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Chu Qing's heart felt as if it were being churned by a dull knife, blood splattering everywhere. Her voice, like a taut, overstretched string, trembled slightly as she slowly spoke, "I...I will protect him."

Secret Realm - Cave

After a long while, Yin Li slowly woke up from his coma. He moved his body and found no internal injuries, but the suction was so strong that his arms, waist and abdomen were scraped.

The Qingfeng Sword was tossed aside, and the light of the Xuanbing Spirit Orb kept flashing, indicating that everything in the cave was related to the Huowu Spirit Orb.

This is the true third secret realm, a place only the first to pass the trial is qualified to enter, but now, Yin Li stands in the center of the secret realm.

The demonic energy surged continuously, and the entire center of the cave was covered in purple-red. At this moment, the Xuanbing Spirit Pearl suddenly flew up from the middle of the sword hilt and quickly moved in one direction.

Without saying a word, Yin Li followed, winding through various forks in the road, and finally stopped in a secret room.

The secret room was completely unmarked, with thick cobwebs covering the corners, indicating that no one had been there for many years.

Buzz—Buzz—

Upon arriving at this place, the Xuanbing Spirit Pearl seemed to have lost control and darted around slightly from side to side. Suddenly, it stopped in front of a stone wall and remained motionless.

As if sensing something, Yin Li raised his hand and a continuous stream of demonic energy poured in. Sure enough, a golden array lit up.

It must have been set up thousands of years ago to seal the Fire Dance Spirit Orb, but he could break through these formations set up with spiritual energy out of thin air.

The purplish-red demonic energy suddenly surged out of nowhere. The formation from a thousand years ago had been shattered to the point of near exhaustion. In just a moment, the formation disappeared under Yin Li's powerful attack. The heavy stone gate in front slowly moved to both sides, and a dazzling red light rushed over in an instant.

Clang!

Sword energy burst forth from behind, and without a second thought, Yin Li pinned it to the stone wall beside him with a backhand strike. The demonic energy continued to devour the weapon, and he turned his head slightly, revealing a bloodthirsty smile.

"Yelang, how have you been?"

"Yin Li, you really are connected to the demon race!"

Ye Lang instantly unleashed his full cultivation. His eldest disciple, a peak Nascent Soul cultivator, struggled to draw his sword and pointed it directly at his opponent: "Surrender now, and Green Mountain Peak might spare your corpse."

Yin Li raised an eyebrow with a sneer, her disdain almost overflowing: "You think you can get away with it?"

He waved his hand again, and half of the mountain wall on the right shattered. Then he grabbed something from thin air, and a powerful burst of spiritual energy suddenly erupted in front of him.

It is Wen Ruyu

The man with the long white beard and white robes was no longer as ethereal and dignified as before. At this moment, Wen Ruyu's eyes were filled with covetousness and infatuation. He had finally waited for the moment when the Fire Dance Spirit Pearl would appear in the world.

"You guys are really overestimating yourselves."

Yin Li smiled. Nourished by the Sun Spring Grass, his magic power was now far superior to theirs. He truly deserved to be called a rare cultivation genius, and his strength as a half-demon was terrifying.

"Yin Li, if you use demonic energy to fight us now, what awaits you is endless judgment."

Wen Ruyu was a little nervous. He was not sure what this little madman would do. Although he was an elder and his strength was not bad, he was still not confident in dealing with the upper half-demon bloodline.

"Trial? You'll all go to hell before I'm put on trial."

"The Spirit Pearl is also a pipe dream."

After speaking, the young man's clothes fluttered, and a stream of demonic energy flowed into the Qingfeng Sword, driving it to stab at the two people opposite him!

Clang!

clang!

The sword flashed past, leaving afterimages, each move extremely ruthless, causing Wen Ruyu and his apprentice to retreat repeatedly.

He had never seen such ruthless swordsmanship before. How had this little madman, without any source of instruction, managed to comprehend it?

The thought was terrifying, and Wen Ruyu broke out in a cold sweat, but he had no time to think about such things. Seeing the madman opposite him taking the Xuanbing Spirit Pearl into the deepest secret chamber, he gave Ye Lang a look and got up to chase after him.

Bang!

The energies of immortals and demons clashed fiercely, forming a barrier in front of the two. Yin Li remained calm and continued to release demonic energy, but did not give Wen Ruyu a quick death.

"Elder Wen, I'll call you 'Elder' one last time. It doesn't matter if you instigated Ye Lang to bully and humiliate me, but your attempt to use my master to widen the rift between me and her is truly—"

Damn it!

With a furious roar, the boy's eyes flashed with blood. In the instant his demonic energy surged, a crimson light pierced through the mountaintop, shooting straight into the sky and staining half the sky red.

"Demonic energy! It's from the demons!"

"The demons are actually in the secret realm!"

In the open space not far away, all the disciples had basically gathered. Even within Chu Qing's protective barrier, they could still feel that terrifying pressure.

Who on earth possesses such powerful demonic techniques?

Ling Xueluo stood beside Chu Qing, her unease growing stronger. She looked to her master for help, but he seemed to have guessed something, his eyes filled with tension and pain.

"Master, is it a demon invasion?"

She asked cautiously, with a tentative tone, trying to dispel the unease in her heart.

"Yes, but not entirely." Chu Qing said coldly, without saying anything more. They had been waiting for Elder Hua to arrive with the other sects, but Ling Xueluo felt a lump in her throat and almost burst into tears.

He didn't say anything, but it seemed he was absolutely certain.

How could that be? It's impossible.

But the next second, all the beautiful fantasies and hopes were ruthlessly shattered.

The Fire Dance Spirit Orb flew into the sky along with the remaining purplish-red demonic energy. A black figure rushed forward at great speed and grabbed it. The green sword beside it also appeared more vibrant under the abundance of demonic energy.

That was the Qingfeng Sword.

That was Yin Li.

The pride of Qingshan Peak, gentle and refined, a peerless genius.

But now, he is covered in demonic energy and is seizing the spirit pearl.

"Senior Brother Yin Li!"

"This...could this barrier be to protect against him?"

But before the disciples could think, a large group of people appeared from the other side of the sky. Disciples in various colored sect robes came into view, and Hua Qi was leading the group.

"It's Elder Hua, he's come to our aid!"

Chu Qing opened the barrier, and with a heavy heart, she and Xu Zhi Qiu came to his side and briefly explained the current situation.

"Look, that's Elder Wen!"

"What's he doing here?!"

A black and a white figure intertwined in the sky. Wen Ruyu's expression at this moment was more like that of a demon, with bloodshot eyes, determined to seize the spirit pearl.

"Yin Li, you've been exposed. Green Mountain Peak won't tolerate you. Why don't we cooperate?"

The person opposite him merely glanced at him and said, "Dream on."

“Yin Li! Not only will Green Mountain Peak not tolerate you, but your master will also handle the matter impartially. If we cooperate now, we still have a chance of winning.”

Upon hearing his master's name, he seemed to pause for a moment, but still said without hesitation, "You need the Fire Dance Spirit Orb to seize the divine artifact? That's wishful thinking."

If we were to cooperate with such a despicable person while carrying something of such importance, chaos and suffering would surely ensue.

"Good, very good!"

Wen Ruyu wanted to pretend to be innocent and return to the territory of Qingshan Peak, but before she could take a step, she was bound by a powerful demonic aura.

"Trying to leave?" A ghostly voice rang in my ears. "The demon army you've allied with is already stirring. Perhaps I should summon them ahead of time?"

In an instant, Wen Ruyu felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss.

How did he find out?

No, no, his demonic energy is so strong, it's not surprising that I could sense it. But what is he going to do!

Before she could even think, Wen Ruyu felt her arm rise uncontrollably, and a cluster of purplish-red demonic energy appeared in her hand, which she waved rhythmically towards the sky.

He's summoning demons!

He's gone mad!

However, it was not Yin Li's doing that summoned the demons. Before he could even use his internal techniques, Ye Lang, who was in the shadows, had already sent out a signal.

"Yelang!"

"Master," he chuckled, blood trickling from his lips, a hint of madness in his eyes, "What you didn't have time to do, your disciple will do for you!"

In an instant, at the junction of the Tianshan Mountains, a dark mass of demonic creatures surged toward this place at an extremely fast speed, like a raging tidal wave.

"It's—it's the demon army, it's Wen Ruyu, no, it's Senior Brother Ye Lang!"

"How could they collude with the demons!"

"Qingshan Peak, heed my command! Form the battle formation!"

Amidst the immense panic, a clear, cold voice pierced through everyone's ears, like a sudden awakening, instantly calming many people down.

Chu Qing flew forward and removed the barrier. Seeing this, the other sects that came to support her also hurriedly had their disciples prepare for the battle.

In a short while, everything around was stained red with blood, and even the setting sun overhead was tinged with blood. A stench permeated the entire mountain forest.

Roars, howls, and everyone was in a frenzy of fighting. The sect disciples fought desperately to resist the demons that seemed to have come from hell. Under the arrangement of Xu Zhi Qiu and Hua Qi, the situation gradually came under control.

"I'm going over there; I can't let them get away."

Chu Qingge said to the two of them that both spirit orbs were now in Yin Li's hands. Just as she was about to get up, she felt someone tugging at her clothes.

Ling Xueluo seemed to have been crying; her red eyes stared at her, and her voice, like a broken leaf, choked as she said, "Master, will Senior Brother die?"

Chu Qing's heart felt as if it were being churned by a dull knife, blood splattering everywhere. Her voice, like a taut string, trembled slightly as she slowly spoke: "I... will protect him."

Please allow yourself this one selfish thought: whether Yin Li falls off the cliff or returns, she will do her best to prevent Qingshan Peak from bringing down judgment.

Ling Xueluo seemed to have never seen Chu Qing so resolute for Yin Li before. In the instant she was stunned, she had already flown away into the distance.

[System, what is the male lead's current affection level?]

【99. Once we obtain the Spirit Orb, summon the artifact, and defeat the villain, our mission will be complete.】

【Okay】Chu Qing nodded. Perhaps in the system, there is no difference between 99 and 100.

Soon, she reached the summit of the mountain, slowed her pace, and then slowly, slowly approached Yin Li.

Wen Ruyu was seriously injured at this time. He was being supported by Ye Lang, but his eyes remained fixed on the spirit pearl in the other's hand.

"Yin Li"

A soft call made the boy turn his head.

[Author's Note]

I expect the male lead to fall off a cliff in the next chapter or the one after that, followed by lots of angst, forced love, and a tragic ending~~~[shy]