Chapter 42
Before they could even finish their calculations, the ground beneath their feet suddenly trembled, then shook violently even more violently. The earth shook, rocks crumbled, and deep, dark cracks spread across the ground at an alarming speed.
Wu Huan's face turned ashen, but his reaction was extremely quick. He scrambled towards Wei Xiao's still-warm body, roughly pulled the jade box containing the Ice Jade Powder from his arms, held it tightly to his chest, and then turned and ran away at full speed.
"Uncle Wang, how could you do this?!" A young man, still retaining a sliver of composure, struggled to catch up amidst the violent shaking, his voice trembling with shock and anger, "Third Brother... he's still inside, his fate unknown..."
Wu Huan didn't stop, his sneer mixed with heavy breathing, clearly echoing behind him: "Who knows if he's still alive? Even if he was lucky enough to find the Ice Jade Powder, the poisonous miasma here should have killed him long ago. This mountain is about to collapse. Are you staying here to be buried with him?!"
Before they could finish speaking, a loud "boom" was heard, and the ground not far from them suddenly collapsed, with hard, frozen soil plunging into the bottomless dark abyss.
The boy was terrified by the sight of destruction so close at hand. All thoughts of power and the Ice Jade Powder were instantly replaced by primal fear. He could no longer question Wu Huan and, driven only by his survival instinct, screamed and ran away.
The scene descended into utter chaos and devastation, like something out of an apocalypse. Brotherly love and respect, the hierarchy between ruler and subject—all vanished under the shadow of death. The survivors cried and shoved each other like headless flies, concerned only with their own survival. Some slipped and fell into the ever-widening crevice, letting out piercing screams, but no one dared look back, hoping that misfortune would catch up with them only a moment later.
However, misfortune never comes singly. Just when everyone thought they had seen a glimmer of hope, a sudden gale arose, whipping up sand and stones that made it impossible to open one's eyes. The wind was also accompanied by eerie, ethereal bell sounds, tinkling and ringing, sometimes near, sometimes far, as if emanating from the underworld, chilling to the bone.
What's even more despairing is that the path they took down the mountain has somehow disappeared, replaced by a sheer, bottomless cliff.
Wu Huan staggered to the edge of the cliff, peered down, and saw only swirling mist and an unfathomable abyss. His legs gave way, and he collapsed to the ground, the jade box he had been clutching falling to the side. His face was ashen, his eyes empty and lifeless. Staring at the dead end, his lips trembled as he muttered to himself, "It's over...it's over...it's a deadly formation...we can't get out...we're all going to die here..."
Upon hearing this, everyone was terrified, their faces turning ashen and their souls nearly leaving their bodies. They desperately hid among the wrecked and cracked earth, their cries and wails echoing throughout the land.
The boy who had just questioned Wu Huan had now completely collapsed. He scrambled to Wu Huan's side, grabbing his sleeve tightly, his voice shrill and distorted: "Uncle! Please think of something! You must have a way, right?!"
Wu Huan shoved him away abruptly, his eyes bloodshot. With trembling hands, he picked up the jade box from the ground, opened it, took out the mud-stained Ice Jade Powder, and without even looking at it, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed it haphazardly a few times, and swallowed it whole. Then he slammed the empty box to the ground, stood up abruptly, and strode towards the swamp.
The boy was stunned by his crazy act. Seeing that he was about to commit suicide, he rushed forward and grabbed him tightly, shouting hoarsely, "Are you crazy? The Ice Jade Powder can only be used with the blood of the descendants of the Witch Clan. If you swallow it raw like this, who knows what the consequences will be?! It might even be a deadly poison!"
Wu Huan whirled around, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the boy, his gaze as if he were looking at a dying man. "Not eating... this is certain death!" his voice hoarse. "This entire mountain has been laid with a deadly trap. The gate of life is beneath that swamp. That person... that person wants us all to die here. Eating it might offer a glimmer of hope..."
Before he could finish speaking, his face suddenly changed drastically. He clutched his chest and coughed up a mouthful of dark, foul-smelling blood. His body convulsed violently, his face filled with extreme pain and disbelief, as if he could not accept that this was his end. He opened his mouth in vain, but his eyes glazed over, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, lifeless.
The boy was terrified when his face was sprayed with warm, poisonous blood. He screamed, released his grip, and stumbled backward. Overwhelmed by extreme fear, he looked at the swamp that had become his only "path to survival," then looked back. Most of the people had already been swallowed by the ever-expanding, collapsing cave. The few survivors were missing limbs, lying in pools of blood and cracks, emitting mournful howls.
With nowhere to retreat, he fled desperately toward the swamp.
However, just as he was about to reach the edge of the swamp—
"laugh!"
A cold arrow, as silent as a venomous snake, shot forth and pierced his heart with pinpoint accuracy.
The boy's forward momentum suddenly halted. He turned around with difficulty, his vision blurring and turning blood red due to the rapid passing of life. Before plunging into eternal darkness, the last thing he saw was a handsome figure standing on a high slope not far away.
The man, with his flowing robes and upright posture, stood out starkly against the chaotic and collapsing backdrop. He coldly gazed at the slaughterhouse-like valley, his handsome brows furrowed with undisguised impatience and disgust.
"Still no news of her?" On the high slope, Pei Yun stood with his hands behind his back, his clothes fluttering in the mountain wind. He pressed his furrowed brow, trying to dispel the restlessness and unease in his heart.
He Ying lowered his head deeply, his voice suppressed and fearful: "All the necessary routes have been guarded by sentries, both visible and hidden, day and night, but so far... we haven't found any trace of the girl." His heart was pounding like a drum, and he was about to brace himself and ask whether to send more men when he suddenly caught a glimpse of two tiny figures stumbling and running wildly towards the Death Swamp on the mountain that was about to completely collapse in the distance.
He Ying's blood seemed to freeze instantly. He looked up, caught sight of the person's movements, and cried out in alarm, "Your Majesty! No!"
However, Pei Yun in front had already transformed into a black arrow released from a bow, carrying boundless rage and chilling killing intent, rushing towards that earth-shaking death land without hesitation. Behind him, the Xuan Yu Guards followed closely like a black tide, instantly passing by the crane shadow that stood frozen in place.
Pei Yun suddenly turned around while running, and that glance was so cold and sinister that it almost pierced through He Ying's soul. A command without any warmth was slammed into He Ying's ears: "Issue my decree that He Song is to infiltrate the Blood-Clad Guard immediately. Whether he can come out alive depends on his ability."
He Ying was struck as if by lightning, her whole body trembled violently, and her face turned ashen white in an instant.
Blood-Clad Guards!
That was a place deeper than the imperial prison, more terrifying than purgatory. It was a human hellish arena personally created by the emperor to "toughen" absolute weapons of mass destruction. There were no rules there, only the most primal and bloody slaughter and devouring. Only by stepping over the corpses of countless companions could one earn a moment's respite and throw Hesong there... How was that any different from a direct death sentence?!
Boundless despair gripped He Ying's heart in an instant. He didn't even have time to grieve for his brother before Pei Yun and the Xuan Yu Guards had already disappeared into the distance.
In his immense terror, a thought suddenly seized him like a lifeline: only by ensuring the girl's safety could there perhaps... perhaps there was still a sliver of hope for Hesong.
Without a second thought, He Ying rushed headlong into the valley that was constantly collapsing and being destroyed.
*
The earth shook violently, and the roar was incessant. The valley, which had once retained its form, was now collapsing completely with overwhelming force. When Xi Xiao rushed over all obstacles to get there, this was the most heartbreaking scene that greeted her eyes.
The petite Yunwu was struggling with all her might to carry the unconscious Xiyu on her back, isolated on the only "safe" spot that was shrinking. Her small face was filled with helplessness and utter despair, her eyes staring blankly at the ever-collapsed abyss around her, as if she had given up all will to live.
A surge of intense sorrow and pain gripped Xi Xiao's heart, making it almost impossible for her to breathe. Tears welled up unexpectedly, and she opened her mouth, letting out a cry filled with longing and boundless heartache: "Yunwu!"
However, the hoarse voice, broken and almost inaudible under the enormous roar and extreme emotional impact, was barely audible.
"Girl?!" Yunwu looked up sharply at the sound, but instead of surprise, her eyes were instantly filled with deeper panic and helplessness. "Why are you here?! You shouldn't have come here!" Before she could finish speaking, she watched as a section of ground that Xi Xiao had just stepped on vanished completely with a "boom," plunging into an abyss. She saw it clearly and screamed in despair.
Xi Xiao's heart stopped in shock at the perilous situation, but the next second, a more determined light flashed in her eyes, and she continued to rush towards the clouds without hesitation.
Ling Zhouling frowned. Seeing the critical situation, he didn't have time to think. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Xi Xiao's waist. With a burst of strength, he moved like a ghost, precisely avoiding the cracks in the ground and the falling rocks. He landed on the isolated island in the clouds, almost grazing the edge of the collapse.
They gained a brief respite.
"Girl! You were too reckless!" Yunwu, still shaken, was so angry that tears welled up in her eyes. She said to Xixiao anxiously and fearfully, "The exit has collapsed. To the right is a man-eating swamp, and to the left is a cliff. We're really trapped here to die!"
Xi Xiao forced herself to calm down, her gaze quickly sweeping across this turbulent wasteland. Without hesitation, she took out a bundle of sturdy rope and a steel grappling hook from her bag. Her fingers trembled slightly with urgency, but she quickly and firmly secured the two together.
She first reached out to touch Xi Yu's neck, and the faint pulse she felt through her fingertips made her heart sink to the bottom, her eyes filled with an intense, unbearable pain.
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