Chapter 125: May You Go Bald

In the corner, there was a flight of stone steps leading upward, appearing to stretch on for quite some distance. Their primary goal now was to escape this place, so they didn't linger to examine it further and simply started climbing.

Ning Xianyu looked around and asked, "Those ancient trees must have loathed the Immortal of the Nether Spring and the Fairy of Blue Jade. Why didn't they destroy this underground palace?" The power of tree roots was immense; even if the palace was sturdily built, the trees should have been able to crush it.

Su Yun'er replied, "Perhaps since the people are dead, they no longer deem it worth their effort to seek revenge, or perhaps they were moved by the love between the two."

Ning Xianyu found this reasoning far-fetched. Those were their enemies; from the perspective of the ancient trees, these two were generational foes. It would be strange if they didn't seek vengeance.

The system teased, "You have time to worry about someone else's tomb? You should be worrying about yourself. Even a figure like the Fairy of Blue Jade died after using the Heaven and Earth Sword. How long do you think your little life will last?"

Ning Xianyu suddenly realized the gravity of this, and a stampede of emotions flooded her mind. A character capable of turning the tide in a life-or-death situation must have been exceptionally powerful. If such a powerful figure was drained dry by the Heaven and Earth Sword, wouldn't she be sucked until not even a speck of dust remained?

Ning Xianyu looked at the Great Demon Lord with profound grievance. "Ancestor, you’ve killed me."

Xuan Yuan Tunhan turned his head. "You chose to take the sword yourself, and you chose to use it. Focus on your cultivation." In other words, bear the consequences yourself and stop complaining. If she didn't want to die, she should cultivate properly.

If she weren't outmatched, Ning Xianyu would have bitten him to death right then. He was being unreasonable; he hadn't said a word when she took the sword, so how was she supposed to know it would be so lethal? The Great Demon Lord clearly knew the risks and didn't stop her—that was truly setting her up for failure.

Ning Xianyu walked along, sobbing, while Yi Tianling and Su Yun'er watched her in surprise. Neither dared to ask, so they simply exchanged uneasy glances.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan took the opportunity to ask them how they had entered this space. "The place where you entered is actually the exit; we were deceived by that White Lotus earlier."

Both of them began to recall. Su Yun'er spoke first, "When we came in, we were in a forest and saw a very, very old tree. After passing that tree, we arrived here. Later, we heard voices and came over to investigate, which led us to Hidden Mist Village."

Thinking back, if they hadn't come over and had instead tried to find a way back, perhaps they would have already returned home. Yi Tianling, however, had a strange expression; his reasoning was different, as he had come here intentionally. The system had provided the route, and he had come deliberately because this space contained many treasures that would benefit him. But now, with the most important stone taken by Xuan Yuan Tunhan, his trip had been a loss.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan glanced at him, sensing his thoughts. Since they knew how they had arrived, they should know how to leave. It seemed he would just have to follow them to the exit.

They continued upward for a full hour before a glimmer of hope appeared. The air had changed. Ning Xianyu, with her keen sense of smell, quickly noticed the difference. The air in the underground palace had always had a musty, decaying odor, but here, she could smell something fresh. She wrinkled her nose, sniffing intently, and finally stopped crying, saying happily, "We're almost there."

Seeing her finally wipe away her tears, Xuan Yuan Tunhan smiled, though he wasn't sure why he did. Ning Xianyu, in her joy, turned to share a smile with him, but upon seeing him smile, she huffed in indignation. The Great Demon Lord had led her to her doom and had the nerve to laugh? Hmph, he was no good.

Xuan Yuan Tunhan was left bewildered by her glare. This woman was truly petty, daring to lose her temper with him. Behind them, Yi Tianling and Su Yun'er watched the pair, concluding that they must have made up, given how they were exchanging glances. If Ning Xianyu knew what they were thinking, she would surely start a fight.

Just then, she sensed something wrong and quickly took two steps forward. She found a stone slab above and tried pushing it; it gave way. The four of them climbed out one by one, only to find themselves before a wide, towering hedge.

"This wall is too high. Whose hedge is built this tall?"

Just as she was thinking this, Xuan Yuan Tunhan climbed up and quickly pulled her behind him. "This isn't a hedge; those are tree vines."

The area was surrounded by high tree vines. The entity clearly knew they would emerge here and had been waiting. As soon as Xuan Yuan Tunhan drew his sword, the vines descended like a tidal wave. This time, he didn't give them a chance; he slashed through with his sword, grabbed Ning Xianyu, and leaped up, stepping on the vines to clear the area. Yi Tianling and Su Yun'er, both possessing their own survival skills, jumped up and managed to escape as well.

Once they were out, Xuan Yuan Tunhan called for Yi Tianling to lead the way, and the four of them headed toward the southeast. The vines pursued them relentlessly from behind, and more appeared to be blocking their path ahead. Xuan Yuan Tunhan slashed his sword, cutting the vines in front into pieces, forcing them to reform. They fled for a while longer before finally coming to a stop.

Yi Tianling pointed to a massive tree. "This is it." This was where they had come from.

The four of them were about to approach it when the ground suddenly began to shake violently. A formation rose rapidly, casting a shadow that seemed to blot out the sky, threatening to crush all four of them within it. Before the encirclement could close, Xuan Yuan Tunhan grabbed Ning Xianyu and tossed her out. "Find the exit!" He then threw Yi Tianling and Su Yun'er out as well.

The formation did not target the three of them, instead accelerating to seal Xuan Yuan Tunhan inside. He held his sword aloft to resist, and under the watchful eyes of the three, he was gradually forced lower and lower. Yet, his power was formidable; he held his ground, preventing the formation from closing completely. He was clearly stalling for time, using himself as bait to give them the opportunity to find the exit.

Ning Xianyu watched in horror, while Yi Tianling and Su Yun'er rushed off to find the way out. Just then, Nian Laisheng reappeared, his hand reaching out to grab Ning Xianyu. She struggled, but her sword fell to the ground, buried by the grass.

Nian Laisheng held her and pressed a finger against her forehead. "I have waited a long time; you have finally arrived. Senior Xuan Yuan, if you continue to resist, I shall have to kill her."

His finger pressed hard, causing Ning Xianyu excruciating pain. "You bastard, what have you done to me?" It hurt so much. Damn Nian Laisheng, may you go bald!

Nian Laisheng smiled with a benevolent expression. "For the sake of all living beings, please sacrifice yourself just as the Fairy of Blue Jade did."

"Go to hell! If you want a sacrifice, do it yourself. What kind of coward forces others to sacrifice themselves?" Ning Xianyu was in pain and furious, her hands clenched into fists. Damn it, if she had the power, she would kill anyone who dared to threaten her. But before she could strike, he pressed his finger against her again. A massive wave of pain coursed through her entire body, and Ning Xianyu couldn't help but scream!

"Ah!!!"