Chapter 43: It Seems, Something Is Not Quite Right?

Exchanging a glance, the uncle and niece of the Shi Family felt they had likely come to the wrong place; this youth was certainly not the Merit cultivator they had known before.

What is strange?

You're asking me!?

Don't you have any damn self-awareness?

Everything is strange!!!

There were simply too many things to complain about, so much so that Shi Anqi couldn't find the point he most wanted to complain about for a moment...

Looking down at his masterpiece from the mountain of flesh, Ren Yidao did not feel there was anything wrong at all.

How wonderful!

How spirited!

"I don't feel like anything is wrong?"

It must be that you have a problem.

Otherwise... then it must be this world that has a problem.

Watching the expressions of the two, which were mixed with both eeriness and fear, Ren Yidao finally stopped joking.

"Haha, just kidding."

"Don't worry, I'm just letting them undergo labor reform, doing some good deeds to make up for things and accumulate some Merit for their next life."

This is the "Merit Party 1.0 Beta Version"!

Applying force to his feet, Ren Yidao leaped down lightly amidst the wanton groans of the mountain of flesh and laughed:

"By the way, you have to pay a small price."

"After all, showing up uninvited is not a good habit."

Hearing this, Shi Anqi moved his neck somewhat unnaturally.

Strictly speaking, they also counted as part of those who showed up uninvited.

If they were really to be judged by the same crime...

Hiss!

Shi Anqi was also an executioner with blood on his hands, with countless souls lost under his command.

As for death, he was not afraid.

But if one day he really fell to this point, he would rather die than suffer such humiliation.

Gulp!

You might as well just kill me!

Ignoring Shi Anqi's abnormality, Ren Yidao turned his head and nodded to the unexpected visitor:

"Miss Shi, I didn't expect to meet you here."

In the original agreement with Shi Anqi, Shi Xue should not have been included.

This place was not like the Zuixian Small Pavilion last time; the Divine Path Sect at this moment was a true den of tigers and wolves, and breaking in carried the real risk of death and the dissipation of one's Dao.

As if forgetting the events of last time, Shi Xue's expression was natural as she spoke indifferently:

"I came here to ensure the safety of the common people."

"I see... Miss Shi's spirit of fearing no danger is truly admirable to me."

Ren Yidao nodded and praised her on the surface, but in his heart, he was thinking about another matter.

That's right.

She really is a female knight.

As everyone knows, female knights are a magical and interesting species.

They like to charge headlong into death traps for noble ideals, regardless of everything else, eventually ending up imprisoned and suffering...

What an exhilarating hobby this is! (adjusts pants)

"Since that is the case, please come along."

"However, please take care of yourself, Miss Shi, as I fear I won't have much time to look after you then."

Shi Xue nodded and spoke confidently:

"You don't need to worry about me, I will take care of myself."

Since she was so insistent, Ren Yidao did not look at her again, but turned to point at the pile of black-clad figures beside the mountain of people and said to Shi Anqi:

"Brother Shi, I have already prepared clothes for you all; they should be enough, and if not, just strip a few more."

He waved his hand, pointed at the Merit Labor Reform Squad, and said generously:

"Pick whichever one you want!"

"They won't wake up, don't be polite, please feel free to help yourselves!"

Lingxu Peak.

"Senior Sister, the Array is about to be broken!"

"We must retreat!"

"Senior Sister, Xiao Ling is not doing well, we can't wait any longer."

"Senior Sister! Say something!"

"Senior Sister!!!"

The shouts of her fellow disciples whistled in her ears, but Duan Xiaoling did not speak.

All of this felt just like a dream.

Not long ago, she was still curled up in her own room, hiding under her bedsheets and secretly cursing that damned boy.

But now, she was standing at the very front of all the disciples, facing the killing intent she had never experienced before.

Her mother and Senior Uncle Jing were holding back the enemy leader far from Lingxu Peak to protect the disciples, and the Earth Realm disciples and Elders were also surrounded by the attackers.

Only this group of disciples, whose strength was only at the Human Realm, remained, humiliatingly huddled within the Array, waiting for someone else to rescue them.

"..."

The air was filled with the scent of blood and fire, causing her heart to tighten incessantly.

Duan Xiaoling had smelled this scent once before; she had passed by a village slaughtered by bandits while traveling with her father.

This was the scent of death.

Duan Xiaoling's expression was at times bewildered, at times fearful.

But in the end, it settled into determination.

She pushed away the hands that were pulling at her from in front, and with a firm gaze, she spoke:

"Fan Dong, take them and transfer through the secret passage to another peak, go to... Luoyue Peak!"

"Luoyue Peak has been desolate for many years; the attackers won't commit too many forces there, so it should be the safest place."

Besides...

If it were Ren Yidao, he would probably be able to do better than she could.

Thinking of the boy who had left her with such huge psychological trauma, she felt a sense of relief for some reason.

The young man entrusted with the heavy responsibility shouted anxiously:

"Senior Sister, what about you? Aren't you coming with us?"

Silently shaking her head, Duan Xiaoling hugged her wooden zither tightly.

"I'm not leaving; I will stay here and block them."

This is my home.

The place where I grew up; I will not abandon it.

Looking at that frail yet unyielding figure, the young man's eyes turned red, and he shouted:

"If you aren't leaving, then I'm staying too!"

Slap!

Giving the hot-headed disciple a forceful slap, Duan Xiaoling turned around, walked forward without looking back, and left behind one sentence:

"Don't make me look down on you."

"Take them and go."

Clutching his stinging cheek, the disciple clenched his fists tightly, then let them go in defeat.

He picked up an injured boy, took the lead, and rushed toward the emergency transfer secret passage within the peak, letting out a low roar:

"Go!"

He could not waste Senior Sister's good intentions.

"Go!!!"

Walking to the verge of the shattering Array, Duan Xiaoling was separated from dozens of men in black by only a fragile Array.

She could feel their greedy gazes sweeping over her body, wanting to devour her completely.

If the Array were broken, she knew very well what kind of torture a woman of her appearance would suffer.

She knew.

Duan Xiaoling knelt on the ground holding her wooden zither, her fingers brushing lightly over the strings before plucking them with force.

Twang!

Fresh blood burst from her fingertips, staining the strings red.

But this was not the end.

Twang, twang, twang!

"Cough!"

Plucking forcefully three times, she spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered onto the wooden zither and her lapel.

Glaring at the group of invaders, she smiled miserably and spoke with a chilling tone:

"Senluo Hell!!!"

Dragging all the invaders into the illusion, Duan Xiaoling lowered her head powerlessly while clutching her zither.

It was useless.

She couldn't stop them.

The enemy's numbers were nearly ten times her limit; even after using a forbidden technique and her heart's blood, there was simply no way to trap them.

However.

As long as she could delay them for a little longer.

As long as her Junior Brothers and Junior Sisters could escape safely, that would be enough.

She closed her eyes, waiting for the Illusion Technique to fail, waiting for them to break through the Array.

The moment the Array shattered would be the moment she ended her own life; she would not let anyone humiliate her.

Yet, she waited and waited...

She never heard the sound of the Array shattering.

It seemed, something was not quite right?

"Why has it been so long... hmm?"