People in the Imperial Music Bureau: The Storytelling Demon Child Nezha

Watch out! Su Yuqing lunged forward, parrying the spear with her short sword, but another warrior's sword had already pierced her left shoulder.

"Miss Su!" Li Qiye roared, and the Soul-Suppressing Bell vibrated wildly. He poured all his true energy into the bell, and a visible sound wave erupted. The blue-eyed warriors were struck as if by lightning, collapsing with blood flowing from their seven orifices.

Chapter 174 Erosion

Seeing the situation was dire, the remaining two soldiers turned and fled. Li Qiye didn't give chase, but quickly checked Su Yuqing's injuries. The sword wound wasn't deep, but the area around it was tinged with an eerie blue, and it was slowly spreading.

Poisoned? Li Qiye tore off a piece of his clothing to bandage her wound.

Su Yuqing's face was pale: "It's not poison... it's the energy erosion of the Blue-Eyed Clan." She gritted her teeth and stood up. "We must leave immediately; they will send more people soon."

The rescued soldiers had freed their comrades. Though weak, the three could still walk. The eldest bowed to Li Qiye: "Thank you for saving us, sir. We are General Cheng's personal guards..."

"I know," Li Qiye said heavily. "Let's leave here first."

They returned along the same route, but at the fork in the road, Su Yuqing chose another path: this one was closer and led to the east shore of the frozen lake.

The passage narrowed further, until finally they could only crawl forward. Li Qiye's right arm was squeezed, and the pain made his vision blur. The soldiers behind him were having an even harder time; one of them nearly fainted several times due to exhaustion.

Finally, light appeared ahead. But as they climbed out of the cave, their hearts sank to the bottom—six blue-eyed warriors were guarding outside, led by the white-robed priest wielding a staff!

"I knew rats would follow," the priest sneered, the Xuanbing Soul on his staff beginning to glow. "Perfect, I'll use you to replenish my energy."

Li Qiye shielded Su Yuqing behind him, and the Soul-Suppressing Bell rang again, but this time the sound was noticeably weaker. His true energy was nearly depleted from using forbidden techniques repeatedly.

The priest raised his staff, and a beam of blue light shot towards Li Qiye. At that critical moment, Su Yuqing suddenly pushed Li Qiye aside, using her own body to meet the blue light!

"No!" Li Qiye exclaimed.

However, the anticipated tragedy did not occur. The blue light was absorbed by the short knife in Su Yuqing's hand the instant it touched her. The patterns on the blade lit up, emitting a dazzling silver light.

This is... the power of Heavenly Evil?! The priest retreated in shock. "Who are you?"

Su Yuqing did not answer. With a flick of her short sword, a silver blade of light slashed towards the priest. The priest hastily raised his staff to block, and the Xuanbing Soul collided with the silver light, producing a deafening explosion.

"Let's go!" Su Yuqing grabbed Li Qiye's hand. "I can't hold on much longer!"

The five seized the opportunity and rushed towards the woods on the lakeshore. Behind them came the priest's angry roar and the sound of explosions, but strangely, no pursuers followed. They didn't stop to catch their breath until they had run several miles and were sure it was safe.

Miss Su, what was that just now...? Li Qiye looked at the still glowing dagger and asked the same question the priest asked, "Who are you?"

Su Yuqing's shoulder wound began to bleed again, and her face was even paler than Xue847: I am... the last daughter of Tianxie Buddha.

After saying this, her vision went black, and she fainted in Li Qiye's arms.

Li Qiye held the unconscious Su Yuqing and felt her body temperature rising abnormally.

Around her wound, the blue lines spread beneath her skin like living things, expanding outwards with each breath.

"Sir, this young lady is in serious condition." The older soldier crouched down, his rough fingers carefully examining the wound, avoiding it directly. "I've been on the border for many years, and I've seen people wounded by the Blue-Eyed Clan's weapons; they all end up..."

Chapter 175 Soul-Calming Bell

What will happen? Li Qiye's voice was as cold as ice.

"I'll become one of them." The soldier whispered, his eyes turning blue first, then his mind clearing...

Li Qiye took out a small jade bottle from his robes and poured out three blood-red pills. "Each of you take one to temporarily suppress any remaining Blue Eye Toxin in your bodies." He poured the rest into his palm, gently pried open Su Yuqing's lips, and fed the pills to her.

The pill melted instantly upon entering her mouth, but Su Yuqing's brows remained furrowed. Li Qiye's hand rested above her wound, the Soul-Suppressing Bell hovering between them, emitting a faint hum.

He closed his eyes and focused his mind, sensing the unusual fluctuations emanating from her body—it wasn't ordinary toxins, but a conscious external energy attempting to rewrite her life's imprint.

"You three," Li Qiye said, "open your eyes and walk east along the lake. After about ten miles, you'll see an ancient pine tree that was struck by lightning. There are marks we left under the tree. Follow the marks, and you'll find the people who are supposed to meet you."

The adults aren't coming with us?

Li Qiye shook his head: Her injuries can't wait that long. He pointed to the faint outline of the mountains in the northwest, where what I'm looking for should be.

The soldiers looked at each other, and finally the eldest clasped his hands in a fist and said, "Take care, sir. If General Cheng is watching over you from heaven, he will surely bless you and this young lady."

After the three left, Li Qiye carefully carried Su Yuqing on his back. Her body was incredibly light, and her breath was hot and rapid on the back of his neck.

The peculiar short knife was tied to his waist, and even through his clothes, one could feel its faint pulse, as if it were alive.

The northwest shore of the frozen lake was even more rugged than the path they had taken to get there. The chilling air rising from the lake formed an eerie blue mist under the moonlight, making each step feel like passing through some invisible barrier.

Li Qiye's right arm wound began to bleed again, but he could no longer feel the pain—all his attention was focused on the increasingly hot body on his back.

"Hang in there..." he whispered, unsure whether he was speaking to Su Yuqing or to himself, "We're almost there."

At the foot of the mountain, there is an inconspicuous cave entrance covered by thick ice.

Li Qiye used his short sword to cut through the ice and bent down to crawl inside. The cave was surprisingly spacious, with a layer of glowing moss covering the walls, providing a faint but sufficient light.

At the deepest point, there is a naturally formed stone platform, so flat that it looks as if it were specially prepared.

Li Qiye gently laid Su Yuqing on the stone platform and quickly checked her condition.

The blue lines had spread to her collarbone, and a thin layer of frost covered her eyelashes, but her skin was alarmingly hot. Most worrying were her eyes—even with them closed, an eerie blue light could be seen emanating from beneath her eyelids.

As expected, it was the guardian of the Heavenly Evil Tomb... Li Qiye took a short knife from his waist, and the patterns on the blade were clearly visible in the dim cave.

He had seen a similar description in ancient books: the Heavenly Evil Buddha had seven tomb guardians, each holding a Buddhist artifact, (Qian Ma Zhao) who together guarded a secret that could overturn heaven and earth.

He hesitated for a moment, then finally used a dagger to cut open the palm of his left hand.

Blood dripped onto the blade, and the patterns on it absorbed the blood like thirsty roots. The blade began to emit a soft silver light, growing brighter and brighter until it illuminated the entire cave.

Using blood as a catalyst and a weapon as a medium... Li Qiye gently placed the glowing dagger on Su Yuqing's wound, invoking the power of the Heavenly Evil to cleanse this filth.

Chapter 176 Appearing and Fading

The moment the blade made contact with the wound, a dazzling burst of silver and blue light erupted.

Su Yuqing's body arched suddenly, letting out a shriek unlike anything in human form. The cave began to shake, and rubble fell from the ceiling, but Li Qiye held the short sword firmly, letting the silver-blue energy surge into his body through his arm.

The sensation was like a thousand red-hot needles piercing his bone marrow simultaneously. Li Qiye gritted his teeth, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

His vision began to blur, and his ears were filled with an eerie buzzing, as if countless voices were screaming simultaneously. Most terrifyingly, he sensed some ancient and powerful consciousness peering into his heart through this energy...

After an unknown amount of time, the light finally faded. The dagger clattered to the ground, and 847 returned to its normal appearance.

The blue markings on Su Yuqing's chest had mostly faded, and her breathing had become much more even.

Li Qiye staggered back a few steps, bumped into the cave wall, and slid down. On the palm of his left hand, where the original wound had been, a small blue mark appeared, shaped like an unopened flower.

So this is... the price...? He looked at the unconscious Su Yuqing with a bitter smile. It seems your secret is more complicated than I imagined...

Outside the cave, the wind and snow began to rise. But amidst the howling wind, another sound could be faintly heard—like some enormous creature moving beneath the ice, or like an ancient horn sounding from the depths of the earth.

Li Qiye forced himself to stand up, picked up the short knife, and looked toward the cave entrance.

They found it so quickly...

Su Yuqing suddenly let out a soft groan. Her eyelashes fluttered a few times, and she slowly opened her eyes. To Li Qiye's shock, a very thin blue halo appeared around the edge of her pupils, faintly visible in the dim cave.

You... Her voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible; you used a blood sacrifice...

Li Qiye knelt on one knee by the stone platform and brought the water bag to her lips: Save your energy, we'll have guests again soon.

Su Yuqing struggled to prop herself up, her gaze falling on the blue mark on his palm, her face growing even paler: Do you know what this means?

This means we won't die for now. Li Qiye smirked; we can discuss the rest after we survive.

The strange noises outside the cave grew closer, accompanied by the cracking sound of ice breaking. Su Yuqing suddenly grabbed Li Qiye's wrist: "Listen to me, that knife—"

A deafening, earth-shaking noise interrupted her.

The icicles at the cave entrance suddenly shattered, and a gigantic figure, at least three zhang tall, appeared in the swirling snow mist.

It has a humanoid outline, but its entire body is covered in blue ice armor, and its head has only one huge eye that occupies half of its face, emitting a chilling cold light.

Ice Demon Guardian... Su Yuqing gasped. They had actually awakened this...

The monster let out a deafening roar, and a beam of blue light shot from its single eye, instantly covering the rocks in its path with a thick layer of ice. Li Qiye grabbed his short sword and dragged the still-recovering Su Yuqing deeper into the cave.

Is there a way out?

Su Yuqing pointed behind the stone platform: There should be a passage there leading to...

The Ice Demon's second attack interrupted her voice.

As Li Qiye pushed her away, he swung his short sword. The silver and blue lights collided, and the resulting shockwave sent both of them flying. The stone platform was struck by the aftershock and shattered, revealing the dark entrance to the passage behind it.

Chapter 177 Over Three Hundred People Slaughtered

"Go!" Li Qiye grabbed Su Yuqing and rushed towards the passage. The Ice Demon roared angrily, its massive body squeezing into the cave, the ice armor scraping against the rocks with a piercing sound.

The passage was narrow and steep, and the two almost slid down. At the last moment, Li Qiye turned around and plunged his short sword into the ice wall to slow them down. The patterns on the sword lit up again, drawing a dazzling silver line in the ice.

"What's down there?" Li Qiye shouted during the descent.

Su Yuqing's voice came from below: "The Trial Path left behind by the Heavenly Evil Buddha—is also the only way to completely annihilate the Blue-Eyed Clan!"

The passage seemed endless, and the two continued to fall in the darkness. The wound on Li Qiye's right arm reopened due to the intense friction, and warm blood slid down his arm. He gritted his teeth, his left hand tightly gripping Su Yuqing's waist to prevent her from separating from him during their rapid descent.

"Almost there!" Su Yuqing suddenly shouted, "Get ready!"

Before the words were even finished, the two of them crashed heavily onto a patch of soft sand. Li Qiye groaned, using his body to cushion most of the impact for Su Yuqing. He lay on his back on the sand, his chest heaving violently, and stars flashing before his eyes.

"How are you?" Su Yuqing struggled to get up and reached out to help him.

Li Qiye shook his head and forced himself to sit up.

He looked around and found himself in a hemispherical stone chamber with a smooth, mirror-like ice wall at the top, above which he could vaguely see the enormous figure of the Ice Demon Guardian hovering. The walls of the chamber were covered with murals similar to those at the dock, but much better preserved.

This is...

"The first hurdle on the path of trials," Su Yuqing said softly, pointing to the only exit opposite the stone chamber. "To get through here, we must pass the test set by the Heavenly Evil Buddha."

Li Qiye noticed that the blue light around the edge of her pupils had become more pronounced, resembling two small blue crescent moons in the dim stone chamber. He subconsciously touched the mark on his palm, where a sharp pain was emanating.

What test?

Just as Su Yuqing was about to answer, the entire stone chamber suddenly began to shake violently.

The paint on the mural began to flow, peeling off the wall like a living thing, and condensing into a colorful mist in the air.

Whispers came from the mist, initially indistinct, but gradually becoming a voice familiar to Li Qiye.

0 ······Requesting flowers 0 ····

Seven nights... A phantom image of an old man with white hair emerges from the mist. Why did you betray me?

Li Qiye was struck dumb, his body suddenly stiffening.

His right hand unconsciously reached for the Soul-Suppressing Bell at his waist, only to find it empty—the bell had disappeared sometime earlier.

..... .... ....

His voice was so hoarse it didn't sound like his own; I didn't...

"No?" The old man's voice suddenly sharpened. "Then why did you flee with the Holy Maiden of the Demonic Sect? Why did you cause the massacre of over three hundred people in the entire temple?!"

The swirling mist conjured up a series of bloody scenes: a burning temple, monks lying in pools of blood, and a younger version of Li Qiye standing in the middle of a mountain of corpses and a sea of ​​blood, holding a blood-stained longsword.

No! This isn't real! Li Qiye roared, and the scar on his right arm suddenly burned with pain.

You're lying! The old man's phantom swelled into a gigantic black shadow. Look at your arm! What's that?!

Li Qiye mechanically rolled up his right sleeve—the gruesome scar that stretched from his elbow to his wrist was bleeding.

Chapter 178 Don't believe what you see!

The blood, however, was not red, but a strange dark blue.

This is... He looked up blankly and found that the old man's face had changed to Su Yuqing's appearance, and he was being stared at him coldly with those blue eyes.

Li Qiye! The real voice of Su Yuqing suddenly pierced through the illusion—this was a trial of inner demons! Don't believe what you see!

Her voice was like a clear spring, instantly bringing Li Qiye back to his senses. "847." He looked down at his right arm again; the scar was still the same as before, without bleeding or turning blue.

Inner demons... He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, using the deepest fears within people...

Use this! Su Yuqing tossed him the dagger and cut through the illusion!

The moment Li Qiye caught the short sword, the patterns on its blade suddenly lit up. Without hesitation, he swung the sword at the illusory figure in the mist, the silver light flashing like a bolt of lightning, cleaving the illusion in two. The mist emitted a piercing shriek, twisting and struggling like a living thing, before finally dissipating into the air.