Helan Zhao had never expected to see Helan Ying here, and he was momentarily stunned.
He had come looking for Yuan Shu.
Ever since losing sight of Yuan Shu in the cave last time, he had been lingering around the rear mountain of Falling Immortal Sect.
Just now, he had discovered that someone was guarding the cave in front of him. Curiosity got the better of him, so when the guards were changing shifts, he tossed a stone to draw their attention and quietly slipped inside.
He possessed a great many magical treasures. Once he activated one that concealed his presence, no one noticed him at all, and he successfully infiltrated the deepest part of the cave.
Then he looked up—and saw his own elder brother lying half-dead on a stone platform not far away.
His hands were bound with ropes, making him look every bit like a prisoner.
Helan Zhao immediately refused to stand by and do nothing.
Although he disliked Helan Ying for competing with him over Yuan Shu, they were brothers, after all, sharing the same blood. How could he simply leave him to his fate?
Helan Zhao ground his teeth and instantly pulled a magical treasure from his Qiankun Pouch, preparing to rescue him.
But the moment he moved, someone suddenly grabbed him by the shoulder!
Helan Zhao jolted. His body instinctively twisted around, and he threw up a hand to strike.
However, Yuan Shu had been prepared. She caught his arm in one motion and covered his mouth.
She pressed Helan Zhao against the stone wall. Their eyes met, and once he recognized Yuan Shu’s face, astonishment flashed through his eyes before he quickly calmed down.
When Yuan Shu raised a finger to her lips, signaling him to keep quiet, he hurriedly nodded to show that he absolutely would not make a sound.
Only then did Yuan Shu remove her hand from his mouth.
“Shushu?”
Helan Zhao’s eyes lit up as though a dog had just spotted its owner. He seized Yuan Shu by the shoulders and wished he could examine her from head to toe.
He opened his mouth to ask what had happened, but Yuan Shu cut him off.
“Now isn’t the time to catch up. Were you about to rescue someone?”
She pointed toward Helan Ying inside the cave.
Helan Zhao came back to his senses and quickly suppressed his joy. He nodded emphatically at Yuan Shu.
“He’s my brother, after all.”
As long as Helan Ying did not try to steal Shushu’s affection from him, Helan Zhao still hoped that he could live.
Yuan Shu nodded. “Rescuing him won’t be difficult. But if you charge in recklessly like you were about to, everyone in this cave will probably come after us!”
Seeing the confusion in Helan Zhao’s eyes, Yuan Shu pointed beneath Helan Ying’s feet, indicating that he should take a closer look.
Helan Zhao stared over, puzzled. On the blue-black stone platform where Helan Ying lay, faint black formations glimmered.
Because the formations were black and nearly blended into the blue-black ground, they were almost impossible to notice without looking carefully.
Helan Zhao’s eyes widened. “This is…”
“This is a Nine Fiends Formation that can be activated instantly. If anyone enters the formation by force, the power of the Void Refinement Realm sealed within it will immediately trap them.”
“When that happens, not only will you be unable to rescue Helan Ying—you may very well be trapped inside as well!”
That was why Yuan Shu had stopped him.
Helan Zhao was simple-minded. Since he had once thought of digging a tunnel into Falling Immortal Sect, Yuan Shu had guessed that his impulsive attempt to act now meant he had failed to notice the hidden Nine Fiends Formation.
She did not want to rescue Helan Ying only to end up having to save Helan Zhao as well.
Helan Zhao patted his chest, still shaken.
That was the power of the Void Refinement Realm. Even if he brought out all the treasures he had hidden away, he might not be able to escape a formation of such power.
Fortunately, Yuan Shu had stopped him.
“What do we do now?” Helan Zhao asked in a low voice.
Yuan Shu thought for a moment before turning her gaze toward the four guards. “You have a magical treasure that can deal with those four, right?”
Since Helan Zhao had dared to attack directly, he must have something capable of dealing with all four guards at once.
Sure enough, when Yuan Shu asked, he nodded. “I do.”
“Good. You handle those four. I’ll deal with the formation.”
Originally, Yuan Shu had planned to find a way to lure the four guards away before approaching the formation.
But now that Helan Zhao was here, there was no need to go to such trouble.
She had complete confidence in the treasures of the Heavenly Dragon Dynasty.
Helan Zhao was practically a walking treasure vault.
“Fine!”
Helan Zhao might not be especially clever, but he knew one thing: he should listen to Yuan Shu.
If she said it could be done, then it could be done.
The two of them quickly settled the details. Then they exchanged a glance and attacked at the same time!
A dark-gold net suddenly unfurled, dropping over the four startled guards.
“Clang, clang, clang!”
Their spiritual weapons hacked at the net, sending sparks flying, but they failed to leave even the slightest mark.
Helan Zhao formed hand seals, and the spiritual net began to contract, steadily reducing the space in which the four men could move.
Yuan Shu took advantage of the opportunity to dart to the stone platform and summoned the power of the Hehuan Divine Tree.
The divine power transformed into a streak of azure light, which took the form of a sheet of divine-force paper as thin as a cicada’s wing. It drifted lightly down onto the black formation.
“Hurry, Shushu. The spiritual power in this formation is incredibly strong. I can’t hold on for long. Finish this quickly!”
The Hehuan Divine Tree’s urging echoed through her sea of consciousness.
Yuan Shu did not dare delay. The instant the sheet of spiritual paper landed, she leaped over it and entered the formation.
She grabbed the bound Helan Ying and turned to run!
At that same moment, Helan Zhao activated the power of the spiritual net. A powerful tiger’s roar struck directly at the guards’ souls.
Boom!
The roar exploded inside the minds of the four guards.
They staggered a few steps before collapsing one after another.
Helan Zhao hurriedly withdrew the spiritual net and turned to chase after Yuan Shu.
At that very moment, the spiritual paper covering the black formation transformed into wisps of divine power and slowly dissipated.
“Shushu, someone’s coming up ahead!”
In the narrow underground cave, Yuan Shu came to an abrupt stop when she heard the Hehuan Divine Tree’s warning.
She grabbed Helan Zhao, who was following close behind, and darted into a side passage.
The cramped opening was less than a square meter wide. Yuan Shu wrapped both arms tightly around the two men.
The three of them were pressed together, each clinging to the next as they squeezed into the narrow space.
Helan Zhao looked completely bewildered. He was just about to ask what was going on when—
“Shushu, you can’t make a sound!”
The Hehuan Divine Tree’s voice rang out again.
Yuan Shu’s heart jolted. Both her arms were still wrapped around the two men, leaving her no free hand to stop Helan Zhao.
In the crisis, she hurriedly tilted her head up and kissed him on the lips.
Helan Zhao’s eyes widened. The question he had been about to ask was completely sealed in his throat.
Yuan Shu had kissed him at a time like this?
Was it because she had missed him terribly?
As it happened, he had missed her terribly too!
Helan Zhao was overwhelmed with excitement. He had no idea why Yuan Shu had kissed him, but since she had taken the initiative, how could he possibly remain unmoved?
Besides, Helan Ying was unconscious right beside them.
For reasons even he could not explain, Helan Zhao only froze for a brief moment before taking the initiative and kissing Yuan Shu back.
Soft and warm, his lips brushed lightly across hers.
This time, Yuan Shu’s eyes widened slightly.
This man really knew how to take advantage of an opening. How could he kiss her back at a time like this?
Yet the Hehuan Divine Tree’s warning continued to echo in her mind.
And she had keenly caught the sound of approaching footsteps in the cave.
The side passage they were hiding in was very close to the main tunnel.
At a moment like this, they could not make even the slightest sound!
