Bao Gu was met with silence.
Yu Mi whispered to Bao Gu, “Be careful!” and disappeared again.
Bao Gu sensed something was off.
She frowned slightly and sent a message in all directions, “Senior Brother Nan Yi, I still call you Senior Brother because Master Chen is waiting for you to return. I believe you wouldn’t betray the sect and master who raised you for over a decade unless you had no choice. Senior Brother Nan Yi, I once resented you, but as fellow disciples, if we can reconcile, I would rather not see this end in bloodshed. The Xuantian Sect may have been weak before, but now we have four Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Even compared to the forces in Xuanyue Ancient City, we are not weak.”
Yu Mi’s voice suddenly echoed from the forest, “Anyone who takes another step, don’t blame me for being ruthless with my sword.”
Bao Gu immediately knew her words hadn’t scared everyone off; some were still approaching stealthily, ready to strike.
She left a “Substitute Talisman” and a “Sound Transmission Talisman” in place and quietly left under the cover of a concealing treasure.
She whispered to the little celestial fox beside her, “Ling’er, stay alert. Our strength is weak; we are no match for them. Don’t rush into a direct confrontation.”
The little celestial fox nodded, crouched down, and followed Bao Gu stealthily.
Bao Gu understood that if she couldn’t scare or persuade them, a life-and-death battle was inevitable.
She sighed heavily and sent another message in all directions, “I have a precious treasure on me, and it belongs to me. Even if you kill me, you won’t be able to take it. If we fight, I believe few of you will survive. Do you really want to risk mutual destruction for something that doesn’t belong to you?”
A deep voice responded, “Bao Gu, since you know it will end in mutual destruction, why not hand over the treasure and make everyone happy?”
Bao Gu cursed inwardly, “Shameless,” and was about to speak when she suddenly heard Lü Wendao’s voice echoing through the forest, “How can such excitement be without me! Bao Gu, I’m here to help you.”
A sharp voice rang out from the forest, “Lü Wendao, this is a grudge between the Ning family and them. Do you want to interfere?”
Lü Wendao, unusually serious, said, “Ning Ying, I understand your desire for revenge for your brother. There’s a saying, ‘A gentleman’s revenge is never too late.’ The Ning family is powerful and has many experts. Why worry about not getting your revenge after leaving this place? If you don’t have the support of your family now and fight against the highly skilled Yu Mi, you won’t gain any advantage and will put yourself in danger. If you’re after Bao Gu’s treasure, I advise you to stop. If her treasure could be taken, it wouldn’t be your turn to act.”
“Who would have thought the young master of Qingfeng Pavilion would bow to a small sect? Lü Wendao, aren’t you ashamed of disgracing your father?”
Lü Wendao replied, “This is not disgraceful. I’m just advising everyone that the opportunity to enter the Primordial Ruins comes only once in a lifetime. Instead of using it to kill Bao Gu, why not use it to seek opportunities in the ruins? If we fight, haha, be careful that few people will be left in the ruins, and the forces outside will cause another bloodbath.”
A ghostly voice said, “Lü Wendao, who are you threatening? A mere Qingfeng Pavilion is nothing to me.”
Lü Wendao nonchalantly said, “I’ve given my advice. If you insist, then go ahead.”
Bao Gu found a crevice in a rock to hide in.
She saw the little celestial fox looking up at her with big, curious eyes, wondering why she was hiding.
She quickly made a shushing gesture and whispered, “My cultivation is weak; my job is to hide well.”
As she spoke, she suddenly felt the Substitute Talisman and Sound Transmission Talisman she left behind being destroyed.
The little celestial fox rolled its eyes at Bao Gu, leaped out of the crevice, and went to find Yu Mi.
Bao Gu then heard a stranger’s voice, “Wendao, I’ll give you this face. Remember to treat me to a drink later.”
Lü Wendao’s voice replied, “Definitely!”
Another angry voice shouted, “Xu Bufan, what do you mean? Are you scared?”
Xu Bufan laughed, “It means nothing! Dozens of men surrounding and bullying two girls is really meaningless. Second Brother, I’m leaving. Are you coming?”
“Of course, I’ll go with you, Big Brother.”
Lü Wendao loudly said, “Those who are leaving, report your names. I’ll host a banquet at Qingfeng Tavern later, with fine wine and delicacies, and third-grade monkey wine for everyone to drink to their heart’s content!”
“Lü Wendao, you have quite the nerve!”
Before the person finished speaking, a strong energy fluctuation erupted from the forest.
The crisscrossing sword energy cut down century-old trees, showing the extraordinary strength of both sides.
Bao Gu shivered involuntarily at the sudden commotion.
She knew without thinking that her senior sister was fighting someone.
Determined to stay hidden, Bao Gu could no longer hold back.
She wanted to help her senior sister and couldn’t bear to see Yu Mi fighting alone.
She hesitated, then grabbed all the Nascent Soul stage talismans from her storage bag and activated the sword intent of the Xuantian Sword in her dantian.
She stepped on her flying sword and rushed out of her hiding place, shouting, “Lü Wendao, take Hongchen and leave now. Go!”
Lü Wendao’s voice responded, “Leave? Why?”
Bao Gu shouted urgently, “Go to the entrance of the Primordial Ruins. My senior sister will take you away soon. Hurry!”
Lü Wendao exclaimed, “Could it be…” and then shouted, “Hong Chen, go!”
Hong Chen hesitated, “Senior Brother…”
Lü Wendao, exasperated, shouted, “Go!” and grabbed Hong Chen arm, rushing towards the entrance of the Primordial Ruins.
Lü Wendao’s hurried departure felt like an escape.
Sensing something was wrong, a dozen figures soared into the sky, following Lü Wendao towards the entrance.
A young man in his early twenties asked, “Wendao, what’s going on?”
The voice belonged to Xu Bufan, who had just given Lü Wendao a favor.
Lü Wendao said solemnly, “Bao Gu has the Xuantian Sword, left by the founding ancestor of the Xuantian Sect. It’s a ghost sword of the Void Tearing stage! When that sword is drawn, even peak Nascent Soul stage experts will fall. Nanshan Yijian, after sensing the sword’s intent at the Xuantian Sect, made a contract with Bao Gu to stay there and protect the sect for a hundred years while comprehending the sword’s way. If Bao Gu is forced to use that sword, even Nanshan Yijian might not withstand its power, let alone us!”
Xu Bufan exclaimed, “Is that true?”
Lü Wendao glanced at Xu Bufan and said, “Brother Xu, why do you think Qingfeng Pavilion chose to ally with the Xuantian Sect? Why did the Taiyin Sect pay a huge price and send a supreme elder to act? Why did my grandfather personally protect Bao Gu? Why does the Duobao Spirit Monkey follow Bao Gu so loyally? Why did Nanyi betray the Xuantian Sect and persuade you to surround and kill Bao Gu? If he stayed at the Xuantian Sect, he wouldn’t lack Duobao Spirit Monkey’s wine!”
Hong Chen silently glanced at Lü Wendao without saying a word.
Another twenty or thirty figures rushed towards the entrance of the Primordial Ruins from the forest.
Before they got far, they felt a powerful energy fluctuation behind them, as if four or five Nascent Soul stage cultivators were attacking simultaneously!
When they sent out their divine senses, they saw Bao Gu in mid-air, the energy fluctuation coming from four Nascent Soul stage talismans she had just released.
The four talismans flew in all directions around Bao Gu, enveloping her in a storm of Nascent Soul stage talisman energy.
Several cultivators charging at Bao Gu were caught in the talisman energy.
Two of their protective treasures shattered within a few breaths.
The other three, after losing several treasures, managed to escape the talisman energy, staggering towards the entrance of the Primordial Ruins.
Bao Gu sat cross-legged on her flying sword, surrounded by the light of Nascent Soul stage treasures, shining like a star.
She held a wine gourd in her left hand, drinking mouthfuls of wine, the rich aroma wafting through the air.
In front of her were over a dozen talismans, each emitting Nascent Soul stage energy.
The talismans were made from various materials: beast bones, rare spirit wood, top-grade blood jade, and beast skin or scales.
None of them were the same.
An arrow, carrying a powerful energy fluctuation, shot out from the forest, aiming directly at the talismans in front of Bao Gu.
If the arrow triggered any of the talismans, Bao Gu would be caught in the explosion of over a dozen Nascent Soul stage talismans.
Even with her protective treasures, she wouldn’t survive.
Sensing the killing intent, Bao Gu unhesitatingly released a Nascent Soul stage talisman towards the direction of the arrow.
She then stood up, collected the talismans, and disappeared.
A few breaths later, another Nascent Soul stage talisman exploded in the forest.
The talisman transformed into a half-dragon, half-snake beast, attacking a cultivator rushing out of the forest.
The beast bit the head of the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator and exploded, turning everything within three meters into dust and affecting a ten-meter radius.
Two figures narrowly escaped the explosion, heading straight for the entrance of the Primordial Ruins.
Bao Gu appeared above the explosion.
She pursed her lips and said, “Although my strength is weak, I can still kill ten or eight with these talismans.”
She looked towards the area where the intense sword energy battle was taking place.
The battle was fierce, with sword energy enveloping one side, occasionally revealing two figures clashing.
Suddenly, Bao Gu felt someone watching her.
She turned to see a man in a black robe, holding a golden fan, charging at her.
Bao Gu immediately released a Nascent Soul stage talisman towards him.
