Chapter 280: Desperate Situation

Boom!

Outside the stronghold, a terrifying energy hurricane suddenly swept across at this moment, the earth itself torn by that violent impact into deep gouges, one after another.

The instant the two collided, Jiang Qing'e's slender figure was sent flying backward as if struck by a heavy blow; her delicate form landed on the ground, the heavy sword in her hand plunging into the earth and carving a bottomless scar.

Cough.

Jiang Qing'e coughed violently, a mouthful of fresh blood spilling from her lips, and the radiant phase force emanating from within her body also became extremely chaotic at this moment.

This was the sign of having taken a grievous blow.

Clearly, that palm strike from the Smiling Face Demon earlier had directly inflicted serious injuries on Jiang Qing'e.

However, Jiang Qing'e paid no heed to her own wounds. She raised her head at once, looking toward where the Smiling Face Demon stood—that attack from before had been the strongest strike she herself could unleash.

That was her peak strike.

The Smiling Face Demon had used the weakening of its own power as bait to lure her into attacking proactively, but this, Jiang Qing'e had likewise anticipated beforehand; yet in the end, she still charged in without hesitation.

That was because she understood in her heart that while this move was certainly perilous, it likewise concealed an opportunity.

An opportunity to break the deadlock.

So long as she could succeed, then they would no longer have to passively wait for reinforcements whose arrival time was unknown, and the stronghold's crisis would be resolved at once.

If not, given the many bizarre methods this Calamity-class Other had previously displayed, Jiang Qing'e did not have much confidence that she could rely on the stronghold's defensive light barrier to hold out for these several days.

Therefore, she had no choice but to risk it all in one strike.

Jiang Qing'e's gaze turned toward the previous position, only to see the Smiling Face Demon's figure standing there. On that eerie smiling face, a golden crack had now appeared, slowly creeping downward, as if about to split it in two.

At the crack, golden flames were still burning.

The Smiling Face Demon's pitch-black palm stroked the crack on its face, and it seemed to be trembling. Clearly it had underestimated Jiang Qing'e's power—it had not expected that a mere human at the Earth Sha General rank could wound it to such an extent.

The opponent's radiant phase force was terrifyingly pure.

Within the stronghold, many people likewise noticed the golden crack on the Smiling Face Demon's body, and their pupils immediately widened as expressions of wild joy began to surface.

Had the Smiling Face Demon been gravely wounded by Jiang Qing'e?

If so, then Jiang Qing'e's gamble this time seemed to have paid off!

Under the gaze of those many tense, hopeful eyes, the golden crack on the Smiling Face Demon's body was gradually widening, as if about to split it in two.

However, at this very moment, the Smiling Face Demon suddenly let out a low, violent, ferocious roar.

One saw terrifying malevolent-force erupt from within its body, seemingly forming a black vortex.

Then everyone saw Others begin to pour forth from the surrounding black mist like a tide, except the direction they surged toward was where the Smiling Face Demon stood.

The moment these Others touched the black vortex around the Smiling Face Demon, they transformed into wisps of black airflow that streamed into the Smiling Face Demon's body.

Thereafter, the gradually spreading golden crack began to show signs of healing.

Jiang Qing'e and the many gazes within the stronghold saw this scene, and their expressions all grew considerably uglier. The tenacity of this Calamity-class Other's vitality was simply terrifying.

Roar!

The Smiling Face Demon was driving numerous Others to expend themselves to heal its wounds, but at this moment it was clearly also extremely furious—after all, this time the injuries were quite severe and would affect its subsequent brewing evolution.

It had not expected that deliberately luring Jiang Qing'e into attacking would lead to such consequences.

Had it known this beforehand, it certainly would not have been willing to pay such a price.

But regret was useless now; it could only first break through this stronghold, devour all this fresh blood and flesh to make up for its own losses.

The Smiling Face Demon let out a piercing shriek, and immediately from the billowing black mist, several grotesque, twisted Others shot out like lightning, pouncing directly toward where Jiang Qing'e stood to kill her.

Jiang Qing'e was the strongest person in this stronghold; so long as she was slain, this stronghold would lose its pillar of support.

Jiang Qing'e had now been gravely wounded by it—this was the best moment to kill her.

And when those many twisted Others darted toward Jiang Qing'e, many students within the stronghold also noticed its intent and immediately cried out in alarm.

Li Luo's figure shot forth explosively, both hands gripping two blades tightly, his expression dark as water.

"Captain!" Bai Bai Mengmeng hastily called out—Li Luo's strength, if he charged out, would only mean he couldn't even protect himself.

But at this moment, Li Luo clearly could not afford to care about that; he could not sit by and watch Jiang Qing'e be pounced on and killed by those Others right before his eyes.

However, just as Li Luo's figure had just rushed up onto the high wall, a fiery-red shadow suddenly darted out ahead of him, and while that person was still midair, a red whip cracked through the void, swiftly coiling around Jiang Qing'e's waist.

With a forceful pull of the red whip, Jiang Qing'e's figure was swept up and sent flying backward.

Duze Duze Honglian landed back on the high wall, the red whip in her hand hauling Jiang Qing'e back, and then she steadied her.

"Saving you once, we're even now," Duze Duze Honglian said coldly.

Jiang Qing'e, however, did not respond, only gazing with some regret through her golden eyes at the golden crack on the Smiling Face Demon's body that was gradually healing. Though this attack should have inflicted grave wounds upon it, it had not slain it as she had wished.

The crisis could not really be considered lifted.

Li Luo's figure appeared beside Jiang Qing'e. He looked at her somewhat pallid jade countenance and asked with concern, "How is it?"

Jiang Qing'e sensed the injuries within her body. That palm strike from the Smiling Face Demon earlier had shaken her phase palace within so violently that now the phase force inside her was in a chaotic state.

She was not lightly injured.

Jiang Qing'e sighed softly and said, "What a pity."

She had originally wanted to seize this one chance to end the battle, but she fell just a little short. Now, gravely wounded as she was, her combat power greatly diminished, she could no longer pose any threat to that Smiling Face Demon.

The situation seemed to have grown even more dangerous.

"You've already done very well," Li Luo said, taking Jiang Qing'e's small hand in his and offering comfort.

"Stop with the sweet nothings here—that Smiling Face Demon seems to have been truly enraged," Duze Duze Honglian at the side shot the two of them a sideways glance and said, her expression not looking too good.

The two raised their heads to look, and indeed saw the Smiling Face Demon displaying extreme fury at Jiang Qing'e having been rescued. It let out a piercing shriek toward the stronghold, the sound wave deafening.

Although it had now repaired its fatal wound after devouring a large number of Others, it had likewise suffered some grave injuries itself, and it understood that the people within the stronghold were waiting for reinforcements. Once those reinforcements arrived, its wish would likely come to nothing.

Therefore, after hesitating for a moment, a vicious glint flashed through the Smiling Face Demon's blood-red pupils, and in the next instant, its body suddenly began to swell violently at this moment.

The body below its head exploded entirely, as if transforming into black blood and flesh, which was swallowed whole by that eerie smiling face.

Immediately after, the eerie smiling face began to swell gradually, expanding to roughly several tens of zhang, suspended in the sky.

The eerie grinning face let out a piercing laugh, then its mouth, bristling with black spikes, opened wide as a thick, black miasmic aura surged skyward.

That aura coalesced into a black cloud, and moments later, black raindrops began pouring down from it in an overwhelming deluge.

Those raindrops were viscous and foul-smelling, seemingly imbued with tremendous destructive power.

Sizzle, sizzle!

When the black raindrops struck the light barrier, they immediately hissed and crackled. Streams of black energy tried to seep in, but were swiftly dissolved by the purifying force within the barrier.

But there were simply too many black raindrops, constantly eroding the barrier's strength.

"This is its source of evil intent..."

Duze Duze Honglian gazed at the overwhelming downpour of black raindrops, her face paling slightly, and said, "It seems this Smiling Demon won't rest until it breaks through the stronghold."

"At this rate of erosion by the source evil intent, the purifying barrier may not hold until reinforcements arrive."

Inside the stronghold, a panicked atmosphere was likewise spreading—after all, anyone could tell that the Smiling Demon had unleashed its ultimate move.

Everyone harbored a pessimistic outlook.

Bai Bai Mengmeng, Student Xin Fu, and Beside Yi Yi Lisha, along with Si Si Qiuying and the others, had also made their way to the high wall, their faces somewhat pale as they stared at the black raindrops falling from the sky.

Li Luo and Jiang Jiang Qinge also watched the scene in silence.

"This Dark Cavern is truly extremely dangerous. On our very first entry, we may end up wiped out completely," Li Luo said with a bitter laugh.

Jiang Jiang Qinge tightened her grip on Li Luo's hand slightly and said softly, "Don't worry. I won't let you truly die here."

There was a note of resolve in her eyes.

Li Luo glanced at her. He knew Jiang Jiang Qinge far too well—if it truly came to that desperate moment, she might spare no effort to send him away.

But doing so might cost her life.

Li Luo didn't want to see that happen. He looked up at the purifying light screen being eroded by the black raindrops and suddenly asked, "How much longer can this purifying light screen hold?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge gave him a puzzled look and replied, "It should be able to last another three days."

"Three days..."

Li Luo's gaze flickered slightly. "If it works, that should be enough time, right?"

Jiang Jiang Qinge's willow brows knit slightly. "What are you planning to do?"

Li Luo let out a bitter laugh and sighed.

"I'm going to go find reinforcements."