It's been three days after Di Xueyan met those hilarious men. Only she, can dare to find them hilarious.
She has been strolling around the forest , trying to find some dark aura but failed miserably. She heard a rumbling sound before she felt small droplets of water in her head. She looks at the grey sky that can barely be seen in the thick foliage and decided to set up a barrier before setting up a white tent. Looking at the plain looking tent in front of her, she remembers the extravagant tent that she just slept in three days ago, making her unconsciously smile.
She went inside and conjured a big comfortable queen size bed and throws herself like a little child. It's been a while since she had a good night sleep, so she decided to just sleep her ass off.
' Never waste the free time that you have. Since you were not born and raised in Huang Continent, you will have no advantages from the young lords of the central region aside from your vast knowledge and skills. So never slack off', she heard her mother's voice inside her head , making her pull herself up while grumbling. Though she hates to admit it, she knows that her mother is right. She maybe is powerful in the four kingdom, but she knows that she is a nobody if she arrives in the central region, so she needs to double her efforts.
She took a brown single couch from her storage ring and also took a book carelessly. She frowned when she held an ancient looking thick book in her hands, which has no title at all. Looking at it, she suddenly remembers that the book is the one that is comparable to a life while rolling her eyes.
" Tss, in this place, life is not even comparable to a book", she mumbles softly as she opens the first page, which is blank before opening the second page.
" Black Panther Sect, a medicine sect? How strange. Population, twenty thousand five hundred thirty, huh? It changed? How come it became twenty thousand six hundred?", she lightly murmurs as she saw the changing numbers of the population that is written in a black ink.
" Special medicine, bone strengthening pill. Leader… elders… crimes… what the hell? This book seems complete', she decided to browse further and saw a lot of sects and their information, whether it is widely known or confidential in the central region.
" Damn it! This is just what I need!", she exclaimed excitedly as she seriously read it again this time.
She is not even reading that far when she felt her world spinning as a light suffocating aura envelops her body. She felt a dangerous and ominous feeling that she has never felt in her entire life. Her heart is beating so fast that she has to slap it lightly to calm it down, an anxious feeling rose in her heart.
Without any consideration of the storm, she kept the book in her ring hastily and run out of the tent like a mad woman. She concentrated into finding where the powerful surge of aura came and felt it near the ninth level.
A woman in white can be seen running gracefully but speedily towards the deepest part of the forest without even minding her drenched clothes. Her hair is dripping with water as well as her face but it can't be seen by any cultivator as her speed is too fast.
Di Xueyan went closer and closer towards the powerful aura until she can also sense familiar auras. They are obviously having an all - out battle and she can't help but to feel worried as she can clearly sense that their enemies are not simpletons.
It is not long until she heard the noises of clattering swords… until she can already see a clearing, not minding the tree branches that scraped her as her only focus of attention is the bloodied beasts in front of her. Her eyes widens in shock with her mouth agape.
They clearly sensed her presence as all their attentions were grabbed by her. She saw ten black robed men who exude a strong power.
" Ah Yan, run towards the cliff!", Sima Liuwen shouted as he tries to stop an incoming attack in front of him. Di Xueyan saw an incoming attack in his back, she disregarded his shout and hurriedly pulled him as she brandished her sword.
" Liuwen, what is happening? Who are they?", despite the situation, she knows that she has to know her enemies first if she knows that she can. The ten men's eyes landed on her forehead, they all looked at each other before teaming up. They even have no critical wounds in their bodies making Di Xueyan felt worried as she knows the power of each and every one here, and through the years of their friendship, they all strived and cultivate together like some bunch of lunatics.
" Ah Yan, I beg you. Run towards the cliff and never look back", Sima Liuwen seriously stated while clutching his wounded arms, the usual seductive look in his face has long been gone. Di Xueyan does not know what the hell is going on, so she can only looks blankly as she saw the other guardians of the forest forming a semi - circle in front of her, as if protecting her, retreating toward the central zone.
" Ah Yan, just go! Don't mind us!",
" Ah Yan, no matter what, never forget to smile"
" Ah Yan, whatever you see today, we hope it won't change you. Smile the way you smile after this. Promise us, ok?"
Di Xueyan can't already distinguish who among them are speaking as her heart already feels like it is tearing because of pain. Tears clouded her vision as the silhouette of their bloody bodies flashed in her mind, as if an image that can't be deleted.
"Why do you all sounds like you are saying goodbye? Let us triumph over this battle alright? Promise me alright?", she said, trying her best to smile sweetly while stopping her tears from falling. Somewhere in her heart, she hates it but she feels as if this is their last goodbye.
" No, Ah Yan, run now. We beg you, you have to live. Do you hear me?", Sima Liuwen shakes her left shoulder with his free hand, looking firm. He looks at the approaching men and hurriedly push Di Xueyan.
" No, please don't be like this ok? I can help, We are eleven they are just ten. Surely we can defeat them together with my artifacts. I accumulated a lot. This will help", she desperately pleaded while trying to get as many artifact as needed.
Realizing that she won't go without them, they all run away towards the central zone while Sima Liuwen is dragging a confused and desperate Di Xueyan. Seeing them running away, the ten men took their time and run after them, never forgetting to leave some gap that neither too close nor too far to torture them mentally.
Di Xueyan run along as she felt as if she is already floating in the air.
' No, this can't be happening', she denies her gut feelings as she run together with them.
" Hey, we can fight them together. Since when have I ever failed you? I can at least defeat one of them ok?", she gently persuaded while staring at their determined expressions.
" Ah Yan, Those people… are all gods. We all can't match a god", Yin Rui, the most quiet among the guardians, smiled bitterly.
Di Xueyan felt her heart breaking again, just like her hope. Never have she imagined that they are gods. This is the first time, in her whole existence that she felt how weak she is, dashing her self -confidence. She can't even protect her friends!
" They are catching up!", a voice from the back shouted, shattering her momentary trance.
" Leader, let us stall them for time", two of the guardian, including the one who shouted earlier, resolutely declared, earning a hesitant nod from Sima Liuwen.
" No, don't go!", Di Xueyan shouted in horror when the two ran opposite to them, bravely facing the powerful opponents behind them.
" No matter what, never look back", Sima Liuwen said before dragging a pale faced Di Xueyan.
No, she doesn't want this. She designates herself as a protector, not someone who is to be protected. But seeing the serious faces of the other eight guardians, she can't bear to be a head ache anymore, but she looked back, in which she wish she never did.
She should've had listened to Sima Liuwen. She should have not looked back. She regrets it.
Seeing the people who just laughed with you days ago chopped like meats that are to be sold in the market without mercy is the greatest horror in anyone's life. She saw how those sadists tore their limbs just by using their hands. She saw the brave faces of her friends who did not even stopped even though they already had no arms left to use. She hears the maniac laughter of those people ringing in her ears, haunting her… mocking her…
The tears that she dared not shed, dropped from her eyes one after another. She felt her world spinning but she knows that she has to go on, for the people protecting her right now.
" Liuwen who are they? Who are they after?", she already has an answer in her mind, but dared not voice it out until they confirm it. A strong gush of resentment filled her eyes, making the people around her feel worried.
" They are from the phoenix clan. It does not matter who they are after. But Di Xueyan, listen to me. Never let hatred rule your life. Do you hear me? No matter what, be strong and triumph over the negativities your life throws at you like you always did", Sima Liuwen smiles as they passed through the white fog that separates the ninth level from the central zone. They immediately flies towards the cliff but unfortunately, the ten men stopped dilly – dallying and started attacking them, to be precise, Di Xueyan.
She knew all along that she is the target from the very beginning, so she decided to not back down.
" I'm sorry to implicate you", she apologized deeply while bowing at the fighting bloodied beasts in front of her. If only they never met, if only she never went in this forest in the first place and got to know them, they would have still be the mighty guardians of the Night Forest.
Her hold in her sword tightens, she knows fully well that, they might not able to defeat a single one of them, but injuring a god when there is a heaven and earth like gap from their cultivation is already amazing enough, she knows that they can do it and even if they can't , she will have no regrets.
She attacks the man behind SIma Liuwen ferociously, a powerful wind emitted from her sword, making the god who, if not fast enough will surely has a grave injury, feel shocked by how powerful it is. Di Xueyan raises her sword as she stares at the god before her with hatred and performs a fifteen hand gestures within a second, before slapping her blade. Suddenly, a purple flame envelops her whole sword, emitting a very powerful aura.
Purple Flame Sword, is a sword technique that should not be used unless life threatening else, if you are not powerful enough, half of your life force will be taken. The worse is, she only has one chance to strike, so she has to use it wisely.
She doesn't care about what is righteous or evil anymore, all she thinks is to save her friends. So she performs a technique that is powerful yet extremely dangerous for someone like her, Shadow Integration.
The god feels weird as he saw the girl that was just in front of him vanished. Before he can react, he feels a strong force in his back, but he already can't know what it is as all he can see is his wold spinning before collapsing.
Di Xueyan just killed a god just like that, but she used a forbidden arts. Without it, she can't use the god's shadow in her advantage. She just lightly looks at the black veins in her hands, a consequence of her action, before trying to join the others but stopped when she felt blood rising in her throat. Everyone, including Sima Liuwen saw what happened. His heart can't help but to break for their little girl. So he did what he ought to do.
He pushed Di Xueyan at the cliff before she can move. Di Xueyan tried her best to steady herself but felt her world collapsing when she saw a sword in Sima Liuwen's heart. With a smiling bloody face, he mouthed, 'live your life to the fullest, we never regretted knowing you'.
She tried to stop herself from falling desperately but a suction force from below stopped her from moving. All she can do is to shed tears as she saw her friends wasting their lives for her, fell like withered plants one after another.
' Phoenix clan, I swear to whoever god there is in this god forsaken place, I will destroy you someday!' she thought before she drift into nothingness .
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Happy reading!