He hugged Qiqi tightly and said in a deep voice, "Don't do this again next time. You have to trust the adults and believe that we can handle these things."
Qiqi leaned against him and nodded gently.
But Huo Yusen knew that if a similar situation occurred again, this girl would likely make the same choice again.
The convoy continued on its way.
After the interception, everyone's mood became even heavier.
The Netherworld Palace has clearly learned of their whereabouts, and the road ahead will only become more difficult.
Sure enough, the convoy was forced to stop again two hours later.
The mountain road ahead has collapsed due to a landslide.
It was not a natural landslide.
Because there were obvious traces of magic on the edges of the collapsed area, it was clear that it had been deliberately damaged.
Falling rocks and mud completely blocked the mountain road, making it impossible for vehicles to pass.
“It’s still 30 kilometers to Eagle’s Beak Cliff.” Chen Gang looked at the navigation. “If we take a detour, it will add at least 50 kilometers, and those will all be more difficult mountain roads.”
Lin Wei got out of the car to check the situation, her face grim. "This is a Xuanmen technique, using the 'Earth-Splitting Talisman.' The Netherworld Palace is trying to delay us."
Huo Yusen also got out of the back seat of the car and used a scanner to inspect the collapsed area.
"The landslide is about ten meters deep and twenty meters wide. It will take at least a day to clear. And..."
He pointed to several inconspicuous stones around the landslide area, "There, there, and there, there are all buried sensing talismans. If we start clearing them, the Netherworld Palace will know immediately, and there will likely be follow-up attacks."
"What should we do then?" a member of the special unit asked. "We can't just stay trapped here."
Qiqi was carried out of the car by Huo Yuwei. She looked at the collapsed mountain road and frowned.
Suddenly, she pointed to the side of the mountain, "There, there is a path."
Following her gaze, everyone saw a narrow path winding its way into the depths of the forest, faintly visible behind the dense bushes.
“That must be a hidden path used by herb gatherers,” Yun Songzi said after observing. “It’s very secluded, but vehicles definitely can’t get in; you can only walk.”
"Walking?" Lin Wei frowned. "With so much equipment and Qiqi still recovering from her injuries, there's no way we can walk on mountain paths."
“I can walk by myself.” Qiqi struggled to get down from Huo Yuwei’s arms, but she stumbled as soon as her feet touched the ground. Fortunately, Huo Yuwei caught her in time.
"How can you walk on mountain roads in this condition?" Huo Yuwei said without room for argument. "I'll carry you."
Qingyin then spoke up, "Actually, I have a solution."
She walked to the landslide area and took a string of bells from her waist.
There are seven bells in the string, each a different color, and they gleam softly in the moonlight.
“This is the ‘Seven-Tone Bell,’ which can temporarily alter the terrain,” Qingyin explained. “I can temporarily freeze the landslide area, creating a temporary passage, but it can only last for ten minutes. Within ten minutes, all three vehicles must pass through.”
Yun Songzi nodded, "This method is feasible, but it will be very taxing on you."
"It's alright, I can meditate and regulate my breathing to recover as soon as possible. I can't worry about that now, unless you have a better solution, senior."
Yun Songzi sighed; he did hope he could have a better solution.
Qingyin took a deep breath and tossed the bell into the air.
Seven bells automatically arranged themselves in the shape of the Big Dipper in the air, and Qingyin formed a mudra with her hands and chanted incantations.
As she chanted the incantation, the bells rang crisply, the sound converging into a sonic wave that shot towards the collapsed area.
A miraculous scene unfolded.
The originally loose soil and stones began to solidify under the influence of sound waves, as if shaped by an invisible hand, gradually forming a temporary road about three meters wide.
"Quick!" Qingyin's face turned pale, clearly indicating that maintaining the spell was extremely difficult.
The three vehicles immediately started and passed through the temporary passage at top speed.
Huo Yuwei held Qiqi in his arms as they sat in the first car. They could clearly see that the soil on both sides of the road was still slightly shifting, as if it might collapse again at any moment.
After the last car passed, Qingyin put away the bell, swayed, and almost fell over.
Yun Songzi quickly helped her up and fed her a pill.
The temporary passage collapsed behind them with a roar, restoring the original state.
"That way, the Netherworld Palace won't know we've passed the landslide area." Lin Wei breathed a sigh of relief and looked at Qingyin, saying, "But Qingyin, are you alright?"
"I'm fine," Qingyin waved her hand, her voice weak. "I just need a rest. Let's keep going, there's not much time left."
The convoy set off again, and this time, everyone was much quieter.
Everyone knows that the closer you get to Eagle's Beak Cliff, the greater the danger.
Qiqi's condition also caused Huo Yuwei and Huo Yusen great concern.
At four o'clock in the morning, the convoy stopped to rest in a secluded valley.
Everyone took turns resting to replenish their energy.
Huo Yuwei held Qiqi and sat her on a large rock. He took the food from the Qiankun Talisman and watched the little girl eat it in small bites.
The first light of dawn was breaking in the east; soon it would be daylight.
"Big brother," Qiqi suddenly whispered, "what if... what if we can't rescue Grandpa Qingyangzi and those children this time?"
Huo Yuwei looked down at her. "Why would you think that?"
Qiqi buried her face in his chest, "Qiqi feels so weak right now, I even need my big brother to carry me when I walk. If we encounter that Netherworld Venerable, Qiqi definitely can't beat him."
She even worried that they might not only fail to rescue the people they wanted to save, but they might also lose their own lives.
For the first time, Qiqi felt a sense of powerlessness, as if her future was not in her own hands.
She felt even more powerless than when Heaven told her to deal with the Demon Chief.
At that time, without truly facing the situation, she could still hold onto hope.
However, these repeated injuries made her doubt herself. Could she really do it?
“You don’t need to face him alone.” Huo Yuwei looked at her and said seriously, “We are a team, and everyone has their own strengths. You are responsible for sensing and breaking the formation, your sister Lin Wei and the uncles and aunts from the special department are responsible for combat. Your grandfather Yun Songzi and sister Qingyin are responsible for formation support, your brother Xiao Jiu is responsible for technical analysis, and I…”
He paused, then said, "I'll protect you and make sure those people never get close to you. I'll risk my life to ensure you can safely complete your mission."
Qiqi looked up, her big eyes still showing some uncertainty.
"But Qiqi is what Master called a 'pure Yin body,' and the Netherworld Palace is determined to capture her. If Qiqi stays with everyone, won't that implicate them?"
"No," Huo Yuwei said firmly. "Protecting family is the Huo family's responsibility. You are my sister, and we agreed that you would take care of me in my old age. So that I can have a peaceful old age, I will not let you face danger alone."
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