I'll protect you after Chapter 4, don't cry, my little darling. I'll give you...
Sang Wan glared angrily at the ghost tree in the middle that had just stretched out its branches, only to find that an old man's face had appeared on its thick trunk facing them, and the old man's voice was low and hoarse: "Hahaha, I have been waiting for you for three days. Little girl, you are later than I expected."
Sang Wan realized that there was nothing she didn't know; this old man was just putting on a show for them!
In a fit of anger, he drew his bow and prepared to pull back the string.
"Don't rush, little girl. You are still young and too inexperienced to deal with me, the Tree Fairy. I have no intention of being your enemy. As long as you stop blocking mortals from going up the mountain, I will let you go down the mountain." It pretended to be compassionate and looked at the two of them with pity.
"You're nothing but a demon that feeds on life force, yet you dare to call yourself an immortal!" The arrow shot out, heading straight for its aged face.
The vines on the side shot out and caught the arrow in mid-air. "The difference between all things and immortals is nothing more than birth, aging, sickness and death. I have transcended the cycle of life and reincarnation and achieved immortality. How can I not be an immortal?"
Before the words had even finished, the arrow had already transformed into flames, burning the vines, the flames meandering and burning along the vines like snakes.
The fierce flames finally shattered its tranquility. It immediately severed the lower limbs of its vines to block the rising fire. Half of the vine twisted and fell into the mud, turning to ashes in the blink of an eye and drifting away with the wind.
"Stubborn fool!" The angry shout echoed through the Ghost Forest.
The ghost tree was no longer pretending; every vine that sprouted from its body was heading towards the two of them.
Zhui Ming gripped his sword and stood in front of Sang Wan. Among the four brothers, Leng Xue was the best at wielding a sword, but he was also proficient in finger techniques, palm techniques, swords, and staffs. In addition, his lightness skill allowed him to tread on snow without leaving a trace, making his sword strikes while dodging vines quite fierce.
Unfortunately, without a large amount of wine, the incantations carved on the wooden sword were only enough to repel the vines, which then rolled back up in the blink of an eye.
Zhuiming was entangled by countless vines, while Sangwan dodged and drew her bowstring, looking for an opportunity to shoot at the tree trunk.
A vine can survive by cutting off its tail, but if the tree trunk catches fire, there is no way to escape.
Without the wine, Sang Wan could only use her spiritual power to activate the fire spell when shooting arrows, and after a few times, she was already starting to feel powerless.
This world places far too many restrictions on cultivators. Demons and monsters can rely on unorthodox methods, but they would be at a great disadvantage in a direct confrontation.
Sang Wan's movements became increasingly sluggish, a drop or two of cold sweat seeped from her forehead, and a dry, aching sensation began to rise in her lower abdomen.
A thick vine attacked her from behind. Before she could completely dodge, Zhuiming had already leaped up and pulled her close. The vine lashed straight at his chest, tearing his skin and blood instantly soaking his shirt.
“Cui Lueshang!” Sang Wan’s heart skipped a beat.
Before anyone could inquire about the injuries, the Ghost Tree let out a low, enigmatic laugh. The vines it controlled in the forest instantly abandoned their attack on Zhui Ming and instead focused their attention on besieging Sang Wan.
For both public and private reasons, Zhui Ming would never allow Sang Wan to get hurt in front of him; he was practically risking his life to protect her.
Before long, Zhui Ming was beaten by the vines and suffered skin injuries and bone fractures, while Sang Wan only had a bloody mark on her body.
Sang Wan looked at Zhui Ming, who was holding her in his arms, with tears in her eyes and red eyes. She had only left the sect three times and had never encountered a real danger in her life, thanks to the protection of her senior brothers and sisters.
This is the first time someone has been so seriously injured because of her.
Zhui Ming's hands tightly protected her waist. Her body was covered with countless wounds, and thick blood dripped onto the ground. The brown and green vines dancing around her were no longer recognizable as their original colors.
Sang Wan's eyes reddened, and her nose stung, making it hard for her to breathe.
The surrounding vines showed no mercy, and taking advantage of the moment when the two were off guard, they snaked around and bound them, suspending them in mid-air.
Zhui Ming looked even worse than the dead people hanging upside down in the trees; he looked as if he had been pulled out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.
The two were now in a hopeless situation, but even so, Zhui Ming remained calm, his affectionate eyes fixed intently on Sang Wan's situation.
The Immortal Tree chuckled, its withered face revealing a hypocritical expression. "You two are lovers, but since you couldn't be born on the same day, month, and year, then let you die on the same day, month, and year."
Like a python hunting, the vines slowly coiled around the legs and neck, gradually tightening and strangling, squeezing out the air step by step.
A cultivator and a human caused it to break so many vines; how could it not hate them?
How could I bear to give them a quick death?
The vines pulled the two people in front of the ghost tree. "I want you to die one by one. Tell me, who should die first? If I'm in a good mood, I might let the second one go down the mountain."
After saying that, it started laughing strangely again.
It wants these two people to be like most estranged couples in the world, ugly as they tear off their human masks in the face of death, turning into something even more disgusting than demons and ghosts.
It finally felt a sense of joyful anticipation.
Every offering on its body, its fear, tears, pain, and pleas before death, all appeared before its eyes.
People think it only draws on popularity, but no one knows that these emotions are the best nourishment.
The vines clung tightly to Sang Wan, causing her flesh and bones excruciating pain.
Her fair and delicate neck was bruised and purple from being strangled. She subconsciously tilted her head back, and tears from the pain streamed down her cheeks and behind her ears.
"I... first." Zhuiming forced out the two words through gritted teeth.
He was covered in wounds, almost every inch of his body was unscathed, and the vines were pressing down on him, causing him to bleed profusely. He was in so much pain that he was too weak to speak, but the little girl was right in front of him.
"You have guts." The ghost tree did not tighten its grip on Sang Wan; it wanted her to watch carefully as her little lover died painfully before her eyes.
Sang Wan's throat was choked shut, and her vision had already blurred when she heard Zhui Ming's words, but her bright and affectionate eyes remained so clear.
She desperately pulled at the vines around her neck, the green sap staining her palms and splitting her nails without her even noticing.
The face of the Immortal Ghost Tree became increasingly kind. If one ignored the dead bodies hanging all over the tree and the scene of this murderous march before them, it would look like a kind old neighbor.
It dragged Zhui Ming forward, watching with satisfaction as his flushed, veiny face slowly turned pale and stiff, until it lost its vitality and became its nourishment.
Just when things were at a critical juncture, unexpectedly, a mouthful of wine gushed out from Zhui Ming's throat!
The force of the spray was immense; in the blink of an eye, the liquid was sprayed onto the trunk of the ghost tree.
Even when facing death, he remained calm and clear-headed.
He was about to grit his teeth, turn around, and kick the wooden sword off the ground.
In the blink of an eye, a wooden four-leaf dart flew out and embedded itself deeply into the wine-soaked tree trunk.
He had copied the design of the hidden weapon he saw at Wuqing's place and made it for Sang Wan.
In an instant, red flames erupted from the four-leaf dart, spreading rapidly and engulfing the entire tree trunk.
The ghost tree let out a shrill scream, and its vines suddenly retracted, wildly whipping around the trunk in an attempt to extinguish the scorching and fierce fire.
Zhuiming and Sangwan fell to the ground.
Thick smoke billowed into the sky, and raging flames dyed half the sky red. Terrified, shrill screams were like thunder, sending chills down one's spine.
But at this moment, neither of them had time to pay attention to the miserable state of this self-proclaimed immortal demon before his death.
Despite the pain all over her body, Sang Wan scrambled to Zhui Ming's side, crying out in a hoarse voice, "Cui Lüshang!"
Her tears fell like pearls from a broken string, landing on Zhui Ming and causing him pain.
Zhuiming took a breath and said tremblingly, "Don't cry, little ancestor, or you'll smash it to death in a minute."
His voice was even hoarseer and more unpleasant than the screams of the ghost tree; his throat hurt terribly as he spoke, and his mouth was full of blood.
He chuckled and said, "So, are you satisfied? It still has to be..."
His seemingly witty and lighthearted words couldn't continue, because the little girl rushed over and hugged his blood-stained body, burying her head in his neck, her tears burning hotter than the fire right next to her, each drop seemingly trying to scald his heart.
For some reason, his heart clenched. After a moment, he continued as if nothing had happened, "Why are you crying? It's just a small injury. I've been wandering the world for so long, what kind of injury haven't I suffered?"
His trembling hand finally rested on her arm with restraint. Feeling the warmth of his palm, he paused for a moment, then gently pushed her to her feet.
"Cui Lueshang, I will protect you from now on." Sang Wan cried so hard she could barely breathe. Almost all of Zhui Ming's injuries were from protecting him.
Sang Wan had never experienced any danger or setbacks growing up, and had never been protected with her life like this before. Seeing him with half his life gone, she felt guilty, moved, and heartbroken, like a ball of yarn soaked in water, growing heavier and heavier in her heart.
Her nose tingled and her eyes ached terribly. Despite the pain, she gritted her teeth and helped Zhui Ming up, dragging him down the mountain step by step, tears streaming down her face.
Zhuiming leaned against her trembling body, enduring the dizziness from blood loss, and said weakly, "We've only known each other for a short time, and you're already protecting me..."
He wanted to say, "How could you be so easily fooled? I only took some damage for you," but he no longer had the strength to speak. His vision blurred, and his body felt cold. The injuries he had sustained from the demon were far more severe than ordinary external injuries.
Thick drops of blood from Zhui Ming soaked her clothes. She cried so hard that she couldn't see anything and just followed her instincts to find her way down the mountain. Sang Wan's voice trembled uncontrollably as she whispered but firmly repeated, "Cui Lueshang, I will protect you from now on and I will never let you get hurt again."
Zhuiming lowered his head and smiled helplessly, an indescribable bittersweet feeling rising in his heart because of those words.
He took a deep breath, but could only mutter intermittently, "Crying like a little kitten."
Hearing his voice growing weaker, Sang Wan said no more and practically carried him down the mountain.
Soaring flames and black smoke engulfed the entire forest behind them as they staggered to safety.
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