Where a Great Power Fell

Nan Gurong looked over, a flicker of surprise in her eyes.

This was unmistakably the young woman she had sent out of the dungeon earlier! She had watched her leave and thought she had escaped danger, but to her surprise, the young woman had come back and blown open the dungeon at such a critical moment, giving them a sliver of hope!

"Senior Sister?" The young disciple following Nan Gurong called out to her, seemingly waiting for her to decide what to do.

Nan Gurong's head was a mess, and she truly didn't know whether to trust the young woman above them.

"Hurry! If you don't leave now, it'll be too late!" the woman urged them repeatedly.

Just then, two caws rang out nearby. Clearly, the crow kept by Cold Crow Devil Lord had caught up with them.

The crow was already close by, so Cold Crow Devil Lord presumably wasn't far behind!

Nan Gurong gritted her teeth and could only take a gamble. "Follow her!"

As the eldest senior sister, Nan Gurong still commanded some authority. The moment she gave the order, everyone obediently followed.

Fortunately, the exit wasn't high up. With each person helping another, they finally managed to rescue all the young women as well.

Nan Gurong was the last to leave. Once she was out, she didn't forget to say to Sang Ying, "Thank you."

Sang Ying shook her head, indicating that there was no need to be so polite.

Dawn had yet to break, and the group ran under cover of darkness, not daring to delay for even a moment.

Although Sang Ying didn't know the Devil Lord's identity, she knew he was no ordinary opponent. So she had already set up a trapping formation at the exit she had blasted open with Sword Qi.

Her cultivation wasn't high, but fortunately, the trapping formation was fairly intricate and should have been able to hold him for a while. Even so, it still wasn't enough to get them out of danger.

Nan Gurong had no choice but to instruct the others, "Take these young women and go on ahead. A few of you stay behind and help me draw the Devil Lord away!"

"Senior Sister!" The other young cultivators naturally understood what Nan Gurong meant. Their opponent was a Devil Cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm. If they fell into his hands, they would likely have no chance of survival.

Her fellow disciples were unwilling to leave, but Nan Gurong knew what had to come first. She immediately rebuked them, "Why aren't you leaving? Do you want everyone to die together?!"

She had put it so gravely that, however heartbroken her junior brothers and sisters were, they could only hold back their tears and obediently lead the others away.

The youth who had been at Nan Gurong's side several times before, however, handed the young woman he was looking after to his fellow disciples and stubbornly stayed beside Nan Gurong, refusing to leave no matter what anyone said.

Seeing that his eyes had turned red, Nan Gurong couldn't bear to scold him any further. She merely sighed. "It's not as though you don't know how perilous things are now!"

The youth said angrily, "If you can stay, Senior Sister, why can't I? My cultivation may not be high, but I want to do something for those innocent people too!"

To prevent the senior sister and junior brother from arguing at such a critical moment, Sang Ying took it upon herself to make peace. "Don't talk about this now. He's about to catch up!"

Although Cold Crow Devil Lord's entourage was no grander than those of the other Devil Lords, he was still well known.

He was a master of poison arts, and it was said that poisonous mist swirled all around him. The crow at his side had even been dubbed the "Bird of Ill Omen," because not one person who had heard it caw had survived.

Wherever he went, venomous creatures ran rampant. Just like now, countless snakes, insects, and other venomous creatures had emerged from who knew where and were surging toward Sang Ying and the others like a tide.

No sooner had they beaten back one wave than more would come swarming at them.

Even though Nan Gurong and the others were medical cultivators of the Plain Robe Pavilion, they couldn't withstand this endless onslaught of venom!

After several waves, Sang Ying had managed to keep herself from being hurt, but several Plain Robe Pavilion disciples in the Qi Refining Realm had already been poisoned and fallen unconscious.

Their side was already incapable of resisting any longer, yet there was still no sign of their opponent. If this went on, everyone would likely be in danger.

"Miss, I'm truly sorry. I thought we could save you, but I never expected to drag you into this instead." As a medical cultivator, Nan Gurong truly couldn't bear to see an innocent person die before her eyes. "The Plain Robe Pavilion brought this trouble upon itself. Don't worry about us, miss. Hurry and leave! As long as we're here, Cold Crow Devil Lord should let you go!"

Nan Gurong meant every word, but when Sang Ying heard her, her attention settled entirely on something else. "Did you say Cold Crow Devil Lord is the one chasing us?"

"Yes!" Nan Gurong was taken aback. "You dared to come and save us without even knowing who he was?"

At that moment, she didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Sang Ying truly hadn't guessed the man's identity, but now that Nan Gurong had mentioned it, she recalled an episode from the original book.

The book had said that a male confidant of Su Fuyun's had once fought evil and defended the righteous path outside White Foothill City, slaying Cold Crow Devil Lord and making his name in that battle.

Later, he had explained to Su Fuyun that he had simply been lucky. He had stumbled into a cave where a great power had fallen, and a strand of that person's Sword Qi remained sealed there. It was that very strand of Sword Qi that had severely wounded Cold Crow Devil Lord, giving him the chance to kill the Devil Lord.

Thinking it over, the time described in the book should have been within the next few days.

Sang Ying spoke at once. "Everyone, quickly, look for a cave nearby! If we find it, we might still have a sliver of hope!"

Although Nan Gurong didn't know why Sang Ying wanted to find a cave, she still chose to trust her. After all, things could hardly get any worse.

At her command, the others raised no objections, even if they had their doubts.

Having made up their minds, the group headed straight for the mountain forest.

Sang Ying had initially worried that, since they were either a vicious female supporting character or cannon-fodder passersby, they might not have the male confidant's good fortune. To her surprise, though, the stubborn youth really did find the cave.

The cave was extremely well hidden. If the youth hadn't missed his footing while dodging the venomous creatures, they would likely have overlooked the entrance concealed by vines.

Sang Ying was certain this was the cave that held the place where the great power had fallen, because the moment they stepped inside, they felt a fierce sword wind.

The first person to rush in recklessly was caught off guard, and a lock of hair was sliced off.

Having witnessed the cave's power, the others immediately stopped daring to act recklessly.

"Miss, this is the cave you were looking for, isn't it?" Nan Gurong was no fool. As soon as she saw the cave's peculiarities, she understood what Sang Ying had in mind, though she was still worried. "Cold Crow Devil Lord is a Nascent Soul Cultivator. Will this cave be enough?"

Sang Ying nodded confidently. "Even if it isn't enough, it can at least hold him off for a while!"

As long as it gave them some time to flee for their lives, finding it would have been worthwhile!

Sang Ying and Nan Gurong exchanged a glance, then led everyone straight into the cave.

Less than half a ke after they left, a tall, gaunt figure landed outside the cave.

He had clearly sensed that something was amiss with the cave too, but he paid it no mind. "Heh, a trifling trick!"

Commanding his venomous insects, he strode boldly into the cave.