"Ah 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 it was already filled with muddy water. Half his body submerged in the muck, making it impossible to see the extent of his injuries.
Wan Yu Yuedan, supported by Tie Jing, landed on the mountaintop. His face was pale as he tightly gripped Tie Jing's hand. "What's happening below?"
Many around them had already cried out in shock, but Wan Yu Yuedan couldn't see. He could only hear the bubbling of the muddy water below and the chaotic noise of falling rocks and gravel.
There was no sound from Tang Lichen.
Nor from Chai Xijin.
Tie Jing let out a low exclamation, "Palace Master, down there—"
Before he could finish, Liu Yan suddenly screamed, "Ah Li!"
Both Tang Lichen and Chai Xijin were in the muddy water, their surroundings as if caught in a violent whirlwind—bricks shattered, mud and sand flying everywhere. Chai Xijin's head had clearly been slammed into the ground by Tang Lichen's earlier push and collision, covered in blood, his skull seemingly crushed.
Yet, he wasn't dead immediately.
Chai Xijin was oblivious to this. Though Tang Lichen had pinned him into the fire, he felt no pain. Instead, he was consumed by rage—how dare Tang Lichen! How dare he kill him like this? He had inherited Baiyun Gou's legacy, sworn to make every person who slaughtered Baiyun Gou pay! How could he die?
He absolutely could not die. Then the one who should die was Tang Lichen!
Chai Xijin's one hand tightly gripped Tang Lichen's throat, while the other pulled at the fluttering red silk ribbon—he could see Tang Lichen was severely injured, the blood on the ribbon never stopping. He tightened the silk—let's see whether Tang Lichen would be strangled or suffocated first—
A dull thud sounded as a blade pierced his heart from behind.
Chai Xijin paused slightly, slowly turning his head.
The one who had stabbed him from behind, covered in mud, was Liu Yan.
Liu Yan looked at the shattered bone in Chai Xijin's head and gave a bitter smile. "You and I... both placed our trust in the wrong person, cursed fate for not being in our hands, and in the end... it's all a joke." He exerted force on the blade, about to stab again, when Chai Xijin suddenly blinked.
Blood slowly trickled down his forehead. Chai Xijin began to tremble, releasing his grip on Tang Lichen's throat to frantically touch his own head. "My head... my head..."
Another soft thud—Tang Lichen flipped over and sat up, slamming his palm onto Chai Xijin's crown.
Liu Yan pulled the blade out. Chai Xijin stiffened abruptly, staring at Liu Yan. The blood on his forehead flowed into his eyes along his twisted brows. After a long moment, he murmured, "Fate... fate is not mine to control..." before collapsing backward, dead with eyes wide open.
Liu Yan dropped the knife and knelt to help Tang Lichen up.
By then, Cheng Yunpao and Dong Hubi had arrived, supporting Tang Lichen together.
Tang Lichen glanced at Cheng Yunpao. His face was flushed, his consciousness half-gone, yet his gaze remained clear. One hand clutched the red silk ribbon around his waist, while the other slowly rose, pointing at the half-collapsed stone wall beside him. He opened his mouth.
He meant to speak, but his breath failed him, and no sound came out. Cheng Yunpao grabbed his wrist, feeling his pulse—it was wildly erratic, beyond comprehension. Stunned, he asked, "What's wrong with you?"
Tang Lichen shook his head, still pointing at the stone wall. "King..."Liu Yan walked toward the stone wall. Tang Licheng spread his fingers, sweat beading on his forehead. "No... spider..." He leaned forward, bracing himself against the ground, but couldn't stand up. His fingers dug bloody grooves into the earth.
Cheng Yunpao sealed several of his acupoints to prevent further injury from his scattered True Power. Tie Jing tried to carry him on his back, and only then did the crowd notice the sword wound on his abdomen—a grievous injury that had pierced his dantian and vital organs, not only severely damaging his meridians but also threatening his life. Tang Licheng paid no heed to the wound, shoving Tie Jing away violently—clearly, there was something urgent on his mind that he couldn't voice. The crowd around him grew larger. Witnessing his state and recalling Liu Yan's furious words earlier—"None of you truly want to save him. You're all just waiting for 'Young Master Tang' to rescue you, waiting for him to exhaust everything, waiting for him to fight with his life, and then waiting for him to die"—they felt ashamed. Though this man was... extravagant and debauched, his morality ambiguous, he had indeed just fought Chai Xijin to the death. Had it not been for the upheaval at Piaoling Meiyuan, had it not been for Liu Yan and Chai Xijin clashing with sonic attacks, had it not been for Tang Licheng throwing himself into the flames, they would still be locked in chaotic battle, with more and more innocent lives lost on both sides. After all, the Central Plains Sword Conference was no demonic sect—many would likely have ended up like Abbess Wenxiu, unable to bear striking the final blow, martyring themselves at the enemy's hands, dying in vain.
Could it be that Young Master Tang harbored no ulterior motives? That he sought nothing else?
Even as he fought to the brink of death, hanging by a thread, those surrounding him found it hard to believe.
Liu Yan moved against the crowd, heading toward the stone wall Tang Licheng had indicated. There was a breach in the wall, dimly lit inside, seemingly cluttered with large objects like iron bars or cages. A subterranean river flowed within, and something was washed toward the opening by the current, blocking it momentarily before being dragged back inside. In that brief glimpse, Liu Yan caught sight of the charred head of a corpse—its hair burned to sparse strands, its face unrecognizable—startling him. The person inside who had pulled the corpse away turned around, and Liu Yan immediately recognized him: Wang Lingqiu!
The Central Plains Sword Conference had imprisoned him and Wang Lingqiu nearby, treating them as enemies, so Liu Yan naturally knew Wang Lingqiu. Amid the earlier chaos, Wang Lingqiu had somehow seized the chance to escape back into the depths of Piaoling Meiyuan. What Tang Licheng had pointed out must have been a warning that Wang Lingqiu was still alive and to be on guard.
Just as Liu Yan recognized Wang Lingqiu, the old man's face flashed again in the cave, his eyes brimming with hatred. Having barely escaped the Sword Conference, he had found Wang Lingze's charred corpse deep within Piaoling Meiyuan. Seeing the Sword Conference members gathered around the severely wounded Tang Licheng, Wang Lingqiu raised an object on the other side of the stone wall, preparing to hurl it at the crowd.
Liu Yan shouted, "Wang Lingqiu!"
He threw something as well, and the two objects collided midair before falling together.
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