Those hundreds of talismans and piles of huge rocks couldn't stop him!
Feng Xin and Mu Qing reacted incredibly quickly. Feng Xin unleashed a barrage of arrows, while Mu Qing slashed through the air with a single blow. They attacked, grabbed Xie Lian, and then fled. Feng Xin repeated his old trick, pounding away at falling rocks while exclaiming, "Holy crap! How did he get here so quickly?"
Mu Qing said: "How should I know?!... Red string! Red string! He still has that red string on his hand!!"
The two men, waking from a dream, simultaneously reached out to grab Xie Lian's hand. Xie Lian wouldn't let them. With his other hand, he grasped the red string and declared, "You can't untie it!"
Feng Xin said, "Your Highness, if you tie this red string, he'll find you. If you want to avoid being caught up by him, you must untie it!"
Xie Lian, however, held his hand and said, "Don't be afraid if he catches up, right? I... want to ask him about it."
Mu Qing's eyes widened: "You still want to ask him? I think you have to be eaten alive by him to realize how powerful he is."
Xie Lian said, “He’s already very powerful, isn’t he? You guys won’t tell me what that mural is about, and you’re telling me not to get close to him. That’s completely unconvincing.”
Mu Qing said, "He's the Ghost King, and his behavior is strange. He doesn't need any persuasion. Most people would know not to get close just by seeing these two things, right?"
Xie Lian held up two fingers and said, "Two choices: Either I go back and ask him for clarification, or I go back and examine the mural for a clearer understanding."
Feng Xin and Mu Qing seemed to have recalled something terrifying. One's mouth twisted, the other's brow twitched wildly. They stood in front of him and said in unison, "Neither of you can do that!"
So, Xie Lian rolled up his sleeves and said, "If talking won't work, then let's just fight it out! Who of you goes first, or both of you?"
Mu Qing said to Feng Xin, "You go first!" and stepped aside. Feng Xin didn't seem too confident he could defeat Xie Lian, but to save the demented young man, he risked everything, gripping the bow tightly and saying, "Okay! Your Highness, I'm sorry!"
Xie Lian also said, “Okay…” Unexpectedly, before he could finish the opening pleasantries, he felt a heat on his back and someone behind him shouted, “Hold still! Don’t say anything!” He froze like a piece of iron.
Not only that, I couldn't even make a sound!
Mu Qing flashed out from behind him and said to Feng Xin, "Take him away. This talisman can temporarily calm him down for a while, but not for long."
Feng Xin was slightly stunned: "Why did you sneak attack him? Didn't we agree on a one-on-one fight?"
Xie Lian hadn't expected Mu Qing to go back on his word so quickly. If he hadn't trusted these two former subordinates so deeply, he wouldn't have been so easily fooled. Mu Qing said, "I don't have time to fight you one-on-one right now. He's doing this on purpose, you can tell at a glance. He's trying to buy time until Hua Cheng catches up. Didn't you see what he looks like? He's completely possessed by a ghost. He won't know what's good for him no matter what you say to him now. Maybe if Hua Cheng just tells him a few lies and they meet, he'll believe them, just like a vixen."
Feng Xin thought about it and felt that what he said made some sense. He sighed and said, "Your Highness, it's not that we intentionally hid it from you, but what he did to you... was truly unbearable. I can't even speak it out! Come with us."
Mu Qing also said, "Let's go."
Mu Qing's words weren't a suggestion or a request, but a command. The moment he slapped Xie Lian on the back, he must have smeared his palm with a talisman of obedience, drawn with his own blood. An obedience talisman allows the victim to follow the caster's instructions, but it generally only fulfills a few simple commands, such as silence, follow, stand still, or run. More complex commands are difficult to execute and fail to deceive the mind. Only a powerful ghost like Jin Yixian could achieve such a feat.
The two of them, along with Xie Lian, hurried on for a while, but suddenly a pile of rocks blocked their way. Feng Xin saw that there was no way out and said, "Why are there rocks blocking the way? We can't go any further."
Mu Qing: "Didn't you knock this stone down? Why are you asking me?"
Feng Xin questioned: "But you are leading the way? How are you leading the way? We have been to this place before, why are we going back here again?"
Mu Qing didn't accept the questioning: "What a joke! I don't know the way here, how can I lead the way? Didn't we just run around all the way?"
Seeing that another quarrel was about to break out, Feng Xin waved his hand and said, "Forget it, I don't have time to waste on you. Let's start digging!"
Hua Cheng was chasing them, so they had no choice but to move forward, not backward, or they would likely collide head-on. Blocking a road was easier than clearing it. The two men made Xie Lian stand obediently in a corner while Feng Xin unleashed a flurry of punches. Mu Qing, with veins etched on his forehead, wielded his mighty saber to shatter the boulders. In a few strokes, they had dug a path through. Rocks and mud were tumbling, and they were about to call Xie Lian over when, after the smoke and dust had cleared, they saw a figure in red standing across from them. Xie Lian's eyes lit up. It was Hua Cheng!
He stood with his hands behind his back, his eyes cold and silent. Feng Xin blurted out, "Why are you haunting me?"
This was a true haunting. He'd clearly been left behind just now, so how could he suddenly appear in front? I wonder when he'd been waiting here, silently waiting for them to dig through the barrier themselves and come to us. Isn't this just haunting and eerie?
Feng Xin and Mu Qing instantly stepped back, creating some distance. Hua Cheng didn't look at them, but instead shifted his gaze to the side and took a step toward Xie Lian. Feng Xin and Mu Qing realized who he was coming for, and they quickly dodged in front of Xie Lian, shouting in unison, "Don't come over here!"
Hua Cheng's face was extremely gloomy.
If it were any other day, if someone dared to tell Xueyu Tanhua not to go over, he would not take the words seriously at all. It would be strange if he didn't laugh and went over to take a look. But this time, he seemed to be really afraid and didn't dare to act rashly, and he stopped.
After a while, he slowly said, "What do you two mean?"
His tone sounded relatively calm. Feng Xin, however, said directly, "You don't need to pretend anymore. This is your home. We've already seen what's going on with these statues, and we've also seen all of your paintings!"
Hua Cheng stood sideways in front of them. Upon hearing this, the hands behind his back seemed to twitch slightly, as if two fingers were curled up unnaturally.
“…”
He lowered his head slightly and said calmly, "Your Highness, did you see it too?"
The voice was extremely low, and although the tone seemed calm, it was slightly hoarse, clearly different. Xie Lian thought to himself, "No!"
In truth, he hadn't seen much, but at that moment, Xie Lian couldn't move or utter a word, so he could only lean obediently against the stone wall in the corner, as if hiding behind the two men, afraid to confront Hua Cheng or speak to him. Feng Xin drew his bow and said, "Indeed. We know exactly what you're thinking... As a Ghost King, if you still have any self-respect, please don't approach His Royal Highness the Crown Prince again."
Xie Lian's mood at the moment was like a burning thatched cottage, with thick smoke billowing out. Hua Cheng should be able to notice that something was wrong with him. Xie Lian just hoped that he would ask him a question, if he realized that something was wrong. However, Hua Cheng seemed completely indifferent to any of this. He said coldly, "Don't go near him? What are you two, with what status and qualifications do you have to say this to me?"
Without waiting for their reply, Hua Cheng suddenly raised his eyelids and said, "You have reminded me of this. Let's get on with settling your scores!"
As soon as he finished speaking, countless silver butterflies screamed and attacked the two of them!
Facing such a raging storm, the only option was to activate the shield. Feng Xin and Mu Qing shouted, "Shield activated!"
The butterfly rain was blocked by the invisible magic shield, disintegrated into glittering silver light in the air, and quickly condensed into new silver butterflies, attacking again, seemingly endlessly. They blocked and retreated at the same time, while Huacheng approached steadily step by step. His black hair was blown sideways and fluttered by the strong wind in the magic field, and his eyes were full of rage and anger, which were clearly visible under the bright silver butterfly light as bright as daylight. It was too passive to block it unilaterally. Feng Xin and Mu Qing looked at each other and decided to take the initiative. They rushed forward with magic shields and each showed their weapons. The three of them started fighting in this not very spacious cave. Feng Xin dealt with the undead butterflies, while Mu Qing faced Huacheng. Huacheng stretched out his hand, and his left hand transformed into a scimitar, Eternal Life, and met the attack head-on!
This was the first time Xie Lian had seen E Ming in action. The scimitar was long and slender, cold and murderous, its silver light radiating a deadly glow—it was indeed a demonic sword, overflowing with malevolent energy!
The battle was truly spectacular. Hua Cheng, facing two at one, held his own. He watched with bated breath. A moment later, the tip of the Evil Blade thrust forward, slicing Mu Qing's saber through the rock. Though Mu Qing still had his hand on the hilt, he couldn't pull it free. He was startled, but Hua Cheng had already struck him in the jaw, sending him flying into the air, and the hilt finally slipped from his grasp. Meanwhile, Feng Xin's feathered arrows were slashed by the sharp silver wings of the Undead Butterflies. Ultimately, their numbers were too great to handle!
The outcome was already decided. Countless white silk threads rustled out from the corner, wrapping the two men into two large white cocoons. The more they struggled, the tighter they became. Mu Qing frantically pulled at the threads while saying, "It was you who threw us into that pit!"
Feng Xin said: "This is not spider silk! This is...!"
Xie Lian also suddenly realized it. It was cocoon silk!
The first step before a butterfly emerges from its cocoon is to transform into a pupae. Those strange white threads that resemble spider silk were actually created by Hua Cheng. They might even be related to these extremely ferocious undead butterflies!
The outcome of the battle was decided. Hua Cheng sheathed his scimitar and taunted, "I sent you in for refuge. After all, if you hadn't screamed so loudly on the snowy mountain and caused an avalanche, you wouldn't have had the chance to enter this Pantheon Cave. Aren't you grateful for saving your lives?"
Hua Cheng's original plan was to wait until the avalanche had passed and the snowy mountain had calmed before taking Xie Lian out, leaving Feng Xin and Mu Qing behind. However, the two men engaged in a heated argument, leading Xie Lian to discover them and setting off the ensuing events. Otherwise, Xie Lian might have simply left with him without even a glance at the statue.
But now, it has become the worst situation, all the secrets have been torn out and exposed to the sun.
Xie Lian was anxious, but he remained seated obediently. Hua Cheng's gaze grew increasingly cold. He looked down at Mu Qing from above and whispered, "It seems I'm the one with the talent for swordsmanship, not you."
Mu Qing's throat was entangled by several white silk threads, and his face turned blue and red, and blood foamed from the corners of his mouth. He said reluctantly: "You!... You...? I see, I understand..."
Feng Xin also gritted his teeth and said, "...you...know what!"
Mu Qing said, "I understand... why this guy hates me so much... maybe you have the same reason!"
Feng Xin said: "What... ahem, why?"
Mu Qing said hatefully, "Because he's crazy! Have you forgotten what's painted on the mural? He's the soldier... the one the Crown Prince wanted to recruit after returning from Beizipo. The Crown Prince said he had good swordsmanship and was suited to using a sword... ahem..."
Feng Xin said: "What does this have to do with his hatred for you?!"
Mu Qing fell silent. With a thud, Hua Cheng punched him in the face and spoke for him with a sinister smile, saying, "Because he kicked me out of the barracks."
I didn’t expect Mu Qing to have done this!
Feng Xin was shocked: "...Fuck it! Why did you kick him out of the barracks?! Did he offend you?!"
Mu Qing said with blood all over his face: "I just asked him to go back. Fighting is not a good thing! How could I know that he would be so crazy and hold a grudge until now!..."
Before he could finish, he threw another fierce punch, and with a "bang", it almost broke his face. Hua Cheng smiled and said, "Why did you drive me away in the first place? Do you think I can't guess? Huh?"
Mu Qing's eyes flickered. Hua Cheng chuckled again, "At this point, it's clear who's the loser, isn't it?"
“…”
Mu Qing seemed to have been stabbed in the back, spitting out a mouthful of blood. He spoke word by word, "Fortunately, I chased you away. Otherwise, if I had kept you in the army, letting you slowly get close to the Crown Prince, staring at him all day long, who knows what kind of dirty thoughts would be in your mind? That would be too disgusting!"
Xie Lian's heart suddenly tightened. Hua Cheng had already raised his fist when Mu Qing said the first part, and when he said the second part, "Disgusting," Hua Cheng's hand froze in mid-air, veins bulging on the pale back of his hand as his fingers clenched and unclenched, unclenched, and clenched again.
After a while, he said in a cold voice, "I'm not going to argue with you about this for now. Tell me the truth. Were the things you shouted before the avalanche true?"
Mu Qing suddenly opened his eyes wide and looked at Feng Xin. Feng Xin also looked at them, his eyes wide open.
Neither of them knew how to respond. Hua Cheng sternly said, "My patience is limited. You have three answers. One! Two!"
He was so resolute and decisive. At this moment, Mu Qing was quick-witted and shouted, "Your Highness, run!!!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Xie Lian, with the blood talisman on his back, took off running. Hua Cheng turned his head immediately, and two white threads whizzed out from the corner and fiercely wrapped around Xie Lian, causing him to fall down after only two steps.
It looked as if he had been frozen in fear, unable to accept it, or unwilling to intervene in the battle. He had stood there for a long time and had finally decided to escape, but hadn't succeeded yet. But in fact, he hadn't even thought about running away!
Xie Lian's hands and feet were tightly bound with thick white silk, and he lay on the ground, his black hair and white sleeves scattered all over the floor, and his bamboo hat rolled to the side. Hua Cheng slowly turned around, paused for a long time, and walked towards him. He had only taken a few steps when Feng Xin couldn't help but say, "Hua Cheng!"
Hua Cheng paused and tilted his head slightly.
Feng Xin said stubbornly, "You... please let His Royal Highness go! He's already in such a miserable state. You, don't do that to him..."
Hua Cheng said nothing, walked over to Xie Lian, grabbed his knees and back, and picked him up.
Xie Lian leaned against his arm, just enough to catch a glimpse of the two large white cocoons behind him. Feng Xin, with a look of despair as if witnessing a sheep in a tiger's mouth, about to be torn apart and devoured, cried out. Mu Qing again tried to tear the white silk with his teeth, but the angle was too tight, and his efforts were futile. Hua Cheng knew the Cave of the Gods like the back of his hand. Turning around and around, he lost sight of them, and could no longer hear their voices.
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