Chapter 58

“Leave quickly then, don’t be a nuisance here.”

Yuan Qijun spoke in a very displeased tone. He had originally wanted to use the Xianmeng Sect disciples as a threat, but unexpectedly, Lou Wuhua showed up. If it weren’t for her remark, “Then you really underestimate me,” he might have forgotten that her strength was on par with his own. Keeping her here was indeed troublesome.

Lou Wuhua held up her golden-black fan, covering half of her face, and only her eyes could be seen looking at Yuan Qihun with a hint of cunning in her smile. This made Yuan Qijun’s face even darker. She said, “You have no one to blame but yourself for not keeping us.”

Yuan Qijun waved his sleeve, “Leave!” Don’t disturb me and Yu’er here!

Su Lingyu also called out, “Lou Wuhua.”

Lou Wuhua closed her fan and turned around, leading them out of the long alley. They had just stepped out of the alley when the black air gathered again at the entrance, creating a tangled thorny barrier that completely separated them from Su Lingyu. It was as if boundless darkness swallowed Su Lingyu, causing the others to worry.

Qu Panyan couldn’t help but feel anxious too, but she had to remind herself to trust Su Lingyu. She believed that Su Lingyu would be fine.

As if sensing something, Su Lingyu emitted a bone-chilling cold, and in the blink of an eye, the solid and translucent ice began to consume the black air at the alley’s entrance. It formed a standoff between darkness and whiteness, much like the two people inside, in a closely balanced situation.

In front of this familiar and reassuring ice, Qu Panyan heard another voice from the depths of her heart telling her, “Leave it to me, trust me.”

Leave it to me, trust me.

She had said these words to Su Lingyu before, back when Duan Yang had asked her to trade her life for Yue Xiaomeng’s. Su Lingyu had completely trusted her back then.

Qu Panyan’s gaze instantly became resolute. Now, it was her turn to trust Su Lingyu.

Qu Panyan turned around and saw that the town’s people were panicking due to the standoff at the alley’s entrance. They were scattering in all directions. She urgently shouted, “Quickly evacuate the town’s people!”

The others responded quickly and started acting accordingly. Lou Wuhua knew they were in a period of training, so she refrained from interfering too soon, but she remained on guard against any unexpected attacks from Yuan Qijun.

After a while, the chaotic crowd finally calmed down. The townspeople orderly followed the instructions from Kang Congshuang and the others to evacuate the town. Suddenly, a frightened scream erupted from somewhere, drawing everyone’s attention.

Qu Panyan glanced over and saw that the smooth stone roads were covered in numerous viscous black fluids. One pale and cold dead body after another emerged from the liquid, making eerie “hehe” sounds. They stared menacingly at the living, as if doomsday had arrived.

Lou Wuhua twirled her black fan in her hand gracefully as she had already anticipated this outcome. She couldn’t help but sigh, “I knew this guy wouldn’t behave.” Indeed, Yuan Qijun had summoned his Yin soldiers!

Then, with a swift motion, she abruptly opened her black fan, channeling her spiritual power to create a powerful gust of air. In the blink of an eye, she swept away a dozen Yin soldiers, sending them flying tens of meters away. They crashed heavily to the ground, producing a continuous series of dull thuds. Some even had their heads knocked off and rolled to a corner with a clanging sound.

Yue Xiaomeng, who had dared to challenge herself, hurriedly rushed to the other side to fend off the Yin soldiers. The unleashed furious wind became increasingly relentless, causing the Yin soldiers to rain down from the sky like a downpour, with their limbs and heads flying all over the place.

But unlike An Cheng, these Yin soldiers could reassemble their bodies after being destroyed. They continued to emit strange sounds and charge forward, making their numbers grow rapidly—a truly headache-inducing situation.

The disciples of Xianmeng Sect didn’t dare to delay any further and quickly directed the townspeople to evacuate.

However, due to the overwhelming number of Yin soldiers around them, emitting a heavy and deathly aura, the situation was quite terrifying. As a result, the footsteps of the crowd couldn’t help but hasten, with some people in a state of panic, colliding and jostling to get to the front. The order quickly descended into chaos.

No matter how the disciples of Xianmeng Sect cried out their commands, the townspeople paid no attention and just ran for their lives without regard for anything else.

The disciples were in a predicament as they couldn’t control the townspeople. They instinctively turned their gazes towards their second senior sister, Kang Congshuang, seeking help.

Kang Congshuang had just repelled one wave of Yin soldiers when another surged forward. The endless stream of Yin soldiers was impossible to defeat, and seeing the pleading looks from her junior brothers and sisters, she immediately switched places with them, intending to personally command the townspeople.

However, just as she took a step, she suddenly stumbled and collapsed—she was having an episode.

Qu Panyan, being a practitioner of the fire element and the only one with such abilities present, thus, she had become the busiest person at this encounter. The Yin soldiers could automatically regenerate, even if they were reduced to minced meat, they would reassemble themselves. Therefore, before Yuan Qijun, the controller, died, the only option was to burn the Yin soldiers to ashes with fire, cutting off their way of regeneration.

She controlled her spiritual power, and crimson flames spread in all directions, leaving only ashes in their wake. However, her spiritual power was significantly depleted, and she gradually felt overwhelmed. Additionally, with the townspeople in chaos and Kang Congshuang falling ill, the burden on her shoulders seemed to grow heavier.

Suddenly, a burst of freezing cold spread from under her feet. She looked down and saw a layer of glistening ice formed beneath her, spreading rapidly in all directions. 

In the blink of an eye, the entire town was completely covered in ice, like a world of snow and ice. Even the viscous black liquid that could summon the Yin soldiers was trapped beneath the ice, and finally, the ceaseless release of troublesome Yin soldiers came to a halt.

Qu Panyan smiled knowingly, aware that this was the work of Su Lingyu. She quickly burned the remaining Yin soldiers and then went to check on Kang Congshuang’s condition. It seemed that her attacks were becoming more frequent.

Kang Congshuang suddenly collapsed, caught by her follower, Ling’er, who had been with her all along. Kang Congshuang’s face was as red as fire, her expression filled with pain, but she still stared at the restless crowd, struggling to get up and go over.

Qu Panyan held her down, and Kang Congshuang grabbed Qu Panyan’s wrist weakly, her breath feeble as she said, “Go help… Don’t… worry about me…”

Qu Panyan didn’t use her sleep technique on her because the sickness tormented her body and mind, something she couldn’t escape from, even in her dreams. She wanted her to rest properly, but that was unlikely—lives were at stake, and she couldn’t rest well.

Ling’er seemed to understand something. She suddenly turned her head to look at the crowd, and her amber-like beautiful eyes blossomed with a deep blue light. Her voice echoed in everyone’s ears, as if carrying an enchanting charm, “Stop running, listen to me.”

“Walk one by one, be obedient.”

Then Qu Panyan saw the townspeople freeze in place, as if they had been hypnotized. No one was making a fuss anymore, and they all stood still with blank expressions, their eyes shimmering with a mysterious blue light. Qu Panyan understood and quickly instructed her fellow disciples to continue leading the way. The townspeople indeed followed the line of people, obediently, astonishing everyone present.

She thought to herself: Indeed, this kid is not simple.

After Ling’er suppressed the townspeople, she turned her gaze towards Kang Congshuang. With the townspeople obediently “walking” towards the outskirts of the town, the tension in her heart had completely snapped, and her mind was no longer clear. Her face twisted in pain as she leaned against Ling’er’s embrace.

Ling’er’s eyes blinked without wavering as she looked at the person in her arms, tormented by the sickness. The faint blue light in her eyes had not yet dissipated, making her eyes appear particularly beautiful and captivating. “Ah Shuang, why does it hurt?”

“Because of the innate disease.” Qu Panyan held her hand, “Let’s leave first, we’ll talk later, okay?”

Then she extended her arms towards Ling’er, “Let me carry her.”

Ling’er looked at her hand, then shook her head and said, “Thanks, I can carry her.” Then she effortlessly lifted Kang Congshuang into her arms and followed behind.

Even though she was petite and delicate with small arms and thin legs, she could easily carry Kang Congshuang.

Qu Panyan: Where did this super-strong girl come from?

Could it be that non-human races possess innate divine strength?

She smiled helplessly and followed behind, silently praying for Su Lingyu’s safety.

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The Thousand Frost Sword was embedded in the ice, with Su Lingyu’s slender fingers lightly resting on the hilt. Her aura shook in all directions, but she remained calm and composed. At this moment, the small town should already be covered in frost and snow, and there should be no more Yin soldiers emerging from underground.

Yuan Qijun smiled faintly, “You’ve found out, my clever Yu’er.”

Su Lingyu’s fingers shifted downward, tightly gripping the hilt, her killing intent revealed, “Do not address me in such a manner.”

Yuan Qijun was indifferent to her refusal, raising his hand and presenting the self-made “Su Lingyu” as if offering to her as a gift, “Yu’er, look, this is the present I’ve prepared for you.”

“Doesn’t it look just like Yu’er? Do you like it…?”

Without waiting for him to finish his question, his “Su Lingyu,” which was constructed from a patchwork of sins, was immediately frozen into an ice sculpture by the real Su Lingyu. The figure was perfect, as if it had been meticulously crafted by a skilled artisan.

Facing this abomination full of evil, Su Lingyu showed no appreciation for it. She raised her hand and shattered “her” into pieces, then encased the broken pieces in the solid ice, ensuring that Yuan Qijun had no chance to restore “her.”

Seeing this, Yuan Qijun was not angry but instead smiled, “If Yu’er doesn’t like it, it’s okay. As long as Yu’er likes me.”

He continued talking to himself, “My Yu’er is indeed the one who loves me the most. Those so-called Dao companions were all fake. How could my Yu’er like a woman? My Yu’er loves me the most…” With that, he tucked at the corners of his mouth, revealing an extremely sinister smile.

He did know about the Dao companions indeed.

Su Lingyu remained composed and slowly lifted her hand. The smooth sleeve slid down her snow-white arm, revealing the red glow of the Dao companion red thread hanging on her wrist.

She spoke, enunciating each word clearly, “I would never like you.”

The smile on Yuan Qijun’s face instantly disappeared, replaced by a gloomy expression, “I don’t believe it! You must be lying to me!”

“You and An Cheng didn’t succeed; you were just waiting for me to come back, right? How could you form a Dao companion bond with someone else?!”

“What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with me?!”

“Too much nonsense.” Su Lingyu’s gaze was sharp as a knife as she coldly uttered out these words then took the initiative to attack him with her sword. Her figure was agile and elusive, making it difficult to predict her movements.

Yuan Qijun’s expression changed rapidly, and he became extremely grim, raising his palm to counter her attacks.

The two powerful forces collided suddenly, producing a deafening roar. The dark and cold energies refused to yield, sweeping through all directions with a tremendous force. Even those who had already withdrawn from the town, retreating a hundred miles away were still affected, finding it hard to catch their breath under the oppression of these two forces.

Lou Wuhua stood in front of the crowd, lifting her black fan and pointing it towards the air. Instantly, a curved barrier appeared where she pointed, forcefully diverting the two ferocious forces and creating a safe zone, allowing everyone to catch their breath.

Although Kang Congshuang’s sickness was still flaring up, her expression was not as ugly as before. There was an added sense of tranquility, something she had never experienced during her previous episodes.

Unconsciously, Qu Panyan looked at Ling’er, who was tightly hugging Kang Congshuang. This mysterious woman of unknown origin was using her exotic magic to ease Kang Congshuang’s pain, gradually calming her heart.

Ling’er lifted her head and looked up at Qu Panyan, saying, “Ah Shuang isn’t in pain anymore.”

Qu Panyan nodded and said, “Yes, thanks to you.”

Ling’er suddenly smiled and said, “I can also help Ah Shuang relieve the pain.”

The Kang family had been plagued by this illness for hundreds of years, and there was not even a basic method to alleviate the pain. Yet today, Kang Congshuang stumbled upon this solution.

Qu Panyan responded with a smile.

Perhaps it was the work of fate?

The smile on her lips suddenly froze, and she clutched her chest, feeling a strong sense of unease.

Could it be…

An ominous premonition?

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Translator: Glariosa
Editor: iToon

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