Chapter 132: Returning to Blue Moon Lake

Whether startled by Jiang Ping’s scream or driven by some other impulse, Ji Mo took a single step and then paused. She glanced at Jiang Ping twice before shifting her gaze away. Her eyes swept across the others until they landed on Ji Shengrui; a sudden, intense ferocity flared in her pupils. With a swift movement, she lunged toward him.

Jiang Ping, having narrowly escaped death, felt her wits slowly returning as the shock subsided. The realization of the consequences of having knelt to beg for mercy in front of Ji Shengrui hit her, and a wave of despair washed over her; she collapsed to the ground, her eyes vacant.

Ignoring Jiang Ping’s inner turmoil, Ji Shengrui was equally shocked to find Ji Mo suddenly fixated on him. He did not know what had transpired within her, only that the aura she now emanated was terrifyingly immense, rendering him utterly incapable of resistance. Such an aura was unlike anything a cultivator of this realm should possess—a fact proven by how she had reduced Hei Yan to powder with a single punch, leaving not even his soul a chance to escape.

Although Chi Mu knew he could not stop Ji Mo, he subconsciously shielded Ji Shengrui as she charged. He had intended to carry Ji Shengrui away, but once locked onto by Ji Mo’s killing intent, his body had become paralyzed. He had expected this mission to be a sure success; he never imagined such a disaster would unfold. Finding life so unpredictable, Chi Mu involuntarily closed his eyes.

Ji Shengrui’s heart was filled with both terror and indignation. As a prodigy of his generation, he was destined to be renowned throughout the myriad worlds, provided he survived. How could he have foreseen that a minor fifth-grade sect would become his burial ground? In that instant, he was furious, unwilling to accept his fate, his mind a whirlwind of chaotic emotions.

Just as Ji Shengrui and Chi Mu closed their eyes to await death, Ji Mo, halfway through her charge, suddenly collapsed to the ground with a dull thud. Ji Shengrui and Chi Mu, previously frozen by her monstrous killing intent, instantly regained their freedom. Yet, they merely stared at Ji Mo, who had fallen barely ten meters away, not daring to make another move.

Xiao Bai was the first to recover. It darted to Ji Mo’s side and used its dragon tail to lift her onto its back, only to discover that she was completely devoid of breath, as if she were already dead.

"Senior Bai, I implore you to take Su Ye and Ji Mo away," said Leng Fengyang, who had also regained his senses. He looked at Ji Mo lying still on Xiao Bai’s back—her life status unknown—and bowed deeply to the dragon, his face etched with bitterness.

"Master Uncle, you!" Su Ye exclaimed in shock.

"Go! Senior Bai, I leave it to you," Leng Fengyang said, a sharp, cold look flashing across his face. After shooting a stern glare at Su Ye, he turned back to Xiao Bai.

Ji Mo was breathless, and Xiao Bai was filled with both shock and horror. However, with the enemy still present, there was no time to dwell on it. Hearing Leng Fengyang’s words, it didn't hesitate; it flew to Su Ye’s side and scooped him onto its back.

"Uncle Chi Mu, stop them!" Ji Shengrui shouted as he regained his composure. Even though Ji Mo appeared dead, he knew no peace unless he saw her soul utterly destroyed before his own eyes; her demonic display had left a deep scar on his psyche.

"Hmph!" Leng Fengyang let out a cold snort. An irresistible force shoved Xiao Bai away. Su Ye felt the world go black, his senses seemingly severed in an instant, leaving him unable to perceive anything.

When his consciousness and vision returned, he found himself lying on the banks of Blue Moon Lake. Not far away lay a small golden beast—Xiao Jin, Ji Mo’s companion beast. Xiao Jin was blinking its eyes, staring at Ji Mo, who lay motionless on the grass, its eyes brimming with sorrow.

"Xiao Jin, you... how did you get here? Did you see anyone else transported out?" Su Ye struggled to his feet. Perhaps due to the violent transport, he had sustained significant injuries. Xiao Bai, who had carried them out, seemed even worse off, lying prone on the grass, unable to move.

"No. What... what happened to her?" Xiao Jin asked, pointing at Ji Mo with a look of trepidation.

"It’s a long story. Xiao Bai, can you move? If you can, please take the Junior Sister to Blue Moon Lake." Su Ye shook his head, walked over to Ji Mo, picked her up, and placed her onto Xiao Bai.

Ji Mo’s complexion was deathly pale, and her life force was completely absent; she was, to all appearances, a corpse. Watching her, Su Ye couldn't help but recall how, just a short time ago, she had been a vibrant, bright girl. In the blink of an eye... an uncontrollable wave of grief spread through his heart, and he turned his head away.

"You should come with me. Those people are not dead; they will likely track us down before long. If I leave, you won't survive on your own," Xiao Bai said, opening its eyes with a weak, weary voice.

"What? The Sect Master activated the Sect-Extinction Formation, and Ji Shengrui and the others are still alive?" Su Ye asked, unable to believe it.

"It is not that easy to kill them. They possess the Qingyang Umbrella. Given Ji Shengrui’s status, coming to the Wangyue Sect from across the realms, the Emperor must have entrusted it to them. The defensive power of the Qingyang Umbrella ranks in the top three of the Ten Directions Cultivation World. With it, how could a mere fifth-grade sect’s formation take their lives?" Xiao Bai clearly knew much about the inner workings of the Ji Imperial Clan.

"Fine, I will go with you. Xiao Jin, will you venture out on your own, or will you come with us to Blue Moon Lake?" Su Ye nodded after a moment of thought, jumped onto Xiao Bai, and turned to ask Xiao Jin.

"You... I... if little Ji Mo wakes up, she surely won't want me anymore. When your sect was facing its final hour, I hid away alone. She... she will definitely not want me back," the Lightning Beast hesitated, glancing at Ji Mo, its arrogant beast-face revealing a rare trace of guilt and embarrassment.

"What are you saying? You had no power to stop them. Should you have stayed inside to wait for death instead of finding a chance to escape? A principle as simple as that—I understand it, and there is no reason my Junior Sister wouldn't. If you still want to follow her, get on," Su Ye said, looking at it with a mix of amusement and helplessness.

"She... she really won't blame me?" The Lightning Beast froze, looking between Su Ye and the breathless Ji Mo, still hesitant.

"Stop dawdling! Whether Ji Mo blames you or not depends on whether she even has a chance to wake up. As for you, if you linger any longer and the pursuers arrive, we will all become their prey. Would you be happy with that?" Xiao Bai glared at Xiao Jin impatiently. Its temper was foul; it didn't know if Ji Mo would survive, and its own strength, which it had struggled to recover, had been beaten back to its original state by this catastrophe.

"Fine! Let's go! I will go with you! I am little Ji Mo’s life-bound beast. If she really cannot wake up, once I have enough strength, I will storm that damn Ji Imperial Clan and wipe out their entire lineage!" Xiao Jin’s eyes flashed with murderous intent as it jumped onto Su Ye.

Xiao Bai said nothing more. It struggled to take flight, diving into the thick fog of Blue Moon Lake. Ji Shengrui and Chi Mu, having just arrived, caught only a fleeting glimpse of a dragon’s tail vanishing into the mist... (To be continued...)