"Let me not touch him?"
Lu Shangshang sneered, finding it incredibly absurd.
Her voice was particularly piercing, as if emerging from the ninth level of hell, "Fine! If you want me to spare him, then you will sever your own arms."
"Otherwise."
Lu Shangshang's eyes held a seductive charm as she directly tilted Ouyang Qinglin's chin, "I will make him personally carve out his own heart and die before your eyes."
With every word Lu Shangshang spoke, her fingertip would pierce Ouyang Qinglin's heart a bit deeper.
Gu Qianying's pupils contracted, her mind instantly agitated.
Only by severing her arms could Ouyang Qinglin be saved. If that was the only way, she had no choice but to comply.
"Alright," Gu Qianying gritted her teeth, her figure falling into the raging wind.
"As long as I agree, you will let him go, right?" she pressed again.
A flicker of amusement crossed Lu Shangshang's eyes, "Naturally. To see the former Demon Empress sever her own arms, what an interesting spectacle that would be."
The Scarlet Blood Saber was quickly picked up by Gu Qianying. Her eyes held determination as she stood resolutely in mid-air.
Lu Shangshang grew even more smug, her smile laced with mockery.
Gu Qianying closed her eyes, extending both hands forward, waiting for the Scarlet Blood Saber to descend.
As if sensing its master's peril, the Scarlet Blood Saber suddenly vibrated wildly.
Gu Qianying's eyes flashed. Using her blood as a command, she uttered, "Slash!"
The Scarlet Blood Saber finally returned to its place, trembling as it swung downwards.
At that very moment, Ouyang Qinglin suddenly regained consciousness.
Before the Scarlet Blood Saber could fall, he instantly roared, "No."
Gu Qianying's eyes snapped open.
The Scarlet Blood Saber also descended.
Lu Shangshang's face showed shock. She had clearly bewitched this person, so why was he able to regain his senses?
She quickly formed hand seals, attempting to attack again.
But Ouyang Qinglin, in a frenzy, suddenly charged forward with blood-red eyes.
He bit fiercely into Lu Shangshang's arm, "You are not allowed to hurt her!"
"Damn it," Lu Shangshang cursed, her body beginning to tremble.
Ghosts had ghostly bodies; she was by no means incorporeal. Lu Shangshang could clearly feel the pain.
Ouyang Qinglin's movements became even more ferocious.
He even attempted to erode her with his bloodline power, aiming for a mutual destruction with Lu Shangshang.
Gu Qianying picked up the Scarlet Blood Saber and sprinted towards them.
As she joined the fray, the atmosphere intensified.
The residual chaotic energy continued to press down, and their movements became more measured.
For some reason, Lu Shangshang's internal power grew stronger.
With a loud shout from her, immense power surged.
All three of them plummeted.
Ouyang Qinglin and Gu Qianying were both injured, kneeling on the ground.
Lu Shangshang's eyes gleamed with malice as she quickly retreated. She had initially planned to play with this group for a while longer, but now, there was no need.
"I will kill you all."
Her figure transformed into an afterimage as she rapidly charged forward.
Her scarlet fingertips plunged directly in, reaching the hearts of both.
Severely wounded, the two were unable to rise. Under the oppression of the demonic aura, they could only glare with wide eyes, watching what was about to happen.
Fortunately, after only a moment, Nangong Mo's figure finally arrived.
He held a long sword, piercing the sky, instantly tearing Lu Shangshang's form apart.
"Ah!" Lu Shangshang cried out, her internal energy plummeting and her body dissipating.
"No, you cannot."
Nangong Mo's gaze shifted again. He conjured a fierce wind, directly engulfing Lu Shangshang within it.
The cries from within gradually faded.
Lu Shangshang had completely perished from this place.
He stepped forward, channeling energy with both hands to heal the two.
Ouyang Qinglin coughed up blood, his form still gaunt.
He panted slightly, then fixed his gaze on Gu Qianying, "If I hadn't woken up at that time, would you have severed your own arms?"
Gu Qianying replied without hesitation, "I would have."
She smiled, "Because you are my friend, and for no other reason."
Ouyang Qinglin finally let out a laugh, followed by a fit of rapid coughing, but he didn't care. With those words spoken, the knot in his heart for so many years was finally untangled.
"Thank you!" he said.
Gu Qianying showed a hint of surprise, "You're welcome. We are friends, and you think so too, right?"
"Yes." This time, Ouyang Qinglin agreed readily, showing no sign of dejection.
In this moment, he understood many things.
What one desires but cannot obtain is ultimately unobtainable. There is no need to be fixated. There is a path ahead, and he could still move forward.
After their injuries were tended to, Ouyang Qinglin suddenly spoke.
"We have been friends for many years, but we have never had a formal title. How about we become sworn siblings today? From now on, I will be your elder brother and protect you."
He then turned, his eyes gentle, "And my brother-in-law here, I will protect you well too!"
He also let go of his hatred for Nangong Mo, considering him as his own brother-in-law.
"That would be truly wonderful," Gu Qianying smiled.
The two knelt on the ground, using heaven and earth as their witness, becoming sworn siblings.
Ouyang Qinglin became the elder brother, and Gu Qianying the younger sister.
Though not related by blood, they were closer than kin, supporting and helping each other from then on.
Nangong Mo stood by, a ripple appearing in his cold eyes. A smile slowly curved his lips, and he felt a sense of joy.
After the two paid their respects.
Du Chun and others also arrived, panting, calling out amidst the ruins.
"Gu Qianying, where are you?"
Gu Qianying heard their voices and quickly went to greet them.
They were slightly surprised to learn of Lu Shangshang's death, thinking that their disguise was indeed formidable.
"Where is the Origin Pill?" Du Chun suddenly asked. They had come to this place to retrieve the Origin Pill. Without it, wouldn't their perilous journey have been in vain?
"It's here!" Ouyang Qinglin lifted Lu Shangshang's remains and retrieved a white Origin Pill from within. The pill's owner possessed immense power, making this pill by no means ordinary.
Thus, even amidst the ruins, its radiance shone brightly, revealing itself without concealment.
Finally obtaining the item, everyone breathed a sigh of relief and soon set off for home.
The group returned to the underground palace. Nangong Li and others were waiting outside. Bai Yulan looked unwell, as if she had been bullied again.
But upon seeing Gu Qianying and the others, they all broke into smiles and rushed to greet them.
"You're finally back, you scared us to death."
The group, dusty and travel-worn, did not dare to delay their steps, hurrying towards the coffin.
Nangong Mo presented the Origin Pill, infusing it into the body of the person within the coffin.
The man in the coffin's body instantly erupted with power.
Within the dazzling white light, a white figure appeared.
Bai Xianhua was handsome and flamboyant in his demeanor.
His every move was nothing like someone who had been lying in a coffin for thousands of years.
"Brother!" Nangong Mo stepped forward.
Bai Xianhua yawned lazily, "My good brother, after so many years, you are still the same."
He added at the end, "Uninteresting."
Nangong Mo remained silent, as if accustomed to it.
The playful expression vanished in an instant, and Bai Xianhua's face turned cold again, "When I was imprisoned back then, that old man from the Sacred Feather family must have reaped plenty of benefits!"
They were originally members of the Sacred Feather family, ancestors of the Bai clan. However, due to past events, those scoundrels had gained the upper hand.
Now that Bai Xianhua was awake, his first priority was to reclaim what belonged to him.