劍問蒼天 - 第209章 八荒火龍 - 翰墨軒

Xiaobai descended slowly from the sky and alighted on the ground. Watching the white light flickering ahead and the wretched state of the Fenxia Valley crowd, she gave a cold laugh and let out a long breath. Though she had attained the Way a thousand years ago, she was decidedly no merciful, magnanimous immortal figure; imprisoned by Fenxia Valley within the Xuanhuo Altar for several hundred years, that foul grievance—though she had lightly let it pass that day—was such that not seeking trouble with the people of Fenxia Valley was already cause for those disciples to burn incense in gratitude. Now they had delivered themselves to her door, and as it happened, after her talk with Ming Li her mood was already foul; truly they had walked straight into the muzzle of her gun.

It was at this very moment that, all at once, a chill ran through the heart of the smugly triumphant Xiaobai. A feeling of palpitation such as she had never known surged up violently from the depths of her heart, and her chest gave several involuntary, violent throbs.

An ancient and savage power was slowly rising ahead, in the depths of this ancient cave for suppressing demons, as though it had slumbered for a thousand years, ten thousand years, and had at last awakened for the first time. And the mere beginning of this awakening had already turned heaven and earth pale.

Rumbling thunder came slowly from the depths of the earth; violent tremors immediately surged in from afar like waves, and the ground began to shake fiercely. This time countless massive boulders began to fall in succession, as though they simply could not withstand the rebirth of this colossal power.

Everyone turned pale with fright. In the panic, Zeng Shuyan gathered all his strength and shouted loudly to Li Xun, "Brother Li, it is far too dangerous here—we had best get out first!"

Li Xun's face was pale. He struck away a white orb rushing at him with a single sword stroke, but in his flustered state he used somewhat too much force; after the orb was sent flying several feet away, it split into two identical orbs that once more gathered strength in midair and looked about to charge again. Yet ever since this sudden upheaval, Xiaobai seemed distracted, and her sorcery was unleashed much more slowly; the speed of these orbs too had slowed.

Li Xun, who had been hard pressed all along, his face alternating between green and white, suddenly clenched his teeth and shouted loudly, "Everyone out! I will hold the rear."

So saying, he leapt into the air, and at once his sword radiance blazed forth, for a time holding back the greater part of the white orbs. The Fenxia Valley crowd had always respected him; hearing this, and then looking at the situation around them, they saw indeed that this was no place to linger, and so they all rushed pell-mell toward the cave mouth. But Li Xun seemed to have no intention of leaving. Zeng Shuyan flew over, blocking several impacts of white orbs for him in succession, and shouted, "Brother Li, why aren't you leaving?"

A flicker of hesitation crossed Li Xun's face, and he said, "But... Junior Sister Lu is still inside."

Zeng Shuyan knitted his brows and said angrily, "Junior Sister Lu has deep cultivation; she may well be unharmed. Persisting like this will only harm others and yourself!"

Li Xun's expression shifted several times, but he saw only that the tremors around them grew ever more violent, and that the falling rocks, after so long, showed no sign of abating but rather of intensifying. He gave a long sigh, and at last flew back and away.

Zeng Shuyan cast one glance into the depths of the cave, and then he too went out.