When Yun Xiang heard these words, the world suddenly darkened before her eyes. The glimmer of hope that had just ignited vanished completely in an instant.
How could she forget?
While there were indeed many good people in this world, the majority were clearly bad.
Ever since her first master died, he had constantly taught her this. Yet, whether it was before or now, she had never truly taken these lessons to heart. To the point that at this moment, she still harbored such hopes for others. Truly, she was too foolish…
Gritting her teeth fiercely, Yun Xiang tried her best to maintain her clarity. Her eyes fixed intently on the crowd before her, she spoke word by word, "We saved you, and this is how you repay us?"
Silence fell upon the crowd once more.
After an unknown period, another voice rang out, sounding even more entitled than before. "Indeed, you saved us. But this dragon is already dead. To take it back and bury it would be such a waste, wouldn't it?"
As the words left his lips, they were quickly met with agreement. Others echoed his sentiment, speaking in the same tone. "Yes, young lady. We don't want to kill you, and we saw how hard you fought just now. But if we were to save you, you would surely not let us keep this dragon. We are in a difficult position, you see. Please understand. We won't kill you directly, but… you should rest in peace with this dragon."
"Young lady, you are a good person. We can all see that. After you pass, we will find a pháp sư to help you with your transcendence."
"Exactly. Besides, your relationship with this dragon seems quite close. It would be nice for you two to have company in the afterlife. Isn't that a good thing? Rest assured, we won't act in front of you. It's just that after you die, we won't be able to send your body back to your family. Fortunately, this area is blessed with spiritual energy, so burying you here should be fine."
The more they spoke, the more excited they became. It was clear they had made up their minds the moment they saw Ao Lie.
They had never considered saving her.
Looking at their faces, Yun Xiang couldn't help but think, if possible, these people would probably want to stab her.
If she had died a little sooner, they could have dealt with Ao Lie's corpse even faster. The sooner they handled it, the fewer cultivators who sensed the earlier spiritual energy fluctuations would arrive to claim a share.
They all harbored the same thoughts, and their faces betrayed no attempt to hide them. Yun Xiang saw it all clearly, and a wave of fear surged from her spine to the top of her head.
Humans…
Truly the most terrifying creatures in existence.
Just as her mind went blank, unsure of what to do, a chill suddenly struck her heart, causing Yun Xiang's stiff body to tremble once more.
Looking down, she saw a long sword piercing her chest, which hadn't been there before.
Looking up again, a tall, burly man beside her stared coldly at Yun Xiang. He let out a sneer and said, "This woman's spiritual power is strong. If we waited for her to die on her own, who knows how long we would have to wait? Look around you. So many cultivators have already arrived, intending to claim this dragon. If we delay further, do you think we'll get much with our strength?"
Everyone could see that if they had tried to touch the dragon's corpse before Yun Xiang breathed her last, she would have fought them desperately.
Therefore, the best solution now was to ensure this seemingly strong but practically dying young woman breathed her last. With no future troubles, they could then deal with the dragon, and everyone would be at ease.
The people around them shared the same sentiment. Because of this, they made no move to stop the burly man when he acted.
Yun Xiang looked up dazedly, her gaze sweeping across everyone present, then slowly turning towards the sky. Indeed, quite a few cultivators were already waiting there.
They were all here to claim the dragon.
Yun Xiang also knew that among those people, there were undoubtedly many who knew her identity and understood she was Liu Buli's disciple from the Dan Sect.
Yet, those people remained motionless, their expressions clearly conveying that they were waiting for her to die.
Did they want the dragon's corpse that badly?
Yun Xiang's frail body swayed. Leaning against the black dragon beside her, she suddenly burst into laughter.
The sky once again became overcast, and a fine rain began to fall. Yun Xiang reached out and pressed her hand to her chest. Then, everyone clearly saw a faint glow float from her fingertips. After leaving her palm, the glow shot rapidly into the distance.
Even with so many people surrounding her, none could catch up to the light. Where the light went, these people, though perhaps a little concerned, did not fully focus their attention on it.
After all, the woman before them was on the verge of death.
If they chased after that light, they might miss the opportunity to share in the dragon. No one would miss such a good chance. And precisely because they were so engrossed in the dragon, none of them realized how sudden and strange the rain was.
Yun Xiang looked at the crowd with sorrow. This was the last rain she would shed with her soul. If she could, she would have preferred to perish together with this group of trash cultivators.
To destroy Ao Lie's corpse, so that none of them could obtain it.
But Yun Xiang also knew.
With her current strength, she didn't even have the qualifications to perish together with them. Furthermore, if those people discovered she intended to harm the dragon's body, they would immediately act with the utmost speed, sending her to the underworld even sooner.
Since that was the case, she could only resolve it in this manner.
Everyone touched by the rain would bear its mark. Even those not wet by the rain, as long as they took anything from the dragon, would also become marked.
The ball of light she had just sent away was a notification for Liu Buli. It was the final lament of the Ling Clan upon death, so as long as Liu Buli received that light, he would see everything that had happened here and feel all the marks she had left.
As for what to do next, Yun Xiang believed Liu Buli would know better than she.
Tears finally fell uncontrollably once more.
Yun Xiang's voice was hoarse as she used her last bit of strength to slowly utter, "Shizun… help me… please…"