What do you mean by saying that the corpses I sew are all ominous creatures?

The dark red Gu King transformed into an invisible beam of blood-red light, carrying an unwavering intent to kill, and aimed straight for my heart.

too fast.

The speed and power of this attack have completely exceeded my current defensive limits.

I could only watch helplessly as the blood-red light magnified in my pupils, and every hair on my body stood on end.

"Is it...is it over?"

At this critical moment, an item I kept close to my body suddenly emitted a warm yet extremely heavy earthy yellow light.

That was a breastplate that Guan Xiazi gave me when he was in Guanwai.

"clang--!!!"

A deep, resounding clang, like the long tolling of an ancient bell, echoed through the water storage room.

The beam of blood-red light, powerful enough to blast me into pieces, slammed violently into the earthen-yellow light barrier.

Visible ripples spread through the air, and the enormous impact sent me flying more than ten meters away, crashing heavily into the muddy water.

I felt a sharp pain in my chest, a sweet taste in my throat, and then I spat out another mouthful of blood.

Looking down, I saw that the protective mirror that had saved my life was now covered with dense cracks.

As the last glimmer of light faded, this defensive artifact crumbled into a pile of useless fragments before me, falling into the muddy water.

I was panting heavily, feeling like all the bones in my body were falling apart.

Although I blocked that fatal blow, I knew I had reached my limit.

The crisp sound of the breastplate shattering was the last straw that broke my back.

At that very moment, I felt the last trace of malevolent energy within my body slowly dissipate.

At this moment, my meridians felt empty and dry, causing me pain.

Without the support of malevolent energy, the forced activation of the Demon-Slaying Technique was abruptly interrupted.

That feeling was like having a layer of skin forcibly peeled off your bones.

The dark red vision before my eyes receded like the tide, replaced by a dizzying, vertigo-induced weakness that went deep into my bones.

At the same time, excruciating pain swept over every corner of my body.

I collapsed into the cold, murky mud, my limbs feeling as if they were filled with lead.

Forget about wielding a knife, I don't even have the strength to move a single finger now.

The cool, refreshing sensation that had been protecting my mind between my brows had completely vanished, and I could no longer feel it at all.

"Hahaha...hahahahaha!"

Opposite her, the saintess leaned against the stone wall and let out a hysterical laugh.

Her face, which looked exactly like Jiang Ling's, was now covered in blood and ecstatic gratification.

"So what if you have a life-saving artifact? So what if you block this attack?"

Chen Yang, you will eventually die by my hand!

She gasped for breath, bit her tongue again, and recklessly spat a mouthful of blood at the dark red Gu King.

"Go! Gnaw him down to a skeleton!"

She screamed shrilly and pointed at me.

The enormous Gu King let out a flapping sound, its dark red compound eyes flashing with a bloodthirsty ferocity.

It circled halfway in mid-air before transforming into a streak of crimson lightning, heading straight for my face.

I lay in the mud, calmly watching the approaching beam of blood.

There wasn't much fear in my heart, only a trace of resentment.

I sighed, thinking to myself that the protective mirror given to me by the blind man Guan ultimately failed to protect me until the end.

Now, I'm afraid I really will have to go down to see my grandfather.

However, just as the Gu King was less than two meters away from me, and I could even smell the strong, fishy stench emanating from its mouthparts, a strange change occurred.

"Buzz—!"

The Gu King's massive body suddenly stopped in mid-air, as if someone had pressed the pause button out of thin air.

It let out a sharp screech, and its trajectory, which had been heading straight for me, instantly twisted.

"What's going on?!"

The saintess, who was not far away, suddenly changed her expression. She frantically changed her hand seals, trying to re-establish her connection with her natal Gu King.

"Come back! I order you to come back!"

But the Gu King wouldn't obey her commands at all.

It tumbled and convulsed violently in mid-air.

Immediately afterwards, it suddenly changed direction and stumbled towards another abandoned passageway deep inside the water storage chamber.

However, if the natal Gu King forcibly breaks free from control, the resulting backlash is extremely terrifying.

"puff!"

The saintess was struck as if by lightning, and she fell forward violently, spitting out a mouthful of black blood mixed with fragments of internal organs.

Her already weak aura instantly waned to its lowest point, like a candle flame that might be extinguished at any moment.

"No...it's impossible! This is my natal Gu...who could take it away?!"

She collapsed to the ground, her hands gripping the soil tightly, and looked up in disbelief, staring intently in the direction the Gu King had flown away.

I also struggled to turn my eyes and follow her gaze.

At the entrance to that dark passage, a figure stood silently, seemingly out of nowhere.

As the person slowly emerged from the shadows, the dim light in the basement finally illuminated her face.

The moment I saw that face clearly, I was no longer too shocked.

That was Jiang Ling, the Jiang Ling who spent a period of time with me.

At that moment, she finally appeared.

At this moment, the Gu King obediently landed on Jiang Ling's outstretched right hand.

It folded its tattered wings, the dark red light gradually faded, and it even gently rubbed its mouthparts against Jiang Ling's fingers.

"younger sister."

Jiang Ling looked at the Gu King on her finger, her voice soft, carrying a hint of an unyielding sigh.

"The Valley of Ten Thousand Butterflies shouldn't be like this. You've taken the wrong path."

Upon hearing this, the entire water storage room fell into a deathly silence.

I lay on the ground, my mind still a bit foggy.

younger sister?

Jiang Ling calls the Holy Maiden of Ten Thousand Butterfly Valley her younger sister?!

They do look exactly the same, but Jiang Ling clearly looks much younger than that saintess!

The moment I saw the face of the Holy Maiden of Ten Thousand Butterfly Valley, I guessed that Jiang Ling was inextricably linked to Ten Thousand Butterfly Valley, and perhaps even more closely connected to this Holy Maiden.

I thought she would be the younger sister of the Holy Maiden of Ten Thousand Butterflies Valley, but I never expected that Jiang Ling, who looked younger, would actually be the older sister?!

The saintess reacted even more violently upon hearing this.

Her face, which was already deathly pale from the backlash, was now completely distorted.

She stared at Jiang Ling as if she had seen a ghost, her whole body trembling violently, pointing her finger in Jiang Ling's direction, her voice hoarse and barely audible:

"Who...who are you? Who exactly are you?!"

Jiang Ling lowered her eyes slightly, looking at the Holy Maiden sprawled on the ground: "What, don't you even recognize your elder sister?"

"Shut up! You're talking nonsense!"

The saint suddenly roared like a madwoman. She struggled to stand up, but fell heavily back down.

"You can't be her! She died ten years ago and was thrown into the Ten Thousand Gu Pool, leaving no trace of her body!"

"What kind of monster are you, daring to deceive me with her face?!"

Ten years ago? The Pool of Ten Thousand Gu? Dead?

As I listened to the saintess's hysterical screams, wave after wave of doubts washed over me.