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  Qingyun Mountain, Dazhu Peak.

  Deep in the night, only the distant sound of bamboo waves carried by the wind gently echoed in the night sky. The lights had long been extinguished, and the disciples of Dazhu Peak had all rested, leaving only a lone lamp behind the Guardian Hall, shining quietly in the darkness.

  The night breeze gently blew in, carrying a hint of coolness through the half-open window, making a soft "whooshing" sound.

  The lamp on the table in the middle of the room was blown to shake slightly, and it became bright and dim.

  A white hand stretched out gently, blocking the wind, and the flame quickly stabilized and began to shine again. Su Rou sat lazily at the table, it was already late at night, but she didn't feel sleepy at all.

  The wind outside was still blowing, hitting the doors and windows, occasionally making a soft sound. Su Rou stood up, walked slowly to the window, but didn't close it immediately, instead looking out the window.

  The sky is as black as ink, it's the darkest moment.

  She concentrated on listening, but in this deep night wind, there was no sound she wanted to hear.

  Su Ru's face showed a faint, bitter smile as she quietly closed the window and sat back down at the desk. Neither she nor Tian Naye were people who valued luxury, and there weren't many decorations in this bedroom. At the moment, on the desk, aside from a cloth bundle, there was only a small, round mirror.

  She brought over the round mirror, and after a moment, in front of her eyes, a dignified and beautiful woman appeared in the round mirror, with hair like clouds, skin as smooth as a young girl's, without a single wrinkle. She and Tian Naiyi had been husband and wife for several hundred years, cultivating together, before they achieved this level of spiritual power, their faces remaining youthful.

  After gazing for a while, Su Rou let out a soft sigh, put the small round mirror aside, and picked up the bundle of cloth from the other end, opening it.

  Inside, however, were some very ordinary things: needles and threads, a piece of fabric, scissors, and powder puffs. These were the kinds of things that ordinary women in mundane families would have to make clothes for their husbands and children. Su Ru lightly picked up the fabric, threaded the needle, and carefully sewed by the light of the lamp.

  She was sewing and sewing, under the candlelight, her eyes became somewhat dazed, as if she was distracted, thinking about something, and her sewing speed slowed down a lot. At this moment, suddenly outside the house, it seemed like the wind had picked up, with a "whoosh" sound blowing by, and the window that had just been closed was heavily slammed shut once again, and then suddenly blew open again.

  A gust of cold wind suddenly rushed in, and the candle flame on the table was almost simultaneously blown out by this strong wind.

  "Ah!"

  A soft cry, Su Rou furrowed her brow in the darkness, and a sharp pain spread from the tip of her finger. With her cultivation and practice, she was actually injured by a small sewing needle, which even made her laugh at herself. But somehow, as the cold night wind blew through the dark room, Su Rou's mood became melancholic, as if a large stone had been pressed onto her heart, weighing heavily on it.

  She let out a sigh, put down the needle and thread, and walked to the window. The scenery outside was still the same, but her husband, who had watched it with her countless times before, had been gone for a long time.

  After daybreak, perhaps it's time to send Da Ren and the others down the mountain to search again. Just waiting like this isn't a solution.

  Su Ru thought so in her heart, and Tian Naiyi's appearance flashed before her eyes, a wave of worry rose up in her mind.

  The night is getting darker!

  She gazed at the night sky for a long time, her lips trembling slightly, muttering something to herself. After a while, she silently lowered her head, let out a faint sigh, and closed the window.

  Outside, the wind seemed to have increased by a few degrees.

  ※※※

  Kitsune-yama, Oniō-ji Temple

  In the same deep night, there are also people who can't sleep, but perhaps their mood is different.

  Above the blood pool hidden in the deepest part of the mountain, the King of Ghosts and Mr. Ghost stood shoulder to shoulder. Mr. Ghost was still wrapped all over his body in black clothes, and his expression could not be seen clearly, while the face of the King of Ghosts had an uncontrollable excitement and joy.

  He looked not the slightest bit tired from staying up all night, in fact, as a Ghost King's cultivation method, even if he didn't sleep or rest for several days, it wouldn't cause any great harm. At this moment, his face didn't have the slightest hint of fatigue, instead, it was faintly glowing with a red light, full of energy and spirit, completely focused on staring at the blood pool below his feet.

  The blood pool, which had been soaked in countless blood, had undergone a significant change compared to before. The four great spiritual beasts were still trapped in the bloody water, and even the previously struggling Taotie now looked like it had been drained of its energy, lying listlessly in the bloody water without moving for half a day.

  The blood pool, which had always been calm, was no longer peaceful. The huge water surface was filled with bubbles constantly emerging from the depths of the bloody water, accompanied by the sound of cracking and breaking, at a speed that was several times faster than before. The number of bubbles also increased dramatically, making the entire blood pool appear to be boiling. An invisible force was slowly awakening from the depths of the blood pool, and the bloody aura in this space had intensified more than tenfold compared to before.

  In mid-air, the Fowling Cauldron, the hub of the Four Spirits Blood Array, had also undergone some changes. The originally ancient and heavy body of the cauldron seemed to have absorbed a lot of spiritual energy and demonic power from the blood pool below and the four great spirit beasts, gradually emitting a faint red glow. The large cauldron, which was initially bronze in color, now presented a translucent and slightly visible light yellow amber color, with an air of solemnity.

  On the body of the tripod, those mysterious inscriptions had all lit up, as if they had all been reborn.

  Generally, the eerie glow was flashing, and on the most central pattern, the four spiritual beast patterns that were originally bright and dark suddenly lit up, shining brightly, with a light that surpassed the surrounding text. Only the ferocious demon head in this pattern remained crimson as blood, greedily absorbing the spiritual energy continuously absorbed by the Fow Dragon Cauldron from below.

  The surrounding space around the Fulong Cauldron, within this sealed mountain belly, was actually a vortex of air that seemed to appear out of thin air, carrying with it the mighty power of wind and thunder. This cauldron itself contained a terrible and frightening aura, which could be clearly felt even by the Ghost King and Ghost Master standing far away. The strange and eerie aura emanating from it continued to grow stronger and more intense.

  Like the Ghost King, Mr. Gui also gazed at the Fow Dragon Cauldron, but his eyes were icy and sharp, compared to the Ghost King, he was less fanatical and more calm.

  Mr. Gui stared at Fulong Ding for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth and said: "So far everything has gone as expected, exactly as the inscription on Fulong Ding's body says. If we continue like this, it seems that the Four Spirits Blood Array will succeed within the 49-day period!"

  The Demon King took a deep breath, his face flushed with excitement, and his eyes gleamed with an unusual fervor. He stepped forward, unable to contain a long howl, saying: "Good, good, good! I can hardly wait!"

  The ghost gentleman glanced at him and said, "Master Zong, don't worry, there's still a long way to go."

  The King of Ghosts looked up at the sky and burst out laughing, then suddenly turned around and walked to Mr. Gui's front, stretched out his hand and heavily patted Mr. Gui's shoulder. Mr. Gui seemed to be startled, a hint of strange color flashed in his eyes, but he still didn't move, standing still on the spot. After a moment, the King of Ghosts' palm slapped his shoulder again, without any unusual reaction, just laughing loudly: "Good, good, good!"

  He burst out laughing, extremely delighted, then seemed to remember something, his smile reined in a bit, and he said seriously to Mr. Gui: "Thank you."

  The Ghost Master slightly bowed his head and said, "This world-shocking array can succeed, all thanks to the Sect Master's great fortune rivaling heaven. If not for this Fulong Ding divine artifact, I would also be at a loss."

  The Demon King smiled and shook his head, saying: "The Fulong Cauldron is a treasured heirloom of the Demon King Sect, but for many years no one has been able to decipher the inscriptions on its body. Only you have finally lent an old man a helping hand, this is Heaven sending a gentleman to assist me in achieving my ambitions!"

  The Ghost Master was silent for a moment before saying, "You're overpraising me, Sect Leader."

  The Demon King let out a hearty laugh, but then turned his body around again. His gaze fell once more on the Void-Standing, Radiant, and Auspicious Fow Dragon Cauldron. Another wave of excitement and joy flashed across his eyes, and he couldn't help but burst into loud laughter again.

  Mr. Gui stood quietly behind the King of Ghosts, looking at the increasingly arrogant expression of the King of Ghosts, without saying a word. At this moment, if someone who knew the King of Ghosts came in casually, they would be shocked. The King of Ghosts had always been majestic and profound, never with such an arrogant and domineering expression. But this time, looking at Mr. Gui's eyes, there was no surprise at all.

  It's unclear whether it's because Mr. Gui and the Ghost King have spent a lot of time together on ordinary days, or if he has a deep mind that others can't see through.

  In short, above the huge blood pool in the secret belly of the mountain, amidst the thick bloody smell, the King of Ghosts was complacently calculating future events, his triumphant laughter echoing and gradually enveloping the entire vast cave. And behind him stood a quiet shadow, silently standing still.

  ※※※

  Under the Azure Cloud Mountain.

  The strange black cloud above the sky had disappeared unknowingly, but the clouds were still very thick. From the pitch-black sky, the heavy rain was still pouring down, washing away this somewhat desolate world.

  On the desolate land, strong winds and heavy rains battered down, with a chill that cut to the bone. What was once an abandoned charity house not long ago had become a complete ruin after a shocking and intense battle of magic, even the ground beneath their feet had been overturned due to the destruction caused by the immense magical powers, and after being washed away by the strong winds and heavy rains, it had turned into dirty mud.

  The sky was dark and there wasn't a single ray of light, in the desolate wilderness, amidst the wind and rain, there was only a faint blue glow that flickered weakly.

  Lu Xueqi, who had always loved cleanliness, was now covered in mud, but she seemed to be completely unaware of it. Not far in front of her, Tian Naiyi's body lay quietly on the ground, his eyes closed as if he were asleep. The wind and rain hit his face, and there was a sobbing sound in the wind, as if someone was crying.

  Gui Li still hasn't woken up, and with the faint blue light of Tian Hui, one can see that his face is as pale as a dead person's. His expression is also filled with pain, and if not for the slight rise and fall of his chest due to breathing, it would be easy to mistake him for being dead. At this moment, his body is being held in Lu Xue Qi's arms, and Tian Hui quietly emits light, creating a small gap around Lu Xue Qi and Gui Li that blocks out the raindrops with an invisible force.

  But in front of them, not far away, the little monkey Xiao Hui also lost its usual vitality and sat quietly on the ground, with rain falling from the sky.

  The rain wetted its body hair, and water droplets flowed over its face and body, dripping onto the ground. A gust of cold wind blew by, and Xiao Hui's three eyes blinked, seemingly feeling a bit chilly, quietly drawing closer to Gui Li's body.

  Lu Xueqi silently raised her head, glanced at Xiao Hui, then stretched out her hand to gently pull Xiao Hui into the Tian Jue light ring, letting it lie on Gui Li's body. Xiao Hui looked at Lu Xueqi, made a soft "squeak squeak" sound with its mouth, and then slowly lowered its head again, leaning against Gui Li's chest. Its head was tilted to one side, its eyes fixed on the quiet corpse of Tian Nayei not far in front.

  Like a dream! Like an illusion!

  It seemed like a long and distant dream, but there was no joy in it, because when I reached the end, I found out that it was actually a nightmare.

  Kui's body moved slightly, and the sorrow on his pale face seemed to deepen a bit more. After a moment, accompanied by a painful groan, he slowly came to.

  There is a light in front of me, a pale blue glow that floats gently and hovers around my body.

  All around are sounds, the sound of wind and rain, the wind blows and the rain hits, the wind and rain rustle.

  The little grey figure leaning against Gui Li's chest suddenly straightened up and looked at Gui Li.

  The cold wind blows again.

  The ghost trembled slightly, then he saw Lu Xueqi's gaze, that pale face like his own, the only one who accompanied him on this stormy night.

  The corners of Gui Li's mouth twitched slightly.

  The pain in his chest had eased a lot, and Gui Li looked down at his chest, only to see that it was wrapped with seven or eight strips of white cloth of varying sizes, all of which seemed to have been hastily torn from his clothes. As he gradually regained consciousness, he soon became aware of the broken bones in his chest, all of which had been reset, but Tian Nanyi's palm strike had indeed been incredibly powerful, and his entire body's meridians had been injured. Although Lu Xueqi had administered treatment afterwards, it was likely that he would need to rest for many days before recovering.

  As soon as he thought of this, he subconsciously turned his eyes to look around and quickly saw the mentor who had raised him to grow up. Gui Li did not speak, he seemed to have no strength to speak, in the wind and rain, Tian Naiyi's face was splashed with water droplets, silently lying in the dirty mud.

  Who would have known he'd end up like this after his death?

  A low, hoarse shout came from his throat, and Gui Li's body rolled out of Lu Xueqi's arms and fell into the mud. He struggled to crawl towards Tian Naiyi's corpse. Lu Xueqi was startled and instinctively reached forward to grab him, but when her hand touched Gui Li's body, she heard him say in a low voice:

  "Don't pull me."

  Lu Xueqi stood woodenly, slowly withdrawing her outstretched hand. Her gaze followed Gui Li as he left Tianyuan's halo and laboriously crawled towards Tian Naiyi's body, step by step. The wind and rain were merciless, biting and relentless, quickly soaking his body. Along the way, muddy sludge also splattered all over him.

  The little monkey Xiao Hui followed closely behind Gui Li, looking at his master's appearance, seemingly also somewhat anxious. From time to time, he jumped to Gui Li's side and stretched out both hands wanting to pull him, but compared to Xiao Hui's body, Gui Li was too big, and Xiao Hui couldn't exert any strength for the time being, and couldn't help but feel a bit anxious, "Squeak squeak squeak" cried out several times.

  Finally, Gui Li crawled to Tian Naiyi's side, his hand touching him was already icy cold. Gui Li's face had his teeth tightly clenched, and his body slightly trembled, his gaze carefully measured the Tian Naiyi in front of him, as if a wanderer returning after many years, but ultimately only left with despair.

  Droplets of water fell from his face onto Tian Nai's already stiffened face.

  The wind and rain grew stronger.

  His gaze slowly fell on Tian Bu Yi's chest, although it was a neatly dressed shirt, but the huge and terrifying wound still shocked him, Gui Li seemed to be stabbed all over his body, and he was stiffened.

  Then he slowly turned around and looked back.

  Behind her, Lu Xueqi's lonely and desolate figure stood in the wind and rain, silently facing the fierce gaze of Gui Li, her face pale and bloodless, her hands clenched into fists inside her sleeves, her fingernails deeply embedded in her skin.

  That moment's gaze, what kind of heartache is it again?

  The expression on Gui Li's face gradually became dazed, and even the initial pain and heartache slowly disappeared, leaving only a daze. He turned his head in a daze and looked at Tian Naye again. The wind and rain blew over, and Tian Naye's face was splattered with mud from the ground at some point.

  The ghost slowly stretched out his hand to wipe away the rain from Tian Naiyi's face. When he touched Tian Naiyi's icy skin, his hand felt as if it had been scalded by fire and instinctively jerked back before stretching out again to carefully and gently wipe away the mud and rain from Tian Naiyi's face.

  Then, he propped himself up, crawled closer to his teacher's body, and used his own chest to shield Tian Naiyi from the wind and rain, no longer allowing the harsh winds and rains to touch his body.

  Lu Xueqi silently watched him do everything, without stopping. On her beautiful face, only desolation remained.

  "When I was young, my family was destroyed..." The ghost's voice, suddenly came from the wind and rain, he spoke very slowly, as if every word had been tossed about countless times in his heart before being slowly revealed.

  Lu Xueqi quietly approached him, while Gui Lie's body remained still, still sheltering Tian Nai from the wind and rain.

  "It was Master who brought me back to Dazhu Peak and taught me how to cultivate. I will never be able to repay the kindness of this old man in my lifetime."

  Guile's body swayed, and he didn't know if it was because of the exhaustion after being injured, but he couldn't withstand the wind and rain. Lu Xueqi's face changed, and she reached out to support him, but as soon as her hand touched Guile's body, Guile slightly moved away from her, avoiding her.

  Lu Xueqi's hand froze in mid-air.

  The ghost strenuously lifted Tian Bu Yi's body, deeply embracing his head and face in his own bosom, while on his face, a deep pain appeared, and he was only muttering to himself.

  Lu Xueqi stood beside him, in the wind and rain, still listening to his words clearly, Gui Li was just repeating a sentence over and over again:

  "I'll never be able to repay it in this lifetime... I'll never be able to repay it in this lifetime..."

  Lu Xueqi's lips trembled slightly, her gaze swept across Tian Buyi's face. Who would have known that on this same evening, this person had also smiled and spoken to her, making promises to her, allowing her to see a glimmer of hope in the midst of despair.

  That one sword, that one wound...

  The person who got hurt is not just one!

  She smiled mournfully, turned around, but her body involuntarily shook a few times, her eyebrows furrowed, and a mouthful of blood spurted out. Drops of blood fell on her chest clothes, also fell on the ground, only the wind and rain were ruthless, and in no time, they were eroded by the rainwater and disappeared.

  She lifted her head and gazed up at the sky, icy raindrops falling on her face, the vast expanse of dark clouds a deep, foreboding black.

  Isn't it almost dawn?

  But why is it that in this world, up until now, apart from the desolate wind and rain, all that's left is just a vast expanse of darkness?

  Lu Xueqi's eyes had tears, which quietly fell in the wind and rain.