“A’Li…” During the landslide, no one reached out to save Liu Yan who was at the cave entrance. Liu Yan fell heavily into the cave, but the cave was now full of muddy water. Half his body sank into the mud, his injuries unclear.

Wanyu Yuedan was supported by Tie Jing, landing on the mountain top. His face was pale as he tightly gripped Tie Jing’s hand, “How is the situation below?”

Many around had already cried out in alarm, but Wanyu Yuedan couldn’t see. He only heard the sound of bubbles churning in the muddy water below and the continuous noise of falling rubble and gravel.

There was no sound from Tang Lici.

Nor any sound from Chai Xijin.

Tie Jing called out lowly, “Palace Master, below…”

Before he could speak clearly, Liu Yan suddenly cried out loudly, “A’Li!”

Both Tang Lici and Chai Xijin were in the muddy water, their surroundings as if they had experienced a violent turbulent flow, with broken bricks and stones, mud and sand flying everywhere. Chai Xijin’s head had obviously been heavily smashed to the ground by Tang Lici’s earlier pressing and crashing, covered in blood, seemingly even his skull was shattered.

But for a moment, he hadn’t died.

Chai Xijin was completely unaware of this. Though Tang Lici had pounced from the air and pressed him into the fire, he didn’t feel pain. He only felt burning with rage—how dare Tang Lici! How dare he just kill him like this? He inherited White Cloud Valley’s will, he wanted every person who slaughtered White Cloud Valley to pay the price! How could he die?

He absolutely could not die. Then the one who should die was Tang Lici!

One of Chai Xijin’s hands firmly gripped Tang Lici’s neck, the other hand pulled at the Floating Red Insect Silk—he could see Tang Lici was severely wounded, the blood on this red silk had never stopped flowing. He tightened the silk cloth—to see whether Tang Lici would be strangled to death by his grip first or strangled to death by his pulling—

With a muffled “thud,” a blade entered his heart from behind.

Chai Xijin paused slightly and slowly turned back.

The person who had stabbed into his heart from behind was covered in mud—it was Liu Yan.

Liu Yan looked at his shattered skull, smiled miserably, “You and I… both entrusted our hopes to the wrong person, deeply hating that our fate is not our own, ultimately… we are all jokes.” He exerted force with the blade, about to stab again, when Chai Xijin suddenly blinked.

Blood slowly flowed down from his forehead. Chai Xijin suddenly began to tremble, releasing his grip on Tang Lici’s hand, wildly touching his own head, “My head… my head…”

With another light “thud,” Tang Lici turned and sat up, striking Chai Xijin’s crown with one palm.

Liu Yan withdrew his blade. Chai Xijin suddenly stiffened, staring at Liu Yan. Blood from his forehead flowed into his eyes along his twisted brows and lashes. After a long while, he murmured, “Fate… fate is not my own…” and finally fell backward facing the sky, dying with eyes wide open.

Liu Yan threw down the blade and knelt to help Tang Lici.

At this time, Cheng Yunpao, Dong Hubi, and others rushed over, supporting Tang Lici together.

Tang Lici glanced at Cheng Yunpao. His face was flushed, his state already half-unconscious, but his eyes remained clear. One hand tightened the Floating Red Insect Silk wrapped around his waist, the other slowly raised, pointing at the stone wall beside them that was about to collapse, opening his mouth.

He had wanted to speak, but couldn’t catch his breath and couldn’t make a sound. Cheng Yunpao grasped his pulse point, finding the pulse extremely chaotic and incomprehensible, and couldn’t help being shocked, “What’s wrong with you?”

Tang Lici shook his head, still pointing at the stone wall, “Wang…”

Liu Yan walked toward the stone wall. Tang Lici spread his fingers, cold sweat beading on his forehead, “No… spider…” He propped himself on the ground but couldn’t stand, his five fingers forcefully scratching bloody marks on the ground.

Cheng Yunpao pressed several of his acupoints to prevent him from injuring himself further due to scattered true power. Tie Jing tried to carry him on his back. Only then did everyone see the sword wound on his abdomen, all feeling shocked—this wound injured his dantian and organs, not only severely damaging his qi channels but also endangering his life. Tang Lici paid no attention to the sword wound, forcefully pushing Tie Jing away—he obviously had something on his mind but couldn’t express it. More and more people gathered around him. Seeing him like this and recalling Liu Yan’s angry scolding that “none of you want to save him, you only want to wait for ‘Young Master Tang’ to save you, wait for him to give his all, wait for him to exhaust all his strength, then wait for him to die,” they felt ashamed. Though this person was… extravagant, licentious, and difficult to judge as good or evil, he had indeed just fought Chai Xijin with his life. If not for the changes in Floating Zero Brow Garden, if not for Liu Yan and Chai Xijin’s sound-killing confrontation, if not for Tang Lici sacrificing himself to the fire, everyone would still be in chaotic battle, and innocent people on both sides would only die more and more. The Central Plains Sword Society was not evil demons after all. Many would probably end up like Master Wenxiu, unable to bear striking and dying at enemy hands, wasting their lives.

Could Young Master Tang truly not harbor sinister intentions? Have no ulterior motives?

Even though he fought desperately to this point, his life hanging by a thread, those surrounding him found it hard to believe.

Liu Yan went against the crowd toward the stone wall Tang Lici had pointed to. The stone wall had a breach, inside was dimly lit, seemingly containing many large objects like iron bars or iron cages. There was also an underground river flowing inside. Something was washed here by the current, blocking the cave entrance, then pulled away again. In this back and forth, Liu Yan suddenly saw the head of a charred corpse, the badly burned hair, the unrecognizable face, which startled him. The person who pulled the charred corpse away from inside the cave turned around, and Liu Yan immediately recognized—it was Wang Lingqiu!

The Central Plains Sword Society had imprisoned him and Wang Lingqiu nearby, viewing them as enemies, so Liu Yan naturally recognized Wang Lingqiu. In the earlier chaotic battle, Wang Lingqiu had actually found a chance to escape back to the underground of Floating Zero Brow Garden. What Tang Lici was pointing at must be that Wang Lingqiu wasn’t dead, wanting everyone to be careful and on guard.

Just as Liu Yan recognized Wang Lingqiu, that cave flashed again with Wang Lingqiu’s old face, those eyes full of hatred. Having barely escaped the Central Plains Sword Society, he had found Wang Lingze’s charred corpse in the depths of Floating Zero Brow Garden. Seeing all the sword society members gathered around the severely wounded Tang Lici, Wang Lingqiu raised an object on the other side of the stone wall, preparing to throw it at everyone.

Liu Yan shouted loudly, “Wang Lingqiu!”

He also threw something, colliding with Wang Lingqiu’s object in mid-air, both falling together.

Wang Lingqiu saw what Liu Yan had thrown, his old face twitching, and he turned to flee in hatred.

But his whereabouts were exposed. Biluo Palace’s He Yan’er broke through the stone wall, Dong Hubi pursued, and in just a few moves captured him.

What Liu Yan had thrown was his mud-drenched black outer robe.

Whatever Wang Lingqiu had thrown was wrapped by that soaking wet outer robe and fell together onto the muddy ground covered by river water. Everyone looked at Liu Yan covered in mud, their hearts mixed with complex feelings, not knowing what to do with him for a moment.

After breaking through the stone wall, inside were crisscrossing bars and charred corpses.

Having gone through fire and flood, those bodies looked particularly hideous and terrifying.

Facing these charred corpses of unknown origin, the Central Plains Sword Society members looked at each other in bewilderment. They had always made it their mission to break through Floating Zero Brow Garden and kill Liu Yan, Tang Lici, and Yu Konghou. In the end, Liu Yan saved them with sound-killing, Tang Lici sacrificed himself to the fire, and Yu Konghou was nowhere to be seen. Floating Zero Brow Garden had actually destroyed itself from within, leaving not a single word for the Central Plains Sword Society from beginning to end, only a ground full of corpses.

Miss Hong and Bi Lianyi walked over. Miss Hong looked at these terrifying remains, murmuring, “This is… the reason why Young Master Tang drew prohibitions, making us hold back and not act.”

Meng Qinglei had killed quite a few people in his lifetime, but had never seen so many dead people gathered together. While still in a daze, hearing this, he turned back, “What?”

Miss Hong crouched down, looking one by one among those extremely terrifying charred corpses, showing no fear. Bi Lianyi asked quietly, “Who are you looking for?”

Miss Hong spoke slowly, “Bai Suche.”

The attention of the Central Plains Sword Society members suddenly shifted from the critically wounded Tang Lici to the three words “Bai Suche.” Meng Qinglei exclaimed, “Could she—actually not be willingly depraved?”

“I don’t know,” Miss Hong said softly. “But fires… don’t start for no reason. Bai Suche rebelled against Yu Konghou and succeeded as master of the Pleasure House. In this pile of charred corpses… should she or should she not be there?” She stopped walking. The charred corpses behind the stone wall had burned together, impossible to distinguish who was Bai Suche. Miss Hong reached out her hand, gently stroking these charred corpses. “I don’t know if she was ‘willingly depraved’ or ‘unwillingly depraved.’ She probably didn’t care either. Little Bai was ambitious. I never knew what her ambition was.”

Miss Hong looked toward Liu Yan. In the past, I only thought she was like others, just wanting to compete with me for you.

But actually, she might have had neither me nor you in her eyes.

At this time, everyone had discovered that what Wang Lingqiu had thrown was a thunder fire bomb. Fortunately, this object was wrapped by Liu Yan’s soaking wet outer robe and didn’t explode, otherwise the crowd squeezed around Tang Lici just now would have suffered heavy casualties. Saved by Liu Yan once again, the Central Plains Sword Society members felt even more awkward. Meng Qinglei, enlightened, quickly sent the little girl Yu Tuan’er, who had been struck at pressure points, to Liu Yan’s side.

Tang Lici, whose pressure points had been struck by Cheng Yunpao, was carefully carried by Tie Jing to Wanyu Yuedan’s side. Several people from Biluo Palace skilled in medicine surrounded him. After a moment, the physicians looked at Tang Lici, looking at each other, truly not knowing what to say.

Without needing to check his pulse or observe his complexion, just pulling away the Floating Red Insect Silk wrapped around his wound and seeing that sword injury reaching deep into his organs, they all knew this person’s life was not long.

It was even strange that he wasn’t dead yet.

But Tang Lici, as long as he had one breath, simply would not die.

It didn’t seem like any worldly miracle, but rather like someone who wouldn’t consent to die until his heart’s wish was fulfilled.

Tang Lici neither consented to die nor to lose consciousness. He stared at Tie Jing, his chest rising and falling, seemingly having much to say. Tie Jing had just learned how severely he was wounded, his feelings complex, for a moment not daring to meet his gaze, avoiding Tang Lici’s eyes.

Liu Yan staggered closer. Some from the Central Plains Sword Society drew their swords, hesitated, not knowing whether to act or not, but also not letting him approach Tang Lici. Like many sword society disciples still bewildered about what had happened, looking at Tang Lici with his pressure points struck, still showing disdain, completely unaware why Miss Hong hadn’t ordered this person thrown out.

“Un… unblock his pressure points,” Liu Yan gritted his teeth. “He wants to speak. Can’t you see he has something to say?”

However, he was far outside the crowd. Cheng Yunpao and others surrounded Tang Lici, Biluo Palace quickly rebuilt tents, and everyone soon brought Tang Lici, Wanyu Yuedan, and Miss Hong into the tents.

“Hey.” Yu Tuan’er had just awakened from unconsciousness. Seeing the Qihun Mountain battlefield had become a scene of heaven collapsing and earth splitting, she was greatly shocked, jumped up, and blocked Liu Yan behind her. “How… how did it become like this? Are you injured?”

Liu Yan turned back. Yu Tuan’er’s face was covered in blood, half from being struck by his horizontal zither. He sighed, saying wearily, “No… nothing…” His face was also ashen pale. Having just fallen from the pit entrance into the muddy pond at the bottom of Floating Zero Brow Garden, he had also injured his leg, but these wounds were nothing compared to Tang Lici’s.

“The fighting is finished, right? The Pleasure House lost, right?” Yu Tuan’er became happy instead, pulling his hand. “Then let’s go.”

Liu Yan frowned, “Go where?”

“The Central Plains Sword Society and the Pleasure House finished fighting. You’ve taught them the antidotes and methods. They don’t like you, and they don’t like me either.” Yu Tuan’er said matter-of-factly, “Let’s go home.”

Liu Yan let out a long breath, murmuring, “Go home…”

Go home.