Decisive Battle (IV)
Doudou stumbled, finally unable to hold on, and fell to the ground. The Yuhua Sword fell to the side with a clang.
"Hold on!" Sally screamed, her Purple Cloud Sword emitting a faint purple light. She and Daben rushed forward simultaneously, barely deflecting the sharp claws that reached out to Doudou. The deep wound on Daben's shoulder, deep enough to see the bone, burst open again, blood gushing out. He only grunted, clenched his teeth, and said nothing.
Doudou supported himself on the ground with his hands and struggled to move back to the center of the battle circle. His chest heaved violently as he gasped, "I... really... can't take it anymore..."
Next came Dada. The ethereal Whirlwind Sword in his hand now felt as heavy as a thousand pounds. After a single block, he lost his grip, and the tip of the sword suddenly dropped. He collapsed backward, his face pale, and he had lost the strength to even lift a finger.
The remaining three, Daben, Lantu, and Sally, each took a step back, tightening their circle, struggling to maintain their impending defense. The swords' gleams faded, yet they swung with sheer willpower.
Rainbow Cat slowly regained consciousness, using the Long Rainbow Sword as a staff as he staggered to his feet. His gaze swept around, finally settling on the stone platform covered in blood-red runes. His voice was hoarse, "Move over... Lean back against the platform..."
He struggled to help the exhausted Doudou and Dada up, and Lantu, Daben, and Shali followed suit, retreating step by step to the edge of the stone platform. The three of them used the stone platform as a barrier, forming a semi-arc to protect their companions who were unable to fight anymore.
Seeing that Sally was unsteady and her sword moves were disordered, Hongmao took a deep breath and stepped forward to take over: "Sally, stand down!"
Sally was no longer able to support herself and fell backwards to the ground.
The three who remained fighting were already at the end of their strength, relying solely on a fierce will to hold on. Everyone knew they couldn't hold out for much longer.
Despair weighed down like a dark cloud. Dada looked up at Su Baiwei, imprisoned within the formation, his gaze etched with anxiety. He feared they would be completely annihilated before she could find a way out.
Atop the platform, a sullen figure suddenly appeared—Shi Yanluo, leader of Beimang Mountain. He had been ringing a bell on the main path, controlling the medicine men. Only after Lan Tu and the other two retreated deeper into the side path did he stop the bell and retreat into the shadows of the main cave. Now, he stood silently, his hands behind his back, a chill that seemed to blend with the darkness as he waited for instructions.
"It's almost over." Chi Lian, who was high up, raised the corners of his lips slightly, leisurely admiring this desperate scene.
At this moment, a green figure came from the entrance, accompanied by another slightly hunched man in gray, and rushed over, stepping on the head of the medicine man below.
Rainbow Cat suddenly looked up, his eyes meeting that dazzling frosty white, and his breath suddenly hitched. He instantly understood everything, a lump forming in his throat, and for a moment he couldn't utter a word. A claw struck his shoulder, but he felt nothing, simply swinging his sword to block it, the wind trembling uncontrollably.
Lan Tu looked in the direction of the sound, her sword slowing down. She saw the familiar green figure and the white hair, and a mist quickly formed in her eyes. She pursed her lips, tightened her fingers around the hilt of her sword, and suppressed the surging emotions in her heart, forcing herself to focus on the battle.
On the other side, Daben let out a low roar, and the momentum of his heavy sword swept across more and more fiercely, but his red eyes revealed his true feelings.
"Jump!" Sally's voice choked with sobs, tears silently falling, sinking into her clothes. Doudou struggled to raise her head, her lips trembling slightly, but she ultimately dropped her head weakly and closed her eyes. Dada sighed heavily and turned away, his jaw set tightly.
Su Baiwei in the formation suddenly opened her eyes.
Jump.
Her breath suddenly hitched, her lips parted, but no sound escaped. The glimmer of light that had flickered in her eyes shattered in the reflection of her white hair. The chains dug deep into her flesh, the pain choking her throat, tightening ever tighter. She could no longer tell whether the suffocating feeling came from the cold shackles or the desolation of a crumbling wall somewhere deep within her heart.
After a few leaps and dips, he landed in the narrow circle of battle behind the three men. His gaze slowly swept across the scene, each glance weighing a thousand pounds. Rainbow Cat, bloodied and panting heavily, instinctively swung his sword to block. Blue Rabbit's sword thrusts faltered, his arms trembling slightly, yet he still managed to hold on. Da Ben held the Medicine Man's claws with his Thunder Sword, gritting his teeth and sweat pouring down. Beside him, Sally, Doudou, and Dada collapsed to the ground, their strength gone even to lift a hand.
His gaze finally fell on her. Blood-red chains entwined her body, and tears and blood stained her face, forming dark spots on her light green dress. His grip on the sword suddenly tightened, the joints cracking slightly, and his entire arm trembled slightly.
They looked into each other's eyes, and thousands of words and endless pain were all condensed in this one glance.
Chi Lian suddenly stood up, but after seeing who it was, he sneered, "I was wondering who it was, it turns out to be the Master of the Green Light Sword. With such white hair, I'm afraid you've burned out the last bit of your lifespan." He said sarcastically, "Can you still see tomorrow's sunrise?"
Then, he glanced at the gray-robed old man beside him, with a look of contempt and scrutiny: "Not enough of one person coming to die, but you're bringing along a half-buried old loser?" He suddenly felt that the other person's face looked familiar. After a moment's hesitation, he sneered, "I thought it was someone else, but it turns out you're the prison's food delivery guy. It's a good opportunity to clean up this traitor. I have to thank you."
Tiao Tiao suppressed the heartache and anger surging in his chest and said coldly, "With your slapped-together, you dare to show off here? This person is an old subordinate of Hall Master Su. No matter how ingenious your dragon trap formation is, I'm afraid it won't stand a glance from someone who truly understands the art!"
Chi Lian's guard dropped completely, and he suddenly burst into laughter. "He understands? When Su Yuanshan set up this Dragon Trapping Formation, the core secrets were known only to Chen Jin and me. How could anyone else possibly have glimpsed even a fraction of it?" He scoffed, "Tiao Tiao, you calculated everything, but you ultimately led the wrong person. You've truly walked into a trap." He glanced at the old man again. His face was still far away, blurry, but he could sense something strange about him. Just as he was about to concentrate to identify him, Tiao Tiao's words interrupted his thoughts.
"I'm guessing that the information you gave Chen Jin was 90% true, except for one crucial detail. You set up the Dragon Trapping Formation at both the real and fake formation centers, right?"
A hint of surprise flashed across Chi Lian's eyes, and he raised his eyebrows and said, "Oh? Tell me, how did you see through it?"
Tiao Tiao's eyelashes drooped slightly. "After they left, I couldn't stop feeling uneasy. I pondered Chen Jin's words over and over again." His voice gradually deepened. "Until I suddenly realized, how could a mere captain have access to such a top-secret information as the true and false array core? The only possibility is that you deliberately leaked the information to lure us into this trap."
His gaze suddenly became sharp like a knife, piercing Chi Lian. "Nine truths and one lie are the most heartbreaking. And your most cruel move is that whether we believe it or not, she can't escape this deadly dragon trap. Am I right?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone's heart sank. It turned out that from the very beginning, they had stepped into a dead end, with no chance of survival.
Chi Lian clapped his hands and laughed, his tone actually holding a hint of approval: "Excellent! Excellent! As expected of you, the former guardian of my sect. You are indeed meticulous." His tone suddenly changed, revealing a chilling chill. "But even if you see through it, what can you do? She is already in a desperate situation, and you are just trapped..." He paused suddenly, his face changing slightly. "No! If you have already seen through it, why don't you bring Chen Jin to break the formation?"
At this moment, Uncle Li, who had been hunching over, had already seen through the mystery. He suddenly straightened his back, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and his previous old look disappeared.
He stood still, his fingers sharp as swords. A wisp of Qingmu Qi swirled around his fingertips, faintly revealing a vibrant vitality. His eyes quickly swept across the crimson runes on the stone wall. Though tampered with by Chi Lian, the strokes still retained a familiar rhythm. The direction of the Qi channels, the arrangement of the nodes, even the subtle turning points, vaguely showed the traces left by Su Yuanshan in the past.
He quickly noticed something was amiss. Chi Lian had made changes, quietly shifting several key points. The energy channels were more turbulent and more hidden than before. Formations within formations, concealing a murderous intent.
His eyelashes drooped, his mind racing. Su Yuanshan's words from the past seemed to echo in his ears: "All formations follow the Five Elements, like the meridians of the human body, each with its own central hub. Breaking through that vital point, even if subtle, can disrupt the overall situation. But if the enemy is deliberately setting a trap, don't go straight for the center. First, prevent their movements, then attack their center."
He chanted the formula in a low voice, with green light flowing on his fingertips: "Yang reaches its peak, Yin declines, the arrogant dragon will regret. The water in Kan position dries up, and the fire in Li position burns alone..." He made a move suddenly, and several green lights shot out, heading straight for the gaps in the "Dui" Ze and "Xun" Feng positions on the stone wall.
There were two soft "puff" sounds.
The light array paused only slightly, but the humming sound only intensified. Several blood-colored energies suddenly recoiled, heading straight for where he was.
A hint of sarcasm played on Chi Lian's lips. "A telekinesis? A trifle. The formation has long been improved. How could you possibly see through it so easily?"
Uncle Li's face remained calm as he dodged the recoil, his mind growing calmer. His fingering shifted, sometimes firm, sometimes soft: tapping the "Gen" position with a force as heavy as a mountain, then brushing the "Zhen" position with a light, spring-like breeze, like a doctor using a needle to circulate Qi and clear obstructions.
The smile on Chi Lian's face gradually froze.
Another hidden secondary formation was broken, and the entire formation began to tremble violently, blood surged, and the talismans were extinguished. Qi rushed in all directions, and it was faintly showing signs of collapse.
Chi Lian involuntarily took a half step back. He stared at the gradually disintegrating magic circle, his pupils suddenly constricted. "You can actually break my improved Dragon Trapping Formation?"
He rapidly shifted his finger gestures, straining to mobilize the remaining array power. Blood veins emerged from the stone wall, coiling and lashing out like venomous snakes. The humming within the array revived, and a chaotic and ferocious force surged towards Uncle Li.
Uncle Li, however, had already locked onto a very obscure node in the central "Wu Ji" earth position. He channeled all his remaining internal energy into his fingertips, and a green light suddenly shone, whistling out of the air like a meteor, piercing the stone wall.
Click! Snap!
The dragon-trapping formation shattered, and the blood-colored runes dimmed. The chains wrapped around Su Baiwei broke apart, turning into fragments of bloody light that flew away.
She only felt her whole body lighten, and the suction force that devoured her internal energy suddenly disappeared. Her body was no longer able to support her and fell straight down from mid-air.
Tiao Tiao immediately dodged and tried to take the attack, but was stopped by the person next to him: "Only she can enter the core of the Mother Gu array. If anyone touches her, they will be counterattacked and destroyed!"
Previously, Su Baiwei's internal energy had been restrained, and now her body was weak and empty. She had no support and could only watch the ground rapidly expand in front of her eyes.
Tiao Tiao suddenly released his internal energy, and a soft force lifted her body in the air, slowly sending her to the ground.
Chi Lian suddenly turned towards the grey-robed old man, her fingertips trembling slightly as she finally squeezed out the words, "You... are Chen Jin!"
The old man in gray raised his hand and slowly peeled off a human skin mask from behind his ear, revealing a cold and familiar face.
"It's me."
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