Chapter 1178: It

Bai Cailing refused to believe Xu Que had no way out; even though he now appeared to be only in the Half-Immortal Realm, everything he had done so far was beyond the capability of a Half-Immortal!

More importantly, Xu Que's solemnity made Bai Cailing certain—he had a way, he just didn't want to save them.

But this concerned the safety of Yaochi; the major factions had long been deceitful and scheming against each other, and if all these Heavenly Prides died here today, the major factions would almost certainly use it as an excuse to blame Yaochi.

After all, this kind of thing had happened before on Tianzhou.

Neither Yaochi nor the other factions had once been the dominant powers of their respective Immortal Domains; every faction's current status had been built upon the corpses of others.

"Forgive me, Holy Maiden Bai, but I truly have no way," Xu Que still shook his head and refused.

Yaochi had its own difficulties, and Xu Que had his own principles.

At first, he agreed to help revive the Pantao Garden solely out of respect for Jiang Hongyan, but he had already done all he could—he couldn't keep helping endlessly without end.

Just like how Yaochi didn't exert its full strength to protect Jiang Hongyan back then—under pressure from the Heavenly Palace Academy and the Holy Sect, didn't they obediently hand her over?

"Old Xu, this…" Bai Cailing grew tense; if Xu Que refused to help, Yaochi was truly in danger.

"Don't say another word! Even if I starve to death, die outside, or jump off this place, I won't lift a finger to save them! I hope Holy Maiden Bai won't pressure me further!" Xu Que shook his head, his tone resolute.

Bai Cailing froze for a moment, her expression turning peculiar; she felt more and more that this Old Xu resembled that Xu Que lad.

But since she remembered these two were father and son, she didn't dwell on it, lowering her head as if contemplating some decision.

The dozen or so Yaochi Female Disciples present were also stunned; they all felt this Old Xu's personality had shifted wildly—sometimes warm and kind, sometimes cunning and calculating, utterly inscrutable.

But this matter truly concerned Yaochi's future; they were all anxious, staring helplessly at Xu Que, their eyes filled with a hint of pleading.

Was this Old Xu truly powerless, or just unwilling to save them? Everyone leaned toward the latter.

How could a man who could revive the Pantao Garden, who carried so many Buddhist Dharma Artifacts, possibly have no way to dispel the malice on these Heavenly Prides?

"Old Xu!"

At that moment, Bai Cailing suddenly lifted her head, bit her lip, as if having made a decision, and looked at Xu Que: "If you will help Yaochi once more, I… I will fulfill the promise in the marriage contract and marry Xu Que!"

"Got it! This matter's on me!" Xu Que immediately replied, summoning several Buddhist talismans and stepping straight toward the center of the Altar!

Shhh!

All the Yaochi Disciples present, including the several Golden Immortal Realm Peak Guardians, froze in shock, eyes wide with disbelief.

They weren't stunned by how quickly Xu Que changed his mind—they were shocked that Bai Cailing had offered such a condition: to fulfill the marriage contract and marry Xu Que, just to save those Heavenly Prides?

Was this necessary?

Though saving those Heavenly Prides would prevent Yaochi's crisis, risking herself like this seemed hardly worth it!

After all, there were other options—if Holy Maiden Bai truly used her marriage contract as leverage, she could just as easily arrange an alliance with another faction, even marry into the Shennong Clan; then other factions would think twice before uniting, and Yaochi's alliance with the Shennong Clan would grow even stronger—far better than marrying Xu Que!

Yet Bai Cailing paid no heed to the stunned expressions around her; her gaze remained calm as she watched Xu Que's figure.

She dared say this not because she truly intended to sacrifice herself.

She knew well that Xu Que already had someone he favored—Jiang Hongyan, or even Liu Jingning!

She assumed this "Old Xu" didn't know these things, so when she promised to fulfill the marriage contract, she was confident Xu Que would never accept it, allowing her to conveniently escape the obligation.

This little scheme of hers still held water!

But she never imagined that Old Xu was Xu Que himself.

This lad had suddenly changed his mind because he sensed a sense of unluckiness descending.

He had been watching the battle among those Heavenly Prides and their Guardians; every time someone died, blood splattered onto the Altar, but no one noticed—the blood was slowly decreasing, as if absorbed by the Altar, like a vampire hiding beneath, stealthily drinking it.

Xu Que suddenly felt a premonition of unluckiness—if more people died and their blood was absorbed, it might unleash even greater trouble.

After all, given Er Gouzi and Duan Jiude's nature, both were trouble-seekers who loved chaos; if they'd only wanted to use malice to make these Heavenly Prides kill each other, why had they left so quickly?

They likely knew an even greater danger was coming—so those two scoundrels had left halfway through their Hot Pot, without even finishing the show.

That's why Xu Que suddenly changed his mind.

But he hadn't expected Bai Cailing to offer that condition—so he seized the opportunity, activated several Buddhist talismans, cast a Dharma Spell, and fully released the peaceful energy within them.

Boom!

The Buddhist talismans, enveloped by Xu Que's Dharma Spell, instantly soared into the air, radiating brilliant Spiritual Light, Buddha Light spilling everywhere, releasing streams of serene energy.

The Heavenly Prides, Guardians, and disciples of the major factions were all enveloped by the serene energy.

The furious rage, agitated blood, and maddened hearts within them gradually calmed.

The malice within their bodies was slowly dissolving.

"Hmm?" A Golden Immortal Realm Guardian from the Shennong Clan was the first to regain reason.

His face was filled with astonishment—he couldn't fathom why they had suddenly started fighting, and though his movements hadn't stopped, his combat style was no longer as frenzied as before.

Soon, the others gradually regained reason; the battle at the Altar's center grew less intense.

The group stared at each other, wide-eyed, then simultaneously ceased fighting, retreating step by step.

"What happened?" A Heavenly Pride growled darkly; his faction had suffered the greatest losses—over half the disciples who came with him were dead, even one Golden Immortal Realm Guardian had perished here.

"Damn it! We were tricked by that dog and Duan Jiude!" someone cursed angrily.

"This Remnant Soul was originally suppressed beneath the Altar; after we divided it, the Altar lost its suppression and released malice—including the Remnant Soul itself was full of malice. It was all a trap!" a powerful figure's face turned ashen.

Clearly, they now understood what had happened.

But they were relieved: the major factions had only lost disciples and Guardians—not a single Heavenly Pride had been mistakenly killed, so the conflict hadn't escalated.

"Earlier, that dog said it would release a Demon to perish with us—it must be connected to this Altar!" a powerful figure said solemnly, his gaze fixed on the Altar beneath his feet.

The blood on the Altar continued to slowly decrease, seeping into the ground.

"Everyone, hurry and gather that Remnant Soul—we must leave this place quickly!" Bai Cailing stepped forward and spoke.

"Huh? Yaochi… Holy Maiden Bai?" The major factions finally snapped back to awareness, turning toward the Yaochi group.

Then their gazes fell on Xu Que; brows furrowed, expressions peculiar.

They could tell that the malice in their hearts had been dispelled solely because of this old man's intervention—after all, the several Buddhist talismans radiating Buddha Light above their heads were still under his control.

Yi Zhong, the Shennong Clan's Heavenly Pride, immediately spotted Xu Que, his face darkening as he sneered: "Again, it's you, old man!"

At this moment, Xu Que's expression suddenly changed, and he shouted loudly, "Not good! I can no longer control this malignant qi! Quick, which Heavenly Pride can come out? Let me summon my son to possess me so he can help suppress the malignant qi!"

As he spoke, Xu Que's gaze remained fixed on Yi Zhong the entire time!

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