false feelings
There was only a narrow ray of moonlight left in the cave, leaking in through the gaps in the vines and falling on the back of Yunxiu's hand holding the pendant.
The amulet made from tail feathers had long lost its previous warmth, leaving only the coolness of jade.
Wu Yi leaned against the stone wall, the wound on his left shoulder began to bleed again, and the brown bloodstains spread on his green robe, like half a cup of strong tea spilled on it.
His breathing was light, yet each inhale was accompanied by a shuddering, agonizing pain, evidently gripping his lungs from the ruptured wound. He habitually used his uninjured right hand to tightly grip the dagger at his waist—a common iron sword he had borrowed from a Qinglan Sect disciple. But now, he gripped it until his knuckles turned white, as if he could use it to block the murderous intent surging outside.
"There's no sound outside." Yunxiu's voice was very soft.
She listened carefully, and there was only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the bamboo leaves. There was no screaming or sword sounds from before, but this dead silence made her even more uneasy.
Zhi Huan would not leave like this. What he wanted was the divine essence in her body, and he would never give up until he got it.
Wu Yi closed his eyes, then opened them abruptly, his eyes straining with clarity: "He's searching."
Just as he finished speaking, a very faint, cold white fluctuation of divine power suddenly came from outside the cave, like fine needles, gently piercing the restrictions of the cave.
The restriction was set up by Wu Yi using the paulownia leaf rune. It could conceal his aura and cover his tracks with the spiritual veins of the bamboo forest. However, in front of Zhi Huan's divine power, it was like thin paper. Every touch caused slight ripples on the restriction.
Yunxiu subconsciously shrank back inward, the pendant on her chest suddenly felt hot, and a familiar pulling sensation surged up through her blood vessels - it was Zhihuan's divine power that was summoning the divine essence in her body. That power was like a magnet, pulling her divine essence out through the stone walls of the cave.
She clutched the pendant tightly, digging her nails into her palm, barely suppressing the surging emotions: "He...he can sense me?"
"Don't be afraid." Wu Yi's voice was soothing, but it couldn't hide the tension.
"Under this cave is a branch of the Qinglan Mountain Spiritual Vein. The leader of the Qinglan Sect told me that it can interfere with divine power perception."
Having said that, he still moved towards the cave entrance, blocked Yunxiu with his body, pressed his left hand on the stone wall, and quietly injected some spiritual power into the restriction.
That was his only remaining immortal power.
The fluctuations of divine power outside the cave were getting closer and closer. The footsteps stepped on the bamboo leaves, making a slight "crunching" sound, and every step seemed to step on the hearts of the two people.
Yunxiu could clearly feel that Zhihuan's footsteps stopped not far from the cave entrance, and the cold white divine power swept along the restriction, as if confirming something.
The restriction is a disguise, a kind of illusion. I wonder if I can hide it from Zhi Huan...
She held her breath and even slowed her heartbeat, fearing that any movement would bring about fatal disaster.
"Come out." Zhi Huan's voice suddenly exploded outside the cave, as cold as ice. "I know you are in there."
Yunxiu's heart skipped a beat and he subconsciously tried to stand up, but Wu Yi held him down tightly.
Wu Yi shook his head, moved his lips, and said in lip language: "It's fake, he is deceiving us."
As expected, Zhi Huan waited a moment, then, seeing no response, laughed again. That laughter, wrapped in divine power, pierced through the barrier and carried an indescribable strangeness. "You think you can hide? Qinglan Mountain is only this big. Even if I dig three feet underground, I can still find you."
As soon as he finished speaking, a loud "bang" was suddenly heard outside the cave, followed by the crisp sound of bamboos breaking - Zhi Huan actually used his divine power to directly chop off several nanmu bamboos near the cave entrance. The broken bamboos fell to the ground, shaking the cave slightly.
Yunxiu hunched her shoulders, the cold sweat on her fingertips soaking the knot of the pendant. She looked at Wu Yi's pale face, and thought of Yan Xiu, who was unconscious in the guesthouse. She felt like something was tugging at her heart:
"Wu Yi, Senior Brother..."
"Big Brother is safe for now." Wu Yi interrupted her, staring intently outside the cave: "Zhi Huan is watching us now and has no time to take care of the guesthouse."
But he wasn't sure—Zhi Huan never acted in a predictable way. What if he gave up on finding them and turned to deal with Yan Xiu?
The destruction outside the cave continued. Zhi Huan's divine power swept through the bamboo forest like crazy. Every impact made the ripples of the restriction worse. The spiritual power injected by Wu Yi was consumed bit by bit. His face became paler and paler, and even a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.
Yunxiu saw it all.
If it weren't for the divine essence within her body, Zhi Huan wouldn't have slaughtered the disciples of Qinglan Sect, wouldn't have chased them like stray dogs, and wouldn't have let his fellow brothers suffer so much...
"Or... I'll go out." Yunxiu suddenly spoke in a very soft voice.
"I'll go with him, and you take Senior Brother Yan Xiu back to Yaoxi Mountain..."
"Are you crazy?!" Wu Yi turned his head suddenly.
"If he gets the divine essence and the ancient god is resurrected, everyone in the world will die! Do you think that if you follow him, you can put an end to this?"
"You can't just watch me go with him. Can I just watch you die in front of my eyes?!"
Yunxiu's voice also became louder, and his eyes were slightly red.
"If you all get hurt because of me, or even...even if I'm still alive, how am I going to survive?! Haven't you ever thought about it?"
Wu Yi's voice was trembling, and the wound on his left shoulder began to bleed again, but he ignored it and grabbed Yunxiu's wrist.
"My brother and I will be fine... Xiaoyou, trust me, trust me... Don't go with him."
Yunxiu really wanted to believe Wu Yi.
But Zhihuan was too powerful, and they were no match for him. If they continued to waste time, more people would die.
At this moment, the sound of destruction outside the cave suddenly stopped.
Deathly silence descended once again, more suffocating than before.
Yunxiu and Wuyi looked at each other and saw confusion in each other's eyes - why did Zhihuan suddenly stop?
The next second, a familiar, weak voice penetrated the barrier and rang in their ears: "Xiao You... don't come out..."
It’s Yan Xiu!
Yunxiu's heart instantly leaped into her throat. She and Wu Yi instinctively stood up and rushed to the cave entrance, "Brother!"
"Don't be impulsive!" Wu Yi was the first to react. He held her tightly and his voice changed.
“It’s a trap!!”
But Yunxiu couldn't hear anything. She could clearly feel the cold white fluctuations of divine power—that was Zhihuan using divine power to imprison Yan Xiu, and perhaps even hurt him. She pulled Wu Yi's hand away, her voice trembling:
"I can't ignore my brother...just like I can't ignore you...it's the same for all of you...don't let anything happen to you in front of me."
Outside the cave, Zhi Huan's voice sounded again, this time with a hint of joking:
"Yunxiu, did you hear your senior brother's voice? If you want him alive, come out and follow me. Otherwise..."
He paused deliberately, and then there was a muffled "puff" sound, and Yan Xiu's suppressed groan of pain:
"I can't guarantee that the next sword will not pierce his heart."
"You dare!" Yunxiu pulled aside the vines at the entrance of the cave and was about to rush out, but was hugged by Wu Yi from behind.
"Xiao You! Don't go!" The wound on Wu Yi's left shoulder was torn and it hurt so much, but he held Yun Xiu tightly and refused to let go.
"I'll go, I'll go negotiate with him!"
"What's the use!" Yunxiu struggled, tears falling on the back of Wu Yi's hand.
"My brother is in his hands. If I don't go, he will kill him! How can I watch my brother die?! You want me to watch you die in front of me?"
Zhi Huan seemed to have lost his patience. Another muffled sound was heard, and Yan Xiu's groan of pain became clearer:
"I'll give you one last chance. Come out, or watch your brother die."
Yunxiu suddenly stopped struggling, her body frozen in place. She could feel Yan Xiu's immortal energy rapidly draining away, that familiar spiritual energy being gradually devoured by Zhi Huan's divine power. If this dragged on any longer, Yan Xiu would truly die.
"Wu Yi, let me go." Yun Xiu's voice suddenly became calm, so calm that it made people uneasy. "I'll go with him."
"No!" Wu Yi still refused to let go, "He won't let you go. He wants your divine essence. If you follow him, you'll die!"
"I know." Yunxiu turned around, looked at Wu Yi's pale face, and reached out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"But I can't let my brother die. Listen, after I leave with him, you must hurry back to Yaoxi Mountain and tell Master and Sister to find a way... a way to destroy the ancient god's remaining soul and prevent him from reviving."
She paused, then pulled out the half-blood-stained jade pendant from her bosom. It belonged to Senior Sister Jing Er, and she had kept it close to her body. She thrust the jade pendant into Wu Yi's hand and said, "And this. Help me find Senior Sister Jing Er. Whether she's dead or alive, I need to give Senior Brother Yu Wei an explanation."
Wu Yi clutched the jade pendant, tears finally falling: "Xiao You, I'll go with you..."
"No." Yunxiu shook his head and said softly:
"You are too badly injured. Going with me would only be a burden to me. You must stay alive and return to Yaoxi Mountain to report the news. This is more important than anything else."
She raised her hand, and using the little divine power she had just recovered, she pushed Wu Yi's hand away without question:
"Don't worry, I won't die so easily. I will try to buy time and wait for you to come and rescue me."
Wu Yi was unable to resist and could only watch Yunxiu use his divine power to set up a restriction, sending him into the spiritual vein at the bottom of the mountain.
The spiritual veins could not resist the divine power. This was all the divine power she had left.
She no longer looked at Wu Yi's reaction, turned around, pulled aside the vines at the entrance of the cave, and walked out step by step.
In the moonlight, Zhi Huan's black cloak glowed with cold light. He clasped Yan Xiu's neck with one hand, and the cold white divine power wrapped around Yan Xiu, imprisoning him like a chain.
Yan Xiu's face was as pale as paper, with blood hanging from the corner of his mouth. His ink-black tights were stained with blood from his left shoulder to his waist. It was obvious that he was seriously injured by Zhi Huan.
He saw Yunxiu come out and struggle to speak, but Zhihuan held her tighter, making it difficult for her to breathe.
"Very obedient." Zhi Huan looked at Yun Xiu and sneered, "If you had done this earlier, your senior brother wouldn't have had to suffer so much."
Yunxiu's eyes were fixed on Zhihuan's hand clasping Yanxiu's, his fingertips clenched until they turned white. "Let him go. I'll go with you, and you can't hurt him again."
"Let him go?" Zhi Huan smiled. "I will let him go when you come with me. Now, come here." He stretched out his hand towards Yunxiu, and the cold white divine power condensed in his palm, as if summoning the divine essence in her body.
Yunxiu didn't move, just looked at Yan Xiu: "Brother, how are you?"
Yan Xiu shook his head with difficulty, moved his lips, and said in lip language: "No..."
"Shut up." Zhi Huan tightened his grip on Yan Xiu's neck. Yan Xiu's face flushed instantly and his breathing became rapid.
"I told you not to hurt him."
Every step Yunxiu took felt like walking on the edge of a knife. She could feel the divine energy within her body surging wildly, and the divine power in Zhihuan's palm was like a magnet, trying to pull her divine energy out.
She clutched the pendant tightly against her heart, trying to suppress the surging emotions, fearing that her divine energy would get out of control.
When he was three steps away from Zhi Huan, Yun Xiu stopped and said, "Let him go. You said you would let him go when I got here."
Zhi Huan raised his eyebrows, but did not let go. Instead, he pulled Yan Xiu towards him, and pressed the cold white divine power against Yan Xiu's heart:
"Come with me first. I'll let him go when we get there. If you dare to play tricks, I'll kill him right now."
Yunxiu's heart sank suddenly - she knew Zhihuan wouldn't keep his promise so easily. But she had no choice but to nod.
"Okay, I'll go with you. But you have to promise not to hurt him again before I go with you."
"Okay." Zhi Huan finally loosened his grip on Yan Xiu's neck, but still used his divine power to restrain him. "Now, follow me."
Yunxiu took a step forward, but her eyes remained fixed on Yan Xiu. Yan Xiu looked at her, his lips moving as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he just closed his eyes.
A tear slid down from the corner of her eye and fell on the bamboo leaves on the ground.
Just then, a noise suddenly came from the cave.
Yunxiu seemed to sense something and turned back in disbelief.
Wu Yi unexpectedly broke through the divine power restriction and followed him out. The wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, but he held the broken sword and stared at Zhi Huan intently.
"I will never allow... this to happen again."
"Wu Yi! Go back!"
Yunxiu said sternly, "Take Brother back to Yaoxi Mountain!"
"I'm not going back!" Wu Yi shook his head, his voice filled with determination.
"If you want to leave, we leave together. If you want to stay, we stay together. This time, I will never let you face him alone!"
Zhi Huan looked at Wu Yi who suddenly appeared, and the murderous intent in his eyes became stronger.
He didn't say anything, but just raised his hand and waved it, and a cold white blade of light flew towards Wu Yi - the blade of light carried the power to destroy the world, and was several times stronger than the force that had previously split the nanzhu.
"Be careful!" Yunxiu lunged forward, pushing Wu Yi away, only to be nearly struck by the blade herself. It brushed past the edge of her clothes and struck the stone wall behind her, instantly creating a large crater. Debris flew everywhere, hitting her back and causing her to groan in pain.
"You don't know what's good for you." Zhi Huan sneered and was about to raise his hand, but was stopped by Yun Xiu:
"Don't hurt him! I'll go with you! If you hurt him again, I won't let you get it even if I have to detonate my divine essence!"
Zhi Huan's movements indeed stopped.
Yunxiu had been wondering for a long time - why didn't Zhi Huan, whose martial arts skills were so much higher than hers, just kill her directly to take her divine essence?
She stood in front of Wu Yi, looking at Zhi Huan, knowing that her guess was correct—Zhi Huan needed a blood pack. A blood pack that could provide an endless supply of divine power. Even for this, Zhi Huan would not kill her.
Zhi Huan looked at the determination in Yun Xiu's eyes and knew that she was not joking.
If Yunxiu really self-destructed his divine essence, all his efforts would be in vain. He frowned, and finally put down his hand, saying coldly:
"Let him go. Otherwise, I can't guarantee that I won't accidentally hurt him next time."
Yunxiu looked at Wuyi and said, "Wuyi, go back. Listen to me and report back to Yaoxi Mountain. The three of us are all alive, and this is the best situation right now."
Wu Yi looked at Yunxiu, then at the imprisoned Yan Xiu, and finally gritted his teeth and took a step back.
Yunxiu nodded at him, said nothing more, turned around and walked towards Zhihuan.
Seeing that she was obedient, Zhi Huan grabbed Yan Xiu and turned to fly out of Qinglan Mountain.
The cold white divine power wrapped around the three of them, like an invisible chain, locking Yunxiu firmly behind him.
Yunxiu was taken away, without freedom. From time to time, she glanced in the direction of Yaoxi Mountain—that was her home, the place she wanted to protect, but now, she had to leave here, follow the enemy, to an unknown place, where she might never return.
Yan Xiu tried hard to look back at Yun Xiu.
Yunxiu's tears welled up again, but she held them back.
She only blamed herself for being too weak, for not being able to protect her master and her senior brother. She could only be like this now, being held hostage by the enemy, without even the strength to resist.
Zhi Huan flew towards the outside of Qinglan Mountain.
Yunxiu followed behind, watching Zhi Huan's dark-colored cloak swaying in the moonlight, and looking at Yan Xiu's pale profile.
The moonlight is so cruel, as pale as autumn.
The Qinglan Mountain behind her was getting farther and farther away, and Wu Yi's figure was no longer visible. Only the wind carrying the smell of blood reminded her of what had just happened.
Yunxiu raised his head and looked at the dark night sky in the distance.
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