“Ah…”
The vine-like humanoid figure standing beneath the jade stone archway let out a shriek. The cry was barely half-formed before it was abruptly cut short. Its body, which had turned to look behind, seemed to petrify in an instant. Dragged by the weight of its severed lower half, the whole figure toppled backwards.
Seeing it about to tumble off the jade steps and crash to the ground below, Mu Aotie, who was close by, acted swiftly. He grabbed the vine-like figure with one hand and, with a sweep of his arm, hauled both it and the large section dangling below the steps up and over. With a heavy thud, the whole mass crashed and rolled across the top of the steps.
Nan Zhu and Baili Xin both stood stunned, unsure what Ninth Brother and Fifteenth Brother were up to.
Mu Aotie spun around and flashed back to them, calling out at the same time, “What are you waiting for? Grab the goods and move! Go and help Fifteenth Brother, quick!”
Only then did the two snap out of their daze and rush to shoulder the large drum-shaped vats filled with honey nectar.
Mu Aotie, meanwhile, sprinted towards where the Bee King and the others were hiding. Yu Qing had handed Qin Fujun over to him, telling him to bring the man out, reasoning that he might still be useful as a hostage and could help them leave Kunling Mountain.
The large severed section of vine lay motionless, while the main body below remained very much alive.
Already mid-air, Yu Qing flipped and dove downward, his sword gleaming as he met the onslaught of vine branches thrashing about like a thousand tentacles. Clashes rang out in a relentless cacophony as severed fragments scattered in every direction. The commotion drew the guards of Kunling Mountain, who began converging on the area.
Having gauged that the vine demon’s strength was nothing extraordinary, Yu Qing grew ever more reckless. He charged straight at the rapidly retreating vine dragon, pressing the pursuit without relent. Before long, both plummeted into the misty abyss below.
Lu Youming witnessed the entire scene with his own eyes. He wheeled around sharply and barked at the Kunling Mountain disciples rushing up behind him, “Everyone, go back! Hold your positions, every single one of you! No one moves without orders. Do you understand?”
There were things that could not be witnessed by too many people, even as the sounds of clashing steel continued to echo up from the abyss below.
Xiang Zhen, who had slipped out, did not leave at once. He paused beneath the jade archway and looked back. In the moonlight, he caught a faint glimpse of the Bee King waving at him, gesturing for him to hurry away.
He clasped his hands and bowed deeply, offering his thanks from afar. Then he launched himself into the air. His sword slid from its scabbard in a flash of light, and he rode the flying blade into the vast darkness of the night, disappearing into the distance.
Knowing this place had become a dangerous zone, and that some great upheaval might well be unfolding, he dared not linger. The matter of challenging Yu Qing to a duel was set aside for now. He had no idea what the future held for him. For the moment, he simply wanted to hurry back and meet the scarred girl that Xiang Lanxuan had mentioned.
The moment he left, Xiang Lanxuan, still beside the Bee King, dared not delay either. Fearing she would be trapped inside with no way out, she snatched up Qin Fujun and vanished in a flash.
Nan Zhu and Baili Xin, each carrying a large vat on their shoulders, leapt straight down into the abyss with their cargo, heading towards the sounds of combat to lend a hand.
Xiang Lanxuan, flying out, also heard the sounds of fighting from below, but she paid them no heed. She had more pressing matters to attend to, and with her captive in tow, she swept swiftly over the abyss.
Lu Youming, looking up, caught sight of Xiang Lanxuan flying past beneath the bright, clear moon. He was stunned.
He knew the purpose of the Grand Elder entering the Immortal Manor. Now this Grand Envoy of the Bureau of Grand Undertakings had emerged. Who on Kunling Mountain could stand against her? And where was the Grand Elder? Could a great catastrophe truly be upon them? His mind was in turmoil, and dread filled his heart.
Mu Aotie, having found no one where he expected, froze for a moment. With Xiang Lanxuan having taken the prisoner, there was nothing he could do about it. He turned and rushed back, only to see three figures darting out from the side, overtaking him.
They were none other than Yan Yao and the two others who had been lying in wait nearby.
Seeing several people had already got out, and that even Xiang Lanxuan had departed, they noticed the entrance was left unguarded, a brief window of opportunity. Yan Yao made a split-second decision and led the group in a desperate dash, racing to get past Mu Aotie.
The three of them managed to slip out just ahead of him, each flashing through the gap and leaping out.
Setting aside questions of cultivation and strength, it would have been difficult for Mu Aotie to stop them in any case. The valuable cargo still mattered, and he did not forget to hoist his own share of the large vats onto his shoulders before bounding out through the gate.
Landing on the steps, he glanced back and saw the Bee King, who could only float a couple of zhang at a time, drifting towards him.
With a kick, he sent the vine-shaped figure on the steps tumbling down. Then, vat on his shoulder, he leapt down after it, and together they plummeted into the abyss.
The Bee King, drifting up to the great gate, peered outward. Several times he tried to step forward, but in the end he dared not cross the threshold of the archway. He could only stand within it and gaze out at the world beyond. Yet before he could make out the contours of the night outside, a cold gleam flashed before his eyes, startling him into stumbling back a step.
The sealed mirror-like void snapped shut in an instant, cutting off the view of the outside world entirely. He reached out and touched it. His own reflection in the mirror rippled slightly, but the barrier held firm. The exit had been sealed once more.
Just then, a large, five-coloured bee appeared in a flash, its demonic energy surging as it transformed into A Chi. She landed beside the Bee King.
The Bee King turned to look at her and asked, “What are you doing here?”
A Chi clasped her hands and said, “Your Majesty is alone, and we truly could not rest easy. A Cheng can handle things just as well. I have been following you from a distance the whole time.”
The implication was clear: she had only dared to approach and reveal herself once everyone else had gone.
Since she was already there, the Bee King simply grunted in acknowledgement and said nothing more, his gaze fixed on his own reflection in the void mirror.
A Chi ventured a question. “Your Majesty, what does the mortal world look like?”
The Bee King sighed. “I could not see it clearly either. Perhaps it looks the same as before.”
A Chi asked, “How did they manage to open the seal left by the Exalted Immortal?”
The Bee King replied, “Du Niang, the vine demon Xiang Zhen mentioned, was the one who opened it. I do not know how she managed it. If she truly knew the way to open it, could she really have waited all this time? There is something deeply suspicious about this whole affair.”
A Chi pressed on. “Your Majesty, if there is a way in and out of the outside world, what if they open the seal and come in again?”
A flicker of anticipation crossed the Bee King’s eyes. “I am not afraid of them coming in. I am afraid they will not come at all. Surely that would be more entertaining than singing and dancing every day?”
A Chi was taken aback for a moment, then understood. She, too, felt a stirring of anticipation. But as her gaze swept inadvertently over the Bee King, she paused suddenly and pointed at his belt. “Your Majesty, has the waist token your dear friend gave you fallen off?”
The Bee King looked down and realised the token he had been wearing at his waist was gone. His expression shifted slightly. He reached down and pulled a snapped length of cord from his belt. Examining the frayed ends, he gritted his teeth and said, “When I first arrived, I could still see it on my reflection in the mirror. This cord does not snap easily. It was not lost. Someone stole it.”
A Chi was startled. Reading his expression, she sensed something and asked at once, “Your Majesty, do you not know who took it?”
The image of a certain someone force-feeding him intoxicating pollen flashed through the Bee King’s mind. He turned his head and stared at the sealed gate, a cold, bitter laugh on his lips. “That wretched fat man has no small amount of nerve. If the seal opens again, you have my permission to go to the mortal world. Bring that fat man back to me. I shall keep him like a pig!”
A Chi had a fair idea of who he meant. Among the group, there was only one fat man. Hearing that he might get to visit the mortal world, uncertain though the prospect was, he nodded eagerly and accepted the task, promising to bring the fat man back.
There was no point lingering here any longer. The Bee King waved his hand and said, “Let us go. Back.”
Demonic energy erupted from his body, and in an instant he transformed into a colossal five-coloured bee, beating his wings and soaring into the distance.
A Chi, too, reverted to her true form and took flight, though her frame was nearly half the size…
Deep in the abyss, the thunderous sounds of battle rolled in from the far end. Mu Aotie, having landed, did not rush to join the fight at once. He set down his vat first, drew out a luminescent stone for light, and spotted the vats that Nan Zhu and Baili Xin had set down for the moment.
None of that mattered right now. He circled around and found the large severed section of vine. Drawing his sword, he hacked it apart, splitting it open piece by piece to search.
Before long, a metallic clink rang out. A golden spherical object fell to the ground. He snatched it up and examined it closely. There was no mistake. It was Seventh Brother’s Golden Orchid Fruit.
Finding this treasure was also the task Fifteenth Brother had assigned him. This was the key that could open the Immortal Manor, and its worth was beyond imagining. It could not be allowed to fall into someone else’s hands so easily.
Earlier, when the gate of the Immortal Manor was about to open, Fifteenth Brother had immediately devised a plan to reclaim the treasure. Rather than begging an unreliable person to return it, it was better to seize it back by force.
This was not the first time he had witnessed the method of opening the Immortal Manor. Fifteenth Brother was certain the golden pearl would be at the tip of the vine bridge, and he had promptly instructed Mu Aotie on how to coordinate.
The result proved him right. The golden pearl had indeed been nestled among the tangled vine tendrils at the front, and now it had been recovered in one stroke.
This was also the reason Mu Aotie was willing to follow Yu Qing’s counsel now. He felt that Fifteenth Brother’s ability to adapt in critical moments was far superior to anyone else among them, and this latest episode was further proof.
Tucking the golden pearl away securely, he gripped his sword and hurried towards the thunderous sounds of battle to lend aid.
The iron chains in the valley rattled and swayed violently without ceasing. In this confined space, the vine demon’s lashing tendrils were greatly hampered. Each sweeping strike was obstructed by the chains, and each slashing arc was blocked by them in turn.
She could only attack by thrusting or coiling, which limited her offensive power considerably. The darting sword lights weaving between the chains seized every opportunity to slice through the tendrils one by one.
Baili Xin had already loosed most of the arrows in her quiver. Each one struck the core trunk of the vine demon’s main body, yet none inflicted any visible harm. Arrows were utterly useless against the vine demon, and she had no choice but to draw her sword and charge forward alongside Nan Zhu to hack and slash.
Mu Aotie, too, had joined the fray.
Yu Qing’s sword was impossibly fast. Fending off attacks from all directions, he severed every vine that came at him and carved his way to the very front of the vine demon’s main trunk, making it plain that he intended to chop it down.
The vine demon struggled desperately to stop him, but she had already been grievously weakened when the Kunling Mountain forces had stripped her bare. Now, facing this relentless assault, her injuries mounted upon injuries.
Yet she could not allow Yu Qing to reach her core. Cornered and desperate, the face that surfaced on the trunk twisted into a savage snarl, and she shrieked, “You wretched thief! Are you trying to silence me?”
Yu Qing spat back, “I am slaying demons and vanquishing evil!”
The vine demon hissed, “You wish! Dream on!”
Black threads spread across her face, erasing every trace of the gentle benevolence she had worn before. What remained was nothing but twisted horror.
Vines erupted from the main body in a frenzied surge, accompanied by a torrent of malevolent energy that poured forth and swallowed the attackers whole in an instant.
The group was thrown into alarm. Each one channelling their power to resist the malevolent energy while desperately swinging their swords to defend.
Though each of them had either drunk the bathwater in great gulps or eaten the honey nectar within the Immortal Manor, rendering them immune to the malevolent energy, they could not simply let it invade their bodies unchecked. If that happened, no remedy might save them.
The vine demon unleashed an attack of unimaginable ferocity. The tide of battle turned in an instant. One moment, a tendril seized someone by the arm and yanked them away; the next, another coiled around someone’s ankle and dragged them off.
At first they could still help one another, slashing a desperate blow to free a companion. But as the vine demon unleashed her full power, they could no longer keep up. Each was left fighting for survival alone, barely managing to fend for themselves, and one after another began to take wounds.
“Bloody hell, what is wrong with the people up there? All this racket, and not a single soul from Kunling Mountain has come down to have a look!”
Nan Zhu yelled wildly amid the chaos, panic plain in his voice.
“Dee dee…” Big Head’s cry pierced through the tumult as well.
“Baili!”
Nan Zhu cried out in alarm. He saw Baili Xin being dragged away by the vines and lunged forward with all his might, slashing through the thorned tendrils that sought to pierce her body.
Baili Xin clung to an iron chain with one hand to keep from being pulled away, while her sword arm hacked wildly. Before long, her sword arm, too, was ensnared.
Nan Zhu was nearly close enough to grab her hand when a searing pain shot through his calf. A vine had pierced clean through. His forward momentum was halted. Before he could turn to look, he knew the trailing vines had already wrapped around him. In rapid succession, all four limbs were bound, and it grew ever harder to muster any strength.
His line of sight was swallowed by a tide of coiling vines, and Baili Xin vanished from view entirely.
Just as he silently lamented, believing the end had come, that he would meet his doom here, he noticed that the constraining and attacking vines were weakening. There was a distinct sign of them withering.
Mustering his full cultivation, he shook himself free and, swinging his sword in all directions, charged towards where Baili Xin had been.
He swiftly carved through the curtain of vines and reunited with Baili Xin, who had also broken free.
The two stood back to back, slashing a few desperate blows, and found that the vines had no desire to entangle them further. The tendrils recoiled swiftly, and soon Mu Aotie’s silhouette appeared in view, sword swinging.
The three exchanged glances but had no time for one another. They scanned their surroundings, bewildered. They could not tell what had happened, only that the malevolent energy around them seemed to swirl and eddy like wind-driven clouds.
Before long, they spotted Yu Qing. He stood in the glow of a luminescent stone on the ground, one hand fending off the sporadic vine attacks with his sword, the other clutching something unrecognisable. The surging malevolent energy was being drawn into his palm like a spiralling whirlwind.
“Ah…”
Du Niang’s head atop the vine trunk thrashed in agony, and a blood-curdling scream tore from her throat.
At that very moment, the earth trembled and split. Something vast seemed to be crawling out from beneath Du Niang. The ground shook so violently that the group could barely keep their footing.