The City Falls

Zhang Huizhen rarely called Fu Yinqiu "Madam," as this title meant to her past failures and the humiliation she had endured.

But at that moment, for reasons unknown, Zhang Huizhen still shouted it out.

However, Fu Yinqiu was no less surprised than her. After all, the beautiful woman she had just met a few days ago had turned into a withered old woman in the blink of an eye. Anyone would be surprised.

"You actually submitted to the Evil Cultivator!" Fu Yinqiu's tone was unusually tinged with sorrow.

She could still vividly recall his former arrogance; she simply couldn't believe that such a proud person had now become a puppet of Evil Cultivator.

But Zhang Huizhen laughed after hearing this, "What do you think we were able to escape from the dungeon for, Madam? If we hadn't surrendered, were we just going to wait to die in the dungeon?!"

She so resented the woman in front of her; if it weren't for her existence, she herself should have been the mistress of the family!

But Jimo Duange chose her, and in the end, she could only become the wife of a collateral descendant, and was ridiculed by the Jimo Household every day, without even getting a glance from Jimo Duange.

Zhang Huizhen couldn't understand; in what way was she inferior to Fu Yinqiu?

They were equally beautiful and talented, and Fu Yinqiu even had a family background that could help Jimo Duange. But the other party treated her as nothing.

This is what Zhang Huizhen finds most unacceptable.

Fu Yinqiu frowned, realizing for the first time so clearly Zhang Huizhen's obsession. "If you hadn't coveted what you shouldn't have, you wouldn't be in this predicament today."

Zhang Huizhen sneered, "If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have ended up like this today!"

After saying that, she let out a shriek and transformed into black smoke, rushing towards Fu Yinqiu. Before the guards could even tense up, the black smoke seemed to have hit something and was firmly stopped.

The black smoke struggled for a long time, but it couldn't break free.

Zhang Huizhen had to solidify into human form again; she could touch the transparent barrier with a simple gesture.

"This is..."

"I set up two formations here as soon as I anticipated that you would make a move. One is an illusion formation, and the other is a trapping formation." Sang Ying stepped forward at the right time.

Her cultivation level was not high, and she had only recently learned the illusion array, so she shouldn't have been able to deceive Zhang Huizhen and her son. But perhaps because the two were eager to break the array, or perhaps because the array technique had been lost for many years, they did not expect that Sang Ying and her group would be prepared.

He walked straight into the trap, triggered a trapping formation, and was locked inside.

"Impossible, this is impossible!" Jimo Renjie refused to accept reality and made another attempt, but in the end, just like his mother, he crashed hard into the transparent barrier.

Sang Ying replied, "Nothing is impossible in this world. Even the seemingly invincible Feng Ji can't break this barrier and can only resort to these petty tricks. Do you really think that he will let you go after you help Feng Ji break the barrier?"

Sang Ying only discovered Feng Ji's clever trick later; the other party hadn't actually brought Jimo Renjie and his group out of the dungeon at all. When the formation was triggered and the guards went to look for them, Feng Ji simply used some illusions to make them think the people had disappeared.

Only after the guards panicked and opened the cell door did he follow behind them and lead the Jimo Renjie family out of the dungeon.

It was under his influence that the Jimo Renjie family voluntarily left Rizhao City.

That's why Feng Ji was able to actually tamper with them.

This is also a flaw in this barrier—people from the outside can't get in, but those inside who have been tainted by the barrier's aura can freely enter and leave Rizhao City.

Using this method, the Jimo Renjie family completely trusted Feng Ji and became his puppets, even extending their reach to the protective formation.

"So, your fate was already sealed the moment you were deceived and left Rizhao City." Sang Ying explained everything to them.

Originally Sang Ying hadn't figured out Feng Ji's tricks, but fortunately, she had a knowledgeable butler by her side.

It was through the butler that Sang Ying learned that Feng Ji still possessed some Jiaoren blood. Jiaoren are best known for their ability to bewitch people and create illusions.

At that moment, Sang Ying understood everything.

Zhang Huizhen swallowed hard, her voice hoarse as she asked, "So, what exactly turned us into the way we are today?"

The one who answered them was not Sang Ying, but another person dressed in black robes. "You've simply been bewitched."

The Gu poisons in the Cultivation World are incredibly diverse, one of which feeds on human Essence Blood. Once implanted in a person, that person will age rapidly. Only by offering fresher and more delicious flesh and blood can the afflicted person get a moment's respite.

"This Gu poison has no cure." These four words from the Gu cultivator had already sealed the fate of the two.

Zhang Huizhen's strength vanished instantly. She suddenly remembered the infant who had turned to dust in the blink of an eye under her control. It turned out to be a Gu worm that had taken the lives of her and her child.

Zhang Huizhen seemed to have given up hope, but Jimo Renjie had not yet given up.

He frantically used the power that Feng Ji had temporarily lent him, relentlessly attacking Sang Ying's formation.

This formation was, after all, set up by a Golden Core Realm cultivator. The transparent barrier quickly developed cracks and shattered completely under another heavy blow from Jimo Renjie.

Sang Ying had anticipated this, and immediately drew her sword to meet the attack as soon as the formation was broken.

Jimo Renjie were not particularly difficult opponents, but the power that Feng Ji lent them was truly strange, causing Sang Ying to miss her target several times.

Seeing this, Zhang Huizhen seemed unwilling to give up, and transformed into black smoke to continuously harass everyone, restraining them all.

Sang Ying sensed something was wrong. She tried several times to turn around and guard the core of the formation, but each time Jimo Renjie stopped her precisely.

Fu Yinqiu wasn't stupid either. Seeing that she couldn't get away, she threw several of the array plates that Sang Ying had given her into the array's core.

Seeing that the formation's core was temporarily unharmed, Sang Ying calmed down and began to deal with Jimo Renjie.

Her ice-attribute Spiritual Power was attached to the Floating River Sword, and every swing of her sword seemed to freeze the black smoke.

After several attempts, the Sword Qi grew stronger and stronger, and Sang Ying finally found an opportunity. After freezing Jimo Renjie with her Spiritual Qi, the Floating River Sword was deeply embedded in his body.

As she felt her subordinates' bodies gradually stiffen, Sang Ying was about to smile when she met Jimo Renjie, who had already transformed into human form, with his eerie black-red eyes.

Sang Ying's heart skipped a beat, and she heard an unusual cat meow.

A pure white spirit cat had appeared there at some unknown time, coldly watching them with its deep, round eyes.

The lynx stepped over everyone's shoulders and walked step by step toward the center of the formation, but each step felt like it was stepping on people's hearts.

Just as it was about to enter the center of the formation, Fu Yinqiu and her group were blocked by Zhang Huizhen. When Sang Ying was about to draw her sword to leave, she found that her sword was covered with frost.

The eerie black ice spread inch by inch to her hands, tightly binding her to the corpse of Jimo Renjie.

Sang Ying struggled desperately to break free, and Floating River trembled continuously, but the black ice grew larger and larger, almost filling the entire room.

Meanwhile, the spirit cat on the other side had already broken through Sang Ying's multiple protective arrays and entered the array's core.

A sharp "click" sound rang out suddenly, Sang Ying froze instantly.

The light representing the barrier within the formation slowly faded, just like the lives that were about to disappear from this city.

The shrill cries of the Evil Cultivator echoed throughout the entire Rizhao City. Sang Ying closed her eyes, unable to bear listening any longer.

This means the barrier has broken, and Rizhao City has fallen...

A note from the author:

Today is like a sparrow that's been carrying luggage all day; its wings are about to break.

See you tomorrow! Love you all!