I was totally unable to save them. The crazy Lei Aobai not only harmed himself, but also trapped Situ Qiushi.
The first to attack were the snake formation. Thousands of poisonous snakes jumped up from the snow, like waves of wheat in early summer, and instantly covered Lei Aobai.
"Teacher Feng, how can we save them?" Tang Xin stomped her feet, kicking up snow flakes.
I really regret not restraining them earlier, which led to the current accident. However, I have the Green Blood Night Glow Toad with me, so I can rush into the empty courtyard immediately to drive away the insects and save people, but in that case, I will definitely break through the "Heaven-spinning Dragon Driving Array", giving the flying vehicle of the great god Tu Liehan a chance to break through. Next, a series of chain reactions may cause the world to collapse and turn upside down – "Let me think about it, let me think about it."
My mind was still in a mess, and I couldn't make the most appropriate choice between "saving people" and "protecting the formation".
"I'll go save them. At least I've been cursed with poisonous insects, so I'm not afraid of being bitten by snakes. Too many innocent people have died. It's time to stop the killing." She turned around and rushed to the empty courtyard, but I grabbed her.
"Miss Tang, stay here and don't do anything!" I shouted at her, then used my Qinggong skills to fly fifty steps and rushed into the empty courtyard through the gap. The snow under my feet was slowly moving, and the poisonous insects underneath were ready to attack. This scene was as common as the most terrifying nightmare.
"Aobai, Aobai–" Situ Qiu was struggling on top of the snake formation, repelling the flying and biting venomous snakes while shouting the name of his junior brother. When the snake formation started to attack for the first time, Lei Aobai had been dragged down. At this moment, I could only see the venomous snakes, not the human figures.
I remember that when we were in the snake cave under the pyramid, Taneno Shinzhi also fell into the trap and I was lucky enough to rescue him. I hope Lei Aobai will have the same good luck, at least he can get out of the flying vehicle and enter this world. He shouldn't die in an instant, that would be unfair to him.
I reached out and took out the square box, which was the legendary "Green Blood Luminous Toad". Although I didn't know what secrets were hidden in it, it really had the magical effect of repelling insects and warding off evil spirits. When I approached the snake formation, the poisonous snakes fell down one after another, and the tide spread to both sides as usual.
"Brother Feng, save Ao Bai, save Ao Bai!" Situ Qiushi leaped over and stared at the box in my palm.
The snakes turned over, and I saw Lei Aobai's body was tightly trapped by hundreds of snakes, dragging away to the south. These snakes are all spiritual, not only want to eat people, but also know how to kidnap people.
"Feng, what are you doing? Get out of here, get out of here!" Alpha's angry voice rang out, right at the "life gate" in the southeast of the empty courtyard. He finally showed up, and it seemed that what I was doing was greatly damaging his interests.
I chased after Lei Aobai, and it took me almost no effort. The venomous snake fled far away under the pressure of the "Green Blood Night Glow Toad". At this moment, across the other side of the deep well, a group of wasps flew up with a "whoosh", a large black mass that seemed to be "covering the sky and the sun".
The centipede, scorpion, and toad all raised their arms and clenched their fists at the same time, replacing the venomous snake's original position.
"Feng, this is not a fight between two or three people. Don't come in to disrupt the situation, or I will accidentally kill you as well?" Alpha roared angrily.
I was surrounded by poisonous insects. If Alpha suddenly shot me, I would be killed in an instant. But I couldn't give up halfway. I had to rescue him. When I was chasing the group of poisonous snakes that were entangled with Lei Aobai, Alpha suddenly appeared on the southeast corner of the wall. In addition to the golden mask, he was also wearing a golden armor. Even the boots on his feet were made of pure gold. He stood majestically.
“Feng—” He pointed at me with his left hand, and held the hilt of the sword on his shoulder with his right hand. “If you don’t retreat, I will kill you without mercy!”
I caught up with Lei Aobai. Those seemingly powerful venomous snakes were extremely afraid of the "Green Blood Night Glow Toad" and fled early. Fortunately, he was still alive. There were at least a dozen wounds on his arms, thighs, and cheeks, all of which were bleeding black blood and slightly swollen. For a martial arts master like him, after sealing his blood vessels with all his strength, the snake venom could not invade the heart, and he could at least last for more than ten hours.
"Are you okay?" I grabbed his wrist and pulled him up.
"Kill——" Alpha flew over with gnashing teeth, and swung his sword, which turned into a soul-stealing golden light. It turned out that the weapon he used was also made of gold, and the sword was inlaid with countless tiny black crystals. When it was swung, it was extremely gorgeous and dazzling.
Situ Qiushi came forward, holding an ancient bronze mirror in his hand.
With a ding, the sword and mirror intersected, and Alpha's body spun rapidly, rising slowly, and then dived down again, as powerful as an eagle catching a rabbit, unstoppable. Situ Qiushi leaned over and rolled, and seven or eight identical mirrors flew out of his sleeves and shot out into the air. The ding-dong sound continued, and the golden sword penetrated all the mirrors, and the direction did not change, piercing Situ Qiushi's head.
The first time Alpha demonstrated his martial arts, I felt like a divine eagle flying in the sky and hunting under the earth. Once he made a move, he would never miss a target and win every battle.
Situ Qiushi's body was spinning in place, and more mirrors shot out from his fingers, but they were all pierced by Alpha's golden sword. If his sword was infused with the power of the crystal, it would indeed be impossible for an ordinary person to block it.
"Kill!" Lei Aobai blurted out a word from between his teeth. He waved his hands, and his gray robe flipped up rapidly. The long sword hanging on his belt flew out with a whistling wind, forming a three horizontal and three vertical sword formation to meet Alpha.
The fighting scenes with cold weapons are more violent and cruel than gun shootouts. It is a fight to the death with sheer force. The slightest negligence can result in death on the spot.
Alpha bounced back, avoiding the sword array 's death blade , but he also raised his crystal gold sword high, and it would fall again, and it would be the death of Situ Qiushi and Lei Aobai. The bloody poisonous mist sprayed by the poisonous insects became thicker and thicker, and the poisonous scorpion closest to me was only ten steps away from touching my shoes. We can't stay in the empty courtyard for long, we must retreat.
"Go, you are no match for me, Aobai, hurry up!" Situ Qiushi roared in a low voice, dragging Lei Aobai's wrist and retreating to the gap in the north. In fact, there was a dead gate full of evil over there. It seemed that it could be reached by leaping a hundred steps, but in reality, under the complex changes of the strange array, it was not certain to escape from here even if you ran for another hour.
When I rescued Lei Aobai, I had already observed that the only way out now was the wellhead of the "Earth Vein". Perhaps Alpha wanted to let the great god Tu Lie Khan and others rush out, and then wipe them out. Anyway, with the control of the "Heaven-Spinning and Earth-Spinning Dragon Riding Array", he was not afraid of the underground visitors taking over.
Suddenly, the sky above my head darkened, and all the poisonous insects flew into the air, forming a dense shed one meter above my head, isolating the flying Alpha with his arms raised on the surface, at least giving us a chance to catch our breath.
Lei Aobai wiped the snow water off his face, looked up and laughed: "See how you rush down, haha, haha——"
Approaching the poisonous insect was Tang Xin, who had a serious look on her face and was holding a frozen toad in her hand: "Teacher Feng, let's retreat to the wellhead. The situation is out of control. I feel that Alpha is being controlled by another force and cannot stand on his own…" Her hairline was dripping with sweat, not sure if it was snow water or cold sweat.
I looked up and saw the legs of poisonous insects of different lengths. The noise was really amazing. The Green Blood Luminous Toad could only restrain poisonous snakes, but it was powerless against these mutated insects.
"I tried my best to fight against Tang Qing and drive the poisonous insects, but I was at the end of my strength…" Her eyes flashed with blood-red light, the muscles in her cheeks were trembling slightly, and her lips were bitten until they were covered with blood.
We were originally on the sidelines, but were trapped in a desperate battle due to the madness of Situ Qiushi and Lei Aobai. This was an unexpected change. After weighing the pros and cons, retreating to the wellhead was really the best safe haven. I leaped over, grabbed Situ Qiushi and the others by the shoulders, and rushed to the wellhead, which was the focus of the Dragon Riding Array's attack.
Tang Xin followed us, but once we left the shed formed by poisonous insects, the four of us were immediately exposed to Alpha's attack range. He was still floating in the sky, with the golden sword raised above his head, emitting a dazzling brilliance.
The sulfur defense line around the wellhead had long been destroyed by the poisonous insects. After we retreated to the well, the poisonous insects swarmed in from all directions like a tide, piling up a half-meter-high "insect wall" on the flat ground.
"Unless I jump down, it will be the first time for me to see so many poisonous creatures at the same time…" Situ Qiu smiled bitterly. In this situation, he and Lei Aobai might have forgotten about the strange big mirror and just wanted to save their lives.
It was pitch black in the well and nothing could be seen. Youlian and the others had disappeared without a trace.
"I think they have reached some kind of temporary agreement to fight against outsiders together. Miss Tang, where is Tang Qing? At this critical moment of life and death, we must subdue her first."
I put away the Green Blood Luminous Toad, turned around and looked towards the northwest corner. Based on my intuition, I saw a small building with one corner collapsed.
"Yes, Teacher Feng, she is right there, at the intersection of gold and water, echoing the southeastern vertex of fire and wood, forming the four principles of the Dragon Riding Array: Fighting, Charge, Killing, and Confining. I want to ask you for one thing, don't kill her, she is just a puppet controlled by others."
At this time, she still had some concerns in her heart.
"She is not just a puppet–" I wanted to continue, but tears suddenly flashed in the corners of Tang Xin's eyes.
"Teacher Feng, she and I came here with so much hardship to explore Pandora's Box. We are the same kind of people, but I am luckier than her. I came a little later, and I met Alpha and you. Otherwise, I would be Tang Qing and become a puppet manipulated by evil forces." She lifted her sweat-soaked hair from her brows and said resolutely, word by word, "Please let her go, for the sake of Tiger and me."
The dilapidated building was less than five hundred steps away from the wellhead. I could feel that Tang Qing was hiding in some corner of the ruins.
"She killed too many people, but those people didn't even have the chance to beg for mercy when they died."
In my heart, there is no hatred, anger or fierce fighting, and I remain calm as water. Perhaps in the fierce battle, only by looking lightly at the threat of death can one survive forever. The more anxious, impatient, fearful and arrogant one is, the easier it is to be shrouded by the god of death.
"I know, but doesn't everyone in the Tang Clan in Shu have the blood of hundreds or thousands of people on their hands?" Tang Xin smiled worriedly.
"Except you, Tiger has told me everything about you." This is true. With Tiger's ability to collect information, he can investigate even some trivial things that happened more than ten years ago. However, she is going to be the head of the Tang family in the future. She has never even started a killing spree, which is simply unbelievable in the eyes of the people in the martial arts world.
Tang Xin sighed: "That is fate. I am not a true disciple of the Tang Sect, but she is. The future of the Tang Sect depends on her. I must return what belongs to her. Teacher Feng, I beg you no matter what -"
Lei Aobai suddenly screamed, interrupting the conversation between Tang Xin and I. Green smoke was slowly coming out of the back of his right hand, and a diamond-shaped wound began to rot in a shocking way, revealing green bones in the blink of an eye.
"What the hell is this poisonous insect… My hand! My hand!" He swung his right arm vigorously, and the blood that fell on the ground all turned gray, like the juice of some plant.
"That's a hybrid variant of the 'Bronze Tripod Blue and White Scorpion', 'Maha Tail' and 'Red Fire Piercing Intestine Killer' scorpions. Once stung, the flesh and bones must be cut out, otherwise the poisonous blood will attack the heart and you will die within three hours." Tang Xin turned around and took a look, then quickly came to the conclusion.
That was the hand he used to hold the sword. For someone who had practiced swordplay all his life, losing his hand was equivalent to losing his life, so the expressions of Situ Qiushi and Lei Aobai changed drastically at the same time.
"How did you know, young lady?" Situ Qiu tore off a strip of cloth with a "swish" sound and swiftly tied it around Lei Aobai's elbow.
"Of course I know, but I have to tell you that a broken arm alone is not enough. He has countless wounds on his body, at least fifteen of which are enough to kill him. Smell his breath, isn't it sweet? The poison has already reached the Niwan Palace, rushed up to the throat, and entered the ribs, hip bones, and middle fingertips on the left and right. I can only say that he is already a talking dead man."
A sad and bitter smile appeared on Tang Xin's face again.
Lei Aobai exhaled slowly, blowing the snowflakes in front of him, and they flew horizontally towards Situ Qiushi's face.
"Ah——" Situ Qiushi took a big step back, his nose twitching continuously.
I believe her words, Tang Xin is not a person who likes to make jokes.
"I don't want to die, I can't die…*** I can't die…" From his senior brother's expression, Lei Aobai saw the truth. After screaming three times in succession, he shook his left hand and a shining dagger appeared in his palm.
Tang Xin slowly turned her head away, not wanting to look anymore.
"If Tang Qing is killed, will the poisonous insects scatter because they have lost their master?" I asked in a low voice, while at the same time judging the situation around me, trying to find the best route to get past the poisonous insects and kill Tang Qing.
"It will probably cause the poisonous insects to bite and kill each other, but the sealing ability of the Dragon Riding Array will dissipate half, leaving only the killing blade , and those who are surrounded will be able to escape." She looked down at the deep well. When Feixue went in, it seemed as if she was swallowed by the monster's big mouth in an instant, silently and without a trace.
"I must kill her." I said these five words, suddenly jumped up, and rushed to the west first.
The West belongs to Metal, which represents killing with swords and weapons. He is the one that Alpha floating in the air must save. Leading him away can at least give Situ Qiushi a chance to survive.
As expected, as soon as I moved, a golden light suddenly appeared above my head, just like the scorching sun that was hidden by dark clouds suddenly jumped out of the clouds. I leaned forward and rushed straight over the insect array in a zigzag pattern. The golden light fell from left to right, and I dodged it skillfully.
I stepped on the wall with my left foot, touched the gray Qin bricks and Han tiles, and then turned around like a windmill, with the knife flashing in my sleeve. The light from the Yuji knife was light gray, which was inconspicuous in the golden sword light, but the killing power was overwhelming. In an instant, the golden light was much less.
"Wind, don't do anything stupid. If they rush up, the earth will be in disaster." Alpha roared anxiously.
In the shadow of swords, I turned sideways and headed north, holding the sword in my right arm, and once again forced him to retreat. In my opinion, Alpha and Tang Qing are fundamentally different. The latter is a puppet of the monster. To kill the six-armed monster Phantom Demon, we must first get rid of these evil spirits that are accomplices to the tiger.
Tang Qing was indeed on the top of the building. When I stepped onto the roof, she flashed out from behind a wall of broken arms, her black robe flipped, and six green lights shot out at the same time. Now, she has six arms, and each of them can participate in the attack. This is the common characteristic of illusion demons.
There were six green snakes, and with a flash of the knife, the snakes were crushed to pieces, flying all over the sky, forming a green mist, blocking her way. We were only ten steps apart, and she was already within the range of the knife's fatal blow.
“You’ve been fooled—” She laughed sinisterly with her face raised, and the four arms behind her waved up and down, like a weird Thousand-armed Guanyin statue, “His sword light is right behind you, right behind you…”
"Of course I know." In an instant, Alpha appeared behind Tang Qing, with the golden sword pointing to the sky. I seemed to have seen Tang Qing's end.
"This world will eventually belong to us, to a planet burning in flames. And in the universe, only raging fire can burn out the severe cold. This is the ending that no earthling can change. Hahahaha…" Her wild laughter turned into an impatient and far-reaching male voice.
I know that she is no longer Tang Qing or Witch Longge, but a walking corpse invaded by a monster. When Tang Xiaogu died, I had the same feeling, and now I finally understand that it was also a puppet of the illusion demon, not under the command of Tang Qing.
No matter how powerful and bizarre the Tang Clan in Shu is, they are just "humans" and there are limits to what they can do. They are not like the Phantom Demon, which will push the earth to the critical point of destruction with every step forward.
"Belong to you?" I asked with a faint smile.
"Of course it's us—" Half of the long sword suddenly appeared on her chest. The crystal embedded in the sword was stained with blood, becoming clearer and brighter, directly into people's eyes. She looked down at the tip of the sword, clasped her hands together, and clasped them on the sword. The four hands on her back were frantically trying to push Alpha away.
I don't like to see killing and death, but sometimes in order to survive, I have to kill the enemy ruthlessly and abandon any mercy.
The golden sword was pulled back, Tang Qing spun around, and fell into the snow with a plop.
"Sometimes, cooperation is necessary, but everyone knows that there are no permanent allies, only permanent interests, right?" Alpha stared at Tang Qing. Her six arms were still twitching weakly, but she would never be able to stand up.
He looked up at me and said, "Can you imagine why I wanted to kill her?"
I nodded, and at the same time, a chill ran down my back. The powerful aura of "those who obey me will prosper, those who disobey me will perish" exuded by this square-eyed soldier who looked like an Earthling reminded me of the first emperor in history to rule the world. Only great men who created the universe and warded off ghosts and gods could inadvertently give others this feeling.
"Do you have anything to say?" he asked again, wiping away the blood on the blade and putting the sword back into the scabbard.
The glittering golden scabbard was inlaid with colorful gems, and the thick black material itself was obviously made from the most precious snow mountain rhinoceros on earth.
I did have a question I wanted to ask him, but I tried to control myself and didn't ask it. The question was – "Who are you?"
He could be Alpha, or anyone else, and the name is just a simple code name. Just like when we read history today, we can only read boring and monotonous names, but cannot appreciate the magnificence of each legendary story.
According to the Records of the Grand Historian, Qin Shi Huang died on his way to the East. Xu Fu, who was looking for the elixir of immortality, did not have time to send the elixir back. Then Zhao Gao seized power and Hu Hai II ascended the throne immediately. Historians have raised questions countless times. Qin Shi Huang was born in the Warring States Period when many heroes emerged. He had experienced many battles and was extremely smart. How could he go on an "Eastern Tour" when he was in danger? Since he was able to carry out a series of incredible feats such as "burning books and burying scholars", "collecting weapons from all over the world to cast bronze men", "building terracotta warriors and horses in the imperial mausoleum", and "sending alchemists to seek the elixir of immortality", could he not even see his own life and death?
Therefore, his "Eastern Tour" could only be some kind of excuse to cover up more serious "private affairs".
I have found the answer: "He is still alive, and will live forever, becoming the most unique 'person' on our earth. Only in this way can he be worthy of the title of 'First Emperor', which is unprecedented and will be surpassed later."
"You are–" I was not sure how to address him at the moment.
"Who am I? Does it matter? You are smart and can figure out my identity, but I am just Alpha now. Let the past be the past. I will not think about anything anymore, and I don't want anyone to disturb me deliberately." He proudly jumped off the small building and strode towards the empty courtyard.
Over there, the poisonous insects were in chaos. They gave up the unified move of approaching the "earth veins" and started biting each other, not caring at all to attack Situ Qiushi and the others.
Tang Qing's struggle became weaker and weaker, and the four arms behind him were obviously shrinking and shortening.
I squatted down in front of her and heard her mumbling a person's name: "Yang Tian… Pyramid… Pyramid… Yang Tian…"
"What do you want to say?" I took her right wrist and felt her heart rate was dropping sharply.