world has seen his portrait and heard his legend before, but those horrible descriptions were not the least bit better than he himself.
He is the king of ghost kings, the red-clad ghost king Jiang Qu Lian.
He faintly glanced at the heart in his hand. His thin lips lightly opened and swallowed it gracefully: "Mm, sixty years of cultivation, not bad."
His lips were painted exceptionally dark red with blood. He was red like a blazing flame burning endlessly.
Xie Bi An looked stiffly at Jiang Qu Lian. Even the fire of Shen Nong Ding could not stop the coldness rising inside him. He came to understand that all the clues can be connected. Those unexplainable and unbelievable mysteries have an answer at this moment.
Zhong Kui's face was extremely unsightly: "It's really you, Official Lord Cui had sent Day Patrol and Night Patrol to follow you for several years without any success, but this year you stayed on earth for too long and finally revealed yourself, but unfortunately I couldn't catch you before Chidi City was locked down."
Jiang Qu Lian's evil eyes swept across the crowd and sneered: "Heaven Master’s words make me really angry. You have already prevented me from doing too many things. If not for you, I would not have had to wait until today. For example, this puppet is not easy to come by ah."
"Puppet? You, you stole my Southern Miao Jade Puppet?"
"There were originally two Southern Miao Jade Puppets. I had found one a long time ago and used it to shape 'him'." Jiang Qu Lian looked at Yun Zhong Jun who was stiff and motionless beside him, "But the cold ice technique that I practiced in Cangyu Sect as 'him' clashes hard with my fire-type cultivation. I can't use 'him' to sustain my body, so I need another jade puppet." With a hook of his finger, Yun Zhong Jun's body disappeared out of thin air, turning into a small human-shaped jade sculpture in his palm.
"So you instructed him to steal master's jade puppet!" Xie Bi An pointed fiercely at Fan Wu She.
The crowd's eyes fell on Fan Wu She again, and Zhong Kui's face became even more gloomy.
Fan Wu She narrowed his eyes, "Jiang Qu Lian, what do you want to do exactly?"
"As I said, I'm honoring our agreement." Jiang Qu Lian laughed lightly, "Didn’t you reincarnate just to find the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman? I know where it is."
The crowd was appalled at this statement.
"You, what are you talking about?" Lan Chui Han said with a trembling voice, "You are not Yun Zhong Jun, but ... but the Red Ghost King. Then who is he?" He looked sternly at Fan Wu She.
Jiang Qu Lian let out a long laugh, "You guys are actually still being kept in the dark. He has this cultivation at a young age. He can harness the demon foal Wuya. He has planned for a long time to sneak into the Underworld, became the disciple of Heaven Master Zhong and got close to the reincarnation of the Human Emperor. Who else could he be?"
"Impossible!" An involuntary shout came from the crowd.
For one hundred years, the immortal cultivation world’s fear for the Supreme Demon was ingrained in their hearts since childhood. No one even dared to publicly mention that name, but the Supreme Demon has clearly fallen into the Hell Path, never to be reborn. How is it possible for him to return to earth?!
Jiang Qu Lian looked at their panic-stricken appearance and laughed uncontrollably.
Fan Wu She looked around at the crowd with a malicious look. His face tensed with a murderous aura.
The crowd retreated unconsciously, as if this handsome and beautiful young man would summon thousands of Yin soldiers at any moment and dig out their hearts or golden cores and eat them raw like Jiang Qu Lian.
Zhong Kui looked at Xie Bi An, and his voice trembled lightly: "Bi An, you remembered everything? Is he really ..."
For a moment, Xie Bi An felt ashamed to face Zhong Kui, because all these started from him. He looked at Fan Wu She with a sorrowful and struggling gaze: "It was Jiang Qu Lian who rescued you from hell and secretly sent you into the Human Path for reincarnation."
"Yes." Fan Wu She said in a deep voice.
"It was you who stole Master's Southern Miao Jade Puppet."
"Yes."
"It was the both of you who planned all this, and the one who blew up the city walls with Thunderfire Stones was also you."
"I didn't know until I reached Chidi City that his transformed body on earth was Yun Zhong Jun. I blew up the city walls to save you guys and also to let the Immortal Alliance break Chidi City’s boundary.”
Every time Xie Bi An asked a question, it was as if a new wound had been added to his heart, which was so painful that his face was distorted: "You reincarnated, was accepted by master, became my junior brother and gained my trust. Everything is a conspiracy of yours just to take my golden core!"
"No!" Fan Wu She said in a stern voice, "I don't want your core. What I want is the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman."
"After you get the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman, everything from the previous life will only repeat itself." Xie Bi An was overwhelmed by great pain. Almost every gasp of breath exhausted his whole body. He choked and said, "Zong Zi Xiao, I have been reincarnated, and you can't even let me go."
Fan Wu She suppressed his heartache. Like a trapped beast driven into a desperate situation, he used a fierce and vicious expression to hide his panic: "I will never let you go forever. No matter where you go, to heaven, to hell, or to Huangquan, I will always find you."
Qi Meng Sheng said angrily, "Enough, a bunch of wimps. Without the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman, without the Shanhe Sheji Map, the reincarnation of the Supreme Demon is just an immature child. What is there to fear? Jiang Qu Lian, as a ghost king, you interfere with earthly affairs. Are you not afraid of being punished by Great Emperor Beiyin and having your soul scattered?"
Jiang Qu Lian laughed loudly, "Since I have come this far, I have never thought of any consequences."
"You dare to spoil my business. Go and die!" Qi Meng Sheng was so furious that instead of unleashing her cold ice technique, she swung her fist at Jiang Qu Lian.
After her transformation into a giant, her fist was as big as a horse carriage, and this blow was like a huge stone smashing down, bringing up a gale.
Jiang Qu Lian dodged and said frivolously, "Heaven Master, now that things have come to this point, shouldn't we stop this demonic woman first?"
Zhong Kui didn't move: "Just now you said, you know where the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman is. Why did you plan all this and what did you throw into Shen Nong Ding?"
"Heaven Master is usually sloppy, but this time you suddenly became attentive." Jiang Qu Lian looked astonished and formed a seal with both hands, condensing a blood-red protective boundary in front of his body.
Qi Meng Sheng drew a huge demon suppression talisman in the air. Although this demon suppression talisman is the most basic talisman for cultivators, even children from influential families can draw it at the age of three or five, it is also the most effective against ghosts.
The two powerful talismans collided together, generating an explosive spiritual pressure, and cultivators with unstable foundations were pushed backward repeatedly.
"Jiang Qu Lian." Zhong Kui pointed his Qingfeng Sword straight at Jiang Qu Lian, "What do you want to do exactly?"
Jiang Qu Lian hooked his lips into a smile, "That’s right, I know where the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman is, and I also know how to get it." His gaze fell on the ashened Zhong Kui, and he said in a loud voice, "The world knows that the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman is hidden somewhere in Jiuyou by Great Emperor Beiyin, and the world also knows that Heaven Master Zhong is so righteous and selfless that he offered the Eastern Emperor Bell, the first of the Four Divine Treasures, to maintain the Fengdu boundary. But the Fengdu boundary is only one of the purposes of the Eastern Emperor Bell. The other mission of the Eastern Emperor Bell is to suppress the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman-----"
Fan Wu She suddenly widened his eyes.
Xie Bi An looked at Zhong Kui, and he had seen the truth from Zhong Kui's face.
No wonder master said that he would never use the Eastern Emperor Bell in his entire life. No wonder even in such a moment of crisis, he refused to summon the Eastern Emperor Bell. How could one release another demon in order to subdue one demon?
The Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman, not to mention how many cultivators on earth tend to go after it like a flock of ducks. Even in Jiuyou, the five ghost emperors covet this object. By getting it, it's enough to become the new owner of the Underworld.
This must be the best way that the Great Emperor Beiyin and Zhong Kui have discussed together; using an ancient divine treasure to suppress an ancient divine treasure. As long as the Eastern Emperor Bell is there, the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman will never see the light of day.
"Zong Zi Xiao, I have laid out for decades for this day, just to help you retrieve the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman. You also must keep your vow and fulfill my wish."
Li Bu Yu was shocked, "What kind of deal did you guys make!?"
Jiang Qu Lian waved his blood-red sleeved robe fiercely, and a red fog diffused out.
"This fog is extremely poisonous and hallucinogenic. Cover your mouth and nose!" Zhong Kui shouted.
Jiang Qu Lian turned and flew towards Shen Nong Ding. He emitted a majestic sea of Yin energy and poured it into Shen Nong Ding continuously: "Don't you want to know what I put into Shen Nong Ding? This object is named Fire, Dragon, Pearl."
He recited an incantation in a loud voice, and with a "boom", the flames of Shen Nong Ding rose steeply, almost swallowing the huge furnace into the sea of fire. Followed by a long, loud howl, Shen Nong Ding began to eject lava and fireballs, which were flying towards Chidi City.
"Fire, Fire Dragon Pearl ..."
In one of the books that cultivators must read when they were young, "Jiuzhou's Demon Spiritual Miscellany", recorded the Fire Dragon, a demon from ancient times. It is rumored that it was born from blazing fire, tyrannical in nature, and likes to burn everything with fire, especially taking pleasure in the screams of living creatures.
The Fire Dragon Pearl is the dragon egg that gives birth to the Fire Dragon.
Jiang Qu Lian actually used Shen Nong Ding to hatch a Fire Dragon!
With the eruption of lava and fireballs, a giant, demonic, orange-red blaze dragon shape crawled out from Shen Nong Ding. It was like a new fledgling that just came out from its shell, looking around curiously. Its body was burning with red flames, except for a pair of fire essence showing a beautiful and eerie blue. Legend says that the hottest flame is blue in color.
Jiang Qu Lian's red clothes were flying. His thick black hair was fluttering in the wind and fire. He looked crazy and evil, which made people shudder: "Heaven Master Zhong, I assisted Qi Meng Sheng all the way just to force you to release the Eastern Emperor Bell. In the end you remained unmoved, so I had to resort to this strategy. This Fire Dragon was born in Shen Nong Ding, and is a hundred times more powerful than ordinary Fire Dragons. It will turn the 260,000 innocent people in Chidi City into carbon ashes, and then it will fly out of Kunlun and engulf the entire Jiuzhou continent in a sea of fire."
"Jiang Qu Lian----" Zhong Kui's eyes were cracked, "You crazy beast----"
Xie Bi An looked at the flaming giant demon that crawled out of Shen Nong Ding. Even Emperor Kong Hua, who had experienced the great waves of vicissitudes, felt his legs go weak at that moment.
The Fire dragon seemed to have finally finished measuring. It craned its neck and uttered a high voice, seemingly delighted and smoothed out to the extreme. Lava and fireballs kept spewing up into the sky and falling into Chidi City. The people's screams in Chidi City could hardly be heard in such a chaotic situation.
The Fire dragon flew out of Shen Nong Ding, excitedly twisting its long torso in mid-air with flames constantly spewing out of its mouth. It looked down curiously at the crowd from the sky.
"Heaven Master Zhong is benevolent to this world, how can you sit back and watch innocent people die a tragic death?" Jiang Qu Lian laughed wildly, "Summon the Eastern Emperor Bell!"
"I, I don't want to die, I don't want to be burned to death."
The cultivators panicked. A few people fled on their swords, but before they could get out even half a mile, they were engulfed by a ball of fire spat out by the Fire dragon. Not even a handful of ashes remained.
The gaze of the Fire dragon gradually looked towards the eight fortresses of Chidi City where there were more people.
Chapter 196
The fire dragon was flying in mid-air, swinging its tail, and stretching its body like a fish gliding in the water. It opened its mouth and spat out a huge fireball towards Chidi City.
Zhong Kui flew up. His Qingfeng Sword slashed down in the air, and the thick spiritual pressure seemed to tear the air apart. The fireball was broken apart from its center and smashed into the snow.
The fire dragon was enraged. Its dragon body shrank slightly, and fiercely spat out a mouthful of blazing flames towards the cultivators.
"Form a seal!" Li Bu Yu roared.
Led by Wuliang Sect, all the cultivators drew talismans in the air in unison, eventually converging into a huge boundary to block the wave of blazing flames.
The fire dragon let out a hiss and spat out more flames from its mouth.
The jumbled talismans continuously appeared on the boundary, and veins appeared on many cultivators’ faces.
Jiang Qu Lian laughed and said: "You can stop it for a while, but not for a lifetime. It's still not too late to run now. Although you can run, the people of Chidi City have nowhere to hide. Heaven Master Zhong, speaking of which, all of these started because of you and your disciple. Now only you can save the world. You still don't want to summon the Eastern Emperor Bell?"
Xie Bi An struggled to support the boundary. He raised his head and stared at Fan Wu She with pain and hatred in his eyes.
Fan Wu She also looked at Xie Bi An. When he saw the long-lost hostility in those warm and smiling eyes again, he actually wanted to laugh for a moment. Laughing at his own stupidity and his imaginations, laughing at the unkindness of this Way of Heaven, always full of tricks and tormenting people for fun. How could he imagine that he could hide for the rest of his life and live well together with Xie Bi An just like this? In fact, the string of vigilance in his heart has never relaxed. He always knew that in order to get the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman, his identity would be revealed to the world sooner or later. He just does not want to face it.
Qi Meng Sheng just let this moment come before he was ready.
However, this is not what he wants. What he wants is ...
He wants this person to hug his neck, give him a shallow kiss on the cheek and say that he will always like him. He wants this person to pretend to be strict and say "listen to your senior brother", but will be indulgent to him because he coaxed him with a few sentences. He wants to plant flowers together in the orchid garden, cook in the kitchen, practice swords in the morning, and rest together during sunset. He wants to see that gentle and loving smile all the time.
He wanted to get back the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman by any means necessary. Other than his natural admiration for power, in fact, what he ultimately desired was just being a couple for a lifetime. But he never expected that this person would not like him because he was anyone. He does not need to be the Supreme Demon, nor does he need to have a cultivation that no one could match. Just him was enough.
What exactly is he doing?
If he has the power to rule the world but cannot hold onto a single person, isn’t he repeating the mistakes of his previous life?
Zhong Kui said in a loud voice: "As long as I, Zhong Kui, have one breath left, I will never let you have your way!"
Jiang Qu Lian taunted, "Then let's see how long you can last."
The previous battle had already exhausted the cultivators. Their spiritual power was not good, and this breath of the fire dragon was desperately long. Just as the cracks continued to appear on the boundary, a heavenly thunderbolt descended, and the fire dragon cowered with a miserable howl.
Li Bu Yu was panting, obviously an arrow at the end of its flight*.
"Master." Song Chun Gui supported Li Bu Yu's gently swaying body, "Can you still ..."
Li Bu Yu pushed Song Chun Gui away, "No worries." He slowly turned to Qi Meng Sheng and shouted hoarsely, "Your calculations have failed. You cannot refine the core. Now you want to see this demon burn up your hometown?"
Qi Meng Sheng was so angry that her eyes were filled with blood. Her eyeballs were almost glaring out of the frame, which was extremely gruesome in description. The lack of one basketful of earth spoils the entire effort to build a nine-Ren mountain*. Her ambition to transform and reshape her body was ruined like this, so how could she give up? However, if Chidi City was also destroyed, she would not even have her last foundation.
Qi Meng Sheng's body kept shrinking, and shrinking again, and finally returned to her original shape. Her legs went weak, and she propped up her swaying body just in time with a longbow stabbed in the ground. Just then there was a sharp pain in her chest, and a mouthful of blood spurted out violently, splashing in the snow, so red that it was blinding.
"Sect Leader ..."
Qi Meng Sheng's appearance became even older and more decrepit, like a dried and cracked dead branch that could break just from a gust of wind. The ice crystals kept infusing spiritual energy into her body, and only did her face take on color slightly, but she no longer had the strength to use the Golden Carved Jade Suit. She changed and made a voice that sounded as if it was being polished by gravel and said sinisterly, "I will not spare anyone who ruins my great plan."
The fire dragon eased through that pain and actually recovered. It can even resist the heavenly thunder induced by the Thunder Ancestor Treasure Grant. How sturdy was the life of this demon hatched by Shen Nong Ding!?
Qi Meng Sheng took a deep breath: "Cangyu Sect listen to this order. Set up a formation."
The two sects, who were irreconcilable adversaries not long ago, had no choice but to join forces against their common threat.
The fire dragon had been completely enraged. It frantically chased after them while spitting out blazing red flames. Fire is not like a sword. The range of grazing determines the severity of the injury. As long as one was licked by the fire, skin would be shed at the lightest touch. The most powerful cultivators in Jiuzhou appeared small and weak in front of it.
The fire dragon was wrapped in flames. No one could get close to it. Every sword Qi, every ice arrow, and every magical treasure are trying their best to offer the most fierce attacks, yet it was too difficult to hurt its roots. However, as long as its flames swept through, the crowd would have to flee in distress. The outcome of this battle was decided almost from the beginning. It should not be called a battle, because the two sides are not evenly matched. The fire dragon is chasing the cultivators to kill. The cultivators are already struggling just to protect themselves, let alone resist.
This is a one-sided massacre.
According to the record of "Jiuzhou’s Demon Spiritual Miscellany", the largest fire dragon's wingspan was only seven to eight feet, but this one in front of him was like a moving hill. Jiang Qu Lian was right, this fire dragon hatched by the furnace fire of Shen Nong Ding was a hundred times stronger than an ordinary fire dragon. No wonder he was sure that Zhong Kui would summon the Eastern Emperor Bell to subdue this demon.
Zhong Kui ran to Qi Meng Sheng: "Give me the Golden Carved Jade Suit!"
Qi Meng Sheng narrowed her eyes.
"Give it to me!" Zhong Kui roared.
In the few moments when the two of them were competing with their eyes, another cultivator turned into a human flame in a miserable scream.
After weighing the pros and cons, Qi Meng Sheng took off her Golden Carved Jade Suit and threw it to Zhong Kui.
Zhong Kui draped this magical treasure over his body and instantly turned into a golden-armored giant.
The cultivators let out a cheer of coming back from death's door*.
"Master, be careful." Xie Bi An called out.
Zhong Kui waved his equally gigantic Qingfeng Sword and easily dispersed a huge fireball.
The fire dragon was attracted by the sufficiently large figure in front of him and pounced over.
Wearing the Golden Carved Jade Suit, not only could one become a giant, one’s spiritual power and physical strength would be greatly enhanced for a short period of time, and this golden jade soft armor is the strongest armor in the world, which is invulnerable to swords and spears, water and fire. This enabled Zhong Kui to resist the burning of flames for a long time.
When the fire dragon found that Zhong Kui could get close to it, it instinctively felt threatened for the first time since it was born. It frantically pounced and spat flames, wanting to kill Zhong Kui immediately.
With Zhong Kui fighting with it, the other cultivators can sneak up behind the fire dragon and attack. The fire dragon, with the enemy on its back, became more and more irritable and fierce. Its angry mouth opened like a fire cannon and kept blasting at Zhong Kui. Although Zhong Kui has an additional Golden Carved Jade Suit on him, he was also forced back step by step, even his beautiful sideburns, which he was quite proud of, were blazed away. He had just fought with Qi Meng Sheng, and now he was just holding on.
"Master!" Xie Bi An flew up and leaped onto Zhong Kui's back in one leap.
"What are you doing here?" Zhong Kui shouted, "You can't tolerate its flames."
"I can." Xie Bi An grabbed Zhong Kui's loose hair and climbed onto his shoulder, "Master, do you know where the fire dragon's weak point is?"
"How would I know what weaknesses this thing that hasn't been seen for thousands of years has?"
"It's written in the book, and you don't read books." Xie Bi An's tone carried some power of the Human Emperor, "The fire dragon still has one more eye, which is in the middle of its forehead. You need to force it to open its third fire eye, but that one ..."
The fire dragon once again spat out a huge flame. Zhong Kui raised his sword to block it, but could not stop the fierce heatwave. Xie Bi An was pushed out by the heatwave. The exposed skin was in so much pain that it seemed to be melted.
Zhong Kui was also screaming from being burnt. He was so angry that he gathered multitudinous spiritual power and struck out a thunderous sword wave.
The sword Qi was like a big guillotine hanging in the world, and the blade was so ferocious that the earth was torn into a deep trench, and the fire dragon, which was very close to Zhong Kui, was even split through the center of its body.
The fire dragon shook its body, swung its tail and howled in misery. Suddenly, a beam of concentrated purple light shot out from the fire dragon, reaching the sky as if it could pierce it. There was once such a light in the world, that was a heavenly ladder that connected the sky and earth a million years ago, which never appeared again after the disconnection between heaven and earth.
And this light came from the dragon's third eye, which was slowly opening from the center of the fire dragon’s brows. The world only said that blue is the hottest flame, because the violet flame that is hotter than the blue flame cannot be seen easily by the naked eye, unless it is large enough.
Before Xie Bi An almost fell onto the ground, he was caught by a pair of steady hands.
The familiar embrace and familiar smell let Xie Bi An know who was holding him without having to look up. He pushed the person away without waiting to stabilize himself.
Xie Bi An rose from the ground. With Pei Xue crossed in front of his body, he looked at Fan Wu She coldly.
Fan Wu She's face was also extremely unsightly: "Let Master summon the Eastern Emperor Bell. You can't defeat this fire dragon."
"Dream your grand dreams." Xie Bi An's face was twisted with anger, "You are not worthy to call him Master."
"Then do you want to die? Do you want Mas...Zhong Kui to die too!?" Fan Wu She gritted his teeth, "The fire dragon has opened its third fire eye. The purple flame is able to burn anything in the world."
"Master would rather die than let you get the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman! Your plot with Jiang Qu Lian will not succeed!"
The fire dragon's heavily wounded body was recovering little by little. At the same time, a straight purple glow shot out from its third fire eye. This purple glow was like a thousand armies turning into a line, chiseling the earth and running forward continuously. Eventually it drilled into Chidi City, splitting one of the fortresses in half!
The snowy plains left a one-person deep, long, and endless gully. The air was filled with a strong scorching stench.
Xie Bi An opened his mouth wide. Looking at the deep gully on the ground, his body shuddered uncontrollably: "Master..." He turned around and was about to run to Zhong Kui.
"Zong Zi Heng!" Fan Wu She yelled.
Xie Bi An's body felt like it was frozen in place.
Fan Wu She stared with a pair of scarlet hanging fox eyes and said in a trembling voice, "To you, I thought I had been despicable enough." He closed his eyes, and a black jade came out of his hand.
Xie Bi An recognized that object. It’s the soul token that Fan Wu She used to store Wuya.
Jiang Qu Lian, who had been watching the battle from the sky, turned pale: "Zong Zi Xiao, what do you want to do!? How dare you!"
"You also dared to give me orders." A layer of dense, almost black blood crept into Fan Wu She’s eyes, and the soul token in his hand also emitted a burst of a black death aura. His lips clashed rapidly as he chanted under his breath.
"Rise-----"
Vibrations came from the earth. The snow layers shook and rose. A cold wind rolled through, raising a white snow fog.
In the pale snow fog, giant black shadows appeared one after another.
The crowd looked at the behemoths in amazement. Snow fog fell to the ground, and their field of vision cleared again, and a group of snow demons appeared before them.
In the "Jiuzhou’s Demon Spiritual Miscellany", there was a record about the snow demon legend. A thousand years ago, before Chidi City was formed as a city, a war broke out between the people of Kunlun and the snow demons near Shen Nong Ding, killing dozens of snow demons and driving such ice giants out of the human villages completely.
Chapter 197
"You, why can you..." Xie Bi An remembered how they had wretchedly escaped from Kunlun earlier, "Is this the snow demon we encountered earlier?"
"This is the snow demon that died here a thousand years ago." The blood on Fan Wu She's face was as if it had been sucked away by the evil creature, and his lips turned a charming greenish-gray, "This place was once an ancient battlefield for snow demons and the descendants of celestial beings."
Xie Bi An looked at the soul token in Fan Wu She's hand in shock. He thought that soul token could only be used to collect souls, such as Wuya, but never thought it could also summon undead Yin soldiers like the Heavenly Secret Talisman. The legend said that during Zong Zi Xiao’s ten years of escape, he traveled all over China, looking for ancient battlefields and graveyards, so a war that happened here a thousand years ago was just a few strokes on a book for them, but for Zong Zi Xiao, it was a soldier's talisman in his hand that raised a storm on the flat ground ...
The soul token is obviously much more inferior than the Heavenly Secret Talisman. Fan Wu She's cultivation is also much lower than that of Zong Zi Xiao's, otherwise Jiang Qu Lian would not have to go to such lengths.
Fan Wu She clutched the soul token in his hand and pointed at the fire dragon. The snow demons moved in response to the order, lifted their heavy feet and ran towards the fire dragon.
"Zong Zi Xiao, you're spoiling things!" Jiang Qu Lian was unforgivingly furious and swooped down from the sky as a cloud of red mist, pouncing towards Fan Wu She.
A blue figure drifted by at a speed indistinguishable from the naked eye, soughing like the wind rolling clouds, and collided with that red mist.
With a "clang" sound, Jiang Qu Lian clasped with Lan Chui Han’s sword with one hand. Blood flowed down the silver blade to the tip of the blade, and dripped down to the snow.
This was not the only bright red color where the two have fought. Lan Chui Han’s injured leg was also bleeding. The original wound that was about to heal burst open again because of this battle.
Jiang Qu Lian drew back his hand. He looked at the blood on his palm, froze, and then let out a "tsk" sound, saying mockingly: "It’s just a puppet’s body, why make it so real?"
Lan Chui Han stared deadly at him: "Was brother Yun and everything in front of me fake? You should be a man of bravery and moral righteousness. Just for selfish reasons, you want hundreds of thousands of people to be buried with you!?”
Jiang Qu Lian looked obliquely at Lan Chui Han and sneered, "How much ‘friendly relations’ do you have with me? Who are you to assert what kind of person I am? Oh, I'm not a human being at all, I'm a ghost ah." He gently shook his hand, and the blood flowing from his palm turned into wisps that wrapped around his left hand and even his whole arm. Eventually, that pale and slender hand turned into a thick and coarse ghostly claw like dragon scales.
"You once said I was your only friend and the only person who has seen your true face. You and I have been friends for ten years, is that nothing at all?" Lan Chui Han said angrily, "You and I walked different paths. I only advised you to renounce the dark and seek the light*. I have never forced you, but you want to use Chidi City’s 260,000 lives to coerce Heaven Master. You are simply devoid of conscience.”
"Conscience?" Jiang Qu Lian sneered, "What is conscience? If heaven had a conscience, why would it make all beings suffer?"
"No need to talk nonsense with him." Xie Bi An stabbed with his sword, "Red King, I know you have coveted me for many years. If you want my core, you can come and get it!"
"Such a big tone." Jiang Qu Lian narrowed his eyes, "If I really wanted to take your core, I would have done it when you were an immature child!"
Dozens of snow demons pounced on the fire dragon together, using frost to imprison the flames. Those snow demons melt when they meet the fire, but soon resurface from the snow, like a group of blood-sucking insects possessing fierce beasts, seemingly harmless, but cannot be eliminated.
The snow demons distracted the fire dragon's attack, while Zhong Kui and Li Bu Yu kept sneak attacking. The cultivators took the opportunity to divide their troops into all directions and began to set up a demon subjugation formation. The chanting incantations gradually became one, and one spiritual talisman after another glittered in mid-air.
Jiang Qu Lian was extremely angry and once again turned into a red mist and attacked Fan Wu She.
Xie Bi An and Lan Chui Han blocked him at the same time.
The fire dragon’s body kept freezing and melting ice. It was so irritated that it spat flames like crazy. Although it interrupted the cultivators' formation several times, someone else soon filled in the position. The freezing parts of the fire dragon’s body were very small, but were getting more and more of them. Gradually, there were some signs of them forming into pieces. It showed fatigue for the first time.
"Big, big brother Lan." Xie Bi An has regained the memory of his previous life. Thinking that this person is his grandson, this one "big brother Lan" was called really awkwardly, but he was used to calling him that, and it was not easy to change it, "Use 'summer shallow spring deep' to block his paths."
"Okay."
Xie Bi An is now proficient in three sets of sword techniques, and he knows how to cooperate by just seeing Lan Chui Han’s starting style. The two of them converged their attacks and managed to trap Jiang Qu Lian for a moment.
Fan Wu She's eyes are getting turbid. With his current cultivation to summon and manipulate dozens of snow demons, it almost emptied him. This soul token took him four years to complete, during which he scrapped hundreds of pieces, only this one can barely exert one ten-thousandth of the power of the Heavenly Secret Talisman. Once it’s used, not only will his identity be exposed, but also overdraw his spiritual power. It is used to protect his life.
But Zhong Kui would rather die than summon the Eastern Emperor Bell. If the fire dragon is not extinguished, Xie Bi An will hate him to death.
This side was awfully busy fighting. The fire dragon is also struggling maniacally in the imminent demon subjugation formation. It quickly twisted its body in mid-air, shaking off the snow demons, and the third fire eye began to flicker brightly and darkly.
"Be careful of its purple fire eyes!"
The fire dragon let out a long hiss. Again, the fire eye shot out a purple glow. It is like a long and sharp knife able to cut through heaven and earth. The fire eye swept through the formation of cultivators. In that instant, it was too late to dodge and they were cut into two by the waist.
When the upper half of their bodies fell to the ground one by one, the lower halves were still standing in place. They crawl forward with half of the body screaming. The scene was extremely cruel.
Fan Wu She let out a low roar, squeezed out the last of his spiritual pressure from his chakra, injected it into the soul token, and he also fell and knelt on the ground with weak knees.
The snow demons that were melted into water were reborn again and pounced onto the fire dragon.
The opening of the third fire eye caused the fire dragon to be incapable of breathing. The frost on its body became pieces of condensation.
"Quickly set up the formation, quickly set up the formation----" Li Bu Yu shouted.
The cultivators replenished the formation from the casualties and once again "weaved" the demon subjugation formation. The fire dragon perceived the danger more strongly, and its struggle became fiercer.
"Hold on, the demon subjugation formation will be completed soon!" Song Chun Gui roared.
Countless talismans hovered in the sky. Using the fire dragon as the eye of the formation, clear totems and spells gradually appeared on the snow; the demon subjugation formation is complete!
However, before the crowd could be happy, the fire dragon suddenly hissed and swung its tail wildly. Its body erupted like a volcano, spewing out lava and fireballs. Dozens of snow demons were like ice cubes being placed on the flatiron and melted on sight. The frozen parts of the fire dragon were scurrying flames once again.
The soul token in Fan Wu She's hand instantly shattered into pieces. His body fell hard to the ground. His brain was muddled, and his half-closed eyes were searching in the mess for the only person who pulled his heartstrings.
"Don't retreat-----" Veins appeared on Song Chun Gui's forehead, and he frantically injected spiritual energy into the formation.
But the flying lava and fireballs forced the cultivators to defend themselves, and a weak point immediately appeared in the newly formed demon subjugation formation.
"Fellow Daoists, give Zhong Kui a hand." Zhong Kui leaped up into the air and his Qingfeng Sword stabbed straight at the fire dragon's third fire eye.
The Fire Dragon's body was trapped, and it watched the huge sword descend from the sky like the judgment of the gods.
With a poof sound, the Qingfeng sword pierced viciously into the purple fire eye.
The fire dragon's body stiffened for a moment, and then let out a harsh and painful hiss as the dragon's body twitched wildly.
“Ahhhh-----” Zhong Kui gripped tightly on the sword hilt, letting the fire dragon struggle any way it wanted, only to insert the Qingfeng Sword deeper.
A fierce purple glow shot out from the fire essence, like the last light of the fire dragon's life, and the Qingfeng Sword, a divine weapon of the generation, turned into a wisp of black smoke. Zhong Kui's body was thrown into mid-air. He couldn't stop shrinking, and shrinking again, and when he fell to the ground, he had regained his original appearance, but was no longer complete.
Xie Bi An let out a heart-breaking cry of sorrow. He rushed towards Zhong Kui in spite of everything and fell on his knees in front of his master.
Zhong Kui's left arm, together with his left chest and heart, had disappeared into thin air. The Golden Carved Jade Suit was missing a corner, exposing the charred black flesh and dying internal organs.
"Master, Master ..." Xie Bi An's body shook beyond recognition. His eyes were blurred, and his heart felt like it was being cut to death by a thousand cuts, so painful that he was dying. He desperately infused spiritual energy into Zhong Kui's body, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea*.
Zhong Kui's eyes, which were always shining, were losing their light little by little. He tried hard to look at Xie Bi An, and used his last strength to grab a piece of Xie Bi An's coat corner, just like Xie Bi An did when he was a child. He pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile and mumbled, "Disciple ... prepare good wine for master ...."
"Master-----" Xie Bi An cried out in pain, and his liver and guts were cut to pieces*.
All that he wanted in his previous life but did not get, Zhong Kui gave all of it to him in this life. This person was not only his master, but also his benefactor, his father, his close friend. He is the person he wanted to take care of and be filial to for the rest of his life.
With a death wish, he ran all the way to Kunlun, just to stop Zhong Kui's death, but in the end, he couldn't defeat the fate of the heavens?!
He couldn’t accept it! He couldn’t accept it! He couldn’t accept it!
Why did he lose his loved ones again and again in his previous life and in his reincarnated life? Even though he could not protect the person he wanted to protect with his life. What evil did he do to be tormented by the fate of the heavens?
Perhaps at this moment, any person in this world who covets his golden core is not as eager as he is to open himself up and dig out this tumor planted on the reincarnation karma. All the people around him will not end well because of him.
He! Couldn’t! Accept it!
Chapter 198
Xie Bi An was under house arrest in Chidi City for a hundred days.
In the beginning, he couldn't sleep and couldn't wake up. He was trapped in an illusory mud puddle and spent his days in a muddle. He didn't struggle, so he didn't sink any further, but he couldn't get out either.
He did not know what the world outside had become. The last piece of a clearer picture in his mind was still stuck in Zhong Kui's death. When he recovered his memories of his previous life, Zhong Kui's safety became his support to continue fighting, but that support collapsed too quickly, so he collapsed too.
The cultivators who came in response to the heroic order were killed and wounded disastrously. They returned in low spirits after the defeat. Fan Wu She was taken away by Jiang Qu Lian, and he was captured back to Chidi City by Qi Meng Sheng. The Immortal Alliance was greatly wounded, the world's number one person died in battle, but Qi Meng Sheng did not refine the core successfully and the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman also did not see the light of day. It is difficult to say who won and who lost in this most massive, most tragic battle in a hundred years. Perhaps everyone was defeated, and only the people of Jiuzhou were unharmed.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind it*. Jiang Qu Lian ruined Qi Meng Sheng's core refining opportunity, but Qi Meng Sheng did not give up. Shen Nong Ding is still there, his core is still present, it's just that to gather the heavenly treasures and enough cultivators to quench the fire for refining the Absolute Human Emperor once again is really as difficult as ascending to the heavens under today's circumstances.
Everyone says that Qi Meng Sheng will not live long, but with the Golden Carved Jade Suit, maybe she can live longer than Li Bu Yu. However, the most frightening thing in the immortal cultivation world now should not be her, but the Supreme Demon Zong Zi Xiao, who should have fallen into the Hell Path, but acted against heaven and was reborn as a human being with the memories of his previous life.
Xie Bi An always thought about that person. Sometimes it's Xiao Jiu, who relies on him and is inseparable from him, sometimes it's Zong Zi Xiao, who humiliated him to the core and left a mark on his body and soul, and sometimes it's Fan Wu She, who is in love with him. They all have the same face but carry very different looks; adoring, trusting, hateful, tyrannical, happy, and desiring. Their voices repeatedly harassed him when he was waking and sleeping. He could not forget his brotherly love for Xiao Jiu, his crazy and immoral torture with Zong Zi Xiao, and he couldn’t even forget his mutual love with Fan Wu She.
Conflicts, confusion, sickness, distortion, he was repeatedly pulled and torn by memories and thoughts. The mere blaming of himself has made him unable to catch his breath. But late at night, he still subconsciously wants to hug the person next to him, to find a little source of life-saving heat for his misery and cold.
It is not a simple love-hate towards that person. It is love-hate intertwined into a net filling the entire sky, fiercely imprisoning him. Even through life and death, he cannot be freed.
When he really can't tolerate it anymore, he can only use the Pure Mind Technique to forcefully suppress his emotions.
He was running away from it day after day.
The one who woke him up from this muddle was a person ---- Qing Wu Zi, whose life or death was previously unknown.
"You are still alive." Xie Bi An wasn’t really surprised. Qing Wu Zi has been going through challenging experiences in Jianghu for most of his life. He is shrewd, cherishes his life and is snobbish. By inheriting all of Huang Dao Zi’s handed-down teachings, these kind of people are best at defending themselves in chaotic situations.
Qing Wu Zi said with a bitter smile: "In order to fulfill my master's dying wish, I can only drag out an ignoble existence. After wandering in Chidi City for so long, I could finally bribe the guards with a large sum of money and meet White Immortal with great effort."
"Dying wish, what does that mean?" Xie Bi An's tone was flat and calm, and there were no ripples on his white jade face. Although it is a question, he seemed completely indifferent about the answer.
"Before his death, master left a letter. He said that one day the Human Emperor will be reincarnated, and I need to hand this letter to the Human Emperor after he regains the memory of his previous life." Qing Wu Zi took out a leather pouch from his qiankun bag and offered it to Xie Bi An with both hands.
Xie Bi An, however, did not accept it and said coldly, "What tricks are you playing again? Qi Meng Sheng sent you here, didn't she?"
"White Immortal, what I said is true. This is really a letter my master left for you, and this letter is crucial." Seeing that Xie Bi An still did not take a proper look at him, Qing Wu Zi said helplessly, "A hundred years ago, master had already used the Luo Shui Jade Armor to calculate a lot of things in this hundred years. Master originally hoped to foster me to help White Immortal, but unfortunately I’m not good at learning. I have the heart but not the power. But what master instructed me to do, I want to complete it even if it’ll risk my life."
"Even if you are not lying, what scheme is Huang Dao Zi up to? He is bent on clinging onto Zong Zi Xiao, gives Zong Zi Xiao advice, and even revealed the secret of the Absolute Human Emperor. My death cannot be unrelated to him." Xie Bi An looked askance at Qing Wu Zi, "And you act pragmatically and treacherously. You and your master, none of you can be trusted."
"Everything master did was for the sake of the world. He said that the past life was a dead end, and that there is only hope for breaking it in this life." Qing Wu Zi pleaded, "White Immortal, it doesn’t matter if you believe it or not, please read this letter."
Xie Bi An hung his eyes and said nothing.
When Qing Wu Zi saw Xie Bi An was still indifferent, he then put the letter on the table: "White Immortal, Jiuzhou is already in chaos. The death of Heaven Master and the mutiny of the Red King shook the balance between the human and ghost realms. Plus, Qi Meng Sheng split the Central Plains and outside the Pass, and everyone is panicking. Afraid that the Supreme Demon will return, afraid that the Fengdu boundary will be torn apart again, afraid that Qi Meng Sheng will enter the Pass..."
"And what can I do?" Xie Bi An's emotions are no longer as calm as it was before, "I'm just a prisoner of Qi Meng Sheng's now." It's not that he didn't want to escape. Qi Meng Sheng sealed his chakra, took away his sword and soul weapon, and placed boundaries and guards around him. He couldn't even walk out of this room.
"Master said that everything started because of you, and you are needed to break the situation."
Xie Bi An suddenly glared at Qing Wu Zi, a burst of killing intent condensed in his eyes.
Qing Wu Zi bowed fearfully, "White Immortal, Lord Lan has been thinking of ways on how to save you, but currently he’s at his wit’s end. If you can escape, once you leave Chidi City, someone will immediately come to provide you support." He said while retreating to the door, "I risked my life to come here, so I can't stay long. White Immortal, my master took painstaking efforts. I hope you will read that letter. This is also considered for Heaven Master. Heaven Master sacrificed his body to take justice for the sake of peace on earth." He turned his body and was about to run away after he finished speaking.
"Wait." Xie Bi An said hesitantly, "Red King and ..."
Qing Wu Zi immediately understood: "No news. Since the battle of Chidi City, they have disappeared into thin air."
Xie Bi An thought, at this time the underworld must also be a mess, Jiang Qu Lian’s cultivation is unfathomable, and as the king of ghost kings, he has countless believers. If he wants to make chaos in Jiuyou, the consequences are unimaginable.
After Qing Wu Zi left, the sun was about to set. Xie Bi An sat in the afterglow of dusk for a long time, until his vision was completely engulfed by darkness. He then got up, lit a candle, picked up the letter on the table, and then hesitated a while before gently opening it.
In the letter, Huang Dao Zi explained that everything he did was to prevent a calamity between the human and ghost realms. This calamity originated from the love-hate relationship between the two brothers. Whoever hung the bell on the tiger's neck must untie it*, so only he can solve the problem.
Huang Dao Zi had already calculated how the two would end in their previous lives, and could only push the wave and add to the billows*. He also calculated that they would both be reborn in the world. Since peaking at a Heavenly Secret will reduce one's life, Huang Dao Zi knew that he was running out of time, so he asked his disciple Qing Wu Zi to carry out the mission on his behalf. In the past life, there was no solution to this dead end, but there’s hope in this life, so those people in the game, such as Xu Zhi Nan, Li Bu Yu and Qi Meng Sheng, will be reunited with them. Everything happened unknowingly as if it was intentionally arranged by God.
Huang Dao Zi's only tip for him is that the people around him have a disguise. Only when the eyes see the frame of mind clearly can it penetrate the skin and shine into the soul.
At the end of the letter, Huang Dao Zi pleaded with him that no matter what he will be going through, even if it’s dark, even if all his thoughts were burning, he should not give up the hope of life that he had exchanged with two lifetimes. That hope of life was not only his, but also the lives of people in the world, otherwise the human and ghost realms would fall into a long night of despair.
Xie Bi An drops his arms in dismay and lets out a bitter laugh.
If master was still around, what would he do? He would have taken the Qingfeng Sword without second thoughts and fought against all the evil and injustice, but master is no longer here. Even the Qingfeng Sword was no longer here.
But he is still here. His master cannot die in vain. Someone has to pay the price. Someone has to inherit this will of taking responsibility with courage and protecting the living.
Zong Zi Heng or Xie Bi An, suicide or survival, he was badly bruised again and again, moving forward with injuries again and again. Perhaps this is the reason he must remember his previous life. This is his obsession, because he couldn’t accept it.
He couldn’t accept the fate of torment and trampling. He couldn’t accept losing his loved ones painfully.
Because he couldn’t accept it, he had to continue fighting.
---
Xie Bi An began to repeatedly ask to see Qi Meng Sheng, but Qi Meng Sheng was too injured from that battle and had been in seclusion to recuperate, so he threatened to go on a hunger strike.
He knows that Qi Meng Sheng does not dare to let him die now, because compared to the Immortal Alliance, her biggest threats are the Supreme Demon and the Red King, who are hiding somewhere in Jiuzhou, secretly planning and waiting for an opportunity, and he is her bargaining chip.
Hua Xiang Rong came once, but could not do anything with him. Besides, she did not seem to care about his life and death. The death of Yun Xiang Yi hit her so hard that her pretty face almost lost its appearance from becoming thin.
In the end, Xie Bi An managed to wait until Qi Meng Sheng came in person.
Qi Meng Sheng looked at Xie Bi An in a sullen manner: "What does the emperor want to talk to me about?"
"I want to make a deal with you."
"Say it."
"Immortal Lord Qi had taken painstaking efforts and did not hesitate to become an enemy to the world, isn't it for the purpose of extending your life?"
"..."
Xie Bi An said expressionlessly, "To extend your life, it is not necessary to eat the Absolute Human Emperor. In fact, it is only a few strokes in the Book of Life and Death."
"What does the emperor mean?"
"The Red King's defection is the biggest crisis the ghost world has encountered since the Supreme Demon tore apart the Fengdu boundary and attacked the Underworld. Now the entire Underworld must be doing its best to find them. If Immortal Lord Qi can help us subdue them, in exchange, Official Lord Cui will definitely promise to increase your life."
Qi Meng Sheng smiled coldly, "No matter what you plan, as long as you return to Jiuyou, that is equivalent to letting the tiger return to the mountain*, and I will never be able to catch you again."
"I will not hide in Jiuyou and not come out. Zong Zi Xiao ..." Xie Bi An's heart seized with pain, even though he just recited the name from his mouth, "He is a devil born because of me. It is incumbent upon me to stop him. How it was in the previous life, will be the same in this life."
Qi Meng Sheng was silent for a moment and whispered, "No."
Chapter 199
"You are worried about me escaping? My sword and soul weapon are in your hands. I will definitely return."
"Official Lord Cui is a strict disciplinarian, justly and selfless. The world knows it. How could he abuse the Book of Life and Death in order to catch the red-clad ghost king? It's just your wishful thinking. Even if he would, I don't want it." Qi Meng Sheng said coldly, "How many years of life can he add to my life? Few years? Few decades? It's just an utterly inadequate measure. But if I can reshape my body with the ice crystal, I can almost live forever."
Xie Bi An also knew that this excuse was unlikely to fool Qi Meng Sheng, but only when he met Qi Meng Sheng could he make his next move: "If you really want my core, why didn’t you dig it up yet? Keeping me is to guard against the Supreme Demon, right?"
"As I said, without the Heavenly Secret Talisman, he is just an immature child." Qi Meng Sheng narrowed her eyes, "But that ghost king, his limits and purpose are unknown. I must be on guard."
"He has been hibernating around you for so many years, and you didn’t even notice." Xie Bi An sneered, "Plus, he was raised by you."
"..." Qi Meng Sheng didn’t speak, but her malicious eyes gave away her anger instantly.
"You were fooled by him, lost all your efforts, did the dowry for others*, and lost your trusted aide in pain. This is not a good feeling, right?"
Qi Meng Sheng hit the table fiercely. A bunch of schemes, many strategies, not hesitating to become the enemy of the whole immortal cultivation world, yet failed to achieve any success, and it’s also because of the betrayal of her own people. This kind of resentment only a few people can bear. Stung by the pain, her shame turned to anger and she roared: "Shut up! If they hadn't been careless, I wouldn't have ..."
There was a flash of surprise in Xie Bi An's eyes. "They were careless"? Who? Could it be that she was talking about Yun Xiang Yi?
Qi Meng Sheng felt she lost her composure, took a deep breath and looked at Xie Bi An with a chilly look, "It is not in the emperor's best interest to anger me. You’re on your own." She got up and wanted to leave.
"Qi Meng Sheng." Xie Bi An said, "Do you still remember what you said to me in the cave?"
Qi Meng Sheng had her back facing him and stopped in her tracks.
"You said you wanted my core to save Cheng Yan Zhi."
Qi Meng Sheng slowly turned her head. Not knowing whether she was looking at Xie Bi An, or looking elsewhere, her eyes were obscure and difficult to understand.
"Now it seems that Cheng Yan Zhi is just an excuse. You are just doing it for your own sake."
"Cheng Yan Zhi is just a living dead person. It's a waste to save him with the Absolute Human Emperor." Qi Meng Sheng said coldly, "I am the rare one in the world, the ultimate pride who may truly attain ascension."
"Then what use do you have in keeping his body?" Xie Bi An said, "You should know that the real Cheng Yan Zhi is already dead, and the soul that is sleeping in that body is Xu Zhi Nan."
This time, Qi Meng Sheng was silent for a long time before she said in a mocking tone, "Just for old times' sake."
"How nice, for old times' sake." Xie Bi An snorted coldly, "You've mixed between the two and used their love for you to the fullest. You can instruct the Flying Plume Ambassadors to break into Luojinwu, steal the Seven Star Lamp, switch the Golden Carved Jade Suit, and are unable to detach from Xu Zhi Nan's former trust in you. Your talented cultivation aside, this trickery and ruthlessness is indeed the world…”
Qi Meng Sheng spun on the spot, and a cold hand choked Xie Bi An’s neck from a distance.
Xie Bi An tilted his chin. His gaze coming down from his neck had a slight chill coming up. He looked unperturbed. Last time he couldn't say these mean words and wasn't good at digging into people's pain, but Zong Zi Heng could. Recovering the memories of his previous life brought him not only pain and lessons, but also sobriety and coldness.
Qi Meng Sheng put away her hand and slammed the door.
Xie Bi An held his painfully numb neck and sat down.
Is there any way to escape? There must be a way. He thought about it. Since Qi Meng Sheng was so stubborn, might as well try Hua Xiang Rong.
---
Xie Bi An took a whole night to unlock the sealed chakra. The spell Qi Meng Sheng had cast on him should not have been so easily undone, but Zong Zi Heng’s memories made him familiar with this trick.
After waking up from a nightmare and being under Qi Meng Sheng's house arrest for a long time, Xie Bi An tried to escape for the first time.
But with a strong boundary and guards outside, he was discovered unarmed without surprise and managed to lure Hua Xiang Rong out while under siege.
Hua Xiang Rong finally caught a chance to take revenge on him. Without seriously injuring him, she humiliated and tortured him extremely, beating him until his whole body was covered with wounds and his clothes were stained with blood.
Hua Xiang Rong seemed to hate him to the extreme. There was even some craziness in her. Even the guard had to remind her not to hurt him fatally, only then did she stop her increasingly fierce moves, but this move was put away so quickly that her hood fell onto her shoulder under the big movement.
The crowd looked at her head in astonishment. Originally a head of black hair like clouds had disappeared. Now there was only a short stubble.
Hua Xiang Rong put the hood over her head in a panic, and kicked Xie Bi An back into the house, closing the door behind her fiercely.
Xie Bi An was lying on the ground mobilizing his spiritual energy to repair the dozens of wounds on his body. Fortunately most of them were flesh wounds, otherwise he would not have been able to heal for a while.
Hua Xiang Rong walked step by step to Xie Bi An, and she stepped on the wound on his thigh and crushed it hard.
Xie Bi An’s face was blue and white, only letting out a muffled grunt through biting his lips.
"I warned you last time. You really overestimated yourself." Hua Xiang Rong sneered, "So what if you’re the reincarnated Human Emperor? So what if you’re the White Impermanence? You still dare to misbehave when you’ve landed in great aunt’s hands?"
Xie Bi An took a breath and said, "Your hair was burned away by the fire of Shen Nong Ding, right?"
Hua Xiang Rong's eyes shone with an ominous glint.
"Not caring about anything and jumping into Shen Nong Ding. Even if you snatched back your senior sister, it would only be a corpse."
"You seek death!" Hua Xiang Rong put her two fingers together, and an ice pick was against Xie Bi An’s throat.
Xie Bi An said calmly: "Even your master wouldn't dare to kill me."
"She doesn't dare, but I dare." Hua Xiang Rong looked at Xie Bi An from above, "I have no more desire for this earth. If it’s not for my sister's wish for me to be filial to my master, I would have killed you right now." Her expression did not look like she was bluffing in the slightest. She really had the thought of killing him.
"You really have a deep love for your senior sister, even more than for your master."
Hua Xiang Rong withdrew her hand, took a few steps back, and said coldly, "It was senior sister who picked me up and brought me home, and it was also senior sister who brought me to cultivate. With my talent, master won’t admire me. Accepting me as a disciple and letting me have a place in Cangyu Sect were all because of senior sister."
Xie Bi An endured the pain, climbed up from the ground and sat down on a chair with difficulty. He no longer beat around the bush and said straight out, "Do you want to take revenge for your senior sister?"
Hua Xiang Rong glared at Xie Bi An: "My sister died at the hands of the Red Ghost King, but the one who forced her to death, each and every one of you is to blame. If I want to take revenge, shouldn't I chop you up first?"
"As you said, the first person you should take revenge on is your master." Xie Bi An sneered, "If it wasn't for Qi Meng Sheng's perverse actions and became the enemy of the world, how would your senior sister die?"
Hua Xiang Rong's cherry lips lightly pursed. Her jaw tensed and did not say anything.
"In fact, you know in your heart who should be blamed for your senior sister's death the most."
"You want to sow discord?" Hua Xiang Rong stared gloomily at him, "I promised my senior sister that I would be wholeheartedly filial and assist my master, so I will never have second thoughts. You haven't lived as long as I have in two lifetimes combined. Stop acting smart."
"So, you are not going to avenge your senior sister? That Yun Zhong Jun who betrayed your master and sect ripped out your senior sister's heart ..."
"Shut up!" Hua Xiang Rong's face had a few grimaces of pain, "He is not Yun Zhong Jun at all. When he was a teenager, Yun Zhong Jun was not like that. We have felt that he was unusual a long time ago, we just did not expect that he had been replaced by the red-clothed ghost king. Of course I want to avenge my senior sister. My only purpose for living is to cut him to pieces!"
"You want to avenge your senior sister, I also want to kill the Red King to avenge my master." Xie Bi An stared at Hua Xiang Rong, "You can't find him on your own. He's a ghost, not a human. But I can."
Hua Xiang Rong was silent.
"Qi Meng Sheng doesn't want to confront the Red King or the Supreme Demon, nor does she want to avenge your senior sister. She only cares about getting the Absolute Human Emperor. She hasn't killed me now nor has taken my core. She’s only using me as a bargaining chip. The only person in this world who cares about your senior sister's death is you."
"What do you want to do?"
"I want you to help me escape." Xie Bi An said with certainty, "I will definitely kill Jiang Qu Lian. This is not only to avenge my master, but also my adjudication on the traitor as an Underworld General."
Hua Xiang Rong gritted her teeth and slowly shook her head, "Impossible, I will not betray my master. I swore to my senior sister before." She didn't wait for Xie Bi An to say anything further and walked away quickly.
Xie Bi An panted out a long breath.
Chapter 200
Xie Bi An used many tactics, but failed to escape, and finally he left Chidi City after a hundred days of captivity, although it’s just falling from one cage to another.
That night, the snow was so heavy that it didn't look like a normal flurry, but rather like a mat sweeping down. The wind blew the windows until they creaked, as if a demon was roaring from far away.
The snow was too heavy. It reminded Xie Bi An of that day when he nearly froze to death in the snowy plains. When he was inside the house burning with charcoal fire, he could also feel the pervasive coldness just by getting close to the window wrapped tightly in cotton wool.
When a person's heart is cold, the body can't warm up.
While he was dazing away, a puff of Yin energy suddenly appeared behind his back. He turned his head around suddenly and a red cloud appeared inside the house without a sound.
Xie Bi An said in a deep voice: "I thought you would come earlier."
"It’s hard for me to get out ah." Jiang Qu Lian chuckled, "Are you waiting for me to save you? Or are you waiting for him?"
"I’m waiting for no one." Xie Bi An's gaze was cold, "Because you are not here to save me."
"At least I can save you from this old demonic woman."
"Being in her hands, and being in your hands, what's the difference?"
"That is not up to you either." Jiang Qu Lian said, "Zong Zi Xiao wants you every day. If he hadn't been seriously injured from his chakra which has only recovered recently, plus Official Lord Cui sent a large number of Yin servants to find me, we could have come earlier."
We? He came too?
Xie Bi An's heart drummed hard a few times.
"It's not easy to sneak into this place, so don't talk nonsense."
Xie Bi An took a step back and quickly drew a demon subjugation talisman in the void.
"You are unarmed now. Don't do anything superfluous."
"Bring me my sword and soul weapon." The talisman that was made of spiritual power flashed with an eerie green aura, "Otherwise don’t think of taking me away easily."
Jiang Qu Lian's evil and beautiful face was covered with a shadow: "I don't have that spare energy. If I disturbed that old demonic woman, you won't be able to leave today."
"So what?"
"If you leave Chidi City, you still have a chance to go back to the Underworld. If you keep on being locked up here, I'm afraid you can only wait for your human soul to be brought back by an Yin servant."
Xie Bi An gritted his teeth. In this hesitation, he was instantly caught in a red fog and quickly lost consciousness.
---
When he woke up again, Xie Bi An found himself in a stone room.
The walls were covered with blackish-red. The uneven, rocky soil was exactly like the favus* skin of some demonic beast, which made people feel extremely uncomfortable. Xie Bi An felt that he had seen this kind of soil somewhere, but his brain, which had just woken up, was still a bit confused and could not recall for a while.
Although this is a stone room, it's neither crude nor cramped. The space is quite spacious, and household supplies are all here. Other than the disgusting walls and the void of windows, it is still considered comfortable.
Xie Bi An did not waste his effort in guessing where he was, nor did he try to leave. The one who took him away was the Ghost King. It was hard to say whether this was the earth or not. Besides, his chakra was sealed again, so he could only sit and rest.
After a while, the door of the stone room was pushed open. When Xie Bi An opened his eyes, his gaze collided into a pair of familiar, gloomy pupils. His hands unconsciously tightened the hem of his shirt.
After Fan Wu She's gaze was locked on Xie Bi An, he almost refused to blink. He just stared at the person in front of him. He was carrying a tray in his hand and he put it on the table, hesitating for a moment before he said, "Come and eat."
Xie Bi An didn't even move his expression, even though the hatred and pain in his heart were already raging in the dark.
"Let's eat." Fan Wu She's tone was a little softer than the deliberately gentle previous sentence.
Xie Bi An said, "I want to go back to the Underworld." Maybe his master was still waiting for him and hadn't reincarnated. Maybe they could still see each other again.
"You can't go anywhere." Fan Wu She nudged the table with his fingertips, "Eat first."
Xie Bi An's eyes were stern, "How can you still have the face to appear in front of me like this like nothing has happened?"
Fan Wu She's expression also changed. When Xie Bi An leaked out the disgust hidden under that calm mask, he also could no longer pretend. He took a deep breath: "I don't want to argue with you now. You were really good to me when you were my senior brother, so ..."
"Shut up!" Xie Bi An shivered, "You don't deserve to mention this."
Fan Wu She's face became gradually gloomy: "Zong Zi Heng, if you had not remembered your previous life, I might have been able to treat you as Xie Bi An for the rest of my life. I would have loved you, spoiled you, and gave you all you wanted. But what you owe me, no matter how many lifetimes you reincarnate, you can't finish repaying." He paused and almost gritted his teeth and called out, "Big, brother."
"I don't owe you anything." Xie Bi An was cold to the core, "You want my core, go ahead and dig it up and let me go back to the underworld."
"I don't want your core." Fan Wu She walked over with a few steps, dragged Xie Bi An roughly off the bed and pressed him in front of the table, "How many times do you want me to say it? I don't want your core, and I won't let anyone touch you."
"Then what else do you want!?" Xie Bi An struggled hard, but with his chakra sealed, he barely had any strength in front of Fan Wu She, and he didn't know when Fan Wu She had become much taller and stronger than him.
"You." Fan Wu She forced a look into Xie Bi An's eyes, "Aren't you asking the obvious? From last time until now, I've always wanted you."
Xie Bi An saw the familiar wolfish lust in Fan Wu She's eyes again, and he couldn't help but think of the time when this man pretended to be his little junior brother, that nature that he tried his best to hide but also showed from time to time, those dangerous moments that he didn't even notice. He couldn't help but cower for a moment: "Let go of me."
But Fan Wu She wrenched his shoulders and gently adjusted his face to face him with his index finger: "I just want you to have a good meal now. Don't force me to do anything else."
Xie Bi An panicked for a moment. The young man's face in front of him and the cold, hard contours of the Supreme Demon’s face kept overlapping in front of his eyes. Sometimes it was Fan Wu She who acted coquettishly to him just to ask for a shallow kiss, sometimes it was Zong Zi Xiao who forcefully pinned him down and did whatever he wanted. He remembered the sweetness Fan Wu She gave him and also the humiliation Zong Zi Xiao gave him. When they were mixed together, he couldn't tell what this complex, indistinguishable fog really represented.
Xie Bi An pursed his lips and whispered, "Get out, I will eat by myself."
"I want to watch you." Fan Wu She sat in a chair at one side, "You used to be like this last time, refusing to eat. I won't let you become like that again."
"No matter what I become, the culprit is you." Xie Bi An said coldly, "In this life, I could have spent it peacefully and happily with my master."
Fan Wu She leaned his body slightly closer to him, "This sentence, I want to return to you in its original form. I was originally a promising prince, how did I fall into the demonic path step by step? I was already at the top of my game on earth, but why did I have to barge into the underworld and end up in the infernal hell? Because of you, it's all because you turned your back on me again and again." Once he opened his mouth, hatred filled the air, "I was in hell for a hundred years, suffering from torture, and never forgot you for a moment, yet you didn't hesitate to drink Meng Po soup."
Xie Bi An clenched his fists, "How can I be liberated if I don't forget you?"
"What right do you have to free yourself?" Fan Wu She showed a cold smile, "Zong Zi Heng, I admit that I am cheap. I just can't let you go. No matter what you have done to me, I still like you. If I cannot be freed, you shall fall together with me."
Xie Bi An looked at the love-hate intertwined in Fan Wu She's eyes and only felt his heart wither: "This is not like."
"Whether it is or not, it doesn't matter." Fan Wu She pushed the bowl in front of Xie Bi An.
Under that threatening gaze, Xie Bi An forced himself to finish his meal. Everything seemed to go back to a hundred years ago, when he was the puppet Emperor of Wuji Palace, a captive under the Supreme Demon’s sword, a slave under his crotch. He fought with death, but he did not expect to be reincarnated and have to repeat the same mistake.
---
After eating, the two men put back on their stiff, indifferent masks.
Xie Bi An lowered his eyes, looked at the ground and said lightly, "Tell me, how did you and Jiang Qu Lian start conspiring? How did he steal you out of hell and send you into human reincarnation? And how did he get you close to my master?"
Fan Wu She pondered for a moment and said, "He was the warden of hell, so naturally it started at that time. He brought me out of hell from that secret passage in the Red Palace’s underground palace, and when King Qin Guang personally sent 'me' to the Hell Path, it was also him who did the trick and found a scapegoat."
"And then what?"
"He found the reincarnated me and hired someone to keep me in Mount Qingcheng until this body could take care of itself. The approach to Zhong Kui was also a set-up by him."
Xie Bi An's heart twisted with pain: "You guys have been plotting to deceive my master from the beginning, taking advantage of his goodness and decency, and finally getting him killed."
"I didn't want to get him killed." Fan Wu She’s face was ashen, "I didn't know that Jiang Qu Lian and Yun Zhong Jun were the same person. We were very defensive of each other and hid from each other. He knew where the Xuanyuan Heavenly Secret Talisman was ages ago, and I found out that it was suppressed under the Eastern Emperor Bell at the same time as you guys."
Xie Bi An said with hatred, "If you had known earlier, you would also have done whatever you could for the Heavenly Secret Talisman as well."
"I wouldn't kill Zhong Kui!"
I don't want to make you sad, and I don't want you to hate me.
Xie Bi An lowered his head. His shoulders were trembling slightly. That extreme, suppressed pain made Fan Wu She’s heart also seized up.
"I am determined to get the Heavenly Secret Talisman, but I never wanted to kill Zhong Kui." Fan Wu She narrowed his dangerous hanging fox eyes, "When I get the Heavenly Secret Talisman, I will make Jiang Qu Lian pay with his life."
"You are all in the same boat." Xie Bi An clenched his fist. His nails almost sinking into his palm, "What exactly is Jiang Qu Lian’s purpose? What does he want from you?"
"... He said he wanted to 'be human'."
"What?"
"Those who fall into the Hungry Ghost Path are equally sinful and almost can't free themselves for eternity. As a ghost king, he can't cheat under the cover of a diversion like me." Fan Wu She frowned, obviously also doubtful about this saying, "He wants to be reborn as a human."