Under the simultaneous questioning from Li Yundong and Ziyuan, Su Chan’s face flushed crimson, looking deeply embarrassed. The little girl cast a pleading look at Li Yundong, her voice barely a whisper as if struggling to speak, “If I change into my fox demon form, you’ll despise me…”
Li Yundong was torn between laughter and tears. How could she still be worried about that at a time like this? He quickly soothed her, “Little darling, what nonsense are you speaking? I’ve seen your true form before, don’t be foolish. Your master wouldn't despise you.”
Su Chan’s bright, lively eyes darted around. After a moment of thought, she replied hesitantly, “But Ziyuan is here, I feel too shy.”
Ziyuan sighed, closing her eyes. “Then I’ll close mine. That should be fine, shouldn’t it?”
Su Chan blinked but remained silent, her eyes fixed unblinkingly on Li Yundong.
Li Yundong followed with a sigh, “Then I should close mine too?”
Only then did Su Chan grin and nod happily, “But you’re not allowed to peek like last time!”
Li Yundong shook his head in mock defeat, closing his eyes with an expression of strict propriety. “I’m scared of you, I won’t open them. If I open them, I’m a puppy!”
Seeing Li Yundong’s earnest promise, Su Chan finally relaxed. The little girl blinked and asked, “Then I’ll transform now?”
Saying that, she let out a breath and spat out a crimson inner core. Swiftly, she transformed into a three-tailed demon fox.
The fox demon form was entirely different from her human shape. The moment Su Chan morphed, she felt a sudden release. Her eyes darted, her limbs moved, and whoosh, she slipped free from the Immortal Binding Rope. As soon as her paws touched the ground, she spun around and swallowed the inner core back, instantly reverting to human form in the blink of an eye.
Ziyuan gasped and opened her eyes, startled. “You should have said something before you changed!” Then she turned to Li Yundong, “The Immortal Binding Rope is loose!”
Li Yundong startled, opening his eyes to see a significant slack around his waist. His breathing suddenly felt much easier. Just as Li Yundong was about to move, Ziyuan grabbed him, saying, “Don't rush. We move simultaneously in a moment. The Immortal Binding Rope reacts incredibly fast. Su Chan got out because she was in her fox form; the rope wouldn't sense her change or movement. But we are both human; if we stir even slightly, the rope will tighten!”
Li Yundong suggested, “Then I go down, you go up?”
Ziyuan agreed, “Fine!”
Both were lying on their sides, making it difficult to exert force. As they moved and prepared to push, the Immortal Binding Rope immediately sensed the disturbance.
Before Li Yundong and Ziyuan could fully exert themselves, the binding rope snapped tight around them once more.
The sudden tightening was so violent that their heads collided. Li Yundong and Ziyuan both cried out, clutching their foreheads in pain.
Su Chan let out a sudden burst of laughter, chuckling loudly, “You didn’t get out! You were too slow to react!”
Li Yundong rubbed his forehead in frustration. “You should have given us a warning before you ran! You slipped out alone, and we couldn't get out in time!”
Ziyuan was nearly beside herself, shouting in exasperation, “Heavens, now what? How are we supposed to escape? Su Chan, why didn’t you give us a signal?”
Su Chan’s smile froze, and she replied dryly, “I didn’t think of it…”
Li Yundong sighed mournfully, “Great, now we’re both bound tightly; we can’t run even if we want to.”
Saying this, Li Yundong tentatively moved a bit, only to find that while the Immortal Binding Rope still held him and Ziyuan fast, at least it wasn't pressing them so tightly that they couldn't breathe anymore.
Bound together, Ziyuan and Li Yundong were pressed chest-to-chest, face-to-face. Her own chest was resting against his, and his thick, masculine aura washed over her. Ziyuan felt her whole body grow hot and weak, her heart fluttering with agitation. She couldn't help but snap at Li Yundong, “Stop moving! Don’t press so close to me!”
Li Yundong offered a wry smile. “What can I do? Who told this rope to bind us this tightly?”
Because one person was gone, Li Yundong could finally turn his head. He looked at Su Chan and urged, “What are you standing around for? Think of something quick!”
Su Chan looked utterly blank. “Think of what? What should I think of?”
Li Yundong was exasperated, “Even finding something to chop this rope with would be better!”
Su Chan seemed to snap back to reality and quickly turned, scanning the surroundings.
Ziyuan sighed, accepting their fate with a low murmur, “It’s useless. The Immortal Binding Rope is impervious to blades and swords; no magical artifact or treasured sword can cut it…”
Su Chan snorted, refusing to yield. “I don't believe it!” She looked left and right, suddenly spotting a majestic, towering statue of Guan Di in the side hall. The great General Guan held a colossal Green Dragon Crescent Blade, standing in imposing majesty.
Su Chan’s eyes lit up. She rushed to the statue, grabbed the Green Dragon Crescent Blade with both hands, and yanked!
With a loud crack, Su Chan managed to pull half of the blade free from Guan Di’s grasp. Even with just half, Su Chan felt an immense weight tugging her body backward. She gasped inwardly, wondering: Why is this Green Dragon Crescent Blade so heavy?
After taking a deep breath, Su Chan gripped the blade’s body, leaped up, and forcefully pulled the entire weapon free. Only then did she realize how terrifyingly heavy the blade in her hands was!
The blade was nearly three meters long, and the hilt was as thick as her forearm, forged entirely from fine steel. Su Chan planted the Green Dragon Crescent Blade in front of her, and even standing on her toes, she couldn't reach the tip!
Su Chan channeled her energy to float slightly, managing to brush the edge with her fingertips. She was astonished to find that the edge of this Green Dragon Crescent Blade was incredibly sharp—it was fully honed!
Su Chan landed back on the ground and tried to lift the blade with both hands, discovering with a shock that she could barely raise it!
This was no small surprise. Su Chan used to wield the ninety-nine-and-one-jin Seven Treasures Spirit-Guiding Fan with effortless grace, but she couldn't even lift this Green Dragon Crescent Blade before her!
Su Chan knew her own strength well. If she channeled her energy, while she couldn't match Li Yundong’s casual thousand-jin strength, she could easily swing something weighing one or two hundred jin, and she could barely manage a few hundred jin. But this Green Dragon Crescent Blade before her wouldn't budge an inch!
“Could this blade weigh a thousand jin?” Su Chan gritted her teeth, gripping the Green Dragon Crescent Blade with both hands, and with a loud clang, she finally managed to lift it.
But the consequence of this strenuous lift was that the blade immediately sagged heavily behind her as soon as it cleared her waist.
The little girl cried out, nearly stumbling, but being a cultivator, she used her waist strength to swing the massive blade from behind her head to the front.
However, Su Chan had never anticipated that a blade nearly three meters long, once swung forward, would drag her feet with its momentum. She staggered forward several meters, the blade’s edge whistling as it cleaved toward the ground.
Li Yundong and Ziyuan were currently trying to coordinate sitting up. They had been struggling on the ground, panting, with one directing and the other cooperating. Just as Li Yundong prepared to push himself up, a streak of white light flashed, and a steel blade descended viciously toward the crowns of their heads.
Li Yundong was instantly horrified. He slapped both hands upward, and with a snap, his hands clamped down, catching the descending steel blade.
Ziyuan, facing away from Su Chan, didn't know what was happening. She subconsciously looked up and let out a sharp intake of breath. A gleaming, razor-sharp blade hung suspended right above her forehead. The edge looked so chillingly cold it seemed capable of slicing the air. Even the usually calm Ziyuan broke out in a cold sweat.
Li Yundong’s hands held the steel blade captive, his heart pounding with aftershock. Cold sweat streamed down his back. He craned his neck up and shouted in a drawn-out voice, “Su… Chan!”
Su Chan, gripping the steel blade with both hands, heard Li Yundong call her. She offered a dry chuckle. “Sorry, I slipped, just slipped!”
Li Yundong felt like his head was splitting. He roared, “Slipped? If you hadn’t slipped, what? Would I have been cleaved in two? Even if not, look! Look closely! If this blade had come an inch closer, I’d be practicing the Sunflower Manual, and you’d be a grass widow!”
Su Chan pouted, quickly tossing the Green Dragon Crescent Blade onto the ground. She rubbed the corner of her tunic with both hands, looking pitifully at Li Yundong, muttering, “You were the one who asked me to help you get this rope off…”
Li Yundong dropped his end of the blade onto the ground, speechless. “That’s hindering, not helping, do you understand?”
Su Chan’s head drooped lower and lower, her chin nearly touching her chest, her face filled with grievance. Her lips moved as she whispered under her breath, “You’re the one who told me to help, and you’re the one saying I hindered…”
Li Yundong was so angry he almost laughed. He glared at Su Chan and said, “Forget it, forget it. Hurry to the door and see what the situation is outside! Don’t let someone suddenly rush in here; that would be a disaster!”
Su Chan mumbled an “Oh,” and swiftly darted to the doorway, peering out through the crack.
She saw that the cultivators outside were locked in a chaotic free-for-all. Zhang Ling had intense, blazing flames erupting from her hands—these scarlet-gold flames burned fiercely yet did not singe her sleeves or hair. However, the moment the flames left her palms, they could instantly melt stone into sludge!
Wan Zhenyuan was seated cross-legged on a lotus dais formed from purple qi. The Ruler in his hand had been thrown into the air and was now slowly revolving above the lotus platform, faintly displaying a Tai Chi Bagua pattern. This pattern seemed weak, as if it could be shattered by a mere touch, but from the center of the formation, purple ripples continuously spread outward, like an invisible city wall.
Yan Fang was the weakest among the three in terms of magical power. A dazzling golden light emanated from her body, clearly indicating her Nascent Soul form was using its full capacity. Yet, the Six Harmonies Sword in her hand was utterly fierce and dominant. Her previous torrential sword rain that ripped through the sky had, paradoxically, made her the most domineering cultivator on the field.
Su Chan glanced over and saw flying swords everywhere. The Six Harmonies Sword seemed to have multiplied into countless long swords, each one battling the surrounding cultivators.
The little girl cried out in surprise, “Ah, Yan Fang is so strong! She’s suppressing everyone by herself! Is the Six Harmonies Sword really this powerful?”
Ziyuan, struggling to sit up, heard her and explained, “Of course. The inherent nature of the Six Harmonies Sword is weak in one-on-one fights, but its power in group battles is immense. Zhang Ling, despite her strength, didn't bring an artifact, so she’s at a great disadvantage. Wan Zhenyuan’s Nine Bends Yellow River Ruler is a defensive magic treasure, not strong in attack. That’s why Yan Fang is currently suppressing everyone alone.”
Su Chan hummed in understanding, turned back to look outside, but what she saw nearly scared her soul out of her body. As a flying sword passed by the side hall entrance, it suddenly buzzed and stopped dead. The long sword hovered in mid-air, seemingly sensing her presence. The blade instantly whipped around, its tip aimed directly at Su Chan, and it shot toward her like lightning.
The little girl shrieked and turned to run, screaming as she fled, “Help! Yundong! Help me!”
Li Yundong saw her running toward him, completely unaware of what was happening. He shouted loudly, “What are you yelling about? Aren’t you afraid of attracting people here?”
Just as his words fell, the entrance to the side hall was pierced with a thud by a long sword, a flying sword breaking through the doorway.
This flying sword acted like a ferocious brigand. After bursting in, it quickly surveyed the surroundings, then shot directly toward Su Chan.