劍問蒼天 - 第127章 心意 - 清風書屋

A flash of anger crossed Li Xun's features. His right hand had been struck back by Ming Li's blood-devouring demonic power in the fight just now, and half his palm was scorched and withered, dreadful to look upon; he did not know whether it would affect his cultivation hereafter. Hearing this suddenly appeared, seductive woman speak with such mockery, he flared in fury. "Who are you? This Ming Li is a fiend of the demonic sect steeped in untold crimes—if you know what's good for you..."

"Ha!"

Xiaobai suddenly laughed aloud. Facing this host of righteous cultivators, she deliberately held the unconscious Ming Li a little tighter, instantly drawing every eye, while her face showed disdain. "Don't you know? I've never known what's good for me!"

Li Xun was struck dumb, at a loss for words for a moment; meanwhile the pain in his right hand grew sharper and sharper, and his heart burned with ever greater anxiety.

Just then, a startled cry came from behind.

"The nine-tailed fox demon! She's the nine-tailed fox demon!"

Everyone was startled. Lu Xueling and Facheng did not know the secret of the Mystic Fire Altar in Fenxia Valley, so it mattered little to them, but the disciples of Fenxia Valley fell into confusion. The one who had cried out was none other than Lü Shun, the eldest in seniority present.

Xiaobai glanced a few times toward Lü Shun, considered briefly, and nodded. "You old man—you're the gutless fellow who hid behind those two old thieves Yun Yifeng and Shangguan Lue back in the day, aren't you?"

Lü Shun went red in the face with rage; pointing at Xiaobai, he trembled with fury, and under the furtive glances cast his way, he shouted angrily, "What are you looking at? Get up there and seize this demon!"

Xiaobai gave a light laugh, made as if to rise with Ming Li in her arms. Lü Shun flew up first to intercept her head-on, but Xiaobai only snorted, not even deigning to glance at him; her white shadow drifted, and a dim light flew from her sleeve, striking Lü Shun's sword radiance.

Lü Shun, midair, gave a muffled grunt and was flung back, evidently having taken some hidden loss.

The crowd paled. Though Lü Shun's renown fell far short of his peers Yun Yifeng and Shangguan Lue, masters of Fenxia Valley, he was still an elder figure of the valley—yet against this nine-tailed celestial fox, that peerless demon, he was driven back in a single exchange. The height of this creature's cultivation could well be imagined.

At once the crowd shouted and surged forward together. Xiaobai frowned slightly, disdain on her face; her form swayed, slipping past several people in succession. Just as she was about to leap into flight, a pure, harmonious Buddhist invocation sounded behind her, and a tide of golden light came surging forth.

Xiaobai's brows knit; for the first time surprise showed on her face. She spun around, sleeves whirling, and sent out a pale green light to hold back the golden radiance.

"The Great Brahma Prajna," she said, looking at Facheng and nodding. "I never thought the Fanyin Temple would produce a talent like you. Worthy indeed of a righteous sect that stands shoulder to shoulder with Qingyun."

Facheng pressed his palms together. "I thank the benefactor for the praise." Polite as his words were, as his palms joined the golden light blazed ever brighter; from between his sleeves flew a bead of dazzling golden radiance, spinning ceaselessly, hurtling straight at Xiaobai.

Xiaobai snorted. The green light withdrew, and her whole body, Ming Li with her, floated upward into the blue sky. A moment later, the spot where she had stood was struck by the Wheel of Reincarnation bead; with a thunderous boom, the Buddhist power blasted a crater two zhang across in the ground.