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Chapter 432
At dusk, the boundless yellow sand and Gobi Desert twisted and trembled due to the Yang Ling Qi. Two Spirit Swords, trailing spiritual light, passed through from a hundred-foot height. Sand rabbits peeking out of their burrows saw nothing before they reached their end.
On the flying sword in front, Ye Anping wore earth-colored robes and a sun-shading bamboo hat, paying attention to every rustle within a hundred-li radius.
Having left Seven Dragon Valley, he and Xiao Yunluo had traveled day and night, and it was already the third day. If one counted the two days for the Sword Sect’s spirit beast mounts to travel back and forth, and one day of lost contact. Ye Anping conservatively estimated that Feng Yu Die and the others had likely met with misfortune more than five days ago. He was unsure of Feng Yu Die and Yun Jiujiu’s current specific situation, but he could confirm one thing. — At least, Feng Yu Die was still alive. If Feng Yu Die had already perished, these five days would have been more than enough time for Xiao Tian to fly over crying to report the bad news. Moreover, his name had been written on the cover of the Heavenly Scroll of the Dao by Xiao Tian. Ye Anping felt that if Feng Yu Die were to die, he would definitely sense it, even if he were ten thousand miles away.
However, precisely because he knew Feng Yu Die was fine, he was somewhat puzzled by the nervousness and pressure accumulating in his chest at this moment. Worry? Why would he worry about someone who was still alive? Feng Yu Die possessed the Spring aspect spirit; for her, injuries had no severity, only a quantity of damage. Like Gu Mingxin, even if her limbs were severed, she could regrow them within ten days to half a month.
— What am I worrying about? Ye Anping frowned, pushing the annoyance in his heart away with a deep breath, and focused on channeling spiritual energy into the flying sword beneath his feet, accelerating once more.
Xiao Yunluo, who was beside him, merely glanced down at the geographical map in her hand. When she looked up again, she found herself fallen behind by more than two hundred feet. Instantly, she chased after him with a panicked expression: “Anping, wait for me…”
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Before long, the sun had also hidden its head behind the western horizon, and the scorching wind that had been blowing on their faces transformed into the unique cold wind of the Gobi Desert at night.
After three consecutive days of travel, Xiao Yunluo was indeed having trouble concentrating. She took a Spirit Gathering Pill from her storage bag and fed it to her mouth. Then she looked at Ye Anping and took out another, extending it to his lips: “Anping, Spirit Gathering Pill…”
“Mm…” Ye Anping nodded, slightly parting his lips. Just as he was about to bite into the Spirit Gathering Pill that Xiao Yunluo held, his deep purple eyes beneath his bangs suddenly narrowed, as if he had seen an unbelievable sight. Instantly, his flying sword halted in mid-air.
Xiao Yunluo, who had not reacted, naturally shot forward. “Ah?” Seeing Ye Anping suddenly stop behind her, Xiao Yunluo was taken aback. She quickly stopped her flying sword and slowly looked down, her eyes shrinking into two vertical lines. Startled, she could barely speak clearly: “Anping!! This… this this…”
“…Mm.”
Before them lay the wreckage of Immortal Ships, piled together with shattered stones and reduced to wooden chips. Over a hundred Ghost Spirit Sect disciples and Xing Tian Division disciples lay scattered in every visible corner. Broken weapons and blades lay about or stood upright. The stench of corpses mingled with the strong smell of blood. Xiao Yunluo, after only two glances, couldn’t help but cover her mouth, nearly retching.
“Yunluo, you go up and stay there,” Ye Anping said to her, seeing that Xiao Yunluo was struggling. He briefly scanned their surroundings, confirming that Feng Yu Die and Yun Jiujiu were not among them, then descended on his sword, landing beside a Xing Tian Division disciple. Holding his breath, he squatted down.
“Xing Tian Division disciple, two sword wounds to the chest, seven to the shoulder, Golden Core shattered by a stab to death. Judging by the corpse’s appearance, it’s already a bit swollen. Considering the extreme temperature difference between day and night in the Gobi, it’s been at least four days…”
“This person is a Ghost Spirit Sect disciple, beheaded with one sword. The cut is clean and precise, with no signs of scorched spiritual energy. It should be Feng Yu Die’s doing…”
“Ghost Spirit Sect disciple, ribs broken, shattered Golden Core by blunt force, no other obvious wounds. Yun Jiujiu killed him.”
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Xiao Yunluo, suspended in mid-air, watched Ye Anping inspect the Ghost Spirit Sect and Xing Tian Division disciples as if he were on a stroll. She bit her lip tightly, quickly closed her eyes, held her breath, and gathered her courage to descend. “Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, Anping isn’t scared…” she muttered. Then she slowly opened her eyes and looked at a Xing Tian Division disciple beside her. However, even after preparing herself mentally, she was still startled and jumped up.
“Ah?!” The Gobi was initially silent except for the wind. Xiao Yunluo’s shout startled Ye Anping, who was walking a bit ahead. Seeing Xiao Yunluo standing on one leg, Ye Anping walked back with a helpless expression. “Yunluo, if you’re scared, stay up there. Why did you come down?”
“N-no! I’m not scared… I just…” Xiao Yunluo slightly opened her eyes, then jumped again, throwing herself into Ye Anping’s arms. “How can immortal cultivators’ golden cicada shells rot like mortals?”
Ye Anping gently patted her back and glanced around before answering, “They were all corroded by the Ghost Spirit Sect disciples’ malevolent energy, which is why they appear like mortal deaths.”
“Anping, aren’t you scared at all?”
Scared wasn’t the right word, but uncomfortable, yes… Ye Anping shook his head and explained, “Mm… When I was about eight years old, I took my junior sister to a mortal town not far from Hundred Lotus Sect and worked as a coroner for a month.”
“Ah? Wh-why?”
“To study, I guess. I didn’t know much about that field, so I found an old mortal coroner and gave him some rare items to teach me and my junior sister the trade of being a coroner.” Ye Anping recalled Pei Lianxue’s appearance at the time and inexplicably felt like laughing. “My junior sister’s reaction was much bigger than yours. She was crying her eyes out, saying, ‘Senior Brother! I’m scared! I don’t want to!’ while dissecting corpses with a small knife. After a month of being a coroner, her eyes lost their sparkle, and she couldn’t even eat meat afterward. I had to try many ways to help her recover.”
… No wonder Lian Xue sometimes exuded such intense killing intent…
Xiao Yunluo recalled when she was caught by Lian Xue and saw Lian Xue’s vacant eyes, she shivered and then looked up at him, her brows furrowed. “Anping, why were you when you were eight years old…”
“You can ask my junior sister when you have time,” Ye Anping gently interrupted. He then scanned the surroundings again and continued, “Senior Sister Feng and the others’ flying boat must have crashed into a pillar while fleeing the Ghost Spirit Sect, and then they were surrounded by the Ghost Spirit Sect. But judging by the situation, they seem to have broken out.”
Just as he finished speaking, a golden light flashed in his peripheral vision. Ye Anping slowly raised his head and saw Xiao Tian floating in front of him, staring at him with an unreasonable gaze.
Seeing Ye Anping notice her, Xiao Tian immediately crossed her arms and berated him: “Anping!!! Can you and Xiao Girl show some discretion about the occasion when you’re being lovey-dovey?! Look around!! Look at your feet!! I saw you hugging Xiao Girl from miles away!! Humph!!”
… Xiao Tian pouted her head in annoyance, but seemingly not enough, she rushed forward and stood on Ye Anping’s head, stomping her feet furiously, kicking his head. “Anping!! Do you know what Yu Die and the others went through?! Do you know how much Yu Die wished for you to save her?! It was just a little bit! Just a little bit more and Yu Die would have—! Anping, you still have the leisure to be hugging and kissing Xiao Girl here.”
Ye Anping could see that Xiao Tian was venting her emotions, but after a sigh, he still said, “I’m not omniscient. What were you doing at the time?”
“Ah… I I… I helped too!! I protected those Xing Tian Division disciples, and gave some of Emperor Sheng’s spiritual energy to Yun Jiujiu and the others. I also punched that dark and greasy guy!! If it weren’t for me, Yu Die…”
It seemed this useless thing, Xiao Tian, had actually been of some use this time… Ye Anping sighed softly, “Alas…”
Xiao Yunluo, in Ye Anping’s arms, was startled when he suddenly started talking to someone. She raised her head, looked around, and asked, “Anping, who are you talking to?”
“A golden ghost.”
? Xiao Tian suddenly froze, then rained a flurry of punches onto Ye Anping’s head. “Waaah—! Anping! Who are you calling a ghost!! Do you believe I won’t talk to you anymore later! Waaah—”
If only… Ye Anping sighed softly. Seeing Xiao Yunluo in his arms seemed to be frightened, her eyes scanning their surroundings in terror, he let out a helpless breath. He released Xiao Yunluo, walked a few steps aside, then took out a thick stack of Fire Element Talismans from his storage bag, threw them out with a wave of his hand, and then formed hand seals, making sure each talisman landed on a Xing Tian Division disciple. Afterward, with another wave of his hand, he collected all the storage bags of these Xing Tian Division disciples into his own storage bag, preparing to hand them over to Fu Xuan and Yue Xuanming after returning to Sword Gate Pass. This was all he could do now.
Ye Anping cupped his fists and bowed his head, sighing softly, “The green hills bow their heads, the river water weeps. Fellow Daoists, please rest in peace.”
Hearing this, Xiao Tian stopped her actions, and Xiao Yunluo also came back to her senses. They clasped their hands together, bowed their heads, and closed their eyes, silently praying for these Xing Tian Division disciples who had returned to dust.
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*Swish—*
A breeze blew, and the talismans that fell on them turned into specks of fire, forming a continuous sheet of flames, illuminating half the sky on the Gobi Desert under the night sky. Two flying swords pierced through the embers and stopped in the sky above.
Xiao Yunluo looked down, pursed her lips slightly, and asked, “Anping, since Second Fool and the others broke out, could they have already headed to Sword Gate Pass?”
“No,” Ye Anping glanced at Xiao Tian and replied, “They are hiding in that valley to recuperate.”
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Under the night sky, the fire that suddenly appeared twenty miles away, like a beacon fire, reached the entrance of the cave in the valley. A Xing Tian Division disciple on guard outside the cave entrance, as if facing a formidable enemy, quickly ran back into the cave to Yun Jiujiu, who was bandaging other Xing Tian Division disciples. “Second Miss Yun! They’re burning!!”
“Ah? What’s burning?”
“Uh… Senior Brothers and Sisters.”
Yun Jiujiu didn’t understand, but she suddenly saw half the sky outside the cave entrance illuminated by fire. She immediately stood up and rushed to the cave entrance. Seeing the place where she and Feng Yu Die had fought the Ghost Spirit Sect engulfed in flames, her temper flared up like the fire. “Damn it! Who’s the bastard burning our people?!” she cursed. Turning around, Yun Jiujiu ran back into the cave, shouldered the Spirit Sword leaning against the wall, and prepared to fly over and attack. The Xing Tian Division disciple behind her was terrified and quickly grabbed her waist. “Second Miss Yun! Calm down! Calm down!!”
“Calm down my ass!! They’re burning our people!!!”
As if hearing the commotion at the entrance, Feng Yu Die, who was inside, also came out. Feng Yu Die was wearing clean white clothes and had a worried expression. Seeing Yun Jiujiu making a fuss at the entrance, she hurried forward and pulled her back. “Jiujiu, what are you doing?”
“Someone’s burning our people!! My dear, you stay here, I’m going out to chop that bastard!!”
“Calm down…” Feng Yu Die was stunned for a moment, then peered through the side of the cave entrance. What greeted her eyes was a sea of fire that dyed the night sky red, and two flying swords approaching them from overhead. As she squinted and recognized Xiao Tian by the side of the two people on the flying swords, a tear flashed in her golden eyes beneath her silver bangs. She sniffled softly. “Sniff…”
Yun Jiujiu was stunned and looked at her in confusion. “Huh? Feng Yu Die, why are you crying?!”
“Sniff… Waaah…” Feng Yu Die raised her hand and wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with the back of her hand. Her tongue seemed to be unable to control itself, and she stammered, “Roasted chicken… Roasted chicken is here…”
? “What?!”
Just as Yun Jiujiu was confused, Ye Anping and Xiao Yunluo landed at the cave entrance on their flying swords. Seeing Feng Yu Die crying torrentially, Xiao Yunluo was stunned, as if she had unlocked a new expression for the “Second Fool,” seeing the Second Fool cry for the first time. Ye Anping dismounted from his flying sword and, seeing Yun Jiujiu’s wary gaze beside Feng Yu Die, quickly took off his bamboo hat and cupped his fists. “Second Miss Yun, I, Ye, have arrived late…”
Before he could finish speaking, Feng Yu Die leaped forward like a hungry wolf pouncing, crashing headfirst into Ye Anping’s stomach before he could dodge, making him grit his teeth and hold back a vomit. “Roasted chicken!! Waaahhhh—!!! Roasted chicken!!”
… Ye Anping sat on the ground, listening to her words and looking at Feng Yu Die who had pounced into his arms. He took a deep breath, then grabbed her ear and lifted her up. “Ouch ouch ouch…” Feng Yu Die cried out in pain, patting his hand and begging for mercy. When Ye Anping let go, Feng Yu Die sat pouting in front of him, sniffled, wiped her nose with her wrist, and then smiled at him foolishly, greeting him with a silly grin. “Heh heh… Young Master Ye, you’re here.”
Looking at her silly smile, Ye Anping inexplicably felt the pressure on the road dissipate, his shoulders relaxing, and he let out a long sigh. “Alas… Mm, I’m here.”
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