The usual pair of black pupils were replaced by blood-red ones, and her originally aloof demeanor transformed in an instant into something seductive and alluring.
Wu Yan’s current appearance was exactly what he had envisioned she would look like after falling into the demonic path.
“Hahaha, I knew it!”
Despite being at a disadvantage, Sun Shengming didn’t fear but instead laughed, his laughter filled with sudden realization.
“So that’s it, you’re—”
“Shut up!”
Wu Yan had no patience to listen to his rambling.
With a flick of her right arm, the Demon-Drinking Blade dragged a trail of blood as it slashed toward his cheek.
With such a close-range attack, Sun Shengming naturally had no time to dodge.
All he could do was tilt his head, letting the blade carve a gruesome wound from the corner of his mouth.
Blood trickled down the gash, exposing yellowed gums and tongue to the air.
Sun Shengming could only clamp both hands over the wound.
“No wonder that lord specifically demanded you be captured alive.”
Because of the injury, Sun Shengming’s words came out with air leaking, and his speech was slurred and indistinct.
“The Demon-Drinking Blade is a treasure given to me by that lord. Even I can barely use it. But this Demon-Drinking Blade…”
Sun Shengming’s gaze locked firmly onto the blade beside him.
Blood still lingered on the blade, and the red light refracted by it under the glow of the Night Luminous Pearl looked especially grim.
He attempted to activate the trace of Demonic Chi that lord had left within him, but the Demon-Drinking Blade, half-buried in the ground, only trembled for a moment before falling still again.
Wu Yan merely withdrew her hand, and the Demon-Drinking Blade obediently returned to her grasp.
“You’re—”
Boom—
A loud noise came from the secret chamber’s door.
Several figures suddenly appeared before Wu Yan and Sun Elder.
The newcomers were none other than Xia Lingshuang and Yu Qingyao, among others.
At the same time, Sun Shengming had already fainted from excessive blood loss.
“Senior Sister, are you okay?”
Yu Qingyao rushed over to Wu Yan as soon as she burst in.
Just as she was about to take Wu Yan’s hand and check if she was all right, Wu Yan suddenly turned sideways, avoiding her outstretched hand.
“Hmm?”
Yu Qingyao looked at Wu Yan’s face in confusion.
A pair of malicious blood-red pupils filled her field of vision.
“Long time no see, my dear Junior Sister.”
“Why is it you?”
Yu Qingyao immediately stepped back half a step, gripping Chixiao tightly with her right hand.
“Where is my Senior Sister?”
Yu Qingyao’s instinctive reaction let “Wu Yan” know the answer to the question that had been troubling her lately.
“You really did know I was here.”
“Qingyao, what’s wrong?”
Xia Lingshuang’s voice drew nearer; the group of elders behind her also walked toward the two.
Having not stretched her muscles in a long time, this sudden turn of events gave “Wu Yan” a rare urge to cause a big commotion.
Yet the moment this thought arose, her body trembled violently.
“Wu Yan” instinctively squeezed her eyes shut as a powerful suction force pulled her Spirit Soul inward.
The Demon-Drinking Blade clattered to the ground.
The wound on her back throbbed faintly, and a strong, sharp ache surged through her eyes.
Through a haze, Wu Yan saw Yu Qingyao’s tense, hostile face.
Wu Yan instinctively blinked; light flooded her vision.
“Qingyao, what are you up to now?”
Yu Qingyao’s voice was unusually cold, completely different from how she acted toward her on normal days.
Shaking her head, Wu Yan finally saw the scene before her clearly.
Yu Qingyao stood in front of her in a defensive stance.
Behind her stood Xia Lingshuang and the others.
A faint, vague smell of blood drifted to her nose.
Her black eyes glanced sideways, and she saw the person lying on the ground, blood continuously seeping out—it was none other than Sun Elder, who had placed her in danger earlier.
She had clearly been about to lose consciousness after Sun Shengming’s attack.
How, after waking up, had things turned out like this?
“Wu Yan?”
“It’s me, Benzuo.”
“Wu Yan” stood proudly with arms crossed.
“Consider yourself lucky I came out in time! Otherwise, that bastard would have captured you.”
“Senior Sister?”
When Wu Yan’s eyes fully opened, Yu Qingyao caught sight of the familiar black pupils.
“Mm, Qingyao. We’re here.”
Feeling the familiar aura radiating from Wu Yan once again, Yu Qingyao finally relaxed.
Xia Lingshuang had just arrived in front of them.
“Lock him in the dungeon.”
The elders behind her quickly rushed to Sun Shengming and hoisted him up.
“Are you all right?”
As she spoke, Xia Lingshuang took a Spirit Recovery Pill from her Storage Bag and handed it to Wu Yan.
“I’m fine, Master.”
Wu Yan took the Spirit Recovery Pill from Xia Lingshuang and swallowed it.
Then she applied the healing medicine Lin Wan’er had given her to the wound on her back.
That said, Lin Wan’er truly deserved her title of Little Divine Doctor of Medicine King Valley.
Even though some of the experimental medicines she concocted were sometimes quite bizarre, this kind of normal healing medicine, through her hands, had a much better effect than others.
At the very least, Wu Yan could already feel a tingling, numbing sensation of growing flesh from the wound on her back.
Since Wu Yan was fine, Xia Lingshuang now had more important matters to attend to.
She walked past Wu Yan, Yu Qingyao, and the restrained Sun Shengming being dragged out, stopping in front of the stone platform filled with Spirit Stones.
The stone platform was densely covered with scratches; neither the surface nor the interior had a single intact spot.
The high-grade Spirit Stones that had been added to it had long since lost their luster.
Their originally smooth surfaces were covered in cracks.
When Xia Lingshuang casually picked one up, it crumbled into powder and dissipated.
“Master, Sun Shengming most likely destroyed the Formation Eye here.”
With one of the Mother Formations destroyed, the Sect Protecting Array was now supported solely by the Mother Formation on the Main Peak, reducing its power by at least 30%.
Because of this, as early as when Yu Qingyao came to request reinforcements, Xia Lingshuang had already ordered the other Peak Masters to station themselves at the various Formation Eyes of the Piaomiao Sect.
But even so, it would be fine if the invaders were below the Mahayana Realm.
If they were above the Mahayana Realm…
Then they could only pray that the Sect Protecting Array would hold until nightfall—at least until other sects could come to their rescue.
Silence fell.
Wu Yan bent down and picked up the Demon-Drinking Blade from the floor.
The single eye on the hilt was now completely closed.
“What is this?”
“Master, this is the tool Sun Shengming used to destroy the Formation Eye.”
A strand of Spiritual Power flowed from Xia Lingshuang’s fingertip, invading the Demon-Drinking Blade in Wu Yan’s hand.
The Demon-Drinking Blade, which had fallen into stillness, shuddered violently upon sensing Xia Lingshuang’s Spiritual Power, and a cold Demonic Chi burst forth from the blade.
Just then, intense struggling sounds erupted behind the three.
Accompanied by the startled cries of the escorting elders, the three turned to look.
Sun Shengming, who had already passed out, abruptly opened his eyes.
His eyes were completely overtaken by blood-red, with not a trace of white remaining.
“The time has come!”
As if controlled by something, Sun Shengming’s body suddenly swelled up, forcibly throwing off the elders restraining him, sending them crashing into the stone wall.
His skin began to crack inch by inch.
The wound on his left cheek now looked eerily grotesque and chilling.
“From today on, the Piaomiao Sect will become history!”
As his words fell, a deep, resonant bell tolled, echoing through every corner of the Piaomiao Sect.
Today was the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month.
It had arrived.
“Hahahaha! It’s been a long time, Piaomiao Sect!”
The deafening laughter rang out above the Piaomiao Sect on this Mid-Autumn Festival.