Bao Gu sat beside Yu Mi, waiting for her to wake up, her mind replaying the bloody scenes she had just witnessed.
“Miss Bao!”
Bao Gu heard someone calling from outside the courtyard gate. She snapped back to reality, peeked through the crack of the door, and saw a young man dressed in Qingfeng Pavilion attire standing outside. She opened the door and asked, “What’s the matter?” Before she could finish, a figure suddenly rushed towards her, clawing at her with a speed too fast to cover one’s ears. Bao Gu inwardly cursed, “Not good!” Instinctively, she activated the Nascent Soul realm jade pendant hanging around her neck and all the Golden Core realm defensive treasures on her body. She then reached for the Golden Core realm treasure sword in her storage bag, but the attacker was too fast. Before she could grab her sword, she was clawed on the shoulder. All her defensive treasures activated at once, and Bao Gu felt a tremor through all the treasures on her body. She was forced to retreat seven or eight steps, while the attacker also stepped back three or four steps.
Bao Gu took a few steps back, immediately gripped her sword, and stared warily at the person in a black robe and hat, covering themselves tightly. She instantly realized that this was a case of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind; this person must have been waiting for the opportunity to make a move on her.
Before she could think further, the person attacked again.
Bao Gu dared not fight head-on and quickly shouted, “Wait! Wait! Wait!” The person charged at her again without any pause.
His speed was so fast that Bao Gu didn’t even see how he got close before she was sent flying again. Her Golden Core realm treasures were shattered, leaving only the jade pendant on her neck. Bao Gu inwardly cursed, “Not good, Nascent Soul realm!” Only someone with at least Nascent Soul realm cultivation could shatter all Golden Core realm treasures with one palm. Terrified, she screamed, “Master, come out and save me!”
Hearing the shout, the attacker instinctively looked towards the door behind Bao Gu but saw nothing. He snorted coldly, “Trying to deceive me?” and raised his palm to strike at Bao Gu, intending to break the defensive jade pendant on her neck and abduct her.
Bao Gu seized the moment of his distraction, gripped her treasure sword tightly, and activated all the true qi in her body to perform combat techniques. She knew that even her senior sister Yu Mi, at full strength, had no power against a Nascent Soul realm cultivator, let alone herself at the fourth stage of Qi Refining. With her senior sister injured, Little Martial Aunt in seclusion, and Uncle Feng gone, no one could save her. She had to fight. She shouted, “Ancestor, save me!” Calming her mind, she sensed the sword intent in her body and guided the strand of sword intent from her dantian into the Golden Core realm treasure sword in her hand, stabbing towards the black-robed person who aimed a palm at her chest where the Nascent Soul jade pendant was.
Before Bao Gu’s sword could hit the black-robed person, she was struck by a palm in mid-air and sent flying. She crashed heavily against the screen wall inside the room, then onto a table, and finally rolled onto the ground, feeling as if her entire body was about to shatter. The jade pendant on her neck also emitted a sound of cracking. Bao Gu gasped for air, propped herself up with the sword, and saw the jade pendant on her neck full of cracks, with a faint spiritual light enveloping the cracks.
Suddenly, a figure floated out from the jade pendant and asked, “Who is it?”
Hearing this familiar voice, Bao Gu was overjoyed and called out, “Uncle Feng!” Standing before her was none other than Uncle Feng.
Uncle Feng looked back at Bao Gu and said, “I am but a divine consciousness!” He then turned his gaze to the black-robed person and said, “Hiding your head and showing your tail, a petty person, reveal your name at once!”
During Uncle Feng’s speech, Bao Gu sadly noticed her jade pendant crumbling piece by piece. After Uncle Feng finished speaking, the jade pendant turned into fragments and fell to the ground.
The person snorted coldly, “Just a divine consciousness!” and attacked Uncle Feng.
Uncle Feng shouted, “Run now!” He snatched the Golden Core realm treasure sword from Bao Gu’s hand and charged at the black-robed person.
Hearing the shout, Bao Gu, ignoring the severe pain in her body, crawled and rolled to Yu Mi’s side, scooped her senior sister into her oversized storage pouch, and jumped out of the window. She dared not use the main door because a fight was happening there, with sword lights and palm shadows swirling around. If she tried to pass through, she would surely be cut into pieces.
As soon as Bao Gu landed in the courtyard, she heard the black-robed person say, “You indeed have many treasures on you!” Then she saw her Golden Core realm treasure sword fly out and land in the courtyard, half a foot deep into the ground, right in front of her. Bao Gu inwardly called out, “Uncle Feng!” Even if it was just a piece of Uncle Feng’s consciousness, she couldn’t help but feel sad. Turning back, there was no trace of Uncle Feng’s divine consciousness in the room, only the black-robed person coming out.
Suddenly, a thunderclap exploded in the snowy sky, resonating through the clouds!
A bolt of lightning fell from the sky without warning!
The black-robed person attacking Bao Gu was startled and looked up in the direction of the lightning, murmuring, “The refining room! Could it be…” His aura suddenly became fierce, enveloping Bao Gu like a storm.
Bao Gu, only at the fourth stage of Qi Refining, stood no chance against a Nascent Soul realm cultivator with her own strength.
She heard the Duobao Spirit Monkey let out a loud “squeak,” and saw the disloyal Duobao Spirit Monkey turn into a golden light and disappear into the distance.
The black-robed person reached her in an instant, but just then, Bao Gu heard her Little Martial Aunt’s voice, “Get lost!” The black-robed person was about to grab her but retreated at lightning speed, crossing several rooftops in a blink of an eye.
Another thunderous “boom” sounded, and a bolt of lightning struck a corner of the courtyard. At the same time, a figure emitting blue smoke, holding a treasure sword, rushed out of the crater created in the corner of the courtyard, shouting, “Dare to attack while I’m in seclusion, if you have the guts, don’t run!” The voice, full of murderous intent, chased after the fleeing black-robed person under the thunderclouds.
Another thunderbolt struck.
The pursuing figure let out a painful “howl,” and a snow-white giant tail appeared out of nowhere. A beautiful woman with a snake’s tail, holding her sword against the sky, bravely faced the falling thunderbolt, then chased after the direction in which the black-robed person fled with her snake tail.
She chased for several dozen meters, and another thunderbolt struck her sword. She raised her sword to meet the attack, simultaneously using a treasure to assist her, successfully withstanding the thunderbolt. She looked around in mid-air and cursed, “To think you’ve cultivated a Nascent Soul, yet you hide and have no shame! Bullying a fourth-stage Qi Refining kid, I curse you, you shameless, sneaky person, to be stuck in the Nascent Soul realm for life!” Amidst her cursing, another small thunderbolt struck down.
Little Martial Aunt wailed, “Is this ever going to end?” She faced another thunderbolt with her sword. Suddenly, a golden light shot straight at her.
Little Martial Aunt sensed danger and struck the incoming golden light with her sword, which had just been hit by the thunderbolt. The treasure was shattered by the thunderbolt and the sword, exploding on the spot.
A voice pierced through the thunder, “Fellow Daoists, this is the sacred city of human cultivators. How can we allow a demon beast to run amok here? Let us join forces to eliminate this demon beast, or else, once she successfully transcends the tribulation, we cultivators will surely suffer.”
Little Martial Aunt angrily cursed, “You’re the demon beast, your whole family is demon beasts! If you have the guts, come out and fight openly. Hiding in the shadows and letting others take the lead, do you think others are as stupid as pigs?”
“Demon beast, surrender your life!” A figure soared into the sky.
Little Martial Aunt scolded, “It’s the Taiyin Sect again!” Amidst her shouting, another thunderbolt struck down, causing her to let out a non-human “howl” as she transformed into a giant white snake. The white snake, with its sword hanging, faced the thunderbolts in the sky.
The man who had soared high into the sky activated a treasure and struck at Little Martial Aunt, who had transformed into a white snake. Naturally, he dared not get caught in the thunderbolts and could only attack from a distance.
Little Martial Aunt, facing the thunderbolts in mid-air, had no time to deal with this treasure. With a flick of her tail, scales flew and blood splattered, and the treasure was shattered by the power of the thunderbolts.
The man shouted, “Exorcising demons and eliminating evil is our duty. How can we allow you demons to run rampant?” As he spoke, he launched several more treasures at Little Martial Aunt, who was being bombarded by thunderbolts. Little Martial Aunt was hit by the treasures, immediately covered in wounds and bleeding profusely.
Bao Gu’s eyes reddened at the sight of Little Martial Aunt’s plight in the sky. She crushed all the communication treasures her masters had given her. She shouted loudly, “Little Martial Aunt, hold on! The masters are on their way!”
Little Martial Aunt responded loudly, “I’m fine! Don’t stray too far from me!”
After the thunderbolt passed, Little Martial Aunt, reverted to her white snake form, coiled in mid-air. She was covered in blood, with dozens of deep, bone-exposing wounds inflicted by the thunderbolts and the attacking Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Her snake eyes fixed on the man, she gritted her teeth and said, “Taiyin Sect! From now on, Xuantian Sect will be at odds with you until death!”
“Ha ha ha ha, a mere demon beast dares to declare war on a cultivator sect?” The man in white’s face darkened, and he summoned several more treasures.
Seeing Little Martial Aunt severely injured, Bao Gu shouted repeatedly, “Little monkey, little monkey!”
Duobao Spirit Monkey suddenly squeezed out from a crack in the wall, “squeaked” at Bao Gu, and seemed to ponder for a moment before tossing a jug of wine to Bao Gu.
Bao Gu caught the wine and threw it forcefully at Little Martial Aunt, shouting, “Little Martial Aunt, catch!”
Little Martial Aunt’s snake tail flicked, catching the monkey wine Bao Gu had thrown. She transformed two arms, opened the jug, and took a big gulp. As the wine went down her throat, a thin layer of light emanated from Little Martial Aunt’s body, and her wounds healed at a visible speed.
Then, another thunderbolt struck.
The Taiyin Sect cultivator attacking her also launched several treasures at Little Martial Aunt simultaneously.
Little Martial Aunt, holding the wine in one hand and the sword in the other, faced the most powerful thunderbolt.
The void cracked open, and five figures rushed out almost simultaneously.
Uncle Feng’s exasperated voice sounded, “Didn’t I tell you not to seek me for help?” But he still came!
Bao Gu pointed to the sky and shouted, “The Taiyin Sect people are trying to kill Little Martial Aunt during her tribulation!”
Master Zhu, who had rushed out, had already seen the situation in the sky. He summoned his life-bound treasure and attacked the cultivator. His life-bound treasure was refined from the water essence stolen from his junior sister, and he had always felt guilty about it. Now, seeing his junior sister refining her life-bound treasure and being attacked by her mortal enemy during the process, he was enraged!
The Taiyin Sect Nascent Soul realm cultivator attacking Little Martial Aunt was instantly surrounded by four late-stage Nascent Soul realm cultivators from Xuantian Sect. The four cultivators, stronger than him, formed a killing formation and attacked him, leaving him in disarray. After a few exchanges, his head and waist were severed, his lower abdomen and dantian were pierced, and even his Nascent Soul couldn’t escape before being slain by the sword that pierced his dantian.
After killing the man, the four Nascent Soul realm cultivators dispersed to the four directions of Little Martial Aunt’s tribulation to protect her.
With no one attacking her, and with monkey wine in hand, Little Martial Aunt drank a sip of wine to withstand each thunderbolt. Even if she was injured, she could heal immediately, looking relaxed and even squinting her snake eyes.
Master Zhu couldn’t help but say, “Junior sister, save some for later. You still need to break through to the Mahayana realm!” After speaking, he glanced at Bao Gu, who was looking up at her junior sister in the courtyard with concern.
Master Feng stood beside Bao Gu and asked, “What happened?”
Bao Gu recounted everything that had happened after Master Feng left. After she finished, she noticed Pavilion Master Lu appearing behind Uncle Feng with a gloomy face. Bao Gu hurriedly said, “The black-robed person spoke, but it wasn’t Pavilion Master Lu’s voice. Pavilion Master Lu, it wasn’t you, it was someone else.” The only ones who could enter her courtyard and deceive the Qingfeng Pavilion disciples to open the gate were insiders from Qingfeng Pavilion.
Pavilion Master Lu’s face darkened to the point of dripping ink and said, “I will definitely investigate this matter.”
