novelhk 537. Take drastic measures
537. Take drastic measures
"Don't misunderstand." Ling Zhuo immediately added, "I have no ill intentions towards Miss Qingyu. Whether it's your mother or those people from the Flower Sect, we still need you to personally persuade them. You will become one of the most important guests of my Ling Clan."
All I want is Xiao Yan's life.
Upon hearing this, apart from Lingluo and the other two who already knew the details and remained unchanged, everyone else had different expressions.
Dan Chen frowned at the name Xuan Yi, while Cao Ying looked at Yao Qingyu with some suspicion, clearly deep in thought. As for Yi Xu, he licked his lips and smiled strangely at the atmosphere.
Yao Qingyu's pupils contracted sharply, and her heart sank completely, because the worst-case scenario she had anticipated had occurred: Ling Zhuo actually knew her identity, and he was very certain of it.
"Where did you hear about this?"
"You don't need to worry about that. Of course, don't try to lie. Since I'm telling you that, I've already investigated very thoroughly."
At this moment, everyone was inside the misty mountain, their battle qi suppressed and unable to be used. Yao Qingyu scanned the area and realized that everyone surrounding her possessed the strength of a Spirit Realm soul. Therefore, she continued to ask, "What if I refuse to cooperate?"
"Hehe..." Ling Zhuo said in a flippant tone, "If you're unwilling to cooperate, then let's see if Xiao Yan is willing to come and save you after you're in danger! After all, according to rumors, he's a disciple personally trained by your father."
Before Ling Zhuo could finish speaking, Yao Qingyu activated her soul power and charged towards Yi Xu. Her soul power was formless and intangible, yet it forced Yi Xu to take two steps back. Yao Qingyu was quick, but before she could take advantage of the opening, Ling Luo and Ling Yu had already filled in for her.
The two reacted very quickly, forcing Yao Qingyu back into the encirclement in the first instant.
"Give up. You can't use your fighting spirit inside this Misty Mountain. You have no chance against the six Spirit Realm Soul Masters. Cooperate honestly, and you'll suffer less," Ling Zhuo advised.
Yao Qingyu seemed not to hear at all. She gritted her teeth and her soul transformed into hundreds of streams of power that shot out simultaneously, attacking the six people at the same time!
Seeing everything, Ling Zhuo neither dodged nor evaded, but directly and forcefully used his soul power to deflect all the soul beams that might hit him. The weak soul strength he felt made him scoff, "So, all that's greeting me is empty show."
Ling Zhuo glanced around and saw that Yao Qingyu's attacks on everyone else were all just for show, except for the hundred or so soul beams that were fired at full force against Yi Xu. She could tell who was stronger and who was weaker, so she hoped to gain an opportunity through Yi Xu, the weakest of them all.
This time, however, Yi Xu gritted his teeth and blocked all the power without making way. He stared at Yao Qingyu and said, "If you look down on me so much, then you have even less of a chance."
Before Yao Qingyu could continue her powerful attack, an extremely strong force rushed towards her from behind, shattering her hastily constructed protective soul barrier. The powerful impact struck her directly in the waist and abdomen. Yao Qingyu's body crashed into the mountain wall like a kite with a broken string. A sweet taste rose in her throat, and blood spilled from the corner of her mouth, instantly staining her clothes red.
"You think you can hide the fact that Xuan Yi gave you blood to prolong your life from anyone?" Ling Zhu sneered. "Stop being so stubborn. We can still threaten and control Xiao Yan and Xuan Yi after we cripple you!"
Yao Qingyu wiped away the blood, a resolute glint in her eyes. Her hands formed a seal, and with a flurry of movements—hundreds of even more powerful silver rays burst forth from between her brows, continuing their attack on the six. However, Ling Zhuo merely raised a hand, and the overwhelming pressure of her soul crushed all attacks like a giant wave. The recoil caused her meridians to tremble violently, and as she staggered backward, she was struck on the right shoulder by Ling Yu's soul chains, the sound of bones cracking clearly audible.
Ling Zhuo was ruthless, while Ling Luo and Ling Yu were like silent, obedient puppets, ruthlessly preventing Yao Qingyu from escaping. They didn't care what kind of injury their methods would cause Yao Qingyu.
Seeing this, Cao Ying and Dan Chen exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of pity and fear in each other's eyes. Originally from the Pill Tower, they felt uneasy seeing Yao Qingyu in such a pitiful state, and thinking about their own future after joining the Spirit Clan.
Just as Ling Zhuo was about to control Yao Qingyu, Yao Qingyu suddenly gripped her storage ring and hurled the item given to her by Xuan Yi. A dark blue soul storm exploded, and layers upon layers of soul ripples spread outwards like a tsunami, shattering rocks into dust and tearing apart the gray-white mist. The soul barrier that Ling Zhuo and the others had formed cracked the moment it touched the tide of light, and Ling Yu's soul attack was annihilated inch by inch. The group was forced back several feet by the violent soul power hurricane.
"A protective item given to me by Xuan Yi? Let's see how long it lasts." Ling Zhuo sneered, showing no sign of urgency. With six powerful Spirit Realm experts present, Yao Qingyu was practically trapped with no chance of escape.
At the eye of the storm, Yao Qingyu struggled to stay upright, the constant pain from her wounds radiating from her body. The lingering scent of the jade talisman emanating from her black robe soothed her bleeding abdominal wounds, offering a slight respite from the searing, tearing pain. She knew that her mother, whom she rarely saw, always cared for her impeccably.
The jade talisman could be used to send messages to Xiao Yan, and it was one of the trump cards Xuan Yi had left for her. Yao Qingyu looked at the jade talisman in her hand for a while, her emotions shifting, but in the end, she carefully put it back into her storage ring without using it.
She didn't know if Xiao Yan would arrive immediately upon receiving the message, but if he did, he would likely find himself in the same predicament as her because of his concern for her. Therefore, she decided not to disturb Xiao Yan. In her judgment, since her identity had already been exposed, no one could resolve today's crisis.
If she wanted her mother to be free from control and Xiao Yan to have the freedom to perform, thus preserving the chance to defeat Ling Zhuo at the Pill Gathering, then she absolutely could not be controlled by Ling Zhuo and ultimately used as a bargaining chip to restrain the two of them.
Yao Qingyu clenched her jade-like hands, her mind made up, and her eyes became incredibly resolute. The effects of the soul storm were not permanent; the power it had unleashed was rapidly waning, and she could even see Ling Zhuo's repulsive gaze through the thinning gaps in the storm.
"I'd like to see what other tricks you can pull," Ling Zhuo said nonchalantly.
Just as the soul storm surrounding Yao Qingyu completely dissipated, Ling Luo and Ling Yu made their move simultaneously, without tacit agreement.
At the same time, a sharp, fine needle, invisible to the naked eye and undetectable by the soul's perception, came toward Ling Zhuo.