With a flick of his ghostly claw, the monster energy surrounding him surged like a living thing, swiftly gathering at his fingertip into a spear aimed straight at Xie Jun's face.
Its murderous force was enough to devastate heaven and earth. With Xie Jun's current cultivation, taking it head-on would only get her killed!
Xiao Qinghe's expression changed drastically, and he quickly reached for a talisman inside his robes.
It was the life-saving Teleportation Talisman his Master had given him before they set out.
He had never expected to need it at a time like this.
So be it. At least he could save Xie Jun.
One survivor was better than none. Anything beat a total party wipe.
"Junior Sister, stop upsetting our Junior Sister from now on. Treat her well." Xiao Qinghe practically deserved an award for dedication. Even on the verge of death, he still remembered to give the female lead's romantic storyline a push. Who could possibly be more professional?
Before Xie Jun could react, he whipped out the Teleportation Talisman and slapped it hard toward her back.
The Teleportation Talisman could only transport one person, sending them directly to his Master's side, far from the heart of danger.
It truly was a treasure made for escaping death.
Xie Jun's pupils contracted sharply.
In an instant, she realized that Xiao Qinghe intended to face death alone and leave her to survive.
Shock and fury surged through her.
She swung her hand back to block him, knocking the Teleportation Talisman aside and onto Bai Liuli.
White light flashed. Before Bai Liuli could react, she vanished.
At the same time, monster energy filled the air. The Human-Faced Ghost King flicked his finger, and the spear formed from monster energy tore through the clouds beneath the moon, hurtling toward them with unstoppable force, Wind-Piercing.
There was no way they could withstand it head-on.
Gritting her teeth, Xie Jun tackled Xiao Qinghe and rolled desperately to the side.
Boom!
An explosion thundered right beside them.
Mud and stones flew. A hole six feet deep was blasted into the ground, lingering monster energy curling above it.
With power like that, a direct hit would have pulverized them.
"The Demon-Slaying Sect calls itself the greatest sect under heaven, so lofty and proud, looking down on everyone else. Yet all you can do is run?" The Human-Faced Ghost King scoffed. Disdaining to act himself, he swept his sleeve. "Ghost Slaves, eat them!"
Dozens of Ghost Slaves opened their eyes in unison all around them.
Pairs of eerie green eyes swayed in the dense forest, each accompanied by a copy of Xiao Qinghe's face. The sight was sinister and horrifying.
The Ghost King floated in midair, cackling as he waited for the Ghost Slaves to overwhelm Xie Jun and Xiao Qinghe and devour them.
It would certainly be entertaining.
Meanwhile, Bai Liuli was teleported elsewhere and crashed straight into someone.
He caught her, a trace of urgency in his cool voice. "My disciple?"
But when he looked closely, she was not the disciple he had been longing to see.
His gaze shifted to the Teleportation Talisman fluttering to the ground, its glow spent, and turned sharp. "Why did you have Qinghe's Teleportation Talisman? What did you do to him?"
Bai Yuqing, always aloof and untouchable, never one to show his emotions, now wore a ruthless expression, his gaze icy.
Bai Liuli realized she was far from danger, yet she felt none of the joy of surviving a disaster. Only a terror that made her hair stand on end remained.
Recognizing the Demon-Slaying Sect's Chief Seat, she blurted out in one breath, "We encountered the Human-Faced Ghost King! Immortal Xiao tried to use the Teleportation Talisman on Immortal Xie in desperation, but Immortal Xie refused to leave and knocked it onto me!"
The Human-Faced Ghost King!
Bai Yuqing's expression changed. "Where are they now?"
Bai Liuli nearly answered without thinking, then suddenly remembered Bai Yuqing's fearsome reputation.
A Golden Core immortal who had slain countless monsters and demons, he hated them to the bone. He killed every one he encountered without mercy.
She had also heard from her master that the person most important to Bai Yuqing had once been tortured to death by monsters and demons. The death had been so gruesome that anyone who saw it was horrified.
To Bai Yuqing, monsters and demons were a thorn in his side, something he would never rest until he had eradicated.
If he learned that Xie Jun belonged to the Demon Clan, how could he spare her?
Besides, Xiao Qinghe had been gravely poisoned. Only the Ghost King Spirit Pill could keep him alive, but taking it would change his body. He would no longer be purely of the Human Clan, but half-human, half-demon.
Bai Yuqing tolerated no impurity. How could he tolerate that?
Her hesitation gave Bai Yuqing an ominous feeling. "Where exactly is Qinghe? Tell me! The leaders of the major sects are already on their way. No matter how powerful that Human-Faced Ghost King is, he will not harm a hair on my disciple's head!"
This is bad, Bai Liuli thought. "All the major sects have come in?"
If everyone saw them, then even if Xie Jun and Xiao Qinghe escaped the Human-Faced Ghost King today, the major sects would inevitably hunt them down afterward for belonging to the Demon Clan.
As a disciple of a righteous sect, raised to believe that slaying monsters and demons was her duty, Bai Liuli knew she should not protect the Demon Clan. But she did not want Xiao Qinghe to die.
Even if he swallowed the Ghost King Spirit Pill and became neither truly human nor truly demon, she still wanted him to live well.
With that thought, she silently made up her mind and asked solemnly, "Immortal Venerable Bai, if circumstances forced Xiao Qinghe to stand against you, would you kill him?"
"A master for a day is a father for life. Qinghe will always be my disciple. How could I hurt him?" Bai Yuqing snapped.
To him, Bai Liuli's question was not merely foolish, but laughable.
Bai Liuli drew a deep breath. "In that case, Immortal Venerable Bai, please follow me. They're this way!"
Meanwhile, the battle had reached a desperate stalemate.
Dozens of Ghost Slaves rushed them at once. The deadly poison in Xiao Qinghe's body flared, leaving him freezing all over, but he still had to fight back-to-back with Xie Jun.
Yet they were hopelessly outnumbered. The Ghost Slaves seemed endless, an unrelenting torment.
Forced to retreat again and again, Xiao Qinghe clenched his teeth so hard that blood seeped from the corner of his mouth. He was already at the end of his strength.
Seeing this, Xie Jun's eyes suddenly filled with a terrible chill.
"A dying struggle!" The Ghost King sneered contemptuously and abruptly raised his hand high.
A vicious surge of monster energy took solid form and rose from the ground. Like puppets on strings, the Ghost Slaves were lifted by it, then sent rushing at Xie Jun together like a crashing flood.
They came with savage momentum, seething with killing intent.
In an instant, demon marks appeared across Xie Jun's face. A cold blade stood upright before her, and her eyes turned fierce as she shouted, "Fleeting Swan Sword Formation, activate!"
The blade erupted with razor-sharp sword light. It burst outward into a formation of cold radiance as dense as a torrential downpour, shooting in every direction around her like a dazzling firework, its momentum overwhelming.
Those swords of light were formed from sword energy and demonic energy, indestructible and sharp enough to slice through iron like mud.
The spectacle was grand and brilliant, like an exquisite display of sword formations. Yet wherever it passed, Ghost Slaves shrieked, their bodies pitching and tumbling to the ground.
The copies of Xiao Qinghe's face writhed wildly before finally falling still. Their features vanished, returning them all to their original faceless state.
She had crushed the enemy in a single move.
Badass!
If he had not been too cold to muster the strength, Xiao Qinghe would have applauded her on the spot.
Xie Jun was lost in bloodlust, her pupils crimson and her demon marks grotesque, yet her body instinctively shielded Xiao Qinghe.
The Human-Faced Ghost King seemed surprised that she had lasted this long. Floating down, he discovered that Xie Jun had already lost all reason.
To survive, she had undergone complete demonization, becoming a merciless weapon of slaughter.
"The Demon Clan thirsts for blood. Once Demonization takes hold, all that remains is the instinct to kill and drink blood. You must be very thirsty now, mustn't you?" The Ghost King swiped a sharp claw, and a bloody cut appeared on Xiao Qinghe's neck.
Blood streamed from it, refusing to stop.
Xie Jun shuddered, staring fixedly at Xiao Qinghe's neck. Her tightly clenched teeth resembled the bared fangs of a wild beast.
Unable to move, Xiao Qinghe could only watch as Xie Jun clenched her fists, blood seeping from her palms. It seemed that her lingering reason was battling the instincts of the Demon Clan.
A hoarse, agonized voice escaped through her gritted teeth. "Senior Brother... hurry... go..."
"A member of the Demon Clan restraining her bloodthirsty nature for someone of the Human Clan? How curious. Just who is this human?" The Ghost King drifted toward Xiao Qinghe and tipped his chin up, apparently studying him. "A decent face. A pity he's a man."
Buddy, keep your distance!
That featureless face, coupled with his muffled, mocking voice, was far too horrifying!
Xiao Qinghe's scalp prickled. Before he could speak, the Ghost King suddenly murmured, "Hmm?" That featureless face drew closer, almost touching the tip of Xiao Qinghe's nose, as he abruptly took a keen interest in him. "There's something strange inside you. What is it?"
Before you continue