"How are you?"
Wen Yuxian quickly came to Lu Jing's side, checking his injuries while warily scanning their surroundings for danger.
"I... *cough cough*..."
Before Lu Jing could utter a complete sentence, he began to cough violently. His body felt incredibly weak, and he knelt on the ground, utterly drained.
His complexion was more ghastly than ever before. His limbs had atrophied severely, leaving him nothing but skin and bones, devoid of any color.
Wen Yuxian's expression darkened as she examined the wound on Lu Jing's neck.
The shadowy figure had drained most of Lu Jing's blood and left poison within him. Lu Jing was not only on the brink of death, but the toxins were also spreading throughout his body!
If he didn't receive timely treatment, Lu Jing would have no hope of recovery!
"*Cough cough*... What is that beast's origin?"
Disregarding his own injuries, Lu Jing pressed Wen Yuxian for an answer.
Wen Yuxian shielded Lu Jing behind her and said in a deep voice, "He calls himself the Black Bat Village Chief, a madman obsessed with raising bats. He once commanded his domesticated blood-sucking bats to attack innocent villagers. My son, Yan Chou, subdued him, destroyed his bat cave, and crippled his cultivation, but the fellow managed to escape."
"For so many years, there has been no news of the Black Bat Village Chief. We thought he had died in some remote gully, but who knew he was still alive!"
The Black Bat Village Chief harbored a deep hatred for Yan Chou, but his cultivation had been crippled back then, forcing him to hide in the mountains to bide his time.
Nearly twenty years passed, and this individual re-emerged, his first act being to seek revenge against the Yan family!
Wen Yuxian added a warning, "The Black Bat Village Chief has assimilated with bats himself and possesses numerous insidious abilities. We must be cautious."
From Wen Yuxian's grave expression, it was clear that the Black Bat Village Chief's strength was not to be underestimated.
After his sneak attack on Lu Jing, the Black Bat Village Chief had retreated into the shadows of the lotus pond. With the enemy hidden, Wen Yuxian and Lu Jing were in a highly disadvantageous position.
Lu Jing's condition was dire. His breathing was shallow, his eyelids heavy, as if he might faint at any moment.
"Damn it..."
Wen Yuxian felt immense pressure.
On one side was the dying Lu Jing, and on the other was the soul of the great-grandchild she cherished most. The Black Bat Village Chief lurked in the darkness, poised to strike. With only herself, she couldn't call for reinforcements and could only defend the lotus pond desperately!
"You, you don't need to mind me. Protect Zi Tong's child!" Lu Jing gritted out.
As soon as he spoke, a black shadow instantly appeared from within the lotus pond!
The shadow shot up into the sky and then flew directly towards the center of the lotus pond, towards the lotus that nurtured the child's soul!
Wen Yuxian's heart leaped with urgency. She raised her hand, conjuring a lotus flying sword, and hurled it towards the Black Bat Village Chief!
*Swish—*
The lotus flying sword instantly reached the Black Bat Village Chief, forcing him back!
The sword techniques of Mount Emei were already renowned worldwide, no less impressive than those of the Laoshun Sword School.
Furthermore, Wen Yuxian was now a spirit, making the conjuration of flying swords effortless, allowing her to perform moves akin to those in cultivation worlds.
The Black Bat Village Chief was repelled but not disheartened.
He spread his arms, black mist supporting him as he floated in mid-air, resembling a giant bat with its wings spread.
"Wen Yuxian... we meet again!" the Black Bat Village Chief sneered.
Wen Yuxian rebuked him, "You didn't die twenty years ago when we dealt with you, and you still haven't learned your lesson, coming here to seek death?!"
Bringing up the past, the Black Bat Village Chief's face contorted with rage.
"Twenty years ago, my children... my wife... my elders died by your hands! How could I ever forget such a blood feud?!"
The Black Bat Village Chief harbored a fanatical love for blood-sucking bats. He was a complete lunatic, to the extent that he treated bats as family, even assigning them roles.
He had cherished children and a wife with whom he shared his bed...
Wen Yuxian's expression was one of disgust, just as it had been twenty years ago. After all these years, she still couldn't comprehend the Black Bat Village Chief's mindset, only finding him even more perverted than before.
The Black Bat Village Chief sneered, "Twenty years have passed, and my strength has returned to its peak. This time, I was entrusted by the 'Performer.' While your attention is focused on that so-called arena battle, I have infiltrated this place to eradicate your Yan family's lineage and exact revenge for that year!"
Wen Yuxian finally understood the cause and effect, and her anger intensified.
If the Black Bat Village Chief wanted revenge, he could come for her, but if his target was the unborn child, Wen Yuxian absolutely could not tolerate it!
She formed a sword finger and drew a circle before her, conjuring flying sword after flying sword. More than a dozen flying swords arranged themselves into a lotus formation, all flying towards the Black Bat Village Chief!
The Black Bat Village Chief let out a cold snort. Instead of confronting the flying swords head-on, he flapped his wings and, along with the flying swords, circled above the lotus pond.
The flying swords were incredibly fast. Just as they were about to catch up to the Black Bat Village Chief, this wretched creature, sensing danger, directly dove into the lotus pond.
The flying swords lost their target and became like headless flies, darting erratically above the lotus pond.
"Be careful he doesn't ambush the child!"
Lu Jing, still supporting himself, untied the soul-calling bell from his wrist and threw it out.
The soul-calling bell hovered above the central lotus, spewing out a large amount of ghostly energy, eventually transforming into four fearsome ghost kings armed with weapons!
The four ghost kings guarded the lotus pond's cardinal directions, forming a barrier among themselves to prevent the Black Bat Village Chief from directly ambushing the central lotus.
However, this was not a long-term solution. Finding the Black Bat Village Chief and eliminating him was the true objective.
So, Wen Yuxian let out a low cry, and all the flying swords immediately swooped down headfirst.
A flurry of sword light and shadow erupted within the lotus pond. In an instant, the flying swords shredded all the vegetation in the pond except for the central lotus!
The once lush lotus pond was instantly rendered bare, revealing everything within it.
The Black Bat Village Chief, who had been hiding underground, indeed revealed himself. He was concealed behind the central lotus, seemingly preparing to attack it.
"Go!"
Wen Yuxian's heart was filled with urgency. She immediately directed all the flying swords towards the Black Bat Village Chief.
Seeing that he could no longer hide, the Black Bat Village Chief flapped his wings and lunged towards the central lotus again, clearly intending to destroy the child's soul even at the cost of injury.
A murderous glint flashed in Wen Yuxian's eyes. She would absolutely not allow the Black Bat Village Chief to touch a single hair of the child!
However, just as the Black Bat Village Chief was about to strike the central lotus, two more black shadows appeared in the sky!
Those two shadows were heading directly for Lu Jing!
Wen Yuxian gasped in alarm, "Be careful!"
Lu Jing was extremely weak. He had used all his strength just moments ago to protect the central lotus and now had no ability to resist.
As the two shadows approached, Lu Jing finally saw clearly that they were two enormous blood-sucking bats!
The blood-sucking bats opened their mouths wide and, from left and right, savagely bit into Lu Jing's body!