*Hoo-hoo~~*
The cold wind blowing across the dunes carried the sand and condensed it into yellowish clouds, veiling the bright moon.
*Boom---*
A blood-colored stream of light descended from the sky and crashed onto the sand, splitting into three figures that bounced up and down across the dunes, and rolled dozens of times before barely stopping.
Gu Mingxin gritted her teeth as she propped herself up, wiping off the sand stuck on her face. She looked at He Jiming, who was lying not far away, and Fu Yuanhua, who was kneeling on the ground and panting with the sword as a crutch. For some reason, it seemed like she could not use her strength.She didn't know the golden-haired cultivator who had suddenly barged in, but if he was able to scare the Elder of the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect's Prison Hall into sacrificing the treasure talisman without hesitation and fleeing with them even with the price of her true essence, he must have a very important background.
Although it seemed that the golden-haired cultivator had not caught up with them, but still...
"Ayayayay-- ouch!!"
*Crack---*
The sound of bones cracking came from He Jiming, who seemed to have fallen on his arm when he landed. He stood up and gritted his teeth as he put his arm back in place. Then, he summoned his spiritual sword and rushed toward Gu Mingxin.
"Sister Gu!! You really came up with a good plan!!"
Seeing him charging toward her with a sword, Gu Mingxin quickly reacted by summoning her own sword.*Ding---*
Swords clashed, and sparks flew everywhere.
The sword in He Jiming's hand flew through the air and then stuck into the sand beside them. Gu Mingxin's blood-colored sword was at his neck in an instant.
She was already furious when she thought that Ye Anping actually dared to treat her like this!!
She really wanted to chop off the noisy and useless He Jiming, but Fu Yuanhua was watching from the sidelines. If she chopped him off, she would be unable to wash herself clean even if she jumped into the river.
Although it seemed like she wouldn't be able to clear her name now anyway...
"It has nothing to do with me."
"It has nothing to do with you?!" He Jiming's eyes widened, and he grimaced as if he had gone crazy. "Didn't you discuss this with your Ye Anping? He especially lured us there to deliver us to the golden-haired ***Moon Shadow Sword*** Sect Patriarch!! Isn't that so?!"
"..."
He Jiming could probably see that Gu Mingxin did not dare to kill him. He glanced at the sword at his neck and took a step forward.
"Sister Gu, Sister Gu..."
Gu Mingxin had no choice but to retreat with the sword in hand, otherwise He Jiming would have cut his neck.
Seeing that she was showing weakness, He Jiming smirked and continued. "Don't you know how good the Master is to you? You returned empty-handed and injured from the ***Imperial*** Sect and the **Northern Region**, but Master Yu Yan didn't punish you at all. If it were an ordinary disciple, he would have been sent to the Prison Hall to take a bath in the fire..."
Gu Mingxin frowned and simply raised the sword in her right hand, hitting He Jiming's neck with the hilt and knocking him to his knees.
"I said, it has nothing to do with me."
*Swish---*
With that, the blood-colored sword was thrust into He Jiming's mouth once again.
Gu Mingxin glared and threatened through gritted teeth. "He Jiming, I see Great Elder He has reattached your tongue. I don't mind removing it for you again."
Saliva dripped from He Jiming's mouth onto the sword blade and then flowed out from the corner of his mouth. He Jiming glared at Gu Mingxin and said mockingly in a slurred voice, "Haha, go ahead. Elder Fu is watching. Don't forget why the Patriarch asked Elder Fu to follow you out..."
At this time, Fu Yuanhua, who was kneeling and panting not far away, flashed between the two of them in one step, grasping Gu Mingxin's wrist and pulling her sword out of He Jiming's mouth.
*Snap---*
"Enough!!"
"..."
He Jiming immediately cupped his hands. "Elder Fu, now that we have all the evidence, it is impossible to refute the fact that Gu Mingxin colluded with the immortals. Please do your duty as an Elder of the Prison Hall and put Gu Mingxin to the sword. So many people in the sect died because of her, even you and I were almost sent to the hands of immortals by her.
Fu Yuanhua was a little unhappy hearing this.
Seeing that Fu Yuanhua didn't seem to have any intention of taking action, He Jiming continued to fuel the fire. "Elder Fu, Patriarch Yu Yan has allowed you to occupy the position of the Elder of the Prison Hall for a hundred years, and he must have valued your ability to distinguish between public and private matters. I know that you appreciate Gu Mingxin, but she..."
Hearing him bring up the Patriarch, Fu Yuanhua's eyes widened. "He Jiming, are you teaching me what to do?!"
He Jiming flinched in fright and lowered his head, answering, "I don't dare!"
"Heh... you think because your father is the Great Elder, you can be so disrespectful? Just because the other Elders of the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect spoil you doesn't mean I will!"
After saying that, Fu Yuanhua closed her eyes to calm down. She looked at Gu Mingxin, who had put her sword on her back, and let out a long breath before walking to the side.
"He Jiming, wait here. Miss Gu, follow me."
Although He Jiming was unwilling, he didn't dare to say anything. He cupped his hands and simply turned around and walked in the opposite direction.
Gu Mingxin bit her lip slightly and followed Fu Yuanhua to the sand dune. For a moment, a cold wind blew off the dust and sand, causing her to squint.
She raised her hand to shield her face, and when she forced her eyes open, what came into her view were the stars of the night and a wall of black rock that was connected to the city in a line on the horizon, a hundred miles from here.
"Well... Miss Gu, how do you explain what happened just now?"
"...It has nothing to do with me."
"Heh..." Fu Yuanhua turned around and looked at Gu Mingxin's red eyes, then smiled. "But I can't see how you can get away from it. That man seemed to know that we were going to the Eastern Wall and he even recognized me at first sight. If someone didn't inform him, how could he have known all this?"
Gu Mingxin had no way of refuting it. After thinking about it, she simply came up with an excuse that she didn't even believe herself."Perhaps it was the *Heavenly Dao Scroll* that told him?"
"*Heavenly Dao Scroll*?"
Fu Yuanhua frowned slightly and glanced at the Great Wall a hundred miles away. She shook her head. "Perhaps it is as you said, but Miss Gu... your current situation does not look good. I watched you grow up, so I don't believe that you would have an affair with an immortal cultivator. Although I know there's no reason why you would have an affair with an immortal cultivator, the other Elders in the sect won't believe it."
She patted Gu Mingxin's shoulder and gestured for her to look at He Jiming.
"Miss Gu, you've always kept to yourself, devoted to cultivation, and didn't like to participate in the affairs of the sect. Do you know why Elder He asked He Jiming to come with us to the Great Wall?"
"...Why?"
"You are the only direct disciple of Yu Yan Patriarch and the Young Miss of the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect. That old fart, He Buqun, doesn't like you very much. He has always wanted his eldest son to replace you."
Gu Mingxin frowned and glanced at He Jiming. "Could it be..."
"Well, if he died here, He Buqun would have ten thousand reasons to kill you. That fool has not yet realized that his father has abandoned him."
Gu Mingxin gritted her teeth. "I understand..."
"In short, be careful." Fu Yuanhua poked Gu Mingxin's forehead and smiled. "And this is my last tip for you. Because of what happened just now, I will not listen to you anymore."
"Elder Fu..."
"When we return to the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect, I will write a report with everything we experienced on this trip and submit it to the Patriarch. Including everything that Ye Anping said just now..."
At this point, Fu Yuanhua frowned deeply as she stood with her hands behind her back. "Miss Gu, based on what that man just said, your crime of secretly communicating with the immortal cultivators is confirmed. Your only chance now is to wait for the demonic cultivators to invade the Great Wall cities and bring his head to me in person. This way, after returning to the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect, I can still present you as someone who atoned for her sins and repented. The Patriarch will not make things too difficult for you then."
"Elder Fu, but I really..." Gu Mingxin clenched her fists and thought for a while before saying, "I suspect he did that to isolate me..."
"Isolate you?"
"He must be afraid of me, that's why..."
"Miss Gu, I told you this before leaving ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect." Fu Yuanhua's expression became serious. "I will see it with my own eyes."
Gu Mingxin was silent for a while, then nodded. "Got it..."
"Think about what I've told you. I'll go talk to that punk and tell him to stop bothering you."
After patting Gu Mingxin on the shoulder, Fu Yuanhua let out a long sigh and then walked toward He Jiming, who was at the bottom of the dune, and brought him to the side to lecture him.
Gu Mingxin looked at the two of them with pursed lips, then turned her head to look at the Great Wall in the distance. Involuntarily, she murmured the name of the person she loved. "Ye Anping..."
At this moment, Xue'e also came out of her head.
After being punched by Xiao Tian, her eyes were now swollen, and she looked like a She hugged her chest and blocked Gu Mingxin's sight with a hesitant look.
"What?"
*"Mingxin... I heard what Fu Yuanhua said just now. I think..."*
"Well?"
Xue'e pursed her lips before continuing, *"Why don't we wait for the war to start and secretly find an opportunity to slip away? We can go to the **Southern Region** or the **Northern Region**, find a place where no one knows you, and hide..."*
"Hide? Do I look like someone who would hide?" Gu Mingxin frowned slightly, quite dissatisfied. "Not to mention, where can I hide? Wherever I hide, Master can find me..."
*"Ah... then... then... why don't you go to Ye Anping and discuss it with him? Let him find you a safe place to rest. If you can't bring yourself to do it, I'll talk to him for you."*
"Xue'e."
*"Mingxin... I just don't want to see you get hurt. I don't care about the immortals, demons, or the heavenly fate and heavenly scrolls. I'm afraid something will happen to you..."*
Gu Mingxin rolled her eyes with disdain, then simply ignored her as she turned around and slid down the dune.
*"Hey! Mingxin, think about what I said..."*
Gu Mingxin felt as if a buzzing fly floated in her ears. She was extremely agitated, although what Xue'e said might not have been a bad idea.
But she simply couldn't stop being angry!
It's not that she was angry with Ye Anping. She didn't understand what she was thinking. Although Ye Anping had made her suffer so many setbacks, she couldn't hate him no matter what. Instead, she felt that Ye Anping was so cool every time.
Ye Anping was the only person in the world who could put her in such difficult situations.
Without Ye Anping, that Feng Yu Die was nothing!!!
Gu Mingxin clenched her teeth. She could not afford any failure. This time, she would definitely snatch Ye Anping away and let the white-haired girl who was her opposite experience her bitter state in all these years.
Suddenly, an eagle's cry resounded in the night sky.
*Kyiiaaa--!!*
Fu Yuanhua, who was lecturing He Jiming, looked up and saw a black shadow hovering above her. She immediately raised her hand and let the black shadow land on her protective sleeve.
She removed the jade slip from the eagle's claw, infused it with her spiritual sense, and read it.
"Ghost Patriarch has arrived at the **Netherworld Mountains**. Let's head over there immediately."
He Jiming and Gu Mingxin did not say anything. They nodded and then turned into three beams of bloody light, shooting through the sky. They turned around and headed toward the valley where the black clouds were located about five hundred miles to the east...
...
The night was still, and the moon flowed with the clouds.
*Thunderbolt---*
A dark purple snake stretched out across the black clouds, reflecting the shadows of dozens of people in a huge hall on a large sand table.
With a ghost mask on his face, Seven Ghost Tomb sat on a square chair forged from dragon bones, facing the north direction as he propped his face with his fists and scanned the dozens of ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect Elders with his faint purple eyes.
The hall was silent, except for a few rhythmic tapping sounds.
All of a sudden, Seven Ghost Tomb's fingers, which were tapping the armrest of the chair, stopped.
The next moment, the iron door of the great hall opened.
Fu Yuanhua and her two companions, wearing the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect's robes, strode in, and cupped their hands in salute.
"Elder Fu Yuanhua and two disciples of the ***Heavenly Demon*** Sect pay their respects to the Ghost Patriarch."
Seven Ghost Tomb's lips moved slightly, and he responded with a muffled sound that resembled ventriloquism. "Hmm..."
His eyes swept up and down Gu Mingxin's body, only staying for a moment, and then he raised his right hand slightly, giving a signal.
A *Deification*-stage Elder of the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect stepped forward. "According to our information, the *Justice Division* is preparing to abandon the Eastern Wall cities and escape. Fu Xuan began to gather the immortal cultivators in the three cities yesterday. It seems that they are preparing to split into four groups and escape through the **Sword Gate Pass** in the south of the **Central Region**."
At this point, he waved his hand, and the sand table, which had originally only outlined hills and terrain, immediately showed four gullies.
When the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect members heard this, suddenly there was an uproar.
"Fleeing without a fight? That's not in the nature of those *Justice Division* people..."
"Yes, and the attack of the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect on the Eastern Wall was a tight secret. The *Division* should not have known so early that the entire ***Ghost Spirit ***Sect was dispatched. Did someone leak the news?"
...
In fact, the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect had been hiding their whereabouts the entire time. As usual, they had sent some low-level disciples to harass the surroundings of the Eastern Great Wall. Their goal was to make the *Justice Division* think that the demonic cultivators were just like usual, a lot of thunder and little rain.
Logically speaking, the *Justice Division* would have no way of knowing that the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect was going to attack, so they had no reason to abandon the city and flee so decisively.
As people spoke, they could not help but glance in Gu Mingxin's direction, seeming to suspect that she was the one who had secretly contacted immortal cultivators and exposed ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect's plans.
Faced with the scrutiny of these *Deification* and *Nascent Soul* stage old monsters, even the fearless Gu Mingxin could not help but sweat.
Fortunately, Xue'e slipped out, distracting her attention from these old monsters of the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect, and she relaxed a little.
*"Mingxin, look at me, look at me~~ ignore them~~"*
"..."
Seven Ghost Tomb, sitting on the bone chair, tapped his fingers again, the sound shutting up the Elders.
The *Deification*-stage cultivator who had spoken earlier stretched out his hand and said, "No matter what, it's a good thing that the *Justice Division* is fleeing. The three cities of the Eastern Great Wall can be said to have fallen into the hands of our ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect. However, we Elders also know that what the Patriarch wants is not only the three cities of the Eastern Wall but also the Commander of the *Justice Division*, Fu Xuan. The whereabouts of the *Dragon Heavenly Seal* are unknown. The only person who knows where the *Heavenly Seal* is is probably the *Justice Division* Commander."
At this, the *Deification*-stage demonic cultivator pointed at a long groove in the sand table. "According to their plan, Fu Xuan will lead the cultivators above the *Nascent Soul* stage and flee to **Heavenly Gate City** on this road. In the past, when Elder Xu was here, it was not easy for demonic cultivators to enter the ***Demon Clan*** territory, so... they must be stopped before reaching the city."
One of the Elders asked, "Is there any movement from the ***Demon Clan***?"
"No, everything in **Heavenly Gate City** is the same as usual. Last time, someone tried to sow discord between us and the ***Demon Clan***, but it seemed that the provocation was not successful. At least there's no sign of their soldiers leaving the city."
Another person also said, "They are divided into four groups. Won't we stop the remaining three groups?"
"Of course." The demonic cultivator shook his head and smiled. "That Fu Xuan seems to want to protect her people. The other three routes are divided by cultivation level. One route for *Qi Refining* cultivators, one route for *Foundation Building* cultivators, one for *Core Formation* stage cultivators... ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect won't let them return to the **Southern Region** undisturbed."
Gu Mingxin didn't want to speak, but after hearing what that person said, she couldn't help asking, "May I ask where this news came from?"
"..."
For a moment, the hall fell silent, and all the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect Elders were looking toward her again.
Fu Yuanhua felt the pressure and glanced at her as if saying, *'Don't speak. Your current position is not suitable...'*
But the next moment, Seven Ghost Tomb raised his hand to indicate that it was okay and motioned the demonic cultivator to answer her.
"Young Miss Gu, I got this news from a cultivator from the *Justice Division*."
"Could it be fake news?"
"Then, Miss Gu knows the real news? Please speak."
"..."
Gu Mingxin was speechless. No one present seemed to think so, but she felt that Ye Anping would expect this, as such getting people to deliberately spread false news to delay the pursuit of the demonic cultivators.
If it was Ye Anping, he would definitely think of the possibility of information leakage, and make secondary preparations.
However, even if this news was false, the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect could do nothing about it.
The disparity in combat strength between the *Justice Division* and the ***Ghost Spirit*** Sect was so great that one or two pieces of false information alone would not be enough to stop them.
In other words, false news was better than no news in this case.
"..."
"..."
Gu Mingxin lowered her head, lost in thought. She only came to her senses after an unknown amount of time when Fu Yuanhua patted her on the shoulder. When she raised her head, Seven Ghost Tomb was no longer in the hall, as if he had escaped.
"Elder Fu..."
"Drifting off? Ghost Patriarch entrusted me with the task of hunting down the *Core Formation* cultivators group. You and He Jiming are coming with me."
"Got it..."
"If you're lucky and meet that Ye Anping, you know what to do..."
