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

Wu Li took in her desperate attempt to hold back her tears and was momentarily stunned.

A complex emotion seemed to flash quickly across his eyes.

Was he... too fierce just now?

"Hey." Chai Xiaomi raised her fist and lightly punched his shoulder. "I'm asking you a question, why aren't you answering me?"

Fine, fine, you think she's too stupid, so you don't even want to talk to her anymore, right?

Wu Li has a particularly severe aversion to stupidity, and she has figured that out.

Her heart sank heavily, and she lowered her eyelashes sadly, wanting to withdraw her hand.

Suddenly, the loose fist was completely enveloped by a long, slender hand.

The boy stared straight at her, a rare hint of urgency creeping into his voice:

I'm not ignoring you.

"A barrier has been set up around this place for miles, so there's no way to fly out. If you try to force your way out, you'll only crash into the inner wall of the barrier and get hurt even more badly." He softened his tone and patiently explained to her.

Chai Xiaomi's expression turned serious: "Then... is there any other way?"

The monster below was clearly enraged, struggling and roaring.

The nine-tailed beast still had one tail left unpinned, causing its demonic energy to surge. The eight pinned tails suddenly tightened, breaking through the restriction in an instant, and the eight arrows snapped in two.

It raised its head and let out a roar that shook the mountains, the sound waves of which shattered the surrounding boulders.

A thick, violent, dark red demonic aura gathered at the tip of its tail, surging wildly beneath its fur like boiling magma!

It's about to pour out!

"There is a way."

Wu Li's gaze didn't fall on the roaring beast below; instead, it focused intently on her face. He paused, a hint of hesitation in his voice:

"But... could you please close your eyes first?"

This was his only request.

She trembles even when she looks directly at a demon beast; if she saw him summoning Gu, she would probably be terrified.

For some reason, this thought made his chest feel tight, and a strange sense of irritability and powerlessness surged up, even mixed with a bit of unfamiliar hostility.

When did he become so hesitant and indecisive?

In the past, dealing with such troublesome monsters by using the most insidious Gu techniques to torture them inch by inch until their life force was exhausted was something he was most skilled at and would never hesitate to do.

Even when they lay prostrate on the ground, wailing and begging for mercy, he never showed the slightest bit of leniency.

Chai Xiaomi was taken aback. What kind of strange request was this?

But she nodded obediently and closed her eyes, saying, "I'm all closed."

Wu Li tilted his head and studied her for a moment, feeling that her eyelashes were still trembling restlessly, letting out a faint light.

He decided to stop betting on her conscience and with a slight movement of his fingertips, a red shadow silently slipped out of his sleeve.

Chai Xiaomi felt a cool, wet sensation on her face. A sticky, long, thin object was slowly moving across her face. She knew without a doubt that it was that annoying, fat snake.

Finally, the snake's body loosely coiled around her eyes, like a strange blindfold, completely blocking out all light.

She was speechless for a moment: "...You don't trust my character?"

Wu Li: "Mm."

It can be summed up in one word.

It has little lethality, but is extremely insulting.

The boy slowly stood up, his gaze shifting to Xiao Ba, who was secretly watching.

Little Ba was so frightened that he quickly closed his eyes tightly and clenched his little fists.

My heart was pounding: Daddy... he's so handsome, but also so scary!

I once heard a toad spirit say that all fathers in the world are vicious.

That's true!

A chilling, demonic aura pervades the air.

A tall, slender figure slowly landed in front of the nine-tailed beast.

Compared to the berserk state of the demonic beast, he appeared excessively calm.

His expression was languid, and the upturned corners of his eyes revealed an undisguised mockery, as if he were enjoying the helpless roar of a trapped beast.

Enraged by this silent disrespect, the nine-tailed beast uttered a human voice: "Arrogant brat! If you have any real skills, then show them!"

"I wanted you to howl a few more times, but since you're in such a hurry to get going, I'll grant your wish."

Wu Li bit his thumb until it bled, then knelt on one knee.

Without hesitation, he pressed the dripping blood hard into the soil beneath his feet.

Black, malevolent energy surged forth from his body like a tidal wave.

Only those heterochromatic pupils shone eerily brightly amidst the churning black mist.

The silver fish earrings were lifted by the violent airflow, and a cold, flowing light swept across his sharp jawline. His dark hair danced wildly behind him, and a cold, bloodthirsty arc slowly curved onto the boy's expressionless face, exuding a chilling aura of evil.

He slowly opened his lips:

"Imperial Decree: The Nine Netherworlds are eroded, the hundred insects open their burrows; obey my blood oath, offer the earth as your body—rise!"

Suddenly, strange black totems appeared on the boy's neck and arms.

The essence and blood seemed to possess life, meandering along the cracked earth, drawing a vast, ancient, and eerie blood-red array.

Deep underground, ancient insect eggs that had been dormant for countless years were activated.

Boom—!

In an instant, the land surged as if it were alive, and swarms of insects poured out from the cracks in the ground, as if they had transformed into giant, man-eating maws.

The land was no longer land; it had transformed into the most vicious Gu poison in the young man's palm.

Chai Xiaomi didn't know what was happening; she could only feel the rocks beneath her shaking violently.

She steadied herself and hugged Xiao Ba tightly in her arms.

At the same time.

In a hidden cave not far behind the Nine-Tailed Beast.

A small figure lurked in the shadows, and a deep, ancient voice rang out: "It's actually a ley line Gu..."

As he spoke, he was still chewing something with relish.

A moment later, a cleanly gnawed apple core rolled out of the cave entrance with a "glug".

"I didn't realize that someone so young could be so proficient in such insidious Gu techniques."

The voice chuckled softly, with a hint of amusement, "Then this old man will have no choice but to add fuel to the fire."

The tremors deep in the mountains and forests were felt even by people outside the boundary.

"What happened inside?" Yan Xingxiao gripped the hilt of his sword tightly and stared at the invisible barrier in front of him.

Jiang Zhiyu looked up blankly, a hint of doubt in his mind: "This aura..." Why does it seem a little familiar?

The situation was urgent, leaving him no time to think about it.

Xiaomi, Wu Li, and the ghost baby are all inside.

They need to find a way to break this barrier as soon as possible.

Jiang Zhiyu quickly regained his composure, and a spiritual light began to flow at his fingertips: "I can draw four boundary-breaking talismans, but they need to be activated simultaneously in the four directions of the barrier, and right now, we are still one person short."

"I'll do it!"

Everyone turned around and saw Zhu Yu's round body rushing over, panting heavily.

She waited and waited at the inn for the play to end, but it never did, so she guessed that something had happened.

Jiang Zhiyu cautioned, "When holding the talisman and chanting incantations, you will experience a backlash from the barrier's power. I wonder if you can withstand it?"

Song Yueyao scoffed lightly, her eyes displaying an undeniable air of authority: "Enough nonsense. Since Xiaomi and Wu Li call me 'sister,' I naturally have to protect them. What's there to be unable to withstand?"

Yan Xingxiao hurriedly replied, "If Miss Song can handle it, then I certainly can! Besides, Miss Chai is Yue Niang's savior. I'd risk my life to help her. In the world of martial arts, loyalty is paramount!"

Zhu Yu wiped away his sweat, his round face beaming with a simple yet firm smile: "I have even less reason to back down. My sister, and my 'parents,' are all inside."