Chapter 136: The Flamingo's Rescue in Dire Straits

Taking advantage of this momentary distraction, another vine silently coiled around the body of the Azure Dragon Sword, wrapping it up instantly like a python. With a slight exertion of force, the sword slipped from Bai Mu's grasp and plummeted toward the ground.

Seeing that Bai Mu was no longer protected by the divine sword, the other branches rushed forward without any restraint, striking fiercely at every part of his body.

Unfortunately, Bai Mu's wrists were already entangled by the vines, making any attempt to leap away practically impossible. Moreover, without the Azure Dragon Sword in hand, he was completely unable to break free from the thick vines wrapping around his body. He could only secretly channel his remaining Supreme Flowing Water Qi throughout his system, hoping to protect his vital organs and prevent himself from being beaten to death by these branches.

"Prepare to meet your end, brat!"

Just as Bai Mu was putting up a stubborn resistance, Chiyan let out a roar from ahead. Channeling Azure Wood Qi within his palms, he struck directly toward Bai Mu's chest.

Under normal circumstances, it would not have been difficult for Bai Mu to dodge this blow. Regrettably, his entire body was already battered by the branches, and with his hands and feet bound by the vines, it was too late to evade. Left with no other choice, he could only close his eyes and await the opponent's fatal strike.

At this moment, his heart was filled with reluctance, anger, and a trace of despair.

Lingyan had yet to wake up, the evil qi within Fansheng's body had not been exorcised, his master's Scroll of Spirits had not been recovered, and the accusation of being a murderous demon had not been cleared. Was he really going to die like this, with his name obscured in infamy?

Everyone must die; some deaths are heavier than Mount Tai, while others are lighter than a swan's feather.

If Bai Mu were to be beaten to death here, carrying a millennium of condemnation to his grave, he would probably be lighter than even a swan's feather.

All of this was far too tragic, yet entirely helpless.

The crisp snapping sound of ribs breaking echoed beside his ears. The intense pain caused Bai Mu's thoughts to blur as Chiyan's solid palms finally landed squarely on his chest.

The Azure Wood Qi flooded into his body at once, and the formidable impact of Chiyan's strike shattered the vines binding Bai Mu. His body fell rapidly toward the formation at the cave entrance like a kite with a broken string.

As his spiritual consciousness flickered on the verge of extinction, he could even feel the scorching texture of the formation as his body plummeted toward the ground, baking the skin on his back with a burning pain. Meanwhile, the overwhelming, crushing agony in his chest made him wish for death.

"Alas..."

Bai Mu sighed desolatingly in his heart. My life is truly at its end.

***

"Chirp, chirp, chirp..."

Several crisp bird cries suddenly echoed from deep within the cave.

"Boom..."

Following a series of deafening explosions, the previously tightly sealed cave doors suddenly burst open. As the dust gradually settled at the entrance, a giant bird, no smaller in size than Bifang, emerged in a flash of golden light.

Just as Bai Mu was about to plunge into the formation, the giant bird steadily caught him on its back. Then, with agile grace, it executed a three-hundred-sixty-degree mid-air pivot and sped back into the cave amidst a trail of golden light.

Seeing that Bai Mu had been severely wounded while the Azure Dragon Sword still lay quietly on the ground, Nalan was instantly gripped by greed. With several rapid leaps forward, he transformed into a residual shadow and drifted to the spot where the Azure Dragon Sword had fallen. He raised his arm, flexibly reaching for the hilt, while a triumphant smile curved the corner of his mouth, presumably marveling at how the holy sword was now within his grasp.

However, the Azure Dragon Sword was no ordinary artifact; how could it easily fall into the hands of an outsider? The instant Nalan's fingers were about to touch the hilt, the sword abruptly jerked upward on its own. Like a startling rainbow, it carved an arc through the air and thrust swiftly toward Nalan's heart.

"Damn it!"

Startled, Nalan cursed inwardly. In the nick of time, he rolled his body sideways, narrowly dodging the tip of the Azure Dragon Sword. Nevertheless, the golden armor on his arm was pierced straight through by the blade, and fresh blood spurted out in a straight stream, a truly valiant and bloody scene.

Having repelled Nalan, the Azure Dragon Sword immediately transformed into a streak of silver light, flying straight toward the cave entrance. After a brief flash of brilliance, it vanished deep into the cave, and the cave doors instantly slammed shut with seamless perfection, restoring complete peace outside.

"Escaped?"

Chiyan stared blankly at this series of events that had transpired in the flash of a spark. Despite having cultivated for ten thousand years, he was equally stunned into speechlessness.

"Brother, let's go!"

Qingluo reminded him loudly from behind. Her body transformed into a wisp of cyan smoke and drifted to Nalan's side, grabbing his hand to flee down the mountain. In the blink of an eye, she left Chiyan standing alone far behind.

"Consider yourselves sensible."

Chiyan gazed with a gloomy expression at the two figures whose backs had already vanished, a ruthless glint quietly flashing in his eyes.

***

"They've all run off, what should I do?"

Chiyan paced back and forth near the cave. He harbored the desire to fly inside and hunt down Bai Mu, but was deterred by the closed cave doors, which prevented entry.

Furthermore, the area outside the cave was covered in bizarre formations; the slightest carelessness could cost him his old life right at the threshold. Consequently, for a moment, he was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, completely at a loss.

After pacing back and forth before the cave for quite a while, Chiyan finally resolved to adopt a wait-and-see approach. As long as Bai Mu was not dead, he would inevitably emerge from the cave at some point. Once out of the Ancient Chiyan Cave, Bai Mu would certainly die upon their next encounter.

With this thought, Chiyan simply found a clean spot outside the cave, sat cross-legged, and quickly entered a state of meditative concentration.

Meanwhile, after Chiyan struck Bai Mu away, he had assumed that even if Bai Mu did not die from his severe injuries, he would be burned to ashes by the invisible formation at the cave entrance. Therefore, Bai Mu had closed his eyes to await death as he fell toward the ground.

Yet, just as his spiritual consciousness was about to disintegrate, he suddenly heard an urgent and crisp bird cry ringing in his ears, before losing consciousness entirely.

When he woke up once more, three hours had already passed.

Opening his eyes, he found himself residing within a narrow stone chamber. The interior furnishing was extremely simple; apart from the stone bed he lay upon and a few crude stone stools, there was nothing else save for the uniform basalt rock walls—no other objects whatsoever.

He tried lifting his arm, but the expected excruciating pain did not materialize. Reaching out to touch the spot on his chest where he had been struck, he discovered that his previously fractured ribs had already been reset.

Although his chest still ached dully, compared to the overwhelming agony he felt when he was struck, he could now consider himself quite comfortable.

However, the most miraculous thing was the invasion of Azure Wood Qi within his body. For reasons unknown, it had now completely dissipated and vanished from within him.

One must know that even someone as powerful as Fansheng could not easily escape the entanglement of Azure Wood Qi. Yet Bai Mu was now acting as if nothing had happened, seemingly completely unaffected by the malicious energy.

His injuries, along with the Azure Wood Qi—who on earth had tended to him while he was unconscious?