Mu Ran followed Han Yu through the stuffy passageway. The more time passed, the more an intense feeling of unease welled up inside her.
In her eyes, for Yue Qingfeng to have lain dormant under another person's identity for so long, both his temperament and his cultivation must be extraordinary.
At the same time, memories of her past interactions with Yue Qingfeng could not help but surface in her mind.
It was true that Yue Qingfeng had slain demons and eradicated evil, and it was also true that he had saved many people.
If a person was merely pretending, could they truly fake it so convincingly?
The sudden turn of events erupted in the blink of an eye.
A sudden tremor echoed from the depths of the cave. Rubble cascaded down as hideous fissures split the rock walls. Pitch-black evil miasma surged forth, carrying a bone-piercing chill and a foul stench, instantly swallowing the path ahead.
Amidst the chaos, Han Yu's figure was swept up by the black mist and vanished without a trace in an instant, leaving only a hasty cry that dissipated into the shockwave.
Little Fish!
Mu Ran's heart tightened. She immediately formed a hand seal to counterattack, gathering green spiritual energy in her palm that condensed into vines, whipping toward the oncoming evil black shadows.
But this black mist was incredibly bizarre. Once it latched onto her spiritual energy, it clung like a gangrenous sore, continuously eroding her cultivation. The more she fought back, the heavier the pressure around her became.
An even more sinister evil aura seeped silently from the rock wall behind her, transforming into sharp claw shadows that stabbed straight toward her back.
The aura was bone-chillingly cold and impossible to evade.
In the nick of time, a slightly cool but firm hand suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her back.
Caught off guard, Mu Ran crashed into a crisp, refreshing embrace. A familiar scent lingered at her nose, a stark contrast to the foul evil aura surrounding them.
She looked up and met a pair of calm, gentle eyes. The newcomer wore flowing green robes, his white hair cascading down his shoulders like frost and snow. It was none other than Cangshu Bai.
Joy swelled in Mu Ran's heart. Jinzhi!
The sneaking black evil aura was forced back by a burst of cold energy. The warmth radiating from his palm steadily protected her, isolating her from all the sinister forces outside.
Do not be afraid. I am here.
His voice rang in her ear, and Mu Ran's heart, which had been in her throat, finally settled.
The surrounding evil aura slowly began to coalesce into a humanoid shape once more. That mist-like humanoid entity swept a glance over the young man's figure before its gaze landed squarely on the arm he was missing.
A voice full of disbelief and exasperation emerged from the black mist. You—
He cast his eyes upward, and the mass of black mist struggling to form a human shape suddenly stagnated, as if intimidated by some invisible force.
In an instant, the surging black evil aura in the once foul and heavily clouded passageway vanished without a trace, leaving not even a wisp of residue behind.
The fissures on the rock walls gradually closed up. The chilling cold and foul stench in the air were replaced by a crisp and refreshing aura. The thrilling peril of just a moment ago seemed as if it had never happened.
He lowered his gaze and asked her, Are you hurt?
Mu Ran shook her head and hurriedly said, Little Fish and I got separated. We need to find him quickly!
Cangshu Bai, however, was not in much of a rush. He reached out his only hand, his fingertips gently brushing against her slightly messy bangs. With a gentleness that seemed to hide a hint of curiosity and probing, he carefully tidied up her black hair bit by bit.
His strength is greater than yours. He will be fine.
For some reason, Mu Ran subconsciously tilted her head, avoiding his touch. She still stubbornly insisted, We have to find Little Fish.
As if he could do nothing about her, he could only sigh softly and nod. Alright.
As the white-haired man in green turned around, his footsteps paused slightly. He looked back at her. It is very dangerous here. Do not wander away from me.
He extended his hand toward her.
Mu Ran looked at his hand and hesitated for an imperceptible moment. The next second, she looked up and smiled. Mhm, I know.
She obediently reached out her hand to let him hold it, following him through the peril-ridden cave.
With a muffled groan of pain, the humanoid figure formed from the black mist collapsed deep within the cave where the ritual was still ongoing.
It glared resentfully at the man in the water mirror and cursed out loud.
You must be insane! Just to make the disguise identical, you forcefully tore an arm off the perfect spare vessel I cultivated!
Xie Guanxin!
You must have gotten old and senile!!!
The black mist could only stare at the person in the mirror in impotent rage, unable to actually kill the man.
Cangshu Linfeng looked at the frustrated black mist, then at the young man and woman walking side by side in the water mirror, his brow furrowing tighter and tighter.
Not long ago, to eliminate future troubles, the black mist had gone to personally kill Mu Ran.
Shortly after the black mist disappeared from the spot, Cangshu Linfeng immediately said, Xie Guanxin, to resurrect Mu Ran, Cangshu Bai has fallen into madness for the past five hundred years, killing gods and buddhas alike if they stood in his way. Moreover, Cangshu Bai succumbed to demonic deviation long ago. If you kill her, you will absolutely provoke a desperate, life-risking counterattack from that mad dog Cangshu Bai!
Cangshu Linfeng said in a deep voice, When that happens, let alone your Chongyang Mountain, perhaps even the entire cultivation world will be wiped out of existence.
Xie Guanxin leaned lazily against the back of his chair, looking down condescendingly at the person trapped in the array. His expression remained as placid as ever, yet his disdainful demeanor carelessly revealed a hint of arrogance.
In half an hour at most, his divine sense will be refined, and his body will ultimately only serve my use.
Cangshu Bai kept his head lowered the entire time. His head full of frost-white hair hung down without any luster, obscuring his entire face so that not a single trace of his expression could be seen.
Cold black iron chains tightly locked his wrists and ankles. The chains were deeply embedded into the spiritual vein restrictions, gleaming with a dull, dark light, firmly pinning him to the center of the array's eye.
Cangshu Linfeng, who was also trapped in the array, was not having an easy time either. His divine soul had been enduring the agony of burning. Perhaps in a short while, his divine soul would also be refined bit by bit, leaving only an empty shell in the end.
Cangshu Linfeng was pondering how to save himself when he witnessed an astonishing scene.
With a wave of Xie Guanxin's hand, a body appeared out of thin air in front of him.
This body also had white hair and wore green robes. Whether it was the facial features or the aloofness between the brows, it was identical to Cangshu Bai.
Cangshu Linfeng looked in shock at Cangshu Bai beside him.
If it were not for the fact that the new body had both hands intact, even with the real person right before his eyes, it would be difficult to tell the true from the false.
Xie Guanxin stood up. To think that just a single drop of blood could forge such a powerful physique. This man, Cangshu Bai, is indeed... He paused, his eyes darkening slightly, drawing out a trace of playful killing intent at the end of his sentence, ...the most troublesome variable in this world.
As his voice fell, he raised his hand and stroked the jaw of that body, as if toying with a trophy, or perhaps confirming something.
The phantom figure in green robes and white hair stood far opposite the true body, creating an absurd scene.
