This time, the devil should be dead for good.
He kicked the broken doppelganger aside, seeing its hideous, terrifying form.
It was not made of flesh and blood, but refined from foul and sinister materials.
This high-difficulty challenge had come at a heavy price.
Everyone in the group was wounded, and with the vacation over, they would inevitably have to return to the sect to recuperate for a while.
However, the rewards were also quite substantial.
The most important items were two Grade 3 Nili Marrows, and their quality was excellent.
This meant that as long as no mistakes were made, they could refine two Ginseng Condensation Pills, which would allow them to train two Dan Forming cultivators with the Great Perfection of Heavenly Dao.
In addition, there was one Stone Heart Soft Armor and one Wave Rock.
Both were rare Earth-attribute treasures in the game.
The Bloodthirsty Banner Lord’s avatar was also refined from Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures.
As a peak Golden Core body, it was extremely powerful.
Yun Liu did not let it go to waste, collecting the severed limbs and broken parts.
With a little tinkering, he could use the Secret Technique of Demonic Sect to refine them into a Sword Puppet bodyguard.
“You were being a bit naughty just now.”
Qin Yao narrowed her eyes and approached Yun Liu’s side, her words dripping with implication.
She had felt something was off earlier.
Whether it was Chi Jiu or the Alchemy Manual, everything had started because of Qin Yi and herself.
Yet, it was Junior Sister Ji who had been targeted for revenge and ended up with a grudge against the Demon Sect.
Yun Liu had just been spouting nonsense, making Xiao Xinran’s jealousy boil over, but Qin Yao knew the scheming young man was not actually doting on his apprentice.
“Was I?”
Yun Liu played dumb, only to have Qin Yao pinch his waist with two fingers.
“You are not allowed to bully Shiyu. The poor girl is so naive. She just started her journey, and now she is already being hunted by the Bloodthirsty Ancestor. Will she ever have any peace in the future?”
“Hiss… You don’t understand. That child is not someone to be kept in a small pond. No matter what trouble she encounters, she will always find a way to turn it into a blessing. Unlike your husband here — parents are both busy, and I have no one to rely on. I work myself to the bone just to save up a wife fund. I only want to marry you and retire to my hometown in peace!”
Strictly speaking, this was supposed to be Ji Shiyu’s main quest line.
Yun Liu had simply helped her accept the mission.
“Guh.”
Qin Xing blushed, knowing full well that Yun Liu was protecting her.
He didn’t want her to be affected by this matter, but she still felt a bit guilty in her heart.
At that moment, the final Magic Core was destroyed.
The dark clouds over Yudu dissipated, and the night sky returned to its former clarity.
Yun Liu looked away, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted.
He frowned slightly as he recalled the danger of the situation.
“I take back what I said earlier. I overestimated myself this time. Fortunately, you all arrived in time, or the consequences would have been unthinkable.”
He had to admit that this time, the two silly girls had not only avoided causing trouble but had actually helped.
There were many Demon Sect experts in the outer city, and most of the Magic Cores were likely very troublesome.
If it had only been him and Qin Yao, facing the ambushes and the blood bodies would have been extremely dangerous.
“You bet!”
Ji Shiyu wiped her nose, while Miss Lin shook her head with a bitter smile, feeling quite embarrassed.
“Young Master overstates our contribution.”
Thinking back, aside from getting beaten and dealing superficial damage, they hadn’t seemed to do much.
Their cultivation still needed to improve.
Xiao Xinran squeezed her face in front of Yun Liu and said joyfully, “Xiao Yun — oh, I mean, Young Master, can I become an official member now?”
“Official?”
Yun Liu rubbed his chin and fell into thought.
‘If I say I was joking, will I get beaten?’
After all, Miss Xiao had been obsessed with this and had worked diligently as a guard for so long.
Did a Qi Luck Maiden of an entire state really want to be her ex-husband’s fighter?
As Yun Liu was thinking, Xiao Xinran suddenly fell into his arms, her soft body filling his embrace.
“Hmm? What… happened to you?”
Xiao Xinran’s eyes were blurred, and her breathing was rapid.
Her limbs were so weak she could not even stand.
She simply stared at Yun Liu’s neck and licked her pink lips.
A strange red light flickered in her eyes, though she had not yet unleashed the Flame God.
“I don’t know, huff… I just feel so thirsty… so thirsty…”
‘Could it be…’
Remembering that blood-red maggot, Yun Liu had an ominous premonition.
He quickly grabbed Xiao Xinran’s wrist.
A wisp of spiritual energy traveled through the girl’s meridians.
Yun Liu’s expression grew more serious.
He pulled back Xiao Xinran’s collar, revealing a large area of snow-white skin.
As expected, he saw a large patch of red spots resembling plum blossoms.
“This is bad.”
“Ah! W-What’s wrong?”
Xiao Xinran lowered her head shyly, not understanding the situation.
Miss Lin and the others also gathered around out of concern.
Ji Shiyu covered her eyes but peeked through the gaps in her fingers.
“I-Is this a pop-u-test?”
Yun Liu rolled his eyes and freed one hand to flick the yellow-haired girl’s forehead hard.
“What nonsense are you talking about? Bear with it.”
Yun Liu’s other hand reached toward Xiao Xinran’s abdomen.
Controlling the force of his energy, he used external power to activate Xiao Xinran’s Qi Sea for protection, preventing the blood marks from further invading her Jade Manor Spirit Foundation.
“Ugh!”
Xiao Xinran let out a painful groan.
The speed at which the red spots spread across her breast slowed down, but her consciousness gradually blurred.
Her Spirit Breath grew weaker and weaker, while her blood surged restlessly.
Qin Xing also noticed the unusual situation.
She leaned over to examine Xiao Xinran’s body, only to find that she had never heard of such symptoms.
She exclaimed, “What kind of evil technique is this? The toxicity is so fierce!”
“Could it be…”
Yun Liu scratched his head, thinking of something else.
The same plot should have happened to Xiao Xinran, but in a different way.
Regardless of the difficulty, she would be attacked during the Night of the Kingdom-Stealing Dark.
The one who was supposed to be hit while trying to save her was Ji Shiyu.
‘Good heavens, the situation has reversed. Is it my turn to farm favorability?’
A bond mission had been shoved into his face for no reason, making Yun Liu feel the absurdity of it all.
He looked at the yellow-haired girl again, who had a foolish expression as she propped up her chin and poked Xiao Xinran’s armpit.
She was still being playful, seemingly indifferent to the life or death of her rival.
He remembered when Xiao Xinran used to call her Sister Shiyu, and Ji Shiyu used to call her Sister Xinran.
Those beautiful times were long gone.
“What is it?”
“This is the Blood Gu. There is no medicine or doctor that can cure it. The person infected will slowly descend into madness. Once the plum blossoms cover the entire body, they will completely lose their sanity and become a monster that only knows how to kill.”
“The Blood Gu?!”
Qin Yao’s face turned pale.
She had heard of how formidable Gu insects were.
This was how the Bloodthirsty Ancestor controlled his subordinates.
“Incurable? Then what should we do! Young Master, please find a way to save the Miss!”
Lin Shu was worried about Xiao Xinran and panicked.
People of the Jianghu valued loyalty and friendship immensely.
Although they had not known each other for long, she would repay Xiao Miss for how she had treated her.
“Our only option now is to seek help from Mister Canghai. He is knowledgeable and has a Nascent Soul cultivation. Perhaps he can temporarily suppress it.”
Yun Liu took a deep look at Ji Shiyu, then picked up Xiao Xinran and took flight using Sword Riding.
It proved that even he had times when he was powerless.
There was a way, but first, it was impossible to expect the Bloodthirsty Banner Lord to personally remove the Gu.
That left only one path: following the mission’s trajectory and letting Ji Shiyu’s special constitution bear the burden.
The key problem was that the two silly girls were like fire and water.
The yellow-haired girl and her servant probably wouldn’t mind having one less powerful competitor — just at that moment, the first light of dawn appeared on the horizon, and a ray of golden light dispersed the dark night.
“Look! It’s dawn.”
Everyone looked toward the east together, their spirits lifting.
The rising sun was like heavenly fire charging forth.
The dawn of the new day was more intense than ever, coming with an unstoppable momentum.
Observing the Guarding the Sun Pilgrimage from a close distance was even more spectacular.
As the holy descent arrived, the light of the Golden Crow shone upon the Liyu Royal Court, calling out to the Ri Lun essence veins.
The entire Wang Palace was enveloped in a shroud of brilliance.
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