Chapter 37
"Qiao Wan?!" Dodging a "Throw Your Thunder," Yuan Liu shouted, "Qiao Wan, snap out of it! Do you still have any consciousness?"
The girl seemed to pause after hearing his words, and then Dong Shier's flaming spear, which hadn't had time to pull back, "pfft" stabbed into Qiao Wan's left side.
"Run."
Qiao Wan's lips moved, faintly uttering a word.
Yuan Liu asked, "What?"
"Run quickly."
Just then, Cheng Li threw a series of Red Sun Talismans!
"Sixth, run!"
As the Red Sun Talismans flew towards her, the girl reached out and grabbed them!! The stack of Red Sun Talismans burned in her hand.
The burning caused Qiao Wan's palm to blister, and the smell of charred flesh filled the air. However, Qiao Wan seemed oblivious to it and simply crushed the Red Sun Talismans into ashes.
The ashes of the burnt herbs slipped through her fingers like fine threads.
Damn it.
Although he took the opportunity to escape, Yuan Liu opened his eyes wide and felt a sense of despair in his heart.
Unexpectedly, after Qiao Wan fell into darkness, she could withstand the beating. Wang Wu angrily shouted, "She can't be killed!!"
Suddenly, Pei Chunzheng sheathed his sword and said, "I will set up the formation, you all hold Qiao Wan back."
"A formation?" Yuan Liu turned his head and yelled, "What kind of formation are you setting up?!!"
Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Formation.
As the name suggests, the Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Formation was created specifically to subdue demons.
Pei Chunzheng used materials from the cave, arranging pieces of rock according to the directions of the Bagua formation.
His expertise was not in swordsmanship, but in formations and talismans.
"He was a demon to begin with." Yuan Liu pointed his finger, "Can you trust the demon subduing formation he set up?"
Xiao Boyang gritted his teeth and said, "What else can we do? Do you have any other ideas apart from trusting him?!"
Once the formation was complete, Yuan Liu ordered everyone to drag Qiao Wan into the formation.
"One! Two! Three!" Yuan Liu shouted, "Run!"
Everyone rushed out of the formation together.
Pei Chunzheng stayed behind, sitting in the center, holding back Qiao Wan.
Strong winds picked up around them, thunder roared, and spiritual energy flowed through the formation. The formation was activated!
The Nine Heavens Demon Subduing Formation eradicated all evil and swept away the demonic aura.
Any demon who entered the formation experienced unbearable pain.
This formation was created specifically to subdue demons, so it's not meant to have any humanistic concerns.
Pei Chunzheng held onto Qiao Wan, not allowing her to break free, his lips tightly pursed and pale.
The formation was now in place.
A thunderbolt rolled by!
The young man frowned and held onto Qiao Wan tightly, not moving.
This was the first time they had embraced each other so tightly since they separated during the festival.
Pei Chunzheng had no time to think about it.
Then, a second thunderbolt rolled by!
Followed by the third, fourth...
Yuan Liu stood outside the formation, trembling with fear as he watched the thunderbolts crackling and booming. "Can this really work?"
Not far away, thunder rumbled, lightning flashed, and fiery flames spread around the formation.
Wang Wu's eyebrows twitched. "Why do I feel like I smell something burning?"
Inside the formation.
With thunderbolts striking, Pei Chunzheng let out a muffled groan, his hands tightly gripping Qiao Wan's waist.
But to their surprise, even in the midst of the pain caused by the thunderbolts, Qiao Wan was still able to move!
With great effort, the young girl raised her hand, pulled out the tip of the golden flame spear from her left side, and inserted it deeply into Pei Chunzheng's chest. She twisted her wrist, causing the spear tip to sink even deeper.
Pei Chunzheng's eyes reflected shock and disbelief, his expression as if struck by lightning.
The vibrant color drained from his face, turning deathly pale.
Suddenly, the thunder ceased!
Yuan Liu approached and his face turned pale!
Pei Chunzheng knelt at the center of the formation, his ink-black hair disheveled, and with the half spear embedded in his chest, his clothes already soaked in blood.
The young man's knuckles tightened, his heart felt as if it were hanging high in the air, making it hard for him to breathe. Pei Chunzheng's eyelashes trembled, his body swayed, and he finally couldn't hold on any longer, falling down unconscious.
Damn!
Qiao Wan really went all out!
"Where is Qiao Wan?" Yuan Liu looked around but couldn't see any sign of Qiao Wan.
"Oh no!" Yuan Liu exclaimed. "Mu Xiaoxiao!"
Mu Xiaoxiao was also running, stumbling and gasping for breath, but she didn't dare to stop.
Pei Chunzheng was seriously injured, Xiao Boyang lost his arm, and the others had various injuries.
No one present could stop Qiao Wan anymore.
Suddenly, Snow Rock Fox jumped out from Mu Xiaoxiao's arms and bit Qiao Wan's arm, tearing off a piece of flesh.
Qiao Wan didn't even flinch. She grabbed Snow Rock Fox by its neck, along with the piece of flesh from her arm, and threw them away.
Mu Xiaoxiao was both anxious and afraid, tears rolling down her cheeks. "Little fox!!"
She glanced at the motionless Snow Rock Fox and bit her lip. She rushed towards Qiao Wan and fought her with all her might. But after just a couple moves, she was sent flying, crashing into the rock wall, and falling unconscious.
"Qiao Wan!!"
Finally catching up, Yuan Liu watched helplessly as Qiao Wan approached Mu Xiaoxiao step by step.
Under the gaze of Yuan Liu, Xiao Boyang, and the others.
Suddenly, Qiao Wan stopped.
Seeing this, Yuan Liu shouted desperately, "Yes, yes, Qiao Wan! Think about it! No! Stop!"
She couldn't kill Mu Xiaoxiao.
Qiao Wan's head was pounding.
But she could barely control herself anymore.
The countless Human-faced Scorpion-tailed Spiders' spiritual power backlashed at the same time, as if thousands of spiders were biting her brain. No matter how she struggled, her consciousness only briefly surfaced before getting lost in the empty and evil-filled spiritual sea.
She didn't want to be possessed by the evil power.
Qiao Wan gritted her teeth.
She didn't want to be possessed by the evil power.
She never thought about shattering the void and transcending into an immortal. Becoming an immortal was vague and unreliable to Qiao Wan. "Immortals" were something that no one had ever seen - just people's wishful thinking and speculation.
Even in the cultivation novels she had read in her past life, after the protagonist ascended, they just continued leveling up with a different map.
She never cultivated in order to become an immortal. Initially, she learned cultivation for self-defense, and later, to prove her own worth. But ultimately, it was because she wanted to become stronger, to yearn for power.
At fourteen years old, Zhou Yan arrived on a flying sword and took her with him to Kunshan.
That was Qiao Wan's first encounter with "immortals".
But she didn't want to become one of those "immortals" who looked elegant and ethereal in their white clothes but secretly killed and fought over treasures, chasing after an intangible wish.
She didn't want to be a lofty "immortal" who separated themselves from ordinary people. She was originally an ordinary person, born and lived as an ordinary person.
The only difference between her and the people at the foot of the mountain was that she was better at fighting.
If she had small grievances, she could drink them away. But for the injustices in the world, only a sword could resolve them.
She wanted to become stronger and continue to fight evil and do good deeds by helping people who are ordinary like her but lack the ability to do so.
She did not want to be possessed by evil.
If she wholeheartedly helps others and the world benefits from her efforts, then the heavens will also naturally support her.
The world will need her, and so will the heavens.
This is the value of her as Qiao Wan, and this is her purpose in life.
Thinking about this, Qiao Wan stared at Wang Wu with teary eyes.
She couldn't be possessed by evil.
There was only one belief left in her mind.
She couldn't kill Mu Xiaoxiao.
She couldn't kill her... what other options were there?
Her hands... she couldn't control her own hands.
It was over.
Yuan Liu felt despair in his heart.
If Qiao Wan really wanted to kill Mu Xiaoxiao, he would have to apologize to her.
By doing so, she would truly be possessed by evil.
If Qiao Wan killed Mu Xiaoxiao, there would be no going back.
Yuan Liu and the others watched Qiao Wan step forward with fear and trepidation.
Even though he admired Qiao Wan, there were principles and boundaries.
At that moment, Qiao Wan's attention was solely focused on Mu Xiaoxiao.
Yuan Liu and his group surrounded her, ready to strike if Qiao Wan made a move.
Qiao Wan approached Mu Xiaoxiao and raised her hand.
Yuan Liu drew his knife!
Everyone's treasures were gleaming!
The intention to kill was overwhelming!
Seeing Qiao Wan pause and hesitate for a moment, Yuan Liu kicked her away, and Wang Wu quickly threw out the Heavenly Net, capturing Qiao Wan.
If it wasn't absolutely necessary, he didn't want to harm Qiao Wan. But if she wasn't stopped, she would kill Mu Xiaoxiao!
In the past, Yuan Liu didn't care about whether Mu Xiaoxiao lived or died.
But Qiao Wan was different! If she really killed Mu Xiaoxiao, she would be ruined!
The Heavenly Net temporarily trapped Qiao Wan, and Yuan Liu raised his sword. Reluctantly, he closed his eyes and struck down!
Unexpectedly, in that moment of hesitation, the girl seized the opportunity, broke free from the Heavenly Net, and swiftly disarmed him.
"Damn it!" Unable to bear witness to this familiar scene of unarmed combat, Yuan Liu cursed.
The cave fell silent.
Yuan Liu collapsed to the ground like a dead dog, panting heavily. He clenched his fists and shouted, "Qiao Wan, stop this!"
However, the next moment, Qiao Wan's actions stunned everyone in the cave.
She dropped the knife and raised her hands, not to attack Mu Xiaoxiao.
With force, she simultaneously snapped both her own arms.
The cave fell into a deathly silence, only the heavy breathing of the people remained.
In the crowd, even the hidden disciples who could still breathe and open their eyes were wide-eyed and stunned. No one expected that the girl in front of them, with a butterfly on her head and dressed in pink, looking like a delicate and thoughtful girl, would actually break her own arm without hesitation.
Qiao Wan, her arms hanging limp in front of her chest.
"Qiao Wan?" Xiao Boyang, holding his own arm, asked in confusion, "Are you... are you okay?"
Before he could finish speaking, the ground suddenly shook violently.
"What's going on?!"
"Scorpion-tailed Spider!!" someone pointed to the entrance of the cave, shouting, "Damn! That Scorpion-tailed Spider isn't dead!"
While Qiao Wan was dealing with the situation here, on the other side, Mother Queen was not dead yet, and Yuan Liu completely fell apart.
Meanwhile, Qiao Wan looked up, her eyes still glowing red, and on the other side, Mother Queen seemed ready to retaliate.
They were trapped in the middle with nowhere to go!
Yuan Liu clenched his teeth and made up his mind. "Let's go!"
"Let's take this opportunity to escape." The man's eyes turned cold, revealing a hint of the decisiveness and ruthlessness of a hidden disciple.
"But... what about Martial Sister Qiao?"
"What about her?" Yuan Liu said, "Look at how deeply Qiao Wan has fallen into darkness. Is there any way to save her?"
Cheng Li was speechless.
Anyone could see that Qiao Wan had fallen too deeply into darkness and it would be extremely difficult for her to recover her consciousness.
But Qiao Wan... she had fallen into darkness for their sake.
If it weren't for facing the countless Human-faced Scorpion-tailed Spiders in her sea of consciousness, she would never have fallen into darkness! At a time like this, leaving her behind and running away, is that something a person can do?!
Yuan Liu tightened the knife in his hand and gritted his teeth.
Of course, this isn't something a person would do! He didn't want to leave Qiao Wan behind.
But aside from Qiao Wan, he still had other brothers behind him. Aside from those who could still stand, all his brothers were lying on the ground, some severely wounded and unconscious. They had all fought and risked their lives together.
He couldn't bear to leave Qiao Wan behind.
Even more so, he couldn't bear to sacrifice the lives of his other brothers for the sake of just one Qiao Wan!
Yuan Liu took a deep breath.
The Scorpion-tailed Spider was after Qiao Wan. If they left the two of them to fight each other, they would still have a chance to survive.
Yuan Liu calmed his mind, waved his hand, and coldly said, "Let's go."
Who wasn't willing to risk their lives?
The sound of rocks falling filled the cave, and it was about to collapse. If they didn't leave now, it would be too late.
Several hidden disciples, unable to bear it, picked up Mu Xiaoxiao and Pei Chunzheng, as well as a few seriously injured brothers who were unconscious on the ground.
"Let's go!"
Seeing Xiao Boyang still staring blankly, Yuan Liu's veins bulged as he grabbed Xiao Boyang and flew out.
When he thought of Qiao Wan, he still couldn't bring himself to do it. Yuan Liu turned his head to look at the crumbling entrance, let go of Xiao Boyang, gritted his teeth, and rushed back in.
Just as he took a step forward, a giant rock fell from the sky and landed in front of Yuan Liu, completely sealing the entrance.
