Bai Wuxiang was kicked away by him, flipped twice in the air, and landed steadily. He shouted, "Are you crazy?!"
He was angry!
This was the first time Xie Lian had witnessed such intense emotion in this creature in such a long time. This delighted him immensely. He snatched up the black sword from the ground and attacked, saying, "I'm not crazy, I'm just back!"
The kick just now had been unexpected, but the next one wouldn't be so easy. Bai Wuxiang dodged and said coldly, "Have you... forgotten? How your parents left you, how your countrymen treated you, how your followers betrayed you! Just for one person, a mere passerby! Have you forgotten all of that?!"
Xie Lian said, “I haven’t forgotten! But—”
He swung his sword and shouted angrily with full force: "None of your business!!!"
Bai Wuxiang grabbed the sword blade and held it so tightly that blood flowed and his joints made crackling sounds.
He lost control a bit, muttering in disbelief, "...Waste, waste! You're such a waste! Even at this point, you can still regret it, you can still turn back!"
Xie Lian also pressed the blade of his sword down with all his might, gritting his teeth as he said, “…You make me sick. So, I absolutely must not become something as disgusting as you!”
“…”
Bai Wuxiang seemed to calm down a bit, and regained his tone of control. He said, "Forget it. You're just making a last-ditch effort. Have you forgotten what I told you?"
Xie Lian took a breath as Bai Wuxiang spoke word for word, "The battlefield undead have been summoned by you. Now, it's too late. They are unstoppable!"
Amidst the pounding rain, the black sword in Xie Lian's hand emitted a sharp humming sound, stinging his ears and head. Bai Wuxiang asked, "What are you going to do? Is it worth it? To endure an eternal curse for these people?"
Ever since that kick, Xie Lian's blood had been boiling, his mind agitated. He wielded his sword and spoke from the heart, not giving any thought to his next move. He didn't know how to respond to his question, so he said, "You can't see what I'm going to do. Before that, I'll finish you off!"
Bai Wuxiang snorted coldly and said, "You don't know your own limitations!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xie Lian felt his body lighten and he flew up.
He immediately calmed his mind and searched for his center of gravity, but before he could find it, a white shadow flashed above him, and another powerful force struck him. Xie Lian seemed to have turned into an iron ball, being hurled down with great force, and with a loud thud, he slammed deeply into the ground.
If Xie Lian still had some hope that he could win with a burst of energy, he was completely sobered after this blow.
Can't win!
It’s too strong. This thing is overwhelmingly strong to him!
Xie Lian had never experienced such a feeling of overwhelming superiority against any other enemy, except for the occasional flashes of it during his encounters with Jun Wu. While Jun Wu was certainly strong, it was a restrained, controlled strength, unlike Bai Wuxiang's. Within this strength, there was a ferocious sharpness and a murderous intent thick with resentment.
So, with just one move, Xie Lian realized that he could never defeat Bai Wuxiang. Perhaps only Jun Wu could be a rival of this thing's level.
However, his voice now could not reach Jun Wu at all!
With a fierce kick, Bai Wuxiang's snow-white boots landed on Xie Lian's chest. He said grimly, "From the very beginning, it was your overestimation of your own abilities and your wishful thinking that led to all this!"
Xie Lian’s internal organs shrank into a ball as he was trampled by him. The pain was unbearable, but he held back a mouthful of blood and said, “No. It’s not me!”
Bai Wuxiang said, "Huh?"
Xie Lian reached out and grasped his boots tightly. His vision was clearer than ever before, his eyes gleaming as he spoke, “It was you who brought the human-faced plague. It was you who caused all this!”
“…”
Bai Wuxiang snorted: "Maybe. If you must think so."
Then, he smiled and said, "But you must understand that if you hadn't overestimated your own abilities and attempted to defy fate, I wouldn't be in this world. I was born to follow fate."
The fire in Xie Lian's eyes wasn't dampened by the heavy rain; instead, it burned even brighter. He said, "Don't be so self-righteous! I don't need you to teach me; I can learn on my own. If you represent destiny, then destiny itself should be destroyed!"
Thunder rumbled in the sky, and the wind blew violently. Bai Wuxiang's voice became even deeper.
He whispered, "I have taught you so carefully, yet you remain stubborn and unyielding. Prince, I am losing my patience."
Xie Lian coughed a few more times. Bai Wuxiang said, "It doesn't matter, though. You've already awakened them. It's just one last step. Let me help you with that last step."
Xie Lian asked cautiously, “What do you want?”
Bai Wuxiang bent down, grabbed Xie Lian's hand, forced the black sword into his hand, held it, and raised the sword to the sky!
A bolt of lightning struck from the sky, piercing the heart of the black sword before reflecting back. Dense dark clouds began to stir, and a sea of black cloud appeared above Yong'an. Countless human faces, hands, and feet writhed within it, as if hell had moved to the sky.
Meanwhile, the sun set.
Xie Lian lay on the ground, his eyes reflecting the rolling black clouds and the sky full of lightning and thunder. Bai Wuxiang threw him down, and the black sword fell to the ground with a clang.
From the clouds came the screams and roars of a mighty army. This scene was truly devastating. Many people in the streets and alleys were startled and ran out, umbrellas in hand, bewildered, asking, "What's going on?" "What's the noise?" "Oh my god?! What's that in the sky?! Is that a human face?!" "The world is in chaos, a sign of chaos!"
Xie Lian, his face and body covered in mud, stumbled to his feet and shouted, “Go back! Go back to the house!! Don’t come out! Go back to the house, run!!!”
The human face epidemic is about to break out again!
Xie Lian waved his hands vigorously, while Bai Wuxiang smiled softly beside him. Xie Lian turned around abruptly and glared at him. Bai Wuxiang put his hands up in his sleeves and said calmly, "Why are you so angry? Since you can't turn back anyway, why not savor the sweetness of revenge? Enjoy it! This is your masterpiece."
"..." Xie Lian said, "You, do you think I have no other options?"
Bai Wuxiang said: "If you have any other ideas, please?"
Xie Lian took a deep breath, grabbed the black sword on the ground, and walked to the crowd on the street.
Everyone recognized the former prince, the half-ghost, half-god, half-human prince who had been lying in the street for two days, and they all retreated cautiously. Xie Lian shouted, "Stop!"
For some reason, even though he was covered in mud, he exuded a strange aura, and everyone actually stopped. Xie Lian asked, "Did you see those things in the sky?"
Everyone nodded in confusion. Xie Lian said, “Those are the vengeful spirits that caused the Human-Faced Plague. It’s about to break out again!”
The black sea of clouds was truly terrifying, and without further persuasion, everyone believed it, exclaiming in horror: "Human-face plague?!" "Why is it coming again?" "Could it really be..."
Some panicked, some turned and ran, but the vast majority remained uneasily, waiting for him to say more. Xie Lian said nothing, but instead, sword in hand, he thrust forward.
As he raised the gleaming weapon, everyone retreated several feet in fright. Xie Lian then shouted, “Take it!”
“…”
Everyone timidly asked, "...What?"
In the rain, Xie Lian held up his sword and said in a deep voice, "As long as you pierce me with this sword, you will not be infected with the human face plague."
“…”
Bai Wuxiang's smile seemed to break for a moment.
After a moment, he said calmly, "Prince, are you crazy?"
Everyone was also confused: "What...what is this?"
"Is he crazy?"
"Stab him with a sword? Seriously? What does he want to do?"
The crowd rustled, and Bai Wuxiang burst into laughter, saying, "Have you lost your mind, or haven't you had enough of the feeling of having your heart pierced by a hundred swords? No, this time, I'm afraid it will be pierced by ten thousand swords. Open your eyes and look up at the sky!"
He suddenly stopped laughing and pointed to the sky, saying, "The vengeful spirits have covered the entire Yong'an! In other words, if you want to 'save the people,' you have to let everyone in Yong'an stab you with a sword. Within a day, you will be reduced to a pool of meat paste! How is this foolish behavior any different from your previous attempt to pray for rain? Do you think you can save everyone?"
Xie Lian turned his back to him and said, “If one day doesn’t work, then a month. If one month doesn’t work, then two months, three months! If we can’t save ten thousand, then a thousand. If we can’t save a thousand, then a hundred, ten, even just one!!!”
Bai Wuxiang angrily said: "Why?!"
Xie Lian raised his sword with both hands and shouted, “No reason! Because I want to!!! Even if I tell you…”
He turned his head slightly and said contemptuously: "——A loser like you wouldn't understand."
“…”
The contempt and disdain in his eyes and words were too obvious and too deep. Bai Wuxiang seemed to raise his voice involuntarily and asked, "You, what did you call me?"
Xie Lian ignored him and calmly turned to the crowd, saying, "One stab and I'll be fine. I won't die. You've all seen it these past two days. But each person is only allowed one stab, and no reckless behavior. Listen to me, or I'll blow anyone who tries to act recklessly off their head. Trust me, I could blow a hundred of you to pieces with one hand."
Bai Wuxiang said in disbelief, "You, a loser who brought about the destruction of your country and your family, actually called me a loser?"
No one dared to take the sword from Xie Lian, but they didn't dare to accept it, nor did they dare to run. Bai Wuxiang, feeling ignored, grew even more furious. He said coldly, "...Alright. Then I'll see with my own eyes what your stubbornness will get you into. But no matter what happens, you brought it upon yourself. Don't break down and cry, saying you regret it before you come to me again."
After a long period of pushing and shoving, the dark clouds in the sky grew heavier and heavier, as if they were about to collapse. The screams of countless people were still ringing in their ears. Finally, a father, frightened enough to bear it no longer, dragged a child over and took the sword, saying, "I, I'll take my little treasure to try it first..."
Everyone else was still hesitating, and when they saw this, they exclaimed in surprise, "You really want to try?!"
The father hesitated, but gritted his teeth and said, "This... this, it seems he really won't die! I'm sorry, big brother, I'm really sorry! My little treasure..." He covered the child's eyes with his hands, letting him hold the black sword. Bai Wuxiang didn't intervene, only sneered at the side. Xie Lian clenched his fists slightly, waiting for the next moment of pain, thinking to himself: It's okay, I've been hurt so many times, I'll get used to it soon.
Unexpectedly, just as the black sword was about to pierce his lower abdomen, it was knocked down with a clang.
Xie Lian didn’t feel the expected sharp pain, but instead was greeted by a resounding “No!!”
“…”
He suddenly turned his head and looked over. The one who knocked down the black sword was actually the water vendor!
The vendor, who was mixed in with the crowd, seemed unable to bear watching any longer and stood up and said, "I think this is really not good, right? Look at his stomach, it's covered in blood. Is he really not going to die? Even if he's not going to die, he's going to bleed, right?"
The father said with a sad face: "This...this..."
The water vendor's wife tried to stealthily pull him from the crowd, but the vendor turned around and whispered, "Stop pulling. We'll talk about it when we get home!" He turned back and said, "Besides, we don't know if stabbing him will really cure the disease, so why not just stab him?"
The father pointed to the sky and said, "But, soon..."
At this moment, the child in his arms started crying. The vendor immediately pointed and said, "Look, look, you asked your son to stab someone with a sword, and your son is already crying!"
Sure enough, the child cried loudly and dropped the black sword in his hand. He probably didn't understand what his father was going to do, but he was just afraid. At this point, the father's thoughts were completely abandoned. He picked up his son and went back into the crowd. A few people were already eager to try, but seeing the first person's failure, the others naturally felt it was difficult to come out. So they shouted in the crowd: "Didn't you hear what he said? The human-faced plague is coming again! He is the plague god, and he has brought this upon us!"
The vendor said, "But if he were the God of Plague, he wouldn't do such a thing voluntarily, would he?"
He kept talking, making some people impatient: "You know he volunteered, so what's the problem? Do you want everyone to die together???"
"Just sell your water. You usually shortchange me on weight, why are you making a fuss now..."
The peddler's wife, who had been secretly pulling him, immediately exploded when she heard this. Her face flushed red as she cursed, "Bullshit! Who's shortchanging me?! Get out here and tell me again!"
The other party immediately flinched. The vendor blushed, then stiffened his neck and said, "Look! Whether he's willing or not is his business, but whether we do it or not is our business, right? This is still stabbing someone, right? If I had given him a glass of water or something these past two days, I might still be tempted to try this sword, but... I didn't! Who gave it to him? I can't bring myself to do this!"
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