Supporting one person with each hand, Qin Chang Ge stood up. She squeezed the one on the left and sighed: “A’Jue’s paws are just hard – the feel is somewhat lacking.”

She squeezed the one on the right and smiled broadly: “Just by touch, I can tell Feihuan had a better upbringing than A’Jue – not like that peasant lout.”

Then she sighed helplessly, muttering: “If this were my previous life, those women would definitely be screaming NP NP again. Tsk tsk, ‘Don’t worry about having no friends on the road ahead, top-quality men won’t lack admirers. The world’s beautiful men emerge from my side – don’t say my heart is too cruel…'”

The two men heard her muttering clearly and smiled knowingly, both understanding that Qin Chang Ge became more spirited the more dangerous the situation. Only she would have the mood to joke at a time like this.

Xiao Jue patted her head, scolding: “Female libertine.”

Across from them, Shui Jingchen smiled serenely, not pursuing his attack, just watching the three calmly before suddenly saying: “Your Majesty, I must admit you’re quite skilled at winning hearts.”

Xiao Jue sneered at him coldly: “Oh?”

“Otherwise, today you’d be like her, not daring to open your eyes.” Shui Jingchen’s gaze swept toward the back of the house as he made a gesture. From somewhere came scraping sounds, as if people were rapidly crossing the streets in the distance. Then the sounds of clashing weapons and muffled grunts faintly reached them.

Xiao Jue looked toward the back with sudden understanding, saying worriedly: “That beggar…”

“Important people forget so easily – an old friend who followed you for so long, yet you can’t even remember him.” Shui Jingchen smiled casually. “If he knew, I wonder if he’d think it worthless.”

Xiao Jue was stunned. Qin Chang Ge suddenly said quietly: “Qing Sha?”

“Grand Tutor is truly formidable!” Shui Jingchen applauded lightly. “To know even such an insignificant figure – Qing Sha’s life isn’t wasted.”

“He’s your man?” Xiao Jue looked at him coldly. “Impossible.”

Shui Jingchen smiled: “If Your Majesty says impossible, then impossible it is. Honestly, I also find it strange – what ability do you have that could make him repeatedly disobey orders and refuse to kill you, finally going so far as to deliberately cripple his own martial arts? After leaving for so long, he still found a way to return and save you?”

“You wouldn’t understand, great sage,” Xiao Jue sneered. “From the moment Yilan collapsed, it was destined that people like you would never understand true goodness of spirit.”

Yinli, who had been silent, suddenly said eerily: “Why talk so much? What’s destined or not – Xiao Jue, Zhao Moyan, you’re destined to die today. That’s real.”

Qin Chang Ge suddenly tilted her head and shouted: “Ban Yan, you—”

Shui Jingchen was startled.

Yinli was startled.

Yinli couldn’t help turning back to look.

Black, blue, and green streams of light shot out simultaneously, flashing toward the more distant Yinli with perfect coordination. Green light long sword struck at eyes, pale blue Flying Fish targeted chest, and as Chu Feihuan quietly directed positions, Qin Chang Ge’s black silk wrapped around Yinli’s neck while she viciously kicked straight at Yinli’s vital parts!

In an instant, Yinli was enveloped by the killing intent of three masters – a net from heaven and earth with nowhere to escape.

With a soft sound, Yinli’s body suddenly collapsed like soft mud, like a layer of mud skin about to stick to the ground. All four killing moves fell empty.

But as Qin Chang Ge’s foot kicked out, she suddenly slid away, still holding both men’s hands. Her body slanted sideways, sliding out more than a zhang. With a snap at her waist, a section of snow-bright sword edge shot out, aimed at Yinli’s back.

In the wind sound of the sharp blade, she smiled: “Yinli, you’re so ugly – how dare you try to press down on me?”

Yinli had to retreat. With this retreat, he backed right onto the Flying Fish sword’s edge. Chu Feihuan had somehow moved to his retreat path, holding the sword single-handedly yet steady as Mount Tai. The Flying Fish’s serrated blade tip gleamed coldly, aimed directly at his throat.

From another direction, Xiao Jue clashed palms with Shui Jingchen, who had rushed to provide assistance. In the falling dust, Xiao Jue swayed but didn’t yield a single step, protecting Qin Chang Ge behind him with hearty laughter: “Master Saint’s swordsmanship is superb, and your internal energy is equally profound. What a pity.”

He turned and reached out, palm power surging to envelop Yinli’s three vital points.

The three were each first-rate masters, and with their rare perfect coordination, precise to the finest detail, their surprise joint attack – even if someone was a rank higher, they’d find it hard to block. Even Su Xuan would need considerable effort to escape. Capturing the distracted Yinli truly took only an instant.

This was Qin Chang Ge’s psychological warfare. Yinli loved martial arts but had mediocre talent. With a peerless expert like Ban Yan under him, how could he not feel jealous? Indeed, that shout of “Ban Yan” startled Yinli into turning back, leading to his capture.

Yinli stared at Chu Feihuan with hawk-like eyes. Chu Feihuan didn’t even look at him, just tightened his sword. Sword energy pierced his throat – Yinli couldn’t speak at all.

Qin Chang Ge was already reaching toward Yinli’s chest with an ambiguous smile, but Xiao Jue pulled her hand away: “I’ll search for the antidote.”

Qin Chang Ge smiled: “Be careful.”

Xiao Jue put on gloves and pulled out a pile of bottles and jars from Yinli’s chest. He couldn’t help frowning – where was the time to try them all slowly?

Before he could search carefully, a low whistle echoed from the long street, followed by successive bangs. Starting from the street head, all the ground on the long street suddenly exploded upward block by block, as if mighty vajra warriors underground possessed infinite strength, truly moving mountains and overturning seas, surging forward!

From each upturned ground block leaped a figure – men in gray clothes, women in colorful garments, their lightness skills graceful with an indescribably eerie quality.

The low whistle approached from far to near, sweeping over those graceful men and women’s heads like a hurricane across the ground, instantly drawing near. Before the person arrived, a sleeve flicked, and colored light shot skyward mixed with faint fishy air, rushing toward the three like a brilliant giant serpent opening its bloody maw.

The three didn’t dodge at all. Chu Feihuan silently pushed Yinli forward, and Xiao Jue immediately pulled Qin Chang Ge to hide behind the super-shield Yinli.

The colored light withdrew, revealing Ban Yan’s graceful figure. Half her beautiful eyebrow raised high as she said coldly: “Despicable!”

Qin Chang Ge stuck her head out from behind Yinli with a swish: “Would you rather I captured your High Priest but didn’t use him? Compared to stupidity, I’d rather be despicable.”

Ban Yan was speechless. She wasn’t good with words. Half her ghostly face twitched as she looked at Yinli, truly not daring to attack anymore.

But Shui Jingchen flowed over like a spring.

He was empty-handed when he started flowing over, his soft sword at his waist. Halfway through, somehow a silver sword-like object appeared in his hand – seemingly illusory, its brilliance restrained, as if formed from condensed inner energy. With a finger movement, that phantom “sword” suddenly twisted and flowed, becoming a blade, then a spear. With another movement, it became a halberd – transforming endlessly, flowing without fixed form.

He raised his hand, and the final “energy halberd” thrust straight toward Xiao Jue’s back.

Xiao Jue immediately dragged Yinli to block. At the same time, Ban Yan flipped backward and flew up, swooping over with colored light crackling as she blocked, angrily saying: “The High Priest is in their hands!”

Shui Jingchen smiled: “Oh… sorry, I forgot.”

Ban Yan snorted and withdrew her weapon. But just as her hand moved away, Shui Jingchen’s energy halberd became an energy spear again, light blazing as it stabbed toward Yinli!

“You!” Ban Yan was so angry she nearly spat blood.

That spear thrust was vicious, as if it wouldn’t stop until Yinli died. But halfway through, it suddenly broke in half, transforming into nunchucks. The front stick suddenly folded, whooshing toward Chu Feihuan’s face!

But Chu Feihuan had already slipped away the moment Ban Yan blocked Shui Jingchen. The violent wind struck directly behind him – crash! – creating a long pit in the ground.

By now, Qin Chang Ge’s side had formed a snake-like line with Yinli pushed to the front, Chu Feihuan behind him, Xiao Jue at the back, and Qin Chang Ge protected in the middle.

The four kicked open the half-closed door and rushed down the steps. The town’s long street was desolate and cold, wind howling, night birds on the treetops still silently watching down. Dim lanterns hung under broken eaves everywhere, swaying rhythmically in the wind. That leisurely swaying motion made people feel somewhat stifled. In the chaotic darkness, flying snow whirled down while hail continued falling through the snow with rustling sounds and an oppressive quietness.

Everyone felt their hearts constricted, finding it hard to breathe enough to speak.

On the long street, the Colored Gu Cult members and Xuanchi subordinates who had emerged from underground were hesitant, looking at each other. Chu Feihuan said nothing, just coldly pushing Yinli outward. The people could only retreat.

But suddenly, some men in plain clothes and horse caps appeared in the outer circle, not retreating but standing rigidly there, eyes fixed on Shui Jingchen.

Chu Feihuan sneered: “No need to look – go ahead and attack. Your valley master certainly hopes High Priest Yin gets killed in the chaos, saving the trouble of being held hostage by us.”

Ban Yan’s expression changed. Shui Jingchen already smiled leisurely: “A good scheme to sow discord, but unfortunately the High Priest and I have long put aside past grievances and become allies. With Nanmin destroyed, we no longer have conflicts of interest but share common enemies. No matter how you try to divide us, it’s useless.”

Chu Feihuan ignored him, just tilting his head slightly to listen to Qin Chang Ge’s whisper, then writing characters in her palm before gripping her hand tightly.

“Really?” Xiao Jue continued with a laugh: “Who says there are no conflicts of interest? After killing me and destroying Xiliang, how do you divide the territory? Isn’t that worth fighting over?”

“Your Majesty, rumors say you’re noble and magnanimous, a benevolent emperor, but I didn’t expect your thoughts to be so devious,” Shui Jingchen looked at Xiao Jue appreciatively, saying lightly: “Unfortunately, we’re not three-year-old children. We have our own measures for weighing benefits and losses – no need for your instruction.”

He flicked his fingers. The energy spear in his hand suddenly became a sword again, brilliant as a rainbow. He said coldly: “Block them! Don’t harm the High Priest!”

With a thunderous sound, the inner circle’s colored light flickered like butterflies, while the outer circle flowed like a spring. In a dizzying series of steps, each taking defensive positions, long swords crossed with clanging sounds as sword curtains rose like walls in grim array.

Qin Chang Ge suddenly looked up and gave a long whistle.

Her clear female voice, enhanced with abundant inner energy, was like an extremely fine sharp thread hissing through the stagnant air, ruthlessly cutting open night’s texture with a slash.

Bang, bang, bang, bang – all the paper lanterns along the entire street exploded open. They swayed precariously but didn’t fall, connected by fine threads upon closer inspection. At this moment, Chu Feihuan’s clear whistle also arrived. In this new round of destruction, the threads snapped one by one, lanterns crashed to the ground, burning with crackling sounds in yellow-green flames. Vaguely, writhing objects struggled in the flames before being burned to death.

Both Shui Jingchen and Ban Yan’s expressions changed. Before they could react, Xiao Jue looked up and gave a piercing whistle that reached the clouds. With a flutter, the silent night birds in the trees – some silently and eerily spread their wings flying to the high sky, while others rigidly fell from the treetops like wooden blocks.

Laughing heartily, Xiao Jue whistled again. This time the whistle was even more resonant and clear, carrying far – unlike before when the oppressive silence made even sounds seem muffled like drums.

Distant mixed sounds faintly reached them – horn calls, horse neighing, troop formations. The outer formation’s key points were broken. Xiao Jue’s whistle carried outside the town, alarming the great army.

Nearby, Huang Meng subordinates originally trapped by the formation came leaping, engaging Nanmin people in close combat all the way. Sparks from clashing weapons flashed like blinking eyes in the dark night.

Now the situation formed a strange five-layered formation: the outermost circle was two hundred thousand troops rushing to rescue but unable to find entry; the next outer circle, Nanmin people and formations blocking the army; next, Huang Meng subordinates; then again, Nanmin people; finally, Qin Chang Ge, Xiao Jue, Chu Feihuan, Yinli confronting Ban Yan and Shui Jingchen.

Both sides were entangled. By numbers, naturally Xiliang had more; by situation, both sides had weaknesses. It just depended on who seized the initiative first.

“The moth formation controls people’s breathing – the longer it lasts, the more advantageous it becomes. That’s why you’re not rushing to rescue people or kill us, right, Valley Master Shui?” Xiao Jue said unhurriedly, glancing sideways at Shui Jingchen with a hearty laugh.

“Splitting the long sky, cracking heaven and earth, bright universe, moon like washing.” Qin Chang Ge chimed in, one eye open and one closed, looking at Shui Jingchen quite comically. “Your lanterns and birds are made so realistically. Looks like if you can’t be valley master anymore, you’d be a genius as a peddler.”

Shui Jingchen smiled without anger: “If I do become one, please honor me with your presence, Master.” He waved his hand, and the two circles of people spun rapidly, sword light and colored light interwoven and flashing dizzingly.

Chu Feihuan said coldly: “Men, form ranks!”

The outer circle Huang Meng subordinates were well-trained. In moments, they formed the Sun-Moon Crossing Heaven formation, counter-attacking the Water family subordinates outside the Colored Gu formation. Shui Jingchen raised his brows, looking over with a light sound of surprise.

But Xiao Jue and Qin Chang Ge’s three had already exchanged glances, the same word in their eyes.

“Charge!”

Their figures leaped up, spanning across the sky. In the whistling wind, Xiao Jue’s green light sword and Chu Feihuan’s Flying Fish sword both blazed brightly, firmly protecting Qin Chang Ge, while Qin Chang Ge despicably used black silk to pull Yinli tight, keeping him in front.

Colored light streamed like silk from all directions, mixed with flying snow and hail, weaving into magnificent light nets. Every five people made the light more brilliant, colored light leaping with small colored beads shooting out like rainbow rain.

Those light nets, falling on Yinli’s body, caused him no harm but clung like bone maggots, closely pursuing the three’s movements. Continuous hissing sounds filled the air, weaving ever denser. The formation tightened and loosened, following their movements wherever they went. Where the light nets fell was like being cut by sharp blades.

Originally, if the three had scattered to fight individually, attacking one gap might allow escape. But now Qin Chang Ge couldn’t see, and Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan didn’t dare leave her side even a step. Dragging Yinli hindered one hand’s performance, so for a time they charged left and right unable to break through. Their maneuvering space grew smaller and smaller.

“Rip!” – A colored ribbon ghostily appeared from behind Xiao Jue at a weird angle, circling around him to strike Qin Chang Ge’s back.

Xiao Jue’s green light sword immediately struck horizontally, forcefully batting the colored ribbon away. As it flew up, it suddenly swayed, releasing small colored beads.

Xiao Jue dropped into an iron bridge pose, sliding on the ground with a hiss. The sparkling colored beads brushed past his left arm. Where that thing touched his sleeve, threads suddenly appeared, then became a large hole that kept expanding – the poison spread extremely fast.

Xiao Jue ripped off that torn sleeve section and threw it at a Colored Gu cultist’s face. The man fell backward with a thud, his facial muscles contorting and features shattering as he fell, becoming hideously inhuman.

As soon as he fell, someone silently filled the gap. The breach instantly closed.

Xiao Jue hissed and laughed heartily: “What kind of thing is this! Forcing me to fight bare-chested?”

Qin Chang Ge felt his sleeve, closing her eyes to listen to the wind before suddenly drawing her blade. The sword tip grazed Yinli’s arm, bringing out a trail of blood drops. Then she kicked up a large chunk of upturned earth. Blood drops entered the soil as Qin Chang Ge shouted: “Everyone grab a handful!”

Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan both reached out, each grabbing a handful and putting it in her hands first before taking their own.

Glazed colored gu – Qin Chang Ge had used this trick against Yunhua before, breaking it with bloodied earth. Especially Yinli’s blood – since the colored gu wouldn’t approach Yinli himself, his blood must be extremely effective.

Indeed, afterward the colored ribbons’ light remained intense, but when they approached, they would automatically bend away, and the colored beads stopped shooting out. Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan exchanged glances, both charging toward where someone had died earlier. No matter what, the replacement definitely wasn’t as skilled as the original formation member. To break through, they had to strike here.

But seeing the formation failing, Shui Jingchen and Ban Yan exchanged glances and both pounced. Shui Jingchen moved like flowing clouds, Ban Yan’s steps like ghosts – in a flash they were inside the formation. Shui Jingchen raised a finger, the flowing sword energy in his palm suddenly shot out a zhang, becoming an extra-long spear that stabbed directly at Qin Chang Ge’s throat.

Xiao Jue and Chu Feihuan immediately rushed to rescue together.

This was exactly what Shui Jingchen wanted.

He smiled, separating his hands. His figure was like falling pear blossoms, the “long spear” suddenly becoming two “short spears,” opening a fan-shaped light curtain to envelope the attacking Chu Feihuan and Xiao Jue from left and right. At the same time, the colored gu formation blazed brightly, too bright to open one’s eyes. In the colored light, Ban Yan had silently reached above Qin Chang Ge – “Mount Tai pressing down” – without flourish but with murderous intent, striking directly at Qin Chang Ge’s crown.

Chu Feihuan was on Qin Chang Ge’s right, closer to Ban Yan. Seeing a pair of snow-white hands faintly emerging from the colored light, pressing toward Qin Chang Ge’s head, in great alarm he ignored the “short spear” about to pierce his chest, raising his palm to forcibly meet Ban Yan’s palm power.

The “short spear” struck toward his chest.

Xiao Jue struck out with a palm, shaking the spear tip askew. In the instant he turned aside, due to the angle, the first thing he saw was the “short spear” about to pierce Chu Feihuan’s chest.

The second thing he saw was Qin Chang Ge suddenly turning back, her expression filled with infinite shock, care, anxiety, and worry.

That look in her eyes fell into Xiao Jue’s sight like a heavy hammer blow, or as if that spear had struck himself, piercing through his chest, boring a large hole with cold, cold wind blowing through.

In that split second, a thought suddenly flashed by.

She loves him… doesn’t she?

She’s so afraid!

If, if there were no Chu Feihuan…

This thought flashed by but was like a wall suddenly blocking his path, obstructing the action instinct would make.

Xiao Jue, who originally could have deflected that short spear aimed at Chu Feihuan, suddenly slowed his hand.

But it was only that brief slowness. The next instant, Xiao Jue’s dazed look suddenly awakened. With a great shout, he swung his long sword horizontally without hesitation.

But in masters’ duels, an instant meant life or death.

Palm power fell, palm power met it, short spear shot like lightning toward Chu Feihuan’s heart.

Brilliant silver light, after breaking free from the only possible threatening interception, shot forward at unstoppable speed.

Xiao Jue’s eyes nearly split with fury!

“Brother Chu!”

…

The “short spear” shot toward Chu Feihuan’s chest.

Qin Chang Ge suddenly closed her eyes and shouldered forward, striking Chu Feihuan with full force.

Chu Feihuan was knocked sideways.

The “short spear” whistled through his shoulder, bringing out a trail of snow flowers that bloomed brilliantly among the sky full of ice crystals.

Ban Yan’s palm power struck empty ground with a tremendous crash, destroying a layer of stone blocks from the ground in perfect evenness.

With a great shout, Xiao Jue rushed over. His eyes flashed with anger – whether hating Ban Yan or himself wasn’t clear. Without a word, he struck a palm toward Yinli.

This palm was launched in fury with full power, no longer intending to keep Yinli as a hostage but determined to kill him instantly!

Ban Yan was indeed alarmed, raising her palm horizontally as colored light slashed across. Xiao Jue reversed his hand, viciously pushing Yinli forward.

Ban Yan had to withdraw and retreat again. Xiao Jue pushed Yinli charging forward, his green light sword dancing deadly intent behind Yinli like splashing wind – a completely reckless fighting style. Ban Yan dared not strike back, forced to retreat repeatedly.

Xiao Jue was now truly furious – if you attack us we must rescue, then I’ll attack what you must rescue. Everyone has weaknesses – let’s see who kills whom! Don’t think I can’t tell you like Yinli!

How could Shui Jingchen allow this situation? Flicking his sleeve and turning his finger, the “long spear” became an “energy sword” again, silently pursuing to strike directly at Qin Chang Ge, who was dodging the colored net while urgently trying to stop Chu Feihuan’s bleeding.

Chu Feihuan looked up and saw Shui Jingchen’s sword energy. He grabbed Qin Chang Ge and rolled, soaring up to dodge that sword strike. Blood immediately splattered like red silk in the broken snow.

Qin Chang Ge bit her teeth in hatred and opened her eyes. Upon opening them, she saw hideous scenes before her – naked demons seemed to be lunging at her face. She had to close her eyes again, but that instant’s vision made her mind suddenly flash with inspiration.

Sneering, Qin Chang Ge said something to Chu Feihuan beside her.

Chu Feihuan was stunned, then nodded. The two rolled again to avoid Shui Jingchen’s pursuit. Qin Chang Ge flicked her five fingers, dozens of black lights flashed by. Chu Feihuan swept his sword horizontally, scattering those black lights everywhere.

Those slender black lights quickly passed through the colored ribbons, disappearing within the encirclement.

The Colored Gu cultists saw the black lights and instinctively protected their vital points first, not expecting the black lights to clang and clatter in midair before suddenly changing direction, sliding past them.

The cultists were stunned, not yet understanding what had happened, when they suddenly felt coldness below.

Looking down, they saw their belt strings cut and pants suddenly falling, exposing their incomplete, castrated lower bodies.

“Ahhhh!!!”

The cultists let out a unified scream. Their deeply shameful defects that they never wanted exposed were suddenly revealed – no less devastating than heaven and earth collapsing. Moreover, Qin Chang Ge loudly mocked: “Oh my, human demons! So many human demons!”

No humiliation was greater for men than this.

With their souls lost and utterly shamed, how could these people still care about formations? With a clamor, they all scattered like birds and beasts, pulling up their pants.

The formation collapsed bizarrely.

Now even Shui Jingchen was stunned.

Meanwhile, Xiao Jue laughed wildly, channeling all his self-destructive rage into his sword techniques. No longer caring about honor or not bullying others, every move aimed at Yinli’s body.

Gouging eyes, piercing hearts, strangling throats, crushing organs.

Whatever was cruelly lethal, he used.

Ban Yan’s martial arts were above Xiao Jue’s – she could kill him within a hundred moves. But now, constrained at every turn by Yinli, with one focused only on killing and the other desperately blocking, even without disadvantage she was at disadvantage.

Seeing Xiao Jue’s relentless killing moves, completely determined not to stop until Yinli died, even Ban Yan’s gentle temperament flared with anger. She shouted: “Xiao Jue! Shame on you as a nation’s ruler! To stoop to such rogue behavior!”

“Treat gentlemen as gentlemen, treat villains as even greater villains!” Xiao Jue laughed wildly. “I’m merely repaying you in kind – what wrong is there in that!”

“I am a villain,” Ban Yan deflected Xiao Jue’s sword aimed at gouging Yinli’s eyes, sneering: “But you don’t seem to have always been a gentleman either?”

“Yes!” Xiao Jue whooshed with another sword thrust toward Yinli’s throat. “I finally know I’m no upright gentleman, so why not be a true villain!”

Ban Yan had to block again.

Qin Chang Ge suddenly slipped over silently, laughing: “So many human demons – might as well add one more!” Her sword struck horizontally toward Yinli’s lower body.

Ban Yan’s gaze sharpened, her sleeve blocking like an iron plate with tremendous force surging forward. But Qin Chang Ge had already quickly reached to smear something on Yinli’s face, laughing: “Nine Dragon Great Tonic Pills!” She flicked out black silk to push Yinli toward Ban Yan, grabbing Xiao Jue and retreating.

Xiao Jue turned his head, saying hoarsely: “Chang Ge, I—”

Qin Chang Ge just shook her head, pulling him and Chu Feihuan into swift retreat.

Shui Jingchen flew in pursuit but suddenly stopped.

Over there, black silk sent out, Ban Yan instinctively reached to catch Yinli.

“BOOM!!!”