Chapter 72 The Rocky Path Home

Xue Mushi got out of the water, rolled over and sat on the ground, supporting himself with his hands and looking up to breathe. He looked extremely tired.

Yu Sui asked him, "How did you fall into the water?"

"I encountered some people and got beaten up." Xue Mushi sniffed and wiped his face.

Unfortunately, he ran into his former roommates with whom he had a previous feud.

Yu Sui asked, "Weren't you traveling with your cousin?"

Xue Mushi said awkwardly, "We got lost and separated on the first night. I've been looking for her, but I haven't found her."

Yu Sui squatted on the ground, propping her head up with one hand as she sized him up. This person didn't seem to have any desire for challenge; it seemed like he was just someone Xue Jiayue had dragged along to make up the numbers.

Xue Mushi pointed to the river and said, "There is a strong presence of the Five Elements energy near this water, so the Eight Trigrams Life Technique cannot be used in the water."

“Yes.” Yu Sui nodded. “I know, I fell down last night too.”

Xue Mushi turned to look at her in surprise, then said "oh" and fell into a daze.

"Now it's ready to use. Dry your clothes, don't let them get all wet," Yu Sui said.

Xue Mushi then remembered to use the Bagua Life Technique to extract moisture.

After a brief exchange about their experiences over the past three days, Xue Mushi learned that Yu Sui had been struck by Taoist lightning and still had lightning marks on her body. Xue Mushi, who was tidying up his clothes, looked at her in surprise again: "That must have hurt a lot."

Yu Sui clutched her shoulder and said, "Ah, it really hurts."

Xue Mushi: "..."

You should at least try to act convincingly!

Yu Sui blinked and said, "It really hurts, but I can bear it. Look, I'm sweating from the pain."

Xue Mushi noticed the fine sweat on Yu Sui's forehead and was slightly taken aback. He scratched his head and then thought that she might really be in pain.

"The Thunder Seal of the Five Thunders of the Heavenly Gang in Taoism cannot be removed even by Taoist disciples themselves. It can only be removed by the miraculous skills of a physician, or one can only endure it for a month until it dissipates naturally," Xue Mushi said.

"A month is too long. I'll be in so much pain that I'll die. Even Senior Sister Su can't last that long."

Yu Sui said sadly.

Xue Mushi rubbed his eyes: "Then we'll just have to eliminate ourselves and get help from the medical instructors after we get out."

“No,” Yu Sui refused. “I want to go to the Dragon Head Ye Pool to seize the Heavenly Secret Technique.”

Xue Mushi stared at her blankly.

For a fleeting moment, he actually believed that Yu Sui could do it.

She spoke with such certainty, composure, and decisiveness.

Yu Sui raised her hand to press down her hair, which was being blown about by the night wind. Thunder rumbled and a flash of lightning illuminated the dark night sky.

She said softly, "But I'll still need your help."

"Me?" Xue Mushi asked, puzzled. "How can I help?"

Yu Sui said, "I'll give you the location of the teleportation point. You can use divination to tell Senior Sister Su and the others, and have them act according to the location of the teleportation point I gave you."

Xue Mushi hesitated, "I can't tell fortunes..."

Yu Sui said, "You will."

Xue Mushi: "I..."

Yu Sui smiled at him and said, "And it's very powerful."

Xue Mushi drooped his head, struggled for a couple of sentences before giving up: "Okay, I will."

“Then it’s settled.” Yu Sui stood up and said, “I will avoid the crowds and take the least crowded and safest teleportation array. That way, we might be the first to reach Yechi, and you can also obtain a Heavenly Secret Technique.”

She looked at Xue Mushi and said softly, "If you had a Taoist secret technique, it would probably be more convenient for you, wouldn't it?"

Xue Mushi pursed his lips, lowered his head and wrung out the water from his clothes. He was actually not very interested in the Dragon Slaying Cave, but Yu Sui's words made him interested instead.

If there is a real chance to enter the Dragon Head Ye Pool and obtain the Heavenly Secrets Technique Inheritance Mark, that would be good, and it wouldn't be a wasted trip.

Moreover, the person in front of him was "deeply hidden," and his "evil and crooked" methods were more numerous than he had imagined.

Xue Mushi took a deep breath, straightened his posture, and asked seriously, "Where is the teleportation point you want to use for divination?"

Yu Sui began explaining the surrounding terrain and the locations of several teleportation arrays to Xue Mushi, and the two discussed how to handle the divination results at that time.

After resolving this issue, Yu Sui asked Xue Mushi to carry the firewood back.

On the way, Xue Mushi didn't ask Yu Sui how she knew the terrain of the Dragon Slaying Cave and those teleportation points, and Yu Sui didn't ask him about the Seven Killings Divination either. The two tacitly maintained a relationship of not asking each other questions, but helping each other.

Thunder rumbled and flashed throughout the Dragon Slayer Cave tonight. Every now and then, a bolt of lightning would strike, splitting the night sky and illuminating the earth, making the atmosphere of confrontation between the people in the shallow water below the cliff even more tense.

Sheng Fei and Mei Liangyu simultaneously launched their attack, their black and white pieces charging forward, their target Gu Gan.

Qian Ying and Xun Zhiya simultaneously intervened, their two forces of the Five Elements clashing, causing the black and white chess pieces to bounce like stones on water, spinning several times before continuing their forward charge with their target unchanged.

In a flash, Mei Liangyu flicked his finger, causing the black and white chess pieces under his control to self-destruct. The explosive force of the self-destruction made Qian Ying and Xun Zhiya frown simultaneously. The five elements energy in that area was destroyed, and the two could no longer stop it. Sheng Fei's black and white chess pieces shot towards Gu Gan's chest with a whoosh.

Gu Gan reacted quickly, raising his hand to create three black stones that formed a protective barrier in front of Qian Ying, blocking all of Sheng Fei's attacks.

Qian Ying frowned and looked at Sheng Fei, her expression clearly displeased.

This guy is a real pest, always going against Brother Gu. We bumped into each other at the teleportation array today, so if we have the chance, we'll definitely eliminate him first.

Those present didn't waste any words, but took immediate action, and in the blink of an eye, the situation had changed dramatically.

Xun Zhiya had barely caught a glimpse of the misty white fog beneath her feet when she suddenly felt a chill behind her. When she turned around alertly, she met the vertical golden eyes of the Frost White Python, whose gaze made it impossible for her to muster any defensive power.

The frost-covered white python lunged at her, but only managed to bite onto Li Jinshuang's silvery-white sword blade.

Li Jinshuang blocked the Frost Python with her sword, but felt a strong wind suddenly attack from behind. She pointed her sword downwards and summoned the sword spirit. The huge white bone sword spirit appeared and repelled Zhong Lishan, who had been circling behind her in an instant.

The white bone sword spirit enveloped Li Jinshuang and her group. The four white bone skulls surveyed the area, rapidly spinning the eight sword blades held by their long arms. Their fighting spirit was high, making them the most dangerous presence on the field.

Everyone present was seeing Li Jinshuang's complete sword spirit form for the first time, and they were stunned.

Zhongli Shan and Pang Rong, the two disciples of the military strategist, were the most surprised and the most wary.

I've never seen a sword spirit this big, with four heads. It's like a combination of four sword spirits, with eight arms and four heads, all sharing the same body.

Li Jinshuang's sword spirit exuded immense pressure, almost completely blocking the cave entrance.

After reading the sword spirit, Xun Zhiya stared blankly at Li Jinshuang, who was protecting her.

Li Jinshuang, dressed in flowing white robes, gripped her sword with both hands, concentrating intently on her enemy. A flash of lightning illuminated Xun Zhiya's reflection, revealing the jade hairpin securing the woman's hair, simple yet aloof.

This was something Xun Zhiya had never seen in Li Jinshuang before, and she couldn't have imagined that such a day would come.

Looking at Li Jinshuang blocking her way, Xun Zhiya felt only a sense of unfamiliarity.

Xun Zhiya said softly, "Jin Shuang, is this your sword spirit? It seems different from before."

Li Jinshuang pursed her lips slightly, without answering.

Gu Gan said calmly, "Holding only the blade and not the hilt makes it appear extremely sharp and powerful. Your sword spirit's strength is definitely not just at the fifth level, but perhaps even at the tenth level or higher."

Li Jinshuang remained silent.

Mu Mengbai rubbed his temples and whispered, "I've never seen such a large sword spirit before. Even Pang Rong couldn't handle her?"

Pang Rong, who had retreated to the two men with his sword in hand, was now filled with questions.

He didn't understand why Sheng Fei and Mei Liangyu were fighting so well, but when he saw Gu Gan, he understood a bit. After all, everyone knew that Sheng Fei and Gu Gan had a very bad relationship, and every time they faced each other in a trial, it was a life-or-death struggle.

"It's not good to fight now. It will waste time and energy. We should retreat first, create some distance, and take a break. I don't think they want to fight either." As soon as Pang Rong finished speaking, Zhong Lishan made another move, drawing his sword to meet the attack.

What's that kid doing?

It's understandable that Sheng Fei hit Gu Gan, but why did Zhong Lishan and Xing Chun suddenly become so proactive in taking action?

When did they start having a grudge against Gu Gan?

Is Gu Gan really that annoying?

Pang Rong stared blankly at the people fighting. Sheng Fei, who was beside him, also joined the fight. He shouted, and Mu Mengbai patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's alright outside, but here you can fight within the rules. We can't stop you."

Under the protection of Li Jinshuang's sword spirit, Gu Gan took the initiative to attack, whispering as he formed hand seals: "Four Directions Guardian Stars".

It is the name of a famous magic array.

In theory, the art of writing and speaking by famous people can be visualized as long as one masters the "name".

A series of cyan light screens rose from both sides of the shallow beach, causing the earth to tremble. As the night deepened, the cyan light screens enveloped the entire shallow beach, and thousands of stars floated in the space above, illuminating the ground.

The famous formation "Four Directions Guarding the Stars" is specifically designed to counter the Nine Star Formations of the Yin-Yang School.

While isolating itself from the outside world, the magic array not only draws on the power of the stars, preventing Xing Chun's Yin-Yang techniques from taking form.

The Frost Python began to become unstable, appearing and disappearing intermittently. It swayed its body, drawing power from its snow-white scales, which slowly rose and lit up stars in the sky.

To restore the power of the stars that was stolen and borrowed by the lowly sorcerers.

Gu Gan made a sudden attack, hiding his figure close to the elusive Frost White Python. He suddenly appeared when the python returned to Xing Chun's side, his body crackling with lightning, and his five fingers transformed into claws, striking straight at Xing Chun's heart.

Legalist judgments, celestial techniques, and thunder punishments.

The "Four Guardian Stars" rapidly and swiftly drew upon the power of the stars. Xing Chun's defenses were shattered by the lightning strike. Gu Gan's five claws, carrying lightning, had already hooked onto Xing Chun's clothes, but Mei Liangyu, who appeared in an instant, grabbed his hand.

The Taoist golden lightning brought by Mei Liangyu flashed and collided with Gu Gan's lightning punishment. Gu Gan clicked his tongue in his heart and reacted quickly to break away and create distance.

As Xing Chun waved his hand, the reunited Xuanwu Star Array appeared beside him, the stars connected in a line shimmering with a ghostly blue light. He slowly said, "Now is not the time for you to fight four against one in the outer city."

Gu Gan felt a slight unease in his heart upon hearing this.

Mei Liangyu raised her eyes and looked at Li Jinshuang.

Qian Ying turned around and grabbed Li Jinshuang, saying, "Don't look!"

But it was too late.

Li Jinshuang's eyes met Mei Liangyu's. The man's clear, dark eyes reflected her image, plunging her into an endless abyss.

The medical secrets of heaven enter the eye and the heart.

Li Jinshuang froze, her consciousness sinking into an abyss. Countless fragments of memories flashed by, and the whispers around her were like thunder, pounding heavily on her heart and pulling her soul into oblivion.

All positive emotions and perseverance were instantly shattered and began to collapse. Her consciousness screamed hysterically, sinking into despair and falling into darkness. Everything she had in control was out of control.

Mei Liangyu knew that Li Jinshuang could not fully control her sword spirit. Once Li Jinshuang's consciousness collapsed and went out of control, her sword spirit would also be out of control and would begin to indiscriminately distinguish between friend and foe.

Qian Ying was about to use her magic to wake Li Jinshuang when she was repelled by the chess piece that Sheng Fei had pointed out.

Although Sheng Fei wanted to beat up Gu Gan, he kept a close eye on Qian Ying's movements, since he had suffered too many losses at Qian Ying's hands before.

"Keep an eye on her, don't let her successfully use the poison, otherwise all five elements will be reversed," Mu Mengbai said to Pang Rong, pointing at Qian Ying.

Pang Rong said with a dark face, "I already said I wouldn't fight."

Mu Mengbai cast a divination: "You can't leave even if you want to. Anyone who tries to sneak away will be beaten up."

Pang Rong grumbled and stared at Qian Ying.

Qian Ying, who had been knocked back by the chess piece, turned around and glared fiercely at Sheng Fei. Just as she was about to make a move, she heard a low, oppressive roar. The stones on the cliff trembled and fell into the shallow water with a splash.

Li Jinshuang's sword spirit roared, and eight sword blades spun at high speed, slashing fiercely and sharply in different directions. The sword energy swept across the area, and no one in the shallow water was spared.

Xun Zhiya led Qian Ying away, dodging the flying sword blades.

Sheng Fei broke Gu Gan's "Four Directions Guarding Stars" formation, and most of the blue starlight dissipated, revealing the dark night sky once again.

Zhong Lishan stood on the white bones, and he was the closest to the skull. He saw the skull roaring with its head raised, and he raised an eyebrow slightly. He then swung his sword and knocked back Gu Gan, who was lucky enough not to be swept out of the sword spirit's protection range by the blade.

Gu Gan was forced back by the sword energy. Xing Chun reunited with the Frost White Python. Under the cover of the Frost White Python, Mei Liangyu passed through the sword spirit and, carrying golden lightning, drove Gu Gan back into the dark cave.

Qian Ying's gaze faltered: "Brother Gu!"

The teleportation array inside the cave is still closed.

Gu Gan was struck by the golden lightning and sent flying back several meters. He stood up against the stone wall and, amidst the crackling of the golden lightning, whispered, "Break the spell."

The golden lightning flashing in the cave vanished instantly.

Mei Liangyu stopped in his tracks. In the pitch-black darkness, the sealing power deep within his consciousness was weakened further, and a sudden memory flashed like a golden light:

A bustling long street, the lights of the night, the ever-changing stars, the dazzling and beautiful magic of the Nine Schools, the rocky path home, a gorgeously dressed woman holding his hand, smiling as she hands him a red paper windmill that spins in the night breeze.

[Author's Note]

Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!