Chapter 37: Azure Clouds (15)

The city wall, towering dozens of zhang high, was deep black, heavy like a verdant mountain range, suppressing the four directions. Xie Xuanxiao, clad entirely in snowy white robes, floated at the city gate. His hands formed seals, and the formation patterns beneath his feet expanded into a perfect circle. Countless dense, tiny celestial seal characters began from the center of the array and spread around him, forming a cage.

He only needed to stand here, and everything within a li radius would be under his control. With a single thought, anyone entering the array could be instantly restrained.

Xie Xuanxiao tilted his head back, watching the youth rushing toward him. His expression was cold and solemn. This time, Zhang Duixue had truly caused too much trouble. He needed to mete out a small punishment to teach him a lesson, to make him remember that he could not act so willfully in everything.

“Xie! Xuan! Xiao!” The youth’s crisp voice was carried by the wind, churned into fragments. “Look at me!”

Xie Xuanxiao’s pupils trembled. Zhang Duixue rarely called his name; most of the time, he respectfully addressed him as Young Palace Master. When no one was around, he could be coaxed into calling him “Brother” a couple of times. But this clear, sharp call was simply too much like…

A dense, shattering pain surfaced in Xie Xuanxiao’s heart.

The spiritual sword barged into the array, then dimmed in mid-air. The youth discarded the spiritual sword, his slender figure plummeting from the high sky like an exhausted fledgling. Xie Xuanxiao’s entire body stiffened. The word “bind” that was about to burst from his mouth was stuffed back down, transforming into a “control” that rose with the wind. He flew straight toward that figure, opened his arms, and caught him firmly.

The immense impact knocked him backward. The youth, carrying the scent of dust and blood, landed in his embrace. His legs wrapped around Xie Xuanxiao’s waist, arms hugging his neck. Disordered, hot breath brushed against his face. Those eyes, distinct in black and white, stared boldly and directly at him, reflecting his pale, bloodless, stiff face. Xie Xuanxiao held Zhang Duixue’s waist, just about to scold him, when the person opposite opened his mouth and leaned in directly, biting his lips—a kiss full of the taste of blood.

Xie Xuanxiao: “…”

Immediately after, his spiritual veins at the center of his back were tapped, directly severed.

Xie Xuanxiao: “…”

Zhang Duixue’s whole body was burning hot, his cheeks and ears red as cooked shrimp. Panting, he looked at Xie Xuanxiao who opened his lips to speak again, lowered his head to block him once more, and mumbled vaguely, “Young Palace Master, sorry. This time, I want to disobey you.”

They were falling. The small celestial seal characters around them were like splashing water foam, all scattering from top to bottom. The golden formation patterns disappeared, and the bound abominations instantly broke through the cage, swarming out in a hive.

More than thirty thousand abominations broke free from the cage. The overwhelming blackness was like a plague of locusts passing through. Zhang Duixue pushed Xie Xuanxiao away, stepped on his spiritual sword, and fled in a flash.

Xie Xuanxiao: “…”

He touched the corner of his lips; it was bitten broken, seeping wisps of blood.

Sharp teeth and a sharp mouth.

“Brother Zhang, beautiful work!” He Tingtong gave a thumbs-up from afar to Zhang Duixue in mid-air, then shook out his long sword, slashing several times. The swarm of abominations almost automatically crashed into his sword, instantly earning a full one hundred points.

On the other end, the others who were originally holding number slips and queuing up also fell into chaos, rushing over to snatch points. Abominations charged out from all directions. He Tingtong slapped a sobering talisman onto Yue Qianxun’s forehead. The young Demon Lord, dizzy from heavy blows, opened his eyes groggily, only to hear He Tingtong’s brisk voice, “No time left, work fast!”

Yue Qianxun: “????”

He felt like a marionette, grabbed by the arms and flipped up and down. Looking closely again, he was holding a short knife in each hand. Fu Fengyan and He Tingtong were carrying him, holding his hands, dragging him to chase and chop abominations.

Yue Qianxun: “…”

Several more black shadows fled, and the two rushed over, one left and one right. Yue Qianxun hurriedly shouted, “Stop pulling! Are you going to tear me apart by five horses!”

Reminded by his shout, the two quickly bounced back. Yue Qianxun was squeezed in the middle, instantly feeling that life was bleak.

“Hurry up and grab points!” He Tingtong pushed his head and ordered loudly, “You woke up too late!”

Yue Qianxun still couldn’t open his left eye. He had overdrawn too much today, his body was already an arrow at the end of its flight. His hands holding the short knives were trembling. Looking at the dense swarm of abominations like flying locusts, he closed his eyes and stabbed randomly.

He Tingtong stopped helping him and counted for him on the side. That countdown voice was simply cold and cruel, not like counting points, but counting how many years he had left to live. “Little Yue, I think after this, don’t just memorize array talismans. You’d better run a lap around Zhuoyu Mountain with us every morning. This small physique, tsk tsk tsk.”

“You’re only fourteen, why are you so weak?”

Yue Qianxun was enraged and cursed loudly, “He Tingtong! You are not human!”

The ground shook again. Yue Qianxun fell forward and was grabbed by his clothes. Not far away, the mindless cavalryman dragged his Mo-dao and rampaged through the crowd. Anyone slightly inattentive was directly eliminated.

Fu Baiyu was knocked three zhang high by a Mo-dao strike, long hair dancing wildly. He swallowed the bloody taste in his lungs, took out an exquisite jade token from his wide sleeve. With a flash of white light, it instantly elongated, revealing a silver-white longbow in his palm. Raging fire burned at the arrow’s tail. The longbow was like a full moon; he shot the cavalryman’s shoulder armor, piercing through his arm.

However, the cavalryman seemed to feel no pain. He pulled out the arrow with one hand and crushed it into a ball of spiritual light debris.

“Earth-grade celestial weapon,” He Tingtong murmured. “Worthy of the Fu clan, truly extravagant.”

Fu Fengyan looked up in his spare time. “You like it?”

He Tingtong said as a matter of course, “I like it, it’s Earth-grade! Who wouldn’t like a celestial weapon? Naturally, the more of these life-saving things, the better.”

Fu Fengyan looked thoughtful.

Xiangli Xuan was still sitting in the distance playing the zither, appearing unruffled. However, the zither sounds were like silk threads and blades, barely stumbling the cavalryman’s slaughtering movements, making him move slowly.

Fu Baiyu’s arrow flashed and transformed into a long spear again. He dangerously exchanged several moves, turned his head and shouted at Xie Xuanxiao, “Surnamed Xie, stop standing there reminiscing! Come help!”

Pressure five realms higher—even with a celestial weapon in his bosom, he couldn’t withstand such blows. His spiritual veins stagnated. Seeing the few culprits over there still happily snatching points, he felt even more stifled in his heart.

Xie Xuanxiao’s brows and eyes were cold. “Stall for a quarter of an hour (15 mins).”

Fu Baiyu gritted his teeth. “…Fine!”

Xie Xuanxiao bit his fingertip and began to set up an array. Under Xiangli Xuan’s fingers, the zither strings moved faster and faster. Zither sound and array arts combined, the trapping array reappeared. Countless iron chains extended from heaven and earth, binding the cavalryman within. The Mo-dao waved, the giant beast neighed. Fu Baiyu landed on the ground, clutching his chest and drawing a cold breath.

“How do we deal with this thing? Did you see where his vital point is?”

Xiangli Xuan’s face was pale as snow, his lips devoid of any blood color. He said coldly and indifferently, “Couldn’t see it.”

So Fu Baiyu turned his gaze to Xie Xuanxiao. “How to kill it?”

“How would I know?” Xie Xuanxiao was expressionless, adding lightly, “This array can only trap him for half a quarter (7.5 mins). If you want to kill him, go try it yourself.”

Fu Baiyu was shocked: “Half a quarter? We have to stay here for three days! Only three hours (6 hrs) have passed!”

“So go hide. Whoever gets caught is unlucky.” Xie Xuanxiao just looked into the distance with a faint expression. Behind the chaotic crowd, Zhang Duixue carried his sword and regrouped with his friends; the four of them gathered in one place.

They were very far away, so far that he couldn’t see the expression on Zhang Duixue’s face clearly.

Thus, he took out a gold card from his bosom and projected his voice, “Young Palace Master of Yuanchen Palace orders: heavy reward for capturing He Tingtong, Fu Fengyan, Yue Qianxun, and Zhang Duixue.”

Fu Baiyu suffered a big loss today. Looking at the four over there profiting from the chaos, he said grumpily, “The Fu clan adds to the stake, also with thanks.”

Then he pointed a finger at Xiangli Xuan. ” The Xiangli clan joins in.”

Xiangli Xuan’s eyelashes fluttered. He didn’t agree, nor did he refuse.

As soon as the voice fell, the surroundings instantly went quiet. Only the whistling of the wind could be heard, and in mid-air, amidst the cavalryman’s struggles, the chains stretched to the limit began to crack—crack, crack—like fracturing ice.

Zhang Duixue froze. He looked back from afar and saw the restless movement around them, other trial disciples surging toward them.

He Tingtong grabbed his arm. “Stop looking, run!”

The confinement at the city gate began to loosen, but there were at least a hundred people gathered here to refill points just now. Those unwilling to muddy the waters had left, but dozens remained tempted, encircling them from all directions.

Fortunately, they were far away, and the one surnamed Xie should be exhausted, unable to use the great array again. A wide avenue lay ahead; the four of them ran for their lives. Yue Qianxun counted the numbers on the tablet and said painfully, “Still need four more!”

“Grab them later, there are still two and a half days, you can do it!” He Tingtong rode his sword, dragging the person to fly. But at the end of the wide avenue, a figure stood there unbeknownst to them.

A red-clad youth held a zither upright, high ponytail tied up, raising his eyebrows and looking at everyone mockingly.

He Tingtong’s brow twitched slightly, quietly gripping the talisman in his bosom. Behind him was Fu Baiyu’s exasperated voice, “Third Young Master! Stop them!”

Xiangli Lingze looked at the group of people charging over vigorously, and Xiangli Xuan coming from the end of the long street holding his zither. He sneered, lifted his foot, and directly turned sideways to make way. The spiritual swords brushed past him with the wind, the gale blowing his hair into a mess. The youth pointed at his ear and shouted loudly, “First Young Master Fu, what did you say? Speak louder, I didn’t hear clearly!”

Fu Baiyu: “…”

He was really going to vomit blood.