Love & Redemption
Chapter 70 - 27: Turbulent Changes

Chapter 70: Chapter 27: Turbulent Changes

Second installment.

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Just as emotions were stirred to a climax, the enchanting voice of the immortal echoed as if singing.

"What virtue or ability do I possess to have disciples from the grand Cultivation Sects of the world come to pay their respects to heaven and earth for my sake?"

Xuanji and Yu Sifeng were both violently shaken, but Zhong Minyan reacted the quickest. Realizing they had been discovered, he swiftly pulled off the stifling bridal veil—he had been uncomfortable for quite some time in this ridiculous and incongruous wedding attire.

Suddenly, a purple shadow flashed before his eyes, and a figure stopping in front of him was like a ghostly apparition. Zhong Minyan felt a gentle touch on his face from someone’s palm, tender and smooth, stirring his heart and mind with just one brush. Startled, he saw a stunning woman in purple standing before him, her beauty seemingly radiating with brilliant light, her features as exquisite as a painting, almost too intense to look upon directly.

Caught in an instinctive male reaction, he did not strike out immediately, stunned for a moment. However, that moment was all it took—he didn’t even see her make a move, but he suddenly felt a surge in his chest, a sign that his True Qi had been disrupted. In alarm, he stumbled backward several steps, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground, blood dripping down from the corner of his lips.

"Min Yan!" Ruo Yu and the others also hurriedly pulled off their veils and drew the weapons hidden inside their clothes, moving forward to help.

The beautiful woman in purple giggled, her figure swirling around like a purple mist, twirling in front of the remaining three. Xuanji only heard Ruo Yu and Yu Sifeng cry out in pain, not even understanding what had happened before three of them were wounded. She felt somewhat at a loss, about to draw her sword to join the fray when suddenly the purple mist drifted before her. Xuanji saw a face so beautiful it was beyond description magnify before her eyes and was momentarily stunned.

Her face was touched similarly, the smooth glide accompanied by a scent that tantalized the soul. Xuanji braced for injury, moving to flee, but surprisingly, her True Qi remained undisturbed. Instead of retreating, she lunged with her sword, but the figure in purple dissipated like smoke, clearly unaffected by the attack.

Seeing the smoke-like figure float toward the stage, Xuanji did not pursue but rushed to help Yu Sifeng and the others, her heavy wedding dress in tow. She raised her sword to fend off the palace women and the officials who approached, presumably demons serving the immortal of the Gao Family.

"Are you alright?" Xuanji parried the attacks of several assailants and looked back to check on them, discarding the cumbersome phoenix crown from her head onto the ground.

Zhong Minyan’s complexion was pale; after some effort to regulate his breathing, he whispered, "Such formidable skills... I can’t muster my True Qi."

Yu Sifeng and Ruo Yu, although their faces were hidden behind masks, were clearly not faring any better than Zhong Minyan.

"Xuanji, you must escape now!" Yu Sifeng stood up with the support of his sword, blocking a sudden strike aimed at the back of her head. Without True Qi, the shock sent a severe pain through his arms, almost causing him to drop his sword.

"Quick! Run away!" Zhong Minyan and Ruo Yu struggled to fight the Little Demons, Zhong Minyan’s face drenched with sweat and contorted in pain, as he shouted fiercely, "Hurry up and go! Linglong should be on her way here, take her and escape quickly!"

Xuanji anxiously said, "This is no time for nonsense! How can I just stand by and watch you die!"

Yu Sifeng spoke softly, "I don’t think that demoness intends to kill us. You and Linglong should escape first, go back to the Shaoyang Sect to find the Sect Leader to deal with her... She is too powerful, none of us can match her!"

Xuanji felt there was logic in his words, yet the idea of fleeing amidst the chaos was absolutely indefensible to her.

Zhong Minyan yelled angrily, "You stubborn girl! You’re still acting like you won’t give up till the end! I told you to listen but it’s like you didn’t hear a thing! Get out of here right now! Did you hear me?!"

Xuanji’s lips moved, about to speak, when she heard the purple-clad woman on the stage start to giggle softly, saying, "Actually, this young hero is right, I won’t kill you. Otherwise, you would have lost your lives just now."

She glanced over at Xuanji again, her face covered in sweat which diluted the black paint, revealing her fair and translucent skin, and the fake mustache over her philtrum had fallen off by half, clearly revealing her to be a beautiful looking young girl.

The purple-clad woman laughed, "So it turns out you’re a girl after all. No wonder the Canyang Palm had no effect on you."

Although Xuanji had no idea what the Canyang Palm was, considering it had injured three people in a blink of an eye, it was evidently very powerful. Judging from its name, it seemed to only affect men; since Xuanji was a woman, she had escaped the calamity.

Thinking of this, Yu Sifeng immediately swung his sword to push away the Little Demons in front of him and hurried to Xuanji’s back, giving her a shove and saying, "Go quickly! Don’t stay behind!"

His True Qi was depleted now, and where could he move her, instead, he staggered and was about to fall himself. Xuanji quickly stabilized him, hearing the purple-clad woman say with a soft laugh, "It doesn’t matter if it’s a woman. In the end, all are Cultivators, allowing me to achieve my goals more easily. None of you are allowed to leave; stay for me."

When she said ’stay for me,’ her tone was soft and coquettish, almost as if she was being playful, causing people to involuntarily want to comply with her wishes and stay for her. Everyone saw a blur before their eyes, and the beautiful purple-clad woman seemed to multiply into countless figures, enclosing them like an iron ring. Now, even if Xuanji had three heads and six arms, she couldn’t escape.

Seeing the situation deteriorate to the worst, Yu Sifeng could only sigh silently, wondering how the demoness intended to manipulate them.

Xuanji sheathed her sword and said, "The people of Zhongli City treat you like an immortal, obeying your every command. How can you do such excessive things?"

The beautiful purple-clad woman chuckled again but remained silent, merely instructing, "You, take these few down. Throw the woman into the cellar, and bring the men to my bedroom."

Upon hearing the words ’to my bedroom,’ Zhong Minyan’s face turned deathly pale, realizing this demoness was indeed one of those who practiced the ’Yang and Yin.’ No wonder she demanded four young men every year. If she were taken to the bedroom and fell under the spell, she’d likely end up neither human nor ghost. Despite his desire to resist desperately, he was without strength in his limbs and could only stare in frustration.

The surrounding Little Demons swarmed up, some carrying, others grabbing, giggling as they were about to take them away separately. Suddenly, a sword’s sound roared like a dragon, and a flash of sword light burst forth. Among the Little Demons who did not grasp the severity, the strike left them with bloodied heads, immediately spreading panic among them as they scattered in all directions, no longer daring to approach and carry them away.

Xuanji formed a sword technique with her hand, withdrew the Sword Qi, and glared at the purple-clad beauty. After a long pause, she finally said, "Don’t think about touching them. Wretched demoness."

The purple-clad beauty laughed, "The girl looks pretty, and her sword is pretty too. May I take a look at it?"

As soon as she finished speaking, Xuanji saw countless purple figures lunging toward her. She brandished her sword to counter them, but each figure she struck dispersed like smoke before regathering. She swung and blocked from left to right, gradually losing her strength. Suddenly, she heard Ruo Yu’s low cry, "Watch your back!"

Hastily, Xuanji spun with her sword to defend her back only to find a purple silhouette leaping forward to strike her squarely in the chest with a palm. Xuanji felt darkness envelop her vision, unable to catch her breath. The sweetness rose in her throat, knowing if this mouthful of blood came out, it wouldn’t stop. She had to swallow it back with force, her sword already snatched away and tossed onto the high platform.

The purple-clad beauty caught the sword, looking over it from left to right, her voice enchantingly laughing, "Little girl, you still have a lot to learn."(To be continued. If you wish to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com. More Chapters are available there, and you can support the author and legitimate reading!)