Don't mess with that Miao boy, he's sickly and perverted.

Such intense and powerful malevolent energy was instantly transformed into a ferocious beast returning to its cage because of a little girl.

Even the curse disappeared.

The high priest stared at the scene before him in disbelief, as if watching a duck that was about to be eaten fly away.

Enraged, he raised his hand and manipulated the Gu worms to attack the two. However, in the next instant, a swarm of tomb bats blocked their path like a barrier.

With a flick of his finger, Wu Li sent the tomb bats fluttering apart, swarming towards the Gu worms like predators. He pulled the girl in his arms behind him, a mocking smile in his eyes:

"You think I can be at your mercy just because I don't use my murderous aura?"

"Isn't that so?" The high priest chuckled sinisterly. "Without the enhancement of your malevolent aura, you're still too green for me when it comes to witchcraft alone. Besides, you have a mother worm inside your heart that I can control."

As he spoke, he suddenly clenched his fist in the air.

A sharp, piercing pain suddenly struck, and Wu Li was caught off guard and bent over.

"Lili!" Chai Xiaomi hurriedly helped him up.

"It's okay." He was breathing heavily, his voice hoarse but still as gentle as if coaxing a child. "Turn around, cover your ears, close your eyes, and wait for me for a moment, okay?"

He looked down at her.

Her clean skirt was stained with mottled blood, whether from the whiskers or from when she was being held, it was hard to tell. Several bloodstains also appeared on her fair face, like red plum blossoms fallen on snow, quite jarring.

My chest tightened suddenly.

He suddenly wanted to hide her away, to hide her somewhere no one could find her, to hide her in his arms, to hide her in his eyes, to hide her in the softest part of his heart. Then he would boil a bucket of warm water, wash her clean, and kiss her tear-stained face.

But not yet.

He needs to finish what's in front of him first.

If the female insect is not killed, the male insect must be one of the three of them.

"Do you really think you're the most powerful Gu Master in the Wu Gu Clan?" Wu Li slowly straightened up, his eyes surging with murderous intent. "It seems I haven't yet shown you how my Gu Gu techniques work."

The fried dough stick cried out in desperation, "No, host! You have to stop him! His sins can't be allowed to accumulate any more! He finally managed to shed his malevolent aura and lower his corruption level; if he kills another person, won't he be back to square one?"

"But we can't leave them alive either; there's still a mother worm inside their hearts, that wicked high priest! Damn it!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Li clenched his fist tightly, his face paled even more, and a trickle of blood escaped from the corner of his lips.

Chai Xiaomi struggled to support him, tenderly wiping away the blood seeping from the corner of his mouth with her sleeve. She gritted her teeth; at that moment, she hated herself for not having the strength to tear the person who bullied him to pieces.

If she could, she would bear all the sins he committed.

The anger burning in her almond-shaped eyes was too obvious, and the high priest suddenly laughed, speaking in the Central Plains dialect: "What, a mere woman looking at me like that, do you want to kill me?"

Chai Xiaomi retorted fiercely, "So what if it is!"

"I never expected this, Wu Li. What your mother could never obtain in her entire life, you have obtained."

He then changed the subject, looking at Chai Xiaomi: "It's a pity you don't have the ability to kill me. You can only watch him suffer helplessly, hahahahaha!"

"if--"

Suddenly, a deep, aged voice broke in.

"I have that ability."

Chai Xiaomi was stunned. She saw a white, ethereal, semi-transparent figure with flowing white hair and a long robe, like an immortal descending to earth, standing steadily in front of her and Wu Li.

"Old...Old Ji?" she asked uncertainly.

If it weren't for that familiar voice, she almost wouldn't have recognized him.

So this is what a celestial being looks like? Even though she's old, you can still vaguely see the charm she had in her youth.

"Little Xiaomi, this is my true form. It's a pleasure to meet you." He stroked his long, white beard, and the cat toy seemed out of place in his hand, yet he carefully tucked it into his belt.

She paused for a moment, then her frail body was already overwhelmed and could barely support Wu Li's weight.

The next moment, the red dragon swiftly swam to its master's feet.

Jiang Zhiyu also appeared on the other side at the same time and put his arm around his shoulder.

Song Yueyao could tell that Xiaomi had been entangled by the tentacles for a long time and was already weak. She was only holding on so as not to worry Wu Li, so she silently supported her back.

Anan flapped his wings and flew behind the group, spreading his huge wings to shelter everyone in his wings.

This scene stunned both the clan chief and the sorceress.

In my memory, that dirty, thin, and ragged little figure knelt alone on the execution platform, clenching his teeth and not uttering a sound when the whip fell.

During each flogging, not a single person stood up for him; everyone took pleasure in watching him suffer. He was the lowest of the tribe, like an ant that could be crushed at will.

When had such a situation ever occurred around him?

These people had come to stand shoulder to shoulder with him.

The high priest's gaze, however, remained fixed on the old man before him.

In the shadows, no one could see his expression.

"Master Ji," his voice was low and sinuous, "why are you protecting him? Have you forgotten who caused your physical body to be destroyed, leaving you only able to reside within a cat's body?"

"We despise and hate the same person. Wu Ying harmed you and betrayed me. We should stand together against her."

He stepped forward: "Only by torturing this child to her heart's content, while the man she hates lives on in the world, can her long-cherished wish never be fulfilled... In this way, Wu Ying's hatred will live on forever, never finding peace."

The white-haired old man stood still, his ethereal figure swaying slightly in the wind.

After a long silence, he spoke, his voice aged yet calm: "I don't know any of Wu Ying's children. I only know my disciple, whose name is Wu Li."

"You can only hurt him by stepping over my dead body."

As he spoke, Ji Bai tilted his head slightly, his kind expression still present, but now tinged with a proud and resolute air. His eyes fell on Wu Li out of the corner of his eye, a mischievous smile playing on his lips: "You little brat, don't you always scoff at the skills I teach you, complaining that they're too weak, saying that these immortal arts are all show and no substance, only good for looking impressive when casting spells, and utterly useless?"

"Keep your eyes peeled today, because I'll show you what it truly means to have a sword that opens the gates of heaven and immortals come to pay homage!"

The illusory white figure suddenly solidified.

The old man's white hair flew wildly as he made hand gestures and chanted softly.

Dawn was breaking, and a golden edge appeared as the clouds parted. A sudden gust of wind arose, not a sinister wind, nor a malevolent one, but the purest spiritual energy of heaven and earth, surging in from all directions, howling and worshipping, flowing into that aged figure.

The leaves rustled, and all the trees bowed their heads.

He stretched out his hand, his fingers loosely clenched, and shouted in a deep voice, "Sword of Salvation, return!"

Thousands of miles away, in the cliffs of Jingmingtai Mountain, an ancient sword that had been sealed away for a long time suddenly trembled.

It lies dormant in a crevice in the cliff face, its age unknown, covered in moss and rusted.

However, at the very moment that call pierced through the void, the sword rang out like a dragon's roar.

Zheng—

The Sword of Salvation instantly transformed into a sharp and incomparable spiritual energy, breaking through the clouds and tearing through the wind, rushing towards its master who had called for it.

In the next instant, the sword had already taken shape in the old man's palm.

The sword was entirely white, and its sword aura stretched across the heavens and earth, enveloping everyone within it.

Ji Bai stood holding his sword, his robes fluttering in the wind.

He looked up at the sky and simply sighed, "I'm sorry, Master."

He knew that the young man covered in blood behind him was watching him.

That was his personally accepted disciple, but sadly, he never even got to drink a sip of tea offered to him. The boy was as stubborn as a rock; although he pretended to follow him to learn magic and cultivate his mind, he never truly acknowledged his identity.

But from the day the child called him "Master," he accepted him as his master.

What is a master?

You can scold him for being rude and unruly on ordinary days, but when it comes down to it, you have to stand in front of him.

Ji Bai had lived a long life, his physical body had been destroyed once, his path to immortality had been fraught with difficulties, and he had been living in the body of a cat for several years. He had long since given up hope of ever going back.

But this child is different.

He is still young and has a long way to go.

The moment the sword was swung, Jiang Zhiyu's pupils trembled slightly, and his voice became hoarse: "Master..."

This sword can slay demons and eliminate evil, but it cannot kill people.

That old man who always complained that he didn't want to be a cat anymore.

From then on, the path to immortality was completely destroyed.