Chapter 82 — Ten
劍問蒼天 · Page 4 of 10
Everyone was shocked. A flash of green, and Bili appeared before Zhang Qingyue, facing the countless masters of the righteous path ahead of her without the slightest fear.
Her eyes were slightly red, clearly grieving for Zhang Qingyue. Paying no heed to anyone else, she turned, seized Zhang Qingyue's hand, and said urgently: "Xiaofan, come with me! These beasts in human form—every one of them is out to harm you!"
Zhang Qingyue answered in a daze, but this woman before him—somehow, in this moment of utter loneliness between heaven and earth, she was the one thing he truly believed in. Involuntarily he gripped that gentle hand tightly and followed her!
But how could the righteous masters filling the hall tolerate such audacity? Especially when, a moment later, many recognized Bili as the only daughter of the Nether King, sovereign of the Nether Sect of the demonic cult—and the hall exploded.
The Canglan Sect had suffered countless dead and wounded this day, all at the hands of the demonic cult, a blood feud that could end only in death. Within moments some had blocked their way, and others shouted questions, beginning to suspect whether Zhang Qingyue truly had ties to the demonic cult.
Xueqi, Qi Hao, and the others paled. Tian Lingsu and the rest did their utmost to argue that Zhang Qingyue had been fighting the demonic cultists only moments before, but their voices were so faint that in an instant they were drowned beneath the waves of fury.
Moments later, the righteous cultivators in the great hall had surrounded the two young people.
Zhang Qingyue glared with blood-red eyes, his body trembling slightly, laughing bitterly without cease. He felt only that scenes of savagery and blood churned over and over in his mind, and yet it seemed utterly blank as well—the faith and beliefs of a lifetime had been wholly shattered this day.
Bili was far calmer than he. She gripped his hand tightly, standing with him, and said in a low voice: "Xiaofan, don't be afraid. Even if we die, I will be with you!"
Zhang Qingyue gave a start; his mind seemed to clear for a moment.
But at that very moment, a great shout came: "Who dares harm my daughter?"
With a swish, the figure of the Nether King appeared in the Yuheng Hall. The crowd gaped, and in an instant there was uproar.
Moments later, Qinglong, Yousi, and other members of the Nether Sect appeared one after another, encircling Zhang Qingyue and Bili in their midst.
The Nether King glanced around. At this moment the strength of the Nether Sect alone was indeed somewhat inferior to that of the Canglan Sect and Fanyin Temple combined, yet he showed not the least fear, standing with hands clasped behind his back, gazing about with easy confidence. He turned and smiled at Bili: "Yao'er, take Xiaofan and go first."
Bili nodded and was about to move—but such a course, treating the righteous cultivators as though they did not exist, could hardly succeed. And Zhang Qingyue's identity was now so extraordinary that the Canglan Sect and Fanyin Temple could by no means allow this man to leave.
Master Daoyan said furiously: "Stop them!"
At his shout, the righteous masters who had long been unable to restrain themselves surged forward, and in an instant the ruined Yuheng Hall was once more a battlefield—though now the situation was completely reversed from a short while before, as the righteous cultivators besieged the Nether Sect.
In what seemed but a short while, the Nether Sect was already at a disadvantage. Bili still gripped Zhang Qingyue's hand tightly, looking about anxiously, while the Nether King kept a smile on his face, watching the course of the battle calmly and composedly.