Chapter 29 Blood Array (Part Two)
As he expected, Bai Qianfan soon found the core of the formation, the vines all retreated, and Cheng Yuan and the others appeared in front of Chu Jianshan.
Bai Qianfan, sword in one hand and with his back to Chu Jianshan, calmly said, "A mere teleportation array, you dare to try and trap me? Don't you know that's what I've learned?"
"Alright, stop joking around and come over here quickly," Chu Jianshan called out.
Bai Qianfan walked over slowly, then sheathed his sword and raised his chin: "How about it? Aren't I as formidable as ever?"
Chu Jianshan ignored him and instead picked up a vine from the ground to examine it closely. This thing was different from the other vines; it was rough on the outside but hollow in the middle, as if it was used to draw something out.
Chu Jianshan felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"Hey, I think we should just use spiritual power to blast it open, so we don't have to go through all this trouble."
As Bai Qianfan was about to make a move, Chu Jianshan felt it was inappropriate and stopped him.
"Don't act rashly; there might be more than just this one formation."
Chu Jianshan's blessed mouth came true once again. After a violent tremor, many more vines inexplicably sprouted from the tree trunk and began to eagerly approach Chu Jianshan and his companions.
He clearly sensed that this time it might not be easy to deal with them, so he began to slowly retreat, and then gave Cheng Yuan and Bai Qianfan the signal to run away.
The moment the three turned around, the vines sped past them at an incredible speed and wove a net-like structure in mid-air, trapping them in the middle. The net slowly shrank, forcing them to retreat further in. If they couldn't find a way out in a short time, they would be trapped inside and die.
Bai Qianfan felt a wave of despair: "It's over, I don't even know what kind of formation it is this time."
The vines began to attack them from inside the net. Chu Jianshan dodged a few blows and then signaled Cheng Yuan to cut down the vines on that side.
Unlike the previous vines, these things did not feel pain and were extremely sturdy. Therefore, Cheng Yuan's several attacks did not stop the net from continuously shrinking.
Chu Jianshan realized: "Only one of these vines is real."
"Isn't this the end of it?!"
Bai Qianfan was busy picking up the sword that had been knocked away by the vines, then turned to the two of them and said, "With so many vines, how am I supposed to know which one is real!"
The vines began to shrink faster, and the space where the three of them stood suddenly shrank. Whether it was an illusion or not, Chu Jianshan felt that even breathing was becoming difficult.
Bai Qianfan cried out, "No! I don't want to die here! How many girls would be heartbroken if I died so young!"
He frantically swung his sword forward, but no attack was effective. Without finding the true form of this thing, all his efforts were in vain.
Chu Jianshan said, "Save your energy, this is useless."
Bai Qianfan, bent over and panting heavily, said, "At least let me struggle a little longer!"
Chu Jianshan frantically surveyed his surroundings, trying to find out which of these vines was different, but there were just too many of them, so densely packed that Chu Jianshan felt nauseous.
Suddenly, he noticed the sharp branch he had thrown on the ground. He had used it to stick vines before, and if those vines had any intelligence, they would definitely be traumatized by it.
Chu Jianshan hurriedly turned around and shouted to Bai Qianfan and Cheng Yuan, "Is there any way to get to that branch?"
Bai Qianfan asked in confusion, "Tree branches? What do you need those for? Are they even more useful than a sword?"
"Never mind, just take it."
Bai Qianfan obeyed and lay on the ground, trying every possible way to reach the branch. His face was squeezed out of shape, but he was still just a little short.
Chu Jianshan sighed and said helplessly, "Cheng Yuan, help him."
Cheng Yuan hesitated for a moment, then said to Bai Qianfan, "Senior Brother Bai, I apologize for the inconvenience."
Offend? Bai Qianfan hadn't even realized what offending someone was about helping him.
The next second, Cheng Yuan kicked Bai Qianfan in the butt with considerable force.
"ah!!--"
Bai Qianfan's screams echoed in my ears, but at least I managed to get the tree branch.
By this time, the three of them were already standing in a crowded position. The vines around them seemed about to devour them, baring their fangs and claws as they pushed towards them. There was really no time left.
Chu Jianshan took the branch, not giving him time to think about it anymore. He randomly picked a direction and raised his hand as if to stab it.
Actually, he didn't know where the thing was, but the situation was critical, and he could only try his luck.
Fortunately, fate was not on his side. A vine in his direction reacted and shrank back slightly.
Chu Jianshan fixed his gaze on the vine, then drew Cheng Yuan's Flowing Sound Sword and thrust it straight at the vine.
In an instant, all the vines retreated, accompanied by a sharp, piercing sound, and the light shone back onto the three people's faces.
They lay on the ground, their chests heaving as they breathed in the fresh air that kept pouring in.
Bai Qianfan was exhausted, and his words were broken: "I, Bai Qianfan, with a lifetime of illustrious reputation, was almost forced to my death by a mere formation? If my master knew this, he would be so angry he'd come back to life!"
Chu Jianshan couldn't help but laugh and reached out to help Cheng Yuan up from the ground.
Before he could even catch his breath, he caught a vine piercing from behind. It was too fast; there wasn't enough time to dodge.
He instinctively tried to stand in front of Cheng Yuan, but this time Cheng Yuan was smarter and grabbed Chu Jianshan's arms first, pushing him away.
Originally, the vines were leaning more towards Chu Jianshan. If he had pushed Chu Jianshan away, neither of them would have been hurt. However, the vines changed direction halfway and headed straight for Cheng Yuan.
Contrary to everyone's expectations, the thing did not pierce Cheng Yuan's body. Instead, it split into many different small branches, wrapping Cheng Yuan up completely and suspending him in mid-air.
"Cheng Yuan!!"
Chu Jianshan and Bai Qianfan shouted at the same time and ran towards Cheng Yuan, trying to save him, but they were stopped halfway by a red barrier and were both thrown several meters away.
Chu Jianshan struggled to sit up, enduring the dull pain in his chest, and stood up again, trying to move forward.
"Chu Jianshan, don't come any closer!" Cheng Yuan shouted at him, "It's a blood array..."
Blood Array? Chu Jianshan frantically thought about it in his mind before he realized what it meant.
No wonder... no wonder there are holes in the vines, no wonder the things here can grow so big, no wonder the two formations in front kept draining their strength, so the main event is here.
Chu Jianshan forced himself to walk towards the barrier step by step, but as soon as his hand touched it, a burning sensation rushed towards him. The intense pain made his body tremble uncontrollably, urging him to retreat.
But Chu Jianshan wouldn't let go, frantically mobilizing the little spiritual power he had left, because he knew that Cheng Yuan's situation was far more dangerous than his own.
After the vines entangled Cheng Yuan, the small branches at their ends burrowed into his body like leeches, and then frantically sucked his blood. If they couldn't get any blood, the vines would go even deeper into his body, and the pain was unimaginable.
In this situation, the more a person struggles, the deeper the vines penetrate. As blood is lost, they can clearly feel their strength and body temperature slowly dissipating. Although they will not die immediately, they will suffer endless torment.
Cheng Yuan endured the pain all over his body, his eyes red-rimmed, trembling as he tried to call out to him, but could only grit his teeth and utter a few words: "Chu Jianshan, you stop right there..."
"I don't……"
Chu Jianshan stubbornly tried to break the barrier. The weak spiritual energy was constantly gathered by the broken spiritual core in his body, and it actually condensed into a considerable force to fight against the barrier.
Bai Qianfan watched in horror from behind. Forcibly condensing spiritual power was deadly. He was lucky to have survived the incident in Furong Town. How dare he do this again!
He ran towards Chu Jianshan, trying to pull him back: "Chu Jianshan, are you out of your mind?!"
That's just how Chu Jianshan is. He usually seems rational and like he has everything under control, but once something goes wrong with his loved ones, he goes crazy and doesn't care about the consequences. If he doesn't stop it, it probably won't just be Cheng Yuan who gets into trouble.
But Chu Jianshan pushed him away and blurted out, "This is my own decision."
Trying to condense spiritual power from a broken spiritual core is definitely a painful process. Chu Jianshan's lips had already turned white and his whole body was trembling.
Cheng Yuan stared at the scene before him, his eyes red with tears.
Because he didn't understand why Chu Jianshan would go to such lengths for him. Even his own parents and his master could easily abandon him, so why was Chu Jianshan so desperate to save him?
Chu Jianshan struggled to lift his head, his sweat-dampened hair sticking to his skin. He forced a smile at Cheng Yuan: "This time, I won't give up on you again."
He ignored all advice and insisted on leaving, making the same decision as the person who abandoned Cheng Yuan, which turned his promises and vows into nothing. This time, he will atone for his sins. He will never abandon Cheng Yuan again.
Cheng Yuan didn't hear what he said, but he understood the words on his lips. His heart suddenly felt like it had been hit by something and started beating wildly for no reason.
His blood was being continuously drained by the vines, causing his body temperature to drop lower and lower, and his consciousness to slowly fade. He struggled to keep his eyes open, trying to look at Chu Jianshan to stay awake, and even tried to resist with his spiritual power, but to no avail. Something here was constantly suppressing his spiritual power.
Having tried everything, he lowered his head and gave a bitter smile: "Chu Jianshan, let's give up."
Chu Jianshan was provoked by his words: "What do you mean 'let it go'! You're not allowed to let it go! You better hold on!"
Cheng Yuan advised, "If you continue like this, you'll get hurt too. Listen to me, let go."
"Listen to me! I am the one who..."
His words came to an abrupt halt. He wanted to say, "I am the master," but before he could finish, he realized that he was nothing at all.
Cheng Yuan asked, "What are you?"
Chu Jianshan took two deep breaths and composed himself for a moment: "I'm the smart one, so don't doubt my decision. Just hold on, and leave the rest to me. There'll always be a way!"
But Cheng Yuan knew he couldn't hold on any longer. He smiled at him, his eyes red, and said, "Smart people always do the stupid things."
As soon as he finished speaking, he raised his head and slowly gathered spiritual energy in his palm. This spiritual energy couldn't get rid of the vines, but it could at least give him a quick death.
Chu Jianshan saw through his intentions, and his expression became visibly panicked. Before he knew it, the spiritual power he had painstakingly gathered shattered instantly, and the enormous spiritual power repelled him.
When he landed on the ground, Chu Jianshan could no longer hold back and spat out blood. He then stood up shakily and walked towards Cheng Yuan.
"Don't come any closer."
Looking at Chu Jianshan, who seemed to have no more time left to hold on, Cheng Yuan choked up and said, "If you come any closer, I will immediately kill myself here."
Chu Jianshan was stunned for a moment, as if he did not understand what he said. Then he suddenly lowered his head and laughed wildly, but as he laughed, two tears fell and patted the grass.
The exact same excuse as Xie Yin.
Last time, he was stopped offstage by Xie Yin in the same way and witnessed Xie Yin's death. He would never let such a thing happen again. He was willing to pay any price, but he could not bear to see the people around him leave again.
Chu Jianshan dragged his feet forward, but was stopped by Bai Qianfan again.
Bai Qianfan's body trembled violently, even his lips quivered as he spoke: "There's a fourth person here..."
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