Xiao Tasha furrowed her brow slightly. Chen Huan hurriedly said, "Junior Sister, don't stoop to that wretch's level. Once the Soul Summoning Banner is finished, I'll hand her over to you to deal with."
With that, he shot their cousin a chilling look and said icily, "Junior Sister Xiao has loved me with all her heart. At first, I had no interest in love between men and women, but as the days and years passed, how could a man made of flesh and blood remain unmoved? How could I bear to disappoint her kindness? A wretch like you, who knows nothing of human feeling and only pursues the Great Dao, could never understand what true affection is."
Their cousin let out a cold "Ha," but said nothing more.
Xiao Tasha assumed she'd been struck dumb. Her heart brimmed with satisfaction, and she burned a drop of her essence blood to urge the mother formation to speed up the refining. The Soul Summoning Banner suddenly flashed with light, its aura surging up and down. She hurriedly called, "Senior Brother! Quickly, drip in your essence blood. From now on, you'll be the banner's master, and the wraiths inside will never be able to resist you again!"
"Good!" Chen Huan had plotted for years, and now that he'd finally succeeded, his heart couldn't help but beat faster. He quickly cut his fingertip, forced out a drop of essence blood, and flicked it into the Soul Summoning Banner. As soon as the banner absorbed the drop, it quickly stabilized. At the same time, Chen Huan felt his mind link with it; with a single thought, he understood all its functions.
The wraiths within had hated him to the bone just moments ago, yet now every one of them was utterly obedient. They couldn't even bring themselves to think of resisting him.
"Good! Good, good, good!" Chen Huan beckoned, and the Soul Summoning Banner left its place and flew straight into his palm.
He stroked the banner, unable to contain his delight.
Xiao Tasha swayed on her feet, panting for breath. Seeing that he hadn't immediately come to support her as he usually did, she felt a little aggrieved. But then she thought of how they had labored nonstop ever since joining the sect to refine the banner. Now that their long-cherished wish had finally come true, it was only natural that his overwhelming joy had made him forget about her.
She went over and called to him in a coquettish voice, "Senior Brother." She was about to remind him how hard she'd worked when Chen Huan raised his head and gave her a faint smile. "Junior Sister, I almost forgot about you."
"It's all right..." Xiao Tasha thought he was apologizing, and her heart turned sweet. She began to answer softly, but before she could finish, the sound of a giant tree crashing down came from nearby. A web shot toward the mother formation—the Human-Faced Spider had caught up!
Xiao Tasha's expression changed. Ignoring how badly depleted she was, she urged Chen Huan, "Senior Brother, hurry! I'll control the formation and cover you for a while. Then use a Breath Concealing Talisman to meet up with me—"
Before she could finish, she suddenly felt a chill in her chest!
She stared blankly for a moment before realizing: Chen Huan was holding the Soul Summoning Banner in one hand, while his other hand was clutching a still-beating heart he had torn from her chest.
"Senior Brother... you... you..." Xiao Tasha was horrified and bewildered. She tried to say something, but blood was already gushing from the corner of her mouth, and her body crumpled to the ground.
"Don't blame me, Junior Sister." Chen Huan urged the Soul Summoning Banner to turn into a black cloud and carry him toward Luoshan City, while holding her corpse for the Talisman Tool to devour. He spoke calmly as he fled. "You said it yourself: Huang Xian and Zhang Zhongqin are gravely weakened, and the timing is wrong. The results might not be good."
"I have no choice but to use your soul and flesh to replenish it."
"You've been so devoted to me, and even tricked your own cousin, who had always treated you well, into the Soul Summoning Banner. Surely you wouldn't want all my years of toil to come to nothing at the final moment?"
"Besides, the Soul Summoning Banner will be with me day and night from now on, never leaving my side. As one of its wraiths, you'll be able to stay by my side every moment. I'm sure that makes you happy."
"That way, I'll have kept from betraying you after all."
"Chen Huan thanks you for the deep affection you showed me in this life."
"When I return to the sect, I'll find a fine burial site on the back mountain of Huaiyin Peak and, as your husband, set up a cenotaph for you. I'll make offerings to you year after year!"
As soon as he finished speaking, every trace of blood vanished from Xiao Tasha's corpse. The Soul Summoning Banner rippled like water, and Xiao Tasha appeared on its surface, her features lifelike but her expression blank.
Chen Huan reached into the banner and stroked her face. In a gentle voice, he said, "Good Junior Sister, stay right there. Your senior brother will keep his promise and take you to safety."
By now, Pei Ling had reached the edge of the Mountain Forest. But his spiritual power was completely exhausted. He couldn't use the Blood Snail Evasion Technique, and waves of dizziness pounded through his mind. The scenery before him spun and doubled, and he nearly fainted.
He knew that if he lost consciousness here, he would almost certainly die. He drew the Aversion to Life Saber and slashed his own arm!
The pain brought Pei Ling around a little, but he couldn't hold on like this for long... Forcing himself to stay calm, he glanced at Luoshan City in the distance but didn't head straight there. Instead, recalling a glimpse he'd caught from the air on his way over, he changed direction and struggled toward the nearest official road leading to the city.
Luoshan City was much larger and more prosperous than Luquan City. Pei Ling hadn't waited long beside the official road before a caravan passed by.
Seeing him covered in grime and blood, they all looked wary and uncertain. The caravan's guards even put their hands on the weapons at their waists and stared at him suspiciously.
"I'm a disciple of the Chongming Sect!" Pei Ling was already at the end of his strength, leaning on the Aversion to Life Saber just to stand. He held up his Nameplate and shouted, "I have an important sect matter to report to City Lord Duanmu. Take me into the city at once... Anyone who refuses will face the full punishment of sect law!"
Everyone in the caravan turned pale. At their leader's signal, one of the guards said, "Pardon the offense," then steeled himself and rushed forward to inspect the Nameplate. He immediately dismounted and knelt. "The Shen Family Business will obey your command!"
Before the others had even finished kneeling, they heard a thud. Looking up, they saw that Pei Ling had already collapsed, unconscious.
At the same time, in the Mountain Forest, Chen Huan was sent tumbling through the air for several yards. He slammed into a towering ancient tree, spat out a great mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground.
He didn't even dare look back. He fled, riding the Soul Summoning Banner!
Almost as soon as he left, a pool of venom splattered down. The grass and trees it touched withered instantly, and even the earth began to exude a cloud of miasma.
"Damn it... What did that little beast Pei Ling do to this monster?!" Chen Huan was nothing like the cool and collected man who had schemed against his companions earlier. His face was ashen and he was in a wretched state. As he sprinted through the forest, his mind raced. "He's only at Qi Refining Layer 4. Even if he accidentally drew the Human-Faced Spider's attention, it's chased him this far already. It should have given up by now. Why does it act as if it has a blood feud with me? Not only has it still not gone back, it's getting more and more crazed!"
"Wasn't it here to lay eggs? Isn't it afraid someone will raid its nest while it's been gone this long?!"
Just then, darkness fell over him—a spiderweb was dropping from above!
Chen Huan hurriedly changed direction. But the instant he dodged, the Human-Faced Spider lifted its abdomen high again and shot out another web.
After all, it had been hunting these cultivators for so long. Though a Foundation Establishment Realm beast was still less intelligent than a human, it had learned a few tricks.
"Monster!" Chen Huan cried out in shock and fury. Seeing that he couldn't dodge in time, he had no choice but to swallow his heartache and raise the Soul Summoning Banner to block the blow.
With a mournful cry, the banner he had just finished refining after countless trials and tribulations—formidable in the Qi Refining Stage—could do little against the enraged strike of a Foundation Establishment Realm beast. A crack appeared across it! Chen Huan sensed that two of the wraiths inside had vanished in an instant.
A few more hits like that, and this rare high-grade Talisman Tool, almost unheard of in the Qi Refining Stage, would be ruined on the spot.
Chen Huan's heart bled, and he hated Pei Ling to the bone. "That little beast had better make it back to Luoshan City safe and sound. Once I get back, I'll personally make arrangements for him!"
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