Decisive Battle (V)
Everyone was shocked. Even those who had been with Uncle Li day and night could not see the flaw. Little did they know that all this was done by Tiao Tiao.
Chi Lian's gaze was fixed on Chen Jin's face. This disciple of Su Yuanshan had, in just a short time, discerned the mystery and grasped the core. He would never be able to achieve this level of talent and understanding in his entire life.
His knuckles were clenched until pale, and a suppressed growl choked in his throat. After a long moment, he managed to squeeze out the words, "Impossible!" In a rage, he suddenly swept away the tea set beside him, and the cups and plates shattered with a clang, sending porcelain shards flying everywhere.
Su Baiwei's feet had barely touched the ground, her body still unsteady, but her gaze was already fixed on the core of the Mother Gu array. A cold light flashed again, and several silver needles quietly grasped between her fingers as she lunged once more at the center of the stone platform, the hub of energy flowing endlessly. Although her internal energy had been largely devoured by the previous restraint, she still forced it to circulate slowly.
Chi Lian's heart sank suddenly, and his right hand quickly reached into his sleeve.
Tiao Tiao had anticipated this and shouted, "Don't even think about it!" Several poisoned darts flew out in response, whistling and aiming for the opponent's wrist. Chi Lian had no choice but to retract his hand and twist his body, dodging awkwardly.
Darts rained down like a continuous rain, blocking all his escape routes. This impenetrable barrier forced him to retreat repeatedly, unable to penetrate the sleeves. Taking advantage of this fleeting opening, Tiao Tiao swiftly leaped forward, his Qingguang sword radiating several cold rays, each strike targeting the vital points, tightly entangling Chi Lian.
Ding Kui, who was standing by, saw that the formation had been broken, his face changed drastically, and the golden bell in his hand stopped in shock. The medicine man's attack also stagnated, and Lan Tu, Hong Mao and Da Ben finally got a moment to breathe.
At that moment, a dark shadow, brimming with murderous intent, lunged at Tiao Tiao's back. Shi Yanluo, who had been observing coldly, saw the formation broken and Chi Lian in danger, and finally took action. His blade lashed out like a raging storm, each strike aimed at the very spot where Tiao Tiao needed to be saved. The angles were tricky, the force was brutal, but in an instant, the stalemate was broken, forcing Tiao Tiao into a desperate situation, one against two.
Tiaotiao felt his strength rapidly draining away, a sense of exhaustion spreading from his dantian, his entire body swaying like a dying candle. But his resolve remained unwavering: "I must hold on! I promised her we'd travel the world together."
When Chi Lian saw Shi Yanluo coming to help, he calmed down a little. He quickly reached into his bosom with his right hand and was about to take out the Blood Soul Bell.
In a split second, Tiao Tiao ignored the deadly blow from behind, channeling all his remaining internal energy into the sword. The sword trembled, transforming into a series of cold stars that pierced Chi Lian's throat, heart, and other vital points. He stepped into the Nine Palaces, his body elusive, attacking instead of defending, risking his life. Every move exposed flaws, simply to force Chi Lian to defend; each move implied a determination to die together, blocking all escape routes.
How could Shi Yanluo miss such an opportunity? Seizing the moment Tiao Tiao's all-out attack, unable to draw back his sword, he lashed out with a sharp blade, slashing straight at the opening he had left. Tiao Tiao either narrowly avoided the blows with his light martial arts skills or barely blocked them with his scabbard. Fresh wounds continued to form on his shoulders, arms, and sides, deep enough to reveal the bone, and blood quickly soaked through half his clothes. He seemed oblivious, his sword thrusts only intensifying. Even at the cost of his own severe injuries, he managed to pin the two masters to the spot, leaving Chi Lian no chance to catch his breath, let alone retrieve the Blood Soul Bell from his arms.
The sword flashed in a riot of light, his shirt stained with blood. He moved left and right, sometimes darting low to the ground, sometimes striking from mid-air, as if igniting the last of his life and will in this desperate fight. Each attack was a fresh wound, a moment's advantage gained; each successful strike was achieved by withstanding the opponent's counterattack with his own flesh and blood.
Chen Jin's breathing suddenly stopped.
His eyes were fixed on the figure fighting bloody battles, watching the man completely disregarding himself, attacking with his sword moves without defending, like a madman, and each move was filled with the determination to die together with the enemy.
On this life-or-death battlefield, another image suddenly flashed through his mind. Inside the secret room, Tiao Tiao sat cross-legged, his aura surging. A frost-white streak on his forehead rapidly spread. In a matter of moments, it had turned completely white...
At that time, he was already frightened by the scene, and his throat seemed to be blocked by something, and even breathing was painful.
And at this moment, the even more tragic madness before his eyes was like an invisible hammer, hammering the four words "sacrifice one's life for righteousness" into his bones and blood, making him feel the weight of these four words so vividly for the first time.
His five fingers instantly tightened, digging deep into his palms. He froze in place, his heart beating heavily in shock, its thumps hammering against his chest, his ears ringing. He could no longer hear the fighting in the cave, and all he could see was the blood-soaked green shadow and the dazzling yet piercing white.
Below, Rainbow Cat, Blue Rabbit, and Daben's vision was filled with the constantly approaching figures, their ears filled only with the sound of the wind and their own breathing. Every swing of their swords was almost instinctive, held together by sheer willpower, desperately protecting their companions who were no longer able to stand.
However, certain sounds still penetrated the fighting and struck their hearts hard. A muffled sound came from above, as if a body had been hit hard.
Lan Tu's sword movement faltered slightly. She didn't look up, but her knuckles were white as she gripped the sword.
Immediately afterwards, Chi Lian's angry roar exploded: "You are looking for death!" followed by the muffled groan of suppressed pain that they were all too familiar with.
Rainbow Cat was about to launch a powerful attack, but when he heard the sound, his chest tightened and his movements slowed down by a second, and his sharp claws almost grazed his throat.
Daben let out a low roar and swung his heavy sword wildly to force back the enemy in front of him, but the force caused his wound to be pulled, and he staggered a step.
A heavy weight descended upon them. They could not retreat, could not lose focus, and could only continue to swing their swords in this desperate situation. And every sound from above made the swords in their hands heavier, and their arms heavier.
From above, the sharp clash of weapons and the muffled thud of internal energy continued to drift in. Su Baiwei could even clearly hear Tiao Tiao's increasingly heavy breathing. Each sound made her fingertips tremble slightly.
Can't be chaotic.
She bit her tongue hard, the stinging pain surging through her, forcing her turbulent emotions back into her heart. A mist formed in her eyes, whether from pain or heartache, she couldn't tell. Only those hands finally steadied her.
Sweat trickled down her forehead, and a deep, bloody bite mark marked her trembling lips. The fighting intensified overhead, and she could hear Chi Lian's furious shouts and Tiao Tiao's suppressed groans… but she forced herself not to dwell on them. Her entire world was now filled with the intertwined blood-red runes before her.
With a slight lift of his fingertips, the silver needle pierced the air. The moment the needle tip sank into the air, the flowing blood-red light paused slightly.
"The sixth place, Xun position, the eye of the wind."
The remaining internal energy was rapidly dissipating, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead and slid across her pale cheeks, but she was completely unaware.
"The seventh place, Li, is the Fire Pivot."
Another needle dropped, and the stone platform trembled slightly, a humming sound tinged with disorder. From above, Shi Yanluo suddenly roared, followed by the dull thud of his body hitting the rock wall. Su Baiwei's teeth dug into her lower lip, forcing her gaze to focus on the final pivot point.
"The eighth place, Kun, the earth vein."
Tiaotiao took a heavy blow from Shi Yanluo, spurting blood. He fell several feet like a broken kite, landing heavily on the edge of the stone platform. His green clothes were soaked with blood, his breathing was disrupted, and he could hardly get up.
Sally's eyes flickered, Doudou struggled to stand halfway, and Dada suddenly clenched his fists. All three of them, pale as a pale bead, could only watch helplessly as the figure collapsed.
Chi Lian finally seized a moment, reaching into his sleeve and grasping the Blood Soul Bell with his five fingers. The sharp edge of the metal dug deep into his palm, but he remained unfazed, a cold smile forming on his lips. A single tinkle of the bell would instantly restrain Tiao Tiao. Not only would that force Su Baiwei to stop, but it would also put the Six Swordsmen completely on the defensive. The outcome would be decided in an instant.
"Good show..." He whispered with a cold glint in his eyes, "It's about to begin."
Just as he was about to ring the Blood Soul Bell, a flicker of determination flashed across Tiao Tiao's eyes. A final thought flashed through his mind like lightning: "Wei'er, I'm sorry..."
The next moment, he used his remaining consciousness to gather his last bit of strength, raised his hand, and a dart shot out from between his trembling fingers, pointing directly at the Blood Soul Bell.
Dou Dou screamed in shock: "No!" The Blood Soul Bell is connected to Zi Gu's life. If the bell is destroyed, Tiao Tiao will have no chance of survival.
Rainbow Cat, Blue Rabbit, and Daben were being entangled by numerous medicine men. Hearing the noise, they looked up and saw a dart flying towards the Blood Soul Bell like lightning. Rainbow Cat's eyes were bloodshot, and Blue Rabbit's eyes were filled with tears, but they could not break free and could only watch the dart fly away.
Ding Kui froze in shock. He had been infected by the poison, and the bell had been destroyed and he had died. They were destined to share the same fate, but now he was powerless to stop it.
The smile on Chi Lian's face suddenly froze. The darts were coming at him with such force that they completely blocked all his escape routes. His formation had just been broken, and his mind was still unsettled, so he froze for a moment, unable to move.
At that moment, a flicker of deep surprise flashed across his eyes, then gave way to confusion. He had been a calculating man his entire life, convinced that everyone sought profit and avoided harm, that everything was negotiable. He had witnessed betrayal, greed, and fear, but he had never seen anyone so recklessly throw their own life away, not for anything, but simply to sever his control.
There are people in the world who are so determined, so... reckless.
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