Chapter 20

Everything happened in just a moment. Xiao Mo felt that he might have screamed out loud, or he might not have.

There were screams and roars all around, and even if he shouted, he might not be able to hear his own voice clearly.

The world of cultivation is not just the Chu family's square mansion, not just Chu Jinglan and the inner demon mission, death and blood are spread out in front of him so unexpectedly.

For a person who grew up in a modern stable society, watching living people being torn apart in front of him, all peace was truly shattered at this moment.

Xiao Mo took a deep breath, and then he realized that he had been suffocating for a long time. The breathing of the inner demon was very special. Unless he deliberately simulated it, even Chu Jinglan would think that he was not breathing. The broken head was still facing him, and the eyes had begun to be covered with gray. Xiao Mo was trembling. He wanted to return to the sea of ​​consciousness. He didn't want to look, but he had to look.

These are not fake, they are real people.

If he were to enter the world of cultivation, he would certainly see such cruel scenes again in the future.

Chu Jinglan's eyes were bloodshot with murderous intent, the sword was humming, and the sword intent was already apparent. The bamboo forest was lush and green, and the white mist in the early morning broke through the heavy clouds, splashing with blood. Chu Jinglan was not a gentleman, and the lush bamboo forest had forged a murderous sword.

After the two monsters were killed, everyone had new injuries, including Chu Jinglan and Su Baimo, who had remained unharmed until now.

But they are all luckier than the five people who could never move forward.

After the disaster, no one has suggested burying the poor bodies.

Because it was not advisable to stay here for a long time, the first time they ignored Chu Jinglan's advice and insisted on burying the bodies in the dangerous place where the blood was still there, the result was that two more lives were lost to the monster.

Chu Jinglan wiped the blood off his face, his eyes were murderous and cold: "Let's go."

The young master of the Bian family pulled Su Baimo up. Su Baimo had a small cut on his arm. The old wound of the young master Bian was exposed and he said to him, "Don't be afraid."

Su Baimo grabbed him with shaking hands and feet: "Well, well..."

After walking for a long distance, Xiao Mo couldn't help but look back.

My sight was blocked by the vegetation and rocks that kept passing by behind me. The corpses that no one had collected seemed to be buried layer by layer. The bones were entangled in the weeds, and the road ahead was unknown.

Countless monks fell on the road to heaven, and in Chu Jinglan's finale, he would also lie quietly in the depths of the Demon Realm, forever keeping his sights fixed on a certain point...

The corpse behind him could no longer be seen. Xiao Mo swallowed hard, choking so hard that his heart, liver, spleen and lungs all ached.

Life and death are just a moment away; this is the reality of the world of cultivation.

On the fourth day, some people came and some died.

On the fifth day, no one came, but people still died.

Xiao Mo was overwhelmed by a large number of deaths in a short period of time. He was still not used to it, but his body gradually stopped shaking.

Because for those who are fleeing, even the time for grief is precious. The fleeting life casts a dark cloud over the heads of the living, and they have to move forward even under the dark clouds.

Xiao Mo, a man who seemed to be on the sidelines but was also part of the situation, gradually became a true monk through witnessing the situation.

It was not until the sixth day that they finally broke through numerous obstacles and reached the core area of ​​the third layer. The area near the Spirit Crystal was temporarily safe, and everyone was finally able to breathe.

Only twelve people left.

The moment they saw the spirit crystal, everyone's eyes lit up, but no one cheered because they were too tired. They all forced themselves to step into the core area, and someone fainted almost immediately. Chu Jinglan's vision went dark, so he found a corner and sat down against the stone wall.

The bandages on his body were stained with blood and dirt, and his scabbard was thrown out to fight the enemy and never found again. His hands were shaking from excessive force and tension for a long time, but he never let go of the sword from beginning to end.

Su Baimo sat down not far from him, with two other people around him, but the young master of the Bian family was not one of them.

The young master of the Bian family died.

Su Baimo cried for a while and never mentioned him again. After all, too many people died and the living were busy, and no one thought there was anything wrong with Su Baimo.

But the person next to him who also lost his childhood sweetheart would think of his childhood sweetheart and secretly wipe away tears when he was resting, but Su Baimo did not do that.

Something had indeed changed in him, or rather, some of his previously unclear paths had become clearer, and Su Baimo had found his own way of survival.

Chu Jinglan's vigilance has been stretched to the extreme. Any slight movement can trigger his nerves, so he will never let the sword go. Apart from killing, his mind has become numb. When the bandage needs to be changed, he opens his mouth and bites off the bandage on his arm, preparing to bandage it with one hand.

His mouth was filled with blood and mud, and his eyes were cold and murderous.

"Chu Jinglan."

Chu Jinglan paused biting the bandage and looked at the inner demon that jumped onto his knees.

"I'll keep watch for you," Xiao Mo said, "Put down your sword first and bandage your wound first."

Someone asked him to put down the sword. Chu Jinglan's hands holding the sword tightened their consciousness. He bit the bloody bandage and looked at his inner demon with cold eyes.

The inner demon's small, black eyes showed no emotion, but it stared at him stubbornly and firmly.

The spirit crystal was dim at this time, and there were low sobbing sounds all around. The skylight of the secret realm was distant and hazy, casting shadows on the young people. Chu Jinglan sat in the deep shadows, his face was handsome and cold, and his expression was gloomy.

After a moment, his fingers, which had been stiff for a long time, moved, little by little, and with great difficulty loosened the blood-stained hilt.

Chu Jinglan finally let go of the sword.

The shackled air began to flow again, and Xiao Mo exhaled slowly. He lay on Chu Jinglan's knees, where no one else could see, and quietly rolled up a corner of the bandage for him.

Chu Jinglan took it in silence, his hands shaking uncontrollably, and after letting go of the sword, he almost couldn't hold on to the soft bandage.

After reapplying medicine to the bloody wound and changing the bandage, Chu Jinglan closed his eyes and regulated his breathing, while Xiao Mo lay on his knees, looking at Lingjing in silence.

After three hours, the spirit crystal will light up, and the way home will be open for everyone.

Chu Jinglan's inevitable disaster is about to come.

After running for too long, the three hours of peace made the disciples fall into an unreal emptiness at first, and then gradually relaxed. As time passed, everyone inevitably became anxious in anticipation.

After Chu Jinglan recovered most of his strength through breathing exercises, he silently polished his sword. The storage space of the disciples in the lower realm was limited, and even the disciples from noble families could not fill them with mountains of gold and silver. Chu Jinglan brought three spiritual swords on this trip, and broke two of them. This was the last one.

There were also faint cracks on the sword.

After three agonizing hours, the spirit crystal finally showed signs of movement.

The spirit crystal was ten meters high and three meters wide, extending from the ground to the sky, and from top to bottom. When it suddenly burst into light, it almost blinded the people around it, but everyone stared at it like crazy, and even if they were stung to tears, they refused to look away.

The secret realm is about to be opened, and they can finally get out, finally!

The Dusk Mountain Spirit Crystal was like ancient amber, sparkling with orange light. Countless runes were rapidly flowing within the broad boulder, and rich Taoism was filling it. Bathed in the spiritual light, even the wounds did not hurt so much anymore.

Even Chu Jinglan stood up and stared at the spirit crystal without blinking, his teeth clenched.

Xiao Mo's situation was not good.

The golden light that seemed to be salvation to everyone, actually made the black mist around him disperse in thin wisps. Xiao Mo seemed to hear a non-existent sizzling sound of burning, and he felt pain all over his body. He went from being a salted fish to a fried fish and was almost roasted.

But he refused to admit defeat and lay on Chu Jinglan's shoulder, refusing even to hide in his sleeves to avoid the golden light.

Chu Jinglan also noticed the black mist that had melted the inner demon's body, and frowned: "Go back to the Sea of ​​Consciousness."

Xiao Mo struggled to speak: "For the time being, I can't go back."

Xiao Mo gritted his teeth and stared at the golden light. Suddenly, his eyes went dark.

Xiao Mo was stunned for a moment and turned his head away.

Chu Jinglan's gaze was fixed on the spirit crystal without moving, not paying any attention to Xiao Mo, but he placed his hand on his shoulder to block the light for Xiao Mo.

It seemed like just an unintentional action.

Xiao Mohun's whole body began to tremble violently.

He choked up and said in a harsh voice: "Chu..."

However, the next moment, Chu Jinglan's stunned expression and the exclamations from those around him interrupted the already weak voice of the inner demon.

"It stopped? It stopped!?"

The spiritual crystal light column that was supposed to soar into the sky and penetrate the heaven and earth was unexpectedly stopped halfway, struggling to climb in mid-air. In the panicked eyes of the people, the golden light did not give up, and continued to climb little by little, but at this moment, everyone felt the ground beneath their feet began to shake.

No, not only the earth, but also the sky!

Chu Jinglan turned his head suddenly: "Xu Er!"

The second young master of the Xu family had a bloodshot face: "Forget it, forget it!"

The Xu family is good at talismans and formations. He pinched his fingers to create an afterimage. His eyes were burned by the runes on the spirit crystal. He shed two lines of blood and tears. In the earthquake, he collapsed and revealed the result: "The secret realm is about to collapse! The passage can't be opened!"

Boom——

The sound of Xu Er's collapse was like a death sentence, and despair was like a collapsing rock. They could only watch it fall, feeling so small and powerless.

Su Baimo, like the others, opened his eyes wide in horror. All the strength in his body was drained away, and he fell to his knees, paralyzed.

How, why, are they going to die?

Xiao Mo, who was not supposed to hear other people's thoughts, suddenly felt his heart beating and a faint voice echoing in his ears. The deep despair and panic of the people around him turned into invisible spiritual power that surged towards him and even soothed the pain of being burned by the golden light.

Fragrance, these people whose spirits were about to collapse actually had a special fragrance coming from them. Xiao Mo was a little dazed by the fragrance. It smelled so good, so comfortable...

But there was a voice like solid ice and snow, breaking through the thick mist and awakening Xiao Mo.

Chu Jinglan was the only one standing on the towering cliff, as still as a pine tree. He looked at Xu Er without a trace of despair on his face: "You have a solution."

It's not a question, it's an affirmation.

Xu Er met Chu Jinglan's calm eyes and could not continue speaking.

He shuddered, and smeared the blood on his face twice. The more he wiped, the more blood appeared. The more he wiped, the messier it became. Finally, he gave up and stopped: "...Yes, there is a solution."

Chu Yusheng and a few others rushed over almost immediately. They couldn't stand the torture any longer: "What is it? Tell me now!"

Xu Er was nearly staggered by him and rudely slapped Chu Yusheng away. He was trembling and only looked at Chu Jinglan, trying hard to straighten his tongue and speak clearly.

"The spiritual power of the spirit crystal is not enough, but it will not stop. It will draw power from the secret realm to open the door, but before the door opens, we will be crushed to death by the collapsing secret realm, unless we open the door first."

Su Baimo's face was covered with tears, and he sobbed, "What should I do?"

I've already said that I don't have enough spiritual power, so what else can I do? The survivors who realized the correct answer were all shocked, and then slowly looked towards Chu Jinglan.

Make up for what you lack. The answer is spiritual power.

Xu Er looked at Chu Jinglan in shock and suddenly bowed: "If I can be of use, I will never refuse, but the spiritual crystal can only absorb the purest spiritual power above the Jindan stage. Chu, Master Chu, I beg you to save me."

Among all the people, only Chu Jinglan has a golden elixir.

Su Baimo's eyes were filled with tears as she looked at Chu Jinglan in confusion.

Chu Jinglan's hairband was a little loose, and a few strands of black hair fell on his face. Behind him were the climbing aura and the collapsing mountains. He lowered his eyes and said in an unusually calm voice: "What will happen to me?"

Xu Er knelt on the ground, gritted his teeth and shook out the words: "In serious cases, I will die. In minor cases, my Dantian meridians will be destroyed and my cultivation will decline."

Chu Jinglan laughed softly: What a light punishment.

In serious cases, the patient will die; in minor cases, the patient will be crippled.

He started practicing at the age of three and practiced hard for fourteen years. He protected his mother and himself in the Chu family, a cannibalistic place, relying on the sword in his hand. If he became a useless man, how would he survive in the future?

But if he does nothing, he will die in the secret realm today.

Xu Er actually didn't need to beg him. As long as Chu Jinglan wanted to live, he only had one choice.

But even if you know that the correct answer is right in front of you, it is not so easy to take the first step. With all your cultivation, who would be willing to give up?

"Chu, Chu Jinglan, I beg you too!"

Chu Yusheng staggered over to his knees, his face looking extremely miserable, but Chu Jinglan just glanced at him indifferently and said nothing.

Chu Yusheng felt a chill down his spine when he saw his frosty and snowy look. He inexplicably felt that Chu Jinglan was high above them all, abandoning them all.

People who are in extreme panic and on the verge of collapse cannot stand stimulation, and the slightest movement can drive them crazy. Chu Yusheng is not a good person by nature. He has to kneel down and beg for mercy, which is humiliating. He has already knelt down, what else does Chu Jinglan want!

"Don't you want to save me? Okay, I knew it, Chu Jinglan, you are a ruthless person. The Chu family gave you everything you wanted, but you just watched us die without saving us. You deserve to be cut off from all relatives and be alone!"

Chu Jinglan's calm gaze suddenly condensed into a cold sword and stabbed straight at Chu Yusheng. Chu Yusheng shivered violently, sat down on the ground, kicked his legs like a zebra dog, and shrank back a few meters.

Chu Wumei, who always obeyed him, came up and pushed him, causing him to stumble. She begged Chu Jinglan, "Brother Jinglan, don't listen to him. Brother, for the sake of our blood connection, please save me. I beg you!"

Brothers and sisters? Chu Jinglan never thought he had any.

He really wanted to kill Chu Yusheng. If the Chu family had not interfered, Chu Yusheng would have been dead after he hired someone to kill him.

He didn't protect Chu Yusheng much along the way, but Chu Yusheng made use of others and hid well, so he actually survived.

Chu Jinglan thought casually: What a pity.

If he killed Chu Yusheng himself, and once the rest of the people got out and the Chu family knew the truth, he and his mother would become useless and there would be no way out. They would not be able to survive.

Chu Jinglan had to take the remaining survivors out, otherwise no matter what happened in the secret realm, people outside might not believe him and might even think that he had killed everyone.

The murderous intent in Chu Jinglan that was provoked by Chu Yusheng gradually subsided.

Chu Yusheng saved his life and dared not bark again. He stayed away from Chu Jinglan.

The secret realm was about to collapse, but Chu Jinglan did not move.

Waste, waste... He never thought that this word would one day be associated with himself.

Chu Jinglan twisted her fingertips and unconsciously raised her hand close to her shoulder until she felt a slight chill on her fingertips.

Chu Jinglan turned his head silently and saw the inner demon sitting on his shoulder. The little demon held one of his fingers with both hands, and the little demon's dark body kept shaking.

Chu Jinglan's back, which had been tense from shock, suddenly relaxed.

He is the one who is about to be killed, how could there be someone more afraid than him?

No matter what the inner demon's reason for worrying, whether it was for the inner demon's own interests or anything else, at least at this moment, Chu Jinglan's hands did not shake.

He raised his finger and pressed it on the head of the Xiao Mo figurine.

Then he turned around and walked towards the spirit crystal in everyone's gaze.

No matter whether they were celebrating or overjoyed, Chu Jinglan didn't want to watch.

Su Baimo squinted his eyes and saw Chu Jinglan's actions. Although his mood was complicated, he was mostly filled with relief and joy. He knew that he was saved, so how could he not be happy?

“I’m saving myself.”

Chu Jinglan said.

Xiao Mo approached the spirit crystal, with a dark mist swirling around him. Only he could hear Chu Jinglan's voice. Xiao Mo said, "I know."

You just happened to save their lives, too.

Chu Jinglan threw away the sword, gathered the spiritual power with his fingers, and pressed the Lingxu acupoint hard. The spiritual power quickly gathered in the meridians, and entered the Taiyuan along the shoulders and neck. All the spiritual power in the body rushed out, and then he slapped the spiritual crystal with one palm.

The pillar of light that was climbing up with difficulty paused for a moment, and the next moment, the golden light became brighter, like a hungry and greedy beast, madly absorbing the food that was delivered to its doorstep.

Chu Jinglan's meridians and Dantian were ignited by a fire. He became the life-saving fire in the wind and snow, the firewood that burned his body, the dim beacon fire, the sparse light, Chu Jinglan's eyes seemed to be lit up as well, and they were astonishingly bright.

Perhaps it was because the golden light was burning his inner demons, but Xiao Mo's internal organs were also extremely hot, half painful and half swollen, as if sea water was pouring back into a stream, swelling up to the point of bursting.

Chu Jinglan's spiritual power surged to the extreme, the moonlight in his sea of ​​consciousness was bright, and the only remaining gap in the moon was filled up little by little, and it was in the extreme burning that he touched Yuan Ying's door.

The moon was about to become full, but it stopped at the last point.

The silvery white moon was like a reflection in a mirror, and it was surging violently. Ripples of water were spreading out in circles, creating huge waves in the sky. With a loud bang, the moon in the sea of ​​consciousness was shattered into pieces, turning into specks of stardust and dust, which fluttered down from the sky, onto the branches of dead trees, and into the lake.

The silvery-white flames flickered one last time on the branches, then faded away feebly.

Chu Jinglan's Dantian was shattered, his meridians were torn, and he spat out a mouthful of blood on the spirit crystal and fell backwards.

The golden light was so bright that it penetrated the heaven and earth. Before the secret realm completely collapsed, the door opened and trapped all the living people inside.

The elders outside who had sensed something was wrong had been waiting for a long time. After the gate opened, brilliant rays of light came in like the way they came, but they were all high-spirited when they left, and were covered in blood when they returned, tragically and miserably.

Many people fell down, but Chu Jinglan was the only one who landed safely as if someone had supported him.

Chu Jinglan was so shocked that he hadn't fainted yet.

The feeling of spiritual power draining away had disappeared. He was left with only pain, the pain of being torn apart, as if his flesh and blood had been cut open. He moved his fingers with difficulty, but could do nothing, could not see anything clearly, and fell completely into darkness and passed out.

At the same time, the black mist in his sea of ​​consciousness surged wildly, enveloping the inner demon that had just been pulled back into his sea of ​​consciousness. Xiao Mo's slender limbs curled up and tightened, and he lay with his knees hugged. He closed his eyes, half floating in the air with the black mist, a red lotus bloomed between his eyebrows, and his eyelashes trembled like butterfly wings, struggling to wake up.

Xiao Mo's clothes were gone, and he was naked like a baby. His body, which should have been intact, was now tattered, with large holes on it, leaving only a little burning golden shadow on the edge.

The black mist wrapped around his body, forming a cocoon.

The cultivation that Chu Jinglan had pushed forward was shattered into nothingness at the gate of Yuan Ying, and plummeted, but the inner demon that was his shadow filled the sea water and its power did not diminish.

The mist poured strength into Xiao Mo's body from every limb, repairing his shell bit by bit. The missing flesh gradually became fuller, as white as jade, warm, smooth and delicate, without any trace of scars.

Xiao Mo's wrinkled brows and trembling eyelashes were gradually smoothed out, and his pretty face settled down. He looked so pure and moving even in his sleep.

His black hair fell on his fair back, softly hanging down to his waist. The black and white were clearly distinguished, and it was breathtakingly beautiful.

Evil and beautiful, yet pure and incomparable.

After a moment, Xiao Mo hummed softly and woke up slowly.

There was still a dazed mist in his eyes, hazy and rippling, but a dark red light flashed through his dark pupils, and the black mist unconsciously circled around his body, full of demonic intent.

The Taoist fell into the abyss and the demons rose into the sky.

The inner demon Yuanying is fully developed.