Deng Qing ignored the person who was speaking to her and continued to approach Zhang Yan.
The two guards watching Zhang Yan stood up. The Burly Man on the left pointed at Deng Qing and shouted, "Hey, I'm talking to you, are you possessed?"
"Who is this kid?"
Someone asked loudly.
The man with the eight-character mustache said, "This fellow was working for Xiong Zhen. We ran into him on the road and came back together."
Who will work for me?
From the crowd, a burly figure stepped forward; it was Xiong Zhen.
The fat man pointed at Deng Qing, "Isn't this the one with you?"
Xiong Zhen looked at Deng Qing, his brows furrowing. He felt the face was familiar, but he couldn't remember where he had seen her before.
Deng Qing laughed, "Brother Xiong, what's wrong? Don't you recognize me?"
Xiong Zhen's eyes widened suddenly, but he still couldn't recognize Deng Qing had transformed into Xie Xuan's appearance.
When he was capturing Li Cheng in Yanshan Prefecture, he was exposed by Deng Qing and then chased by a group of Martial Exam Student.
But back then Deng Qing was using his true identity; now he's wearing Mongqi Hide and Xie Xuan's disguise.
Xiong Zhen naturally didn't recognize him.
"Who are you..."
"But I recognize you! Hello, prepare to die!"
Before he finished speaking, Deng Qing had already activated the Collapse Step, taking a step forward and instantly closing the distance.
Before Xiong Zhen see anything, Deng Qing was already in front of him. With a move called " Phoenix Swaps the Nest," Deng Qing turned and struck Xiong Zhen squarely in the chest with his elbow.
Before Xiong Zhen could even react, his chest suddenly caved in.
The next instant, he was sent flying, spitting blood in mid-air. Finally, he crashed heavily into the two men and fell onto the stone steps, his fate unknown.
"Enemy attack!"
Before the exclamations could even begin, Deng Qing had already crashed into the crowd, like a hurricane sweeping into a pile of fallen leaves.
The men hastily drew their weapons, but before the blades could even point at Deng Qing, their faces were already empty.
The next instant, screams erupted one after another.
A man was struck in the chest and sent flying, crashing into Stone Pillar and splattering blood everywhere.
Another man swung his knife in pursuit, but before he could even turn halfway around, Deng Qing lifted him up and slammed him, knife and all, into the crowd.
In an instant, the sounds of bones shattering and weapons breaking filled the air. Deng Qing charged straight at Zhang Yan, and anyone who dared to stand in his way was met with a brutal beating.
In a few swift movements, several figures flew out one after another, and upon landing, they were mostly half-dead.
The crowd was filled with shock and anger, and no one dared to rush to the front. Instead of shrinking inward, the encirclement was pushed outward by Deng Qing.
In the blink of an eye, Deng Qing had rushed in front of Zhang Yan. The two guards who were watching Zhang Yan pounced on him, but he knocked them away one after another.
Deng Qing suddenly reached out and grabbed Zhang Yan's wrist.
Zhang Yan suddenly looked up, his bloodshot eyes filled with ferocity. He opened his mouth and roared, his hands reaching straight for Deng Qing's throat.
Deng Qing was prepared.
A smear of blood emanated from his palm, quickly spreading along Zhang Yan's arm. In the blink of an eye, the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood transformed into a thin, cicada-wing-like blood membrane, completely covering Zhang Yan's entire body.
The instant the Blood Baleful Intent attached itself, Deng Qing could clearly feel that the blood energy within Zhang Yan's body was violent and chaotic, like a volcano about to erupt.
But Zhang Yan's eyes no longer held fierceness; instead, they held confusion.
Deng Qing knew that this was because the blood membrane had closed, the external traction was cut off, and others could not control Zhang Yan temporarily.
In addition, the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood has the miraculous effect of suppressing different blood types. Deng Qing enveloped Zhang Yan in the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood, and Zhang Yan remained completely still.
With a firm resolve, Deng Qing grabbed Zhang Yan, hoisted him onto his shoulder as lightly as if he were carrying a bundle of straw, and turned to leave.
A man with a knife was blocking the way. When he saw Deng Qing rushing towards him, he shouted and yelled, seemingly trying to back away from Deng Qing.
Deng Qing ignored him and continued charging forward. The burly man with the knife yelled and dodged to the side.
Deng Qing's feet moved in disarray, drawing circles in succession, her flowing sleeves fluttering as she swept out of front of the hall.
Stop him!
"Don't let him get away!"
"You scoundrel, release the man!"
A cacophony of shouts and curses erupted immediately.
Many men raised their weapons high, shouting until their faces were red and their necks were thick, but when they saw their comrades lying on the ground in tragic condition, their feet seemed to be rooted to the spot.
By the time they finished their shouting, Deng Qing's figure had already disappeared into the distance.
After Deng Qing left, the area in front of the palace was in complete disarray.
Many people clutched their wounds and groaned; for a moment, resentment soared to the heavens.
Soon, the focus of the struggle shifted to the fat man, the mustachioed man, and the thin man who had brought Deng Qing back.
" Zhao Laosan, Liu Laosi, Sun Laoba, look what you've done!"
"How did you lead the enemy here?"
Are you three blind?
The three remained silent, but the insults from the crowd grew increasingly offensive.
The fat man got angry too, and snorted, "How would I know? He was wearing a red scarf and said he was working for Xiong Zhen. I asked him before bringing him back!"
The crowd persisted, continuing their tirade.
The man with the eight-character mustache angrily retorted, "What kind of skill is it to bully the weak? That bastard hasn't gone far yet. Whoever's capable, go chase after him! All you do is yell at us. What kind of skill is that?"
The shouting in the arena paused.
The skinny man retorted angrily, "Tell me, that guy could be at the Bone-Forging Realm? Does Bone-Forging Realm have that kind of strength?"
That bastard charged into the crowd and killed seven or eight people in the blink of an eye. Anyone who got near him died! We were lucky to escape with our lives!
For a moment, no one answered.
"Drag Xiong Zhen up here and ask him what exactly happened!"
Finally, someone remembered Xiong Zhen.
The group carried Xiong Zhen over, intending to ask Deng Qing about his background, but after helping him up, they discovered that the blood from the corner of his mouth had stopped flowing, and his chest was dented in a large area.
One of them reached out and checked Xiong Zhen's breathing, then took his pulse. After more than ten breaths, he slowly shook his head.
The crowd felt extremely stifled as they looked at Xiong Zhen's sunken chest.
This isn't over!
Someone gritted their teeth and said, "So many of our brothers have been killed; we can't just let this go!"
Everyone echoed their sentiments, spewing harsh words one after another, but no one mentioned pursuing Deng Qing.
Deng Qing ran a long way in one breath, and only after confirming that there were no pursuers behind him did he turn into a secluded dense Dense Forest.
He placed Zhang Yan beside an ancient tree, then pulled over several thick, tough vines and wrapped them around the trunk to tightly bind his hands, feet, and waist.
Then, he withdrew the Blood Baleful Intent membrane. Sure enough, without the suppression of the Blood Baleful Intent, Zhang Yan regained his ferocity and struggled violently.
He growled incessantly, veins bulged on his forehead, and several vines creaked under the strain.
Deng Qing conjured Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood at his fingertips, separated a strand of blood, and pierced it into the wound on Zhang Yan's neck.
Next, Deng Qing circulated the Devour Heaven Scripture and began to extract the Blood Baleful Intent from Zhang Yan's body.
As soon as the extraction began, Deng Qing frowned.
The reason was that the sensation emanating from his body was similar to that he had felt when he extracted a wisp of blood from the blood pool earlier. Both contained violent and mixed baleful Sha Qi, causing his Qi-Blood to churn and making him extremely uncomfortable.
Deng Qing could sense that the Wasteland Blood within Zhang Yan's body was already extremely turbid.
The chaotic Blood Baleful Intent and his own vital Qi-Blood were already entangled, making it extremely difficult to deal with.
Deng Qing dared not incorporate the violent Blood Baleful Intent extracted from Zhang Yan's body into his Dantian. Instead, he immediately released a blood thread from his other hand to guide the extracted Blood Baleful Intent out.
Before long, drops of dark blood fell to the ground, and a foul stench spread. Deng Qing endured the discomfort and tried his best to steady the speed at which he was drawing out the Blood Baleful Intent.
Gradually, Zhang Yan began to change.
His struggles lessened, the abnormal color in his face began to fade, and his bloodshot eyes no longer stared intently at Deng Qing; his eyeballs could now move, as if he had regained a sliver of his intelligence.
After a while, Zhang Yan's Adam's apple bobbed. "Who... are you?"
His voice was hoarse, and he spoke those words with great difficulty.
Deng Qing stopped drawing blood, took out a water bottle, poured some water on his face, and slowly peeled off the Mongqi Hide.
Zhang Yan stared at him blankly, then his eyes widened suddenly, " Junior Brother Deng!"
In his agitation, Zhang Yan struggled violently, causing the vines to tighten and constrict him, making him groan.
Deng Qing quickly helped him up.
Zhang Yan exclaimed in surprise, "Why did you tie me up? How did I end up here? You took off my clothes and did that..."
Only then did Zhang Yan realize that he was shirtless, and his face instantly turned red, a look of panic flashing in his eyes.
Deng Qing took off his own robe and draped it over him, then whispered that he had just rescued him from the clutches of the Donghuang Cult.
Zhang Yan was shocked and said urgently, "Junior brother, let me go quickly! I have to go back to find Master! I was captured by the remnants of the Donghuang Cult, and Master must be in danger."
He's in a critical situation, I need to get the news to him right away, I can't let anything happen to him!
Deng Qing was dumbfounded, unsure whether Zhang Yan was truly that stupid or had been brainwashed.
Deng Qing pressed Zhang Yan down, saying, "We all know Master's abilities. Who can do anything to him? He'll definitely be unharmed."
For the time being, Deng Qing could only go along with Zhang Yan's words.
Zhang Yan calmed down slightly and said in a low voice, "Don't I look particularly ferocious right now?"
Deng Qing said, "That's not important. I want to know why Senior Brother was captured by the Donghuang Cult. Or rather, what was Senior Brother doing before he was captured by the Donghuang Cult?"
Zhang Yan said, "My master chose this Nameless Underground Palace in preparation for breaking through to a higher realm, and sent me out to guard it."
I was holding on tight when suddenly I felt a fever. At first, I could control it, but it got worse and worse, and I couldn't even see things clearly anymore...
At this point, a look of pain appeared on his face. "After that, I have no memory of anything, and I don't know how I was captured by the Donghuang Cult."
Could it be that the Donghuang Cult used Secret Method to trigger the Wasteland Blood within me?
Deng Qing shook her head. "I don't know either."
Deng Qing did not doubt that Li Dashan had detonated the Wasteland Blood within Zhang Yan's body, after all, this was not in accordance with common sense.
In Deng Qing's view, Li Dashan was using Zhang Yan as a supplement, and it was impossible for him to use the Secret Method when Zhang Yan was away from him.
"Master, could something have happened to Master as well?" Zhang Yan asked with a worried expression.
Deng Qing finally couldn't hold back any longer and said sternly, " Senior Brother, have you really never thought about why you've become like this? Have you really not doubted Master at all?"
Zhang Yan remained silent for a long time before giving a bitter smile. "I know what you want to say, Junior Brother. It's nothing more than Master making us refine the Wasteland Blood, which led to my tribulation today, isn't it?"
Deng Qing stared at Zhang Yan, thinking to himself, "Is there any doubt about this?"
Zhang Yan continued, "Actually, after arriving at Liangshan, my master told me that there were hidden dangers in the Wasteland Blood, but they were still within his control."
He also made it clear that he had his own selfish reasons for having me refine the Wasteland Blood, but he could guarantee that I would return to my original state after it was done.
I can tell that Master must have his reasons, and I don't want to pressure him.
Deng Qing frowned more and more deeply, utterly convinced. In his memory, Zhang Yan was a wise and capable young man; how could he have turned out like this?
Deng Qing took a deep breath and asked, "Did Master tell you all this before or after you absorbed the Wasteland Blood?"
Zhang Yan paused.
Deng Qing said in a deep voice, "No matter how selfish or difficult Li Dashan may be, why didn't he explain it clearly before you absorbed the Wasteland Blood?"
They told us back then that we had a choice: to train or not.
But he insisted on waiting until we absorbed the Wasteland Blood into our bodies, until these things took root within us, before he came to tell us about his selfish motives and his predicament.
As he spoke, Deng Qing pointed to the bulge on Zhang Yan's back, "Having come this far, Senior Brother, do you still have a way out?"
Zhang Yan bit his lip, a look of pain on his face.
Deng Qing gritted his teeth and said, "Your life is in his hands now, how can he expect you to understand his difficulties and hardships? Wouldn't that be ridiculous?"
Senior Brother, this is no longer just about selfishness. It's like trying to pull the ladder away after someone has climbed to the top—utterly malicious!
"Shut up!"
Zhang Yan shouted, jerking forward and tightening the vines around him. " Junior Brother Deng, Master is Master! A teacher for a day is a father for life! How can you criticize me like this!"
Deng Qing looked at him, her eyes filled with disbelief.
Zhang Yan's chest heaved, his voice firm and resolute. "Without my master, I would be nothing more than the son of a peddler, barely able to support my family."
Who knows, he might be conscripted into the army someday, die in the chaos of battle, and have no one to claim his body.
It was my master who taught me these skills, enabling me to be where I am today. How could I not repay such a profound kindness?
As he spoke, he sighed deeply and stared at Deng Qing, saying, "Junior brother, you might as well think about it carefully. If Master hadn't taken you in, let you stay at the Celebration Hall, and taught you martial arts, where could you have gone back then?"
Let alone possessing these skills today, I'd probably have starved to death long ago.
Regardless, one should not be ungrateful.
Deng Qing was speechless for a moment. He did not entirely disagree with Zhang Yan's words.
Li Dashan passed on his martial arts techniques to him, and allowed him to stay at the Celebration Hall to help him protect the Dharma and break through his cultivation barriers...
He remembered all of these things, and he thought that when he became capable in the future, he would definitely repay this kindness.
But the worst thing is to ask yourself what your original intention was.
What if Li Dashan's original intention was to specifically take in impoverished children, first showing them kindness, then passing on his skills, observing their talents, and selecting suitable individuals to absorb the Wasteland Blood?
These people came from humble backgrounds, had limited knowledge, and were filled with gratitude towards their master, so naturally they believed whatever he said.
Once the Wasteland Blood has entered the body, then the hidden dangers will be explained and the grievances will be told. Even if some people are unwilling, they will already have no way to retreat.
In short, if Li Dashan's initial intention in taking on disciples was to refine the most outstanding among them into tonics, then how should we calculate the so-called favor?
Deng Qing looked at Zhang Yan, but ultimately didn't say those words.
Zhang Yan recognized this debt of gratitude from his teacher and had already considered his own life as a sacrifice.
Deng Qing knew that at this moment, even if he said a hundred more words, Zhang Yan would only think that he was ungrateful and disrespectful to his teacher.
Ultimately, it's a clash of different values between people from two different worlds.
Deng Qing said no more. He knocked Zhang Yan and continued to remove the evil poison from him.
He couldn't let Zhang Yan witness the process of activating the Mystic Wasteland Baleful Blood.
Half an incense stick later, Zhang Yan began to cough violently, and Deng Qing stopped the detoxification process.
He could see that the massive amount of Blood Baleful Intent still lingered in Zhang Yan's body, deeply intertwined with his Qi-Blood.
When he drew the evil poison outwards, even Zhang Yan's heart pulse trembled.
If he were to force it any further, before the poison could be cleared, Zhang Yan's heart meridian would be damaged first.
Deng Qing withdrew the Blood Baleful Intent and, after Zhang Yan's breathing had calmed down, untied the vines.
Several dozen breaths later, Zhang Yan slowly woke up. The bloodshot in his eyes had completely faded, and his complexion was much more normal.
He got up, cupped his hands in thanks to Deng Qing, and said, "Thank you, Junior Brother. Although I don't know what kind of Secret Method you've practiced, it must be extremely remarkable. I will keep it a secret."
Deng Qing said, " Senior Brother, although you have been corrupted by the Blood Baleful Intent, you are not necessarily beyond cure."
If you're willing to leave here with me first, I'll find a way to cure your problems; they can be gradually healed.
Zhang Yan shook his head. "I can't leave yet. I've already sold my life to my master. I still have errands to finish, I have to go back."