Chapter Seventy-Eight: I Am Willing to Perish with My Master
Ye Chi was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
The surrounding demonic energy grew increasingly dense and agitated, causing his hard-won composure to falter. He could barely control his emotions; he was like a ticking time bomb, desperately counting down the days until his collapse. Ten minutes had passed since Ya Feiyu went inside, and each second felt like an eternity to him. Despite Tantai Wushuang's repeated reminders that Ya Feiyu's cultivation was so high that he wouldn't easily be in trouble, he remained restless.
He paced back and forth, glancing every now and then at the dark entrance, praying that Ya Feiyu might emerge from within. But instead of Ya Feiyu's reassuring silver eyes, he was met with a sudden surge of demonic energy, accompanied by a powerful shockwave that nearly sent Ye Chi flying. He finally regained his footing and looked up to see ominous, eerie black mist emanating from the entrance.
His instincts told him that something was wrong.
The good news is that after the demonic energy went out of control, the demonic energy that had previously blocked his path gradually dissipated, and he could go in, as long as he concealed his spiritual energy aura. The bad news is that the demonic energy didn't gather together for no reason and then form such a powerful shockwave; Ya Feiyu must have done something inside.
He was determined to rush forward when, in the next second, a black arrow shot straight out from the darkness, formed from thick fog, and pierced his forehead.
In that instant, the world plunged into an endless abyss.
...
When Ye Chi woke up, he found himself still lying in the same spot.
But he wasn't alone. He blinked slowly, and the people who had disappeared suddenly reappeared, surrounding him. He simply propped himself up to sit up, and even this small movement elicited gasps from those around him. He pursed his lips, his expression somewhat strange, and just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of a sword lying beside him.
Some parts are damaged, and they are visibly old.
Ye Chi subconsciously reached for the sword hilt, but was suddenly startled by the murderous aura emanating from the sword and froze for a moment. At the same time, a shout came from the crowd: "Catch the thief!"
At his command, the people who had been standing quietly rushed towards him without hesitation, like soldiers who had received orders. Regardless of the collisions and trampling, from Ye Chi's perspective, he saw the greed and bloodlust flashing in their eyes, which made these "people" look unusual. They were not ordinary cultivators, but more like uncivilized beasts!
Realizing this, Ye Chi immediately stood up and dodged, still clutching the sword in his hand. The seemingly lifeless iron sword emitted a few buzzing sounds, as if trying to resonate with him, and then dispersed countless black mists, rippled outwards.
Ye Chi immediately realized—this was the Ling Shan Ancient Sword!
"Buzzing..."
Just then, Ye Chi seemed to hear some sounds that shouldn't have been there. He paused slightly. It was the sword spirit of the Ling Mountain Ancient Sword trying to resonate with him. But when did this connection between him and the sword begin?
Without a second thought, Ye Chi instinctively protected his sword, dodging the attacks. Among them were some figures that seemed familiar, but Ye Chi clearly remembered that they were already dead, their bodies completely destroyed.
Moreover—he surveyed his surroundings but didn't see Tantai Wushuang or Mo Huanchen. He also didn't spot any familiar figures from his sect in the crowd; upon closer inspection, most were cultivators from smaller sects…
No, that's not right. Ye Chi reacted very quickly; something was wrong here!
He immediately raised his sword, no longer dodging, and cleanly severed the arm of the man before him. Sure enough, no blood spurted from the cut, only a thick, black sludge, emitting a putrid stench. Ye Chi frowned, confirming his suspicions. Without further hesitation, he severed the man's head.
Even after witnessing Ye Chi kill someone with his own hands, the expressions of everyone present did not change in the slightest. It was as if human life was not important to them, but rather something like some insignificant accessory that could be discarded at any time when not needed, something that could be found everywhere.
Although he didn't know why he had been pulled into such a realistic illusion, nor whether the illusion harbored any ill will towards him, Ye Chi remained vigilant about his surroundings. He single-handedly slaughtered everyone with his sword, and the sword, which had previously appeared somewhat damaged, became even more pristine. The thick, dark blood did not stain the gleaming silver blade; instead, it made it appear even more polished and new.
The moment the last head hit the ground, the surroundings were suddenly plunged into deep darkness. Ye Chi gripped his sword warily, but found that the sword seemed to be out of his control. With a few buzzing sounds, it broke free from his palm and flew to him as if it had a life of its own, emanating a faint purple mist.
For some reason, Ye Chi felt that he had a special connection with this sword. Thinking this, he subconsciously reached out and grasped the sword.
In that instant, it seemed as if something was flowing into his heart.
...
He suddenly opened his eyes.
He felt inexplicably cold all over, his limbs numb, as if they no longer belonged to him. His fingertips trembled, yet a fire seemed to burn within his chest and abdomen, unbearably hot for some reason. He was drenched in sweat, both hot and cold, as if he had fallen into an inescapable hell. He looked down at his right hand, which was being eroded by a ball of demonic energy, but he felt no pain, only cold. He raised his hand, somewhat irritated, and waved away the demonic energy before slowly rising from the ground.
Ye Chi's legs were a little sore and weak, and it was difficult for him to stand up. He staggered for a while before he could barely stand up.
He instinctively raised his hand to support his forehead, and it took him a while to calm the nausea rising from his stomach before he could regain his senses.
He looked around and realized that he was standing right in the center of a mass of demonic energy.
No wonder he felt cold. It was the intense chill brought by demonic energy that was quietly trying to steal the body temperature from this human; no wonder he felt hot. It was his body, which was cultivating immortality, repelling the demonic energy that was trying to invade his body.
A normal person would have been at a loss by now, but for some reason, Ye Chi didn't feel anything at all.
His thoughts were normal, and his consciousness was not impaired. He was even very clearly aware that his emotions seemed a little off, but Ye Chi remained calm and unmoved by the scene before him.
Calm and indifferent to an alarming degree.
He felt as if something was calling to him from the depths of his being, and so his body began to move forward uncontrollably. Ye Chi knew this, but he did not intend to struggle or stop it.
Trapped within the swirling demonic energy, he felt neither unease nor fear. Moreover, the demonic energy did not show any obvious malice towards him; it mostly remained at a distance, showing no signs of agitation.
The space was silent and quiet, and there was no sense of danger, so Ye Chi inexplicably felt at ease.
He took a few steps forward, then suddenly stopped.
A faint, dark shadow emerged from the thick fog.
Ye Chi paused, then stepped forward. He slowly reached out, piercing through the thick fog, and grasped the true form of the dark figure, pulling it out sharply. It was a somewhat worn iron sword, the very same Ling Shan Ancient Sword. Ye Chi wasn't surprised by its appearance; the sword seemed to have developed sentience, binding itself to him on its own. Although he didn't know why the sword chose to bind itself to him instead of the male protagonist, it was good that the sword was in his hands, at least it hadn't fallen into the hands of demonic cultivators.
But the thick fog showed no signs of dissipating, so Ye Chi simply continued walking.
Gradually, the previously silent space began to echo with faint footsteps. These footsteps didn't belong to Ye Chi; they came from afar, light yet steady, approaching him step by step. Ye Chi followed his instincts, stopping in place and waiting for the source of the footsteps to draw near.
The black mist did not disappoint him; from the darkness emerged a figure he knew all too well.
Upon seeing him, Ya Feiyu seemed to pause for a moment. His thin lips were slightly pursed, and Ye Chi keenly noticed that he seemed to have become quite haggard. Ya Feiyu took a few steps forward to his side, his gaze falling on his face, his brows slightly furrowed, and raised his hand to wipe the dirt off his face.
"How are you?"
"It's alright, Master." Ye Chi curled his lips and grasped Ya Feiyu's slender wrist, causing the latter to stiffen unnaturally. Ye Chi seemed oblivious, not letting Ya Feiyu's hand leave, and gently rubbing his palm. "Master, are you here alone? Have you finished dealing with the matters that needed to be dealt with?"
Ya Feiyu's fingertips stiffened slightly, and upon hearing this, he could only nod: "Mm."
"That's wonderful, Master." Ye Chi smiled, a dark current seeming to surge in his eyes. "Let's go back together."
Ya Feiyu stared at him for a long time, seemingly drawn into those deep, dark eyes. It took him a while to come back to his senses. He quickly lowered his eyelashes and forcefully pulled his hand away, his obvious guilt evident: "Okay."
"Then please lead the way, Master," Ye Chi said with a smile. "Master should know this place very well."
Sensing the deeper meaning in his words, Ya Feiyu's slender figure seemed to freeze for a moment. Unfortunately, Ye Chi couldn't see his expression; otherwise, he would have loved to see what Ya Feiyu's expression would be like now. While pondering, Ya Feiyu had already set off, seemingly intending to play dumb to the end, pretending not to understand Ye Chi's meaning.
Ye Chi couldn't help but chuckle inwardly. His master was indeed somewhat ridiculously naive at times. But since Ya Feiyu didn't say anything, Ye Chi didn't plan to ask for the time being. He could just continue playing along with Ya Feiyu's act. Anyway, even if he became a demon, Ye Chi wouldn't care. If Ya Feiyu wanted to do good, he would accompany him; if Ya Feiyu wanted to do bad, he would willingly become his biggest accomplice.
Ye Chi was in a good mood and took a few quick steps.
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