Wuwangyuan-9
Ji Wang ran for an unknown amount of time until his lungs were burning and his spiritual energy was running low. Only then did he stop and squeeze into a narrow crevice naturally formed by several rocks.
The crevice was just big enough for two people to hide in, and the entrance was hidden by hanging withered vines and shadows, so it was fairly well concealed.
There was no sign of pursuers closing in immediately, but the feeling of being surrounded was ever-present.
Ji Wang calmed his breathing and looked at Bu Jiu: "If only Ling Gu leads people to chase after us, I will try to divert some of their attention when they get close, and you can find a chance to leave first."
He almost warned me: "The Reverse Scale is on my body; I'm their main target. You're badly injured; you can't fight any more."
Bu Jiu, leaning against the other side of the rock wall, slowly shook his head upon hearing this: "It's not just Ling Gu."
Ji Wang was taken aback: "What?"
“That deliberately concealed aura just now…” Bu Jiu frowned, “It was ‘His Majesty’ who came.”
Ji Wang only panicked for a moment.
That being, whom even the combined might of Daoist Yun Shen and the righteous path couldn't stop, actually came to Wuwang Plain in person? Was it to ensure his own safety, or... the Reverse Scale Shuttle?
Either way, the situation is a hundred times worse than expected.
But seeing that Bu Jiu showed no fear whatsoever, his panic subsided.
Having failed to protect him before, must he repeat the same mistake in this life, helpless in the face of an even stronger enemy, and even drag him down again?
no way!
Ji Wang stepped forward and placed his hands on Bu Jiu's shoulders: "Listen, Bu Jiu. No matter who comes, whether it's Ling Gu or 'Your Excellency'."
"I will never let you hurt me again."
“I couldn’t protect him that time because I wasn’t strong enough and the timing was wrong. But this time…” He tightened his grip on Bu Jiu’s shoulder slightly. “I am Ji Wang. I have the memories and lessons of Daoist Yun Shen, the ties of this life, and the Reverse Scale Shuttle that we just found.”
He released one hand and placed it on the spot on his chest where he kept the Reverse Scale Shuttle: "It's better if he comes in person. It saves us from having to search for him everywhere later. Just because we can't beat him doesn't mean we can't escape. Just because we can't escape doesn't mean there's no other way. This is Wuwang Plain, one of my 'home grounds'."
Bu Jiu listened quietly, watching the flame in Ji Wang's eyes.
"Alright." She didn't press him, letting him take the plunge. "What do you want to do?"
He did not question or refute Ji Wang's almost arrogant words; he simply handed over command temporarily.
Ji Wang quickly glanced around the crevice where they were hiding, then listened intently to the sounds from the outside world for a moment.
“Since he came in person, why didn’t he take action immediately? Instead, it’s like he’s trying to drive us away…” Ji Wang analyzed, combining his vague understanding of the ‘Lord’ from his awakened memories. “He probably wants to force out more of my potential and observe my current level.”
“Therefore, we cannot just run away. That will only push him into a real dead end and exhaust our strength.” Ji Wang’s eyes flashed. “We have to fight back, or at least surprise him.”
They acquiesced without question.
Ji Wang looked at Bu Jiu again: "In your current state, can you activate a short-distance teleportation again? It doesn't have to be too far, but it needs to be discreet enough and able to temporarily isolate your aura."
Bu Jiu immediately understood his intention and sensed the surrounding suppression and residual array nodes: "It's possible, but the consumption will be huge, and the distance will not exceed three hundred feet."
Although Ji Wang was reluctant, this was the only option at the moment: "In the southeast direction, about 270 feet away, there is a formation that was not activated back then. Although the formation is incomplete, its structure is relatively complete. Perhaps we can give it a try."
Linggu stood before the empty crevice in the rock, carefully discerning the residual fluctuations in the air.
He turned around and looked in the direction of the black solitary rock. Although he could not see Yue Yuan's figure, he could clearly feel the omnipresent gaze.
Perched atop the solitary rock, Yueyuan remained unperturbed by the disappearance of his prey. His fingers gently rubbed his brow: "Not only can it run, it can hide too..."
Yue Yuan whispered, his voice not loud, but it reached the ears of Ling Gu and all his scattered tracking subordinates: "Next, will you dare to show your claws and scratch people?"
"Continue the encirclement," Yue Yuan ordered calmly. "Close the perimeter, focusing on the southeast. Don't push too hard, but don't let them really disappear."
He paused slightly: "I really want to see up close how much potential my good junior brother can squeeze out in order to protect that little fox."
"Yes, Your Majesty!" Ling Gu and his subordinates scattered throughout the area responded in unison.
Yueyuan remained seated firmly on the solitary rock, his fingertips tapping lightly on his knees as if waiting for the next act of the show to begin.
He not only wanted the "key" and the Reverse Scale Shuttle, but also wanted to appreciate every expression on his prey's face as it struggled to survive in dire straits, and every desperate act of resistance.
For him, this was the most interesting thing to do to pass the long hours.
Ji Wang squeezed into the cave, and after confirming that there were no enemies inside, he helped Bu Jiu in.
Before the two could even breathe a sigh of relief at finding this temporary haven, the scene before them froze them in place.
In every corner of the grotto, there are scattered a dozen or so skeletons that have long since turned to white bones.
These skeletons are in various postures. Some are sitting cross-legged beside a stone platform, as if they were still trying their best to maintain the formation before they died... Another one is leaning against the rock wall, holding a broken magic weapon tightly in its hand.
Ji looked around. Too much time had passed; the flesh and blood had long since decayed, leaving only stark white bones, which gleamed with a chilling light in the dim glow.
Most of the skeletons were still covered with faded and tattered Taoist robes.
Although the details of the patterns have become blurred with the passage of time, their unique style clearly indicates their identity—the disciples who participated in setting up the "All Things Return to Origin Formation" three hundred years ago and ultimately fought a bloody battle to protect it.
Ji Wang reached out, his fingertips trembling, wanting to touch the piece of cloth that was still relatively intact on the skeleton closest to him.
However, the Taoist robe turned into fine ash the moment it touched the ground, fluttering down like dust completely crushed by time.
Fragments of Taoist robes on the other skeletons inside the grotto also made soft sounds one after another, turning into more ashes.
In the blink of an eye, the Taoist robes that once represented their status vanished completely, leaving only clean white skeletons, which, in various still poses, told the story of that tragic battle that had long been forgotten by the world.
Ji Wang's hand froze in mid-air. He stared blankly at the remains of his comrades who had sacrificed themselves to protect the common people and were now buried here, their bodies left uncollected.
At this moment, fragments of Yun Shen Dao Zun's memories surged wildly—vivid faces that may have once discussed the Dao, set up formations, and drunk and chatted together overlapped and intertwined with the cold white bones before him…
Bu Jiu glanced at the postures of the skeletons and certain special rune marks, and quickly made a judgment.
That was a far more brutal sacrifice—not to kill the enemy, but to preserve a possible "backup plan" in a desperate situation.
“Ji Wang…” His voice was weak, pulling Ji Wang back from his emotions. “Judging from the traces… they forcibly drained spiritual energy and life force when the formation was about to collapse, in order to stabilize this dark spot and buy some last time.”
Ji Wang pondered for a moment: "Since we can stabilize ourselves by drawing power, if we actively inject spiritual energy into certain key nodes... even if it can only create a small area of more intense chaos, perhaps we can create an opportunity."
"Oh? An opportunity?"
"boom--!"
A loud bang erupted behind them without warning.
The crevice, which had been cleverly concealed by vines, along with a large section of the surrounding rock wall, was forcibly blasted open from the outside by a tyrannical force.
Ji Wang reacted extremely quickly. The instant the explosion occurred, he instinctively spun around and tightly shielded Bu Jiu in his arms, using his back to block the possible impact and flying rocks.
The rubble hit his back with a dull thud, making his blood boil.
A figure stood calmly not far away; it was Ling Gu.
He patted non-existent dust off his hands, his gaze passing over the swirling dust and landing on Ji Wangna's subconscious protective posture.
"An opportunity?" Ling Gu asked, as if asking a trivial question, or perhaps mocking Ji Wang's earlier remarks about "creating opportunities." "Three hundred years have passed, and what have we gained? These few skeletons that no one wants to collect?"
His gaze swept over the stark white bones filling the grotto, then returned to Ji Wang's tense face, his smile deepening: "Yun Shen Dao Zun, and my dear brother, it's time to end this game of hide-and-seek. Your Excellency has little patience."
As he spoke, more eerie green lights and blurry figures appeared outside the breached opening, completely blocking their escape route.
Inside the grotto, the protective shield of the formation flickered violently a few times due to the violent destruction of the entrance and the intrusion of powerful external energy, becoming thinner and dimmer, as if it would be completely extinguished at any moment.
"Don't make a move." Ji Wang gently patted Bu Jiu's back, his gesture reassuring. "I can do it, don't be afraid."
After saying that, he resolutely turned around and faced the Listening Bone and its claws that had entered through the hole.
Ling Gu sneered, "You think you can beat me?" Before he finished speaking, he moved, his five fingers forming a claw, aiming straight for Ji Wang's face.
Ji Wang suddenly changed his footing, narrowly avoiding Ling Gu's claws. At the same time, he drew his longsword and slashed at Ling Gu's ribs.
This sword strike was delivered from a tricky angle and at the precise moment, completely unlike his usual style.
Ling Gu let out a soft exclamation, slightly surprised. With a twist of her wrist, she grabbed Ji Wang's wrist holding the sword even faster.
Ji Wang seemed to have anticipated this. He switched from a slash to a parry, and with a crisp "clang," the sword and claws clashed. He used the force to spin around, and several talismans that were already between his fingers in his left hand shot out like lightning.
Several flames whistled as they rushed toward Ling Gu's face, while a burst of spiritual light rose from beneath Ling Gu's feet, attempting to hinder his movements.
In that instant, Ji Wang had already pulled away by several steps.
In their first encounter, although he managed to hold his own, he clearly sensed the difference in strength between the two sides.
The Bone-Listening Demon possesses immense power and unpredictable speed; a direct confrontation would be futile.
"Interesting, you're a bit slipperier than the last time we met." Ling Gu wasn't in a hurry to launch a full-scale attack. "Let me see what other tricks you have up your sleeve? That little fox behind you doesn't even have the strength to stand up, does she?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Bu Jiu, who had been silently leaning against the stone wall, suddenly moved.
He loosened his grip, straightened his back, and slowly stood up straight under Ji Wang's worried and anxious gaze and Ling Gu's slightly surprised look.
Although his face was still pale, his robes were stained with blood, and his aura was weak, he stood exceptionally upright, like a pine tree, exuding an aura that could not be humiliated.
He raised his eyes and looked directly at Ling Gu at the cave entrance: "Brother..."
This long-unheard address caused the playful expression on Ling Gu's face to freeze slightly.
Bu Jiu's lips curled slightly, and he swayed his tail behind him: "Are you scared?"
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