“Master, what’s wrong with Xuexue?”
The anxious voice of the Dragon King, Jin Lin, clearly reached Cang Yan’s ears.
“Let’s observe the situation a bit longer,” came the calm reply from the Purple Song Sage.
“But—” Jin Lin tried to speak but was cut off by the sage.
“Changxing, what are you doing?”
“I’m bringing Qingxue back!” That was Mo Changxing’s voice.
“If you bring her back now, she loses!” The Purple Song Sage’s tone was stern.
“She’s already like this! Who cares about winning or losing?” Mo Changxing snapped.
“You may not care, but don’t forget—if Qingxue loses, she must return to the Beast Clan with Cang Yan and marry him!” the sage said gravely.
“Qingxue! Get up! What’s wrong with you?” Jin Lin called out frantically. Yet, neither he nor Mo Changxing stepped forward.
Cang Yan, half-doubting, helped Yun Qingxue up from the ground, only to find her face deathly pale, as if all life had drained from her.
“Yun Qingxue!” He lightly tapped her cheeks, trying to rouse her, but there was no response.
At that moment, panic seized Cang Yan. He reached out to check her breath—only to find none.
“Come here now!” he roared at the Purple Song Sage, Mo Changxing, and Jin Lin, who stood watching from the sidelines.
“Xuexue!”
“Qingxue!”
Jin Lin and Mo Changxing could no longer hold back. They rushed toward Yun Qingxue.
Even the Purple Song Sage frowned and strode over quickly.
“See what’s wrong with her!” Cang Yan snarled at the approaching sage.
Jin Lin and Mo Changxing shifted slightly to make room for the sage to examine Yun Qingxue.
The Purple Song Sage knelt, pressing his fingers to her pulse.
Everything seemed to proceed naturally.
But suddenly, Cang Yan felt something coil around his limbs. Looking down, he saw four thick vines, each as thick as an arm.
In an instant, he realized something was amiss.
How could Yun Qingxue have stopped breathing so abruptly? Why would the sage and his disciples, who cared so deeply for her, prioritize the duel’s outcome over her condition?
Cang Yan gritted his teeth, cursing his own carelessness.
This was truly a case of “love blinds reason.”
But now, regret was no longer an option.
The four vines tightened around his limbs, and the Yun Qingxue in his arms—along with the Purple Song Sage and the other two—morphed into more vines, coiling around his entire body.
The Beast King, who had held the upper hand moments ago, was now bound like a dumpling.
From the illusion’s depths, Yun Qingxue emerged, her long celestial robes fluttering.
She smiled serenely at the trussed-up Cang Yan. “You lose.”
Cang Yan smirked, his azure eyes locked onto hers. “Yun Qingxue, I underestimated you.
Hmph!
But do you really think these flimsy vines can hold me?”
With a sudden burst of strength, he shattered the bindings.
Yun Qingxue frowned, swiftly retreating deeper into the illusion while weaving a spell with her hands.
“Boom!” Cang Yan broke free, but before he could catch his breath, excruciating pain wracked his body.
The overwhelming agony left him momentarily paralyzed.
In that brief moment, the vines coiled around him again, tighter than before, and a glowing blue dagger pressed against his throat.
The illusion dissolved like receding tide, revealing Cang Yan’s humiliating predicament to all.
“I win!” Yun Qingxue didn’t give him a chance to speak, darting back to the Purple Song Sage’s side.
“Beast King, remember your promise,” Mo Changxing said coldly, eyeing Cang Yan’s defiant glare.
“Yun Qingxue!” Cang Yan’s voice was sharp, his azure eyes narrowing. “You dare claim this duel was fair?”
Yun Qingxue smiled faintly, her clear eyes icy. “Why you agreed to this duel, Beast King, you know best.
This match was never fair from the start. Victory or defeat depends on skill alone.
My brothers and master never interfered. I trust you’ll honor your word.”
With a flick of her wrist, blue light flashed, and the vines binding Cang Yan vanished.
Cang Yan clenched his fists.
“Luoyun Mountain is humble. We won’t keep a mighty guest like you for tea,” Jin Lin said coldly, stepping between Cang Yan and Yun Qingxue.
“Master, let’s go back,” Yun Qingxue said softly.
“Very well,” the Purple Song Sage replied cheerfully, leading the way.
“Yun Qingxue, this isn’t over,” Cang Yan growled, his gaze icy as he watched them leave.
Jin Lin turned with a smirk. “If the Beast King enjoys games, my aquatic kin are always ready to oblige.”
“Boom!” A bolt of purple lightning struck without warning, scorching the ground at Cang Yan’s feet.
Another followed, homing in on him.
Cang Yan dodged, but the lightning pursued relentlessly.
Jin Lin chuckled.
The way the lightning chased its target was unmistakably Mo Changxing’s handiwork.
Recalling his own past encounters with Mo Changxing’s lightning, Jin Lin realized the sage had gone easy on him.
Back then, he’d only faced a single bolt.
Now, Cang Yan was dealing with a whole storm.
That would hurt—a lot.
Jin Lin grinned, thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
“Beast King, are you breaking through to immortality? Tsk tsk… Such a massive lightning cluster—if it’s for ascension, you can’t dodge it. Just take the hit!
Who knows? You might ascend right after!”
Jin Lin laughed. For demonic cultivators, heavenly lightning was both a blessing and a curse.
Survive, and it reforges the body. Fail, and the soul scatters to the winds.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage