As the light gradually pierced through everyone's eyes, they slowly rose from the ground.
I surveyed the scene and found Liu Shinian still sitting on the ground, his spirits low.
I slowly walked up to him and extended my hand, saying,
"Get up."
He looked up slightly, and his gloomy eyes softened instantly upon seeing me.
A knowing smile appeared on his face. He slowly raised his hand, grasped mine, and with difficulty, stood up.
"Are you feeling any better?"
I asked him with concern.
He simply replied with an "Mm," indicating he hadn't fully recovered.
However, such things couldn't be rushed.
Fortunately, he was willing to pick himself up, and that was enough.
Xue Gucheng, seeing the sorrowful expression on Zhang Tianshi's face, also asked him with concern,
"Tianshi, are you alright?"
Tianshi took a shallow breath, then slowly sighed, lamenting,
"Fate truly toys with people. When it wishes for someone to die, they die; when it wishes for them to live, they live.
It seems no one can escape the wheel of destiny."
Xue Gucheng comforted him,
"No matter who it is, death is inevitable. It's something we cannot resist.
As Miss Muye said, since we know we will die, let us bid them farewell with love in our hearts."
"Alas!"
Tianshi let out another long sigh, seemingly understanding much. He said,
"Yes, no one can escape death.
Since we know we will die, let us believe we will meet again in the afterlife."
Yan Wushuang also comforted him,
"Tianshi, you don't need to be too sad. There are no insurmountable obstacles.
When we return to Nanhai City, we'll have a few drinks together."
"Hahaha, you're always so cheerful."
A few words managed to alleviate some of his sorrow.
He looked back and saw Dao Lang and Fei Xiong leaning against each other by a large tree.
With a blank expression, he called out to them,
"How are you two doing?"
Dao Lang slowly turned his head and sighed faintly.
"We're alright. Wan Gui Lin is truly ruthless, to have gouged out the deepest matters from people's hearts."
"Indeed, that's why it's a forbidden area for the four cities.
It's a good thing we have Muye, otherwise, we would all be finished."
"Yes, thanks to her."
Yan Wushuang said.
"And young brother Ali also helped a great deal."
Ali smiled shyly upon being praised and said frankly,
"I just stumbled upon it by chance. I'm glad I could be of help."
Yan Wushuang smiled reassuringly, patted his shoulder, and said,
"You are as reliable as Miss Muye. It seems our escape still depends on you two."
Ali, however, placed his hope on me.
"I believe Muye can lead us out."
Tianshi looked back at everyone. Seeing that they had all sobered up considerably, he said loudly,
"Everyone, pull yourselves together. Let's sort out our emotions, we still need to find a way out."
"Alright."
Everyone responded.
I looked at the vast expanse of fog before me, unsure of where to go next.
I turned back to ask Tianshi.
"Tianshi, which way should we go now?"
He didn't have any ideas either and vaguely pointed forward, saying,
"How about..."
He intended to suggest wandering aimlessly, but before he could finish,
Suddenly, a long howl seemed to echo from the valley.
Instantly, the black mist dispersed, revealing light that hadn't been seen for a long time.
The crowd watched the receding black mist, their hearts filled with worry and unease, speculating amongst themselves.
"What's going on? Could something bad be about to happen?"
"It seems Wan Gui Lin is getting serious."
"I wonder what it will be?"
As everyone was guessing, I scanned my surroundings.
For the first time, I saw Wan Gui Lin clearly. Without the shroud of black mist,
It looked like any other forest, with dense trees and a cool mountain breeze.
However, the sudden dissipation of the black mist that had enveloped them for so long,
No matter how I guessed, it was undeniably linked to that howl. But what could that sound be?
Could it be a monster?
Thinking this, I couldn't help but smile, marveling at my own unusual train of thought.
Just as everyone was speculating, someone suddenly shouted, pointing to the sky,
"Look! What is that!"
Everyone followed his gaze and saw that in the bright, clear sky,
Countless dark shadows suddenly converged and swooped down, covering the sky.
Everyone drew their swords to defend themselves.
"Be careful!"
Among the many experts, a master from Beishen Du, who could contend with Zhang Tianshi, Atom Ye, shouted.
Then, he continued,
"These are the vengeful spirits of Wan Gui Shan.
The vengeful spirits must have been summoned by that howl to gather and charge at us.
Although they have no physical form, they are essentially the poisonous black mist of Wan Gui Shan."
"Cover your mouths and noses!"
Zhang Tianshi suddenly shouted.
Everyone quickly covered their mouths and noses.
Xue Gucheng swiftly drew his snow sword and unleashed the legendary "Willow Blossom Snow Blade" technique.
He leaped into the air with his sword, executing a dazzling array of moves.
Then, he slashed forward. In an instant,
The sharp blades emitted from the snow sword formed countless piercing ice energies, scattering the vengeful spirits.
"Hurry!"
Ye Lingyun, a secret disciple of Beishen Du, shouted.
He knew these vengeful spirits were inexhaustible.
Once corrupted by them, even an immortal would find it hard to recover.
We fled in a panic, only to find ourselves disoriented and at the edge of a cliff.
The grey mist behind us followed, quickly engulfing us.
Yet, it left this open space, as if deliberately driving us here.
Everyone gathered together, fully focused, ready to deal with the vengeful spirits' attack.
These humanoid vengeful spirits surged out of the grey mist, charging at us.
They pushed us to the edge of the cliff but did not advance further.
Instead, they circled around us.
"What's happening? Why aren't they coming closer?"
Yun Yi, a secret disciple of Beishen Du, asked in confusion.
Ye Wuming, a righteous warrior from Nanhai City, said,
"They seem to be waiting for something. Could it be that they deliberately drove us to this spot?"
Zhang Tianshi also noticed the anomaly and warned everyone,
"Everyone be careful, this is likely a trap set by Wan Gui Lin. Stay vigilant."
Everyone nodded, gripping their swords tighter.
Ali and I, lacking such formidable strength, were protected in the center of the group.
I looked around anxiously, not knowing what to expect next.
As everyone stood ready, a loud "Boom!" suddenly echoed from below the cliff.
It sounded like something had exploded, and a mass of black mist flew out from the other side of the mountain.
It soared into the sky, suddenly veered, and with a "buzzing" sound, flew towards us.
Everyone looked up and saw a dark whirlwind descending from the heavens, heading straight for us.
Its speed was so great that we had no time to react.
With a cry of "Ah!", everyone was struck by the black whirlwind and scattered in all directions.
After colliding with everyone, the black whirlwind quickly rose and headed towards the sky.
Then, it charged at us again.
Liu Shinian drew his sword and leaped forward, using it as a shield to block the black whirlwind.
However, the whirlwind's power was immense, and his Willow Sword could not withstand it.
With a swift impact, Liu Shinian was sent flying.
Zhang Tianshi leaped forward, forming hand seals and striking at the whirlwind.
Instantly, a Buddhist seal appeared, binding the whirlwind like ropes.
Then, Tianshi brought two fingers to his lips and chanted,
"Heaven-Overturning Seal, Golden Rope of Binding, Break!"
As the incantation was spoken, the Buddhist seal grew firmer.
It tightened its grip on the whirlwind, attempting to absorb it.
Everyone watched with expectant eyes.
Suddenly, the whirlwind expanded rapidly. With a few "bangs!",
The Buddhist seal was shattered into pieces and vanished into nothingness.
"Bang!"
The immense force of this struggle released a powerful shockwave that surged towards everyone.
Instantly, dust flew, mountains trembled, and everyone was sent flying by this immense force.
Only Zhang Tianshi, using his qi to convert force, remained rooted to the spot.
However, even he was pushed back a few steps by the powerful impact.
"Such immense impact force."
Tianshi exclaimed, having never encountered such a formidable opponent.
This strength, he suspected, far surpassed his own.
"Pfft!"
My small human body could not withstand such a powerful impact.
I immediately fell to the ground, spitting up a mouthful of blood.
"Pfft!"
Ali was also injured, spitting blood to the side, though not as severely as me.
"Muye! Ali!"
Liu Shinian turned back, seeing both of us severely injured, and rushed over.
He grabbed my hand and said urgently,
"Muye, hold on, I'll save you now."
With that, he helped me to sit up.
Then, he gathered all his strength, channeling his true qi, and used his hands as paddles, injecting it into my back.
With this surge of true qi entering my body, I began to recover.
Xue Gucheng similarly channeled true qi into Ali, saving him.
Yan Wushuang said,
"These two do not have our internal strength.
If they remain here, they are likely to suffer unnecessary harm and die from bleeding.
I think we need to find a place to hide them."
Liu Shinian anxiously looked around and suddenly spotted a large boulder in the distance.
Within that area, as long as they didn't lead the enemy there, they wouldn't be harmed.
Liu Shinian pointed to the boulder and said,
"Let's place them there. That spot looks quite safe.
They should be out of harm's way."
Xue Gucheng looked back and found the boulder feasible, so he said,
"Alright, as you say, let's place them there."
Thus, the two of them, one carrying me and the other carrying Ali, quickly moved towards the boulder.
They placed Ali and me side by side behind the stone.
Liu Shinian looked at the weakened pair, tightly gripping both our hands, and said,
"Muye, Ali, don't worry.
I will definitely bring you both out safely. Wait for me to return."
I nodded slightly in response, and Ali's fingers twitched, also acknowledging him.
Only then did Liu Shinian leave us with peace of mind.
Then, he returned with Xue Gucheng to continue the fight.
After circling in the sky, the black whirlwind slowly descended.
A mountain breeze blew, and the black wind gradually dispersed.
As the whirlwind dissipated, a figure was revealed.
This person was clad in black armor, entirely covered by a swarm of black bees.
The exposed face, upon closer inspection, resembled that of a middle-aged man.
He was pale, his eyes vacant, and his hair was white.
He was the very image of a cold, ruthless killer.
Everyone recognized the person, and after a moment, they exclaimed in unison,
"Lord Liu!"
Lord Liu, could this be Liu Shinian's master, Master Liu Xianshi?
Hearing the exclamations from behind, I slowly rolled over and crawled to the edge of the boulder to get a better look.
Unexpectedly, this powerful enemy
Was Liu Shinian's master, Master Liu Xianshi.
I looked closely at Liu Shinian. His face was filled with surprise, sorrow, and a hint of joy.
His recently calmed emotions surged like a tide.
He wanted to step forward, but Tianshi grabbed him, warning,
"Don't go. He is not your master now."
Liu Shinian shook his head, completely ignoring Tianshi's warning.
Tears welled up in his eyes. He turned slightly and shouted uncontrollably,
"Master! Master! Look at me! Look at me! I'm Shinian! Master!"
Master Liu Xianshi could no longer hear his cries. He raised his hand and waved, and a large swarm of black bees surged forward.
Tianshi unleashed his signature skill, summoning sword clones that formed a sword shield to protect everyone.
At this moment, Master Liu Xianshi raised his hands and slowly separated them.
Between his hands, a black sword materialized.
With a wave of his hand, the black sword struck swiftly, piercing the protective barrier.
Then, it spun back into his hand. Everyone quickly gathered, ready for battle.
He raised the black sword and leaped forward, slashing fiercely.
Tianshi and Xue Gucheng stepped forward to block the fierce sword strike but were forced back slightly.
At this moment, the black bees attacked from both sides, stinging people and causing them to cry out in pain. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
Dao Lang pulled out a fine net from his怀 and threw it, entangling the black bees.
He then grabbed one end, pulled it taut, and flung it towards Master Liu Xianshi.
It was cleaved by his sword, and the black bees perished under the sword's energy.
I remembered seeing these black bees in Nanshan.
They were also called "Black Bears," with sharp beaks. If they stung someone, they would inject neurotoxins.
Ali slowly sat up and began to circulate his qi. I looked over and saw his complexion was slightly flushed. I asked,
"Ali, are you feeling better?"
Ali turned his head, looking at me on the ground, and said,
"Much better. Fortunately, Brother Xue transferred his true qi, so there are no major issues.
Muye, how are you?"
I shook my head.
"My chest hurts."
"Let me help you."
Saying this, he slowly got up and came to my side, helping me to sit up.
Then, he taught me how to meditate and circulate my qi.
He also channeled a small amount of his true qi into me from behind.
Everyone else also joined the battle. More and more black bees emerged from the valley, attacking the group.
Everyone slashed and hacked, their sword techniques sharp and fierce.
Before long, many dark specks could be seen scattered on the ground.
Ali closed his eyes slightly, withdrew his hands, exhaled softly, and slowly opened his eyes, asking me,
"Muye, how do you feel?"
I slowly moved my hand and said,
"I'm fine now, it doesn't hurt much anymore."
"You have no magic and no martial arts skills. It's very dangerous for you to go out.
You should stay here and wait for us to pick you up."
"Where are you going?"
I quickly turned around and saw Ali slowly getting up and running forward.
As he ran, he said,
"I have to go help them. Don't worry, I'll be fine."
With that, he moved forward and joined the battle.
Ali took out a fire starter and pointed it towards the sky, blowing out a series of brilliant flames.
I crouched behind the boulder, watching intently.
Master Liu Xianshi transformed into the black whirlwind from before and charged directly at the group.
Xue Gucheng leaped forward, drawing him aside, and unleashed the "Willow Blossom Snow Blade" technique to disperse him.
However, the black whirlwind was not his true form.
The scattered black energy quickly flew towards Xue Gucheng, enveloping him.
It then formed another black whirlwind that flew into the sky, trapping him within.
Seeing this, Tianshi snatched Ali's fire starter and blew it towards the black whirlwind.
Instantly, a ball of flame engulfed the black whirlwind, causing the black bees to screech.
Then, they fell to the ground.
Xue Gucheng cleaved an opening in the black whirlwind and leaped out.
The whirlwind then spun rapidly, shaking off the flames, and transformed back into the appearance of Master Liu Xianshi.
Liu Shinian looked at the black whirlwind with tears in his eyes, not drawing his sword nor participating in the battle.
He stood there blankly, like a crying puppet.