"Father!"
The bandit leader's face darkened. Following the sound of the cane, he saw Ying Tiande, whose limbs he had broken yesterday, slowly walking up the moss-covered stone steps.
"Ying Tiande, stop pretending. Where is the sword! Speak quickly, or I'll kill your daughter!" Seeing this bizarre scene, the bandit leader was clearly a little flustered.
"My daughter has already told you, the sword is in the pond. If you're not afraid of death, then go ahead."
Ying Tiande stepped through the mud, each step churning up mud. He stopped about four or five meters away from the bandit leader. He first glanced at Ren Yuanhao, who was being stepped on by the bandit leader, and his daughter, whose neck had been cut with a bloody gash. Then, he turned his gaze to the overflowing cold pond, his brows furrowed.
"Keep searching, all of you!" the bandit leader roared viciously at his subordinates.
However, the remaining four or five men had dazed eyes, as if their minds had been stolen by something. They remained in the posture of being blasted by the cold pond water, showing no sign of movement!
"Damn it, look at you all. Aren't you ashamed? What could be in the water? Damn it!"
Unable to find an outlet for his anger, the bandit leader kept stomping on Ren Yuanhao's head with his right foot. Mud mixed with blood splattered everywhere. The more blood he saw, the more excited the bandit leader became!
"This sword is choosing a suitable sacrifice. I can hardly believe that I, myself, forged such a ferocious thing."
Ying Tiande's cane suddenly hit the ground. He raised his trembling hands, as if he saw overflowing blood from his rough palms, endless slaughter, and the stupa symbolizing life and death!
"Choosing a sacrifice?" The bandit leader suddenly burst into wild laughter. "There's a beauty like a celestial being here, a man with demonic powers, and a pure female disciple from a cultivation sect. Isn't that enough for it to choose from!"
"What do you want to do!"
Ying Tiande picked up his cane and coldly stared at the bandit leader's almost fanatical, blood-red eyes.
"Of course, it's to sacrifice the sword!" The bandit leader grabbed Ying Caiwei's throat with one hand and grinned menacingly, "What a pity, such a beautiful young girl, dying before she has experienced human love, ah~!"
Just as the bandit leader was cackling maniacally, unexpectedly, Ren Yuanhao, who was in a semi-conscious state, regained his senses. He opened his mouth and bit down on the bandit leader's leg, almost tearing off a piece of flesh. The pain was piercing and bone-chilling. He cried out in shock and raised his left foot to stomp on Ren Yuanhao's shoulder.
"You bastard! I'll send you to sacrifice to the sword first!"
Ren Yuanhao laughed instead of getting angry. He said, "Good! I fear that even with all your schemes, you won't be able to enjoy the sharp sword even if you obtain it!"
"You dare curse me!"
"I am afflicted with the Black Gu Heart-Devouring Poison. I fear the poison has already attacked my heart. After biting you just now, this ferocious venom has likely spread slowly through your meridians towards your heart. If you don't believe me, just get angry and circulate your energy. See if there isn't a very cold and chilling mass of energy wandering in your abdomen!" DaFeng Novel Network
The bandit leader was furious upon hearing Ren Yuanhao's words. He had heard that although the Black Gu Heart-Devouring Pill was not the ultimate poison, once it took effect, any cultivation expert would be reduced to a helpless worm! He lowered his head and indeed saw that the bite mark on his leg was swollen and turning blue. As soon as he circulated his energy, he felt a cold and chilling force moving in his abdomen. The moment he exerted force, it felt like needle pricks, causing sharp pain.
Ren Yuanhao chuckled, "Don't be afraid. The young ladies from the Qingfeng Sect have the antidote. If you behave, perhaps the young ladies will give you the antidote, right?"
Although his voice was not loud, the Senior Disciple and the two sisters, Zhi Ran and Zhi Xuan, heard him clearly. The Senior Disciple was stern, but Zhi Xuan was the first to laugh.
"Hurry up and put him down. Be careful not to anger the divine maiden. If her Senior Disciple gets angry and activates the Black Gu, she'll take your life immediately. By then, forget about divine weapons or sharp blades; you might not even be able to wield this ugly black curved saber."
Once Ren Yuanhao started talking, he wouldn't stop. Not only Zhi Xuan was amused, but even Zhi Ran was made to laugh.
"You brat! Even if we die, you'll die first!"
Anger surged within the bandit leader, and he didn't care about anything else. He directly kicked Ren Yuanhao in the abdomen with all his might. Ren Yuanhao curled up like a green shrimp and fell into the bone-chilling cold pond in an extremely pathetic manner.
"No~"
Ying Caiwei's face turned bright red. After the bandit leader circulated his energy, his intestines immediately transformed into writhing snakes, twisting madly in his abdomen. The pain was piercing, and he had no strength left to hold Ying Caiwei.
After escaping, Ying Caiwei was about to find a way to save Ren Yuanhao when she happened to catch the rope thrown by her father.
"Quick, pull that young man up! It will be too late!"
Her father's expression was extremely grave, an expression she had never seen before. She immediately realized the seriousness of the situation and nodded. She shook the rope loop with her right hand and tossed it into the cold pond with a swish!
"Little brother, catch the rope! I'll pull you up!"
At this moment, the rain had lessened, but the lightning flashing across the sky and the thunder fiercely pounding the ground had not ceased. Her voice was quickly drowned out by the thunder. Moreover, Ren Yuanhao, suffering from the cold and the poison, had his hearing degenerated and could not hear at all.
Speaking of Ren Yuanhao, inside the cold pond, he was sinking like a weight. During the day, he had observed the pond water, knowing that after overflowing, the water level was at least one and a half people high. If it were in the past, he wouldn't have paid it any mind. But now, with his injuries and the erosion of the Black Gu poison, he had no strength to float up.
A terrifying sense of falling violently assaulted him, and his consciousness gradually blurred~
"Father, Little Brother doesn't seem to be moving. What should we do?"
Ying Caiwei was ready to leap into the cold pond, but her father stopped her.
"Father! What are you doing?"
"Go and release your Senior Sister's acupoints first. It's likely that this young man~"
A flicker of pain flashed in Ying Tiande's eyes, as if the pond water surging before him was not water, but a sea of blood rolling in.
"Father, if it weren't for him, you and Senior Sisters would have probably already~"
"I know, but what's the use? If such a ferocious thing wants him dead, how can we keep him? Rather than that, let's go save your Senior Sisters first and see if they have any solutions."
Ying Tiande cut off his daughter's words. In fact, when he was unconscious, he had vaguely sensed Ren Yuanhao's presence and vaguely knew how much he had sacrificed. However, as a swordsmith, with the ominous sword about to be unleashed and requiring blood sacrifice, he could only watch helplessly as his savior died by the ferocious object he had personally forged. This feeling was already unbearable enough.
The wind and thunder raged, pine and bamboo swayed in the shadows, withered grass lay prostrate on the ground. The overflowing pond water reflected the surroundings in a pale white hue. Ying Caiwei first went to release the acupoints of Zhi Ran and Zhi Xuan. Just as she was about to release the Senior Disciple's acupoints, she heard her say, "No need to trouble yourself. You are preoccupied with a lustful fellow and are no longer a disciple of my Qingfeng Sect. I cannot accept this favor."