Tantai Jin wanted to spit out the pill, but it was too late. Su Su pressed a finger against his throat, forcing him to swallow it.
When he clearly saw the person in his arms, Tantai Jin's previously calm expression instantly darkened with terrifying intensity.
Having succeeded, Su Su immediately fled.
The girl's smiling face was before him one moment, and the next she had already darted far away.
As mud slid from Tantai Jin's face, he looked at Su Su and revealed a twisted smile: "Ye... Xi... Wu."
Nian Bai Yu naturally recognized Su Su as well—she was the girl who had nearly strangled His Majesty while performing a dance for him last time.
Nian Bai Yu shouted sharply, "Witch! What did you give His Majesty?" His gaze as he looked at Su Su was as if he were staring at a corpse.
Tantai Jin braced himself against a rock at the river bottom, trying to vomit the pill, but failed.
This was clearly what Tantai Jin wanted to ask as well. A wave of nausea churned in his stomach as he stared fixedly at Su Su.
Su Su said, "Of course it's a deadly poison. If you don't treat it quickly, he'll die easily. I suggest you take Tantai Jin back for treatment right away. What if he succumbs to the poison if you delay any longer?"
Why did everyone like to call her a witch? Compared to her, they were clearly the more monstrous ones.
Hearing her call it poison, Tantai Jin's expression grew even uglier. "What use are all you useless fools? You can't even guard against one woman!"
Knowing he had failed in his duty to protect, Nian Bai Yu dropped to his knees without another word.
Tantai Jin glanced at the Taoist priest beside him. "Capture her!"
Upon hearing this, the old priest summoned a Soul Devouring Banner. The banner emitted a black halo underwater as the priest chanted incantations, sending it flying toward Su Su.
When Su Su saw the Soul Devouring Banner, her expression also darkened. "Wicked priest! You actually use living people to empower your banner!"
The old priest smiled triumphantly.
The banner was thick with resentful energy. Once summoned, the resentment atop the Flood Dragon's head, sensing its kind, churned excitedly.
As the Soul Devouring Banner approached, it suddenly enlarged. Unable to dodge, Su Su drew a Talisman Paper and met it head-on with her palm.
The Talisman Paper shattered in her palm.
Unyielding, the Soul Devouring Banner circled in the air and prepared to strike Su Su again.
Su Su struggled to evade. Her Talisman Papers were all destroyed, and finally, the banner struck her shoulder, sending her crashing to the ground.
This artifact was originally a rare Demonic Artifact. Who knew how many people the old priest had killed to accumulate such heavy resentment?
The Soul Devouring Banner circled above Su Su. Under the enormous banner, the girl's face was pale.
Seeing Su Su's Talisman Papers, the old priest knew this girl was no ordinary person—she might be his nemesis. He took out a bell and immediately decided to eliminate Su Su to prevent future troubles.
Ye Chu Feng frowned, about to speak up and beg Tantai Jin to spare Su Su.
The next moment, the old priest's bell was caught by someone.
The hand gripping the bell was slender and pale.
The old priest looked up. "Your Majesty?"
Tantai Jin wiped the mud from his face expressionlessly and angrily shouted at the old priest, "I told you to capture her, not kill her!"
The old priest humbly acknowledged, but just as he was about to recall the Soul Devouring Banner, he saw the girl on the ground boldly seize the banner while he and Tantai Jin were speaking.
When an ordinary person held the Soul Devouring Banner, black energy surged densely. Su Su refused to let go, and the banner emitted a powerful suction force, attempting to draw her soul inside.
The curved jade awoke in shock. "Little master, what are you doing? Let go quickly!"
Su Su pressed her lips together, staring at the black Soul Devouring Banner, and replied inwardly to the curved jade, "This Soul Devouring Banner has devoured countless mortal souls. If I don't kill the old priest today, it will become a great calamity."The curved jade glanced at the color of the Soul Summoning Banner and felt his heart sink. Knowing Su Su's resolute stance, he could only urge, "Be careful."
The old Taoist turned back to Tantai Jin with a troubled expression. "She won't let go. The Soul Summoning Banner will eventually consume her. There's nothing this humble priest can do."
Tantai Jin's expression turned sinister. "Ye Xi Wu, let go!"
Ignoring him, Su Su gripped the Soul Summoning Banner tightly and began drawing a Talisman in the air using her divine blood.
A sense of foreboding washed over the old Taoist, and he hastily sought instructions from Tantai Jin. "Your Majesty! This cannot continue. That woman intends to destroy the Soul Summoning Banner. If it's destroyed, we won't be able to awaken the Flood Dragon. We must kill her."
Tantai Jin's eyes darkened, his lips pressed tightly together. His hand holding the Taoist bell tightened.
By then, Su Su had finished drawing the Talisman. She lifted her gaze to the old Taoist. "Let this evil Taoist taste what it's like to have his soul captured."
Releasing her grip, a golden mark appeared on the Soul Summoning Banner.
The banner left her hand and began spinning rapidly in the air. Su Su curved her lips and declared clearly, "Capture!"
The young girl's eyes were bright and clear as the Soul Summoning Banner enveloped the old Taoist. "Impossible! This is impossible!" he cried.
He had followed Tantai Minglang for three years, sacrificing countless souls to control this banner. How could this young girl command it?
The old Taoist tried to flee, but without divine blood or the World-Toppling Flower, escape was impossible.
Su Su moved her fingers like blossoming flowers, directing the Soul Summoning Banner to attack the old Taoist, who let out agonizing screams. Tantai Jin, standing nearby, was grazed by the banner's energy, leaving a cut on his face.
Nian Bai Yu reacted swiftly, pulling Tantai Jin away just in time to avoid further attacks from the banner.
Tantai Jin lifted his gaze to Su Su.
The girl wore a sacrificial dress, its golden threads shimmering with flowing light.
Perhaps because they were at the river bottom, her pupils held a trace of magnificent and solemn purple.
She looked like a Goddess—sacred and merciless, determined to kill the evil Taoist without even a glance in his direction.
Tantai Jin covered the wound on his face. If not for Nian Bai Yu's quick reaction, he would have been severely injured. He lowered his eyes and muttered to himself, "You're always opposing me..."
The old Taoist collapsed in a pool of blood. With its current master gone, the Soul Summoning Banner spun a few more times before falling.
Having crushed the evil Taoist's head, Su Su blinked, her eyes sparkling with joyful laughter. She clutched her aching chest. With the World-Toppling Flower inside her, it would be difficult for anyone to kill her before the destined time.
With the old Taoist dead, the ritual could hardly proceed.
The Flood Dragon would find it hard to turn into a demonic Flood Dragon.
But in the next moment, Tantai Jin laughed. He wiped the blood from his face carelessly and said expressionlessly, "Kill them all."
Su Su was taken aback and looked at Tantai Jin. He wasn't looking at her but staring at the resentment above the Flood Dragon, lost in thought.
Nian Bai Yu flashed behind the Taoists, his blade rising and falling as blood sprayed. The young Taoists didn't even have time to scream before their heads hit the ground.
Within minutes, all the Taoists had fallen.
The blood in the river didn't dissipate but was entirely absorbed by the resentment.
Nian Bai Yu and several other Night Shadow Guards, blades in hand, approached Yan Wan and the others.
Su Su stepped in front of him. "Stop!"
But while she could save one girl, she couldn't stop the others.
Soon, the remaining girls stared wide-eyed, their breath gone.
Flowers and branches were stained with their blood as resentment surged through them, growing stronger and stronger.Yan Wan glanced at the cold, aloof young emperor, now realizing who the real savior was. She clutched Su Su’s sleeve, sobbing, “Miss, save me!”
Su Su blocked Nian Bai Yu and said to Yan Wan, “Run, now!”
All the Taoists were dead. If anything happened to Yan Wan, the resentment would only grow stronger. Once it reached a certain level, it could possess the Flood Dragon’s body.
Gritting her teeth, Yan Wan turned and fled, trying to escape along the path they had come. But several Night Shadow Guards silently appeared in front of her.
Terrified, Yan Wan retreated back to Su Su’s side.
Su Su clenched her jaw and pulled Yan Wan aside, narrowly avoiding Nian Bai Yu’s blade.
The sword’s energy sliced off a lock of Yan Wan’s hair, leaving her too frightened to even cry aloud.
The Night Shadow Guards surrounded them.
Tantai Jin tossed a dagger into their midst and said with a gentle smile, “Only one person’s resentment is missing. One of you must die.”
Though he was smiling, no one felt he was in a good mood.
Su Su glanced at him, searching for an opportunity to break through with Yan Wan. When Tantai Jin went mad, he would even kill his own people.
But as Yan Wan moved behind her, she unexpectedly picked up the dagger from the ground and thrust it straight at Su Su.
Yan Wan had no martial skills, so Su Su easily knocked the dagger from her hand.
“Why?” Su Su asked her.
Yan Wan glared at her with hatred but said nothing.
Yan Wan wanted to live. She was clever enough to see that Tantai Jin knew Su Su. Su Su knew martial arts, while she did not. This choice of one life for another was clearly designed to favor Su Su.
If Su Su decided to kill her, she wouldn’t be able to resist. So Yan Wan had to strike first.
Tantai Jin let out a derisive laugh.
It was unclear whether he was mocking Yan Wan or Su Su.
Su Su remained silent. She wasn’t exactly heartbroken—she had already understood what kind of person Yan Wan was back in that room.
She was selfish and cunning.
A golden thread silently appeared, binding Su Su and Yan Wan. Before Su Su could react, the thread pulled them backward.
Su Su crashed into a scorching embrace. The person who caught her was caught off guard and then hastily, with embarrassment and annoyance, pushed her away.
Su Su steadied herself and took a moment to recognize him. “Lord Pang?”
It was actually Pang Yi Zhi.
Pang Yi Zhi glared at her and snorted.
Behind Pang Yi Zhi stood another person in a sky-blue brocade robe. It was none other than Xiao Lin.
Yu Qing looked at Yan Wan, who had been flung toward him, and kicked her aside. Yan Wan rolled several times on the ground, her face contorted in pain.
Yu Qing chuckled, “Oh dear, oh dear, I didn’t mean to. It’s just that you, young lady, are too ungrateful. I was afraid that if I helped you, you might stab me. I’m just a frail scholar—I couldn’t withstand a single stab from you.”
Hearing this, Yan Wan flushed crimson, her face alternating between red and pale, realizing these people had witnessed her earlier actions.
Su Su couldn’t help but laugh.
Xiao Lin asked, “Third Miss Ye, are you all right?”
Su Su shook her head.
Tantai Jin narrowed his eyes at them. “You’re looking for death.”
Xiao Lin replied calmly, “It’s not yet certain who will emerge victorious.”
From behind Xiao Lin emerged a gentle-faced woman. Su Su removed the golden thread from herself and realized it was Ye Bingshang.
As soon as Ye Bingshang stepped forward, everyone’s gaze fell upon her.
She glanced nervously at Tantai Jin, then at Su Su. “Third Sister.”
Su Su nodded at her in acknowledgment.
Tantai Jin looked at Ye Bingshang and frowned almost imperceptibly.Ye Bingshang said to Tantai Jin, "Hostage, the Flood Dragon of Mohe River bears you no grudge. Why must you persist in demonizing and awakening it?"
Tantai Jin remained silent. Faced with Ye Bingshang's accusation, he showed no anger, displaying an unexpectedly mild temper instead.
The youth was naturally handsome, and with his lips pressed together in silence, he appeared innocent and pitiful.
It was as if everyone else were villains conspiring against him.
Ye Bingshang let out a soft sigh. Remembering the hardships the Hostage had endured, she found herself unable to voice any further reproach.
She drew from her sleeve an object resembling a white scale.
At the sight of the glowing scale, the curved jade exclaimed in astonishment, "How is this possible!"
Su Su asked, "What's wrong?"
The curved jade, having existed for so long, was usually steady and composed. Never before had it been so flustered. Su Su couldn't help but fix her gaze on the scale.
The scale emitted a dazzling radiance, clearly no ordinary object.
"What is that?" Su Su inquired curiously.
She had read many books in the library, including depictions of numerous Divine Artifacts, yet she had never seen such a scale before.
It was the size of two palms, more lustrous than jade, with a brilliant glow and faintly visible golden patterns.
The curved jade murmured, "Impossible, impossible..."
Noticing Su Su's unwavering stare at the scale, the curved jade snapped back to attention and vaguely explained, "It's a heart protecting scale from a... Demonic Beast."
Su Su remarked, "It looks powerful. It must belong to a formidable Demonic Beast."
The curved jade replied, "You could say that."
Su Su had heard that most Demonic Beasts would rather let their heart protecting scales turn to ashes upon death than leave them behind easily.
Thus, knowledge about heart protecting scales was scarce among most people.
However, Su Su wondered curiously, how could Ye Bingshang, a mere mortal, possess such a rare treasure that appears once in ten thousand years? Was it because of this heart protecting scale that the nightmare demon had attached itself to Ye Bingshang last time?
The heart protecting scale shimmered in Ye Bingshang's hand. She smiled faintly and said to Xiao Lin, "Your Highness, it's inside the clam held by the Flood Dragon."
Xiao Lin nodded, also revealing a slight smile.
Tantai Jin's eyes darkened imperceptibly as he glanced at the clam in the Flood Dragon's embrace. Compared to the massive body of the Flood Dragon, the clam appeared utterly insignificant, pitifully small and ordinary.
Yet, if Xiao Lin had come searching for it, it must be extraordinary.
Su Su looked around and asked Pang Yi Zhi, "What is Prince Xuan here to find this time?"
Pang Yi Zhi glanced at her and snorted dismissively.
Su Su knew this lord, who harbored a secret crush on Ye Bingshang, disliked her and decided not to bother him further.
Surprisingly, as she was about to walk away, Pang Yi Zhi found himself uncontrollably saying, "There's a sarira inside that can suppress demonic creatures."
Su Su looked at him in surprise.
Pang Yi Zhi turned away. "Anyway, that thing can deal with Tantai Jin's tiger demon."
Tantai Jin and Xiao Lin had both arrived at Mohe River with coinciding intentions—one seeking the demonic Flood Dragon, the other the sarira.
The atmosphere grew intensely tense.
Seeing Su Su watching him, Pang Yi Zhi curled his lips upward and clearly recounted how Ye Bingshang had sought him out and asked him to bring her to Mohe River to find Xiao Lin.
Pang Yi Zhi spoke to her in a low voice, afraid of being overheard by people from Zhou Kingdom, leaning in close.
Su Su sensed a cold gaze fixed on her. She instinctively looked toward Tantai Jin, only to find him clearly staring at Ye Bingshang.
Was it just her imagination? Su Su wondered.
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