What exactly did the four words “Nalan Qingjue” mean?
She was the supreme, strongest powerhouse of the Human Race.
She had fought bloody battles against the Demon Race and slaughtered countless demonic cultivators.
Humans, demons, and devils—countless lives had fallen by her hand.
Her very name carried a dense, bone-chilling aura of death.
“M-Master…”
Chu Mo’s movements turned stiff and sluggish, as if the scene were playing in slow motion.
Nalan Qingjue’s arrival had been too sudden; her brain had no time to prepare at all.
The color drained from her face little by little until it was deathly pale.
Her entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Death pressed against her throat like an extremely sharp blade.
Instinct awakened her body even faster than her mind could react.
“Heh.”
A soft laugh escaped her lips, its meaning impossible to discern, yet it struck Chu Mo’s knees like a ten-thousand-pound hammer.
A large mouthful of blood burst from her mouth, splattering across the ground into a shockingly beautiful pattern of blood-red flowers.
The current number one of her generation now looked as miserable and pitiful as a dead dog.
“Do you still have any regard for me as your master?!”
The explosive shout carried overwhelming, rage-filled pressure that erupted from around Nalan Qingjue.
Chu Mo’s body was sent flying backward like a kite with its string cut, slamming hard into the cave wall.
Most of the bones in her body were crushed inch by inch as if ground under a massive stone mill.
She could not suppress her miserable, shrill scream as another mouthful of blood violently spurted from her mouth.
“Chu Mo, look at your current lowly, cheap appearance! Do you still have even half the bearing of my Nalan Qingjue’s disciple?!”
Every word stabbed at the heart, every sentence destroyed the soul.
The continuous cracking sounds coming from Chu Mo’s body were infinitely amplified inside the cave that echoed only with Nalan Qingjue’s voice.
The teeth-grinding noise pierced into Bai Qingran’s mind like a sharp ice pick, stirring up painful throbs.
Suddenly, a wave of icy horror washed over him! Bai Qingran felt as though he had been locked onto by an extremely brutal and ferocious beast whose sharp fangs were already clamped around his neck.
He turned his head with difficulty. Sure enough, Nalan Qingjue was staring straight at him.
Her eyes overflowed with naked disgust and killing intent.
Facing a furious Spirit Emperor Stage powerhouse, this was the most dangerous situation Bai Qingran had ever encountered.
His brain worked sluggishly yet was forced to spin at full speed.
He had to survive—he absolutely could not die here!
Every word he spoke now, even every sound that left his throat, was a weight thrown onto the scale that would decide life or death.
Tell Nalan Qingjue everything?
The thought had barely formed before Bai Qingran ruthlessly crushed it.
He had seen clearly that the person before him already hated the improper relationship between him and Chu Mo to the extreme.
If he spoke now, it would be no different from adding fuel to the fire! Nalan Qingjue would likely erase him as easily as crushing an ant.
Gritting his teeth, Bai Qingran decided to gamble.
He would bet that Nalan Qingjue still cared about her master-disciple bond with Chu Mo and would not kill him in front of her!
The little fox trembled violently all over.
His legs felt as heavy as if filled with lead.
Step by step, he shuffled and dragged himself forward, stepping onto the taut line connecting Chu Mo and Nalan Qingjue.
Bai Qingran spread his arms. His sleeves fluttered wildly and uncontrollably in the air from the motion.
His legs were so weak he could barely stand, trembling like a broken willow in the wind.
Without even realizing it, a thread of fresh blood slid down from his bitten lip. In the little fox’s red pupils burned a stubborn defiance as he stared fixedly at Nalan Qingjue.
A trace of disdain curved at the corner of Nalan Qingjue’s mouth.
This fox demon is more interesting than I imagined.
A fraction of her Spirit Emperor Stage pressure landed on Bai Qingran.
With a thud, the little fox collapsed to his knees. The stubbornness in his red pupils became blurred by a misty layer of moisture.
His heartbreakingly pale face trembled. In the end, a single tear silently slid from the corner of his eye.
This face… no wonder it could make Chu Mo lose her mind.
This is perhaps the most beautiful face I’ve ever seen.
But… why does it look somewhat like Pei Yunqing?
In an instant, Nalan Qingjue understood exactly what kind of relationship existed between Bai Qingran and Chu Mo.
A mere plaything who foolishly tried to stop a chariot with a mantis’s arm!
However… even a plaything could be used.
The Spirit Emperor Stage pressure disappeared. Bai Qingran was drenched in sweat.
The sensation of having just walked out of hell made an unclear, watery sound escape his throat.
His arms were as soft as noodles, unable to move even an inch at his sides.
“Your name is Bai Qingran? If you have any grievances against Chu Mo, speak them. I can deliver justice for you.”
The question was sharp! The momentarily relaxed atmosphere instantly grew tense again!
Nalan Qingjue was testing him.
She had used this same vicious tactic on Pei Yunqing before.
Sure enough, that man had made a fool of himself in public, and his ugly, sinister true face had completely destroyed Chu Mo’s good feelings toward him.
If this fox demon spoke of his resentment, it would surely bury any improper feelings Chu Mo had for him.
Then killing the fox demon in front of Chu Mo would be completely justified.
Chu Mo’s consciousness was blurry, but she was listening.
The shrill, tragic screams from the day Pei Yunqing had desperately shifted blame still seemed to ring in her ears. Her breathing trembled.
She struggled to raise her head, but blood from her forehead curtained her vision, dyeing the familiar white figure in large patches of red.
Chu Mo wanted to know what Bai Qingran would say, yet she was also afraid—afraid he would be no different from Pei Yunqing!
Afraid every word out of his mouth would be heart-gouging!
Xiao Tao was so frightened she nearly fainted.
Shattered porcelain fragments lay scattered beneath her.
Her thoughts felt like butter being sliced apart by a hot knife.
Let… me say it out loud?
Bai Qingran keenly sensed something strange in the question.
Countless pieces of information flooded his mind: Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect, Chu Mo, Pei Yunqing, Nalan Qingjue, Lin Rou, Yan Qingge, Red Sun Phoenix Heaven Sect… The chaotic, tangled thoughts nearly burst his brain.
Bai Qingran’s throat bobbed as he swallowed a mouthful of bitter saliva.
Time became thick and stagnant.
The scene before him turned into dim, unclear black and white. But suddenly! A beam of light shone straight into his mind.
At the brightest spot of that light was the thread of “survival” hidden within the tangled ball of yarn!
Nalan Qingjue wanted him to follow in Pei Yunqing’s footsteps!
An icy tingling shot up his spine, but it could not extinguish the hope shining in Bai Qingran’s red eyes.
He understood clearly now.
Trembling, he forced himself to stand.
The little fox stared directly at Nalan Qingjue like a mortal defying a god who could decide his life or death in an instant!
He spread his arms and gently shook his head at Nalan Qingjue.
He refused to say anything.
Chu Mo’s chest heaved like an old, worn bellows, her breathing rough and rasping.
Bai Qingran, you… why… Deep in her heart—or rather, the most rational part of it—she had never been able to fully believe in Bai Qingran’s intimacy. She knew how terrible she was.
She knew how selfish she was.
But…
Why… why would you still stand in front of me?
Why… why was the person I met as a child not you, yet a year ago on Returning Cloud Mountain I met you again?
Bai Qingran… why… why did I do those unforgivable things to you…
Perhaps, seeing Bai Qingran’s “loyalty and unwavering devotion,” Chu Mo should have felt happy.
But now, guilt and remorse swelled like a rapidly inflating balloon, nearly ready to burst her entire being apart.
Nalan Qingjue narrowed her eyes. Under the impact of such extreme emotions—death, hatred, and the ecstasy of survival—this fox demon had not stepped onto the deadly path she had designed.
Did he truly fall in love with Chu Mo? Or…
She knew the white-haired fox before her possessed unparalleled medical skills.
She also knew Lin Rou’s seemingly detailed report had other intentions.
But none of that mattered to her.
What Nalan Qingjue wanted was for nothing to obstruct Chu Mo’s path of cultivation.
Heh. Nalan Qingjue sneered inwardly. Not saying it now didn’t mean he wouldn’t say it later.
As long as the fox demon remained in Xuan Phoenix Sacred Sect, she had plenty of ways to pry those words out of his mouth.
With a slight thought, a bundle of Immortal Binding Rope flew out of Nalan Qingjue’s storage ring, wrapping Chu Mo up like a rice dumpling and pulling her to her side.
“Bai Qingran, after I deal with Chu Mo, you will be next. You over there—watch this fox demon closely. If he disappears, you won’t need to remain in this world either.”
She had come suddenly and left without a trace. After speaking, Nalan Qingjue’s figure vanished from the cave.
Thud! Xiao Tao collapsed to the ground. Tears and snot poured out as the relief of surviving washed over her.
“Young Master Bai, we’re finished… we’re finished! The Sect Master… the Sect Master she…”
“Xiao Tao.”
Bai Qingran forced his voice to stay calm. He took several deep breaths, feeling dizzy as the world spun.
He clenched his fists tightly, forcing his heart—which felt ready to leap out of his throat—back down.
“We… should clean up the broken porcelain pieces first.”
He paused, then looked toward the cave entrance. This matter was far from over.
His life was now firmly in Nalan Qingjue’s hands. But… Bai Qingran closed his eyes and said, “Life still has to go on.”