Yan Hui immediately reacted: "That just now was an illusion?"
"Of course it was! Everything in this formation is an illusion! It's so real it can almost kill." Huan Xiao Yan slapped away the knife in Yan Hui's hand. "You were about to stab yourself in the heart with the knife just now!"
The knife fell with a clatter. Yan Hui's eyes followed the noise. It was only then that she realized she had been tightly clutching the knife.
Yan Hui was a little fearful of what just happened but at the same time also glad Huan Xian Yan came along. She looked around their surrounds: "Where's Tian Yao?"
Huan Xiao Yan shook her head: "I was only able to call you out of the illusion because I was hidden in your ring. I don't know where he fell. This formation's power is too strong. I think the person who cast it is paying attention to another person. That's why I was so easily able to wake you. As for Dragon Demon Tian Yao.....I'm afraid it's not going well."
Yan Hui clenched her teeth at those words: "We're going to find him."
"Who are you going to find?"
A voice suddenly appeared in the sky. Yan Hui looked up in shock and saw Su Ying standing in that dead enormous tree that was burned 10 years ago. Su Ying looked down at Yan Hui. Compared to her past high and mighty, aloof look, this time the look in her eyes lightly revealed a blaze of hate. It made Su Ying look less like a xian cultivator and more like a demon.
"You want to find the dragon demon?" Su Ying coldly laughed. "There's no need to look. He's right here." Su Ying waved her hand. From the sky came a dragon's roar. An enormous blue dragon suddenly fell from the sky and smashed down onto the ground. His entire body twitched as if in enormous pain.
Yan Hui was stunned: "Tian Yao!"
Su Ying said: "Yan Hui, did you think the dragon demon wholeheartedly treat you well? He protected you up to now, let you enter the demon cultivation pathway, and helped you cultivate. It was all to awaken his neidan's power in your heart, so that he can retrieve it at a suitable time. Did you know that?"
"I knew that."
But what use was know that? Yan Hui also knew how much Tian Yao had suffered these 20 years. She knew how much he hated his powerless self. She knew how much he wanted to gain back his former power. But she also knew that when Tian Yao clearly had the moment to take back his neidan, he said that his body was already complete.
He didn't do anything to harm her.
Yan Hui wasn't dumb. Only a few sentences were needed for her to know what the past Tian Yao wanted. But for her, the current Tian Yao gave it all up.
Su Ying's eyes hardened: "Quite astute, but no matter. In the end, you two won't be able to to escape my formation. A dragon demon with no neidan, and you who doesn't know how to use the neidan's power....." Su Ying disdainfully smirked. "Don't even think about setting a foot outside this formation."
Yan Hui's gaze instantly darkened at those words. A dragon demon without a neidan and her with a neidan.....then if she returned the neidan to Tian Yao, then at least he would be able to leave this formation.
Yan His was thinking along those lines and about to take a step forward when suddenly she felt her arm tighten. Yan Hui looked back. For some reason, Huan Xiao Yan's face seemed blurry. It wasn't until Huan Xiao Yan suddenly pinched her that Yan Hui abruptly woke up.
Huan Xiao Yan saw Yan Hui's face was a little blank. Thus she raised her hand and patted Yan Hui's face a couple times: "Master, you were in an illusion again! You can't believe anything in this formation!"
Yan Hui only then turned her head to look at the scorched, enormous tree. Su Ying's figure in the tree and the suffering Tian Yao on the ground were gone.
And her hand was over her heart, five fingers curled into claws. It actually looked like she was about to gauge out her own heart.
Yan Hui slightly broke out in cold sweat. Upon entering this illusion formation, its illusions simply couldn't be guarded against. Each time was more terrifying than the last. Furthermore, it could see straight into her heart and cause her to make a decision and act. She had Huan Xiao Yan to escape the two illusions, but Tian Yao...
Yan Hui gritted her teeth. She said to Huan Xiao Yan: "You aren't led astray by the illusion formation?"
"I'm an illusion demon!" said Huan Xiao Yan. "We are the creators of illusion techniques! Although...I may not have that strong of a magic, I have the natural ability to see through illusions."
Yan Hui muttered a plan to herself and then ripped off part of Huan Xiao Yan's sleeve. Huan Xiao Yan grew angry, but Yan Hui had already used it as a blindfold to cover her eyes. "You lead the way," said Yan Hui. "Finding Tian Yao is up to you."
Huan Xiao Yan was surprised: "Master....you gave me such an important task...."
"I believe in you."
Yan Hui reached out a hand. Huan Xiao Yan looked at it and clenched her teeth: "Alright! Today, I definitely will lead you to Tian Yao!"
"Tian Yao...."
"Tian Yao."
That voice kept resonating in his ear. Tian Yao opened his eyes and saw Yan Hui looking at him in worry.
When Tian Yao glanced at her, Yan Hui supported him up. "Are you hurt?"
Tian Yao assessed his body and shook his head: "It's no matter."
"We seemed to have fallen into the formation. The only plan now is to look within in the formation itself for its center, so we can break it." Yan Hui turned her head to look all around. Then she stared in one direction: "There's a weird aura there. Can you sense it?"
Tian Yao looked where Yan Hui was pointing and then looked back at her: "There's no need to lure me there. You can say it directly, what do you want?"
Yan Hui was shocked and slightly puzzled: "What are you saying?"
Tian Yao dropped his head and smiled: "I'm only being so polite because it's Yan Hui's face. Otherwise....." His eyes became cold. "If you continue to pretend, I'm afraid I won't be so polite."
At those words, Yan Hui, who was still supporting Tian Yao, suddenly darkened her expression. An ominous glint instantly showed in her eyes. Her hand that was clutching Tian Yao's arm turned into a dried vine to bind down his arm. Her face also slowly transformed into tree bark before finally becoming completely unrecognizable.
Tian Yao's face was ice cold. His entire body burst into flames and instantly turned the wood into ash.
Tian Yao patted down his clothes. He stood up, looked around, and immediately captured Su Ying who was in the enormous dead tree.
"Where's Yan Hui?"
Su Ying's eyes were dark. She sneered: "You really care for her? Dragon Demon Tian Yao, you actually have deep feelings for her." She continued, "You still haven't learned from what happened 20 years ago? You aren't scared Yan Hui isn't conspiring against you?"
"I'm just afraid Yan Hui isn't conspiring against me enough." He downplayed it. However for someone who had experienced what happened 20 years ago, the meaning behind it was heavy.
Su Ying was also silent for a moment. Then she nodded: "Alright, then I'll let you see her." She waved her hand, and immediately Yan Hui was revealed hanging from a branch of the enormorus tree.
Yan Hui's eyes were closed, and blood poured out of all oriffices on her face. There was a large hole in her chest, too dark to see inside.
Tian Yao's pupils suddenly contracted at the sight: "What did you do to her?"
Su Ying mildly remarked: "When I captured her, I also caught another demon with her. Let's have her talk to you." Done speaking, Huan Xiao Yan was thrown in midair to Tian Yao's feet.
Tian Yao was stunned. Huan Xiao Yan crawled to her feet. Her eyes were red and swollen from crying: "I.....I went with Master to look for you....that bad woman cut out Master's heart. Master, Master can't live much longer.....hurry and save her."
Tian Yao's mind was a mess. He heard Su Ying lightly say: "I've already taken your Heart Protection Scale and neidan. You and her will die in this formation."
Tian Yao clenched his jaw, and his eyes suddenly turned red. A scalding flame directly aimed at Su Ying. However by the time the broiling flames reached where she stood, Su Ying had already disappeared. The flame only burned the rope that Yan Hui hung from.
Before Yan Hui dropped onto the ground, Tian Yao rapidly rushed over and caught her in his arms.
Her body was ice cold like there was hardly any warmth left. Even though she fell into Tian Yao's arms, she never once opened her eyes. Her breaths were so shallow they could hardly be sensed.
"Yan Hui?" Tian Yao called out. Yan Hui didn't respond. Tian Yao gritted his teeth and help Yan Hui's hand. Magic recklessly rushed into Yan Hui's body.
"I will bring you out of here," said Tian Yao. "Don't be scared."
At the same time Tian Yao was pouring cultivation into Yan Hui's body, Huan Xiao Yan, who had been lying spiritless on the ground, suddenly stood up. Her gaze was cold. Ice automatically formed underneath every step she took.
Huan Xiao Yan's appearance started to change until it settled on Su Ying's appearance.
She approached Tian Yao from behind, and raised an ice dagger in her hand. It was aimed straight at Tian Yao's neck!
There was a lightning flash! A whistling sound suddenly rent the air. A blaze of fire streaked through midair and just so happened to smash right on Su Ying's ice dagger. The ice blade melted, so water dripped onto Tian Yao's neck. Tian Yao was shocked. His mind cleared up a little. At this time, an urgent call suddenly rang out in the sky:
"Tian Yao, stop!"
Flames rained down like raindrops. Su Ying vanished amidst the falling flames, and Tian Yao felt a shove on his shoulders. He was thrown onto the ground. Tian Yao looked with a startled, blank expression and saw an alive and well Yan Hui thrown across him. Although she was frowning, there was no blood streaming from her face. Her chest was also fine. Yan Hui ruthlessly pinched his face: "Wake up! That isn't me!"
Tian Yao looked at Yan Hui. He didn't utter a sound. Yan Hui again pinched his face: "Quickly wake up!"
"I'm awake," said Tian Yao. He was again chided by Yan Hui. "Then quickly take back your magic!"
Tian Yao looked down at that words. Only then did he see the "Yan Hui" he poured magic in was a piece of dead wood.
The wood was slowly starting to come to life and take the form of a person.
Tian Yao immediately withdrew his magic. As for the dead wood that already took the form of a person, it raised its hand to attack the two people. Yan Hui saw this and dragged back Tian Yao to run. As they ran, Yan Hui questioned Huan Xiao Yan who floated along side them: "Have you sensed where the formation center is?"
"Not yet!" said Huan Xiao Yan. "I just sense that the aura is strong, but not where the center is at all."
After she said that, ice needles started to stream down. Tian Yao immediately sheltered Yan Hui in his arms. With a wide wave of his sleeve, a shining barrier of flames encircled them.
Su Ying coldly looked down at the trio from the sky. Her expression was uglier compared to before: "You trifling illusion demon dares to mess with my plan." Her eyes hardened. Suddenly the ground where the three people stood started to tremor. Huan Xiao Yan, who wasn't in Tian Yao's arms, was immediately thrown to the edge of the barrier.
Yan Hui wanted to go after Huan Xiao Yan, but the illusion demon was already bound up in vines by then. The rattan vines tightened around her like snakes. The vines started to grow barbs, like they were going to rip apart Huan Xiao Yan.
Tian Yao unexpectedly suddenly removed the flame barrier. He narrowed his eyes and murmured to Yan Hui: "Give me some blood." Then he bit Yan Hui's finger.
Yan Hui felt pain at the tip of her finger. Immediately blood welled up and touched Tian Yao's lips. He formed a hand seal, and a fiery dragon appeared in the horizon. It charged at Su Ying, who immediately use magic to block it. To everyone's surprise, Tian Yao made a move and charged at the enormous tree. He fiercely slammed down a hand seal onto the tree.
The midair fight between the fire dragon and Su Ying suddenly stopped.
A crack suddenly appeared in the enormous tree, and at the same time a crack suddenly appeared in Su Ying's face.
Su Ying's movements paused. The fire dragon immediately wrapped around her body. Raging fires immediately burst around her, and the dead tree also immediately burst into flame.
When Yan Hui saw the situation, she immediately started to cut the vines binding Huan Xiao Yan. The little demon's body was already all cut up by the barbed vines. She hurt to the point of crying. Yan Hui hugged Huan Xiao Yan, lightly patted her head, and coaxed her a few times. Only then did Huan Xiao Yan stop crying and said: "I was wondering why this illusion formation was so strong. It turns out Su Ying was risking her life; she tied her life with the formation! No wonder why she was everywhere."
Tying her life with the formation...
Su Ying.....didn't want to live anymore.