The fire and blood of revenge are backfiring
The moment the dagger sliced through the air, Lin Shen's vision was reduced to the distorted outline of the shadow. Xiuxiu's last, pale smile flashed repeatedly in his mind, transforming into a searing hatred that burned through his limbs. He completely ignored the burn marks left on his arm by the black energy, intent only on piercing the shadow's core with the dagger—but the shadow was even faster than before, dodging sideways and slinging a black energy that wrapped around Lin Shen's wrist, violently pulling him towards the temple wall.
"Bang!" Lin Shen's back slammed heavily against the decaying temple wall, sending debris cascading down. He seemed insensitive to the pain, severing the black energy with his dagger and charging toward the shadow once more. Chen Ba seized the opportunity to circle behind the shadow, stacking three talismans together. A faint blue flame ignited from his fingertips: "The heavens and the earth are boundless, I borrow the power of the universe!" The talisman transformed into a golden chain, tightly entangling the shadow's torso, temporarily immobilizing it.
"Now!" Li Ye roared, raising his fire axe and slashing at the core of the shadow. The axe fell with a whistling sound, but the moment it touched the shadow, it was deflected by an invisible force. He stumbled back a few steps, his knuckles numb from the shock. "This thing's shell is too hard!"
Lin Munan stared at the dark red evil energy swirling around the black shadow and suddenly shouted, "It's relying on the power of the blood formation! Lin Shen hammered in the peach wood nails before, so the blood formation must be unstable. If we can force it to use more power, maybe we can trigger a backlash from the blood formation!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, the shadow suddenly let out a piercing scream, and the golden chains that bound it began to break. It violently broke free and lunged at Lin Munan, its black energy transforming into sharp claws, aiming for his throat. Lin Shen, quick-witted and quick-handed, pushed Lin Munan away, but the black energy slashed his own chest, his clothes instantly soaked with blood.
"Brother Lin Shen!" Lin Munan was anxious and guilty. He picked up the broken trekking pole from the ground and smashed it hard against the side of the black shadow. The pole passed through the black air, but it was like hitting cotton. Instead, the black shadow chopped it in two with a backhanded air blade.
Chen Ba looked at the shadow's growing evil aura, her expression growing grave. "No, we don't have enough strength! The peach wood nails can only temporarily suppress the blood formation. If we can't completely destroy it, the shadow will only grow stronger!" She turned to look at Lin Shen, a hint of determination in her eyes. "Do you still remember Xiu Xiu's peach wood sword? It was made of a century-old peach wood. Although it's broken, there's still yang energy remaining in the wood ash. Perhaps it can be used to enhance the power of the talisman paper!"
Lin Shen reacted immediately. He stumbled over to Xiuxiu's side and carefully gathered the scattered peach wood sword ashes. His hand trembled as his fingertips touched the cold embers—they were the last thing Xiuxiu had left, and now he had to use them to fight the monster that had taken her life. He clenched his fist, wrapped the ashes in talisman paper, and handed it to Chen Ba: "Quick, use my yang energy to activate it!"
Chen Ba took the talisman and pressed it onto the fragment of the bronze compass. Then he reached out and pressed Lin Shen's back, directing his yang energy to the fragment. The dark blue flames instantly surged, transforming into a dazzling gold. The talisman unfolded in mid-air, transforming into a massive blade of light that slashed towards the shadow.
"No!" The shadow, sensing danger, tried to evade, but was entangled by Li Ye and Lin Munan. The blade of light struck the shadow's core, emitting a sizzling sound. The black energy was instantly burned away, revealing a dark red ball of light within—the core power of the blood formation.
The ball of light shook violently, trying to re-envelop itself in the black energy, but the surrounding space suddenly began to distort. A loud bang echoed from the distant altar, and the dark red light of the blood formation began to flicker wildly, as if it would collapse at any moment. Chen Ba's eyes lit up. "It's the blood formation backlash! Its core has been damaged, and it can no longer stabilize the blood formation. If we work harder, we can completely destroy it!"
Lin Shen seized the opportunity, pulled out his last handful of peach wood nails, and hurled them at the ball of light. The nails pierced through the air, piercing deeply into the light ball. The ball let out a shrill scream and began to shrink rapidly. The shadow's outline faded as it frantically fled out of the ruined temple, attempting to return to the altar to draw upon the power of the blood formation. However, after only a few steps, it was cleaved in half by the pursuing golden blade of light.
"Bang!" The ball of light exploded completely, transforming into countless dark red fragments that scattered across the ground. In the direction of the altar in the distance, the light of the blood array instantly went out, and the blood mist that enveloped Qingwu Town began to slowly dissipate, revealing a clear blue sky.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed on the ground. Lin Shen walked over to Xiuxiu and gently picked her up, his movements as gentle as if he were protecting a fragile treasure. The girl's body had turned cold, but a faint smile still lingered on her face, as if she were just asleep.
Meng Yao wiped her tears and choked up as she said, "Sister Xiuxiu... we won, the blood mist dissipated, and the black shadow was eliminated... did you see it?"
Lin Shen said nothing, simply hugging his sleeves as he slowly walked out of the ruined temple. The sun shone on him, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his heart. He knew they had won the battle, but they had lost forever the girl who always smiled and protected them with her peach wood sword.
Chapter 22: The Dead Well and the Unfinished Road
After the blood mist completely dissipated, Qingwu Town returned to its former tranquility, though a faint fishy smell lingered in the air, reminding everyone of the brutal battle that had taken place there. Lin Shen held Xiuxiu's body and walked to the dry well behind the theater—this was where Ah Xiu had found her freedom, and it was also the most suitable place he could think of to rest Xiuxiu.
Li Ye and Lin Munan followed silently behind, shovels in hand, digging a pit beside the dry well. The pit was deep, its edges neatly trimmed, as if preparing a final resting place for a warrior. Chen Ba stood nearby, holding a yellow talisman for salvation, whispering a mantra in a low, solemn voice.
Meng Yao squatted on the ground and placed a small peach wood pendant that Xiuxiu loved most in her life into the pit. It was carved by Xiuxiu herself when she first joined the team. There was a small "An" character engraved on it, representing her hope for peace.
Lin Shen gently placed Xiuxiu in the pit, then carefully tidied her messy hair and smoothed the wrinkles on her clothes. He looked at the girl's pale face, his eyes reddening again, but he fought back tears. "Xiuxiu, it's quiet here. No evil spirits will disturb you anymore. We promised you we'd take you away from Qingwu Town, but now... you can only rest here for a while. Once we've completely resolved all the crises in Qingwu Town, we'll come and take you home."
With that, he picked up a shovel and began filling the pit with dirt. The dirt gradually covered Xiuxiu's body, until only a small mound remained. Lin Shen buried the fragments of Xiuxiu's peach wood sword on top of the mound and placed a branch next to it. A red strip of cloth was tied to the branch—it was torn from his own clothes, symbolizing that they would never forget this brave girl.
Chen Ba lit the talisman and placed it in front of the mound. The flames from the talisman danced, reflecting on the faces of the crowd, each one filled with grief. "Xiu Xiu," Chen Ba whispered softly, "I have prayed for your salvation. I hope you can be reborn soon. In your next life, you must be safe and happy, and never encounter these evil things again."
Everyone stood in front of the mound for a long time. No one spoke. There was only the rustling sound of the wind blowing through the leaves, as if it was seeing Xiuxiu off.
It wasn't until the sun was halfway up that Lin Shen slowly turned around and said to the crowd, "It's time to go." His voice was hoarse, but it carried an unprecedented determination. "Although we have eliminated the black shadow and dispersed the blood mist, the secrets of Qingwu Town have not been fully solved. The mastermind behind the black shadow and the reason for the blood formation on the altar are still unknown. We can't let Xiuxiu's sacrifice be in vain. We must get to the bottom of the truth, otherwise more people will be in danger here."
Chen Ba nodded and pulled out a bronze compass fragment. The black aura on the fragment had disappeared, leaving only a faint blue light, as if guiding the direction. "The compass fragment now points east of the town. There must be places we haven't explored yet. Perhaps the truth lies there."
Li Ye gripped the fire axe tightly, his eyes determined. "No matter what dangers lie ahead, we must keep going. For Xiuxiu, and for ourselves, we must get to the bottom of this."
Lin Munan and Meng Yao also nodded. Although their faces were still filled with fatigue and sadness, neither of them suggested retreating. They knew that Xiuxiu's sacrifice was not the end, but the motivation for them to move forward.
Everyone packed up and headed east. Lin Shen, walking last, glanced back at the mound of earth beside the dry well. The red cloth fluttered gently in the wind, as if bidding them farewell. He said silently, "Xiu Xiu, wait for us. We will definitely come back for you and seek justice for you."
Sunlight streamed across the cobblestone streets of Qingwu Town, stretching the figures of the people. Their steps were heavy yet resolute, as they advanced towards unknown danger. No one knew what lay ahead, but they all knew that as long as they united and pressed forward with unwavering faith, they would uncover the secrets of Qingwu Town and find true peace.
The road is still long and dangerous, but they will not stop - for the dead and for the living.
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