Chapter 86 Kang Ping'an: Immortals and Ghosts, Different Paths.
Even if the miasma is still there, it is not difficult to catch a ghost that has just left the body.
Bitao and the others worked together to gently drive "Xiuniang" towards Yunchuan.
Xiu Niang died of fright, but she still retained her human reason. Although there was a hole in her abdomen, what was destroyed by the arrows of the evil spirit was the soul of the child inside her.
She was willing to give up her beloved husband, Da Niu, and insisted on having a child, stubbornly and "foolishly" wanting to continue the tradition ingrained in her bones—being a good wife and mother, which seemed wrong.
The tiny child, who had not yet been reincarnated, used his small and pitiful soul to buy his mother a chance for a complete reincarnation.
Isn't this also a beautiful destiny where the souls of a mother and child journey together?
Everything in the universe goes through cycles of reincarnation, and these cycles are built up from cause and effect.
The "results" that ordinary people obtain are necessarily the "causes" they have sown themselves.
Whether it is bitter or astringent, sweet or sour, shocking or peaceful and fulfilling, it is never up to others to judge or decide. Rather, it is the person who eats the fruit and stands in the cycle of reincarnation who measures whether what she has gained is what she desired.
Just like the Fairy Qingsi back then, who was frail and weak, yet insisted on giving birth to Yunchuan. Even Yunchuan himself felt that his birth was a mistake, but the right and wrong were determined by the seemingly weak but actually incredibly strong Fairy Qingsi, who dared to sacrifice her life for it and whose heart was firm and resolute.
Yun Chuan opened his storage bag and softly called to the woman, "Xiu Niang, come to me, I will send you to reincarnation."
Xiu Niang floated over, her expression no longer filled with fear, but rather with peace and even a hint of relief.
She already knew she was dead.
“Da Niu,” Xiuniang floated to Yun Chuan’s side and said, “I saw our child.”
“She is an extremely beautiful woman. You said you liked her, and she made a promise with me for the next life.”
She said that in the next life, she would be reborn as my daughter again.
Yun Chuan wept uncontrollably, nodding repeatedly.
Xiu Niang tried to wipe away his tears, but her soul could not touch the living.
In the end, she could only gently coax, "Don't cry..."
Then she moved her lips a few times, but didn't say another word to Yun Chuan, and went straight into the Soul-Binding Bag.
She didn't ask Yun Chuan if he loved her, nor did she make a promise with him for the next life, nor did she say goodbye to him.
She has obtained the "fruit" she sought; she is as gentle and resolute as a fairy maiden.
Yun Chuan put away the Soul-Binding Bag, swayed slightly, and couldn't hold on, so he knelt on the ground.
He braced himself on the ground with both hands, slightly opened his mouth, and silently and sorrowfully "wailed".
This is for Xiu Niang, and also for his mother whom he could not save.
Bitao and the others left the forest first, giving him enough time and space to sort everything out on his own.
As a celestial being, Yun Chuan must understand from the matter of Xiuniang that the Fairy Qing Si back then did not become the woman who "risked her life to give birth to her husband" because love occupied all her thoughts.
She gave her all, and the result she sought was "Yun Chuan".
It has always been Yunchuan.
Beichen's death at Qingsi's hands was not out of resentment towards Yunchuan for taking his beloved wife's life, but because the "fruit" Beichen sought was Qingsi Fairy.
Heaven is merciful. After this experience of separation from loved ones and unfulfilled desires, Yun Chuan will be able to completely let go of the obsession that once haunted him.
Bitao and the others returned to their previous seats to rest. Zhan Kui leaned on Bitao's shoulder with a sigh and whispered, "Oh dear, I think I'll never have children."
Bitao raised an eyebrow at her: "I feel like if you push Guanghan a little harder, he'll agree. Why didn't you have the baby?"
Zhan Kui said, "Hmm...it looks so bad with a big belly. I didn't even notice that 'Xiu Niang' before. Of course, I don't mean to say she's ugly."
Zhan Kui gestured in front of her slender waist, saying, "Oh my, it's terrifying! How can that belly be so big?"
"And after the baby was gone, her belly was still loose and didn't recover, oh dear..."
Zhan Kui was still shaken. "No, I absolutely cannot get pregnant!"
Bitao couldn't help but laugh and teased her, "What are you afraid of? You're a lucky koi fairy."
"And you fish...aren't you the ones who spawn?"
"When you return to your original form, you'll have thousands of them! Hundreds of years later, the entire celestial realm will be dominated by your children."
Zhan Kui: "...Ahhhhh! Shut up!"
It's rare for her to be so terrified by something.
He grabbed his head with both hands and said, "If one child's stomach is already stretched like that, what would happen if there were thousands of children? Wouldn't I become a blow-belly fish?"
Zhan Kui was terrified by this real-life horror story and immediately ran to Guang Han to tell her that he didn't want the child anymore.
Tell him to be careful in the future, and if he gets her pregnant, have someone beat him to death!
Guanghan, who had just recovered somewhat, turned over after hearing Zhan Kui's words, sighed, and fell asleep again.
That was close!
He almost couldn't hold back and agreed.
That's great, we don't have to have one... or rather, thousands of fish-headed children anymore.
Otherwise, he might really have to perform the ritual of offering sacrifices because he couldn't accept it.
Yun Chuan returned as dawn was breaking. He stood in the open space for a moment, then instead of going to Ming Guang's side, he came to Bi Tao's side and silently found a corner to sit down cross-legged.
The group of people around Mingguang had different expressions upon seeing this, and most of them disagreed.
Binglun quietly rolled over on the grass and looked in the direction of Bitao through the wormwood. She saw that several meritorious immortals from Youtian had also run to sit around Bitao and were talking to her in hushed tones.
Binglun was acting furtively, focusing its attention on what it wanted to hear, though it didn't know what it wanted to hear.
Suddenly, he sensed that Mingguang, who had been meditating not far ahead, had stood up. Binglun immediately withdrew his divine sense and closed his eyes, pretending to be asleep.
Under the thick black sky before dawn, Mingguang randomly chose a direction to get away from the crowd.
He was upset and disgusted with himself for being so easily swayed by the actions of others.
Bitao saw Mingguang go into the grove alone.
I thought he was going to relieve himself.
His gaze followed the direction, then quickly returned to his own.
The person who came to talk to her was Cang Ling.
“We all sensed something was wrong with him,” Cang Ling said. “There were many things that couldn’t be explained about the last time he killed the evil spirit Xi.”
"This time, he has gathered so many cultivators and they have fallen into this place again. This cannot be explained by coincidence."
...
Bitao listened as several immortals from Youtian, each expressing their own thoughts.
Cangling finally asked Bitao, "What do you think?"
Bitao made no secret of her past experiences in the underworld and speculated that the collapse of the Reincarnation Bridge and the resulting calamity of the world by ghosts were the work of Yu Junlang, the patriarch of the Xuanmen sect who had returned to the mortal realm after ascending to immortality.
Bitao said, "But we can't be sure who this Yujunlang is right now."
After hearing this, everyone showed a thoughtful expression.
After a long pause, Cang Ling pondered and said, "If it's a meteor... that's too superficial. There are too many suspicious points about him, making him seem like a target pushed out by someone."
Bitao nodded: "That's right. I still have some suspects."
"Did the sect leader and elders know that you came to Mengxia Village to exorcise evil spirits? Did anyone intentionally hint at or order you to come here?"
At first, everyone nodded, then they all shook their heads.
Cang Ling spoke on their behalf: "When we go out to receive missions, we need to report to the sect, so the elders and sect leader know we're here."
"However... no one deliberately brought us here. I chose this mission because I had no memory of it, and also because it cost one hundred earth-grade spirit stones. I also thought the tiger wouldn't be difficult to deal with, and it would be safer to have the Pavilion Master of the Heart-Questioning Pavilion leading the team personally."
Bitao nodded.
That means that only she, Mingguang, and the others were "tricked" into coming by Wei Xiao, the leader of the Supreme Sword Sect.
But if Bitao confronts him, he can easily say that he only knew about Bu Er Dao Ren's past through hearsay.
Moreover, his own son and three personal disciples were also following Bitao to "find their mother." Would Wei Xiao really want to kill his own sons and disciples?
Wei Xiao had too many reasons to refute.
Bitao said, "All the sect leaders and elders in the cultivation world are suspects."
"If the patriarch of the Xuanmen sect wanted to disrupt this world, he wouldn't possess an ordinary mortal. The most likely candidates are the sect leaders and elders within the sect."
Bitao did not rush to recount Wei Xiao's explanation.
Instead, he asked, "Since all the blame is now being placed on Meteor—he was the one who led the team, planned the route, and caused everyone to fall into the miasma twice—then perhaps..."
"Senior Brother Meteor, there are some things we still don't understand, and we want to ask you about them in person."
Meteor was originally discussing with several cultivators their travel route after the ghost miasma dissipates tomorrow.
Without paper and pen at hand, he drew pictures on the ground and specially assigned several cultivators with good cultivation to protect the helpless civilians.
Hearing Bitao's question, he raised his head and said to the cultivators beside him, "You all carry out the arrangements I have made first, and I will explain the details later."
After dismissing those around him, he stood up and very elegantly and carefully straightened his robes, which had become slightly wrinkled from squatting on the ground.
She also straightened her long hair that was hanging down her shoulders and neck.
Bitao recalled that from the first time she met him until now, apart from the time when his neck was cut off and he was in a mess, even when he was grotesque and tainted by ghostly energy, he had always been elegant in speech and manner.
He seems to pay a lot of attention to his appearance.
Meteor bowed slightly, always maintaining impeccable manners, and asked Bitao, "Fellow Daoist Yue, is there something you fellow Daoists are confused about?"
The crowd had various expressions. Some were about to ask questions, but Cang Ling held their shoulders down.
Bitao smiled and said, "Tonight we were attacked by the evil spirits and trapped in the miasma. It reminded me of when Senior Brother Meteor led the team to kill the evil spirit Xi."
“These fellow Daoists kept pestering me with questions, curious about how I displayed such divine power to kill the evil spirit.”
Bitao smiled somewhat embarrassedly and said, "I said that I was possessed by a celestial spirit, but they insist that I am hiding some secret manual that my mother passed down to me."
“I explained to them in detail, but when we talked about how Senior Brother Meteor was betrayed by the cultivators of the Heart-Questioning Pavilion in the illusion and was seriously injured and on the verge of death.”
"We can't figure it out. At that time, the evil spirit Xi was already suppressed by the 'Heavenly Dao', so why did he still have the ability to control the Heavenly Sliding cultivators and hold Senior Brother Meteor hostage to threaten everyone?"
“Senior Brother Meteor, Tianhua is a cultivator from the Heart-Questioning Pavilion. Senior Brother Meteor must know him better than we do. Back then, Xi Egui mentioned ‘brother’ and when Tianhua threatened him with Senior Brother Meteor, he kept saying ‘Release my sister.’”
Bitao seemed incredibly curious, smiling and tilting her head slightly as she asked, "Could they really be siblings?"
Meteor's initial expression was perfectly bewildered, but when he heard Bitao ask her final question, his bewilderment turned into a somber mood.
But this melancholy is just right, carrying with it regret and incomprehension for the passing of loved ones.
He frowned and said, "To be honest, fellow Daoists, I have never been able to find out what the relationship is between Tianhua and Xi Egui."
"I found the Tianhua among a group of refugees when I went out to exorcise evil spirits years ago."
“I can say that I raised him myself. I have never heard him mention having a younger sister. Besides, I have investigated his background and found that he is not from Kangquan City.”
"The only information found is that he may have come from Hongbei Town of Ninglai Kingdom, which is now extinct."
"But in this world, it is common for refugees to wander around in search of a way to survive. Too many people have messy household registrations. Even in Wenchang Kingdom and Rizhao Kingdom, which are still relatively orderly, there are too many hidden households and outsiders whose origins cannot be traced."
"Fellow Daoist Le, when you were possessed by the Heavenly Dao, did you hear the evil ghost Xi mention your brother in any further detail?"
“I have already cremated Tianhua’s remains, but I have not yet buried him. If he is indeed the brother of that evil ghost, and he is already dead, even if I am mindful of our years of companionship, I will find a way to bring him back to his hometown.”
Meteor's voice was melodious and clear. After listening to it, Bitao and the others looked at each other for a moment.
Bitao shook her head: "I only heard Xi Egui mention that he had an older brother, but he didn't go into details."
"Since Senior Brother Meteor didn't know either, now you all believe me, right? Back then, it was the Heavenly Dao that descended; how could I possibly have the ability to kill that evil ghost?"
Meteor chimed in at this moment: "Fellow Daoist Le, there's no need to belittle yourself."
"I had previously exchanged ideas with the team that Fellow Daoist Le had formed. Fellow Daoist Le's hunting method with hounds is truly ingenious. I have never seen this hunting method in the human world. Applying this method to the changgui is truly a divine gift."
This statement was a test; he was testing Bitao and the others in return.
Meteor continued, "Furthermore, I have seen that all of you fellow Daoists possess exquisite skills. When you fight, you are incredibly brave, as if divine soldiers have descended from the heavens... Oh, by the way, the formation that Fellow Daoist Wei used earlier was also like borrowing spirits from the heavens, which truly dazzled me and made me admit my inferiority."
Apart from the experienced Cang Ling, everyone around Bi Tao was stunned by Liu Xing's probing.
Bitao laughed and said, "Hahaha, Senior Brother Meteor, have you never seen the hunting method with hounds? My mother told me about it!"
"Unfortunately, life here is dwindling year by year. It's difficult enough for ordinary people to survive, so no one would keep so many dogs. I haven't even seen a single puppy. I used to keep asking my mother to get me a few to train."
"As a result, my mother searched all over the world and found that only a little prince in the palace of Rizhao Kingdom kept one, and it was a pug. The little prince was only six years old and loved dogs like his own life, so I didn't want to take what belonged to him."
Meteor laughed too: "Fellow Daoist Le is quite childlike."
"As for Senior Brother's formation, I'll tell you secretly," Bitao said mysteriously, "it's my master's trump card."
"The array can only be activated when one's life is at stake, and my senior brother's cultivation is insufficient; activating the array once will deplete his spiritual energy..."
"By the way! My senior brother went to the restroom and hasn't come back yet. Senior Brother Meteor, please send someone to check on him quickly, in case he's fainted?"
Seeing Bitao's anxious expression, Liuxing immediately said, "Fellow Daoist Le, don't worry, I'll send someone to check right away."
Meteor sent someone to find Mingguang.
Bitao led Youtian and the others aside to talk.
Bitao: "If he really revealed the origin of Tianhua, or forcibly linked Tianhua with Xi Egui, then there would be a lot of doubts."
Bitao shrugged: "But he couldn't explain it clearly. He even asked me where Tianhua should be buried, and he was also very suspicious of the abnormal behavior we immortals showed. He was trying to test us... Do you think he is that Xuanmen patriarch?"
Cang Ling frowned: "It doesn't seem like it..."
The others around Cang Ling also shook their heads: "He is too approachable. The sect leader of my 'Chosen One' sect mentioned to us disciples that his master said that the Xuanmen Ancestor had absorbed hundreds of Taoist techniques and was knowledgeable in all kinds of methods, but he was aloof and did not like to see people. He did not allow any disciples to get close to him and was in seclusion for many years."
"Even the techniques taught by Professor Lian of Xuanmen all use 'shadow figures'."
Bitao asked keenly, "What shadow figure?"
The disciple said, "It means that when one's cultivation reaches a certain level, one can control shadows. Like... well, like the Great Emperor of the Eastern Azure Flower, who can control many unrelated avatars."
After chatting for a while, Mingguang, with a gloomy face, was respectfully "invited" back by two cultivators from the Wenxin Pavilion.
He ran back to meditate, glancing at Bitao before he did so.
As it turned out, Bitao was exchanging messages with Cangling and the others at the time, and only noticed him returning out of the corner of her eye, so she ignored him.
The group rested for a while and set off at dawn the next day.
The cultivators were redistributed, and all mortals were gathered together under the protection of cultivators. This was to prevent a repeat of the previous tragedy where, upon the appearance of the evil spirits, everyone was scattered and the deaths and injuries were irrecoverable.
Kang Ping'an, who had always been by Bing Jing's side, was also assigned to the mortals' group.
The mortals' team was still led by Yun Chuan.
Yun Chuan regained his memories, but his cultivation level did not recover along with them.
He has no spiritual energy now, but he has remembered all the cultivation techniques, so he can be used as a half-cultivator.
The group set off again, but after walking for a while, they found themselves still going in circles.
Daylight broke, but the miasma had not yet dissipated.
And not long after, they were attacked again by a large number of changui (a type of evil spirit).
Despite prior preparations, casualties were still inevitable.
It was already October, and they had been in Mengxia Village exorcising evil spirits for a full half month.
In a few days, it will be the auspicious wedding day for Bitao and Wei Danxin.
However, they were still trapped in the mountains, starving and exhausted, their spiritual energy depleted, and they were once again in dire straits.
While resting, one cultivator, while frantically gulping down water to stave off hunger, said in a despairing and numb voice, "The miasma hasn't dissipated, the tigers haven't been completely killed, and the 'Chang Gui' ghosts seem to appear out of nowhere, seemingly endlessly. Could there be another tiger cave in these mountains?"
This assumption is really a bit scary.
Another cultivator whispered, "If there really is another tiger's lair, then we're destined to die here..."
Halfway through their rest, a large number of ghouls attacked again.
The group struggled to cope, with some pinning their hopes on Mingguang, given his previous formations that had been incredibly powerful and effective.
However, Mingguang tried twice, but his spiritual energy was insufficient, and he was unable to activate the formation.
The number of people was constantly decreasing, and most of the dead were civilians.
After defeating the demons once again, they rested by the river, where the water was briefly dyed red.
Several corpses floated in the water, their eyes wide open in death, but the crowd no longer had the strength or energy to collect them.
We could only watch helplessly as they floated downstream, a kind of water burial.
On the opposite bank of the narrow river, the tigers, transformed from the demons, gathered again, eager to attack.
Despair gripped everyone. Mingguang, Binglun, and the others, who had previously been clearly separated from Bitao and the others, found themselves standing with them once again.
Back to back, they became each other's most trusted people once again.
As for You Tian's meritorious immortal position, he and the ancient immortals were forced to join hands and advance and retreat together.
For a time, everyone had no choice but to grit their teeth, be patient, put aside past grievances, and work together.
Bitao was shielded behind Mingguang. She had fought bravely against the tiger in the previous battle, and her body was covered in blood, making her look extremely disheveled. However, her peach blossom eyes were bright, and her wild nature had been fully aroused.
Even Zhan Kui was carrying a sword, his expression serious.
But she was not pessimistic at all, and she did not think that she, a koi fairy, would die in the mouth of these low-level ghosts disguised as tigers.
She looked around and suddenly uttered a very insightful statement.
"Ah, Peach, I know what 'meeting with those we hate' is, the test that Heaven is testing us with!"
Bitao turned her head to look at her, and Zhan Kui pointed to a group of people and said, "Look, if this were in the past, could you imagine these people fighting side by side?"
Bitao: "..." That's definitely not possible.
Upon hearing this, everyone who was tensely preparing for battle gritted their teeth, and several people around Cang Ling were so angry that they laughed.
really.
What could be more agonizing than people who hate and despise each other yet have to fight side by side?
However, reality did not give these immortals much time to savor the experience.
Soon the tiger leaped over the riverbank again and charged towards them.
The cultivators led the charge.
The longsword in Bitao's hand, which was not sharp or sturdy enough, snapped with a clang against Huya.
Mingguang turned around upon hearing the sound, but he was in the first row and couldn't turn back to help her after withstanding the main attack from the demon.
He was not like Wei Danxin, who would disregard the greater good for the safety of one person and only care about personal love.
With so many people entrusting their lives to them, Mingguang would never absolve himself of personal desires.
Moreover, he knew Bitao well; Bitao's martial arts were far superior to his, and she possessed far more unpredictable moves. Even if her sword broke, she wouldn't be in any danger.
However, he still couldn't act solely based on rational analysis. He quickened his sword swings to block most of the attacks and glanced back at Binglun in the second row.
Bitao is indeed unharmed, and even a broken sword has its uses.
Just as she knelt down, about to use the sharp blade of her broken sword to slash open the tiger's belly, someone above stopped the tiger's teeth from tearing down on her.
With a clang, the man actually knocked out one of the tiger's teeth with the edge of his sword.
—It was a shooting star.
Bitao stared at the fallen tiger tooth, then looked at Meteor's swift and forceful swordsmanship, his wide and sweeping swordplay... It was just like the way Binglun, enraged during the first competition, used his sword like a stick without any strategy.
Binglun was behind Liuxing; he had somehow rushed over from the second row.
Holding the sword in one hand, he passed over the meteor's shoulder and back, stabbing the tiger into its soft mouth, sending the tiger, which had been beaten black and blue but not fatally, to its death.
He then immediately turned around and returned to the second row.
Meteor, carrying his sword which had miraculously survived his earlier wild swings, went to help the others.
Bitao stared at his sword-wielding posture, momentarily lost in thought.
She was quickly helped up by Zhang Yuluan and Bingjing. Bingjing asked Bitao, "Are you alright?"
Zhang Yuluan yelled in her ear, "You're not hurt, why aren't you getting up? Are you taking a dump?!"
Bitao: "..." She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and quickly joined the battle.
The few remaining civilians were all skilled in some martial arts, but they were determined and agile. Under Yun Chuan's command and cooperation, they were able to withstand the attack of a lone tiger.
By this time, the cultivators had exhausted their spiritual energy and were fighting desperately.
However, the ferocious tigers that gathered from all sides kept coming in, and more and more of them gathered. The group was surrounded, and the arrows of yin energy were like a barrage of arrows. No matter how keenly they dodged, they could not avoid being grazed or even pierced through.
Just when everyone thought that continuing would mean certain death, a vast bolt of lightning swept across the crowd.
At this moment, the sky darkened, thick clouds rolled in the sky, mountain winds raged, and a mountain rain was imminent.
This strike of five thunderbolts was almost like the divine will manifest itself once again.
The sweeping lightning struck with immense force, scattering the gathered demons into ashes once more.
Another immortal's thunder pattern seal has been broken.
This gave everyone a brief respite.
But they did not continue to sit idly by and wait for their doom.
Mingguang wiped away the blood, sheathed his sword, and said, "There is absolutely no other Tiger Mountain in this mountain. The vengeful spirits are endless, and the yin energy has been stagnant for a long time. There is only one reason: the one who truly controls the vengeful spirits is among us."
"The ghosts are driven by him and gather around us. The yin energy is vast, and the ghost miasma follows us like a shadow."
Although Mingguang's words did not have the same effect as those in the Heavenly Realm, they were still as heavy as a mountain, a final and decisive statement.
Bitao had long suspected something; she had been quietly observing everyone for a long time, and if Mingguang hadn't spoken up, she would have.
Upon hearing this, everyone was shocked and suddenly realized, "So they were among us! No wonder we couldn't escape no matter how we tried!"
The group scrutinized and probed each other.
"Why did you suddenly sheathe your sword just now? You almost got my arm bitten off by a tiger!"
"Did you just kick me towards the tiger?!"
"Hmph, you treacherous dog of merit, don't think I don't know you're the traitor who colluded with the evil spirits. Look at you, you don't have a single scratch on you!"
...
Once the seeds of doubt are sown, the already fragile "alliance" immediately crumbles and the two sides turn against each other.
They accused and attacked each other, wishing they could cut off their own heads to ensure that the other was the "culprit who commanded the evil spirits."
The few dozen remaining people were thrown into complete chaos.
At that moment, Yun Chuan stepped forward, his long sword held horizontally against one person's neck.
“It was him,” Yun Chuan said with certainty. “During the several attacks, not a single tiger transformed from the vengeful spirit bit him, and he showed no signs of being attacked by any Yin Qi arrows.”
Upon hearing this, everyone looked over and saw that the one being held captive by Yun Chuan's longsword was Bing Jing's husband, Kang Ping'an.
After fighting their way through, everyone was in a sorry state, except for Kang Ping'an, whose robes were intact and not stained with a single drop of blood.
His long, flowing hair cascaded over his broad shoulders, and his handsome face was clean yet sinister.
Even the glove on his left hand was spotless, without a speck of dirt or dust.
He didn't seem like someone who had been on the run for days and nights. He was strong and fierce, but because no tiger attacked him, he never exerted any effort. Compared to the others who were treated as prey, he seemed more like the one who came to the mountains to hunt.
"Impossible!" Bingjing rushed over immediately and shoved Yunchuan on the shoulder. "Put down your sword! This is my husband! He came with me to the mountains to find the villagers who were captured!"
Bingjing's beautiful voice became sharp and fierce in order to defend her husband.
However, Kang Ping'an was too suspicious, and the crowd could not dispel their suspicions just because of Bing Jing's few words of protection.
"Then why do you think he wasn't attacked by the tiger?"
"It is said that the 'Changgui' is a servant of the tiger. In order to control him, the tiger will keep some of his soul so that he cannot be reincarnated."
"The male ghost's left little finger is missing, and your husband happens to be wearing a glove on his left hand. Doesn't that mean there's a ghost?!"
"You're talking nonsense!" Bingjing held his sword horizontally in front of him and forcefully pushed Yunchuan away.
Her husband, who was protecting her, said, "His hand is disabled, but he is not missing the little finger of his left hand!"
Bingjing turned around and roughly ripped off Kang Ping'an's gloves, along with the specially made leather layer to cover his scars.
Grabbing Kang Ping'an's hand, he showed it to him: "This is the disability he suffered when a hundred ghosts passed through my village back then, and he was injured while saving me!"
"He also has a leg disability, all from burns!"
However, the crowd was not buying it, especially since most of them knew that the Ice Mirror was a celestial being.
Having not regained her memories, she believed herself to be a country girl from the mountains.
Some people said, "Even if it was a burn, why did it happen to be on the left hand? Could it be that it was done on purpose to cover up the fact that the left hand is missing a little finger?"
Ice Mirror immediately roared at the man, "Come here! I'll cut your head off and say it was your doing! What do you want?"
The crowd was momentarily at a standstill, with Mingguang staring intently at Bingjing as she defended her husband.
Binglun was helpless against her younger sister and said, "Bingjing, you've been deceived by that man."
"I didn't! I know perfectly well! It's you, you're incapable, you can't survive, so you want to sacrifice an innocent person. How is that any different from those fools who worship the treacherous ghost and call it the Tiger Immortal?!"
She was sharp-tongued and played a significant role in killing the evil spirits. The Five Thunder Talisman helped everyone a great deal, and no one was willing to confront her directly.
Mingguang looked past the ice mirror at Yunchuan.
His golden eyes were sharp and piercing as he silently gave the order.
When Xiuniang died, Yunchuan blamed Mingguang and even told him to get out.
However, he was so enraged and obsessed at the time that he transferred his feelings for his mother to Xiuniang.
Once he calmed down, he realized that Mingguang could not have done it on purpose.
Regardless of Mingguang's upright and honest character, the Five Elements Dangerous Constellation Formation was not something he could accomplish alone.
He needs to gather cultivators of the five elements and assign positions to the constellations of the Wei constellation; it's not something that can be activated in the blink of an eye.
He is currently only at the Earthly Re-cultivation level, without the abilities of a Mystic Immortal. No matter how powerful he is, it is impossible for him to scheme to kill his Xiu Niang and activate the formation when he is on the verge of death.
Therefore, Yun Chuan's outburst at that time was clearly a deliberate act of taking his anger out on Ming Guang. The reason why he took his anger out on Ming Guang without regard for anything else was ultimately because they had a childhood friendship.
When people are on the verge of collapse, in pain, and unable to bear it, they will subconsciously lash out at their closest loved ones in order to transfer and displace their pain.
He didn't immediately return to Mingguang's side because of shame, and also because he wanted to calm down completely.
The servant-brotherly relationship between him and Mingguang could not be severed by just any event.
Mingguang understood this principle, which is why he gave Yunchuan time to think it through himself.
Bitao understood this, so she didn't take this opportunity to win over Yunchuan.
Yun Chuan has now received Ming Guang's silent "command".
Without hesitation, she drew her sword and plunged it into the heart of the man protected behind the ice mirror.
With a soft "sizzle," the sound of a sharp sword piercing flesh was distinctly faint.
But Bingjing turned her head in an instant, her eyes wide with fury as she saw the long sword protruding from her husband's chest.
Ice Mirror's astonished gaze met Yun Chuan's indifferent eyes.
At that moment, her anger was so intense it felt like it was about to burst the skull.
She didn't even care about her husband, and charged towards Yun Chuan with her sword in an instant: "I'll fight you to the death—"
Bingjing is a thunder general personally trained by the Heavenly Dao of Myriad Realms, skilled in both literature and martial arts, while Yun Chuan is a martial god of the Ministry of War. Both are outstanding figures in the Nine Heavens Immortal Rank, and when they clash, it is a battle of swords and shadows, with the heavens and earth collapsing.
The clanging of metal weapons rang out incessantly. Yun Chuan was skilled in the sweeping and powerful sword strikes of the Zhanma Dao. Bing Jing fearlessly swung her sword at close range. In her frenzy, although she had not regained her memories, her physical memories were also activated. For a moment, Yun Chuan was somewhat overwhelmed.
He had several cuts on his body.
But he was tall and strong, and much stronger than Bingjing.
As the saying goes, brute force can overcome any technique. Unable to win by using any moves, he seized the opportunity and struck Bingjing on the back of the neck with a palm strike.
"Yun Chuan!" Bing Lun hurriedly called out to stop him. How could Bing Jing, who was currently in a state of shock, furious and irrational, and barely holding on, withstand Yun Chuan's hand strike?
But it was too late for Binglun to rush over; Yunchuan struck Bingjing on the back of the neck without holding back.
Bingjing immediately fainted.
As he collapsed to the ground, Kang Ping'an, who had been struck by Yun Chuan's sword but remained standing unharmed, rushed towards the direction of the Ice Realm.
But just as he reached out, Binglun severed his hand from the ice mirror with a single sword strike.
"You evil spirit! How dare you touch my sister!"
Kang Ping'an watched helplessly as Bing Jing fell into someone else's arms, ignoring the blood flowing from his chest and the blood gushing from his severed wrist, and tried to step forward again.
But Mingguang held a sword to his neck, stopping him in his tracks.
"You really are an evil spirit."
If it were a normal person, they would have died after being shot in the chest with an arrow, but Kang Ping'an remained standing.
Only ghostly creatures, such as changgui, need to be killed repeatedly.
The bright sword was infused with golden spirit, and a chilling voice of judgment fell: "You have harmed countless people, prepare to die."
As Mingguang spoke, he was about to sever Kang Ping'an's head with a single sword stroke.
Below, however, a broken sword imbued with wood spirit blocked the imposing longsword of the golden spirit at the critical moment.
"Little Peach Branch, you!"
Mingguang's longsword was deflected, and he looked surprised and puzzled. Bitao stood in front of Kang Ping'an.
This is like a chicken coop being blown up.
Everyone exclaimed, "Bitao, what are you doing!"
"Could it be that you are also entangled with the Lord of the Ghosts?!"
"Peach, you..."
"Third Junior Sister, why are you stopping Senior Brother? From the first moment I saw him, I knew he was a demon! How can a normal person be stabbed in the heart and still be standing perfectly intact?!"
Everyone tried to dissuade her, but Bitao protected Kang Ping'an and retreated, quickly walking to Bingjing's side.
Bingjing was lying in Binglun's arms. This was the first time Bitao and Binglun had looked at each other since the accident.
Binglun's eyes narrowed for a moment; at that moment, he couldn't care less about shame or panic.
He spoke, his voice somewhat hoarse, asking Bitao, "Why are you protecting the ghost?"
Bitao ignored him, pulled Kang Pingan down to squat down, and took out a talisman from Bingjing's bosom.
This was collected when they were organizing their equipment. Now all their offensive talismans were used up, leaving only this one awakening talisman, which was useless in battle.
It was drawn when I was practicing on the ice mirror.
Bitao activated the talisman, keeping an eye on everyone to prevent them from harming Kang Ping'an, while simultaneously slapping the awakening talisman onto the spirit platform of the ice mirror.
In an instant, Bingjing, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened her eyes.
The bloodshot veins in her eyes darted around like snakes, and her previously chaotic eyes became clear.
Bitao ordered Binglun: "Let her go!"
Binglun certainly didn't want to let go of his sister, but he instinctively obeyed Bitao's command and released her.
Ice Mirror slowly climbed up.
She touched the back of her neck, looked blank for a moment, then saw Kang Ping'an next to Bi Tao. She rushed towards him and hugged him tightly around the neck.
Everyone was puzzled, and Mingguang frowned deeply.
But he stopped speaking, and no one else around him dared to say anything either.
Bingjing held Kang Pingan in her arms and cried bitterly.
Binglun's temples bulged with veins. Seeing his younger sister actually hugging that sinister thing, he wanted to step forward to stop her, but as he took a step, Bitao blocked his way.
Binglun's lips moved a few times, but he finally looked away. Anger and unspeakable emotions caused him to back away, his face red and his neck thick.
Kang Ping'an reached out... or rather, extended his arm, which no longer had a hand, and encircled the ice mirror.
He didn't shed a tear; his expression remained gloomy, but a hint of tenderness and sorrow appeared between his brows.
"Manman, don't cry..."
"Why..." Bingjing's voice was very soft at first, and many people present did not hear it clearly, but Kang Pingan heard it.
Kang Ping'an did not answer immediately. He looked over Bing Jing's shoulder and surveyed the crowd with an extremely sinister expression.
Then she said, "Manman, I don't want to die at the hands of these people."
Bingjing cried until she almost fainted.
She held Kang Ping'an close at all times, like a foolish woman who was bewitched by evil spirits, indulging in love, and willingly feeding the ghost with her own heart.
Binglun couldn't bear to see his younger sister in such pain, and with no other choice, he drew his sword to kill that "thing" that wasn't even human.
But they could not get past the high wall called "Peach Blossom".
Someone in the crowd couldn't help but say, "We must kill the person who ordered the ghosts to act as soon as possible, otherwise, if he summons a horde of ghosts, how will we survive?!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was eager to try.
Bitao's companions, who did not understand the reason for her behavior, led by Cangling, managed to stop those people.
Even Mingguang, with a warning in his voice, called her again: "Little Peach Branch."
But Bitao refused to move aside.
Just then, lightning seemed to surge from the body of the ghost.
The hand holding the ice mirror, pressed against his waist and abdomen, activated the lightning spirit, channeling it into his body.
She cried so desperately, but she didn't stop.
Where lightning flashed across Kang Ping's face, charred cracks appeared on the flesh and blood that could not be killed by ordinary longswords.
The restless crowd fell silent, and Binglun stared in astonishment at Bingjing.
Bitao didn't turn around, but met Mingguang's gaze and said, "Let her face her own tribulation."
If Kang Pingan were to die at the hands of someone else, Bing Jing would likely carry this obsession to the core for the rest of her life.
Bingjing released Kang Ping'an's neck, looking at the cracks appearing on his face as she asked, "Why...?"
"We saved so many villagers together, we... Waaaaaah..."
Kang Pingan used the relatively clean part of his severed arm and sleeve to wipe away the tears from Bing Jing's eyes.
He actually laughed, and then said, "Because I'm not a person to begin with."
"I died... Hmm, I can't remember how long ago. During that time of the hundred ghosts' passage, I found a body, wanting to experience what it's like to be human..."
He couldn't remember who he was or where he came from.
Unable to reincarnate after death and unwilling to accept it, he kept devouring other ghosts.
Later, even devouring ghosts couldn't make up for the dissipation, so he began to devour living souls.
Until one day, on a whim, he devoured the soul of a living person and possessed him.
Before he could even leave his human body, a pretty little girl pulled him away to escape.
He smelled the smoke and dust from the fires set by the other evil spirits and felt the body temperature of the person pulling him.
How novel! He's been a demon for so many years, yet someone wants to protect him.
He soon learned that it was his "fiancée," whose petite body had rushed into the flames for him.
Kang Ping'an's expression had become somewhat dazed: "As for why..."
With his crippled wrist, he stroked Bingjing's face: "To live." Only by living could he stay with this little girl.
Such a simple reason.
But if a demon that has been dead for who knows how long wants to live, someone must pay the price.
Many, many people will pay the price for the selfish desires of a demon.
He needs to make a deal with an even more ferocious demon.
"Ah..." Bingjing trembled uncontrollably and hugged Kang Ping'an again.
Kang Ping'an's body had been completely burned to a crisp by Lei Ling, and his soul was about to dissipate.
He said, "I'm sorry... I'm not your fiancé, but... I've lied to you for so long."
Bingjing held him and shook her head frantically, choking back sobs and unable to speak, but the soul in her arms had already dissipated inch by inch.
Bingjing never managed to say "she wasn't that woman" in the end; that fire was their first encounter.
One is a celestial being, the other a wicked demon.
Binglun turned his head away reluctantly. He still didn't understand why Bingjing liked that sneaky guy, nor did he understand why Bitao wanted to stop him.
But he felt pain because of his sister's suffering, and he wept because of her tears.
Kang Ping'an's soul dissipated, and the sword that had been stuck in his heart fell to the ground.
The miasma dissipated, and a normal road leading out of the mountains appeared before them, allowing them to see Mengxia Village bathed in the twilight.
Bingjing was overcome with grief and knelt on the ground weeping for a long time, unable to get up.
She killed Kang Ping'an with her own hands.
No one can understand how painful and heartbreaking it was for her to destroy her own "dream".
They are so kind.
They are such good people.
But they were destined to be different beings, immortals and ghosts, and their encounter was destined to be a tragedy.
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