Big Brother, I, Qingli, Will Protect You

Thud... thud...

Inside the dim bedchamber.

Under the shocked gazes of Xiaobai and Danxia, Ye Shu struggled to prop himself up. With his hands pressing against the ground, he continuously fell and stood back up, over and over again.

Specks of starlight began to illuminate across his body.

Ye Shu forcefully circulated the Cosmic Star rotation, desperately absorbing the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to feed the Green Lotus Heavenly Flame, all to maintain his current state.

Now was not the time to refine the spiritual flame.

It was not safe here.

Although it was unclear whether the Medusa in the underground cavern had died along with her main body's accident, the other Soul Formation experts were still here. Bingxuanzi's unsealing could only last for an hour. Once he could no longer hold off the others...

Let alone Wu Tianxing.

Mu Yunxi alone could take his life.

He could not stay here for long.

Gritting his teeth, Ye Shu endured the abyssal, overwhelming agony. He tried to stand up step by step. The moment sweat beaded on his forehead, it was evaporated by the scorching flames.

Finally, he stood up.

Although he staggered and could barely keep his balance, looking even more unsteady than a toddler just learning to walk, he had indeed stood up.

"Shu'er..."

Danxia's beautiful eyes trembled, filled with heartache.

She had also refined a spiritual flame before and knew exactly what kind of torment it was. But back then, she was fully prepared and had the cultivation of the Void Refinement realm to barely pull through.

But right now, her Shu'er...

Had nothing.

All he had was his willpower and a heart full of hot blood.

He was in countless times more pain than she had been, yet he still dragged this battered body forward. Just what kind of willpower was this?

Besides the shocked Danxia.

The Medusa hiding in Ye Shu's trousers was also astounded.

Being so close, she could clearly hear the boy muttering under his breath, "I cannot fall," "I still have unfulfilled promises," "Someone is still waiting for me."

Wait, was he acting out a stage play?

Did he think that by shouting about friendship and bonds, he could erupt with incredible power?

Impossible, the dose must not be enough.

Her eyes filled with disbelief, Medusa opened her mouth wide and took another bite at the root of Ye Shu's thigh.

Venom was injected once more.

"Hanmo..."

Ye Shu's eyes were both dazed and resolute. He softly murmured this name, yet his movements became even sharper.

?

A giant question mark popped up over Medusa's head.

The dose definitely wasn't large enough.

Let's try another bite.

Venom injected!

"Hanmo... wait for me..."

Let's try another bite.

Venom injected!

"I still cannot fall..."

Let's try another bite.

Venom injected...

It wasn't until the fluids inside Medusa's body were completely drained that Ye Shu still hadn't fallen. She stared in disbelief at the staggering Ye Shu. Although his movements were still shaky, he was actually a bit more agile than when he first started.

Medusa was utterly dumbfounded.

What a joke!

The deadly venom of the Nine Nether Profound Snake could fell even a Void Refinement expert. This kid was only at the Foundation Establishment realm. After being bitten over a dozen times, how was he walking even more steadily?

Refusing to believe it, she opened her mouth and bit down again.

Nothing happened.

Her venom was completely empty.

On the other hand, because he was in so much agonizing pain, Medusa's fangs felt like a mere tickle to Ye Shu, so he hadn't noticed them at all.

He pushed open the doors of the bedchamber. Ahead lay an open-air corridor leading to the main hall. Ye Shu staggered forward, swaying every three steps and falling every ten.

As long as... as long as he could reach that place...

The sky was already nearing dusk.

The setting sun spilled from the horizon, draping him in a thin veil of gold, like a wandering son returning home from afar.

Finally, Ye Shu reached the main hall.

He pushed the doors open.

Inside, Qingli looked up upon hearing the sound.

"Big brother is back!" She was about to run toward him when she suddenly realized the young man before her was in tatters, bathed in blood, and emitting green flames all over. He looked utterly wretched, completely different from the dashing, ethereal youth in white from before.

"Big brother, what happened to you?"

Qingli was a little scared, but she immediately rushed forward anyway.

"Don't come near me..." Ye Shu raised his head, stopping her in her tracks with a forced smile. "This fire will hurt you. We need to leave right now..."

Before he could finish his sentence, his vision suddenly went black.

His entire body collapsed heavily onto the ground.

"I-idiot! What's wrong with you?!"

Xiaobai, who had been following beside Ye Shu, rushed forward in a panic, pushing his face. "Wake up right now! If we don't leave, those Soul Formation experts are going to kill their way over here!!!"

Ye Shu did not respond, looking as if he had fallen asleep.

How could he be fine just a moment ago and suddenly end up like this?

Danxia, where was Danxia?

Why did Danxia suddenly disappear?

Xiaobai suddenly realized that Danxia was gone. She carefully examined Ye Shu's condition and discovered that his sea of consciousness was in complete chaos. A massive golden snake was running rampant inside, virtually turning it upside down.

D-damn it!

It was Queen Medusa's doing!

She actually wasn't dead!

Xiaobai gritted her teeth, her small face flushed red; she was going crazy with anxiety. Right now, Ye Shu was unconscious, Danxia was restraining Medusa inside his sea of consciousness, and outside, a group of Soul Formation experts could attack at any moment.

Now, it was only her.

What to do?

What to do?

What in the world should she do?

Xiaobai paced around in a frenzy, her little brain working harder than it ever had before.

She suddenly remembered something.

Ye Shu had said before.

The Azure Profound Sect would come to snatch the Green Lotus Heavenly Flame.

Sure enough, Mu Yunxi had appeared, along with Su Xiao and his junior sisters. Did that mean... Lin Qingxue was actually in the Snake People City right now too?

That's right! That's right!

The more Xiaobai thought about it, the more it made sense.

But the problem was, she couldn't possibly take Ye Shu to find Lin Qingxue all by herself, and these dancer girls couldn't see her.

Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind.

Xiaobai's eyes lit up, and she raised her hands.

In an instant, three hundred and sixty-one white dots lit up on Ye Shu's body. Silvery-white fragments flew out from within him, pointing in a certain direction in midair while emitting a humming sound.

The Male Yuan Sword and the Female Yang Sword were originally a pair.

Naturally, they could sense each other's existence.

This way, she could guide this group of dancers to take Ye Shu to find Lin Qingxue!

Sure enough.

The somewhat panicked little Qingli saw those glowing fragments. Seeing them line up, continuously shining and humming toward a specific direction, she tentatively asked, "Do you want us to follow you?"

Hum!

The Male Yuan Sword let out a trembling cry.

Having received an affirmative answer, the dancers now faced a dilemma regarding Ye Shu on the ground.

Clusters of green flames were still dancing across his body. A dancer reached out her hand, but before she even got close, she jerked it back, scorched by the terrifying temperature.

"It's so hot..."

The dancers looked at each other in dismay, none daring to try again.

"The hour is almost up, hurry..." Xiaobai gritted her teeth, tears of anxiety swirling in her eyes.

It's over... it's truly over...

Ordinary people simply couldn't withstand the burning of the Green Lotus Heavenly Flame.

Even if they could, it was impossible for them to endure that near-ultimate agony. After all, wasn't someone as fierce as Ye Shu once driven to the brink of seeking death?

However, just as Xiaobai fell into despair.

A petite figure resolutely hoisted Ye Shu from the ground onto her back. Azure flames spread rapidly, dancing wildly as they ravaged her flesh.

The intense agony instantly contorted Little Qingli's face.

Is this the pain Big Brother has been enduring?

It hurts so much, ten thousand times worse than the director's whip.

But it doesn't matter!

Carrying Ye Shu on her back, Little Qingli staggered step by step toward the exit of the grand hall. "Big Brother saved Qingli, so Qingli can save Big Brother too. Qingli never wants to just sit and wait for death again, and she never wants to watch the people important to her fall ever again."

"Big Brother, I, Qingli, will be the one to protect you!!!"