Xierwei’s Jealousy and Tou’s Reckless Gambit

Due to her overwhelming fear, Xierwei refused to cooperate with the guards’ retreat.

The guards, long accustomed to her antics, each took one of Xierwei’s arms, dragging her backward as if she were a criminal being led to the execution grounds in ancient times.

Had Xierwei shrieked, ‘It’s a miscarriage of justice!’ the scene would have been truly perfect.

In this manner, Xierwei caught sight of Tou, who had been pushed by Xiaobai to Ji Jie’s side.

For some unknown reason, perhaps due to affection, Xierwei’s fear vanished the moment she saw Tou.

But…

‘Why is Tou kissing Ji Jie?’ she thought, a surge of indignation rising within her.

‘Tou clearly touched and grabbed me earlier… this… this means Tou must take responsibility for me for the rest of his life!

He’s my future husband!’

‘Kissing another woman is infidelity!’

‘It’s absolutely infidelity!’

‘Unforgivable.

All those who try to seduce my husband are unforgivable; they all deserve to die.’

A large, toy-like sword was drawn from beneath her skirt.

Yet her Imperial Arm was anything but ordinary.

Its power was the Triple Strike.

True to its name, a simple swing of her sword inflicted a triple strike upon every enemy present, accompanied by a paralyzing effect.

Moreover, this ability was merely the first of her Imperial Arm’s powers.

Nevertheless, this single ability was more than sufficient to deal with Ji Jie and her companions!

Ji Jie, wounded, collapsed as if injected with an anesthetic, her entire body going limp; thankfully, Tou caught her just in time, preventing her fall.

The others, however, were not so fortunate.

Xiaobai, despite being at full health, suddenly convulsed with a series of ‘Ah-la-la-la-la-la…’ cries as she was struck.

Yet, she hadn’t completely lost her mobility, skillfully using her continuously darting eyes to deflect the three sword qi attacks.

She remained vigilant, sword in hand, still reeling in confusion.

Having no idea where the attacks originated, she was paralyzed instantly, caught entirely off guard.

What astonished her even more was the complete loss of contact with all the puppets she controlled with her Evil Eyes.

Glancing down, she discovered that the puppets had all been reduced to shattered fragments, resembling Gundam models that had been violently thrown and broken; clearly, they had failed to evade the mysteriously appearing sword qi.

Her concern then shifted to Ji Jie’s safety, as Ji Jie had been casting a formidable forbidden technique; if the sneak attack proved successful, the consequences would be dire.

“Brother Jie!”

To facilitate movement in the sky, Tou had long ago created several platforms using the Ruyi Jingu Bang, which was also why Xiaobai hadn’t plummeted after being struck by the paralysis effect.

She moved along the pillar connecting the platforms, heading towards Tou.

As Tou was holding Ji Jie and had his back to her, Xiaobai couldn’t discern Ji Jie’s condition.

In her extreme anxiety, she decided that rushing directly towards Tou would be the fastest course of action.

However, the moment she leaped, an inexplicable electric shock coursed through her body again.

“Ah-la-la-la-la-la-la-la…”

Then, a multitude of Evil Eyes swirled around her, and after three booming “Puff! Puff! Puff!” sounds, three more sword qi attacks materialized as expected.

“Ah! What’s happening?!”

To Xiaobai’s relief, Tou also sensed that something was amiss; he flew backward with Ji Jie in his arms, leaving three new sword marks where he had just been.

This allowed Xiaobai to see Ji Jie’s injuries: three bloodstains of varying depths, each revealing the stark white bone beneath.

“Brother Jie! Use my blood!”

Without hesitation, Xiaobai slashed her own wrist, and her fresh blood, like the crimson thread of the matchmaker god, wound around Ji Jie’s hand and flowed into her body, making her pale, contorted face become… even more terrified!

“Xiaobai! Don’t mind me, hurry and escape!”

They had encountered a formidable foe; the opponent was likely the small girl with light purple hair who had suddenly appeared opposite them.

Despite being merely in the late Golden Body Realm, the pressure she exerted felt like a tsunami or a mountain collapsing.

Her attacks appeared to be nothing more than casual swings at the air, yet Ji Jie had inexplicably sustained such severe injuries.

Should they not flee and simply await death?

Severing the blood Xiaobai was transfusing to her, Ji Jie intended for Xiaobai to lead their escape, as Xiaobai was currently unharmed and might still be able to put up a fight if she didn’t expend her vital energy on Ji Jie.

“No, Brother Jie, your injuries are so severe!” Xiaobai’s face was a mask of panic, and Ji Jie’s refusal of her healing efforts plunged her spirits.

“They’re coming again! They’re getting closer!

Never mind, never mind, let’s just escape quickly!”

Ji Jie and Xiaobai were once again paralyzed with “Ah-la-la-la-la-la-la” cries, while Tou twisted his body, evading three more sword qi attacks.

Witnessing Qing Zhuiyan and Ling Er break through Ji Jie’s Blood Slaughter Array and charge furiously towards them, Tou, in a panic, quickly activated the Three-Dimensional Maneuver Gear of the Ruyi Jingu Bang and fled, clutching both of them.

But after only two steps, he suddenly remembered the Monkey King and Little Four, the two monkeys, were still underground!

Though Tou was currently afraid of being captured, he was even more unwilling to see the monkeys who had saved his life suffer further harm.

Abandoning them now would leave him deeply unsettled.

Gritting his teeth, he flung the two of them far away and urgently declared:

“That strange attack seems to have no effect on me.

You two escape first!

I’ll distract them.

After I rescue the Monkey King, we’ll meet in Pinghu Town.”

“No…” Ji Jie was utterly unwilling to leave Tou alone, but she was severely wounded and powerless to do anything.

Furthermore, while Xiaobai usually obeyed her, that was under normal circumstances.

Now, Xiaobai’s only thought was for Ji Jie to survive, and Tou staying behind to cover their retreat was her deepest desire.

With that, Xiaobai dragged the highly reluctant and grumbling Ji Jie, slowly disappearing from Tou’s sight.

Just then, Qing Zhuiyan, transformed into a colossal Green-eyed Black Dragon, was less than two fist-lengths away from Tou.

Qing Zhuiyan seemed to have no intention of instantly annihilating Tou; after all, in her eyes, Tou was likely an important figure in the Akatsuki Group, and the secrets he held were often far more valuable than a life.

She clamped a claw around Tou, but the moment she grasped the figure encased in golden armor, she instantly crushed whatever was within her dragon’s claw.

“Damn it!

A cicada shedding its shell!”

Qing Zhuiyan cursed aloud; she now understood why Tou had been clinging to the rock wall.

The originally slender staff had expanded to the thickness of a water缸, clearly to allow Tou to secretly slip away within it.

“I’ll leave this place to you; I’m going after those two who escaped!”

Ling Er declared coldly.

If he couldn’t defeat Ji Jie now, his inner demons would torment him ceaselessly.

With that, he pursued Ji Jie in the direction she had fled, but Tou, intending to cover their retreat, would never allow this man to breach his defenses.

Instantly, the Ruyi Jingu Bang rapidly extended and expanded, blocking Ling Er’s path like a series of formidable walls.

“Hmph!

A螳臂当车 [An ant trying to stop a chariot – an overestimation of one’s own strength]!”

Ling Er’s expression remained impassive as he scoffed coldly, thrusting his spear forward to create a large hole, twice a man’s height.

He lunged outward, but just as he stepped behind the first panel, he saw an enormous, pointed hammer swinging towards him.

It was then that he realized those wall-like barriers were merely large panels, less than five centimeters thick.

What truly obstructed his path wasn’t a passive defense, but Tou’s active assault.

He couldn’t evade the massive hammer; his only options were to block it with his spear or pierce and destroy it.

Though he worried Tou himself might be inside the hammer, he didn’t hesitate, piercing and exploding the great hammer with a swift thrust.

Capturing Tou might reveal many secrets about the Akatsuki Group, but what did that matter?

All he wanted now was to break through and fight Ji Jie.

“Cold King’s Blade!”

He then swung his spear, employing his Imperial Arm’s second ability, just as he had once cleaved the gigantic dragon formed by Tou’s Ruyi Jingu Bang.

The two or three flimsy panels in front of him were all effortlessly sliced in half.

The hammers and cones hidden behind them were all obliterated by a single spear strike.

Without further hesitation, he charged forth.

“Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Another strange phenomenon occurred: the broken copper and scrap iron, which should have been shattered, suddenly swelled up.

Before Ling Er could charge out, they all transformed into massive weapons, relentlessly pummeling him.

He swung his spear, thrusting!

These weapons were incredibly tenacious; when cut in half, they would split into two separate weapons, continuing to charge at Ling Er.

If shattered into fragments, it was even worse, as they would all dart towards him like tentacles.

For a moment, he found himself trapped by this Imperial Arm ability, which he deemed even more despicable than frog’s urine.

Overwhelmed by uncontrollable rage, he reached his limit.

Disregarding the expenditure of spiritual energy, he unleashed one “Cold King’s Blade” after another, sweeping them aside to clear his path.

Finally, after a brief struggle, he managed to break free.

Seeing no sign of Ji Jie, he fumed with anger, smoke practically rising from his head, yet he continued to chase forward, relying on sheer luck.

While Ling Er was reckless, Qing Zhuiyan proved to be more cunning.

Upon seeing the dense, root-like tubular pillars extending underground, she descended directly towards the Monkey King’s location.

She had heard Tou’s words about rescuing the two monkeys.

If she captured the monkeys first, she could threaten Tou, who was darting around like a loach.

However, it was not smooth sailing.

One after another, golden-armored figures resembling Tou lunged at her colossal dragon body.

Unlike Ling Er, she was not so reckless, fearing she might actually crush Tou to death.

She cautiously ensured no one was inside before crushing each golden-armored figure.

This, in turn, slowed her descent.

It wasn’t until the two monkeys vanished that she became certain these golden-armored figures didn’t necessarily contain real people.

Disregarding them all, she pursued the largest pipe to its end, understanding that the Monkey King, being larger, would require a wider passage to move through the pillars!

“Haha!

Aren’t I clever!”

Not far away, a pillar emerged from the ground, and Tou, grinning widely, released the two monkeys.

The people inside were being spun around by him.

In reality, he was moving underground.

Since Ling Er was chasing after Ji Jie, Tou tossed the two monkeys in a different direction.

Finally, he waved at the Monkey King, urging them to leave quickly.

He would stay behind to block for a little longer.

“Let’s leave together…”

“No, no, no!

You’ve seen how powerful I am, right?

Those people can’t do anything to me.

If I stay a bit longer, you’ll be able to escape undetected!

Hurry, go!

Hurry, go!”

Tou interrupted the Monkey King, his face turned towards the sky, speaking triumphantly and a little smugly.

“But you…”

“Chirp, chirp, chirp!”

“Don’t worry!

I’ll escape towards Pinghu Town later; it’s close to my home.

Once I’m there, with several of my masters emerging, no one will dare touch me.

Where are you two going?

I’ll definitely come find you to play when I have time.”

Why were the monkeys still worrying?

Tou interrupted them again, completely unconcerned.

‘If I get caught, I’ll just trick those people into going to the Demon Fairy Fortress, hehehe, then I’ll turn the tables and kick their asses.’

“We’re in the Demonic Ruins; you must come find us!”

“I definitely will!”

Tou waved goodbye to them.

Then, turning his head, he swallowed a Blood Qi Pill, a wry smile gracing his lips as he said:

“Why am I trying to act cool?

I’m destined to be captured today!

But I hope those guys don’t bite off more than they can chew.

If they dare to mistreat me, I’ll beat them so badly they’ll be pissing themselves, and even begging on their knees won’t save them!”