Biyaos past experience, to her, was like a deeply painful wound that had been buried in her heart for years. Unexpectedly, at this critical moment of life and death, she thought about it again, causing her mind to be agitated. Coupled with the scarcity of food in recent days, her body was also somewhat weak, and she fainted for a long time.

  Zhang Xiaofan gazed at the demonic cult girl who was still tightly holding onto him, unconscious and asleep. He couldnt help but shake his head in bitter laughter. Not long ago, he himself had been a patient on the brink of death, yet now the situation had reversed and it was Biyao who had fallen ill. These two people had taken turns falling down, it was truly a wonder they hadnt died yet.

  After a while, Zhang Xiaofan himself was drowsy, but he insisted on sitting up straight, just because Bi Yao was lying in his arms at this moment. Looking at her pale and slightly painful face, Zhang Xiaofan couldnt bear to leave.

  Its not easy to just sit like this, he sat on the platform with one foot hanging in the air and the other stepping on the ground, sitting at an angle, his body straight as a pen, but there was no place to lean, after a long time, his body ached all over, especially where Bi Yao tightly grasped him, her fingers still exerting force even after she fell asleep, it really hurt to the bone. Fortunately, Zhang Xiaofans temperament was quite stubborn, he gritted his teeth and endured it, if it were someone else, they might have already jumped up.

  However, the punishment he received was indeed not light. Zhang Xiaofans heart was bitter, but in the end, he didnt leave. After a long time, fatigue also came, and in this gradually numb pain and soreness, he actually fell asleep while sitting.

  ※※※

  "Ah..."

  Zhang Xiaofan stretched and woke up, feeling sore all over. Just as he was sighing to himself, he suddenly found that he had unknowingly lain down on the platform, while Bi Yao, who had been by his side, had gone missing.

  Zhang Xiaofan was startled, stood up and looked around, still no sign of Bi Yao. The entire cave was empty, not even a sound could be heard. Zhang Xiaofan suddenly felt a chill in his heart, as if he had been left alone in a tomb. He furrowed his brow, got up and started looking for Bi Yao without hesitation.

  He had looked for the Heavenly Book Stone Room and then gone to the Treasure Storage Room, but he hadnt seen Bi Yaos figure. Zhang Xiao Fan pondered for a moment before heading out, and soon enough, he saw Bi Yaos figure in the stone room where the two great evil gods of the Demonic Cult were worshipped.

  Only then did Bi Yao kneel on the ground in front of Yueming Shengmu and Tianxia Mingwang, her shoulders shaking violently as she struggled to hold back her sobs, but still let out low, stifled gasps.

  She was actually crying.

  Zhang Xiaofan stood there, no matter how he imagined, he would never have thought that this strong and proud demonic cult woman had been secretly crying in front of the statue all along. He stood there for a moment, at a loss for what to do, but eventually slowly walked over, hesitantly saying: "You... uh, you, why... dont cry!"

  Unexpectedly, he didnt speak well, but as soon as he heard his words, Bi Yaos heart was originally strong and sad, suddenly burst out, her voice immediately rose a lot, loudly sobbing, slowly raising her head, the original jade-like face also hung with pearl-like tears.

  Zhang Xiaofan was stunned, he himself was just a young man, how could he understand the thoughts of these girls, immediately his hands and feet were busy, it seemed as if Bi Yao was crying because of him, even speaking became somewhat stuttered: "You, you dont, this, this way... I, I, not, youre not, I mean I..."

  Bai Yaos eyes were hazy with tears as she looked at Zhang Xiaofans flustered appearance, shook her head, clenched her teeth tightly, but the pain was unbearable, and the tears of sadness that had been suppressed for over a decade suddenly burst out today.

  "It was me, Im the one who killed Mother!" The woman, deeply trapped in painful memories, said with a hint of sorrow and grief.

  Zhang Xiaofan immediately shook his head, looking at her fragile and helpless figure at this moment, a daze in his heart, as if he saw the same helpless figure of himself many years ago: "No," he walked up, low voice, soft voice said: "Your mother is the one who loves you the most, at that time you were still young, didnt understand anything, how could you harm people?"

  "Bai Yao sobbed: But, but Father has always hated me, I know he cant wait for me to die, he blames me for Mothers death!"

  "Impossible," Zhang Xiaofan said in a low voice. "Dont think nonsense, your dad isnt someone who would wrong you, he came to save you, has he ever treated you badly all these years?"

  Biyaos body trembled slightly, and her face seemed to pale, Zhang Xiaofan saw from here that her originally clear and beautiful face was like a pear flower in the rain, with a heartbreaking charm that moved peoples hearts.

  She raised her head and looked at Zhang Xiaofan with tears in her eyes, but Zhang Xiaofan didnt dare to look directly at her and turned away his eyes.

  After a long time.

  "Youre fine." She said suddenly, in a low and mournful tone.

  Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat, but he immediately calmed down and smiled: "Nothing, its just that were about to die together, so I wanted to comfort you with a few words before we go."

  Bixiao slowly stopped crying, wiped away the tears from her eyes, and sighed softly. "Yes, were going to die together." As she said this, she suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Zhang Xiaofan again, "You and I are going to die here, have you ever regretted it?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment, and in an instant, countless scenes flashed through his mind, as if at this moment, he had returned to Qingyun Mountain, Dazhu Peak. "I naturally regret it."

  He said in a low and depressed tone.

  Bi Yaos face immediately fell as she said, "Hmph, in the Holy Church, I dont know how many people want to die with me, but youre the only one who doesnt know your own strength!"

  Zhang Xiaofans anger surged up, but after glancing at Bi Yao, it suddenly dissipated. He let out a sigh and shook his head, saying: "Perhaps, but if I could be buried on top of the Great Bamboo Peak, then I would truly have no regrets in death."

  Bi Yaos face was gloomy, staring at him, silent for a long time, suddenly said: "You are for your Linger Shizi, right?"

  Zhang Xiaofan jumped up, pointing at her in surprise: "You, how did you know?"

  Biyao turned her head and said, "Its what you said when you were seriously ill and talking nonsense a while ago."

  Zhang Xiaofan was stunned, and just as he wanted to say something to blame her, he changed his mind. Looking at himself and her about to die in this place, from now on, not only would he not see his master sister again, but even after death, he would probably become a ghost and still wouldnt be able to see the scenery of Dazhu Peak!

  I just wonder if my senior sister will remember me?

  He thought of this, suddenly, his heart turned cold and he let out a long sigh, the bitter meaning deeply unable to extricate himself. He turned around and walked away. Looking at his back, Bi Yao was dazed.

  After a long time, she slowly turned her head and gazed at the two statues of gods, then knelt down: "Holy Mother, I wish you would have mercy on the people of the world, protect him and bless him. King Ming, I hope you will use your heavenly power to save..."

  Her voice suddenly broke off, and she fell to the ground, motionless. In that moment, everything around her seemed to have quieted down, but in her mind, it was like a turbulent sea, with a glimmer of light flashing amidst the waves, yet elusive and fleeting. She strained to grasp it, to recall it.

  She slowly raised her head, carefully looking at the statue of Tianxia Mingwang on her right side, again and again, with a thought in her mind shouting loudly: "No, no, this statue is missing something..."

  She looked at it again and again, not even daring to breathe, until her gaze finally fell on the empty right hand of the statue.

  She jumped up and could no longer hold back her joy, shouting loudly: "Kaitian Axe, where has the Kaitian Axe gone?"

  The legend of the Demon Sect says that the Saint Mother of Yin and Yang is the god who nurtures all living things, while the Bright King of Heavens Punishment is the fierce god who wields punishment and opened up heaven and earth. This is vastly different from the ancient legend of Pangu, the giant who opened up the sky. It is said that the Bright King of Heavens Punishment holds a "Heaven-Opening Giant Axe", so later generations would also carve this axe when making his statue. But the statue in front of us has an empty right hand. Bi Yao knew well that within the Demon Sect, the Bright King of Heavens Punishment is one of the two great respected gods, and no one would dare to be disrespectful on purpose. The Blood Refining Hall that built this Blood Drop Cave was also a branch of the Demon Sect, so there must be a reason for this.

  Zhang Xiaofan returned to the stone cave, sat on the platform, silent and speechless, thinking of the old friend at Dazhu Peak. Suddenly, Bi Yao rushed in with a joyful face, saw him sitting there, and loudly said: "If you want to live, come over quickly."

  "What?" Zhang Xiaofan was startled, but saw Bi Yao rush into the treasure room on his right side like a gust of wind. He hesitated for a moment, but finally couldnt resist the desire to live, and followed her in. As soon as he stepped into the stone room, he heard Bi Yaos excited shout, and saw that she was struggling to pick up a huge iron axe from a pile of iron junk, looking extremely strenuous, and it should be very heavy.

  Zhang Xiaofan ran over to help her hold the giant axe, and indeed felt that it was extremely heavy in his hand. The two of them joined forces but still had a hard time lifting it, and he exclaimed: "What are you doing?"

  Bi Yao didnt say anything more to him and directly said: "If you want to save your life, help me move this iron axe to the statue over there."

  Zhang Xiaofan took a deep breath in shock and exclaimed: "You... what are you going to do?"

  Bi Yao was too lazy to say more, dragging the axe and walking away, but after a few steps, she was panting heavily. Zhang Xiao Fan shook his head in dismay, but still followed her. The two of them used all their strength, like nine cows and two tigers, and finally dragged the axe to the stone chamber where the statue was located. Then, Zhang Xiao Fan rolled his eyes and reluctantly heard Bi Yao say that they had to put this heavy thing into the hands of the evil god.

  Originally, Zhang Xiaofan had always been suspicious, but now that he heard it was actually for the evil god of the demonic sect, he immediately lost his energy. However, he couldnt resist Bi Yaos persistence and saw her sweating profusely as she worked alone, so he softened in his heart, thinking that even if it was just before death, fulfilling one of her wishes would be good, and thus went forward to help with all his might.

  This axe looks incredibly massive, and now that theyre actually moving it, the weight is unthinkable. With the two of them having gone without food for so long, its a miracle they were able to complete this seemingly impossible task. After finally managing to equip the axe to Tianming Wangs right hand, Zhang Xiaofan plopped down onto the ground, panting heavily, saying: "You...huff...you...if you cant find a way out...huff...originally we could have lived for three more days, but now we only have three hours left."

  Bi Yao herself was also panting heavily, but the excitement in her eyes couldnt be hidden. After a brief rest, she walked to the side of the god statue and observed it carefully for a while. She saw that after adding a giant axe to the Ming Wang god statue, it indeed looked majestic and awe-inspiring. She bowed respectfully to the Tianxia Ming Wang god statue and said, "Ming Wang, please forgive your disciples rudeness."

  After she finished speaking, she reached out and grabbed the giant axe, shaking it back and forth, but there was no movement. Of course not, this giant axe was put in by herself, if there was any movement, there would have been earlier. Zhang Xiaofan sat on the ground, looking at her strange movements, shaking his head.

  Bixiaos eyebrows were tightly furrowed as she said in a low voice, "Whats wrong? The mechanism should be here..."

  As they spoke, his heart grew anxious and the strength in his hand increased slightly. With a shift of the giant axe, the right hand of the Tianxia Mingwang statue also moved an inch. Suddenly, within the stone chamber, it seemed as if some heavy mechanical sound had been triggered.

  Zhang Xiaofan jumped up, and Bi Yao was overjoyed. The two exchanged a glance, and Zhang Xiaofan ran over to join forces with Bi Yao to grab the giant axe. With a mighty heave, they lifted the axe, which was still attached to Tianxia Mingwangs right hand, from its hanging position to mid-air. A moment later, a deafening roar echoed through the stone chamber.

  The two were shocked, feeling only a loud humming in their ears, extremely painful and unbearable. They quickly covered their ears with their hands. After another moment, the humming sound was still loud in their ears, but behind the statue, on the stone wall, the huge and hard stone wall slowly opened to both sides, revealing a passageway, with stepped stone stairs leading up, all the way up into the darkness ahead.

  At this moment, the stone chamber where the statue was located suddenly shook violently, and stones fell from the top of their heads. The two almost didnt speak, and they ran to the stone steps with a tacit understanding, throwing themselves into the darkness.

  Actually eight hundred years ago, the Demon Sects Blood Refining Hall had already considered the possibility of being attacked by enemies when building the Bloody Cave. They secretly built a passageway in the stone chamber within the mountain to escape through if they were invaded. After a short while, the Bloody Cave would collapse, burying the enemy and countless secrets of the Blood Refining Hall together.

  Zhang Xiaofan and Bi Yao ran desperately, only to hear the continuous loud rumbling behind them, with rocks flying everywhere. If they had slowed down even a little, they might have died on the spot. They were using up their last bit of strength to run forward. Not far ahead, everything in front of them was pitch black. In this narrow and dark passageway, they didnt know how many times they stumbled or bumped into things. All they could hear was the deafening rumbling around them, with rocks flying everywhere, as if the entire empty mountain was shaking with rage. But in the end, it was their desire to survive that allowed them to see a glimmer of light coming from up ahead.

  The entrance to the secret cave was originally located halfway up Kong Sang Mountain, under a cliff on the shaded side of the mountain, where trees were lush and dense, extremely secluded. No wonder no one had seen it for 800 years. Its likely that most of the descendants of the Blood Refining Hall today are also unaware of this place.

  Zhang Xiaofan and Bi Yao stumbled out, and almost as soon as they fell to the ground, a loud "rumble" was heard. A massive boulder weighing thousands of kilograms came crashing down, sending dust flying everywhere, completely sealing off the entrance to the cave. From that day on, no one would ever be able to uncover the secrets hidden within the belly of the mountain again.

  ※※※

  Prostrate on the ground, Zhang Xiaofan was panting heavily, his fingers tightly grasping the slightly damp green grass on the ground. The thrill of running along the edge of life and death really left him breathless. After a while, his mood slowly relaxed, he lifted his head and looked to the side, only to see Bi Yao right beside him. Her originally pale face now had a faint layer of dust, as if she felt Zhang Xiaofans gaze, she also turned her head to look over.

  The joy of rebirth slowly emerged on the faces of the two. Bi Yaos lips moved, as if there were ripples in her bright eyes, and a crystal-like glint appeared in her misty gaze. A faint cry of excitement escaped her lips, a sense of relief after an infinite weight had been lifted. She couldnt think of anything else, only that the sky was so blue, the mountains so high, the wind rustling gently, the trees swaying softly, and the world was full of breathtaking beauty that moved ones soul.

  "We, we survived!" She shouted with joy, facing the green hills and blue sky.

  Zhang Xiaofan laughed loudly, by her side, watching her let go of her worries, revealing the most beautiful smile in the world.

  With a crackling sound, the flames engulfed the firewood, producing a crisp response, and emitting waves of light smoke. Bi Yao sat beside the bonfire, watching Zhang Xiao Fan use a large branch to tidy up a wild rabbit he had just caught, and then roast it over the fire. As the flames roasted the rabbit, its meat gradually turned golden yellow, while the oil droplets condensed into water beads and dripped down.

  Under the mountain forest, a fragrance wafted out, spreading in all directions. In that cave, he was so hungry that Bi Yao couldnt help but salivate, swallowing mouthfuls of water, but saw Zhang Xiaofan unhurriedly checking the fire, habitually reaching his hand to his waist and suddenly looking stunned, then revealing a joyful expression.

  "What?" Bi Yao asked in surprise.

  Zhang Xiaofan happily took out a small package from his waist and smiled, "Unexpectedly, the dry rations were all lost, but these things are still here, I didnt even notice them in the past few days."

  Bi Yao looked at the small package, only to see Zhang Xiao Fan carefully opening it, revealing several small bottles and jars. She was curious, picked up a few and smelled them, and immediately froze, staring at Zhang Xiao Fan almost speechless: "Th-these are salt and seasoning..."

  Zhang Xiaofan smiled all over his face and said, "Yes, Ive been carrying it with me since I came down the mountain. I was afraid that if I had to stay overnight in the wilderness, I could make some delicious food. I didnt expect it to come in handy today."

  Bi Yao looked up and down at Zhang Xiao Fan, unable to speak for a moment. She saw him carefully sprinkle the unknown spice or salt on the rabbit meat, then slowly turn the branches to roast it, and the aroma in the air grew thicker. She had never seen such an upright person, who would actually put seasonings on his body. Looking at him, he seemed more like a chef than a disciple from a prestigious family.

  After a while, Zhang Xiaofan leaned in and sniffed, happily saying: "Its done, it can be eaten now."

  Bi Yao had been waiting impatiently for a long time, feeling that the fragrance was almost omnipresent, entering her body through every pore, making her feel as if she were floating, much lighter. As for her mouth, it was even more unbearable, and if she hadnt been careful to hide it, she feared that even the sound of her stomach growling would be heard by this little scoundrel.

  When he heard Zhang Xiaofans good intentions, he finally said that he had finished. In front of him was a golden, fragrant rabbit, and his mouth watered so much that he couldnt help but stretch out his hand. Unexpectedly, he forgot for a moment, and as soon as his hand touched it, he let out an "ah" and withdrew it, only to find that he had been scalded.

  Zhang Xiaofan smiled and said, "Dont be in a hurry!" He removed the branch from the fire pit and moved it up and down, allowing the oil to drip off. The temperature of the meat also dropped slightly. Then he carefully tore off a rabbits hind leg and handed it to Bi Yao, smiling and saying, "Eat."

  Bìi Yáo immediately stretched out her hand to receive the rabbit meat, just about to open her mouth, when she suddenly saw Zhāng Xiǎo Fáns warm and gentle smile, looking at her with a smile. The sunlight filtering through the dense leaves of the forest dripped down, point by point, and a few drops landed on his face, making him look so refreshing.

  For some reason, her face suddenly turned red, she turned her head away and turned her back to Zhang Xiaofan, only then did she start eating. Zhang Xiaofan was stunned for a moment, but didnt mind it either, he was also starving, so he tore off another rabbit leg and started devouring it with big bites.

  He had eaten half of it when he suddenly saw Bi Yao turn around and look at him, slightly surprised, saying: "Whats wrong? Is the meat still good to eat?"

  Biyaos face had a faint flush, the gentle breeze blowing from the depths of the forest lightly lifted her soft hair, brushing against her pale cheeks.

  "Its really delicious, uh..."

  "Whats wrong?"

  Bi Yao: "...... Ive finished eating."

  Her face had a faint gentleness, with a hint of shyness, Zhang Xiaofan slightly opened his mouth, and was stunned.

  Bi Yao slightly lowered her head, and the two of them suddenly fell silent. After a while, Zhang Xiaofan suddenly woke up with a start: "Ah!"

  Sweat broke out on his forehead, he stuttered, and his words were incoherent: "I, I didnt see, its not, you look at me... Ah, no, ah, here, take it."

  Saying so, she closed her eyes and handed over the rabbit leg, but somehow, she didnt dare open her eyes.

  But after a long time, Bi Yao seemed to be motionless. Zhang Xiao Fan plucked up his courage and slowly opened his eyes, only to see Bi Yao looking at him with a smile that was not quite a smile on her face, but her eyes were gentle, and she had an inexplicable soft charm. She said softly, with a hint of a smile: "Are you going to give this to me to eat?"

  Zhang Xiaofan was perplexed, looked down at his hands, and suddenly his face turned red with embarrassment. He had no place to hide. It turned out that what he had handed over to Bi Yao was the rabbit leg he was holding in his right hand, which he had gnawed on halfway through, while more than half of the rabbit meat was still clutched in his left hand by his side.

  "No, no, not at all..." Zhang Xiaofan was extremely embarrassed, and quickly retrieved the rabbit leg that had been thrown away. He then handed over the intact rabbit meat with a smile, mumbling: "I was just thinking..."

  "I know." Biyao took the rabbit, tore off a piece of meat and put it in her mouth, chewing slowly. "Its delicious, the best thing Ive ever eaten in my life is this roasted rabbit youre making now."

  Zhang Xiaofans heart skipped a beat, and he saw Bi Yaos beautiful and elegant face, half smiling and half serious, saying that his heart was stirred, and he didnt dare to look again. He bit into the half-eaten rabbit leg and buried his head in bitter eating.

  This rabbit was gone in no time, devoured by the two hungry people. It had been many days since they last had a full meal, and it truly felt wonderful. Bi Yao found a small stream in the mountains, and the two of them washed up by the waters edge, feeling rather sleepy afterwards. As it turned out, being on high alert all the time while inside the mountain, always feeling like they were walking on the edge of life and death, had taken its toll. Now that they were out, their whole bodies relaxed, and fatigue caught up with them.

  Bi Yao couldnt support herself and lay down on a small patch of green grass by the stream, sleeping. Zhang Xiao Fan also felt tired and lay down beside her, but feeling the warm sunshine gently shining on them, he couldnt help turning his head to look at Bi Yao. He saw that after washing up, Bi Yaos hair was still a bit messy, but her face had returned to its original pale and delicate complexion, like jade, with skin as white as snow, almost translucent. At this moment, she closed her eyes, quietly lying there, the breeze blowing gently, her hair lightly moving, shining softly in the sunlight.

  Suddenly, Bi Yao was sleeping soundly, as if she had seen something, her eyebrows slightly furrowed, her right hand habitually reached out and grabbed Zhang Xiao Fans shoulder, leaning against him, then, on her lips, there was a faint smile, and she fell asleep peacefully.

  Zhang Xiaofan was stunned, but looking at her slightly pale yet still beautiful face, he couldnt muster the courage to let go of her hand no matter what. He lay there motionless, and gradually his fatigue caught up with him, closing his eyes as if he had forgotten about it all, sleeping soundly as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

  A gentle breeze rustled through the forest, softly blowing over the treetops, the green leaves, and the quietly flowing brook, creating a soft ripple, finally brushing against the two young people.