The autumn chill was carried into the body by the autumn wind.
On the day both Qing Qiu and Su Ying agreed upon, the xian forces and demon forces met in front of San Chong Mountain by the enormous abyss that magic had ripped open 50 years ago. The two forces were split onto two difference roads on either side of the mountain.
Yan Hui and Tian Yao were standing within the demon clansmen. Qing Qiu's heir had already brought Lu Mu Sheng to the head of the group. Su Ying and Ling Xiao were standing opposite. When they saw Lu Mu Sheng, only then did Su Ying beckon with her hand. The xian cultivators parted onto two sides and brought out a heavily chained up Xian Ge.
Her hands were tied behind her. She also wore heavy chains on her feet. Those chains also had a magic seal on them, which flickered with her every step.
Seeing Xian Ge like this, the demons would let out aggrieved sounds from time to time. Xian Ge might not have any more chains, but she was still the Demon Clan's Princess. But now she was brought out by the xian cultivators in prisoner's clothing. The demons couldn't help but be furious.
"Guan Han Sect's Su Ying," the heir raised his voice. "The one you want is here. Why don't you quickly remove Xian Ge's chains?" Saying this, the heir pulled Lu Mu Sheng forward one step. Su Ying's gaze slightly tremored at the sight. With a flash of light in her hand, the seal on Xian Ge's chains was immediately deactivated.
"Let's do the exchange." Su Ying's voice was also raised.
Thus, the heir of the Nine-tailed Fox Demon Clan said to Lu Mu Sheng, "Go."
Lu Mu Sheng silently started to walk towards the bridge that the xian cultivators had created with magic. He looked down, not letting anyone see his expression.
At the same time, Xian Ge started walking towards the demon's magic bridge. The two of them reached the middle of their bridges at the same time. However, when everyone's eyes were focused on the moment, no one noticed behind Su Ying was a female cultivator whose magic was secretly condensing in her hand.
The cultivator was in the back of the ground. With a sudden movement, magic smashed at the demon's bridge right below Xian Ge's feet.
The demon's bridge shuddered, and Xian Ge stumbled and nearly fell.
Su Ying's gaze sharpened and she looked back towards the crowd of xian cultivators. At the demon's side, Yan Hui saw the situation and loudly berated: "Guang Han Sect's Su Ying is actually going back on her own word!" The demons were already alarmed when Su Ying fell. When they heard Yan Hui's words, the already furious demons erupted into a noisy clamor.
Yan Hui coldly snorted: "You want to get a person back but aren't willing to release a person! There's no such easy matter in this world!" She moved, hastily circulating the demon magic within her body. She flew up to grab Lu Mu Sheng back.
Su Ying orignally planned to snatch Xian Ge back, but when she saw Yan Hui's move, her face froze. There wasn't time to say anything. Su Ying made a lightening fast gesture with her hand and sent a killing xian magic towards Yan Hui.
Yan Hui didn't have a ability to block Su Ying's xian magic, and so she didn't even try. She just risked it all to get Lu Mu Sheng and drag him back. At the same time, the lava in the abyss was suddenly stirred up by an unknown someone's magic. With a boom, the lava rushed up and slammed into the xian cultivator's bridge, breaking it. At the same time, that geysering lava also block Su Ying's killing magic from reaching Yan Hui.
Yan Hui didn't even glance at the situation. She just held onto Lu Mu Sheng and ran with lowered head back to the Qing Qiu side. She didn't fly nor use magic. They just stumblingly ran on like they had been hit by Su Ying's spell, injured and unable to use magic.
Su Ying saw Lu Mu Sheng being brought away by Yan Hui. Of course, she couldn't let that happen. Su Ying immediately flew towards them to grab Yan Hui.
At the same time, Tian Yao made a move and briefly came into contact with Su Ying. She fumed behind gritted teeth: "Dragon Demon, stop messing with my business!" Tian Yao coldly smiled: "It's your busineses that is a mess."
Su Ying's face was filled with hate, but she couldn't seize Tian Yao with just one strike.
Yan Hui yelled towards Qing Qiu's heir: "Quick, bring Xian Ge back!"
The heir didn't wait for Yan Hui to finish before making his own move. After the brief fight between Su Ying and Tian Yao, Su Ying saw the heir take action. She turned her head back and yelled: "Ling Xiao!"
There was no need for Su Ying's orders. Ling Xiao had already early on saw what was happening and planned to recapture Xian Ge back.
The main players on both sides had made their own moves. Now the demons still standing on their side could no longer hold back the years and years of accumulated sullen hate towards the xian cultivators. With an earth-shaking howl, they lunged towards the other side of San Chong Mountain. The cultivators were forced to take a stand.
The two sides were immediately embroiled into a chaotic fight.
In the midst of the chaos, the fallen Xian Ge was struggling to rise. Suddenly from the side came an arm and powerfully wrapped around Xian Ge's waist.
Xian Ge was startled, but in the next moment she recognized who that arm belonged to. She turned her head in almost disbelief. The one who came was wearing black robes and a wide hat that obscured the face. The aura around the person was a mess. One moment it was demon, the next a xian cultivator.
In the fight, it didn't matter whether xian cultivator or demon, none could tell who it was in the chaos.
Xian Ge looked at his haggard face. It was like all of her cries became lodged in her throat: "You...."
"I came to save you."
One sentence. Five words. Such conciseness, yet it easily caused Xian Ge's eyes to redden.
The chaos of the battlefield didn't allow for much time of tenderness between the two. With a cold expression, Ling Xiao sent a xian spell hurling towards Xian Ge. However when the spell got close to her, a blast of demon magic broke the xian spell.
Qing Qiu's heir stood in front of Xian Ge. His broad back blocked Xian Ge. In the midst of the confused battlefield, he heavily shouted: "Leave!" That word was spoken so low that it was almost unhearable.
Xian Ge turned to look. She saw her father, who had protected her since childhood, standing in front of her. In the chaotic battleground, he stood there as before, giving her the safest report.
Xian Ge opened her mouth and called out "Father." That word had never been so filled with grief and anguish.
But there wasn't time for Xian Ge to look at the broad back. Feng Qian Shuo pulled Xian Ge up and carried her horizontally in his arms. He wrapped a cloak around her, and they immediately faded away from sight. It was unknown where they went.
The Nine-tailed Fox Demon Clan's Heir didn't even glance behind. Only his grip on his broadsword gradually tightened because he knew his daughter may face a long and arduous journey. They may never meet again in this life.
Ling Xiao hurled another spell over, but the heir easily blocked it with a wave of his broadsword. The demon coldly smiled: "Is the leader of Chen Xing Mountain's strength just this much? You worked hard for your cultivation sects, but it doesn't seem like you put it your all!"
Ling Xiao slightly narrowed his eyes at those words. He glanced to the side and saw Yan Hui doing her best to evade Su Ying all while dodging around the battlefield with Lu Mu Sheng. His fist slightly clenched harder. Ling Xiao forced his gaze back and coldly snorted:
"The heir of Qing Qiu's Nine-tailed Fox Demon Clan is quiet soft-hearted towards your daughter who betrayed the clan."
The heir narrowed his eyes and charged at Ling Xiao to behead him with a deep shout. The two once again engaged in a fight. However this time, Ling Xiao fought and retreated at the same time. He was getting closer to where Yan Hui was...
Even though he was a distance away, Ling Xiao could tell Yan Hui was fully using Demon Heart Techniques. Although he was mainly unfamiliar with demon magic, he could tell from the parts that he was familiar with that it was definitely taught to her by that Dragon Demon, Tian Yao. As Yan Hui used demon magic, her demon aura was faintly mingled with a dragon demon aura. Although that aura was faint to almost not showing, Ling Xiao could clearly sense it.
And if he could sense it, then Su Ying definitely....
Ling Xiao hadn't finished the thought when Su Ying, who was fighting against Tian Yao, coldly snorted: "I was wondering why you are so weak now. Turns out you didn't take your neidan back yet. Why? Are you using that girl to grow it?"
Su Ying's voice wasn't quiet. Yan Hui was on the ground protecting Lu Mu Sheng. They were racing towards the inner part of Qing Qiu, yet she heard those words. She couldn't help pausing and looking towards the sky. It looked like Tian Yao was incensed by what Su Ying said.
He made a seal with his hand. Behind him, the lava in the San Chong Mountain's abyss responded to his call. It twisted into a fire dragon and rushed at Su Ying.
Su Ying coldly snorted: "With out a neidan, you're fighting in vain against me!" Once she said those words, there was a crisp sound in mid-air. The lava dragon Tian Yao had called turned into a block of ice. It broke in the sky, and pieces rained down.
Yan Hui saw Su Ying cast a spell to kill Tian Yao. At the same time, she heard a loud sound of magic clashing from where Ling Xiao was. She looked over and saw Xian Ge had already disappeared. Yan Hui knew that Feng Qian Shuo had succeeded in taking Xian Ge away.
Xian Ge was no longer here. Yan Hui made a quick calculation and said a word of apology to Lu Mu Sheng. She immediately drew out her dagger and placed it across his neck. They stood in the forest: "Su Ying!" Yan Hui shouted, "If you make another move, I'll kill this scholar!"
Sure enough, Su Ying paused at those words. She looked down. Yan Hui's dagger had already lightly cut Lu Mu Sheng's neck. Red blood flowed down his neck and stained his collar.
Without her knowledge, Su Ying's body started to tremble at the sight. She stopped her attacks.
Yan Hui said: "You say he's the reincarnation of the one you loved. You must have looked hard for him." Yan Hui smiled. "Who knows if I kill him that you'll have the luck to find his reincarnation 20 years later."
Su Ying's hand slightly trembled.
"Leave Qing Qiu," said Yan Hui. "Pretend like what happened here didn't happen. Otherwise....." Yan Hui curled her lip and seemed to indifferently make the cut on Lu Mu Sheng's neck even bigger. "You'll just help him become a corpse."
Su Ying's eyes suddenly became gloomy. She tightly gritted her teeth.
After a long silence in the sky: "I'll retreat." Su Ying said, "Don't hurt him."
Those three words unexpectedly caused Lu Mu Sheng to coldly smile. He looked at Su Ying, who was in the sky, with extreme mockery. Su Ying pretended to not see that look and silently retreated.
It looked like she was going to leave Qing Qiu's border.
Yan Hui just barely started to heave a sigh of relief.
She slightly loosened her grip on the dagger. In the middle of the palpable anticipation, under Yan Hui's feet suddenly formed an ice formation spell. Yan Hui was stunned. She heard Tian Yao's panicked warning in the air: "Move!"
Lu Mu Sheng suddenly reacted. He moved his neck to directly hit it against Yan Hui's knife edge.
Yan Hui didn't have time to move it out of the way. She saw the knife was about to cut open Lu Mu Sheng's windpipe. A hand suddenly reached out from the side and firmly gripped Yan Hui's dagger. Blood flowed from the palm of the hand and dripped onto the ground.
No one was able to injure Su Ying in the battle. However to save Lu Mu Sheng, her hand was cut open by Yan Hui's dagger.
"You want to commit suicide again?" asked Su Ying. "Don't use methods that hurt yourself to hurt me."
Liu Mu Sheng icily mocked: "As long as it hurts you, I'm willing to use any method."
The corner of Su Ying's mouth trembled. Her expression was grieved.
Yan Hui looked at Su Ying, who was almost within reach. In the middle of her shock, she suddenly heard what sounded like a violent impact off to the side. Yan Hui looked over. It was the normally calm Tian Yao using magic to forcefully strike against the edge of Su Ying's magic. It was preventing him from getting close to Yan Hui.
The ice formation suddenly lit up, and Yan Hui's entire body was immediately caught within.
Outside of the formation, the Tian Yao's stunned and panicked expression also disappeared.....
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Uh oh. This can't be good.