Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The hand lightly dropped.
The words "I surrender" rang out like the strike of a gong over the battlefield, a white banner rising over the city walls, declaring the end of the struggle and attesting to the supreme might of the attacker.
Qian Yingchen laughed when he saw Xu Miaoran's dejected expression.
He deserved this laugh. He had waited too long for this moment.
Capturing Xu Miaoran essentially meant capturing Tang Jie, and capturing Tang Jie meant endless resources.
What was the status of a son-in-law of a True Lord in comparison? He had his adopted father, so what Xu Guanghua could give, his adopted father could also give!
Throwing aside Hong Yuan, he strode over to Xu Miaoran. As he moved to grab her, he laughed, "That's a good girl."
His hand fell on Xu Miaoran's shoulder, and just when he was about to apply power, Xu Miaoran suddenly shouted, "Xian Tao! You said you wouldn't touch her!"
What?
Qian Yingchen was startled and instinctively turned to look. He saw that the two cultivators who had seized Xian Tao were putting their clothes back on and hadn't done anything untoward, and he immediately knew he was in trouble. He heard a gust of wind from behind him, and a palm struck his back and erupted with power.
There was a lot of power packed in this palm, and Qian Yingchen was completely unprepared, having taken no defensive measures. The strike instantly had his blood in turmoil, almost breaking his bones. At the same time, there was a crack and an immense pain as Xu Miaoran broke the arm Qian Yingchen had placed on her shoulder.
She grabbed Qian Yingchen while coldly saying, "Let's see if you can keep playing around after this!"
She kicked at Qian Yingchen's crotch.
This string of attacks came at incredible speed, and nobody had time to react. By the time Feng Buzhi and the red fox realized what was going on and rushed over, Xu Miaoran had already grabbed Qian Yingchen by the throat and held him up to her chest, angrily shouting, "Get any closer and I'll kill him!"
Feng Buzhi and the red fox froze. The tables had instantly been turned, Qian Yingchen falling into Xu Miaoran's hands.
"You foul whore!" Qian Yingchen almost wanted to throw up blood. The worst of all was that Xu Miaoran had been ruthless, and the pain from his lower half was so intense that he was about to faint.
Xu Miaoran had one hand around Qian Yingchen's neck and another pressed up against his back. "Settle down! Let them go, or else you die!"
Earlier, she had been using her life to coerce them, and now, she was using Qian Yingchen's life.
Despite being heavily injured, Qian Yingchen crazily laughed.
He was shaking as he laughed, laughing so hard that tears came from his eyes and snot dribbled from his nose. He shouted, "Whore, you really think I don't know what you're thinking? You're buying time, right? You want to stall until Tang Jie gets here and takes care of us?"
Xu Miaoran grimaced.
Qian Yingchen's face also darkened.
He looked at his lower half.
Blood was slowly seeping out from that part.
As he was a cultivator, even if someone actually broke his private parts, unless they had used some special method, that part would naturally grow back.
But the humiliation arising from that injury was not easily healed.
He was Qian Yingchen!
A genius of the Beast Refining Gate!
The adopted son of a True Lord!
But now, he was being held hostage by some foul woman.
Immense shame welled up in his heart, and Qian Yingchen's face grew more and more twisted, even his figure becoming savage and frightening.
Crazily laughing, he said, "You think that you're the only one who's not afraid of death?"
Xu Miaoran instinctively sensed that something bad was going to happen.
Slivers of energy began to leak out from Qian Yingchen's body, coming from every part of his body with such force that Xu Miaoran almost lost her grip on him.
"Don't move!" she shouted.
Qian Yingchen laughed. "Then use your strength to restrain me!"
He crazily laughed as power swelled out of him, and his erupting spiritual energy began to break free of its restraints and soar, and Xu Miaoran found it harder and harder to control him. She hadn't expected this bastard to be able to resist in these circumstances. Angered and worried, she hardened her heart and shouted, "You're seeking death!"
She suddenly pulled back the hand pressed against Qian Yingchen's back, and when she thrust it out again, it held a crystalline dagger that stabbed into Qian Yingchen's back.
"Agh!" Qian Yingchen howled in pain. "You bitch!"
The blade twisted in Qian Yingchen's body as Xu Miaoran callously said, "I told you not to move!"
"AAAAAAHHH!" Qian Yingchen threw his head back and roared, "Kill those two!"
He was referring to Xian Tao and Hong Yuan.
His four subordinates, as well as Feng Buzhi and the red fox, all hesitated. Qian Yingchen shouted again, "Hurry up and kill those two! This bitch won't dare to kill me. We don't have much time, so don't let her stall any longer, or else we'll all die in Tang Jie's hands."
He blinked his eyes at Feng Buzhi.
He had his back toward Xu Miaoran, so Xu Miaoran wasn't able to see this gesture.
Feng Buzhi understood and smiled. "That's right!"
He turned around and thrust a palm at Xian Tao, who groaned and collapsed to the ground.
"No!" Xu Miaoran shouted.
Xian Tao was her longest-serving maid. She had a mature personality, and Xu Miaoran had a very great liking for her. Even though Xian Tao had known that this would be a difficult journey, she had followed her master without regrets. Xu Miaoran had never expected her to die here, and her heart was filled with sorrow as her hands trembled.
A moment later, Feng Buzhi walked over to Hong Yuan and raised his hand.
"Stop!" Xu Miaoran shouted. She took her left hand off Qian Yingchen's neck and thrust a finger at Feng Buzhi.
As this finger thrust out, Qian Yingchen bellowed and swung his head back.
This swing had Qian Yingchen's head directly striking Xu Miaoran in the nose, causing her to throw her head back and howl in pain as blood gushed out of her nose. But she didn't have time to care about herself. She quickly brought her left hand back to seize Qian Yingchen while Qian Yingchen roared and threw himself backward in a charge.
This charge caused the crystalline dagger to stab farther into Qian Yingchen's body, but he simply grunted and sent his right elbow smashing at Xu Miaoran's belly. The elbow flashed with light, and the immense force sent Xu Miaoran flying, and Qian Yingchen was free.
As Qian Yingchen broke free, Xu Miaoran raised her left hand and released a silk belt that wound around Qian Yingchen's neck. "You can't escape!"
She dragged Qian Yingchen with her, at the same time stabbing with her dagger again, this time intending to cut off his right arm.
But at that moment, a figure shot out like a bolt of lightning, going between Qian Yingchen and Xu Miaoran.
The red fox!
Raising her left hand, she grabbed Xu Miaoran's crystal dagger, the blade slicing her palm and leaving a bloody wound. Meanwhile, her right hand swept over the silk belt, cutting it into two. She then flew upward, and Qian Yingchen came charging out from behind the red fox. While he still had Xu Miaoran's silk belt hanging around his neck, his face was thick with wrath, and he sent a flying kick at Xu Miaoran.
Bang!
The kick sent Xu Miaoran hurtling into the distance.
"Awooo!" Qian Yingchen let out a roar of anger and pride. "I said you couldn't hold me!"
Even so, Qian Yingchen was badly wounded. He had been stabbed in the back, his left arm was broken, and even his private parts had been crushed. These were terrifying wounds, and any other person would have already been left paralyzed on the ground. That he was able to escape Xu Miaoran's control in these circumstances was a sign that this person was on par with Tang Jie when it came to intelligence and ruthlessness.
Even Tang Jie in this position would have found it hard to do better.
Xu Miaoran turned over in the air and landed on the ground. Holding a hand to her stomach, she glared at Qian Yingchen and said, "You killed Xian Tao!"
Qian Yingchen first retrieved some medicine from his Mustard Seed Bag and took it, and then he let out a sinister laugh. "It's just a maid, so what does it matter if she dies? Is it really worth all that heartache? I was actually going to compliment you for turning the tables like that. You aren't the strongest woman I know, but you're definitely the smartest and most decisive, and I like this kind of woman. But you sacrificed such an excellent advantage for a single maid! You're master and servant. Isn't it only right that they die for you? What an idiot!"
Xu Miaoran coldly stared. "A person like you doesn't understand what affection is."
"On the contrary, I understand perfectly," Qian Yingchen chuckled. "But I would never waste my affections on an idiot."
He reached out his hand behind him, pulling over Hong Yuan.
As he held Hong Yuan, he said, "A maid like this, with not much ability and not much brains, isn't worth your affections. But even if I tell you, you wouldn't understand. You women never understand what it means to make the correct choice!"
He waved his hand. "Grab her."
The red fox smiled and walked toward Xu Miaoran.
Hong Yuan suddenly raised her head and asked, "Then what does it mean to die at the hands of such a stupid girl?"
What?
Qian Yingchen was startled and looked down, only to see Hong Yuan's body erupting with light as she thrust a finger at Qian Yingchen.
Xian Tao and Hong Yuan had both cultivated together with Xu Miaoran. Even Qian Yingchen knew this. But these two maids were of average aptitude and didn't have the support of spirit medicines, so they were much weaker than Xu Miaoran, having just barely entered Nine Revolutions. For this reason, nobody took them seriously, and Qian Yingchen hadn't taken any special measures to control her. After all, he could crush this sort of person with just one finger.
But as Hong Yuan's finger thrust toward him, Qian Yingchen felt a hint of death.
"No!" Qian Yingchen and Xu Miaoran cried out in unison.
The most dazzling light in the world had gathered upon the finger as it stabbed toward Qian Yingchen.
Qian Yingchen did everything in his power to move his head to the side, and the finger blast struck him on the right side of his face.
The next moment, the finger blast punched through him like a bullet, leaving a large hole in his head. Through the hole, one could see blood, flesh, and white teeth. A moment later, the energy detonated, taking out one of Qian Yingchen's eyes.
"Bastard!" Qian Yingchen yowled in pain. This sound came out of the hole in his face and reverberated within the cavity. He swiped his right hand, pulverizing Hong Yuan's arm. Hong Yuan tumbled from the air and fell to the ground motionless, as if he she was dead.
"The Near Horizon Finger! Why? Why does she know this?" Qian Yingchen held his face as he cried out in pain. This finger had left him with only half a face.
Though he was a proud son of the Beast Refining Gate, with formidable strength and a sharp mind, as well as numerous hidden cards that would leave even Tang Jie at a loss for how to deal with him, he had unexpectedly been heavily injured multiple times by this lady and her two maids. His heart burned with fury.
"I taught her, of course… They're not trash, but you're blind!" Xu Miaoran angrily looked at Qian Yingchen.
She charged out, grabbed Hong Yuan, and ran.
"Trying to leave?" Qian Yingchen scowled. "Neither of you will die a good death today!"
He thrust a palm at Xu Miaoran, and the red fox and Feng Buzhi also gave chase.
Without turning her head, Xu Miaoran threw out a model of a jade palace.
As this model flew out, it expanded, instantly becoming like a real palace, and Xu Miaoran fled into it.
On this excursion, she knew that her strength was limited and that she might not be able to help Tang Jie much, so she had plundered her father's house and taken with her many treasures. This jade palace was an excellent tool for escaping, and if not for the fact that Qian Yingchen had seized her maids from the start, Xu Miaoran would have just needed to throw out the jade palace to escape Qian Yingchen's group.
Seeing that Xu Miaoran was about to escape, Qian Yingchen laughed. He knew that the jade palace was a powerful defense, so rather than giving chase, he turned around and grabbed Xian Tao. "So you don't care about this one anymore?"
"Xian Tao? Isn't she dead?" Xu Miaoran was surprised, but she didn't stop and bolted into the jade palace. With a flash of light, they entered the protection of the palace, and only then did she turn around to face Qian Yingchen.
"How could we so easily kill such a useful hostage? She's only unconscious." Qian Yingchen laughed as he slapped Xian Tao, who groaned as she regained consciousness.
"Xian Tao!" Xu Miaoran was delighted to see that Xian Tao wasn't dead, but her heart sank when she realized that Qian Yingchen once more had a means of threatening her.
Compared to last time, Qian Yingchen was much more cautious. While awakening Xian Tao, he also applied a defensive barrier to himself, and then with two more strikes, he broke Xian Tao's arms.
"No!" Xu Miaoran cried out in pain. "Qian Yingchen, do you have any humanity!?"
"'Humanity'? What am I going to do with that? Bitch, if you don't come out now, I'll sever the tendons in her arms and legs, break all her bones, and then let a dog fuck her ten thousand times!" He practically screeched, the fact that he was missing half his face making him seem even more savage and inhuman.
The tables had turned again. Xu Miaoran looked at Qian Yingchen and then at Xian Tao before sighing. "Xian Tao, my apologies. I can't save you."
Xian Tao squeezed out a smile. "Young Lady, forget about me and go."
Xu Miaoran nodded. Clenching her teeth, she said, "I won't let you be defiled by these beasts!"
She suddenly threw a golden needle at Xian Tao.
Qian Yingchen was aghast, not expecting Xu Miaoran to flip so quickly from desperately saving to killing. He grabbed Xian Tao's hand and retreated, evading the needle.
Xu Miaoran saw that one needle didn't work, so she flung out many more, catching both Xian Tao and Qian Yingchen in the barrage.
Alarmed, Qian Yingchen retreated again, and the red fox and Feng Buzhi flew over and worked together to knock down the needles.
Qian Yingchen furiously said, "Xu Miaoran, do you not care about this girl's life?"
"Shut up! Being dead is better than ending up in your hands!" Xu Miaoran roared, throwing out another barrage of needles. At the same time, she slapped the jade palace, which rumbled as it threw itself at them.
The jade palace was a steel fortress, and to be struck by it would be like getting struck by a mountain. Feng Buzhi did not dare to take this attack, so he could only retreat to the sides with the red fox. Just as they evaded, the jade palace suddenly erupted with countless rays of golden light.
This was the jade palace's immensely powerful counterattack spell art, and Xu Miaoran had chosen this moment to activate it.
Caught off guard, Feng Buzhi had no choice but to resist it with his own spiritual power and had no time to pay attention to others. But the red fox realized and rushed over to Qian Yingchen, embracing him as red light erupted from her back.
Flames of light blasted her, and the red fox screamed as she was sent flying. Throwing up blood, she struggled to get off the ground. Such was the power of the jade palace.
The worst off were those four other cultivators, for the jade palace had killed them all.
Not only that, the remaining power of the explosion swept into the forest, and many screams came from within.
Those were the people Qian Yingchen had deployed in the forest to deal with Tang Jie. They had already finished setting up, their preparations including a formation to capture or kill their foe, capable of both defense and attack. But the explosive shockwave from the jade palace had destroyed everything.
Everyone was stunned by this suprise move from Xu Miaoran.
It appeared that her intention to kill Xian Tao had been a feint to lure over the red fox and Feng Buzhi. Once everyone was together, she unleashed her most powerful blow, hoping to take everyone down in one fell swoop.
This damnable woman was quite the ruthless schemer!
Alas, she ultimately did not succeed. Feng Buzhi wasn't one of Qian Yingchen's direct subordinates, only showing him face out of respect for the True Lord. When his life was really on the line, he wouldn't hesitate to abandon him. As for the red fox, others only saw her speed, with few people realizing that this fox's innate spell art was the Blood Fox Barrier, an extremely powerful defensive spell art.
Xu Miaoran also did not know this, so the jade palace's full power had failed to kill her, only heavily wound her.
But she had managed to have a significant effect on the forest. The formation that had been on the verge of completion and that could have dealt with Tang Jie had been destroyed, and of the thirteen experts hidden in the forest, at least four had been killed while the others were all injured.
But this attack had clearly been a huge burden on the jade palace. Its defensive barrier had dimmed and was flickering, signaling that it couldn't last for long.
"Bitch." Feng Buzhi was rather angered by Xu Miaoran's sudden attack. He waved his hand, throwing out a small stone.
The stone spun in the air, and as it landed on the ground, it became another Feng Buzhi.
The white-robed Feng Buzhi.
But unlike before, he had a rather wooden expression and lacked spirit.
But the moment he appeared, the black-robed Feng Buzhi raised his hands, four hands pressing up against the jade palace. The jade palace instantly began to shine with an intense light.
"Kill her!" Qian Yingchen roared.
Seeing the situation, Qian Yingchen completely gave up on the plan of using Xu Miaoran to threaten Tang Jie. He had wasted too much time, so much time that Qian Yingchen was wondering if Tang Jie was already here and was cunningly waiting for the right moment to strike.
Without the arrangements in the forest or Xu Miaoran as a hostage, Qian Yingchen didn't have the confidence to deal with Tang Jie.
Thus, his only option was to quickly kill Xu Miaoran and then flee.
As for the consequences, he didn't care. In any case, it would be Godhead Palace that suffered.
But a moment later, Xian Tao, with her broken arms, suddenly raised her head.
She opened her mouth and bit Qian Yingchen's ear.
Raaooooo!
A heaven-shaking bellow of rage rang out as blood fountained out from the remaining half of Qian Yingchen's face.
Amid this gusher of blood, an ear flew into the air.
"Foul maid!" Qian Yingchen roared as he thrust a palm at Xian Tao, sending her flying away. He gathered a ball of light in his right palm and then flew into the air, thrusting his palm at Xian Tao's head.
He was enraged now and no longer needed some hostage. The lethal energy gathered in his palm was enough to kill Xian Tao in a single strike.
"Xian Tao!" Xu Miaoran wept as she cried out.
"No one in the heavens above or earth below can save you!" Qian Yingchen brazenly shouted.
"Is that so?" A cold voice rang out from the forest.
A person shot over and blocked Qian Yingchen's palm.
The collision of fist with palm unleashed a powerful shockwave. A moment later, Qian Yingchen's body was sent flying as a titanic force ran rampant in his body, erupting from every hole on his body.
Wherever there was a hole on Qian Yingchen's body, blood gushed out, instantly turning him into a human fountain.
The attacker grabbed Xian Tao and slowly landed on the ground.
"Tang Jie!" Xu Miaoran cried out in surprise and delight.
He was finally here!
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