Xue Meng let out a wretched scream and rushed towards Shi Mei, but it was too late. Hua Binan was like Yanluo appearing from the depths of hell, the god of death rushing through the sky. He swept through the air and grabbed Shi Mei’s neck from behind.

     “Shi Mei!”

     “Shi Mingjing!”

     The elders of Sisheng Peak and Xue Meng all looked back. Hua Binan had already brought Shi Mei with him on his sword and rose into the air. Under the brightly shining moon, he looked coldly at the chaotic crowd below.

     Xue Meng was about to go crazy. He stepped on Longcheng to chase after them, but halfway through, Hua Binan unleashed killer bees and he was forced to retreat. Unable to deal with them, he could only fall back to the ground, staggering.

     Hua Binan held Shi Mei’s neck, his slender finger wearing the Spirit Serpent Ring slowly stroking his throat. Suddenly, with a creak, a long spike sprang out from the Spirit Serpent Ring, flashing with a cold light.

     “The Eye Healing Technique is extremely difficult to learn." Hua Binan said slowly, “This little friend is so young and not a disciple of Guyue’ye. To be able to use it so well, he must be very talented.”

     How could the people on the ground not notice his actions?

     Whether it was Xue Zhengyong, Mo Ran, or even Chu Wanning in front of the barrier, they all clearly saw Shi Mei being captured by Hua Binan.

     Mo Ran’s eyes suddenly narrowed. Amidst his anger and anxiety, a bloody scarlet light flashed, which actually knocked Huang Xiaoyue and more than ten people back several feet. Some of the unlucky ones were even knocked directly off the edge of the Soul Summoning Platform. They fell without even an echo as they were swallowed up by the vast sea of clouds.

     “Hua Binan! Let him go!”

     Shi Mei’s face was pale as he looked down at Mo Ran and Xue Meng. He pursed his lips and finally said, “Go and help Shizun. Don’t worry about me.”

     “Shi Mei!”

     Chu Wanning stood in front of the formation, his face as white as a sheet. His hands pressed against the eye of the formation couldn’t help but tremble uncontrollably, the veins on the backs of his hands protruding and his heart in his throat.

     Shi Mei’s gaze turned and landed on him with a trace of sadness in his eyes.

     “Shizun…”

     “What a coincidence.” Hua Binan was stunned for a moment, then smiled. “I just casually grabbed and caught Chu-zongshi’s disciple?”

     Chu Wanning: “...”

     “Then it’s no wonder that he’s already mastered so much at such a young age.” Hua Binan didn’t hesitate to praise him. “Such a good disciple. As his master, don’t you feel bad for him?”

     “Hua Binan, if you hurt him, I will return it to you in the future!”

     “So you’re saying that zongshi has decided to do nothing today?” Hua Binan smiled and whispered in Shi Mei’s ear, “Did you hear that? Between saving you and sealing the array, he chose the latter.”

     Shi Mei closed his eyes. His lips trembled slightly, but he remained silent.

     Hua Binan laughed loudly and said, “I feel sorry for this little friend. Having a Shizun who values righteousness more than his disciple’s life—Shi Mingjing, you really are pitiful.”

     The wind whistled around them. No one answered for a long time.

     Perhaps it was because his life was hanging by a thread, but Shi Mei slowly opened his eyes in the silence and said, “Shizun, I’m sorry.”

     “...”

     “I know… you all remember that I did some things in the past because of my own selfishness. Even now, I’m not sure if those things were right or wrong… I’m not worthy of being Shizun’s disciple. Many times, I was unable to sacrifice my life for righteousness…”

     “Shi Mei…”

     On the high platform, Xue Meng heard his words and couldn’t help but think of the night Chu Wanning died. Huaizui had asked them to go to the underworld to save their Shizun, but Shi Mei was hesitant and didn’t agree quickly.

     Mo Ran thought of the bowl of wontons that year. He thought of the inn, when Shi Mei bowed and told him apologetically that the bowl of wontons was made by Chu Wanning.

     And Chu Wanning?

     Chu Wanning thought of before they went to Jincheng Lake to seek a sword. Shi Mei had lamented that he could not obtain a holy weapon. Other than that, he couldn’t think of any other shortcomings he had.

     Shi Mei had always been gentle, perfect, and obedient. He was like a freshly fallen snow in the cold winter, pure white and unsullied. As a result, even the slightest speck of dust on the snowy ground and half-blooming plum blossoms would be particularly eye-catching and disheartening.

     Whether it was his mistakes, his hesitation, or his occasional selfishness and ill-intention, they were all so clearly visible and unforgettable.

     But he was also an ordinary person. He was not a stone statue or silk painting. He also had his own personal feelings.

     But no one had ever really understood him.

     For Xue Meng, Shi Mei was a friend. He felt that this friend should follow him, accompany him, and support him.

     For Mo Ran, Shi Mei was an object of admiration. He felt that he was naturally tolerant, warm, and flawless.

     For Chu Wanning, Shi Mei was his disciple. He was gentle, approachable, and had a tolerance and forbearance that Chu Wanning envied and admired.

     At this time, they suddenly realized that all this time Shi Mei, in front of Xue Meng, had always been a close friend and silent follower; in front of Mo Ran, he had once been his cinnabar mole and later mosquito blood; in front of Chu Wanning, he was the most inconspicuous and least outstanding disciple.

     The only thing he hadn’t been was himself.

     Hua Binan sneered, “Do you have any last words?”

     “Hua Binan, let him go!”

     “Don’t hurt him!”

     “Don’t hurt him? That’s easy,” Hua Binan said. “If all of you are willing to surrender and wait for death, naturally I won’t take his life.”

     “...”

     The array in front of Chu Wanning’s eyes flickered between bright and dark. It was obvious that the array had reached a critical point of existence. Whether it would be sealed or exploded depended on this move. He didn’t withdraw the strength in his hands, but they were trembling slightly—

     This wasn’t a Heavenly Rift to the ghost realm. The choice was only made in a moment; there was no time to think further.

     This was like placing a knife on his disciple’s neck, making him hesitate, letting him see it with his own eyes, causing him unbearable pain, as if there was a thorn in his back.

     Hua Binan raised his chin slightly and chuckled. “How about it? The array is already activated, and you can battle again, but if this blade falls, it will be much harder to come back to life. Zongshi, you should think about it carefully.”

     At this moment, Shi Mei spoke.

     His voice wasn’t very loud, but it was still clearly audible.

     “Actually, I don’t like candied fruits.”

     “...” Hua Binan lowered his head and stared at him as if he didn’t understand what he meant.

     Shi Mei didn’t cry but actually smiled slightly as he looked at his close friend, old friend, and Shizun on the ground.

     “I don’t like eating candied fruits, but gongzi, when you were young, you always asked me to help you eat them. What I wanted to learn the most was barrier techniques, but Shizun felt that I was not talented enough and wasn’t willing to teach me too much. I…” His eyes fell on Mo Ran. “A-Ran, I actually know what you wanted to say that day of Butterfly Town’s Heavenly Rift.”

     Mo Ran was suddenly startled and looked at him blankly.

     Shi Mei’s smile was still as gentle and soft as ever. “...But then Shizun came back, and you never finished those unspoken words. At the restaurant, I saw you two eating together, and when I looked in your eyes, I knew you would never say the second half of that sentence again in your life.”

     Mo Ran: “...”

     “I’m actually very envious of young master, and I also… am envious of Shizun.” Shi Mei said softly, “Can you not think I am disgusting because of my envy…”

     “I never thought you were annoying before!” Xue Meng shouted anxiously, his eyes reddening. “I, I didn’t know that you don’t like candied fruits. I really didn’t know… Shi Mei! Shi Mei!”

     But Hua Binan was impatient. He grabbed Shi Mei’s neck and stared at Chu Wanning. He said sternly, “I’ll count to three. If you don’t stop, I’ll kill him!”

     “No!” Xue Meng turned around in a panic and shouted anxiously at Chu Wanning, “Shizun, please stop first! We can’t just watch as something happens to Shi Mei in front of our eyes! Stop!”

     “One!”

     The trembling of Chu Wanning’s fingers had gone from almost undetectable to being clearly visible to everyone.

     He looked at Shi Mei, and his usually-sharp phoenix eyes met with the usually-soft peach blossom eyes. His phoenix eyes moistened.

     “Two!”

     Sha—

     At this moment, blood splattered everywhere.

     Xue Meng and Mo Ran’s shouts were like sharp swords piercing through the dome of heaven. “Shi Mei!!!”

     “...No need to count to three.” Blood dripped down, and Shi Mei raised his hand and covered his eyes.

     He hadn’t cried this whole time.

     But at this moment, blood flowed from his eyes through the gaps of his fingers and trickled down his cheeks.

     When Hua Binan counted to two, he moved into Hua Binan’s cold spike hanging in front of him and brushed past it. Hua Binan was shocked. He wanted to pull back his hand, but the spike deviated by a few inches. The sharp blade that was originally going to cut Shi Mei’s neck slashed across his eyes. In an instant, both of his eyes were blinded!

     “Under Yuheng, there is no surrender… nor weakness.”

     “Shi Mei!”

     “Shi Mei!!!”

     The sound split the clouds.

     Chu Wanning’s heart was also greatly shaken. He had already used up all his strength. Now that he saw his disciple destroy his eyes and bleed from his face, he couldn’t help but feel his hands go soft. The array suddenly backfired at this moment. A wave of spiritual energy violently surged from the crack and hit him squarely in the chest, sending him flying several feet away.

     Chu Wanning suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood, but he didn’t have the time to take care of himself. He turned his hand to patch up the array, but it was too late. Hua Binan was startled for a moment, then laughed loudly. He grabbed Shi Mei’s lapels and pulled him up, his eyes shining with joy.

     “I didn’t expect you to be so useful! It seems it would be a pity if I killed you.”

     “Hua Binan, what are you going to do?!”

     Hua Binan didn’t answer. He only glanced at Xue Meng, then turned his gaze back to the mysterious black array that was rapidly cracking open. He smiled and said, “This formation has combined the efforts of so many people. It’s finally about to open. Everyone, this is the first time I’ve ever opened this formation in my life. I’m just trying it, so I don’t know what will happen next.

     As he spoke, he quickly lowered his sword, carrying Shi Mei with him as he rushed towards the entrance of the Soul Summoning Platform. When he disappeared into the passageway, he threw out one final statement to the crowd—

     “You all stay here and have fun. This Mount Jiao is so grand; it won’t be a bad thing to use as a burial ground.”

     Almost at the same time, a deafening sound came from the sky. The formation was like ink spilled on a piece of paper, quickly spreading and swallowing up most of the sky in the blink of an eye. Even the moon was covered by the darkness.

     “What’s going on?!”

     “What kind of formation is this?!”

     “Is it the Heavenly Rift of the infernal hells?!”

     “But the Heavenly Rift isn’t this color!”

     The people who had been fighting fiercely just now were now like grasshoppers on the same boat again, all looking up at the dark crack in the sky with vigilance.

     Perhaps this could no longer be called a crack. Above the Soul Summoning Platform, more than half of the sky had already cracked open. There were dull and rapid vibrations coming from the bottomless darkness.

     Huang Xiaoyue’s face was sallow. His nostrils flared and he said, “This is… Is there a monster coming out from behind? Why is there such a big commotion?”

     Mo Ran took the lead and stood in front with Jiangui in his hand. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning flashed across the night sky.

     Rumble—

     Thunder broke through the sky!

     “It cracked open!!”

     “There’s something behind it! Something is coming out!”

     “Is it a ghost?!”

     Xue Meng saw that Mo Ran and Chu Wanning were too close to the dark crack. He wiped the tears from his face and was about to run towards his cousin and Shizun, but was dragged back by Xue Zhengyong and pulled tightly behind him.

     “Father!”

     “Don’t go! Stay here!”

    “I don’t want to! I want to be with Shizun and my brother!”

     Xue Zhengyong’s eyes were filled with an unprecedented sternness. He did not allow Xue Meng to refuse. “Do you want to die?! Do you know—”

     The rest of his words fell like dry twigs. He was stunned and didn’t say anything else.

     Xue Meng cried.

     He wailed, “Dad, I want to help them. Shi Mei has been taken away. I can’t hide behind you anymore and watch either of them get hurt! Please!!”

     Before Xue Zhengyong could reply, green smoke and lightning hissed from the center of the pitch-black formation. A layer of smoke could be seen rushing towards them.

     When they got closer, they realized it was a group of black-clad cultivators with masks on their faces!

     They stepped on their swords and descended from the sky amidst thunder and lightning. Group after group of people emerged one by one. It was impossible to tell which sect they belonged to or where they came from.

     The man leading them wore a luxurious cloak embroidered with gold and silver threads. He wore a hood, and a ferocious silver-gray mask covered his face. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back in the air. The wind blew in all directions and the clouds gathered around him. Even though he didn’t say a word, he emitted an immeasurable aura of killing intent.

     “What is this?”

     Xue Zhengyong was stunned.

     Those who had seen little of the world couldn’t say a word. They could only stare blankly at the sky.

     Was it a ghost?

     But no, there was no such ghost.

     More and more people flew out of the black clouds on their swords—dozens, hundreds… In the end, they stood on the ground, on par with the cultivators on the ground. There were nearly a thousand of them!

     Xue Zhengyong shuddered. After a while, he gathered his energy and shouted, “Are you a human or ghost?! Why don’t you tell us who you are?!”

     “...” The man in the lead rolled his eyes, and when his gaze fell on Xue Zhengyong, there seemed to be a somewhat meaningful look in his eyes.

     “Speak! Do you understand what we’re talking about?!” Xue Meng also shouted.

     The man didn’t say anything. He paused for a moment, then raised a pale, slender hand.

     Then, with the wave of his hand, he spoke concisely.

     “Kill.”