Chapter 147: Near-Death Strike

Feilong Villa still shakes violently now, and the distant Dragon Chant grows clearer, making people's eardrums buzz.

The entrance to the secret passage is hidden on the icy wall behind the altar, a modest stone door.

Su Xiaonuan raised her hand and quickly pressed the rune on the stone wall; the stone door opened slowly, revealing a narrow passage.

Su Xiaonuan dared not linger, grabbed Su Xueyan's hand, and almost ran forward all the way.

From behind, Dantai Li's hysterical roar came.

The sound was like a curse from hell, bearing bone‑gnawing hatred, echoing in the passage for a long time.

"Su Xiaonuan! You traitor! I raised you for so many years, and you dare betray me! I will crush your bones to dust!"

Su Xueyan instinctively turned her head to look back.

The light toward the Secret Room grew dimmer, and a faint scarlet figure could be seen struggling in place.

It was Dantai Li, using her last strength to try to rise.

Her heart tightened, and her footspeed unintentionally quickened a few steps.

In the Secret Room at this moment, Dantai Li lay on the ground, trembling violently.

Blood‑mixed tears and black blood dripped continuously from her mouth corner.

"The dog I raised actually dares bite its master… Su Xiaonuan, Jiang Feng, Su Xueyan… you all deserve death!"

Dantai Li knew she had been completely defeated.

The Xuanbing Array was broken, Jiang Feng was within arm's reach, and she, gravely wounded, had no strength to resist.

But compared with Jiang Feng, she hated Su Xiaonuan's betrayal even more.

The pawn she thought would forever obey had, at the crucial moment, delivered a fatal blow.

"Do you think wounding me lets you escape with Su Xueyan?"

Dantai Li suddenly let out a cold laugh, hoarse and frantic, bearing a resolve to die together.

She trembled as she raised both hands, ignoring the searing pain of reversed Meridians, and swiftly formed a complex Seal Spell.

As the Seal Spell shifted, the fresh blood in her palm gradually condensed into a luminous white rune.

The rune flickered with a chilling glow, emitting a heart‑pounding coldness.

"This Xuanbing Devouring Heart Rune, once it hits, will let the cold invade the Heart Pulse, instantly freezing the five organs and six viscera, causing you to die in extreme agony! Su Xiaonuan, this is the price for betraying me!"

Dantai Li thrust the white rune from her palm forcefully; the rune flew like an arrow released, with a sharp whooshing sound, racing along the secret passage, precisely pursuing Su Xiaonuan's direction.

Having done all that, Dantai Li could no longer hold herself up, collapsing heavily onto the ground, yet her mouth still bore a spiteful smile.

……

In the secret passage, Su Xiaonuan sprinted with Su Xueyan, the roar behind them fading gradually.

But the passage's tremor did not lessen at all, as if the entire mountain were about to collapse.

Su Xueyan finally recovered from shock and couldn't help speaking.

"Xiaonuan, you… why did you help me?"

The question lodged in her heart like a fishbone in the throat.

Su Xiaonuan's steps faltered, her speed slowed, and tears instantly filled her eyes.

She choked, her voice thick with guilt and pain.

"Sister Xue Yan, I'm sorry… truly sorry…"

She halted, turned, and with tear‑filled eyes gazed at Su Xueyan, her stare full of struggle and remorse.

"Since childhood I have been controlled by Dantai Li. All these years I have been her puppet, with no freedom and no choice."

"I know you have always treated me like a younger sister; you have been so kind to me, and I have kept it in my heart, never forgetting."

"But I dare not defy Dantai Li; I can only obey her orders, luring you here. Every day I live in guilt and fear; I truly can't hold on any longer."

"It's Brother Jiang Feng…"

Su Xiaonuan lifted her head, a hint of resolve flashing in her eyes.

"If Brother Jiang Feng had not broken the array, perhaps I would never have the courage to resist, destined to be Dantai Li's puppet forever."

"Now, Brother Jiang Feng has broken the array; this is our only chance, I cannot miss it."

Su Xiaonuan's tears fell even more fiercely; she reached out to touch Su Xueyan's cheek, but timidly recoiled.

"Sister Xue Yan, I truly cannot watch you die before my eyes. Even if you hate me, even if you never forgive me, I will still save you."

Su Xueyan listened quietly, the hatred in her heart melting like ice warmed by water, fading bit by bit.

She watched Su Xiaonuan's tear‑streaked face, feeling a mixture of emotions.

She could imagine how, all these years, Su Xiaonuan lived under Dantai Li's control, leading a life without agency.

She said nothing, merely gazing silently at Su Xiaonuan, the cold in her eyes gradually fading.

At that moment, a flash of light suddenly came from ahead in the passage; the two had already reached the secret passage's exit.

Outside the exit lay an open snowfield, and the main structure of Feilong Villa in the distance had become ruinous under the impact of the collapsing Xuanbing Array.

The swirling snowstorm still raged, yet the domineering Dragon Might in the air grew ever stronger.

"Look!"

Su Xiaonuan suddenly pointed toward the distance, exclaiming excitedly.

Su Xueyan followed her gaze, seeing a dazzling golden light in the distant snow curtain racing toward them.

The golden light shone like a blazing sun, with faint dragon‑shaped silhouettes swirling within.

"It's Jiang Feng! It must be Jiang Feng!"

Su Xueyan's eyes instantly burst with ecstatic light, the worries and fears accumulated in her heart dissipating in that instant.

She broke free from Su Xiaonuan's hand, sprinted toward the golden light, and waved toward the distance as she ran.

"Jiang Feng! Jiang Feng! I'm here! I'm here!"

Golden Light drew ever nearer, and that familiar aura made Su Xueyan feel immensely at ease.

However, at that moment filled with hope, a sudden anomaly erupted!

Su Xiaonuan, who had been holding Su Xueyan's hand, suddenly let go; her body stiffened sharply, as if struck by an invisible weight, and throughout she staggered back a few steps.

Immediately after, she clutched her chest, jerked her head down, and a large gush of fresh blood spurted from her mouth, splashing onto the pure white snowfield like a bloom of flamboyant red plum blossoms.

Puff.

The sound of fresh blood hitting the Ground was especially clear in the silent snowfield, and Su Xiaonuan's complexion instantly turned Pale as Paper, the light in her eyes rapidly dimming.

Her legs gave way, no longer able to support her body; she fell heavily onto the snowfield, and her breath instantly grew Weak.

Xiaonuan!

Su Xueyan's Laughter on her face froze instantly.

She spun around sharply, looked at Su Xiaonuan lying in the snowfield, her eyes full of Shock and worry.

She hurried back, crouched beside Su Xiaonuan, reached out to help her up, her voice tinged with Trembling.

"Xiaonuan! What's wrong? Don't scare me! What on earth is happening?"