Chapter 12

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Chapter 12

Gong Wu’s heart raced, her face flushed.

Just moments ago, she was like a small goldfish gliding through the spiritual energy of the formation, but suddenly everything changed, so swiftly that no one could react.

In the midst of the shock, traitors emerged, all following He Zhao Li’s orders to eliminate the loyal disciples of Master Ancestor.

This betrayal was clearly long-planned, as those who had secretly allied with the traitors bore some mark that allowed the rebels to quickly distinguish friend from foe.

Gong Wu remained kneeling within the Magical Formation, wiping her face, and then looking at her palm, where a warm droplet of blood lingered.

At the moment of the old ancestor’s bloody demise, many within the inner circle were drenched in blood, while those in the outer circle were also affected.

Now with the arrows flying toward them, it seemed as if they were about to annihilate all the disciples within the formation.

“He Zhao Li, He Zhao Li!!!”

The old sword cultivator was consumed by rage, shouting, “You betray your master and ancestor; you shall not die a good death!!”

Zhang Daogu had shifted her allegiance early on and was now locked in combat with him.

Within the palace, the thousand disciples who had once shared a bond of harmony and kinship were now divided into loyalists and traitors, locked in a deadly struggle.

With a sharp whistle, an arrow narrowly missed Gong Wu’s right ear, grazing perilously close to its mark.

The little girl lay sprawled amidst the chaos, trapped in the turmoil with no means of escape.

Help! Please, don’t kill me in your internal strife!

In the wake of the upheaval in the Jin Yan Tuo sect, all exits had been sealed, leaving no one a way out.

Now, a lethal net was being cast to ensnare those attempting to flee by sword flight.

Above and below, the battle raged fiercely, with many unable to discern who had turned traitor.

“Luo Zhusheng!! It was you who took the bronze box yesterday! How can you face the master who raised you all these years?!”

The female sword cultivator turned, her voice filled with anguish, “If I have ever betrayed our master, may I be struck by lightning and my soul obliterated!”

Before she could finish, a long knife pierced her chest, the blade twisting to wrench out her Golden Core!

The attacker tossed the Golden Core to He Zhao Li, who calmly wiped the blood with his sleeve and swallowed it before the crowd.

Elder Bicheng’s eyes reddened, and she wailed, “Sheng Sheng!!”

Before anyone could react, Tu Xuixin materialized behind He Zhao Li, his sword descending swiftly.

“Just as I suspected!”

His sword energy failed to penetrate what should have been flesh and bone; instead, He Zhao Li’s robe tore away to reveal a spinning eye beneath.

This eye, similar in hue to his golden eyes, bore a striking resemblance to the cracked eye from the earlier plague!

Gong Wu, hearing the arrows cease, cautiously lifted her head from the pile of corpses, only to see another volley of arrows speeding towards her.

Is this never going to end?!

She gasped, but a tall figure shielded her from the arrow rain.

“Get up!” Hua Tingxiao threw her umbrella before her and shouted, “Run!!”

Even as his secret was exposed, He Zhao Li’s expression remained unruffled.

After several exchanges with Tu Xuixin, he praised his cultivation before letting out a sharp whistle.

In the air, hundreds formed a sword formation, intent on annihilating those who refused to yield.

Tu Xuixin, wielding a sharp sword, swooped down and pushed Gong Wu aside, who was still shielding herself with the umbrella.

“Move!! Needles are coming from the north!!”

He and Hua Tingxiao each grabbed an arm, lifting Gong Wu like a great bird carrying its prey, just as a barrage of needles rained down, piercing the lungs and throats of many struggling disciples.

Yuncang Palace’s senior brother arrived on his sword, landing beside them on the mountaintop.

“This is bad! The paths above and below are sealed; we’re trapped!”

Before Gong Wu could speak, she coughed up a mouthful of poisonous blood.

Tu Xuixin’s face darkened as he pulled her arm, spotting the arrow wound that had grazed her.

Just moments before, as he saved her, a sharp arrow had narrowly missed, leaving a gash!

“The arrows are poisoned!” Hua Tingxiao reached out to check the pulse and called his disciple to fetch the elixirs, unable to identify the type of poison on the spot.

“Little Wu, regulate your breathing and hold on!”

Gong Wu wanted to grasp his outstretched hand, but the scene before her twisted and faded until only black and white remained.

She was half-held by her master, and her last thought before dying was that she was doomed to be seen.

Her master had warned her never to die in front of others, or she wouldn’t be able to explain if she came back to life—

It felt like she had taken a sleeping pill; her mind sank, and she was on the verge of falling into a deep sleep.

This sleep brought no dreams, only a vague feeling lingering in her thoughts.

She felt uneasy in this sleep, desperately trying to escape danger, but no matter what, she couldn’t wake up.

Until the first light of dawn pierced through, too bright to keep her eyes open.

In her dazed state, Hua Tingxiao suddenly jolted, watching over her lifeless body.

“You—Gong Wu?!”

“Tu Xuixin!! Chao Sheng!! Don’t kill me when you come back!!”

Gong Wu felt as if her blood had been washed anew, pain coursing through every part of her body.

She fumbled to block the glaring sunlight with her hand while Hua Tingxiao held her wrist to check her pulse.

“Alive, alive, alive!” Hua Tingxiao was so startled he almost jumped up, nearly cursing: “You, you, you!!”

Gong Wu felt a bit guilty: “Master, I’m sorry for scaring you.”

When Hua Tingxiao heard her speak, he trembled and, forgetting the violent chaos around them, rushed to say, “It’s not that I didn’t want to see you alive.”

“But—how did you come back to life?!”

Just moments before, he had been crying and cursing Tu Xuixin for being heartless and letting his disciple get hurt.

With the mountain gate locked tightly, they were all trapped inside, hiding in a secluded corner while only letting Tu Xuixin go out to kill those treacherous scoundrels.

Gong Wu was about to explain when Yuncang Palace’s senior brother flew back and said, “I found it! There’s a narrow hole in a door that was smashed open. We can’t get out, but—hey, how are you alive??”

“How did she come back to life?!” Hua Tingxiao stomped his foot in frustration: “I don’t know!!”

“It’s like this,” Gong Wu forcibly explained, “The toxicity isn’t very strong; I just fainted for a bit.”

Both master and disciple frowned at her.

The senior brother pointed outside: “The others who were poisoned have bled from all seven orifices and died.”

Gong Wu froze for a moment: “Then what about me?”

“You were also bleeding from your seven orifices,” Hua Tingxiao raised the handkerchief he had been using to wipe Gong Wu’s face: “I hid here to clean your face.”

“Thank you, Master…”

The senior brother pondered for a moment and compared the size with his fingers.

“You’re small enough; you should be able to slip through the door.”

Tu Xuixin appeared at the narrow opening, his sword still dripping with blood.

He was clad in a deep purple robe, his face marked by two sword scars, exuding a murderous aura.

Gong Wu was startled upon seeing her master in such a state for the first time. She stood up as if she had done something wrong, too afraid to speak.

“You must leave now,” Tu Xuixin took a deep breath and looked at Hua Tingxiao: “He Zhao Li might use all those who do not submit to him as sacrificial vessels.”

Hua Tingxiao was shocked: “Vessels for what?”

“To extract elixirs from human bodies and forge wicked artifacts unique to the Demon Realm.”

Tu Xuixin thrust a long umbrella into Gong Wu’s hands, speaking urgently: “I will escort you there. The door is protected by formations, and it’s not easy to break through.”

“He Zhao Li has captured the three of us. He will surely demand the alchemy blueprint from Moonfire Valley, so do not agree under any circumstances!”

They escorted Gong Wu high up, fending off more than ten traitors attempting to capture them, until they finally reached the northeastern mountain gate, which had been blasted open.

As Gong Wu poked her head into the gap, her two masters lifted her by the waist while her senior brother held her legs, all three pushing her through with concerted effort.

“Master, I don’t even know if I can fit through!!”

“Whether you can fit or not, you must go through!!” Tu Xuixin gritted his teeth: “Shrink down a bit; your shoulder is stuck!!”

Gong Wu was in great discomfort: “Master, this gap is too narrow! Can’t we find a dog hole?”

“There’s no time! If you can’t squeeze out, I’ll break your shoulder!”

Hua Tingxiao hesitated: “How about I use the Bone Splitting Technique…”

“Squeezing out, squeezing out!!” Gong Wu finally slipped through, tumbling out with a roll, and her master’s umbrella flew in right after her.

“Quickly go back and spread the news! Don’t look back, do you hear me?”

Gong Wu replied hastily and took flight with the umbrella.

She barely remembered the way back, flying alone across desolate plains and rivers in the dusk, too scared to turn back.

As night deepened, the fifteen-year-old little girl knelt on her umbrella, shivering as she tried to control the crane-shaped umbrella.

The surroundings were silent, only the sound of the river and wind could be heard.

She stared blankly into the distance, tears streaming down her face as she trembled from the cold.

Not knowing how long she had been flying, feeling as if dawn was nearing, she finally found the right spot, crossing countless rivers and mountains to land in front of Moonfire Valley.

At a glance, she saw dozens of outsiders walking in the valley, some dressed in uniforms and others like officials, louder than usual.

Gong Wu almost fell as she landed, but was caught by Lin Qixue, who happened to be passing by.

“Hey, is that Gong junior sister?! How did you come back alone?”

Gong Wu said despairingly: “Did Moonfire Valley also rebel?”

“Rebel? What rebellion?” Lin Qixue stood there, feeling awkward: “By the way, the Eye Serpent Plague has been contained; did you know?”