Substitution
Within Yanshi Ridge, the rat-head flowers squeaked and chirped, a vast expanse of white.
The Gu woman gently stroked the huge white flower bud. Her upper body was still limp and hanging on her body from the last battle, almost transparently white.
"You mean they ran away?" The witch's white hair obscured her eyes, making it impossible to see her expression.
But you could tell from her tone that she was unhappy.
"Yes," the little demon replied, her eyes vacant.
Da da da.
The old locust tree that had been struck by lightning suddenly sprouted new withered branches, slowly bringing a thin old man with his hands behind his back to the Gu woman.
The thin old man had two withered branches growing from his head that looked like ears. He was thin and bony, and his large, dark red eyes revealed an unfathomable smile.
She disliked this person even when he was alive, especially since he had bullied her, so the Gu woman had no good feelings towards him.
Seeing the disgusted look in Gu Nu's eyes, Gu Ye chuckled sinisterly.
"You really hold grudges, girl. We've both died once, shouldn't all past grievances be settled?"
"I didn't say anything either." The Gu woman withdrew her gaze. "Why aren't you keeping a close eye on Gu Xin? What are you doing here?"
"Let's switch places." Master Gu got straight to the point. "There are still tough battles to fight. If you're like this, you probably won't live to see Wang Fusheng. Take my advice and go back to recover. Once you're fully recovered, that's when you can show your skills."
Upon hearing this, the Gu woman's eyebrows shot up, and she was about to launch a major attack.
The trembling, withered branches immediately gathered together, causing Gu Ye to retreat a short distance.
"Hey, hey, hey... I really meant well. The Rat-Head Flower has an extraordinary effect. I don't have your abilities. Leave the task of finding a suitable demon heart to this old bone of mine."
Gu Ye spoke as he retreated.
The rat-head flowers covering the mountains and fields are indeed one of the Gu Nu's abilities. With these rat-head flowers, neither demon masters nor demons can get close to the Gu heart.
These words sound more agreeable.
The Gu woman touched her limp half-body. That day, she was careless and almost fell victim to their poison. Those demon masters were truly skilled; they managed to develop a poison that could counteract them in such a short time.
"Don't worry, I've already got information on the marked fox demon. If we can't get his heart, it's best to kill him and replace it with another demon's heart as soon as possible."
Gu Ye said slowly, looking around Yanshi Ridge and muttering to himself, "This vast Qiling Mountain has no shortage of demons."
The Gu woman silently curled her hands, glanced back at the demon puppet beside her, and asked, "Where is Qu Sang?"
“Sang…” The demon puppet opened its mouth, seemingly unaware of the situation.
Just then, Xiu Shen replied loudly from not far away, "He found Lei Wan."
"Hmm?" The Gu woman narrowed her eyes.
He found Lei Wan.
Lei Wan, who was more important than his life.
A strange, eerie wind suddenly swept through the plum grove, its surging demonic energy sweeping in all directions, causing sand and stones to fly and dust to billow.
In an instant, another plum tree broke in half and crashed to the ground.
The dust and fallen leaves that rose up instantly blurred their vision.
Lei Wan was covered in blood and was still vomiting blood. The chains on her sleeves jingled.
But he laughed wildly.
Why didn't you run away?
She was expressionless, but she could see a deep anger in his eyes.
"Why would I run away?" Lei Wan asked with a smile. "I just want to know if you are truly lost."
"Seeing is believing." Husang didn't confront this issue directly.
He brandished the white short sword, shrouded in an evil aura, with his backhand.
"I'll make a bet with you." Lei Wan casually wiped the blood from her lips, glanced at her hands covered in blood, and seemed completely unconcerned. "I bet you're not."
As he spoke, the sleeve chain suddenly slipped from his hand, its sharp silver light flashing like a serpent emerging from its hole with lightning speed.
Hen Sang was taken aback.
It was as if time had reversed, and a series of gray and white images appeared in my mind.
"No, this move of yours may seem powerful, but against someone familiar with your moves, you'll be doomed if you lose in one move."
"So what? You're the only one who's seen the flaw. If you were trying to kill me, what difference would it make whether I avoid it or not?"
--"I won't."
The three words, though seemingly light, carried a powerful weight.
Lei Wan suddenly magnified infinitely in his dim eyes. When the deadly sleeve chain met his gaze, he forcibly suppressed his instinctive desires and risked self-harm to avoid it.
Just as the two parted ways, Lei Wan suddenly stopped and turned to face them.
puff--
The short sword pierced Lei Wan's chest. Lei Wan grabbed the dumbfounded Hu Sang and burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha……"
I lost again.
"Ha ha ha ha……"
But why am I so happy?!
"You!" Hun Sang's breath hitched, his eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins, and an uncontrollable rage swept over his entire body.
Lei Wan's laughter gradually faded, and the hand that was wrapped around Hu Sang's neck slowly loosened. The sleeve chain fell silently to the ground, and she lay in Hu Sang's arms, blood gushing from her mouth.
He was expressionless, his whole body trembling, but deep in his reddened eyes, there seemed to be despair.
He didn't say anything.
Or perhaps they simply can't bring themselves to say anything.
Lei Wan gently stroked his pale cheek with her bloodied hand, her words broken by the blood gushing from her throat.
"You...you're still...sorry..."
With her last bit of strength, Lei Wan picked up the Shenyun that Hu Sang had entrusted to her and put it back in his hands.
He smiled and shook his head.
"It...is too heavy...I...can't...bear it..."
He clutched the blood-stained Shenyun, then silently let go, his throat bobbing as he spat out a mouthful of blood.
The person in his arms was still smiling, but the light in their eyes gradually dimmed.
The warm blood stained his clothes bright red, and he held it quietly, as if time had stood still.
...
The Gu woman seemed to have heard something unusual and asked with surprise, "Where is he?"
"He—" Xiu Shen was about to speak when a foul wind suddenly blew in from behind.
He appeared before everyone covered in blood, with Chen Yun hanging from his waist again.
He was holding something bloody in his hand.
He casually tossed it out as soon as he arrived in front of the Gu woman.
"Her demonic heart is still six points short of nine."
His voice was calm, and his face was expressionless.
The Gu woman caught the dripping demon heart, her expression shifting unpredictably.
After a long while, he finally laughed.
"You've really impressed me!" After saying that, she put away her demonic heart and said to Gu Ye, "Fine, let's make the trade, but don't lose too badly..."
Master Gu chuckled twice and watched the Gu woman leave.
...
As the people in Yangdian migrated to dangerous peaks, Ren Xiangxiang bid farewell to Sheliuying and temporarily left Kuangye Lake with Moyou and Caowa.
The water monsters of Wilderness Lake were like startled birds, and it took them quite a while to finally summon the calamity.
To repay Bu Zai for saving her life, Ren Xiangxiang gave her some of the antidote and some of the poison.
Bu Zai looked at the medicine in his hand, his big, bright eyes filled with doubt.
"This is the first time I've received a gift of gratitude from a demon master. You're different from the people I've saved before. They woke up shouting that demons were killing people and eating people. It scared me to death!"
"You are very different too."
Ren Xiangxiang smiled.
Buzai wasn't quite sure. "Are you praising me? Never mind, I'll take you to the other side first!"
In the past, there was a ferry crossing here, and boats would sail across to the other side. The Buzai people lived at the bottom of the lake and were as honest as could be.
Occasionally, people would fall into the lake and be pulled out by them, but most people in Yang Palace were still afraid of the demon race. Over time, even when they were rescuing people, they rarely showed themselves.
Only the demon masters know the situation inside.
The ferry crossing is now deserted, with only a few disciples of the Demon Tamers and Demon Slayers remaining here.
After passing the wilderness lake and walking through a dense forest, you can walk down a slope for a while and reach the main road leading into the mountains.
Ren Xiangxiang deftly brushed aside the branches blocking her way and slid down the hillside in an instant, leaving Mo You, who was following behind her, to reach out and grab nothing.
"careful!"
Ren Xiangxiang turned around and smiled, "How could I be so fragile?"
The little grass scrambled out of the bamboo basket, dizzy and disoriented, and looked up to see the two of them gazing at each other with affection.
"Cough cough cough... Xiangxiang! Are we going back?"
When he said he was going back, he was naturally referring to Liuwu Forest.
Ren Xiangxiang came to the main road, stomped the mud off her shoes, looked around, and casually said, "No! What's the point of going back?"
"Hmm?" Grass Boy perked up. "Didn't you promise your mother you'd go back to the Misty Forest?"
"I had no choice, can't you tell?" Ren Xiangxiang rolled her eyes at him. "If I didn't say that, she would definitely take me back to Liuwu Forest first before making any plans, and I don't want that."
"You're not being honest, Xiangxiang..." Caowa looked at Xiangxiang with unbearable impatience.
Ren Xiangxiang raised an eyebrow, looking quite pleased with herself.
But before she had taken two steps, Mo You called her back again.
"Where are you going if you don't go back to Liuwu Forest?"
Upon hearing his voice, Ren Xiangxiang stopped in her tracks as a matter of course. "Go to the rugged cave, and then through the wisteria forest to the Yin Palace! As for my master, don't worry, I've already sent a message back to Mosquito Listener."
As she spoke, she continued walking forward, "Besides, what good would it do me to go back? I understand what they mean; they want me to get away from this troublesome place for the time being, but at a time like this, can I really run away?"
Ren Xiangxiang's wrist tightened as Mo You grabbed it. "This isn't called running away. It's about temporarily avoiding the limelight and making further plans. How can that be called running away?"
"Mo You, what do you mean?" Ren Xiangxiang's expression changed slightly.
"Listen to your mother, go back to Liuwu Forest. Now is not the time for you to be willful!"
Ren Xiangxiang's expression suddenly changed. "You're saying I'm willful?"
A gentle breeze caressed her long hair, and a buzzing sound reached her ears. Ren Xiangxiang was momentarily distracted, but Mo Youhua quickly brought her back to reality.
“With two major demon clans already fallen, just as those demon masters guessed, the Yin Palace is probably in grave danger as well. What’s the difference between us rushing in like this and walking into a trap?” Mo You blurted out his concerns.
"Are you scared?" Ren Xiangxiang sneered.
"You know that's not what I meant," Mo You vehemently denied.
Ren Xiangxiang laughed angrily, "That's right, you're a fox demon from Fox Mountain. You're afraid of me, afraid that I'm too weak and might get killed by them if I'm not careful, so you want me to hide with Master, right?"
"Xiangxiang, listen to me. Your medical skills are superb. There's absolutely no need for you to rush to the front. Think about those demonic Gu you'll be facing. Your abilities are completely useless against them," Mo You hurriedly explained.
"Then what do you want?" Ren Xiangxiang turned her face away from him.
Mo You thought he had persuaded her and breathed a sigh of relief. "I'll take you back first, and then head to the Yin Palace to meet them. If you're with your master, you might be able to come up with a way to control it faster."
“Hehe…” Ren Xiangxiang chuckled softly, “Mo You, did I advise you to leave when there was internal strife in Fox Mountain?”
Mo You was taken aback. "The two situations are completely different."
"What's the difference?!" Ren Xiangxiang roared. "You have the ability to quell the internal strife in Fox Mountain, so why can't I eliminate the demonic scourge of Qiling Mountain?"
"Xiangxiang—"
Mo You grabbed at nothing.
Suddenly, the surrounding trees grew several feet taller in an instant. Ren Xiangxiang seemed to sense something and looked back. The dense forest twisted and thrashed about like a claw, lunging at the unsuspecting Mo You.
"careful!"
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