After Refusing Marriage to the Dao of Slaughter Patriarch (23)

Lu Dengming was slightly absent-minded. Under his astonishment, he couldn't even hold the magical artifact in his hand steadily. His eyelashes trembled slightly, and an indescribably downcast expression appeared on his face, as if his heart had truly been broken. With a pale face, he murmured, "Daoist Ji..."

Qi Baishan's originally playful expression stiffened slightly when Lu Dengming spoke. Evidently, this form of address reminded him of something, and his expression turned slightly solemn.

His flesh and blood had already been tempered into a demonic body at this time, and naturally, his eyes were the same; they could no longer see normal things. Everything in his field of vision was a hazy expanse of blood-red, which was better suited for detecting cultivators possessing spiritual energy, though their original function had degraded significantly.

Qi Baishan looked at the cultivator blocking his path, vaguely recognizing his white clothes and waterfall-like black hair. However, it wasn't the appearance of the person he had been thinking about these past few days—it was just a shared surname. The person before him was one of the cultivators from that great world; what connection could he possibly have with his senior brother? Qi Baishan consoled himself like this, but his heart only grew more anxious.

Ji Zhaixing stood in front of them, casually using the Wind Control Art to bring over the two still-injured cultivators. His white clothes were untainted by a speck of dust, and his expression was indifferent. Perhaps there was guilt in his eyes, but right now, his raven-wing-like eyelashes drooped, casting a layer of dense shadows on his fair skin.

"I am not a member of the Wujing Sect," Ji Zhaixing said. "Rather, I am a cultivator from the Lower Three Thousand Worlds. I came here to find the disciples of my sect."

The two cultivators from the Jinghua Dao and the Bumeng Sect were clearly stunned. They couldn't figure out why anyone from their lower worlds would enter this dragon's pool and tiger's den to look for someone.

Meanwhile, Qi Baishan, who had been deceiving himself, truly froze. The earth-shattering feeling he experienced was even more distinct than Lu Dengming's earlier.

All the characteristics matched. Besides his senior brother, who else would enter this bizarre mystic realm? And his despicable appearance—hands covered in blood, having succumbed to a bloodthirsty demonic path—had completely fallen into Ji Zhaixing's eyes.

Qi Baishan simply couldn't dare to imagine how his senior brother would view him like this...

The secret he wanted to hide the most had been cut open and exposed to the daylight before he could even meticulously design a cover-up. Qi Baishan's pale lips parted slightly, and he finally asked, "What are you doing here?"

There were so many hidden dangers lurking here.

One might fall from their Dao path and never enter the cycle of reincarnation—

Qi Baishan only had to imagine that his senior brother might experience what he had encountered to be unable to suppress the killing intent that was on the verge of erupting.

But the words he finally spoke to Ji Zhaixing were nothing more than a fearful and trembling sentence. He couldn't bear to say a single harsh word.

The black-haired cultivator stood in front of them, his back straight as bamboo. He clearly had an extremely thin and gaunt figure, yet at that moment, he seemed incredibly robust, firmly sheltering them behind him.

No matter how dense Yong Lianyin was, he vaguely realized something, and his expression became uncomfortable.

Lu Dengming had already sobered up from the earlier blow. Looking at the people being protected behind Ji Zhaixing, he actually felt a faint hint of jealousy.

No wonder... Daoist Ji would feel compassion for those two cultivators.

He realized that his previous behavior was truly unseemly. He hadn't treated these lower-realm cultivators as equal Daoist cultivators; instead, he had considered himself superior. He couldn't help but smile bitterly. "I don't blame you, nor do I have the right to blame you."

What truly saddened Lu Dengming was that when Ji Xing aimed his sword at him, his heart felt like dead wood, and an unspeakable sourness and bitterness fractured within his chest.

So this was what it felt like to stand against him.

Seeing Lu Dengming's expression, Yun Liu could roughly guess his stance.

The sword in his sleeve had been shaken into his hand. The translucent white blade contrasted with his hand, which was as exquisite as a jade carving. Every frown and smile was the picture of a jade-like gentleman. Yun Liu bore a compassionate expression as he said to Ji Zhaixing, "Daoist's righteousness and bravery are truly moving. Since that is the case, you may take those two cultivators away, and I will not hold it against you for killing—" He paused slightly and didn't continue, but his eyes coalesced with coldness, looking somewhat similar to his master's heartless appearance.

"But these two people behind you, straying into the demonic and bordering on monstrous, have slaughtered over ten disciples of the Chunming Sect. The Mingling Sword Sect cannot sit idly by and ignore this."

"I will not let them go. Daoist may take the other two and leave." Yun Liu's tone was indifferent. The coercion of the peak of the Nascent Soul realm poured out, enough to make almost every cultivator with a cultivation level lower than his tremble in fear.

In fact, Yun Liu had a favorable impression of Ji Zhaixing. He even highly appreciated the strike Ji Zhaixing had executed just now.

However, this slight favorable impression was not enough for him to surrender his interests at this moment and let them leave.

Ji Zhaixing's current cultivation and sea of consciousness were only around the mid-Golden Core stage, more than a major realm apart from Yun Liu.

Yet facing a peak Nascent Soul cultivator in their prime, he didn't reveal any fear, maintaining his peaceful expression from before.

Seeing Yun Liu's sharp, undisguised killing intent, he actually smiled slightly. The corners of his lips quirked up like melting ice and snow. Because of this smile, endless radiant charm seemed to bloom on that ordinary-looking face.

Ji Zhaixing said, "The one you want to kill is my junior brother."

The clear light in his eyes was like a subtly sheathed blade.

His sword intent soared to the heavens, refusing to yield a single inch.

Qi Baishan finally couldn't hold back that bit of sorrow. His mind felt like it had been struck a heavy blow, and he dizzily called out to him: "Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother... I'm sorry."

Ji Zhaixing's tone was calm: "You did nothing wrong."

Yun Liu also raised his eyebrows. Although he looked like a gentle gentleman, when his killing intent flared, it was extremely terrifying, pointing straight at Ji Zhaixing. Lu Dengming was like someone who had just awakened from a dream at this moment. He stepped forward to restrain Yun Liu's magical artifact, slightly panicked: "Martial Uncle Yun, you can't!"

Yun Liu's gaze was as gentle as water, but his strength didn't decrease by a single bit. Although Lu Dengming blocked him, he didn't slacken, only calmly and smilingly questioning him: "Dengming, are you going to disobey your elders for him?"

The Mingling Sword Sect had a strict hierarchy. Cultivators with special identities like Yun Liu, who occupied the position of the head disciple of a Soul Splitting Realm patriarch, held transcendent status. Lu Dengming's face paled slightly, but he still stood in front of Yun Liu, stubbornly saying, "This disciple knows his wrong."

He knew his wrong, but he wouldn't change it.

Yun Liu was almost angered to the point of laughing by him.

Looking at Ji Zhaixing, Qi Baishan wanted to tug at his sleeve, but conscious of his hands being covered in blood and filth, he stopped his movement and silently moved in front of Ji Zhaixing.

"There is no reason for Senior Brother to handle the disaster this disciple caused on my behalf."

He seemed to want to force a smile, but he truly couldn't smile anymore.

"...Senior Brother." Qi Baishan closed his eyes slightly. The scarlet things before him seemed to remind him of how different he was from before.

I once said I would never let you suffer even half a point of harm, yet time and time again, I have made you fall into danger and captivity.

He had fallen into the demonic path, failing his elders. If he were to drag Ji Zhaixing into danger again, he would truly be beyond redemption.

Qi Baishan had already seen that the sword-wielding man's cultivation was at least at the Nascent Soul realm. How could he possibly let Ji Zhaixing rush ahead of him?

At the same time, Yong Lianyin's palms were sweaty. He didn't dare to look at Ji Zhaixing, as if doing so would prevent Ji Zhaixing from discovering his current wretched state. He envied Qi Baishan, who didn't have to give anything to be favored in every possible way by Ji Zhaixing, to the point that even the protection offered to him felt like an afterthought.

But he still wanted to stand in front of Ji Zhaixing.

Even if his semi-immortal artifact was completely destroyed and his soul scattered, he would not hesitate.

Ji Zhaixing said, "Junior Brother, you look like you're about to cry."

"It's not as if we're being parted by life and death."

Ji Zhaixing's tone was helpless, yet it seemed to carry a hint of teasing amusement, making Qi Baishan fiercely wipe his eyes.

After teasing, the black-haired sword cultivator's gaze fell on Yun Liu again, calmly estimating the disparity in strength between them.

It wouldn't be difficult to escape from Yun Liu's hands. The only variable... was Tang Huaimeng, who was currently standing to the side with an unpredictable, gloomy expression.