At this moment, Zhong Changyao was not only vomiting blood from his mouth, but also from his heart, feeling desolate.
He really didn't know what went wrong?
According to what was written in the storybook, he rushed to save Jimo Shu without even wiping himself clean, but as soon as he gave his name, he was slapped in the face.
He was caught off guard and attacked without holding back, almost reducing his realm by two levels, leaving him seriously injured.
He tumbled into the dusty sand, vomiting blood and remaining unconscious for a full hour before being urgently awakened by a mysterious, powerful being within the space. Upon awakening, he felt he was only an inch away from the monster's mouth, a cold sweat pouring down his face.
Who could have imagined why Jimo Shu would suddenly do such a cruel thing?
No matter how refined Zhong Changyao's cultivation, he couldn't tolerate such an overreach. Jimo Shu was a witch, to be sure; he had anticipated her capriciousness and was determined to tolerate it. But no matter what, such capriciousness shouldn't be directed at him. Perhaps he should reconsider her suitability for the role of Taoist companion.
At first he thought about it, but soon, Zhong Changyao even gave up this idea.
Because Jimo Shu not only wanted to slap him, it seemed like she really wanted to kill him.
She killed so deeply, so earnestly, that every time she was caught, she would suffer at least two wounds. Her attitude was also unpredictable, with an indifferent look, ready to kill anyone she encountered. Zhong Changyao's cultivation level was no match for her. As he fled in panic, he urgently pulled out the book "Against Heaven: The Gentleman is King" and wrote:
[Senior Ke, what's going on? ]
[Senior Ke, please help! ]
It was also at that time that he heard the news of the imperial seal, and he felt a little panic.
What imperial seal? It's not even in the storybook. Everything has changed.
The only thing that made him feel at ease was Senior Ke's unwavering support. He had nearly escaped Jimo Shu's clutches several times, but he had finally managed to survive thanks to Senior Ke's help. He even stumbled upon his own opportunity while injured, raising his strength to the Half-Step Nascent Soul stage.
Half a step to the Nascent Soul, logically speaking, he could compete with Jimo Shu for a while, and he didn't have to do so, but.
First, his injuries had not healed in the past few days. He was injured again and again, and the condition kept recurring. After being separated from Xue Lingxiu, he had no medical treatment to recover, and it seemed that the root of the disease had been left behind, and his body was extremely weak.
Second, although he didn't want to admit it, he no longer had any romantic thoughts about Jimo Shu.
No one could bring himself to eat such a terrifying woman. Now when he saw Jimo Shu, he subconsciously wanted to escape. It was a deeply ingrained habit that could not be changed in a short time.
Jimo Shu, with a black and white back, appeared in mid-air and said coldly, "Zhong Changyao, I can meet you wherever I go."
Her eyes swept over the two talisman cultivators below who looked worried, and she frowned.
"Miss Jimo, why are you targeting me so?" Zhong Changyao coughed violently twice, spitting out the blood clots. He gritted his teeth and said, "I don't understand how I offended you. I just wanted to save you at the time. Why did you..."
Yun Xian is in high spirits.
Every time there was a scene where the hero and heroine met, she couldn't help but watch it with great interest, and no one could pull her away.
"Let's go." Qiao Lingshan tugged at her arm and whispered, "The jade seal is still here. It would be bad if the witch found it. ... But what's so good about it?"
"Learn something." Yun Xian said, "What is the art of speaking?"
Very good! Zhong Changyao took the lead in using [Half-covered Face with the Pipa], leaving a lot of room for imagination. The effect was immediate, and the two Fu Xiu looked at Jimo Shu with a lot of contempt.
It would be fine if you didn't appreciate someone saving you, but instead you repayed their kindness with evil. You're truly a witch.
"Why should I?" Jimo Shu asked, "Why would the Demon Cult kill people? Why don't they ask why? I'm just not happy with you, right?"
Wonderful! Jimo Shu refused to be outdone and then used the [No Morals, No Kidnapping], admitting it frankly, leaving the other person with a punch that hit cotton and a dismal exit!
"Even clay figures have tempers. Don't go too far." His internal organs were still aching, and Zhong Changyao's disguise mask was almost broken. "Just because the Demon Cult acts recklessly, can they ignore the feelings of others?!"
"You're such an interesting person." Jimo Shu sneered and said as a matter of course: "I came to hunt you down, but I have to consider your feelings. Then why should I kill you? I can just worship you."
Zhong Changyao was so angry that he coughed a few more times and said sadly, "You... are truly hopeless!"
What a spectacle of the righteous being tortured by the evil sect! Yun Xian couldn't stand it any longer: "Stop talking!"
Everyone: “?”
Yun Xian: "Just do it, otherwise it will be too late."
Everyone: “…”
It seems the rumors that Yun Xian and Zhong Changyao, despite both originating from the Eastern Realm, had a terrible relationship were true. However, Zhong Changyao clearly had a perfectly good character. What had he done to offend Yun Xian?
Jimo Shu seemed to have heard Yun Xian's inner cry and stopped talking to him. Instead, her eyes became fierce, and a purple fragrance slowly emerged behind her. The silk was about to come out again with soft and fierce force!
At this moment, Zhong Changyao suddenly realized that Xue Lingxiu's eyes were caught in his peripheral vision.
Although he was covered by a black robe, he could still see that there was a huge group of people and he was about to say, "Xue——"
Before he could finish his words, he was interrupted by Jimo Shu. He was unable to dodge and his body swayed.
Xue Lingxiu: “!”
I was careless, I didn't hide... No, why should I hide? Zhong Changyao seemed to be originally from the Southern Realm. Yun Xian disliked him, that was Yun Xian's business, why should he dislike him? Wouldn't it be good to have another Half-Step Nascent Soul cultivator?
Everyone in Yunxian's group felt their hair stand on end. The moment Jimo Shu looked over here, they cleverly squatted on the ground with their heads in their hands.
"...Soul Cultivators?" Jimo Shu wasn't too disgusted with this seemingly up to no good sect, and her attitude was more gentle and kind. "What are you looking at? Get away quickly, or I'll dig out your eyes."
The Bull Demon and Mei Yanliu behind him looked at each other and thought silently in their hearts.
They do dig out people's skin and eyes. They talk about it every day. They have mentioned all the ten tortures, but till now, not a single one has been seen.
The new soul cultivators are communicating again.
Xue Lingxiu: "Zhong Changyao recognized me just now. If I tell my identity, I'm sure Jimo Shu won't let me go."
Qiao Lingshan: "Doesn't that mean we have to save him even if we don't want to?"
Qi Zhiye: "What are you worried about? Jimo Shu may not be my opponent."
Yun Xian: "What a big tone, have you eaten leeks? Do you know that the Saint Girl is in the Nascent Soul Stage?"
After everyone finished the secret discussion, Zhong Changyao was already filled with joy.
Finally, after being separated from the people of the Southern Realm for so long, he finally saw them. This group of black-robed men had been here since he appeared, presumably to rescue him.
After all, it goes without saying how much help a half-step Nascent Soul master can bring.
Zhong Changyao looked at Xue Lingxiu again, coughed twice, wiped the blood from the corner of his lips, then dodged forward and joined the crowd. A group of black-robed men carried him and greased their feet, quickly running towards the sky.
Jimo Shu changed her hand seals, summoned the magic bell, and attacked their backs. Unexpectedly, a magnificent Buddha light suddenly appeared under the black robe of one of them, and a golden light flashed over. The two collided and both were defeated.
"..." He ran away, no, he ran away again. Jimo Shu had gotten used to it these days. If she could really kill him with one blow, it would be incredible. She stared at the direction where everyone was running, her beautiful eyes fixed on him, and her fingers gently twisted away the remaining Buddha's aura.
...She hated this smell the most. It reminded her of the incense ash in the temple, which was irritating to her nose.
She was surprised to see that Buddhists could do such a thing. She had thought that those bald monks could only bang wooden fish, chant scriptures and eat food all day long.
"Saint, what should we do now?"
Jimo Shu retracted her gaze and opened her mouth: "I saw the light of the jade seal. Find them."
Zhong Changyao followed the crowd and ran all the way, finally arriving at a relatively safe cave.
He has now become a truly sickly beauty, with countless scars on his body. In order to preserve his fighting power, Xue Lingxiu naturally needs to treat him.
Zhong Changyao had already thought about what he needed to do when he returned here.
Everyone must be very curious about his experiences in recent days, what treasures he obtained, how he escaped from Jimo Shu's relentless pursuit, and what kind of noble people he met during this period.
But after lying there for half an hour, he found that things did not seem as he expected.
"...Brother Xue." Zhong Changyao half-undid his robe to allow Xue Lingxiu to treat him. He looked at the people walking around him with great energy, but surprisingly, few of them even looked at him. He then looked at Qi Zhiye, who was sitting casually on the other side of the boulder, and asked with difficulty, "Why is the leader of the Buddhist Village here?"
What a strange combination. And how did these black-robed soul cultivators and people from the Western Realm get mixed up in this group?
Xue Lingxiu lowered her eyes as she performed the acupuncture and said, "It's a rather complicated matter."
Zhong Changyao: "Nothing, just keep it short."
Xue Lingxiu: "I found it on the street, and now I'm selling myself to pay off my debts."
Zhong Changyao's blood pressure shot up: "...Ah?"
Selling herself? Selling to whom? Who wants to buy? No, is that what he meant?
Yun Xian was crunching an apple beside him, thinking, didn't you tell me to keep it short?
It's just a bit too short and looks like a cloze test.
Qiao Lingshan and Feng Ye were studying the Azure Dragon Seal, trying to find a way to ignite it by the simple process of elimination, but the effect was predictably not very good. The others built a defense line, sprinkled animal repellent powder, and directly copied Liu Shi's current highest intellectual achievement, hiding the jade seal in a pile of herbs, which instantly became much less noticeable.
Qi Zhiye stood up slowly and reluctantly set up a decoy for the camp.
Few people even noticed him. Zhong Changyao had been a dragon among men since he was a child, the best among the best. How could he have been ignored like this? Now he felt confused and had a vague sense of annoyance for no reason.
On the other side, Xue Lingxiu covered his wound with spiritual power to heal it, and said thoughtfully: "The evil spirit has invaded and is constantly damaging your meridians. I'm afraid it will take tomorrow to completely eliminate it."
There was a lot of concern in his words, and his tone was gentle, which made Zhong Changyao's heart move.
At least Xue Lingxiu was somewhat farsighted. He understood the pros and cons of a situation, and unlike others, he clearly prioritized himself. Zhong Changyao's lips twitched slightly, and before he could even say, "Brother Xue, don't worry," he watched as Xue Lingxiu, as if with eyes on his back, slapped the wrist of Yun Xian, who was watching from the side.
There was a slight crisp sound, and Yun Xian almost slapped the apple away from his mouth. He was stunned and said, "What are you doing?"
"You put everything in your mouth?" Xue Lingxiu had really put up with her for a long time, and her disdain was not concealed at all: "That apple has fallen to the ground and is covered in dust. You still want to eat it?"
Yun Xian really didn't understand him. He couldn't see other things, but he could see this kind of thing clearly: "Didn't I pick it up at lightning speed? And I even patted it several times. It's dirty, but you won't get sick if you eat it. Besides, I didn't give it to you."
"Whether you give it to me or not, I feel uncomfortable watching it." Xue Lingxiu stood up, cleansed her hands with a cleansing talisman, and said impatiently, "If you want to eat it, don't let me see you. Eat it secretly."
Yun Xian: “…”
She turned around reluctantly and fed the apple to Taiping.
She was so picky that she didn't believe that Xue Lingxiu didn't have a runny nose when she was a child, didn't lick the railings with her tongue, and didn't eat with her hands.
When Qi Zhiye heard the noise, he frowned and looked down at the apple in his hand.
This is the apple Yun Xian gave to Qiao Lingshan, who tossed it to him. Could this apple have fallen on the ground before? Is it edible?
"You're fine." Xue Lingxiu smiled slightly, "It's okay to eat something dirty, so eat more."
Qi Zhiye: “?”
Zhong Changyao lay on the ground, feeling like a miserable outsider.
This feeling is really bad.
"...Zhong Changyao." Xue Lingxiu finally drove the annoying guy away, feeling relieved. Turning back, he said to Zhong Changyao, "If your injuries are healed by tomorrow, you can recover to the Half-step Nascent Soul stage. Then, everyone's strength will rise again."
This was true. Throughout the secret realm, one of the group had a Nascent Soul, two Half-Step Nascent Souls, and one at the ninth level of the Golden Core, a truly rare achievement. Many sects were led by Half-Step Nascent Souls, and just one was enough to command an entire sect.
"Brother Xue," Zhong Changyao's expression hardened as he whispered, "...I already know about the Jade Seal. But there's only one leader, and now there are all kinds of people here. How will you make the decision then?"
At that time, the Eastern Realm was talking about cooperation. Xue Lingxiu thought that Yun Xian was trying to curry favor with him and would naturally not compete with him for the top spot. But now it seems that the situation may not be what he originally thought.
She is as competitive as anyone else, and if she has the chance, she will never give it up.
"The general trend of the world is that things that come together for a long time will eventually separate." Zhong Changyao saw his serious expression and added, "Moreover, I wonder what Qi Zhiye's intentions are in staying here. Brother Xue may have forgotten that when he first entered the secret realm, the Western Realm's score was always far ahead. This is enough to show that this person has a strong desire to win and is not as casual as he appears. Or maybe this is just a disguise to deceive all of you."
"Now that I have been promoted to the Half-step Nascent Soul stage, as long as my injuries are slightly better, I can continue to perform my duty of protection."
Zhong Changyao pursed his lips and continued, "Will continuing to travel with these two people help the Southern Realm's victory? Not at all. Now, except for the people from the Southern Realm, everyone is an enemy. Brother Xue, I'm not trying to advise you, nor do I want to sow discord. The truth hurts, but someone has to speak, so let me do it. What's more, the others are very likely not as close as you think. Everyone is plotting, so you must be cautious."
He spoke eloquently and eagerly, coughing occasionally as if he was pouring out his true feelings. Xue Lingxiu closed her eyes and said, "I understand."
He had the responsibility on his shoulders, so how could he not think of what Zhong Changyao said.
Xue Lingxiu had long understood in his heart that this hastily assembled group of people would only be a flash in the pan and would disperse sooner or later, perhaps even in the next moment, but for some reason, he at least didn't want to be the first one to fall apart.
The expression on his handsome features could not be discerned in the firelight. Xue Lingxiu lowered his eyes to look at his palms, thinking indifferently.
The Li family of the Southern Realm is extremely wealthy and can hire the world's best fighters to work for them at a wave of their hand. As the youngest son, he is doted on and has everything he wants, from childhood to now.
The eldest sister is like a mother, so she naturally takes good care of him and never puts any pressure on him. It doesn’t matter whether he is talented or not, or whether he has the heart to do his best for the family. As long as he is a little bird in a golden cage, singing happily every day, that’s enough.
He had to come to this four-way war no matter what, so his eldest sister let him go.
Xue Lingxiu looked at the group of dubious people who were roasting apples over the fire, smiled bitterly and thought, perhaps it was because they were the rare people who came not for money.
As soon as he thought of this, Yun Xian's loud and noisy voice appeared in his mind: "Brother Xue, give me some spirit stones! Give me some! Give me some! Top-grade ones! Give me some!"
Tour playback.
Xue Lingxiu clenched her fist fiercely: "......"
Good bad atmosphere!
Regardless, Zhong Changyao's words cast a shadow over his heart. Coincidentally, Qi Zhiye, Qiao Lingshan, and Yun Xian all stood up, the latter two apparently following him out. Xue Lingxiu frowned slightly and quietly followed.
The sound can be heard clearly from a distance.
Qiao Lingshan quietly asked Yun Xian, "Will that passerby you mentioned really come?"
"Yes." Yun Xian said calmly, "If he doesn't come, then this matter can't continue. What's more, even if he doesn't come, the Saint Girl will have to come. The Saint Girl must know."
Qiao Lingshan turned to look at her, surprised: "Yun Xian, why do you always look so indifferent?"
Yun Xian chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "It's just nature. Some people are just like that, born that way."
Qiao Lingshan: "Zhong Changyao is halfway to the Nascent Soul stage."
Yun Xian was frantic: "Ah!! How could he be so worthy of such a thing?!"
Xue Lingxiu: “…”
On the other side, Qi Zhiye was now frowning as he looked at the Dongji Staff in his hand.
The staff still glowed with the familiar golden light of merit, and to the naked eye, it looked fine, but...
Yun Xian asked from a distance: "What's wrong?"
Qi Zhiye threw the Dongji Staff directly to her. She raised her hand, grabbed it, and tried the feel. It was so heavy and so bright, just like the bald heads of the disciples in the Buddhist village.
"Master's aura has been blocked." Qi Zhiye crossed his arms and said, "I can't detect any remaining aura."
Yun Xian hadn't expected there to be such a secret for cross-border communication: "Was it possible before?"
Qi Zhiye said coldly, "Of course. As soon as I started killing monsters, it started. My brothers can block their ears with their chanting, but even Master can't block it. It's so noisy... It's quite powerful."
This subtle change of heart reminded Yun Xian of the gossip he'd heard before entering the secret realm. It said that Master Mingguang, while seemingly benevolent, had actually been a martial monk since childhood, and his most common tactic was a slap in the face. He wondered if Qi Zhiye's wisdom stemmed from being beaten so many times.
Of course, this is not the point. Yun Xian asked: "What will be the consequences?"
Qi Zhiye said indifferently, "When the murderous instinct is unleashed and no one restrains it, the consequence will be nothing."
"..." Yun Xian said tactfully, "I feel like you and Miss Ji will have a lot of common topics."
When Qiao Lingshan heard the name Miss Ji, she thought of the fluffy lion claws, and then of the two homophonic jokes that froze the whole audience, and she shuddered on the spot.
The night wind howled, and wild butterflies fluttered. Qiao Lingshan quietly sat a little closer to Yun Xian, touching her arm. She heard her say, "I have a question, but I'm not sure if I should ask it."
Qi Zhiye: "Don't ask."
Yun Xian: "Why don't you practice the Golden Bell Cover? Or, in other words, why are you hostile to these Buddhist methods?"
Qi Zhiye: "...Didn't I tell you not to ask?"
"Okay." Yun Xian said, "I feel like you have something to say."
This time, Qi Zhiye was really silent.
After a long pause, he chuckled sarcastically and said, "Everyone knows that Buddhism teaches compassion and salvation for the world. But when has this compassion ever been shown to oneself?"
Under the inky sky, his expression was hard to discern. "If being merciful to others is being cruel to yourself, and saving others cannot save yourself, then what is the point of being merciful?"
Yun Xian and Qiao Lingshan didn't say anything.
The main thing is that I don’t know what to say. Jiange doesn’t even teach cultural courses, so how can it teach the Diamond Sutra?
"I don't learn these Buddhist teachings simply because I think they're wrong. Wrong thoughts lead to wrong methods, so why should I learn them?" Qi Zhiye snorted coldly and said, "I do it knowing it's wrong, and I avoid it knowing it's wrong. Even if I know it's wrong, I insist on doing it. Who can stop me?"
What an arrogant statement!
His cold voice echoed in the night air.
Still no one spoke.
No one responded, and a hint of awkwardness suddenly appeared in the scene.
"?" Qi Zhiye realized something was wrong and became slightly angry: "You ask me, and now you're not talking?"
Yun Xian was very supportive and said thoughtfully, "You insist on doing things you know you can't do, and you insist on going places you know you can't go."
"So what?" Qi Zhiye said defiantly, "I know what you're going to say. You're just going to say I'm stupid and overestimating my own abilities..."
"That's not the case." Yun Xian quickly continued, "In our Eastern Territory, this is called knowingly breaking the law."
Qiao Lingshan: “…………”
Qi Zhiye: “…………”
Xue Lingxiu endured for a long time but still failed, and suddenly laughed out loud: "Ha!"
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