“Hahaha…” The old bat demon’s eyes gleamed crimson. “I was originally planning to drain your cultivation last. But… to avoid complications, I’ve decided to devour your cultivation first, then consume your soul! See how efficient that is? Nothing goes to waste—how perfect!”
“You…” Yun Qingxue barely managed to speak before a searing pain, as if her very essence were being torn away, wracked her body.
She let out a muffled groan, but the agony didn’t last. Then, she heard the old bat demon’s ecstatic voice: “A divine body?! Hahaha! You’re actually a god! Once I devour you, I’ll be one step closer to ascending to the Great Demon stage! Hahaha!”
He laughed maniacally, his greedy eyes fixed on Yun Qingxue as he resumed draining her cultivation.
The excruciating pain of being stripped away surged through her once more.
“Master!”
“Master!”
“Master!”
Desperate, grief-stricken shouts echoed from afar.
Yun Qingxue’s blurred vision caught sight of Zhutao, who had broken free from the bat demon feeding on his cultivation, charging toward her recklessly. But before he could reach her, he was seized again, his essence forcibly extracted even more brutally.
She saw Daise’s tear-streaked face, etched with helpless despair.
She saw Liuli’s clear eyes, brimming with sorrow.
She saw Zhubai’s pallid face as his body flickered between his true and illusory forms.
She saw A’dai lying motionless on the ground, as if dead…
Resentment and fury roared within her, a tempest of emotions.
So many mysteries remained unsolved…
She hadn’t even had the chance to bid farewell to Jinlin, Mo Changxing before leaving Luoyun Mountain…
She had promised to stand as Xiao Xiaoxiao’s family…
The pain intensified. The old bat demon’s gluttonous gaze was utterly repulsive.
For a fleeting moment, Yun Qingxue felt as though she had returned to the final moments of her past life—powerless, at the mercy of others…
She loathed that overwhelming helplessness…
A streak of dark-purple light suddenly shot toward the old bat demon’s head.
Sensing the disturbance, the demon flapped his wing, swatting the incoming projectile aside.
*Thud!* In that split second, A’dai’s battered body crashed into the dirt.
“Ugly freak! Your grandpa here is the Holy Serpent of the Water Tribe! If you’ve got the guts, come at me first!” A’dai lay sprawled like mud, yet his voice remained as defiant as ever.
The old bat demon paused his feeding, his eyes blazing with crimson light. He turned, scrutinizing A’dai before bursting into laughter. “What a stroke of luck! A god *and* the Water Tribe’s Holy Serpent! Hahaha! Heaven truly favors me today! Don’t worry—none of you are getting away!”
With that, he resumed draining Yun Qingxue’s cultivation.
“Master… I’ve failed to protect you. I’ve betrayed the Dragon King’s trust and wronged you…” A’dai’s tiny eyes locked onto Yun Qingxue in despair as his small body began to swell rapidly.
“A’dai, no!” Yun Qingxue realized his intent—he was about to detonate his core.
“Master! We are willing to trade our lives for your survival!”
Inspired by A’dai’s sacrifice, the entire Bamboo Clan—Daise, Liuli, and the rest—gathered what little spiritual energy they had left, preparing to self-destruct.
“Stop!” Yun Qingxue screamed in despair as she watched A’dai’s body expand, Liuli’s snowy fur bristling, Daise and the others’ bodies flushing red.
Her fury, grief, and desperation reached their peak.
Something inside her surged violently, as if on the verge of breaking free.
The old bat demon halted his feeding, lifting her into the air with his razor-sharp claws.
“These fools are trying to self-destruct! Retreat!” he bellowed. The other bat demons flapped their wings in panic, attempting to flee.
But their captives now clung to them, determined to drag them down in mutual destruction.
“Kill them!” the old bat demon roared. “Slaughter them now! Dead men can’t detonate their cores!”
The chaotic swarm of bat demons seized the command, slashing with claws and blade-like wings.
Yun Qingxue’s despair crested. A flood of power surged within her.
“Ahhh—!” With a furious cry, the white light binding her shattered. Even the old bat demon’s indestructible claws were torn apart.
The sudden turn left the demon stunned.
Before he could react, a blinding radiance engulfed everything. In the blink of an eye, peace returned. Yun Qingxue’s body drifted gently to the ground, her consciousness completely gone.
Those preparing to self-destruct were forcibly halted by an unseen force.
The abrupt change left everyone in shock…
“It’s… the power of the Flower King’s Decree! The Flower King’s Decree!”
Moments later, a Bamboo Clan member shouted in realization.
Like a chain reaction, others echoed the cry.
“I felt it too—the Flower King’s Decree!”
“Hahaha… We’re alive!”
“Long live the Flower King!”
“Long live the Flower King!”
Cheers erupted…
When Yun Qingxue opened her eyes again, warm sunlight streamed through the window, bathing her in its glow.
A faint, refreshing fragrance lingered in the air.
She flexed her fingers and slowly sat up. Aside from the stiffness from lying too long, she felt no pain or discomfort.
Her last memory was of A’dai leading the self-destruction.
Heart tightening, she swung her legs off the bed.
“Master.” A massive serpent, as thick as a man’s thigh, coiled on the floor. Hearing her move, it raised its head.
Yun Qingxue frowned, staring blankly at the giant snake.
“Master, it’s me—A’dai!” The serpent, seeing her confusion, quickly explained.
In a flash of deep-purple light, the serpent shrank to the size of a finger—a slender, lavender snake with bright, intelligent eyes.
“A’… A’dai?” Yun Qingxue murmured, feeling as though she were in a dream.
“Yes! It’s me!” A’dai slithered up her wrist.
“You… you’re alright?” she asked dazedly.
“Of course! You saved me, Master!”
“Me?” Yun Qingxue looked utterly bewildered.
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