Chapter 255
Chapter 255
Feng Xianqiu’s hand was trembling.
Nearly all the skin on the back of it had been burned away, exposing crimson flesh beneath.
He had been down here for quite some time. The longer he stayed, the more damage his body sustained.
And he was still channeling his qi, forming hand seals, and fighting, all of which took an even greater toll on him.
By now, he had to be close to his limit.
That was the only reason I had managed to counter him with my own Witchcraft hand seals.
Under normal circumstances, if we had been outside, I probably never could have pulled off what I just did.
But now that I had merged with my mother’s Inner Core, I would improve quickly too.
Feng Xianqiu subtly took a small step back. Still clutching Snow Phoenix by the hair, he dragged her back with him.
Then the pair of enormous black wings unfurled behind him. Wrapping them around Snow Phoenix, he shot upward.
Feng Xianqiu had retreated.
Now that he had gone up, we couldn’t use the same passage for the time being. He might be waiting at the other end to ambush us.
Beside me, Tang Xun suddenly stumbled. Her body tilted, as if she could barely keep herself upright.
I quickly caught her. I knew she was in this state because she had pulled me out of the Nirvana Fire.
Tang Xun grabbed my hand and ran toward the space behind the waterfall.
Then, to my shock, she pulled me straight into the trunk of the enormous willow tree.
As the wind whistled past my ears, the entire experience felt surreal.
Why hadn’t Snow Phoenix been able to take me through the tree earlier?
Tang Xun must have entered Cangwu Mountain from Spirit Butterfly Valley in the first place.
The fragrance of flowers washed over me as Tang Xun brought me down beneath a willow tree in Spirit Butterfly Valley.
Once I found my footing, I saw that her face was deathly pale. Her whole body was trembling, and she looked too weak to even walk, her expression dazed and stricken.
She was about to collapse.
I was just about to crouch down and carry Tang Xun on my back when a towering black figure suddenly materialized in Spirit Butterfly Valley. He scooped Tang Xun into his arms and vanished with her just as abruptly.
A deep, steady voice drifted through the air. “Leave Spirit Butterfly Valley as soon as possible. Seventh Master Liu is waiting for you at the foot of Hushan.”
As the voice faded, a narrow white path suddenly appeared beneath my feet.
I had been through this before. Without hesitation, I sprinted down the white path.
He said Liu Junyan was waiting for me at the foot of Hushan.
I knew it. After I had spent so many days trapped in Cangwu Mountain, there was no way Liu Junyan would have sat back and done nothing.
Tang Xun must have been the help he had brought in.
At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to sprout wings and fly straight to the foot of Hushan.
Before I could even reach Hushan, a familiar figure came racing toward me.
I focused my eyes. Who else could it be but Liu Junyan?
The instant I saw him, my eyes betrayed me and filled with tears.
Liu Junyan sprinted over and swept me into his arms.
He held me tight.
Neither of us spoke. We simply clung to each other, wishing we could freeze this moment forever and never be parted again.
Then two enormous Ghost Soldiers suddenly appeared beside us.
They stood on either side of the white path, glaring at us menacingly.
Only then did Liu Junyan take my hand and lead me down Hushan.
At the foot of the mountain, the sweet-potato-purple Mercedes G-Class was parked there. I had no idea how long it had been waiting.
Hui Moqiong and Li Qingying were both standing beside it.
The moment Li Qingying saw me, she rushed over and threw her arms around me, her voice choked with tears. “Xiao Jiu, thank goodness you’re back. That’s all that matters!”
The next moment, Li Qingying was yanked away.
Hui Moqiong glanced at the injuries covering me, then said to Li Qingying, “I know you’re happy, but try to rein it in a little. Don’t hurt Xiao Jiu’er.”
Then he looked at me and greeted me with a smile. “Xiao Jiu’er, welcome home.”
I had only been gone for a little over ten days, yet it felt as though an entire century had passed.
Coming back now felt like returning to another lifetime.
I smiled at Hui Moqiong before Liu Junyan led me into the car.
Hui Moqiong drove, with Li Qingying in the passenger seat, while Liu Junyan and I sat in the back.
No sooner had Liu Junyan tucked me into the back seat than a huge ball of fluff leaped into my arms and began rubbing against me nonstop.
It was the Black Cat!
It was rarely this affectionate with me.
Even though it often slept sprawled across me these days, it almost never nuzzled me.
But now, it was rubbing its head all over me like a child begging for a reward.
It even rolled over and offered me its belly to scratch, which was rarer still.
Flattered beyond belief, I gently began scratching it.
The Black Cat felt exactly like a real cat now. It seemed its cultivation had improved quite a bit lately.
Before I could finish doting on it, Liu Junyan reached over, picked it up, and tossed it to Li Qingying.
Li Qingying caught it in her arms.
The Black Cat reared up and hissed viciously at Liu Junyan. Only then did it settle on Li Qingying’s shoulder, close its eyes, and doze off.
Meanwhile, Liu Junyan pulled me over and gathered me sideways into his arms.
He held me loosely, keeping an arm around my shoulders while carefully avoiding my wounds.
Then he lifted my chin with a finger and studied my right cheek. “The flesh is already starting to grow back. It’s healing.”
“Mm.”
So much had happened over the past few days, and I wanted to tell him all of it, but for a moment, I had no idea where to begin.
Noticing the dark circles beneath his eyes, I asked first, “You caused such a huge commotion in the Sword Tomb inside the Linghai Forbidden Zone that day. They must have made things difficult for you, didn’t they?”
Liu Junyan shook his head. “No. Brother Xiao escorted me out of the Forbidden Zone in time.”
I asked, “Is Lord Xiao all right?”
At the question, Liu Junyan’s expression visibly changed.
My heart lurched. “What happened to Lord Xiao?”
“Nothing,” Liu Junyan replied.
Of course I didn’t believe him. I turned to Li Qingying instead.
She lowered her head and began fiddling with her nails, staring fixedly downward without daring to meet my eyes.
I gripped Liu Junyan’s hand and said sternly, “What happened to Lord Xiao? Ah Yan, don’t hide it from me.”
Liu Junyan hesitated before answering. “They ganged up on him and tried to force him to attack me. He went berserk and severed the tail of the Black Flood Dragon leading them, destroying more than a thousand years of his cultivation. The Black Flood Dragon will never have any hope of Ascension now.”
I stared at him in shock.
The Black Flood Dragon… Was he the one who had come after us from afar when Lord Xiao sent me away?
After something this serious, Lord Xiao would probably have a difficult time getting through this ordeal.
He had gotten into trouble because he helped me. The guilt weighing on my heart was beyond words.
Uneasily, I asked, “What kind of punishment will he face?”
“Xiao Jiu, don’t worry.” Leaning back in her seat, Li Qingying turned to comfort me. “The Black Flood Dragon’s cultivation path was corrupt to begin with. Lord Xiao destroying his cultivation was simply carrying out justice on Heaven’s behalf. The Dragon King of Linghai won’t do anything to him.”
Liu Junyan added, “He’s always done as he pleases in the Linghai Dragon Palace. No one truly dares to lay a hand on him.”
That might be true, but there had always been a saying: even if one escaped the death penalty, lesser punishment was unavoidable.
Now that Lord Xiao had been taken back, he was bound to suffer.
I owed him an enormous debt, and I had to repay it.
And all Lord Xiao wanted was Zhong Susu…