Just as the longsword was about to strike, Chi Haoyu's eyes widened, his pupils contracted sharply, and his body froze in place due to extreme fear, unable to move. Even the demon soldiers behind him were stunned by this bizarre move of attacking their teammate.
But in the next instant, something unexpected happened.
The moment Qinghe swung her sword, her eyes sparkled with a smile. With a flick of her dark blue sleeve, she swept Chi Haoyu aside. As the phoenix sword fell, the demonic soldier was instantly engulfed by the sword energy, his soul scattered amidst screams.
He landed gracefully, sheathed his sword with style, and behind him, towering flames surged.
Her stunningly beautiful face was illuminated by the firelight, and her waist-length hair fluttered in the wind.
Chi Haoyu stared blankly at the scene for a long time before he came back to his senses.
Meanwhile, Shen Xun had already reached the center of the circular platform. Looking at the long chain, he flicked his finger, and golden runes floated from his fingertip, winding around the chain. The chain could not withstand the golden light of the runes and was corroded and riddled with holes until it exploded with a "bang".
Upon seeing this, the man in black who was fighting Liu Yuntai's eyes darkened. He leaped over, grabbed Liu Huiyang's shoulder with one hand, and said fiercely, "Want to save him? It won't be that easy!"
He grabbed Liu Huiyang and flew into the air. Liu Yuntai and Shen Xun attacked him at the same time. Between the two forces, the shockwave blew off his hood, revealing his face that had been covered.
Upon hearing the sound, Qinghe and Lijiang looked up into the air and shouted at the same time, "Mo Zhanli!"
Mu Dong, who was just killing a few demon soldiers, also looked up and asked in confusion, "Why is he here? No, when did he fall into the demonic path?"
Li Jiang revealed the answer: "So it was Ji Chen who rescued him that day."
Qinghe remained silent, staring into the air, but the image of another person appeared in his mind.
Mo Zhanli laughed loudly twice and said, "Didn't expect we'd meet again, did you? Are you all disappointed that I didn't die?" He spoke sarcastically, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, "Where's Mo Junqian? His own uncle is right here, why doesn't he come to pay his respects?"
Li Jiang said loudly, "Mo Zhanli, as the ruler of Tianqi Kingdom, you have actually fallen into depravity, joined the demonic path, and harmed innocent lives. Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"
Mo Zhanli's face turned cold, his tone filled with hostility: "Divine retribution? I'm not afraid! In this world above cultivation, the strong are kings, and the losers are bandits. I was defeated by you in the past because I was not strong enough. Today, it won't be so easy to defeat me!"
He floated in mid-air, adopting the air of an emperor, and said with an attitude of superiority: "Today, I will kill you all and avenge this humiliation!"
After saying that, he moved swiftly and flew back to the edge of Hell Rock. He took something out of his sleeve, raised it high, and said to the crowd, "I have prepared a great gift for you. Enjoy it."
Everyone was puzzled. Shen Xun looked at the object in his hand and a sense of unease suddenly welled up inside him.
The bell rang, clear and melodious, and the layers of black energy transformed into shimmering light that instantly traveled hundreds of miles. The mountain suddenly trembled for a moment, as if something was about to burst forth from the ground.
The hellfire surged more fiercely, seemingly uneasy yet excited, while the bewitching sound of bells reached everyone's ears.
In that instant, the cave walls seemed to come alive, twisting and contorting. The protruding stones on the walls slowly transformed into flesh-and-blood fists, going from stiff to flexible, with the joints creaking. In a moment, a figure emerged from the stone wall.
Liu Yuntai exclaimed in surprise, "Elder!"
One by one, people emerged from the stone wall. Liu Yuntai glanced at them and saw that they were all highly respected elders of the family.
When the last person came out, Liu Yuntai's voice trembled: "Mother..."
Looking at his family members who were being controlled, he felt both hatred and regret. He shouldn't have left home when his father was seriously injured, allowing the demons to take advantage of the situation and harm his family. His parents were being coerced and controlled, and he was powerless to do anything about it.
His fists clenched tighter and tighter, his nails digging into his flesh without him even noticing. His eyes shifted from regret to ruthlessness, and the way he looked at Mo Zhanli was no different from that of a dead man.
The moment the bell rang, Liu Huiyang lost consciousness, his pupils turned black, and he was under control.
Mo Zhanli, holding a copper bell, chuckled, "Here's a little gift for you, but there's a bigger one waiting for you later!" He pointed horizontally, "Charge! Kill them!"
At a command, those controlled by the copper bell attacked them all at once, while Mo Zhanli himself flew towards Shen Xun to grab him.
Faced with his family, especially those who were being controlled and unconscious, Liu Yuntai simply couldn't bring himself to harm them. He could only retract his sword to avoid hurting them. His gaze swept over Li Jiang and the other two, and seeing that they were also hesitant and unsure whether to attack, he pursed his lips and said, "Please don't hurt them. Just keep them under control."
Qinghe dodged the attack with his sword and said, "Easy for you to say. These people are all more powerful than us. It's not easy to control them."
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly remembered Shen Xun's purifying power, which might be able to break the control of the copper bell. Thinking of this, she turned around sharply to look for Shen Xun, only to find that his face was pale, his mind was dazed, and he could not even stand steadily.
Just as Mo Zhanli's claws were about to hook onto his shoulders, a sword suddenly thrust towards him.
Qinghe stood in front of Shen Xun, sword in hand, and said coldly, "You think you can capture him?"
Mo Zhanli sneered, "You think you can save him?"
Qinghe raised an eyebrow: "Whether it can be saved or not, we'll know once we try."
The next instant, she twisted her wrist, put her hand on Shen Xun's shoulder, and with a flash of white light, Shen Xun immediately disappeared from the spot.
Mo Zhanli narrowed his eyes and glanced around, then looked at her again: "Where did you take him?"
Qing ran two fingers over the sword, his cold voice laced with ruthlessness: "Find him in the next life."
Wherever the sword pointed, arrogance reigned. Qinghe flicked his sleeve, the sword, imbued with immense spiritual power, thrust towards him. At the same time, Mo Zhanli formed palms with both hands and attacked the sword tip.
While Li Jiang was busy dealing with the Liu family, she glanced back at Qing He in a spare moment. Although Qing He's cultivation was not low, Mo Zhanli was once a master who could rival Zhuge Hongming. Now that he had fallen into the demonic path, his cultivation must have only increased compared to before. Qing He was probably no match for him.
He wanted to help her, but the Liu family kept attacking. He couldn't hurt them, and he couldn't hide from them either. He was truly in a dilemma.
Inside the jade pendant space, Shen Xun sat cross-legged, regulating his internal energy and spiritual power, while maintaining contact with Qing He in his spiritual sea.
Upon receiving Shen Xun's message, Qing He asked, "Are you alright? What exactly is that copper bell that could restrain you?"
Shen Xun calmed his mind. "It's the Demonic Bell, an extremely yin and dark object. It can suppress my power and trap me in an illusion."
"That's incredible." Qinghe: "Is there a way to solve this?"
Shen Xun remained silent for a moment, and Qing He made a judgment in his mind.
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