Chapter 79 Oh no, it looks like a double suicide.
Because the commotion was so loud, before the group could even get up, other teams rushed over to their aid.
The first to lead the charge was Meteor, who, with weapons in one hand and magical artifacts and talismans in the other, rushed anxiously towards the crowd—
They were initially shocked by the scorched earth around them and their disheveled appearance. They were even more astonished to discover that none of them were injured.
"You..." A disciple from the Wenxin Pavilion standing next to Meteor asked, "How did you attract such powerful lightning, yet you all emerged unscathed?"
This is not a very easy thing to explain.
Bitao Xin is telling you that the Nine Heavens Thunder Emperor is right among us, and there are two others, one in charge of "leading troops" and the other in charge of "killing". You can't believe it.
Wei Danxin, who was always good at socializing, took the initiative to stand up and cupped his hands to Liuxing and the other teams that arrived right behind Liuxing: "Thank you all for your timely rescue. We don't know why we attracted such strong lightning. It's probably because the two vengeful spirits we just encountered were so sinful."
“Since you fellow Daoists are all alright, that’s for the best,” Meteor said. “It’s still early, let’s continue our journey into the mountains.”
So the group quickly separated again.
Bitao then asked Guanghan, "Have you decided? Which way should we go?"
Guanghan spat out the sand from her mouth, then quickly began to calculate with her right hand. After a moment, she said, "Kun position, southwest."
Bitao: "Let's go."
In a dense forest to the southwest, they met a kind-looking old couple who claimed to live in seclusion in the mountains and offered to take them home to drink water and rest.
Everyone looked at Zhang Yuluan.
Zhang Yuluan didn't mince words and said, "It's fake. An old man of such advanced age is plagued by illnesses even in a bustling town. How could he possibly survive living in seclusion in the mountains?"
In a world devoid of life, not only is survival difficult for mortals, but ghosts and evil spirits are inseparable. Ghosts bring calamity to the world, while evil spirits can taint a person's soul.
As people get older, they are more prone to illness, and often mild symptoms develop into serious illnesses, ultimately rendering medicine ineffective.
In all her years of traveling and gaining experience, Zhang Yuluan had rarely seen an elderly man or woman of this age who were still agile and had ruddy complexions.
"Old man, where did you get these new cloth shoes? Maybe you took them from the feet of some man who went into the mountains to look for his relatives."
Bitao: "Ice Wheel, go!"
Binglun charged forward first, forcing the two old men to transform. Following Bitao's instructions, the group quickly captured the two lone cougars.
The merits of the two cougars from the previous round were all attributed to the Ice Mirror. This time, Bitao said to Zhan Kui, who had been eyeing her for a long time, "Draw blood!"
Next, the group cooperated more and more seamlessly, and the speed at which they killed the evil spirits increased.
Guanghan: "Leave your position, southwest!"
Zhang Yuluan: "Fake."
Bitao: "Guanghan, bleed."
...Guanghan: "Kan position, due north."
Zhang Yuluan: "It's fake."
Bitao: "Mingguang, bleed him."
...
Guanghan: "Kan position, due north."
Zhang Yuluan: "This...this child is only two years old, right? A two-year-old in the mountains...why don't you just turn into a baby in swaddling clothes?"
Bitao: "Binglun, bleed."
...
Guanghan: "Gen position, northeast."
Zhan Kui quickly answered, "I can tell it's fake! Quadruplet sisters appearing in the mountains can only be ghosts! Kill them!"
"I need to bleed this one!" Zhang Yuluan watched as Bitao swiftly stabbed three lightning-struck ghosts to death in one go, then rushed to Bitao to kill the fourth.
Bitao: "..."
With a clang, swords clashed, and Bitao and Zhang Yuluan quickly exchanged several blows.
Zhang Yuluan had fought with her third junior sister before, but this time she was forced to retreat after being blocked in just a few moves.
What happened?
It's one thing that my third junior sister inexplicably knows those formations, but how come her swordsmanship is also so powerful all of a sudden? Moreover, these moves are not from the Supreme Sword Sect at all!
Zhang Yuluan and other disciples from other sects had never seen a similar move before.
She began to suspect that her third junior sister had been possessed, but she had clearly tested it herself with a talisman, pressing it directly on the top of her head. If it were truly possession, the talisman would definitely have reacted.
Could it be that the Taoist Master Bu Er has secretly kept many sword techniques to teach his daughter separately?
So everyone is better than her?!
Zhang Yuluan could tell that her third junior sister hadn't used much strength when exchanging blows. She deftly swung her sword hilt, as if it were an extension of her arm, and effortlessly blocked the area in front of her, leaving her no chance to attack.
There was even time to turn around and talk to the people behind him.
Bitao said to Zhankui, "Bleed."
Zhang Yuluan: "..." Her Dao heart is about to shatter!
Zhan Kui stabbed the ghost to death.
Zhang Yuluan retorted angrily: "Isn't bloodletting supposed to be done in shifts? It's one thing for Ping An, but he's just a mortal. Why can't I bleed him?"
Because everyone else is reaping merit, but you don't need to.
Seeing that Zhang Yuluan was angry, Bitao sheathed her sword, reached out and pulled her close, and went to the side to whisper to her.
Zhang Yuluan's neck was stiff as a board, as if Bitao were hugging an unbendable iron pillar.
Zhang Yuluan felt a surge of anger rising in her chest, but the "bloodletting" incident was merely a pretext.
What she couldn't accept was that, seemingly overnight, everyone had become better than her.
That Long Banfan's luck is ridiculously good.
Even the fourth junior brother... became more and more courageous in the battle, suppressing the swordsmanship and tactics of those ghosts, leaving Zhang Yuluan dazzled just by watching.
It's absurd that she can't even beat her third junior sister, who never cultivates.
Bitao led her to a place a little further away from the others and said, "Second Senior Sister, are you confused?"
Zhang Yuluan: "...How am I confused? If I were confused, could I tell at a glance whether those ghosts are real or fake!"
"Everyone has witnessed the Second Senior Sister's ability to understand her own mind and nature."
"I mean, I deliberately prevented my second senior sister from participating in the bloodletting, but she insisted on having her bloodletted. This whole thing is really confusing."
Bitao said, "Although these cougars transform into tigers, they are ultimately human beings in disguise."
“Some of the original bodies were children. What ability do children have to distinguish right from wrong? They were clearly controlled and manipulated by the tiger, and can be considered victims.”
“Killing those evil spirits who actively commit evil is one thing, but if you kill those bewitched children, you will be tainted by karma no matter what.”
"Second Senior Sister, as a cultivator, you should know that if you get entangled in karma, you will be easily pulverized by the Five Thunders if you want to advance further in your cultivation."
"What do you mean? I'm afraid of getting involved in karma, so I'm trying to escape and let others do it for me?"
Zhang Yuluan looked at Bitao and said, "Third Junior Sister, you really underestimate me!"
Bitao continued, "Of course I won't underestimate Second Senior Sister, but Second Senior Sister, among everyone, you are the only one with the Earth element."
"Among the five elements, the earth element is the most stable, representing bearing and nurturing, and is the foundation for the growth of all things."
"But other spiritual attributes that are tainted by karma, such as the eldest brother's killing golden spirit, the fourth brother's exorcising fire spirit, and even the ice mirror's suppressing thunder spirit, can all be cleansed and consumed on their own."
"But when the earth spirit is tainted by karma, it will seep into the meridians and soul like rainwater seeping into the ground."
"The seedlings will grow strong or weak depending on whether the soil is fertile. Once the earth spirit is entangled in karma, everything you do from then on will be affected by karma."
"Regarding the bloodletting, I deliberately skipped Second Senior Sister. I'm the command dog, so they won't have any objections to me. That's why I said, Second Senior Sister, it's really foolish of you to voluntarily bleed her!"
Zhang Yuluan looked on in a daze, and when she saw her third junior sister who was thinking of her wholeheartedly, she opened her mouth but didn't know what to say for a moment.
This was a level she hadn't even considered, or rather, in this chaotic world plagued by a hundred ghosts, Zhang Yuluan had no time to think about where her path would lead.
But her third junior sister, who had always been at odds with her, actually thought of such a far-reaching future for her.
Are the two of them not that close?
Of course, Bitao wasn't talking nonsense. Those merits weren't all taken care of by Bitao alone. Giving Zhang Yuluan a ghost to kill occasionally was nothing unusual.
However, the Earth element is indeed the least suitable for getting involved in karma.
Since she was using Zhang Yuluan's "talented skills," she also took the opportunity to think about her future path.
Zhang Yuluan has a strong personality. When she sees others being strong, she will naturally try to learn from their strengths and improve herself.
This opportunity to fight alongside immortals specially trained by the Nine Heavens is not something everyone gets to do, and what you learn will benefit you for a lifetime.
When all the immortals in the Supreme Sword Sect pass away, Zhang Yuluan will be the one to shoulder the responsibility of leading the sect.
She will be the only successor to the sect leader.
Perhaps in a few hundred years, the entire cultivation world will depend on her, the leader of the sword sect, for survival.
Bitao's heartfelt words calmed Zhang Yuluan down.
Although Zhang Yuluan stammered and couldn't say anything in the end, she was too embarrassed to thank her third junior sister, so she could only awkwardly hum and return to her group with her sword.
However, in the ensuing battles, she became even more ferocious, and she obeyed Bitao's commands without question.
When it got dark, they returned to the village from the mountains. When Bitao took a soul-binding bag containing a portion of the remnant soul of the cougar to Liuxing to hand in the task, she attracted the attention of everyone.
Of all the teams, in terms of the number of vengeful spirits killed, Bitao handed over the soul-binding bag containing the most remnant souls of vengeful spirits.
This does not include those that were struck by lightning and reduced to ashes, which were not collected in time.
Fortunately, Bingjing later learned to control the intensity of the Five Thunders on Bitao's advice; otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to collect them at all.
After inspecting the evidence, Meteor looked at Bitao and Wei Danxin with a complicated expression and said, "Not a single complete soul is left?"
Bitao didn't speak.
Wei Danxin said coldly, "No, the changgui are too ferocious, we can't afford to bother with them."
Meteor opened his mouth, intending to say that the souls of the children manipulated by the tiger could actually be preserved and sent into reincarnation.
However, if the integrity of the soul is taken into account during the kill, the cultivator's risk will increase several times over.
The meteor ultimately said nothing.
Bitao stood behind Wei Danxin, observing Liuxing's expression.
His melancholy and compassion were genuine.
He truly felt sorry for the souls of the children who could not be saved.
Bitao's suspicions about him lessened a little.
The personnel will then be reorganized and reassigned.
Among all the teams, Bitao's team was the only one without any casualties in terms of personnel losses.
This can almost be called a miracle.
And this "miracle" continued for the next few days.
Aside from the miracle of zero casualties and undefeated victories, Bitao still handed over mostly remnant souls of the courier ghosts every day.
But almost all of them, especially those belonging to children, are intact.
This became another miracle.
Whenever Liuxing saw them, he would stand up, bow to Bitao and Wei Danxin, and say, "Fellow Daoist, you are merciful."
Every night when the team is reorganized, someone wants to join Bitao's team.
However, Bitao did not agree to any of them. She already had to be extremely careful with two people from this realm in one team, and she really couldn't handle a few more.
In just seven days in the mountains, above the Milky Way, the peach blossoms stood out from the crowd, their merits exceeding 120,000.
Meanwhile, the other immortals in her team, who were originally at the bottom of the competition list, have risen rapidly in just a few days.
Even the Ice Demon with the least blood loss has already exceeded 30,000.
On the eighth day of their journey into the mountains, they ventured deeper and finally reached the vicinity of the tigers' den.
During this time, Bitao's team relied on Guanghan's accurate calculations to kill the Changgui frequently, but did not participate in eliminating the real tiger's lair.
The teams that helped each other gradually developed a tacit understanding. Bitao's team fought at the front, clearing the way like a sharp blade, while the other teams on both sides were responsible for cleaning up any omissions and eliminating the tigers.
The only thing that made everyone's hearts sink was that they didn't encounter a single surviving civilian as they advanced deeper into the mountains.
The tigers gathered in a canyon.
Countless caves, dark and gaping like chess pieces, are scattered across the entire sloping mountain wall.
The place is lush and vibrant with life, birds soar in the sky, and tiger cubs frolic on the grass.
In the distance, the waterfall resembles a white ribbon cascading down from the heavens, crashing into the river at the bottom of the canyon.
If it weren't for the sight of the dark, ghostly heads peeking out from the tiger's mouth, so numerous and densely packed that they sent shivers down everyone's spines.
This canyon can almost be called a "Shangri-La" in this astral realm.
“Great…great misfortune.” Guanghan’s fingers were still in a calculating posture. He looked up and saw the changgui that had transformed into fierce tigers and were constantly leaping down from the tiger’s abyss. He didn’t need to calculate anymore.
Despite facing so many demons, Zhan Kui showed no fear whatsoever; his eyes were filled only with a thirst for merit.
She tugged at Guanghan beside her, her voice rough and hoarse like an excited crow: "My beauty, stick close to me later."
Guanghan turned her head to look at Zhan Kui and was actually a little touched that Zhan Kui still remembered her at this moment.
Guanghan was not good at close combat at all, but he had been deliberately trained by Bitao these past few days and his abilities had improved a lot. Bitao had also given him special training twice, teaching him a few simple and easy-to-learn moves that were quite lethal.
Although Mingguang disliked him even more because of this and glared at him behind his back, Guanghan benefited a lot and barely passed as a sycophant.
With so many demons transforming into tigers, his meager skills were so pathetic that he wished he could shrink himself into a tiny wooden puppet and cling to Zhan Kui, the Koi Fairy, just to save his life.
Living off a woman... he has a poor appetite, so he's probably only suited to living off women!
Some squads had already rushed forward to fight the tigers that were actually ghouls.
Bitao quickly said to her teammates, "We can't retreat now, we can only fight it out!"
"Use the Ice Mirror to clear out the remaining Five Thunder Talismans, even those that are incomplete!"
"Yu Luan! You are responsible for protecting the guard dogs. Get them as far away as possible!"
In this critical moment, Zhang Yuluan naturally wouldn't disobey Bitao's orders, but she was already prepared to face the enemy, and now she was being asked to protect people and retreat, which made her feel a little unwilling.
Bitao lowered her voice and quickly said to her, "Bingjing is good at group attacks, but she cares more about her husband, do you understand?"
Zhang Yuluan was immediately enlightened.
These days, Ping An has been almost useless as a guard dog, because whenever a situation arises that they can't handle, Guang Han has already figured out where they should run.
The direction the team was heading was always calculated by Guanghan.
However, Bitao always paid great attention to protecting the peace, so Zhang Yuluan had no complaints. She was just a little puzzled as to why she insisted on taking him into the mountains.
Only now do I understand that the purpose of peace is to restrain and appease the peace charm of the ice mirror.
Thinking of the power of the Five Thunder Talisman on the Ice Mirror, Zhang Yuluan felt a great responsibility on her part.
Protecting Ping An, she retreated against the main force. Bi Tao quickly gave orders to her squad: "Safety first, self-preservation is paramount. Bing Lun, continue to draw aggro and attract several tigers at once. Zhan Kui and Guang Han, maintain distance and surround them. Ming Guang and I will cut off the tigers' retreat. Bing Jing, use lightning to kill them. Charge!"
The group followed the other teams and together they met the tiger pack that the changui had transformed into.
Most of the other teams were engaged in chaotic battles, but Bitao and her group at least had a plan and knew when to advance and retreat.
In an instant, the entire canyon was filled with the sounds of battle, the five-colored spiritual light clashing incessantly, and magical artifact array plates were gradually unleashed, with arrows of yin energy and the roar of tigers raining down in dense bursts.
A thunderous roar and flashes of lightning struck, scattering countless ghostly spirits and souls wherever they landed.
The loud commotion caused the playful tiger cubs to retreat back into their den.
As a result, the mad ghosts were driven by the tiger and came out in full force.
This flat area in the canyon has become an "arena" for endless battles.
The evil spirits are endless, but the cultivators' spiritual energy and magical artifacts are limited.
Many squads were overwhelmed and began to retreat. Everyone was pierced by arrows of yin energy, and the wounds, which were covered in yin energy, not only failed to heal but also continued to infect the cultivators' meridians and tear their flesh.
Many people's robes were soaked with their own blood, and the blood loss caused their faces to turn pale, requiring immediate treatment.
Seeing that they were no match for the enemy, Meteor rallied everyone to retreat.
They already knew the lair where the tigers gathered, and understood the sheer number of the changgui (a type of evil spirit), and now it seemed that there were no surviving civilians.
They can go back and rest first, and then plan more ruthless and decisive measures to kill the tiger pack and the treacherous demons.
The group gathered in one place and fought as they retreated.
The tiger, which was actually a vengeful spirit, initially chased after the group, but soon they could no longer maintain their tiger form and transformed into human form, forcing them to abandon the pursuit and retreat back to their lair.
The group remained alert to their surroundings and quickly turned back in the direction they had come from.
But even after running a long way, they still couldn't find the way they came.
Everyone was exhausted, and some of them had lost too much blood to run anymore.
The group stopped and realized that they were in the same forest they had visited before.
"There are still dried bloodstains on the wormwood here, which must have been picked up when I ran through it before."
As darkness fell, someone took out a talisman used to test for yin energy, and the talisman immediately spontaneously combusted.
The yin energy in this mountain forest was so dense that it almost materialized.
"It's a miasma." Meteor and his men searched all around, but they couldn't find their way out of the forest.
Someone looked panicked: "Is it a hallucination of evil spirits?!"
This person had previously participated in the extermination of the evil spirit Xi, but he did not leave the realm of evil spirits on his own. Instead, after Xi died, he was thrown out of the illusion and his soul returned to its place.
He developed a deep fear of the illusion created by the evil spirits. If Meteor hadn't said that the evil spirits couldn't create illusions, he wouldn't have participated in the hunt for the evil spirits even if he had been given two hundred low-grade spirit stones!
The man was extremely anxious, and his tone became harsh: "Master of Meteor Pavilion, didn't you say that these vengeful spirits are driven by tigers, have low intelligence, and have no other abilities besides transforming into tigers and spewing arrows of yin energy? Did you lie to us?!"
The crowd stirred slightly at his question.
Meteor's voice was gentle: "Fellow Daoist, please calm down. The ghost miasma is not an illusion created by the changgui."
"It is probably because tigers gather here and there are too many evil spirits. The yin energy in this mountain forest is too heavy, forming a ghost miasma."
"Then... what do we do? We can't get out of here at all. Many people are seriously injured, their bodies are infected by yin energy, and their wounds are bleeding continuously. We don't have enough healing pills on us."
Meteor raised his hand and pressed down, stopping the cultivator from continuing to speak.
He explained, "The ghost miasma will form an invisible barrier around the area shrouded in yin energy, but there are no illusions within this barrier that can disturb people's minds. As long as the yin energy condenses and dissipates, the ghost miasma will also dissipate."
"This is also why the ghosts of the underworld gather and come and go. Even if there is a door, we cannot enter as living people."
Meteor spoke with a hint of pity: "I'm afraid this is also the reason why none of those people who went into the mountains to search for their relatives have been able to leave."
"There is no need for you to panic. The yin energy will condense at night and dissipate during the day. We passed through this mountain forest during the day and were not hindered by the ghostly miasma."
"When we wake up tomorrow morning, the yin energy will be thinner under the sunlight, and the miasma will naturally dissipate."
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
However, people with severe injuries are still in great danger, and stopping the bleeding requires first dispelling the yin energy.
Meteor arranged for several teams to patrol in shifts, and then personally led a group to help everyone dispel the yin energy and heal their injuries.
Bitao sat beside a large tree, watching the shooting star slowly and gracefully moving among the crowd, though her right leg was slightly unsteady.
It was completely dark by then, and the light was dim, but Bitao could still see that his trousers were wet and clinging to his legs beneath his black and red robes.
The blood loss must have been no less than that of those who were groaning in pain.
He was injured himself, but he couldn't care less. In order to appease people, he could only pretend that nothing was wrong.
Bitao's suspicions about him lessened somewhat.
"Hiss!" Bi Tao suddenly cried out in pain. Looking down, she saw that Wei Danxin had lowered his head and was sucking blood from her arm with his lips.
Bitao's arm had been cut by the arrows of yin energy spat out by the ghost, and it had been bleeding.
Those who cannot dispel the yin energy on their own are those whose spiritual energy has been exhausted in battle.
Bitao could easily dispel the yin energy, but she didn't move. She planned to test him again when the meteor came to comfort her.
Wei Danxin also had several injuries, but she ignored herself and anxiously held Bitao's arm.
At this moment, he even started sucking it directly with his mouth.
Bitao was both amused and exasperated.
He whispered teasingly to Wei Danxin, "My dear husband, this isn't snake venom, and snake venom isn't treated this way..."
But soon, she felt the yin energy on her wrist being drawn away from her wound.
Instead, a scorching, fiery golden spirit surged through her meridians, cleansing her of the yin energy.
She quickly tried to stop Wei Danxin, but he gripped her arm tightly.
Only after the Yin energy and foul blood on Bitao's wound had been completely drained did Wei Danxin spit out the foul blood and look up at Bitao.
His lips were stained with blood, his golden eyes were focused, and he exuded a slightly eerie obsession in the darkness.
He smiled slightly at Bitao and reassured her, "Don't worry, I can neutralize that little bit of yin energy that entered your body."
Bitao thought to herself, "I can do that too."
But under Wei Danxin's extremely concerned gaze, she felt as if her bones had been softened by the impact of Jin Ling. Holding her forehead, she whispered, "Senior brother, I have no strength... I'm dizzy."
Then she "collapsed" into Wei Danxin's arms.
Wei Danxin immediately hugged Bitao tightly. He lowered his head and tenderly kissed her forehead.
Bitao pressed her face against his chest, took a breath, and nuzzled him.
Wei Danxin's breath hitched.
They had been exhausted during the day for so many days, and when they went back at night they would just talk and rest, without any extra energy to do anything else.
Moreover, Wei Dan had a "barrier" in his mind; he felt that he couldn't do that kind of thing when he was out and about.
Therefore, Bitao has been quite relaxed these days, getting plenty of sleep, but she is somewhat unsatisfied.
She doesn't even enjoy breastfeeding; she often falls asleep while eating.
Including tonight, I still owe Wei Danxin a full thirty-six times.
"Good Tao Tao." Wei Danxin called her in a very low voice, both to comfort and coax her.
Bitao hummed in agreement and buried her head in his chest, remaining still.
"Don't forget to dispel the yin energy from your body," Bitao said in a muffled voice.
"Mmm." Wei Danxin murmured in her ear, "Sleep for a while, I'll hold you."
Bitao really did relax and fall asleep.
For her, there was probably no place safer in this star realm than in Mingguang's arms.
Just as Bitao was drifting off to sleep, she suddenly smelled a faint, enchanting fragrance.
She opened her eyes groggily, but all she could see was darkness; she was still in Wei Dan's arms.
She moved slightly, and the scent lingering around her nostrils became even stronger.
"She's alright, but you're injured too. You should rest." Wei Danxin said in a low voice as she spoke to someone.
When Bitao turned her head, the first thing she saw was Liuxing's trouser leg, which was soaked with blood.
He hadn't even dealt with it yet, and was speaking gently to Wei Danxin: "Fellow Daoist Wei, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you to lead some people to help the other cultivators dispel the Yin energy. My spiritual energy is exhausted."
Bitao broke free from Wei Danxin's embrace, sat up straight, and looked up at the shooting star. His face was as pale as a hanged ghost in the night.
Wei Danxin was reluctant to let go of Bitao, but she had no choice but to let her go.
She spoke softly to Bitao, "I'll be back in a bit, wait for me."
Then he led the people Meteor brought to help people dispel the yin energy.
Meteor smiled politely at Peach Blossom, then turned to leave.
Bitao tugged at the hem of his robe: "Senior Brother Liuxing, sit down."
Bitao said, "I am a wood spirit, and I can heal you."
"You are badly injured."
Meteor didn't refuse, but when she sat down, she didn't dare bend her injured leg, and her posture was strange.
After sitting down, he smiled, looking quite weak, but still politely cupped his hands to Bitao and said, "Then I'll have to trouble Fellow Daoist Le."
Bitao activated her wood spirit, placing her palm on his injured leg to dispel the yin energy.
He then inserted the Wood Spirit into his meridians, quickly circulating it around, but found nothing unusual.
The act of spiritual energy probing into another person's meridians is an act that is somewhat too private.
If this were a prosperous Xuanxing Realm, where cultivators' cultivation levels weren't so low as to be equivalent to half-mortals, then this act of probing into someone's meridians without prior notice would only be slightly better than forcing someone to engage in spiritual communion.
Meteor immediately opened her eyes and looked at Bitao in shock.
Bitao has already withdrawn the wandering wood spirits.
“I’m sorry,” Bitao said, “I’m having trouble controlling my spiritual energy.”
Bitao pointed to the somewhat exaggerated wound on her arm that Wei Danxin had bandaged.
Meteor nodded and said, "It's nothing, thank you Fellow Daoist Le. The Yin energy has dissipated, I can handle the rest myself."
He propped himself up on his arms and left quickly.
He walked hurriedly with a limp, like a pitiful little thing who had been teased and was powerless to fight back.
Bitao watched his retreating figure, her peach blossom eyes narrowing slightly.
Then he did something that seemed even more perverted.
She brought her hand, which had just touched the wound on Liu Xing's calf and was stained with his blood, to her nose and smelled it carefully.
"So you like shooting stars?" Zhan Kui, like a wild ghost, seemed to drift over from nowhere and peeked out from behind the big tree behind Bi Tao.
Bitao lowered her hand, showing no embarrassment at being caught.
He turned around and held his bloodied hand out to Zhan Kui: "Smell it."
Zhan Kui: "No, I don't have such strong tastes as you."
Bitao wrapped her arms around her neck and pressed her hand against her nose.
Zhan Kui was caught off guard and took a sniff, then his eyes widened.
Bitao and her big eyes met for a moment, and the two sisters silently completed a tacit exchange.
Zhan Kui began, "So he..."
Just then, a tiger's roar came from very close by—
Immediately afterwards, the tigers roared and charged into the forest where the group was hiding, attacking the group before they could react.
"It's a tiger!"
"They are changgui, so many changgui! Gentlemen, do not panic, follow me to join them!"
"Where are the patrolmen? Why are so many tigers approaching without anyone giving a warning?!"
"None of the patrolmen have returned..."
"Clang!"
"Clang clang!"
In the pitch-black forest, the sound of clashing metal weapons rang out once more.
However, this time the spiritual light was much weaker, and there were more exclamations and screams from the cultivators.
Bitao happened to be with Zhan Kui, and Guanghan was not far away. The three of them quickly gathered back to back and made their move to deal with the fierce tiger that was about to touch their faces.
Wei Danxin was stopped by a pack of tigers that rushed into the forest because she was too far away from Bitao.
"Junior sister!" he cried out in a panic.
Bitao immediately replied, "I'm fine! Don't worry, Senior Brother!"
Zhan Kui dodged the fatal attack of the Yin Qi arrow, but was accidentally grazed on the shoulder, and was shocked to see his wound.
She cried out, "Tao Tao, I'm injured! The situation is a bit serious!"
Guanghan hurriedly checked her injury and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that it was just a scrape of skin.
Zhan Kui continued shouting, "Didn't they say these ghosts aren't very intelligent? How come they know how to launch a sneak attack?!"
Bitao: "Sneak attacks are a strategy that wild beasts use on their own. Do they need to use intelligence?"
"Flap flap—"
"Gaga gaga gaga—"
The flock of birds that had settled in the woods were startled and flew away. Just then, Bitao looked up and saw this, and her heart sank.
During the day, the place seemed full of life, with birds flying around.
Looking at them now, these were no ordinary birds; they were carrion crows!
Crows gathering here means there are either mass graves or piles of bones around.
"Third Senior Sister!"
"Second Junior Sister!"
Zhang Yuluan and Lin Xuantu also approached, but Bingjing, who was skilled in group attacks, was nowhere to be seen.
Bitao plunged her sword into the throat of the tiger that was the incarnation of the demon.
It not only cut off the arrow of yin energy that the tiger was about to spew, but also sent the tiger to its death.
Bitao turned to Zhang Yuluan and Lin Xuantu and asked, "Have you seen the Ice Mirror?!"
Zhang Yuluan drew her sword and, imitating Bitao, used the blade to cut the tiger's vulnerable mouth, replying, "The couple were all lovey-dovey before; it seems they avoided the crowds and went to the west to be intimate!"
Just as Zhang Yuluan finished speaking, a loud "boom" resounded.
The mighty power of the Five Thunderbolts swept out fiercely from the west side of the forest!
The impact was so widespread and the power so great that the entire forest of tigers, transformed from the demons, were injured by the aftershocks of the Five Thunderbolts and rendered incapable of movement.
"The Ice Mirror is amazing!" Zhang Yuluan was stunned.
Zhan Kui and Bi Tao quickly exchanged a glance, their expressions turning somber.
This power isn't from the Five Thunder Talisman—it's a Thunder Pattern Protective Seal!
In the critical moment when the tiger, transformed from a demon, charged towards her husband, Bingjing reached into her bosom but couldn't find the Five Thunder Talisman.
Relying on the fact that she was a cultivator, she instinctively stepped forward to block the tiger's attack, exposing her slender neck to its claws and teeth—
The bite force of a tiger is extremely powerful, and the tiger that the changui (a type of demon) transforms into is even more powerful than a normal tiger!
Ice Mirror is in this star realm, and its ability to summon lightning is great enough that in close combat, your cultivation level is not even enough to fill a tiger's teeth.
Her next fate was to be decapitated.
Kang Ping'an's eyes widened in fury: "Manman!"
It was too late to grab her and turn her around.
However, Heaven is merciful, and when his life was in danger, the lightning-patterned protective seal on Bingjing's body exploded.
Kang Ping'an, who reached out towards the ice mirror, was blasted away by the lightning and crashed into two trees before stopping, his sternum caved in.
When Bitao and the others rushed to Bingjing's side, Bingjing was unconscious, and Kang Ping'an was bleeding from all seven orifices and crawling towards Bingjing.
The crowd quickly helped the two people up and carried them on their backs, then ran off in any direction they could find.
No one could care about cooperating with the other cultivators anymore; at this moment, no one cared about anyone else.
Tigers, the incarnations of demons, were everywhere. Everyone was killing and slashing indiscriminately, scattering and fleeing in all directions, with no time to obey orders or cooperate.
Wei Danxin escaped the power of the Thunder Pattern Seal and chased after the others in the direction they had fled, successfully reuniting them.
However, the miasma in this mountain forest remains, the evil spirits are unaffected, but the cultivators cannot leave.
Bitao and the others were chased by a tiger all the way to the edge of a cliff. Lin Xuantu, who was leading the way, was suddenly bitten on the leg by a tiger that was lying in ambush in the grass.
He reacted swiftly, attacking with his sword, blinding one of the tiger's eyes. The fire spirit flowed through the sword and into the tiger's body, which could have killed it in one blow.
Unfortunately, this tiger was a real tiger, not a ghost formed from yin energy!
Lin Xuantu's sword strike instead drove the tiger into a frenzy of pain.
The tiger charged wildly, its enormous size knocking Lin Xuantu, who was holding a sword and about to behead it, backward.
The sky was pitch black, not a single star in sight tonight.
Bitao turned around and clearly saw that the tiger couldn't stop in time and fell off the cliff.
As the tiger claws scratched at the mountain wall, they caught one of Lin Xuantu's arms as he fell to the ground. The sharp claws dug into his flesh, and Lin Xuantu cried out in pain. He was pulled along by the tiger's massive body and fell rapidly down the cliff.
This is a canyon with a river flowing below, but mostly rugged rocks and trees.
Ice Wheel's lightning-patterned protective seal had already been broken when dealing with the evil spirit. If he were to fall, even though he was a fire elemental cultivator, he would only be smashed into sparks scattered like fireworks.
They are doomed to die.
Ignoring the roar of the tiger in front of her, which was spewing yin energy at her, Bitao turned and charged towards Lin Xuantu.
He had already been dragged down the cliff by the tiger. Bitao pounced on him, pinning down one of his legs with one hand, and with a single sword stroke severed the arm that the tiger had hooked around him!
"Ah!" Lin Xuantu cried out in excruciating pain.
Bitao was also dragged along by him, teetering on the edge of the cliff. She gritted her teeth, turned around, pinned the ground with her long sword, and pulled him up by his legs.
But even without an arm, Lin Xuantu was still a grown man. With his head down, he couldn't exert any strength. Bitao's sword, which was nailed to the ground, was pulled out and was about to be taken down with him.
"Let me go!" Third Senior Sister.
Bitao's arm was resting on the mountain wall; it had already dislocated the moment she grabbed Lin Xuantu.
But she gritted her teeth and persevered, still trying to pull the person back.
Just then, Wei Danxin cried out, "Tao Tao, be careful!"
Bitao turned her head and saw a lurking tiger pouncing towards her.
Bitao's pupils contracted sharply; if the tiger were to pounce on her, she would surely die.
In that critical moment, all she could think of was falling off the cliff to find a way to survive.
However, Wei Dan followed the person's voice and spun around in mid-air. Using the force of the twist, he mobilized the golden spirit to fall down—and pierced the tiger's neck with a sword.
The force was so great and ferocious that it actually pinned the tiger, which was about to attack Bitao, to the ground.
It was less than three feet away from Bitao!
Bitao and he stared at each other in mid-air. Wei Danxin rode on a dead tiger, his front stained with blood, his golden eyes filled with ferocity.
The moment their eyes met, they etched each other's images deep into their hearts.
At that moment, it seemed that even if the world changed drastically, the sky collapsed, and the mountains and rivers crumbled, no one could stop their unwavering love.
However, Wei Danxin was engaged in a battle with the evil spirit, and in order to turn around and save Bitao, his back was naturally wide open.
Guanghan and Zhankui assisted him in dealing with the treacherous ghosts.
These two have managed to hold out until now; one is lucky, and the other is just riding on someone else's coattails.
Unable to withstand the onslaught from Wei Danxin after she withdrew.
A fierce tiger roared to the sky and spat arrows of yin energy into Wei Danxin's back.
"Senior Brother!"
Zhang Yuluan leaped forward and struck with her sword energy, but in the end, she only managed to block part of it.
The remaining part struck Wei Danxin directly in the back.
The next moment, the protective barrier on Wei Danxin's shoulder was activated, and the gentle wood spirit transformed into a fine net behind him, which lit up for a moment before going out.
Wei Danxin herself didn't even know what happened in that brief moment.
Meanwhile, Bitao, who had been stubbornly holding onto Lin Xuantu at the edge of the cliff, was already about to give up.
The attack from the Yin energy, which had been transferred by the protective array she had personally drawn, sent her plummeting down the cliff, falling alongside Lin Xuantu.
It looked as if Bitao failed to save someone and then deliberately committed suicide with Lin Xuantu.
As she fell, Bitao thought to herself: Oh no.
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