Chapter 145 The Tip of the Knot (XI) The Martyr

"Yes...yes, that person's name is indeed Chu Yue, and like you, he is a sorcerer," Elder Zhuang said truthfully. "He was the one who found me first and challenged me to a bet."

At this point, the spider demon seemed lost in memories, her expression dazed. "He had excellent luck in gambling, winning three games in a row. So I granted him three wishes. He said that gold and silver jewelry were rather boring, and that it was more interesting to play tricks on people, so... so he set up this bet with me."

The spider-like compound eyes returned to their cloudy human form. Old Zhuang's lips curled slightly, and he chuckled softly, "I've never seen such a strange gambler before. He doesn't seek gold or silver, he gambles simply for the sake of gambling. We're quite compatible, hahaha..."

"What are you laughing at?" Song Qiling tightened her grip, completely losing her patience. "Get to the point, what kind of bet did he make with you? What were you betting on?"

Old Zhuang cried out in pain, begging for mercy: "I'll talk, I'll talk... This bet is nothing more than related to you and that young man. Chu Yue said that you are his prized student, and if you enter that perilous situation, you can escape smoothly in less than a day. I didn't believe it, so I bet with him, and as you know, I won."

As the conversation progressed, the momentum gradually weakened.

Song Qiling tilted her head, her grip remaining firm. "Is this the bet?"

She paused, then suddenly realized something was wrong. "The day you spoke of, isn't a day in the illusion?"

Old Zhuang nodded.

A chill suddenly rose from the soles of my feet, quickly swept up my spine, and even made my heartbeat pause for a moment.

Song Qiling quickly released his grip and straightened up. "I'll spare you today, but let me leave first."

As soon as he finished speaking, a hint of difficulty flashed across Old Zhuang's face. "This... the time is not yet right. I must keep my promise."

"What exactly did you promise Chu Yue?" Song Qiling felt increasingly uneasy, and her voice changed. "Could it be that you deliberately sent me away so that you could make a move against Gu Lianzhou?"

Two days, a full two days.

That would be enough for Chu Yue to do many things, should he have already found their place...

Thinking of this, she suddenly grabbed Old Zhuang's collar, almost lifting him off the ground. "Old man! Chu Yue is wicked. If he really tries to kill our junior brother, you will be aiding and abetting evil!"

Old Zhuang's face turned purple from being strangled, and he shook his head with difficulty: "I made a promise, and I cannot break it..."

"You old geezer, breaking your promise is better than taking someone's life!" Song Qiling hurriedly flipped her wrist, and a golden rune slammed into Old Zhuang's chest.

With a loud "bang," Old Zhuang was sent flying backward like a rag doll.

He coughed, curled up, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth, but a stubborn glint remained in his cloudy eyes: "Even if you kill me, I will keep my promise..."

"Very well, very well. I'd like to see how long you can hold out." Song Qiling stopped wasting words with him and unleashed a barrage of golden light from his fingertips, striking Elder Zhuang like a sudden storm.

Old Zhuang whimpered in pain, his clothes torn on his back, and the phantom of the spider's true form flashed by, barely managing to withstand the series of attacks.

The magical light exploded on his carapace, leaving charred marks, but he only groaned, his remaining spider legs firmly rooted to the ground, refusing to yield an inch.

Song Qiling was panting heavily, her chest heaving violently.

As she looked at the spider demon, who was almost unrecognizable yet still refused to compromise, her heart sank.

With every passing moment, the danger to my junior brother increases; we cannot wait any longer.

She abruptly stopped, walked up to Old Zhuang, and said in a hoarse but crystal-clear voice, "Aren't you a compulsive gambler? How about I play a game with you?"

The old spider struggled to lift its eyelids.

“Let’s gamble with life and death.” Song Qiling said, enunciating each word clearly. “If you let me go now and my junior brother leaves Chu Yue alive, I win. If he dies… then you win.”

"A life-or-death situation..." Old Zhuang murmured to himself.

The moment the words left his mouth, it seemed to ignite the fervor deep within the old gambler's bones, and his previously dying body began to radiate life again.

He struggled, using his broken spider legs to support his body. His face was a bloody mess, but he slowly stretched out a twisted and excited smile. "Hahaha... Good, what a life-or-death situation..."

He coughed up blood, but his eyes were fixed on Song Qiling: "I... will gamble with you."

As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his hand and waved.

In an instant, the surrounding light and shadows distorted, and the casino receded like a tide.

Song Qiling felt a tremendous force pushing her forward. Her vision blurred, and when she looked again, she was already standing at the entrance of the familiar Lake Stone Alley.

Old Zhuang's words still echoed in my ears, "Today I broke my promise to you because of the bet I made, so I must collect my reward. If you lose, you will have to come and work at my Monster Gambling House to pay off your debt."

Song Qiling scoffed, not having time to haggle with him. "As long as you're not afraid I'll blow up your gambling den, the rest is up to you."

After saying that, she hurried towards the courtyard.

The deeper I walked into the alley, the heavier my heart became.

Under the bright blue sky, the alleyway of Hushi was completely surrounded by a crowd.

Men, women, young and old, officials, soldiers and civilians thronged the crowd, creating a bustling atmosphere, yet no one noticed her unexpected appearance.

Song Qiling pushed her way forward with the crowd and grabbed a man who was standing on tiptoe and peering out: "What happened up ahead?"

The man turned his head and pointed to the tall wall billowing thick smoke. "There's a master performing a ritual up ahead. It's quite a spectacle, and everyone's here watching the show."

Upon hearing this, Song Qiling's heart sank to the bottom. "A ritual? Are you a sorcerer from the Heavenly Mystery Sect?"

"Who knows? It's certainly impressive, a once-in-a-century sight." With that, the man turned his head and craned his neck to peer inside.

Suddenly, a golden light shone brightly from the other side of the courtyard wall. The next instant, the ground shook violently, as if an earth dragon was rolling, throwing the crowd of onlookers backward.

Then came the sound of metal striking metal, which made people's eardrums buzz. Unable to bear it, the crowd covered their ears and only then did they belatedly realize the danger of this magical contest.

Amid the chaos, a clear and melodious voice pierced the air: "Don't panic, everyone! Today I will make this monster reveal its true form!"

It really was Chu Yue.

He actually chased him all the way to Hushi Lane.

Song Qiling was furious and struggled to push forward through the crowd. Before she got close, she felt her feet wobbling and almost lost her balance.

Once they had steadied themselves, they saw white mist seeping out from inside the courtyard wall as if it were alive. In the blink of an eye, the entire alleyway was shrouded in thick fog so dense that one could not see their own hand in front of their face.

"Huh, what kind of magic is this Taoist priest performing?"

"Is this some kind of trick? They cover our eyes first, then make a lot of noise, and when the fog clears, they say the monster has been eliminated. I've seen this kind of deception back in my hometown."

Hearing the hushed whispers, Song Qiling paused, an idea forming in her mind. She lowered her voice and said in a low voice, trying to muddy the waters, "It must be like this. What kind of demon or monster is this? They're probably just fooling us. With such a thick fog, they definitely don't want us to see their weakness."

As soon as he finished speaking, someone chimed in, "It's probably true. I saw that sorcerer putting on airs early this morning. Before he even started performing his ritual, he called over a group of people, saying they wanted to witness his exorcism. I've never seen a sorcerer who came prepared like this before. It seems like they were all in cahoots and putting on a show for us."

This statement caused an uproar among the crowd.

Confessions rose and fell, some pointing at the thick fog, others spitting and turning away impatiently: "This is boring, I'm going home to cook!"

Song Qiling had no time to breathe a sigh of relief as she stared at the dense fog that was almost solidified, her mind in turmoil.

There was no movement inside the wall.

Chu Yue clearly came prepared, not for any other reason than to force his junior brother to reveal his true form, and then strip him of his tendons and bones.

My junior brother's safety is still unknown.

She needs to stop Chu Yue before he takes any further action.

Following the route she remembered, she walked forward. Due to the limited field of vision, she inevitably bumped into people going against the flow. Song Qiling had no choice but to turn sideways, saying "Excuse me" as she squeezed through.

As she stood in front of the courtyard gate, about to push the door open, before her fingertips even touched the door, a wave of scorching heat pierced through the door panel and rushed towards her, whipping the hair at her temples back and making it dance wildly.

The raging flames suddenly burst out of the high wall, licking the blue bricks and gray tiles, and in an instant, they scorched half of the courtyard wall until it was black and cracked, instantly evaporating and dispersing the pervasive white mist.

In the distorted air, a massive figure emerged from the flames, and a familiar, strange smell, heavy with sulfur and blood, forcefully entered the nostrils and assaulted the skull.

Song Qiling suddenly looked up.

Flames shot into the sky, illuminating half the sky in a crimson glow.

Several enormous tentacles, covered with suckers and patterns, resembled giant pythons, wildly waving and swinging amidst the churning fire and thick smoke.

It blotted out the sky and blocked out the sun.

At the center of the tentacles, a pair of crimson, lava-like eyes, embedded in the massive body, indifferently gazed down upon this tiny world.

It is the true form of Tai Sui.

My heart stopped for a moment.

Song Qiling could clearly see that, amidst the scorching and surrounding flames, the body of the Tai Sui was becoming harder and redder at a visible speed.

At the same time, another figure soared into the air, his robes fluttering, hovering in mid-air, coldly confronting the enormous monster in the flames.

This person was none other than Chu Yue.

He stood high above, his long whip swaying slightly, his posture dignified, as if he were truly a model of righteousness in vanquishing demons.

"Chu Yue!" Song Qiling's voice was hoarse as she questioned him, "Is this your method? To force him to reveal himself in front of everyone by drawing fire from the ground... How utterly despicable!"

Upon hearing this, Chu Yue slightly turned his head.

His face was etched with a sorrowful and compassionate expression. His voice, though not loud, was clear enough for all the onlookers to hear: "Qiling, you are confused. This is the true form of the Tai Sui evil spirit. This demon has appeared in the world, threatening all living beings. My actions are to subdue the demon and protect the peace of this region. This is in accordance with the great righteousness of the Heavenly Way! How can you say it is despicable?"

His earnest tone and every word conveyed a sense of benevolence and morality, which resonated with many onlookers who nodded in agreement.

"Righteousness? What a high-sounding righteousness!" Song Qiling laughed out loud as if she had heard the biggest joke in the world. "Chu Yue, do you dare to say that you did all this for the sake of the common people? Then tell me, when you were eating the flesh of the Tai Sui and trying to steal the power of immortality, why didn't you think about the common people?"

These words struck like a thunderbolt.

Chu Yue was clearly taken aback that she knew about this. His aura froze, his expression instantly stiffened, and a look of disbelief and panic flashed in his eyes. "You..."

He stood frozen for a moment, then forced himself to remain calm, though his voice betrayed a hint of urgency, “That was merely a temporary measure! When the Heavenly Mystery Sect faced a great calamity, if I hadn’t borrowed the power of Tai Sui to stabilize the sect, the Heavenly Mystery Sect would have long since lost its foothold! Everything I did was for the sake of all living beings and for the long-term survival of the sect, what wrong have I done?”

His tone abruptly shifted, his gaze sharp as a sword, piercing Song Qiling: "But you, knowing full well that Gu Lianzhou is the Tai Sui Demon God, have repeatedly shielded and indulged him, even going against your sect for his sake. Do you think you are innocent? Standing here now, on what grounds are you questioning your master?"

"I..." Song Qiling was about to retort when a sudden surge of nausea rose in her chest, a sweet, metallic taste rose to her throat, and her stomach churned with nausea.

"Boom—"

The courtyard wall, scorched by the flames, could no longer hold on and collapsed with a crash, raising clouds of dust.

As if provoked by the collapsing bricks and stones, the Tai Sui in the flames let out a deafening roar, and several huge tentacles suddenly stretched outwards.

A huge shadow fell, blotting out the sky.

Only then did Song Qiling realize with a start that the courtyard was densely packed with people...

Government officials and yamen runners stood guard with knives, while Taoist priests and celestial masters from all walks of life arrived with their ritual implements. The majority of the crowd was drawn by this "once-in-a-century" demon-exorcising spectacle.

At this moment, the fog dissipated, and the terrifyingly enormous true form of Tai Sui was exposed nakedly before everyone.

Horror, fear, disgust...

Various emotions fermented among the crowd, eventually converging into a fervent and unquestionable wave of demon-slaying.

"Truly a prodigy!"

"We beg the experts of the Heavenly Mystery Sect to slay this scourge and rid the people of this menace!"

"This ferocious demon will only cause trouble if left alive. Kill it!"

The crowd was outraged, and the outcry was deafening.

The Tai Sui roared silently in the flames, its massive body thrashing violently from pain and rage. Its crimson eyes swept over the small but malevolent crowd below, its ferocity growing ever stronger.

Just as Chu Yue had planned, being tempered by the earth fire allowed Gu Lianzhou's power to manifest, but it also temporarily trapped him, making it difficult for him to conceal his shocking true form, as if he were nailed to this pillar of shame and danger.

Song Qiling's heart tightened as she watched.

My junior brother's mind is in chaos right now, and he can't possibly transform back into human form. How can he possibly withstand the siege of so many cultivators?

not to mention……

She clearly saw that everyone looked at Tai Sui's figure with expressions of fear on their faces.

The scene before my eyes was strikingly similar to the image of the Tianji Sect sorcerers besieging "alien beings" in my memory.

Song Qiling's eyes flashed with anger, and she was about to rush forward.

However, before she could even step over the threshold, a sharp, burning pain shot through her wrist.

He paused, his footing slightly.

She looked down at her wrist in disbelief.

The Heavenly Mystery Seal, which represented the identity of a disciple of the Heavenly Mystery Sect, was now like a red-hot branding iron, emanating a bone-piercing burning sensation from within.

In a few breaths, the golden seal's light surged, transforming into countless fine and intricate chains of runes. As if possessing a life of their own, they coiled up her arm and instantly spread throughout her entire body.

A powerful binding force suddenly descended, completely locking away her spiritual energy, leaving her feet rooted to the ground, unable to move!

It is a prohibition of the sect.

This was also a backup plan that Chu Yue had laid out long ago.

He was wary of her from the very beginning!

"You... let me go!" Song Qiling's eyes were bloodshot as she struggled desperately, but she couldn't budge the rune at all. Instead, she was forced to kneel down and could no longer move forward.

She could only watch helplessly.

Watching Chu Yue lash the Tai Sui in the flames with his long whip, and seeing the "righteous people" around him unleash their magical weapons, countless beams of light rained down on that massive body...

"puff--"

Overwhelmed by anger and the backlash from forcibly breaking the seal, she coughed up a mouthful of blood, staining the ground in front of her red.

My vision started to go black and my eyes began to blur.

She looked down at the Heavenly Secret Seal on her wrist, which was still flashing wildly, as if it were greedily absorbing her power to strengthen the seal. For no reason, she thought of her Uncle-Master Nie, whom she had seen when she was a child.

Was he like her back then...?

Disappointment, resentment.

Chu Yue.

Tianjimen (Heavenly Secrets Gate)

And this damn mark...

No, I don't want it anymore.

She doesn't want any of them!

In an instant, a resolute and ruthless spirit suddenly replaced all the bewilderment and unease.

She suddenly raised her other hand, her fingers forming a blade. The remaining spiritual power in her body condensed at her fingertips, transforming into a blade of light, and slashed fiercely at her forearm, which was bound by rune chains and unable to move!

"Snap!"

Bones broke, and blood gushed out.

Excruciating pain!

The excruciating pain instantly swept through every nerve in her body, causing her to tremble uncontrollably. Her face turned deathly pale in an instant, and cold sweat poured down her back.

But the restraints binding him turned to dust in that instant.

Nothing in this world can stop her now.

She is free at this moment.

She endured the almost unbearable pain, her teeth digging deep into her lower lip, and with trembling hands, she fumbled for a hemostatic pill in her pouch at her waist and stuffed it into her mouth.

This scene was clearly seen by Chu Yue, who was in mid-air.

His composure crumbled, replaced by incredulous shock. He cried out, "Song Qiling, are you insane! You'd actually cut off your own arm? How could you betray me too?"

Song Qiling suddenly looked up.

On his blood-stained face, dust and tear stains mingled, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

She couldn't be bothered to look at Chu Yue's disgusting face. She simply used her remaining arm to prop herself up and stumbled into the center of the formation!