CH 70

“Release, release, release—”

The voice repeated those two words over and over above the medicinal pool until the fingers clutching the garment finally let go, and the noise abruptly ceased.

Wenren Qin fell silent for a moment. “What was that?”

He couldn’t pull it down with his spiritual power, and even using his otherworldly flames left no trace on the clothing. The incessant voice continued, truly annoying.

Shen Liuxiang was getting frustrated with the noise and advised, “Don’t think about taking my clothes. Let’s make it easy for everyone.”

Wenren Qin realized it was an immortal robe.

He furrowed his brows and tried to push aside the collar of the robe. Just as he did, a cacophony of grumbling voices rang out. He managed to pinpoint the location of the spell and dispelled it with a single strike.

With the sound gone, Wenren Qin’s expression eased slightly.

The immortal robe moved at its owner’s will. Once the spell was successfully cast, there was no need to worry about taking off the clothes. However, it made it a bit tricky to investigate the effects of the Love Flower Gu now.

Wenren Qin leaned closer, his eyes falling on the exposed back of Shen Liuxiang’s neck. “Your recovery of a tiny bit of spiritual power won’t make you a match for me. Be good, don’t move. I just want to see the Love Flower.”

As he spoke, he lowered his head towards Shen Liuxiang’s neck. His gaze focused on the small section of skin not covered by the robe. Shen Liuxiang felt a warm breath fall upon his skin, and a faint redness bloomed on his neck, as if a delicate petal was slowly emerging.

Shen Liuxiang’s body tensed, and he heard a low chuckle by his ear.

“It seems like it worked.”

Wenren Qin’s fingertip touched the petal, and he felt the unusual heat underneath. His lips curled with satisfaction as he said in a gentle tone, “It feels good, doesn’t it? Once the mother Flower settles, I’ll make you addicted.”

With that said, he released Shen Liuxiang, carefully moved away, and then gently let the mother flower out.

The mother Gu’s head moved slightly, gradually awakening.

Wenren Qin was about to place it in his palm when his body suddenly shook violently. His face turned pale, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, which splashed into the medicinal pool.

He felt intense pain coursing through his entire body, and his veins stood out prominently beneath his skin.

Shen Liuxiang’s expression shifted slightly as he began to understand.

Using his own body as the formation’s eye to control it gave Wenren Qin great power, but it also came with tremendous risks. It seemed that Wenren Qin was now suffering from the backlash as the energy inside his body collided painfully.

However, for Shen Liuxiang, this was an opportunity.

Shen Liuxiang’s eyes were fixed on Mother Gu. Since Wenren Qin was so careful with it, this thing must be killed.

He gathered his spiritual power in his hand. While he didn’t have much strength, it was sufficient to kill a small creature. Seizing the moment while Wenren Qin was still recovering, he swiftly launched the attack towards the mother Gu.

Smack!

A crisp slap resounded in the courtyard. Five delicate fingers left a red mark on Xiong You’s cheek.

He stared at the woman in front of him without saying a word.

“Those mixed-bloods outside are Wenren Qin’s subordinates. You knew this all along, didn’t you?” Nan Xiang questioned with barely contained anger.

She had been in the Fragrant District, heard the commotion, and was frightened. Then she was relocated to the mansion, and it didn’t take long for her to put two and two together.

Xiong You held her hand. “Don’t be angry. There’s no danger in the mansion.”

“I’m not worried about personal safety!” Nan Xiang was agitated. “You’re secretly helping him do this? Aren’t you the Grand Commander of Qilin City? Are you just going to watch as the mixed-bloods slaughter the city?”

Xiong You’s face changed. “What slaughter? Don’t talk nonsense. The City Lord ordered that anyone who surrenders can live. No one dares to kill innocents recklessly!”

Nan Xiang fell silent. She looked around and, dragging Xiong You with her, leaped onto a high platform in the mansion, overlooking a large part of Qilin City.

“Open your eyes and look!” she exclaimed.

Xiong You’s gaze swept across the scene, landing on a street corner where a few panicked little demons were being stopped by a one-armed mixed-blood. They knelt and begged for mercy in trembling voices.

“We surrender, we swear loyalty to the Demon King, we’ll never—”

Before they could finish speaking, they were killed with a swift stroke of the blade.

The mixed-blood patted his severed arm, sneering. “I didn’t expect Qilin City to be full of hard-headed fools, swearing to the death as enemies. Look down on us, do you?”

Xiong You’s eyes turned red, and he was about to charge down when Nan Xiang stopped him. “Qilin City often had mixed-bloods appearing every now and then. Now that I think about it, most likely, Wenren Qin deliberately let them out, sowing the seeds of hatred in their hearts. Do you really expect him to save you? It’s a foolish hope!”

Xiong You’s mind was reeling. Nan Xiang grabbed him. “Now that we have two Demon Kings in the city, it’s better than you and me trying to handle this alone.”

“Are you asking me to seek help from them?” Xiong You inquired.

Nan Xiang patted his head. “I want you to find a way to save Shen Liuxiang. Honestly, my cousin isn’t reliable. Our only hope lies with the Ninth Demon King. If anything happens to Shen Liuxiang, I doubt anyone will be spared.”

Xiong You pondered for a moment and then led her away from the mansion. “I can’t rival the City Lord. I’ll find someone else.”

As they spoke, on the battlefield, amidst the bloodshed, someone felt like they were being talked about behind their back. They sneezed violently. The mixed-bloods around them saw this and immediately swarmed, driving them back until they fell into the arms of Zhou Xuanlan, who grabbed them and quickly retreated.

Steadying himself, the sneezer glanced at the bodies scattered at his feet. “Thanks for killing them so fast.”

Zhou Xuanlan pushed back the mixed-bloods attacking and said coldly, “Release your demon boat.”

The Huajian was taken aback. “I tried to crash the barrier with the demon boat; it didn’t work.”

Zhou Xuanlan replied, “I have my methods.”

The Huajian’s eyes lit up with hope. As he released his demon boat, he asked, “But what about Shen Liuxiang? You’re just escaping like this? What if something happens to him?”

Zhou Xuanlan gazed at him with crimson eyes, his voice suppressed to the extreme. “I can’t break the formation inside. I can’t locate my Master either.”

He had been entangled with mixed-bloods for so long, and it took him a long time to get a moment of respite. He had used spiritual stones to try to locate his Master’s position, but it had been futile.

The Huajian nodded in understanding. “You’ve done your best. If you escape, you might be able to save one person at least.”

Zhou Xuanlan didn’t say a word. He set up a defensive formation to block the remaining mixed-bloods and then entered the demon boat. In the blink of an eye, he disappeared from the spot.

At the city gates, a small boat touched down.

The Huajian retracted the demon boat and looked at Qilin City, shrouded in black flames. He furrowed his brows. “Wenren Qin controls an ancient formation. With just the two of us, we can’t break it, and we can’t touch him. Our only option now is to quickly spread the word and rally people from all realms to overthrow him.”

When the words fell, he saw Zhou Xuanlan sitting cross-legged with a cold face, surrounded by spirit stones in a complex formation.

Huajian was utterly ignorant when it came to formations, and he couldn’t help but exclaim, “Don’t tell me this formation can break the Senluo Mandala Formation!”

Zhou Xuanlan, closing his eyes, replied, “Wenren Qin is the formation’s core; no formation can contend with it. To break the Senluo Mandala Formation, there’s only one way.”

“What way?”

Just as he asked, Huajian saw a mysterious light surrounding Zhou Xuanlan’s body, and countless spiritual energies converged on him. In an instant, his face turned pale, and he spat out blood.

Huajian was taken aback, and just as he was about to speak, the spiritual energy around them stagnated. An invisible pressure spread from above.

He stared in astonishment and looked upward. A tall figure emerged from the void, with a grim expression. Without a word, the figure soared into the sky above Qilin City.

“Zhou… Zhou Xuanlan?!” Huajian exclaimed.

However, he quickly returned his gaze to the man on the ground. “Which one of you is real?!”

Zhou Xuanlan wiped away a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth. “I’m the clone; my power is still insufficient. To break the formation, we can only bring my main body from the Eight Wastelands.”

Huajian stared, shocked first by the clone technique and then by the latter half of his sentence. “Eight Wastelands?!” Instantaneously bringing someone from the Eight Wastelands? What kind of power was required to achieve such a feat? This was unheard of!

“But breaking this ancient formation isn’t just a matter of power. Even if your main body arrives, it won’t make a difference. What exactly do you plan to do?” Huajian questioned.

Zhou Xuanlan tapped his forehead and said two words, “Break through.”

He had been delayed by mixed-bloods for nearly half an hour, and he didn’t know his Master’s situation. He couldn’t afford to wait any longer.

A look of incredulity washed over Huajian’s face. Forcefully destroying an ancient formation? He had previously exerted all his strength with a single attack and couldn’t even budge the barrier. He estimated that only the Emperor could forcibly break such a formation. How was Zhou Xuanlan planning to do it?

In his confusion, he looked up, and his peach-blossom eyes widened in astonishment.

A dragon—?!

…

Wenren Qin’s spiritual power fluctuated, and he shifted to protect the mother Gu while using his back to shield against Shen Liuxiang’s attack.

Shen Liuxiang’s attack failed, and his heavily injured body was pushed to its limits. His face turned even paler, and he bit his blood-stained lower lip. He sensed a slight change within himself and vaguely guessed the use of the love flower Gu. He had tried to kill the mother insect but had been unable to do so due to its transformation.

Wenren Qin paused for a moment, adjusted the spiritual power in his body, and put the mother Gu back in his palm immediately.

Just one last step, and soon…

He watched the mother Gu’s half body sink into the palm of his hand, the corners of his lips were just raised, when a very strong sword intent struck.

The mother Gu was attacked and carried away by the sword intent at the same time.

At that moment, a figure appeared beside the pool. With white robes, they swiftly grabbed the person from the pool and disappeared.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

When Shen Liuxiang regained his senses, he found himself in an unfamiliar street, surrounded by the scent of blood. He turned to look at Ye Bingran and said, “Thank you.”

Ye Bingran had a bit of blood on his cheek and nodded slightly. He opened his palm to reveal the motionless mother insect. “I brought this as well. Perhaps it might be useful to you.”

Shen Liuxiang was taken aback and reached out to accept it. He noticed that the mother insect moved unexpectedly, showing signs of not being completely dead.

He stared at the insect in disbelief, and just as he was about to take it, he saw it suddenly dart into Ye Bingran’s hand.

Shen Liuxiang’s face changed drastically, and he tried to react in time, but he was still too slow to intervene. Ye Bingran hesitated for a moment but quickly focused his attention on the mother insect’s movements.

Then, his ice-blue eyes lowered to a slight bulge on his wrist.

Without any hesitation, Ye Bingran used his other hand, which was as sharp as the keenest blade in the world, to cut through his own wrist, slicing through flesh and exposing bone.

The mother insect hidden within the flesh fell to the ground, and Ye Bingran’s attack came immediately, completely annihilating it.

Shen Liuxiang stared at the gruesome wound on Ye Bingran’s wrist, and his whole body froze.

Ye Bingran let his sleeve fall to cover the gory wound. A rare smile appeared on his usually cold face, like a sigh of relief, as he managed to prevent a grave mistake.

“Trust me; I would never do something like that.”

Shen Liuxiang opened his mouth, but the words stuck in his throat.

Just then, a chilling voice echoed, “Found you.”

Wenren Qin’s figure suddenly appeared, and he glanced at the dead mother Gu on the ground. His face was shrouded in gloom as he took a step forward, gathering the power of the formation with the intent to kill Ye Bingran.

Shen Liuxiang understood Wenren Qin’s current strength. Ye Bingran wouldn’t stand a chance against him. He immediately stepped forward to shield Ye Bingran.

However, at that moment, a deafening roar filled the sky above Qilin City, causing everyone in the city to halt and look up. An overwhelming and terrifying pressure descended from above the formation.

A black-robed figure, holding an object, crashed down onto the formation with an earth-shattering impact.

With a resounding crack, the seemingly indestructible formation began to shatter from the top, cracks spreading rapidly. In an instant, it fractured into countless pieces.

Then, with another strike, the formation was completely destroyed.

Within the city, people felt as though they had been given a new lease on life. Their faces were filled with joy. Outside the city, Huajian, who had witnessed the entire scene, still had a look of shock on his face, struggling to process what he had just witnessed.

Zhou Xuanlan had broken his dragon horn!

It was an incredibly ruthless act. Using the hardest substance known to the world, he forcefully shattered the All-Encompassing Universe Formation.