"Don't worry, I'll take you back to Medicine Master Valley right away." Miao Feng felt a sense of foreboding when she saw that strange color. "We're almost at Uliastai—hang in there, we'll be back in Medicine Master Valley soon!"
What's the point of going back to Medicine Master Valley? Even she herself can't cure this poison...
However, she did not have the strength to speak.
Miao Feng galloped through the snowstorm, the fierce wind whipping their long hair wildly. She lay quietly against his chest, listening to his strong, powerful heartbeat. Her mind drifted away again, but a reassuring smile gradually appeared on her face.
Ah... finally, she's out of the picture.
They are all safe.
She gradually felt unable to breathe; the poison of the Seven Star Begonia fiercely eroded her consciousness, leaving her mind blank. Fear filled her eyes—she knew this poison would gradually cause a person to lose consciousness over seven days, eventually turning them into an idiot.
Countless memories surfaced like swirling snowflakes: Xuehuai, Mingjie, Yami and her brother, Master Qingran, Ning Momo and the sisters in the valley... all those who loved her and were loved by her.
How could I? How could I forget?
She struggled with all her might to reach for the golden needles in her bosom—those delicate, sharp medical instruments were meant to save lives. She knew her duty when she inherited the Valley of the Pharmacists, yet she used them to take a patient's life.
She committed the most serious crime a doctor should never commit.
However, despite her best efforts, her fingers only twitched slightly—she no longer had the strength to control her body.
The seven swordsmen of Dingjian Pavilion, heading west, encountered someone rushing rapidly towards the northeast in Uliastai.
"Mysterious Wind Envoy!" In the heavy snow, they spotted that strange head of blue hair in the distance. Everyone exchanged glances and immediately leaped out in seven different directions, forming a sword formation. Mysterious Wind was a master in the Great Bright Palace, on par with Tong. Although he never traveled the martial world, they already knew how terrifying this opponent was from the corpses of the eight steeds on the snowfield just now!
Huo Zhanbai stood at the Xuanji position, his Mohun Sword pointing downwards, quietly watching the galloping horse that was getting closer and closer.
“Xi lü lü—” As if also startled by the murderous aura here, Miao Feng suddenly reined in his horse three zhang away.
"Get out of the way." The man on horseback coldly stared at the seven swordsmen of Dingjian Pavilion. "I don't want to kill anyone today."
He wore an extremely large and warm cloak, lined with a thick fox fur coat, his hands clasped inside his clothes—Huo Zhanbai silently made a gesture, signaling his companion to be on guard: Miao Feng's hands were hidden inside the cloak, and no one could predict when he would suddenly strike.
"Ha, Miaofeng, you've got quite the big mouth." Xia Qianyu sneered, indignantly. "We're not good-for-nothings like Bajun!"
"Should we let him pass or not?" Miao Feng was surprisingly impatient. "Don't force me!"
"If you've got the guts, fight your way through!" Xia Qianyu laughed loudly, pointing her sword tip at Huo Zhanbai in the Xuanji position. She paused, and the other six swords were drawn simultaneously. Her figures crisscrossed as she rushed to her positions, the sword light intertwining into a net, and the sword formation was activated!
Miao Feng moved his arm inside his cloak, then swooped down from his horse, his right hand suddenly thrusting out the sword.
A bolt of lightning struck the sword net, and in an instant, more than a dozen moves were exchanged as longswords clashed, producing a continuous series of clanging sounds. Miao Feng weaved through the sword light, single-handedly confronting seven elite swordsmen from the Central Plains without the slightest fear. His sword was merely an ordinary steel sword, but it was infused with pure and warm internal energy, making it sharp enough to rival any famous sword.
"Ah!" someone from the Seven Swords exclaimed, their longsword flying from their hand and embedding itself in the snow. The moment the two swords clashed, the swords in their hands instantly became as hot as if they were immersed in boiling water. The heat penetrated along the hilts, making it almost impossible to hold them.
"Be careful, the Spring Breeze Heart Technique!" Huo Zhanbai saw the faint red light on the Wonderful Wind Sword and warned in a low voice.
As if desperate for a quick victory, this mysterious master from the Great Bright Palace immediately unleashed an extremely fierce sword technique, almost every move aimed to kill, disregarding everything and only wanting to break through the sword formation.
After a round of fighting, forced by the intense internal energy, the swordsmen of Dingjian Pavilion all took a step back.
Only Huo Zhanbai, dressed in white, stood at the Xuanji position, his Ink Soul Sword pointing towards the ground, yet he remained completely still. He simply guarded the Xuanji position, his senses fully activated, capturing his opponent's every move. Each time Miao Feng attempted to break through the sword formation, the pure black Ink Soul Sword timely blocked his path, intercepting him with perfect precision several times.
After fifty moves, it was clear that she was eager to escape. Miao Feng's moves were too fast, and there were slight flaws in the connection. The Ink Soul Sword was like a wisp of black wind, which quickly passed through Miao Feng's sword light!
I won!
As soon as Huo Zhanbai succeeded, his mind raced, but he saw his opponent suddenly drop his sword! In that split second, he completely abandoned his weapon and used his arm to block the sword.
With a soft "snap," the pure black sword slipped from Miao Feng's palm, piercing through his entire hand and pinning it down!
Success! The other six swordsmen let out a low cry and rushed over. Taking advantage of the moment when the opponent was pinned down, they all drew their swords at the same time. The six swords intertwined into a net of light, which could shred a person into pieces in the blink of an eye!
In that instant, Miao Feng suddenly turned around!
"Whoosh!" He completely ignored the swords piercing around him, and recklessly stretched out his other hand, using his finger as a sword, and instantly pointed it at the throat of Zhou Xingzhi, the youngest and weakest of the Seven Swordsmen!
All the swords paused as they pierced his clothes.
"Eighth Brother, you—" Wei Fengxing was taken aback and, along with everyone else, stumbled back three steps.
No one expected that this person would take such a risk and resort to a suicidal tactic.
"Leave me alone!" Zhou Xingzhi cried out hoarsely, his face ashen.
Clearly, the fierce battle had exhausted him. Miao Feng had barely caught his breath when his eyes turned cold: "I take back what I said earlier: the seven of you working together can indeed stop me—but at least half of you will have to live."
His voice was tired and hoarse: "There are many roads to choose from, each to go its own way."
The seven swords fell silent and all looked at Huo Zhanbai, who was standing in the Xuanji position.
Huo Zhanbai also looked at Miaofeng, hesitating.
Their mission this time was only to wipe out the Demon Palace. If they were to confront Miao Feng head-on halfway through, they would likely suffer heavy losses before even reaching Kunlun. It would be better to let him leave and avoid adding another obstacle.
While pondering, Wei Fengxing suddenly exclaimed, "Everyone, be careful!"
The seven swordsmen of Dingjian Pavilion were all startled, momentarily thinking they were seeing things—a third hand suddenly emerged from within the cloak, pale and weak.
They suddenly understood, their expressions turning incredulous: The Wind Envoy actually had someone with him?! He was actually fighting them with someone else! Was that person so important that he was willing to sacrifice one of his own hands to block a blow?!
The hand shot out hastily, fingers outstretched in the air. Inside the cloak, someone was panting heavily, seemingly unable to make a sound. Miao Feng's face changed, revealing an undisguised anxiety. She thrust her hand forward, the sword slicing through Zhou Xingzhi's throat: "Are you going to let me through or not?"
Zhou Xingzhi was also quite resolute, showing no fear whatsoever: "Don't let us pass!"
"Release Eighth Brother," Huo Zhanbai finally spoke, "You can leave."