Chapter 71

As night fell, the direction of Daye Forest was filled with the mysterious roars of wild beasts, a sound of desolation. The night sky was clear, reflecting no blood, and the crescent moon hung high, forming an arc.

Just like the corner of Tuyeh's mouth, he sneered. In his eyes, Xiaohu was not even a worthy opponent, just a toy to be played with.

"Fine, if you want to die, I won't stop you." As he spoke, Tuyeh's figure darted forward!

Xiaohu felt a strong wind rush towards his face and quickly dodged to the side. Even though he had used all his strength, Tuyeh's foot still landed on his shoulder.

The sound of bones breaking echoed through the ancestral hall.

"Senior Sister Yixia, the array in this room can indeed resist the evil aura, but Xiaohu... he can't. I must go out!"

Guxuyao couldn't bear to watch Xiaohu be tortured to death by Tuyeh.

"No." Yixia blocked Guxuyao. "I know you are loyal and righteous, and I, too, wish to preserve some of Taiheng Sect's lineage. But the evil aura won't dissipate easily. Right now, entering this room only prevents it from growing further. To completely eliminate it, there is no other way but to let time erode it."

"But..."

Yixia placed her hand on Guxuyao's shoulder and shook her head heavily.

"Hmph, brat, Ling Thirty believed you had potential, but to me, your talent is nothing. Want to survive in the cultivation world? It's all about means!" Tuyeh exerted force with his foot, and Xiaohu was pinned to the ground, his arm clearly useless.

But he didn't make a sound, resilience had always been Xiaohu's strength.

"Ha, still so stubborn. Do you know, I've been watching you with disapproval for a long time. Always acting so high and mighty, do you think a little talent makes you special? Huh?" Tuyeh exerted more force, and Xiaohu's arm was completely deformed.

Just as he spoke, Xiaohu suddenly drew a dagger from his waist, gritted his teeth, and severed his own arm. Without the arm, Xiaohu's body was free. He moved like a gust of wind, the dagger gleaming with a cold light, aiming straight for Tuyeh's heart!

This was Xiaohu's ultimate move! The dagger was something he had found by chance during his cultivation near Daye Forest. It was a matter of fate, perhaps Xiaohu and the dagger were meant to be.

But at this moment, Xiaohu didn't care about these things. Though he had lost an arm, he still gritted his teeth and used all his strength. This attack was not to be underestimated!

However, Tuyeh was a senior. Xiaohu's plan was perfect, but it couldn't be completed.

"Trivial skills!" Tuyeh was too fast. Xiaohu's dagger only hit his shadow, and then Tuyeh's foot crushed his back.

The sound of vertebrae shattering echoed, but Xiaohu didn't make a single cry.

"Wasting my time, next, it's your turn." Tuyeh took the dagger from Xiaohu's hand. It was an ancient, simple-looking dagger with a dull blade, not a high-level magical treasure, but Tuyeh took it anyway.

"Boom!"

Just as Tuyeh crippled Xiaohu, a loud noise came from behind, and the evil aura in the air became even more intense!

"This is, this is the power of the Heavenly Evil Pearl!"

Yixia shouted, and the blood-red aura surrounding Taiheng Sect turned black-red. The gentle moonlight couldn't penetrate it!

"Damn!" Tuyeh glanced at the changes around him, cursed, and put the dagger into his gourd. He dared not delay and was about to enter the ancestral hall.

But suddenly, a hand grabbed Tuyeh's foot, holding it tightly.

"Let go! You useless piece of trash!" Xiaohu's spine was broken, but his hands were incredibly strong. This was his determination, to protect the people in the ancestral hall!

Tuyeh felt increasingly uncomfortable and, without hesitation, lifted his foot and stomped on Xiaohu's arm. The sound of trampling was brutal, and everyone in the ancestral hall clenched their fists, their nails digging into their flesh, but it couldn't describe the pain they felt.

Finally, Xiaohu reached his limit. The evil aura exploded him into a pile of flesh and blood, splattering Tuyeh.

"Hmph, useless..." Tuyeh cursed and was about to enter the ancestral hall, but a figure suddenly shot out from inside, moving so fast that even Guxuyao and Yixia, who were guarding the door, couldn't stop it.

"Zibi!" Guxuyao shouted. "Come back!"

But Zibi didn't turn back. She was naturally light-boned, and her cultivation technique could increase others' speed and movement. Now, she used all her strength on Tuyeh, to prevent him from approaching the ancestral hall.

"Gugu, I'm sorry, I can't watch the sunset with you anymore. The downfall of Taiheng Sect is entirely my fault. I should bear the consequences. Gugu, I'm sorry, I've caused so many deaths. I'm really useless, but when I saw him in Daye Forest that day, I really thought he was a celestial being, a celestial being who came to save me..."

Zibi turned her head, tears in her eyes. The black marks on her face quickly spread, the evil aura. Zibi couldn't turn back.

"But, but it's okay. We promised, if there's a next life, we'll still be the best of friends. We'll still watch the sunrise together, okay?" The black aura on Tuyeh's face grew darker, and he pounded Zibi's back madly, but the more he did, the faster the evil aura spread in his body.

"Zibi! No, no!" Guxuyao knelt helplessly. He was just a step away from the edge of the protective array, and he could leave, grab Zibi's hand, and pull her back.

But that was just a fantasy. It was impossible in reality.

"Promise me, okay..." Blood trickled from the corner of Zibi's mouth. Tuyeh's strength was immense, and her internal organs were already shattered.

Guxuyao sobbed, powerless. He could only watch others sacrifice themselves to save him. At this moment, he had no choice but to nod numbly.

"Thank you, Gugu. I'm really happy with the time we spent together. I hope, in the next life..."

Before she could finish, Zibi exploded. Then, Tuyeh couldn't withstand the evil aura either. Both of them turned into flesh and blood, sinking into the endless sorrow of Taiheng Sect.

The heavy blood rain fell before Guxuyao, the only one, the one and only.

Everything was quiet, and the surroundings grew darker, darker than the underworld.

The door was closed, and in the room, or rather, the entire Taiheng Sect, only Yixia and Guxuyao remained. No cultivator could survive in the black-red storm.

Recalling the day before, it was peaceful and serene. Now, it was more terrifying than the hell of asuras.

"Guxuyao, this matter, actually..." Yixia, hearing Zibi's self-blame, felt that Zibi was right. Both she and Zibi had been used by Yifeng. If they hadn't foolishly listened to Yifeng, Taiheng Sect wouldn't have faced such a disaster today.

Unfortunately, before she could finish, the power of the Heavenly Evil Pearl increased again, and a stronger force blew in, weakening the array in the ancestral hall!

Guxuyao felt the evil aura again, though much weaker than outside, but over time, it would be fatal!

Yixia also felt the evil aura, frowned, and tapped Guxuyao's nape, lifting him and placing him on a cushion.

"Senior Sister Yixia, what are you doing!" Guxuyao was still conscious, but his body couldn't move, only maintaining the sitting position Yixia had arranged.

Yixia smiled slightly and sat on a cushion beside him. "Do you still feel the evil aura entering your body now?"

Guxuyao, who had been panicked, now felt as Yixia said.

"Then it's correct. The position you are sitting in is the center of the ancestral hall's array. Although the power of the Heavenly Evil Pearl has been amplified so much, the center of the array can still protect one person. Guxuyao, I am sorry to Taiheng Sect. I deserve to die. In the future, you must..."

Yixia's face grew darker, and her speech became less fluent.

Guxuyao went mad, trying to break free from the restriction in his body, but he was powerless.

"Senior Sister Yixia, don't talk nonsense. You must live on and carry on Taiheng Sect!"

Yixia weakly shook her head. "Taiheng Sect is gone. You don't need to bear too much responsibility. The rise and fall of a sect is normal. In the future, you will be a wandering cultivator. You can take the Taiheng Sect's cultivation techniques and pass them on to someone worthy."

"No, Senior Sister Yixia, no..." Guxuyao's tears fell like rain. He had already experienced too much life and death today.

"Listen to me, I don't have much time left." Yixia breathed weakly. "Grandfather once believed you had absolute determination, but your inner killing intent was too strong. Why did he have Li Shuisheng accompany you into Daye Forest? He wanted to see if you cared about your friend's life and death. The result satisfied him, but sometimes, your killing intent is really heavy. I don't know if it's related to your past, but in the future, don't hold any grudges against Taiheng Sect. Forget what happened today. Grandfather said that if you can be a benevolent and invincible cultivator, you will be a powerful cultivator..."

Guxuyao didn't know what to say, only nodding numbly, tears streaming down his face, a feeling of release.

"Very, very good. Remember, remember what I told you today. Don't, don't waste..."

Before she could finish, Yixia's voice faded. Due to the array, Yixia didn't explode into flesh and blood but quickly disintegrated into black powder, merging with the power of the Heavenly Evil Pearl.

Sadness overwhelmed Guxuyao. The world before him was a red-black void, his mind blank, unable to think, for he was alone.

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