Chapter 90

Chapter 90: I Just Want Her Safe

A thunderclap boomed across the sky, shaking the earth.

Vast spiritual and demonic energy spread out, causing all the cultivators in the secret realm to look up towards the south in fear.

Within a thousand miles, all beasts prostrated themselves.

Inside the stone mountain, Sang Nian lost her footing and quickly grabbed onto a wall, exclaiming in surprise:

“What’s going on? Did they discover us?”

Chu Yao looked back at the entrance of the cave:

“Someone is fighting Naga, and they’re very strong.”

“A cultivator?” Sang Nian was stunned. “They’re even stronger than Xiao Zhuochen?!”

“Whoever it is, they’re busy fighting, so they won’t bother us. It’s a good thing.”

Chu Yao slashed at a snake demon that was attacking, her palm bursting with energy:

“Leave this to me. You go find Shen Mingchao.”

Countless poisonous snakes poured out from the depths, making Sang Nian’s scalp tingle.

“Be careful.”

After saying that, she didn’t hesitate, using her magic to determine Shen Mingchao’s location and quickly rushed into a cave.

On the dark, damp ground, the young man lay unconscious, his life uncertain.

“Shen Mingchao!”

Just as Sang Nian was about to run over, a girl in a green dress appeared out of thin air, blocking her path.

“He’s mine,” the girl said with a hostile expression. “Get lost.”

Sang Nian had no time for her nonsense. She formed a water chain with her magic, binding the girl, then quickly helped Shen Mingchao up, transferring spiritual energy to him.

Shen Mingchao groaned in pain and slowly regained consciousness.

Seeing Sang Nian’s face, his eyes immediately welled up:

“I knew you would come save me! Sang Nan! You really are my best friend!!”

Sang Nian put his arm around her shoulder:

“Cry later. Let’s go now.”

He quickly choked back his tears and limped after her, heading outside.

Seeing this, the snake girl let out a shrill cry:

“Don’t leave!”

She broke free from the water chain, transforming into a snake and charging at Shen Mingchao.

Sang Nian pushed him towards Chu Yao with a palm strike, turning back to block the snake girl’s attack.

There were dozens of times more snake demons around than before.

At the snake girl’s summons, they swarmed out of the depths, desperately attacking the trio.

Chu Yao’s sword wind carried fire, spreading like a raging inferno.

The snake girl screamed:

“Sister! Help me!”

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, the air pressure around them plummeted.

The chilling demonic energy unique to a demon king surged towards them.

“Boom!”

Chu Yao swayed, spitting out a mouthful of thick blood. The hand holding her sword went limp, her breath weakening to the extreme.

Sang Nian’s eyelids twitched, and she gritted her teeth:

“You two go first. I’ll be right there!”

Shen Mingchao: “How can that be! We’ll go together!”

Sang Nian: “Don’t be stupid. If you don’t leave now, none of us will make it!”

Chu Yao quickly made a decision:

“I’ll be back to save you!”

With those words, she flew towards the exit with Shen Mingchao, who was still struggling.

The snake girl was furious and wanted to pursue them.

Sang Nian swung her sword at the snake’s tail, the blade meeting the scales, sparking a shower of sparks.

The snake girl hissed in pain, let out a mournful cry, and opened her mouth to bite her neck.

She tapped her toes and swiftly leaped onto a stone pillar:

“If you’ve got the guts, come chase me.”

The snake girl was indeed provoked and gave up on Chu Yao and Shen Mingchao, roaring as she pursued her.

Sang Nian sped up, running upwards, bursting out of the last cave entrance.

The sunlight suddenly brightened, and she stood on a cliff edge.

In the distance, on a mountain peak, Naga was still fighting two cultivators. The sky rumbled with thunder and lightning.

Just as Sang Nian was about to fly away, Naga suddenly unleashed a burst of demonic energy towards her.

She narrowly dodged it.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, countless snakes rushed from all directions, tightly wrapping around her body.

Their sharp fangs pierced deeply into her flesh, and a sharp pain instantly spread throughout her body.

“Clang.”

Her sword fell from her hand.

The poison seeped into her organs, and Sang Nian’s face turned pale. Her brain uncontrollably felt dizzy.

She bit down hard on her tongue, forcing herself to stay conscious, quickly swallowing a detoxification pill.

The snake girl walked up to her, her voice filled with hatred:

“You dare steal from me. I’ll make sure you suffer a living hell.”

“You’ll get to taste the pain of being devoured by a thousand snakes.”

The pill hadn’t taken effect yet, and Sang Nian was completely paralyzed. She could only watch helplessly as they bared their fangs, inching closer to her.

Suddenly, they all froze and turned their heads towards another direction.

The scene was incredibly eerie.

Sang Nian instinctively followed their gaze and her pupils contracted sharply.

On another mountain peak.

Lightning flashed, and a young man in black stood in the air, his expression calm.

Behind him, a giant snake coiled around the peak, its eyes crimson red, its gaze cold.

That was Xie Chenzhou？！

The one who had been fighting Naga all this time was him?!

Sang Nian was completely dumbfounded.

Suddenly, Xie Chenzhou raised his sword, but he wasn’t aiming at Naga.

Without hesitation, the sword light flashed, and the young man’s left arm fell from his shoulder.

Blood gushed out, falling towards the ground along with the severed limb.

The peculiar fragrance of the blood filled the entire sky.

All the snakes that had been irrational Sang Nian went crazy, rushing towards the severed arm.

The snake girl’s pupils dilated, and the hatred on her face was replaced by an urgent desire to eat.

“I want to eat…”

She abandoned Sang Nian and rushed towards the severed arm, fighting with the crazed snakes:

“Get out of my way! That’s mine!”

By the time Sang Nian came to her senses, she was all alone.

There was nothing left that could threaten her life.

Her heart jolted.

Xie Chenzhou had just…

Cut off his own arm.

To save her.

In the distance, confirming that Sang Nian was safe, Xie Chenzhou withdrew his gaze and continued to fight Naga.

Qing Gui roared angrily:

“You actually cut off your own arm to save that woman! Are you crazy?!”

Xie Chenzhou formed thousands of sword shadows with his magic, and in an instant, the shadows, carrying the weight of a thousand thunderbolts, crashed down.

Naga let out a mournful cry, slid down the mountain peak, and disappeared.

His lips were slightly pale due to blood loss, but his face was calm and serene:

“I just want her to be safe.”

“You’re insane.”

Qing Gui looked at him as if he were crazy:

“Xie Chenzhou, you’re seriously ill.”

Xie Chenzhou twitched his lips, impatient:

“Take the Kunshan Jade fragment and get out of here.”

Qing Gui sneered:

“So afraid of her knowing you’re from the Shura Palace? I’ll go tell her.”

With that, he flew towards the cliff.

Xie Chenzhou’s face changed drastically. He was about to chase after him, but the giant snake that had been lying on the ground suddenly sprang up.

“Boom!!!”

Demonic energy, as vast as waves, erupted, leaving only a blinding white light in the world.

It took several seconds for the white light to fade.

In the air, the young man in black plummeted straight down.

Like a black bird.

Qing Gui’s face changed slightly. He was about to turn back, but another figure was faster.

“Xie Chenzhou!!!”

The girl flew on her sword, catching the falling young man, and they were both knocked over by the residual demonic energy.

She held him tightly, trying to shield him from the flying boulders.

He managed to open his eyes, using the last of his strength to switch positions with her.

“Bang!”

The young man’s thin back slammed hard against the stone wall.

He slid down softly, his chest heaving twice, blood spilling from the corner of his mouth, staining his entire chin and neck.

The black fabric seemed to have been soaked in water, spreading out in layers of dark watermarks.

Sang Nian swayed as she got up, rushed to his side, and without a word, tremblingly began to heal him.

He was still coughing up blood, his body uncontrollably twitching slightly:

“Cough… are you… hurt?”

A watery haze blurred the young man’s pale face in Sang Nian’s vision.

“You silly thing, I have a protective artifact. I’m not hurt.”

Xie Chenzhou still stubbornly asked:

“…Do you… does it… hurt anywhere?”

She could only wipe her face with her sleeve, smiled at him, and pretended to be relaxed:

“I’m fine, nothing’s wrong, I’m perfectly fine everywhere, nothing hurts, you quickly take your medicine, don’t talk anymore.”

As if finally letting go of a stone in his heart, Xie Chenzhou let out a long sigh and smiled, his lips curving upwards.

He said to her:

“Don’t cry… I won’t die.”

As the last word fell, the young man closed his eyes softly.

As if falling into a long, beautiful dream.

He would never wake up again.