Bai Yinshuang laughed coldly, then abruptly stopped. "You think you're the protagonist?" she sneered.
Chen Yang suddenly adjusted his posture, brushing off the dust on his clothes. His previously tense demeanor relaxed completely.
Earlier, Chen Yang had been on high alert, guarding his mind. But now, he was at ease, as if the danger had passed. He chuckled, "Between us, you're the evil spirit, and I'm the righteous one. So of course, I'm the protagonist."
Bai Yinshuang scoffed, "You're good at self-consolation. Even if I'm not the protagonist, I'm at least a final boss. With your meager skills, you're hardly protagonist material. You're just cannon fodder."
Qin Moyao, standing nearby, was suddenly confused. She couldn't understand why Chen Yang had become so relaxed. She felt they were both facing certain death, as this Bai Yinshuang seemed incredibly powerful. How could they possibly escape?
At this moment, Qin Moyao couldn't fathom Chen Yang's thoughts at all.
Just then, Chen Yang addressed Bai Yinshuang, "Alright, let's cut the small talk. You don't want to kill me, and you can't. It's because I'm your only chance. You understand the workings of fate - this isn't a place you can stay long. If you want to leave safely, you have to rely on me." He paused, then continued, "You may not trust me fully, but you have to take a gamble on me, don't you?"
Qin Moyao suddenly understood why Chen Yang was so relaxed. She felt ashamed that her intelligence paled in comparison to Chen Yang's. She thought he was incredibly smart, always thinking ahead and seeing through to the core of things.
As Qin Moyao silently admired Chen Yang, Bai Yinshuang laughed coldly, "Arrogant and foolish. You have no leverage or right to negotiate with me. To leave this place, I only need to cultivate for a while longer. Once I achieve my ethereal form, I can leave with my magical artifacts."
"Come off it, Bai Yinshuang!" Chen Yang retorted with a sneer. "That might fool a child, but not me. You're a spirit without physical form. It's at least thousands of miles from here to the remote mountains. A spirit like you, flying outside, could be dispersed by a single thunderclap. Not to mention the terrifying heavenly tribulation. As for your so-called ethereal form, it's impossible for you to cultivate it." He paused, then continued, "I won't deny that some ancient cultivators in remote mountains might have achieved ethereal form. But that takes thousands of years of bitter cultivation, and even then, they dare not come out for fear of heavenly punishment. How many years of cultivation do you have?"
Bai Yinshuang, exposed by Chen Yang, became furious with embarrassment. "You mortal, you're too full of yourself. Even if I had thought of using you, I've changed my mind now."
Hearing this, Qin Moyao gripped Chen Yang's hand, her palms sweating.
The plot twists were truly dramatic.
Chen Yang frowned slightly, not entirely confident. Bai Yinshuang was too unpredictable.
Indeed, Bai Yinshuang had died filled with unjust resentment. Before death, she was consumed by grievance, then her soul was suppressed by a Taoist artifact, regaining some clarity, and finally recovering her memories. Although she had her memories back, her personality had been twisted.
Essentially, Bai Yinshuang was now just a powerful cluster of brainwaves. However, once this cluster flew out, it could be dispersed by winds, thunder, or the vast distances it would need to travel.
This was Bai Yinshuang's predicament.
However, within this golden era, Bai Yinshuang was incredibly powerful.
Chen Yang said, "If that's the case, why waste words? Go ahead and kill us." As he finished speaking, he stepped in front of Qin Moyao. This instinctive action touched Qin Moyao deeply.
Bai Yinshuang was in no hurry to act. She suddenly said, "Your heart is righteous, your mind like a sword. Evil spirits find it hard to invade. Moreover, you're not easily fooled by illusions. Killing you won't be so simple."
Chen Yang replied, "You've turned this place into your domain. You could easily trap me here. If you keep me here for a week or so, my body will weaken, and I'll be no match for you. I'm well aware of this."
Qin Moyao listened in astonishment. Were these two complimenting each other at a time like this?
Bai Yinshuang continued, "Your blood essence is strong. You could use it as a sacrifice to break through layers of illusions."
Chen Yang's heart sank. He realized this Bai Yinshuang was incredibly shrewd. She was a formidable opponent.
After a moment's thought, Chen Yang said, "My blood may counter illusions, but you can create more illusions to overwhelm it."
Qin Moyao couldn't help but whisper in Chen Yang's ear, "Chen Yang, what are you two doing? Is this some kind of verbal duel? It's like you're both trying to prove the other can win."
Chen Yang rolled his eyes at Qin Moyao, saying, "It's not that I don't want to leave, but I have no way to take you with me. By remaining unchanged in the face of change, we can avoid falling into her illusions."
Qin Moyao said, "But standing here doing nothing isn't a solution either!"
Chen Yang rubbed his nose, muttering, "Indeed, it's not a solution. Do you have a better idea?"
Qin Moyao was stumped. What idea could she possibly have?
"Remaining unchanged in the face of change is indeed your best strategy right now," Bai Yinshuang spoke again. "But if you stand here for days, how different is that from being trapped in an illusion?"
Chen Yang couldn't help but curse, "You witch, if you've got the guts, come and kill me yourself."
Bai Yinshuang wasn't angered by Chen Yang's insult. She smiled coldly, saying, "With your blood essence, you could charge through forcefully. Given your cultivation, you'd have a good chance of escaping. The reason you don't is that you can't take the woman beside you. Am I right?"
Chen Yang remained silent.
Qin Moyao trembled, finally understanding that Chen Yang was doing all this for her sake.
Bai Yinshuang continued, "Earlier, you kept saying you didn't care about this woman, but for her sake, you've repeatedly put your life in danger. Even now, you won't admit that you love the woman beside you?"
Hearing this, Qin Moyao's heart raced. She already had feelings for Chen Yang, and now hearing Bai Yinshuang say that Chen Yang loved her and had sacrificed so much, she couldn't help feeling excited and moved. It was a strange feeling.
However, just as Qin Moyao was feeling touched and enchanted, Chen Yang immediately ruined the mood. He said, "Love my ass! I'm a man, and men protect women. It's about chivalry and instinct, understand? It has nothing to do with love."
Qin Moyao was left speechless, but her affection for Chen Yang continued to grow.
Bai Yinshuang smiled coldly, saying, "I suddenly want to play an interesting game."
"Any game you come up with must be perverted, because you're perverted yourself," Chen Yang immediately retorted.
Bai Yinshuang giggled, her laughter especially chilling in the cold night air. "Perverted? You're right, this game is indeed perverted. I'll use illusions to confuse the woman beside you, and only your blood can break the illusions. Otherwise, she'll die. Remember, your blood can't stop flowing."
"Damn, you're too twisted," Chen Yang cursed.
Bai Yinshuang simply said, "Begin!"
Qin Moyao was startled, her face turning pale. She immediately closed her eyes, telling herself that everything was an illusion and she absolutely must not believe it.
"You think closing your eyes can block my illusions?" At that moment, Bai Yinshuang appeared in Qin Moyao's mind.
In the darkness, Qin Moyao felt she was facing Bai Yinshuang alone.
Bai Yinshuang, dressed in pure white, stood there coldly staring at Qin Moyao.
Qin Moyao said tremblingly, "Don't come near me."
Bai Yinshuang said, "The man beside you has a strong, righteous heart and powerful cultivation. So he can resist my illusions. But you? Do you think you can?"
"Enough!" Qin Moyao gritted her teeth fiercely. "You've done enough evil. Even if your circumstances were pitiful, you've harmed far more people. Those people have families too. Who can they turn to for justice?"
Bai Yinshuang was unmoved by Qin Moyao's words, remaining cold and detached. She stared at Qin Moyao for a long while before saying, "You're afraid, aren't you? Is your hysteria an attempt to cover up your fear?"
Qin Moyao's true feelings were exposed. She couldn't help but step back. Bai Yinshuang approached step by step, continuing, "My illusions can give you the most realistic sensations. For example, ten thousand insects crawling on your body..."
As soon as Bai Yinshuang finished speaking, Qin Moyao felt something strange at her feet. She looked down and immediately saw countless black beetles crawling up her pant legs.
Qin Moyao let out a piercing scream, gritting her teeth and saying, "It's all an illusion, just an illusion!"
But the insects kept crawling all over her body, even towards her most private areas. The biting of countless insects caused excruciating pain, and her whole body broke out in goosebumps.
Qin Moyao was terrified beyond measure, rolling on the ground in agony. At this point, she wanted to open her eyes but found she couldn't.
At this moment, Chen Yang saw Qin Moyao in extreme pain. He wanted to hold her, to steady her, but felt her strength was unusually great. This showed how terrifying her experience must be.
Moreover, Chen Yang saw countless goosebumps on Qin Moyao's arms, the texture of her skin looking horrifying.
At the same time, Bai Yinshuang appeared before Chen Yang.
"Sometimes, when people feel pain in an illusion, their nerves actually experience real pain," Bai Yinshuang said. "Sometimes, when the mind thinks it's dying, the nerves believe it too, leading to brain death. Illusions can kill too!"
"Damn it!" Chen Yang cursed angrily. At this moment, he had no choice but to use his own blood to save Qin Moyao. He immediately bit his finger and placed it in Qin Moyao's mouth.