But at this moment, not only is he toying with a conceited demon race, but it hasn’t realized his true identity yet, causing all his accumulated disdain for the demon race to erupt.
"I must say, your Profound Sky Sect is just pretending to be virtuous. Even now, you dare accept disciples from the demon race? Truly laughable! That Lotus Sword Venerable is nothing but a foolish woman!"
"Maggots hiding... behind the... veil!"
Ji Lingruo was struggling for breath under the heavy pressure, blood spilling from her throat and choking into her nasal cavity, yet she managed to squeeze out the curse through her clenched teeth.
The light in the cloaked man’s eyes intensified, but not because of Ji Lingruo’s mockery; he was astonished to find Ji Lingruo’s physique somewhat extraordinary.
If she were a thick-skinned tiger or ox demon, it would be understandable, but she’s merely a snake demon, how could she still speak?
The cloaked man’s right hand still grasped You Su in the void, leading him step by step toward the girl who piqued his curiosity.
As the distance closed, the cloaked man saw more clearly the flow of Profound Qi around Ji Lingruo. It was hard to believe a demon pill of a Middle Spirit Platform Realm demon cultivator could exhibit such a terrifying ability to harness world Profound Qi, yet he had just examined the girl carefully and found nothing noteworthy.
This demon pill seemed to be actively absorbing more Profound Qi as if to help her heal her injuries...
Could it be...
"You’ve obtained a bit of the Power of Tai Sui!"
The cold light in the cloaked man’s eyes shot forth, roared sharply, nearly piercing eardrums.
As his words fell, the heavy pressure on Ji Lingruo lifted, replaced by a restraining force like that on You Su, suspending them high.
Under the night sky, You Su and Ji Lingruo were like insects caught at whim on a summer night.
Behind them, across the Quhuai River, strange lights erupted continuously, chaotic Profound Qi turned into air waves, blowing all leaves and grass in the same direction.
You Su stared at everything wide-eyed; his throat was choked so he couldn’t speak, but the bulging veins on his temples betrayed his rage.
His eyes were as black as ink, emitting a dark green light. That sensation of his body being filled with a frantic beating heart appeared once again, visible lumps began to form on his body as if something inside was about to break through the skin.
All these changes were seen clearly by the cloaked man, his eyes glowed with excitement, almost turning into substance.
"I knew it was you! That old thief Celestial Technique Venerable!"
The cloaked man’s grip seemed to intensify, as if he wanted to crush You Su.
You Su struggled initially, but as the cloaked man’s strength grew, he gradually couldn’t bear it, his eyes bulging, mouth agape, even his tongue crookedly hanging out.
Seeing this, the cloaked man sneered coldly, withdrawing the strength applied to You Su’s neck, he couldn’t let You Su die easily here.
Yet he remained vigilant, You Su’s hands were still bound by him, considering the only thing he needed to fear was the jade bead You Su carried.
You Su panted heavily, calming down and starting to think rationally.
The opponent self-proclaimed as ’Venerable’—although violent in his actions—carried an aura of righteousness, clearly here pursuing the Power of Tai Sui, You Su had almost pieced together his identity:
"An Immortal Master from Celestial Revelation Divine Mountain in Nanyang Continent! Do you dare kill in my Zhongyuan Continent!"
The cloaked man was initially taken aback by the words, then he laughed:
"When did I kill anyone? As long as I take back what you stole from Nanyang Continent, naturally I’ll let you go. Besides, if you die, it’s merely the price you should pay as a thief."
You Su snorted coldly, and in a flash, the Lotus Immortal Seed at his brow suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.
This, in harmony with his current demonic appearance, made You Su resemble a creature fused with both sacredness and evil.
Startled, the cloaked man’s attention was entirely captured by the golden powder color, constantly prepared for You Su’s moves.
You Su’s roar echoed to the heavens, the sound nearly shattering through clouds and stones.
Little did he know this was merely his tactic to lure the enemy, he had no stronger moves to counter the current situation.
But he succeeded! The cloaked man was deceived by You Su, and in a momentary distraction, You Su managed forcefully to break free from the constraints of the hand of Profound Qi using the power of the Lotus Immortal Seed!
You Su was going to crush the jade bead!
The cloaked man realized this immediately!
Even though he was old, his reaction was equally swift!
At this moment, he could no longer bother holding Ji Lingruo in the void with his left hand; instead, he abandoned it and performed a gesture with both hands clasped together.
Under the dual pressure from both sides, he directly crushed You Su’s hand bones and ribs, who had just grasped the jade bead.
A painful scream pierced the sky, You Su now seemed like a broken chopstick in the cloaked man’s grip.
The hope he had finally grasped also slipped from his hand due to the pain, the jade bead falling from the sky, landing beside Ji Lingruo who had been abandoned by the cloaked man earlier.
Yet, the cloaked man wasn’t concerned since Ji Lingruo had already fainted from excessive injuries and from the fall from the sky, no matter if a hundred jade beads surrounded her, she was unlikely to wake up.
"Boy! You are so insidious!"
The cloaked man enjoyed the look of agony on You Su’s face, smiling menacingly beneath the black veil.
You Su ignored his praise, his ears rang with the booming of battle sounds from his senior sister’s fight, his eyes focused on his unconscious junior sister whose lips bled continuously.
Rage couldn’t accurately describe You Su’s emotions, from his ink-black eyes, a drop of pitch-black tear fell.
"Command her."
"Command her."
The same voice echoed repeatedly in You Su’s mind, feeling oddly familiar, like he’d heard it not long ago.
"Who!"
The cloaked man shouted angrily, swiftly performed a sign, attempting to block this inexplicable transmission.
This voice persistently prompted You Su in his mind, leaving him no breath to think. Guided by it, still unwilling to submit to fate, he erupted with extraordinary strength, letting out a powerful shout:
"Crush it!"
The cloaked man was momentarily dazed, unclear about whom You Su was speaking to. Could it be that the owner of this transmission was his accomplice?
However, the other person was clearly frightened of facing him here openly.
Or was it... directed at the unconscious woman?!
He turned rapidly; his pupils contracted instantly!
Amidst the rolling grass waves, the girl who should have been unconscious opened her eyes, responding to You Su’s call, tightly gripping the jade bead!
Ji Lingruo’s azure dress had long been stained black by mud, yet her snow-white cheeks were marked with symmetrical pitch-black patterns, rendering her both eerie and alluring.
Crack.
The moment the jade bead was crushed, the cloaked man’s move was instantaneous, yet it wasn’t directed at Ji Lingruo but at fleeing with You Su.
Because he knew facing the imminent arrival of an elder, he couldn’t afford a single moment of delay!
Almost in the blink of an eye, the cloaked man and You Su vanished from the spot.
And the battle across the Quhuai River broke off instantly due to You Su’s departure, Fairy Wangshu, whose pristine white dress was torn in multiple places, gazed foolishly toward You Su’s disappearing direction, seemingly forgetting there were enemies behind her.
She no longer lingered in battle, transformed into a beam of white light chasing after them.
"Ah, ah, the righteous path is indeed righteous, truly keeps its promises, takes the lion’s share themselves, leaving me a small piece."
Cailing saw her adversary leave but didn’t pursue, instead transformed into a stream of light and headed across the bank.
The small piece she spoke of actually referred to Ji Lingruo, also possessing part of the Power of Tai Sui!
At this moment, with You Su’s departure, the black patterns on Ji Lingruo’s face gradually faded, her eyelids weakly drooped.
Suddenly feeling her collar being lifted, she turned to look, despairing, aware that no one could save her now.
Whether it be Fairy Wangshu or the Chief Elder, their primary rescue target surely should be her senior brother...
So be it...
"You cannot take her."
A cold, firm voice suddenly rang out.
It was Fairy Wangshu returning, her white clothing and plain sword blocking Cailing’s path.