Deep Affection Between Senior Sister and Junior Brother

Song Wen lowered his head, not immediately replying to Xuan Ye.

Their previous cooperation had been pleasant enough, but it was built entirely on mutual exploitation. Xuan Ye needed Song Wen's help to obtain the Snake Scale Fruit, while Song Wen needed Xuan Ye to lead the way.

Now, both parties had lost their value to each other. Continuing to travel together was no longer a wise choice, and Song Wen felt a deep sense of vigilance regarding Xuan Ye's proposal to retrieve the Empty Cicada Wood together.

Before Song Wen could even answer, Zi Yi spoke up first. She stood up and said, "Junior Brother, let us leave as well. This place is indeed too dangerous."

"But Senior Sister, what about your injuries?" Lao Chun asked with concern.

"It does not matter. My father's condition cannot wait, so we must make haste. Moreover, just as Xuan Ye said, this place is not safe," Zi Yi replied.

"Then what about him?" Lao Chun pointed at the unconscious Yan Gu.

As he looked at Yan Gu, a sudden wave of killing intent erupted from his eyes. Yan Gu's earlier attempt to redirect the disaster toward them had caused him and his Senior Sister to suffer greatly.

Xuan Ye glanced at Yan Gu and said, "His soul has suffered heavy damage. Without a spiritual medicine to repair the soul, it will be very difficult for him to wake up again."

"Then I will slaughter him first. Consider it giving him a quick end." Lao Chun leaped forward, shattering Yan Gu's skull with a single palm strike.

He then swiftly claimed Yan Gu's Magical Artifact and Storage Bag. Turning to Xuan Ye, Lao Chun said, "Fellow Daoist, those who bear witness are entitled to a share. How do you propose we split this?"

Song Wen had no intention of wasting time with them here. Even before Lao Chun took action, he had activated the Blood Escape Technique and rapidly departed, seizing the opportunity to shake off Xuan Ye.

Xuan Ye watched Song Wen leave, then looked at the Storage Bag and Magical Artifact in Lao Chun's hands. Ultimately, he chose to stay. Yan Gu was a cultivator at the Eighth Layer of Qi Condensation and possessed quite a few reserves; it would be a waste not to take them.

A moment later, after dividing the spoils, they headed toward the exit.

They had not gone far before they saw Song Wen returning with a dark expression.

"Fellow Daoist Guo, what is wrong?" Xuan Ye asked.

Song Wen replied, "Hundreds of White Bone Bugs have gathered at the exit. They are swarming in this direction."

"White Bone Bugs!"

The four of them were startled to hear that name.

"How could they happen to appear in this exact passage?" Xuan Ye said with a frown.

"It is likely the Dwarf Ghost's doing. When we were being hunted by the Dwarf Ghost, a swarm of White Bone Bugs trailed behind. These insects were most likely raised by him. It is just that their strength was weaker, so they fell behind."

"Damn it!" Xuan Ye cursed, then immediately asked Song Wen, "Fellow Daoist, what is the strength of those White Bone Bugs?"

"The lowest is at the First Layer of Qi Condensation, and the highest is at the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation. At least half of them are in the mid-stage of Qi Condensation," Song Wen said.

Hearing this, everyone frowned in silence.

There were simply too many White Bone Bugs. Ants could bite an elephant to death through sheer numbers, so breaking out of the encirclement would not be easy.

Song Wen said, "Everyone, we must seize the moment and combine our strength to fight our way out. The Dwarf Ghost has not returned yet. If he comes back, it will be even harder for us to escape."

The others also understood the gravity of the situation. No one voiced any opposition.

Zi Yi firmly slapped a corpse-raising bag at her waist, summoning a Corpse Puppet with strength comparable to the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation.

The moment this Corpse Puppet appeared, its presence startled Song Wen and Xuan Ye into retreating several steps to widen the distance between themselves and Zi Yi.

Feeling the boundless corpse Qi emanating from the Corpse Puppet's body, Song Wen inwardly clicked his tongue. This must be the true reliance that gave Zi Yi and her junior brother the confidence to venture deep into the caves in search of Forsythia Yellow.

"Let's move!" Zi Yi took the lead, preparing to charge toward the exit.

"Senior Sister, wait. I have something to say to you."

Lao Chun seemed to have mustered every ounce of his courage as he stopped Zi Yi, his eyes brimming with undisguised adoration.

"Senior Sister, I am afraid that if I do not say this now, I will never have another chance."

"My feelings for you have not changed in twenty years. When I was fifteen, the very first time I saw you, I fell in love with you. But you liked Eldest Senior Brother, so I never found the courage to express my affections."

"Later, you and Eldest Senior Brother became Dao Companions and had a daughter. I could only watch from afar, silently sending you my blessings in my heart. A few years ago, when Eldest Senior Brother passed away, I finally dared to reveal my heart to you, yet you have always kept me at a distance."

"This time, Master was severely poisoned. Our other five fellow disciples were too afraid of death to enter these caves. Only I was willing to risk my life to come here, just to prove to you, Senior Sister, that my love for you has never changed."

Faced with Lao Chun's sudden confession, Zi Yi was initially stunned, but she quickly returned to her usual cold expression.

Perhaps it was because her father was critically ill and she needed someone to rely on; perhaps she was moved by her Junior Brother's long-term companionship; or perhaps she was touched by his deep devotion. Zi Yi said, "Junior Brother, I promise you... If we make it back alive, I will marry you."

Lao Chun was immediately overcome with joy, his eyes welling up with excited tears. "Truly, Senior Sister?!"

Zi Yi nodded.

This sudden display of deep affection between the martial siblings left Song Wen and Xuan Ye standing there in utter bewilderment.

Song Wen cast a glance at Lao Chun, secretly thinking, I didn't expect this guy to be such a devoted follower. I just fear that you will give your all only to end up with nothing.

...

The four of them unleashed their respective methods, plunging into the swarm of White Bone Bugs.

The White Bone Bugs ranged in size from as small as a fist to as large as a millstone. They skittered on eight legs, their appearance bearing a striking resemblance to spiders. Their entire bodies were an ashen gray-white, seemingly covered in a thick layer of hard bone armor, which greatly increased their defensive prowess.

Song Wen kept his Corpse Puppet positioned in front of him. Gripping his bone-skinning knife, he relentlessly hacked at the White Bone Bugs lunging from all directions.

From time to time, Song Wen would also trigger a fireball talisman.

With White Bone Bugs everywhere, the power of the fireball talismans was utilized to the absolute limit. The weaker insects were directly blown to pieces, while the stronger ones were largely blasted back by the explosions.

Meanwhile, the Corpse Puppet at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation controlled by Zi Yi displayed terrifying lethality.

The White Bone Bugs were completely helpless against its blows. A single strike left the surrounding bugs dead or heavily injured.

However, because Zi Yi was only at the Seventh Layer of Qi Condensation, controlling a puppet at the Ninth Layer of Qi Condensation was somewhat strenuous, preventing her from unleashing its full strength.

Originally, the four of them had fought together, intending to combine their strength to charge out.

But there were simply too many White Bone Bugs, or perhaps the group was only outwardly harmonious while inwardly divided. Regardless, they were gradually separated by the swarm.

With the help of the formidable Corpse Puppet, Zi Yi and Lao Chun spearheaded the charge at the very front.

Xuan Ye drove his two fierce ghosts and five lesser ghosts, remaining perfectly secure as he trailed closely behind Zi Yi's group.

Song Wen fell to the very rear. His Corpse Puppet was only at the Sixth Layer of Qi Condensation, resulting in limited killing power against the White Bone Bugs. His bone-skinning knife was merely a Low Grade Magical Artifact; aside from being relatively hard and sharp, it lacked any other effects, making it incredibly difficult to slaughter the insects on a massive scale.

Yet, the pressure Song Wen actually faced was the lightest.

Song Wen looked at the figures ahead of him. The closest, Xuan Ye, was already two hundred meters away. Zi Yi and Lao Chun had almost completely broken through the encirclement. Because they were out in front, they faced the most White Bone Bugs and bore the heaviest pressure.

It is time to show some real ability, Song Wen thought. If they truly manage to escape first, hiding my strength will only result in trapping myself.

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