Chapter 243: The Hunt
Suppressing the throbbing pain in her head, Qiao Wan immediately asked, "Where is Fang Lingqing?"
The maid looked perplexed.
Qiao Wan patiently described, "He is another young man who came with me, with scales on his face."
The maid looked even more confused. "I haven't seen such a young man..."
Qiao Wan's heart sank little by little. Without hesitation, she grabbed the sword on the table and swiftly rushed out of the camp.
But as soon as she dashed out, she was intercepted by the Xiao family guards outside.
Taoist Friend Qiao, please understand," said the polite Xiao Huan, who was guarding the door with the Xiao family guards. "Young Master Xiao ordered us to keep an eye on you. You're still injured, so it's best not to wander around."
Qiao Wan stopped in her tracks. "Have you seen a young man with scales on his face?"
"A young man?" The Xiao family guard thought for a moment. "That young man died as soon as he was brought back."
Dead...he's dead?! Qiao Wan widened her eyes, feeling a sinking feeling in her heart. In an instant, she rushed forward, pressing her sword against the neck of the Xiao family guard in front of her.
"Where is he?! Where is he?!"
The guard, pinned down by her, was about to speak, but when he caught a glimpse of Qiao Wan's cold and almost crazy expression, he suddenly shivered and his voice became a bit stuttery. "I...I don't know either. That young man had no breath as soon as he was brought back. Maybe he was thrown back into the secret realm, I'm not sure…"
The young man... When he was brought back, he was already unconscious. Even if Fang Lingqing is still alive, he is useless to the young master. The young master won't spare his life. It's better to let him die quietly in the secret realm...
After confirming that the guard really didn't know anything, Qiao Wan silently sheathed her sword, her teeth nearly biting into her lip.
He's dead...?
Fang Lingqing is dead? The naive young man who was always teased by Qi Feidao and the elder martial sisters from Chongde Ancient Garden is dead?
As soon as the restraints on his body loosened, the guard quickly got up and cautiously persuaded, afraid to anger the girl in front of him: "Qiao Wan, please go back and rest. This place is all disciples of the Xiao family. Even if you want to leave, you can't."
Upon hearing this, Qiao Wan suddenly turned around, gripping her sword tightly, and said coldly: "Tell me everything you know. Everything."
The Xiao family guard opposite him moved his lips slightly.
On the girl's face, the bloodstains had hardened into dark brown clumps, and her eyes, so dark and deep, glinted with a chilling light.
With just one glance, Qiao Wan's expressionless face interrupted the pleading gesture of the Xiao family guard, who felt his heart skip a beat. There was nothing he could do. "Speak here," she said firmly.
"Tell me everything," she continued.
"If you dare to hide even a single word, I will kill you."
*
He was probably dying.
Fang Lingqing opened his eyes, his lips parched beyond belief. His whole body felt like a fish stripped of its scales. Even the slightest breeze caused him excruciating pain. And now, on top of that, he was covered in severed limbs and body parts, belonging to both men and women.
These bodies were piled up like a small mountain, with Fang Lingqing buried at the very bottom. Through the gaps between the corpses, he caught a glimpse of a spacious and brightly lit palace.
The white marble floor was flowing with blood, and in this pool of blood, he could clearly see the people coming and going in the palace.
The people in armor who looked like the walking dead in the ghost market came out, some with animal or snake bodies, some with leopard or elephant heads, all kinds of strange "people".
Just then, the sound of footsteps suddenly rang out.
A young man in a white robe walked out from outside the hall.
"Have they all arrived?"
Fang Lingqing swallowed some saliva, moistening his dry throat. He quietly pushed aside the body in front so he could get a better look.
"These 'human sacrifices' are all here," answered the strange-looking "people".
"Are there any still alive?" the young man asked. Without waiting for a response from his subordinates, he suddenly extended a shining spirit thread, as bright as ice and snow, from his sleeve. "Never mind, let me check myself."
The silky threads wrapped around one of Fang Lingqing's bodies and the closed-eyed body trembled slightly, almost imperceptibly.
The young man casually curled his finger, and the threads wrapped around his wrist tightly wrapped around the neck of the "body".
"Is it alive or dead?" There was a hint of amusement in the young man's voice. He gently pulled back, and the threads deeply cut into the texture of the body, creating a fresh red cut.
"Uh... er... ah!"
Intense pain struck, and the "body" could no longer bear it, letting out a desperate scream!
The young man suddenly became cold, tightening his grip: "It's too noisy."
Effortlessly, he cut off the head of the "body".
He casually kicked the head on the ground, then turned to look towards the direction of the mountain of bodies: "Is anyone else alive? Come forward."
Fang Lingqing could clearly feel a few "bodies" trembling on him, but no one dared to move. Even Fang Lingqing couldn't help but tremble a bit and instinctively crouched down.
The young man rolled up another male cultivator's body, held it in his arms, and touched the other person's face, revealing a smug smile: "It's you?"
After seeing the young man's face, the male cultivator couldn't help but widen his eyes in fear, "It's... it's you!!"
"You...!!"
The young man's face suddenly changed, and the thin threads on his wrist pierced the other person's chest. In the male cultivator's terrified gaze, the young man crushed his still-beating heart.
Witnessing the young man killing two people in a row, and smelling the rotten smell of the corpses, Fang Lingqing's stomach churned, but he managed to hold it in and didn't vomit.
"The heartbeat has quickened." The young man raised his expressionless face and scanned the pile of corpses. The threads on his wrist pulled a few more "bodies" and threw them on the ground.
Without exception, Fang Lingqing heard the terrified noise of these cultivators, making their teeth chatter.
This time, the young man didn't hesitate. The spirit threads on his wrist neatly resolved the dozen or so corpses on the ground.
Finally, his gaze fell in the direction where Fang Lingqing was.
"There's one more."
Without a knife or sword, depleted of spiritual energy, and heavily injured, a bone-deep despair overwhelmed Fang Lingqing even more than when facing that man with fierce wind. He clenched his teeth, knowing deep down that he might not be able to withstand this challenge.
Even if he had a magical weapon in his hand, he may not be able to handle this young man. He wasn't Meng Canglang , after all. Fang Lingqing forced a bitter smile.
As the spirit threads coiled—
Just when Fang Lingqing closed his eyes, prepared to meet his end, the spirit threads unexpectedly did not come towards him! Instead, they wrapped around and took away another "corpse" weighing down on him. The other person didn't even have a chance to struggle. Their windpipe was cut open, and their lifeless body was tossed aside.
At this point, the young man finally retracted the spirit threads back onto his wrist.
Another round of footsteps could be heard, and the young man walked out of the hall. The other "people" gradually crowded around, silently cleaning up the mess on the floor.
Fang Lingqing felt his heart beating wildly and intensely.
He... he still had a chance!!
Quietly pushing away the body that was pressing on him a little bit more, Fang Lingqing almost felt his heart jump out of his throat. He pushed aside the body in front of him and stumbled out of the mountain of corpses, hiding behind the white marble pillar in the grand hall!
With stiff limbs and a dry throat, he slowly moved towards the exit, taking advantage of the fact that the "people" in front of him weren't looking his way.
Finally, even his foot stepped out of the hall when a gentle voice suddenly sounded behind him.
"I seem to have forgotten one."
At the same time, several threads of energy pierced deeply into his chest, firmly locking onto his heart.
Looking at the sudden hole in his chest, Fang Lingqing turned his head in confusion and looked at the person behind him.
"You..."
This young man turned out to be Qiao Wan's surprise!
Before the words were finished, there was a sudden intense pain in Qiao Wan's heart. Fang Lingqing silently lowered his eyes and through that dark opening, saw the young man effortlessly squish the still-beating heart with a strand of spirit silk.
The young man revealed a gentle and polite smile as the blood-stained spirit silk squeezed out of his chest, climbed up his neck, and severed his head.
Holding the young boy's handsome head in his hand, the young man playfully admired it for a while, a barely perceptible sigh escaping his lips.
"It's really beautiful."
*
Meanwhile, inside the Xiao residence's tent.
Qiao Wan paused, "Are you saying that Xiao Huan wants Elder Martial Brother to use the Evil Sword Book as a trade to save me?"
The Xiao guards frowned and said, "So, Taoist Friend Qiao, please stop running around and wait patiently. Once the sword manual arrives, this matter will be resolved."
Impossible.
Qiao Wan tightened her lips, knowing very well in her heart.
Xiao Huan couldn't just let her go like this. Maybe he would release her now, but there was no telling if he would turn around and kill her immediately. Even if her divine sense had been tampered with, leaving a hidden danger, Xiao Huan could never truly trust her.
At that moment, there was suddenly some movement outside the door, it was Xiao Huan's personal guard.
"Taoist Friend Qiao, the young master requests your presence."
The Xiao family guard had an expression of "I knew it, they've come."
Qiao Wan glanced at the person, without resisting, silently picked up her sword and followed these people.
Once they arrived in front of the tent, there was a slight pause in their footsteps before they lifted the curtain.
As soon as she entered the tent, she immediately saw a man who looked exhausted and emaciated.
Lu Pihan gave her a cold glance and led her out of the tent.
After a moment of silence, Lu Pihan finally spoke, without asking about Xiao Jingzhou or Xiao Huan.
"I will take you back to Yuqing Peak."
Qiao Wan tightened her grip on the sword. "I want to go back to the secret realm."
Lu Pihan, with a cold and aloof tone, glanced at her and said, "Come back with me now."
"After causing all this trouble, do you still want to attend the gathering of fellow cultivators?"
Qiao Wan stopped and politely bowed, saying, "Elder Martial Brother, thank you for saving me."
But since Fang Lingqing's whereabouts were unknown, she had to go back.
Without waiting for Lu Pihan's response, she turned and walked away.
Halfway through, she was suddenly blocked by guards from the Xiao family.
The guard looked guiltily at her and said, "Apologies, Taoist Friend Qiao."
Just as he finished speaking, a deadly attack was unleashed!
A spear pointed towards her chest!
Being prepared, Qiao Wan quickly stepped back, using her bone-shifting technique to shield herself, raised her arm, and managed to withstand the spear. She swiftly stepped forward, sprinting for her life!
Xiao Huan really wouldn't let her get away!
The news of Fang Lingqing being thrown into the secret realm was indeed just a bait to lure her back to the secret realm!
The guards from the Xiao family were chasing behind Qiao Wan, as she ran forward, the teleportation array ahead became more visible.
Knowing that stepping into it would be dangerous, Qiao Wan didn't hesitate and jumped into the teleportation array, returning to the secret realm of the celestial palace!
"Did she escape?" The pursuing guards from the Xiao family looked at each other, stopped in their tracks, and silently took out their arrows. "In that case, the hunt begins."
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