Chapter 1423: Wagering Her Life

The Holy Rakshasa seemed almost obsessed with the taste of roast chicken. Torn bones littered the ground as she ate. One bird was not enough. She pulled another from the roasting rack and stood there gnawing away.

Bits of bone fell one after another. When her greasy silver claws were empty again, she reached out, tore down another chicken, and kept eating.

A favored delicacy seemed capable of making her forget why she had come. Good food, it seemed, could even make one forget hatred.

In hidden corners, the watching eyes secretly rejoiced. They waited. Waited for the Holy Rakshasa to collapse.

None of them had expected her to like roast chicken this much. One after another she ate, and still it was not enough.

There had been six chickens hanging from the rack in all. After she finished the fifth, she reached for the sixth. Her fingertips had just touched the last roast chicken when the outstretched claw froze.

All five talons trembled unnaturally, almost spasming.

She took one step back, then another. Her hand dropped, and both hands clutched her abdomen.

Her breathing quickened, growing rapidly more labored. Strange silver markings on her face rippled with flowing light. Her fangs bared, twisting her features into a grimace.

“Yaa...” The Holy Rakshasa suddenly threw back her head and shrieked, the cry sharp and miserable. The silver wings behind her sprang open with a whoosh. One powerful beat lifted her into the air.

But the moment she rose, the wings seemed to lose their strength. They could no longer beat properly and began trembling violently.

Hovering in midair, her entire body gradually started to shake. Her widened eyes stared into the distance, yet the demonic power throughout her body could no longer drive her forward.

She trembled there, wavering in the air, looking ready to fall at any moment.

In the surrounding hills and forests, every hidden observer had opened their Dharma Eyes wide. They held their breath and stared, waiting, hoping to see the result they wanted.

The Holy Rakshasa did not disappoint them. As she tottered in the air, she suddenly dropped like a kite with its string cut.

Crash!

She smashed through the roof of a house. The buildings in this little town had never been particularly sturdy.

Falling tiles and broken beams buried the Holy Rakshasa as she lay trembling on the floor. Her glowing silver wings were smeared with filth. The light over them flickered between bright and dim, betraying the torment wracking her body.

Crash!

She flung aside a beam pinning her down and tried to rise, only to clutch her abdomen again and collapse from the pain. She no longer had the strength even to stand. All she could do was struggle to crawl out of the dirty wreckage she despised.

Seven or eight people hidden inside the town emerged. Some approached along the street, others across the rooftops, slowly closing on the place where she had fallen.

The house blocked their view. None could tell how the Holy Rakshasa was doing inside, and no one dared rush in first.

But they could not simply stay away either. The Misty Pavilion people outside were waiting for a report.

The group drew nearer, looking from one another to the collapsed house while keeping their guard up.

It was already nearing evening. The sunset clouds were brilliant.

Those lying in wait in the surrounding hills and forests continued to wait for word from the observers inside the town.

Once the group had drawn close enough, one cultivator suddenly seized a vendor's cart beside the road and hurled it.

Boom!

The cart shattered, and one wall of the target house collapsed with it.

Silver light flickered through the billowing dust. As the haze settled, they could finally make out the Holy Rakshasa struggling on the ground.

“The poison worked!” the cultivator who had thrown the cart shouted in delight.

The others closing in exchanged looks. If he dared shout openly now, then the situation was probably secure. They immediately struck together, almost simultaneously blasting down the other walls of the house.

The Holy Rakshasa had been trying to get up, only to be crushed down again beneath the collapsing debris. This time she was genuinely buried.

A claw pushed out from the ruins. The Holy Rakshasa struggled to crawl free.

Seeing that even crawling out was difficult for her, the people surrounding the wreckage finally relaxed somewhat, though none dared approach too closely.

One of them immediately flew onto the roof of the tallest building in town and waved repeatedly toward the surrounding hills, sending the signal.

“It worked!” A Misty Pavilion operative lying in the grass outside sprang to his feet and clapped his hands in delight. Then he swept an arm forward and shouted with spiritual power, “Move! Close the net!”

At the signal, large numbers of cultivators hidden throughout the hills and forests revealed themselves and flew toward the town.

Soon the abandoned rooftops were crowded with people, all looking down at the struggling Holy Rakshasa.

Xi Haitang was among them. Seeing the Holy Rakshasa reduced to such a miserable state, he sighed inwardly. Even he had not expected these people to succeed so cleanly.

He had personally witnessed the Holy Rakshasa battle five Sacred Venerables. How could the sight not move him? Five Sacred Venerables working together had failed to deal with her, yet now she had been brought down by a pack of lesser men using underhanded methods.

Xi Haitang looked around again. There was still no sign of Niu Youdao and the others.

Judging by the timing, Niu Youdao should already have received his message and be rushing here. This place was not very far from Huashan County seat, so he ought to arrive soon unless something had gone wrong while the message was being relayed.

At this point, Xi Haitang actually hoped the people here would finish off the Holy Rakshasa quickly, before Niu Youdao arrived and created some unforeseen complication. If Niu Youdao exposed anything, everyone involved would suffer, Xi Haitang included.

The Holy Rakshasa, still crawling through the rubble, saw the crowd surrounding her. “Yaa...” She released a long, anguished cry. The silver light over her body suddenly brightened, and she forced herself upright.

The surrounding cultivators jumped in alarm and retreated several steps.

One man kicked a stone block used to anchor a roadside pole.

Bang!

The stone slammed into the Holy Rakshasa.

She staggered, whipped her head toward the man who had kicked it, and suddenly shot forward with such speed that everyone's vision blurred.

The next instant, every gaze tightened.

The man who had kicked the stone stood frozen with his mouth open. One of the Holy Rakshasa's claws had punched straight through his chest.

Smack!

Her other claw smashed his head apart. Brain matter sprayed.

The crowd recoiled in shock and backed away even farther.

The Misty Pavilion deacon responsible for this region, standing beside Xi Haitang, shouted, “Use the Heavenly Sword Talismans and finish her!”

Several men immediately drew out Heavenly Sword Talismans. The deacon himself struck first. Vast power erupted from the talisman, and the aura-image of a Heavenly Sword cleaved down.

The Holy Rakshasa charged directly into it.

Boom!

The impact knocked her from the air and sent her staggering when she hit the ground. Before she could recover, a second Heavenly Sword Talisman came crashing down.

“Yaa!” With a miserable shriek, the Holy Rakshasa swung a claw and shattered the incoming sword aura.

The violent blast overturned the flimsy buildings nearby. Braziers and cookfires lining the street were hurled through the air, igniting buildings throughout the town. Fanned by the fierce wind, the flames spread rapidly.

“Heavenly Sword Talismans!”

From a flying mount speeding through the distant sky, Niu Youdao's voice came out grim.

They could already see the town ahead, smoke rising from it and enormous sword-aura images flashing again and again.

On the second flying mount traveling alongside them, Yun Ji had Lü Wushuang under control. She said gravely, “They've already made their move. The Holy Rakshasa must have fallen into the trap, or they wouldn't dare attack her.”

The Holy Rakshasa? Lü Wushuang's eyes flickered with surprise as she recalled the deserted Huashan County seat.

“You and Monkey watch for an opening. I'll take her in first.” Niu Youdao glanced back and gave the order, then leapt across.

Yun Ji moved at the same time, and the two exchanged positions in midair. Niu Youdao seized Lü Wushuang by the arm, pulled the veiled hat from her head, and tossed it to Yun Ji on the neighboring mount.

But Lü Wushuang's eyes flashed several times. Then she suddenly gave an “Ow,” went limp, and began collapsing.

Niu Youdao caught and hauled her upright. She let herself hang from his grip, both legs dangling uselessly and her head lolling as though she had no strength at all.

Niu Youdao raised a hand in warning. Neither flying mount dared approach the town any farther. They began circling in the sky instead.

Thinking something had gone wrong with Lü Wushuang's body, Niu Youdao hurriedly used spiritual power to examine her. Finding nothing amiss, he shook her twice. “What are you doing?”

Lü Wushuang let her drooping head tilt slightly. She seemed almost amused. “I'm in a bad mood. I don't feel well.”

Niu Youdao's temper flared. “Don't give me that!”

Lü Wushuang snorted. “You brought me out and even put makeup on me. I knew you planned to use me.”

She remained limp and listless, as if silently asking how he intended to use her now.

From the direction of the town came the rapid thunder of Heavenly Sword Talismans striking one after another. The Holy Rakshasa's situation was plainly critical.

Niu Youdao looked toward the violently flashing town, then back at the woman playing dead in his hands. Fury surged through him.

All three finally understood. Her earlier obedience had been an act. She had known exactly what was happening and had simply been waiting for the decisive moment to make her move.

Yun Ji snapped, “Lü Wushuang, are you tired of living? Do you think we don't dare kill you?”

“Now that I've fallen into your hands, I never expected a good ending. Even ants cling to life. All I want is some assurance that I can survive. You should know what I want.”

She tilted her head slightly toward Yuan Gang.

The other three understood immediately. Yuan Gang stared at her with fire in his eyes.

Niu Youdao jerked Lü Wushuang upright, teeth almost bared. This woman really knew how to choose her moment. He wanted nothing more than to tear her apart alive, yet the situation was too urgent for him to do anything to her.

Lü Wushuang smiled.

The more Niu Youdao lost his composure, the happier she became. It proved he cared. So long as he cared, her chances of success rose.

Yuan Gang looked toward the town, where the situation was growing more desperate by the moment, then suddenly turned back to Lü Wushuang. “What does this accomplish? Aren't you afraid I'll go back on my word afterward?”

Lü Wushuang's tone suddenly turned cold and decisive. “If you go back on your word, then I accept the loss. Right now, I only want one sentence from you. Promise to marry me, and I will cooperate with you fully. Not only now. Once we are family, you know who I am. The help I can provide may exceed anything you can imagine. If I had no such value, you would never have kept me alive this long. Yuan Gang, whether you agree or not comes down to one sentence from you. Right now, I am wagering my life on your answer!”

She truly was wagering her life. If she delayed too long and the people in the town could no longer be saved, the three beside her might very well kill her on the spot.

Yuan Gang's jaw tightened. The situation had left him no time even to think. Suddenly he snarled, “I agree!”

Lü Wushuang said, “A time limit. You cannot drag it out forever.”

Yuan Gang ground out, “As soon as we get back, I'll marry you. Satisfied?”

“Good!” Lü Wushuang immediately straightened, all weakness gone from her body. She looked toward the town. “Let's go. Save them!”

[End of Chapter 1423]