Feng Shui Chapter 128: The Earth Trembles, the Mountains Shake

The moment Chen Xiao released the Spirit Qi Bomb, he turned and bolted without hesitation. Even a moment’s delay and he risked being caught in the backlash from the underground chamber, a potentially fatal mistake. A Feng Shui blessed site was brimming with vitality, but a place of great misfortune was steeped in deadly, yin-filled energy. A trace of it might be offset by one’s own qi, but too much would mean being devoured.

The greater the deviation from the correct method of placing the bomb, the stronger the backlash. It was like a muffled clap of thunder, followed by the ground beneath them rumbling violently. It felt as if some enormous beast hidden deep underground had been startled awake, roaring and thrashing in its slumber.

Jagged rocks broke loose inside the cavern and crashed down. Chen Xiao had no choice but to slow down and weave between the falling shards. When Xi Yunqing had led him through this path, it had felt short and swift. But now, running it alone, it seems endless.

He could acutely sense the surge of murderous qi swelling in the air like a rampaging, invisible monster. The expansion was so rapid that he couldn’t even bother to retrieve the torch that had been knocked from his hand by falling debris. Chen Xiao activated several Windrun Talismans in succession, pushing his speed to the limit just to avoid being swept away by the rising tide of energy.

With a Thunder Summoning Talisman blazing the trail and his strides merging into a blur, he charged headfirst into the chamber where the evil cultivators had gathered.

Chaos reigned.

The venomous serpent was rampaging through the cavern, relentlessly snapping at the fleeing cultivators. It would raise its head from time to time and spew out large clouds of toxic mist.

Brother Chen Xiao don't dare linger. He scaled the jagged walls of the cavern, heading toward higher ground while searching desperately for his companions. Before he could spot anyone, a flash of motion caught his eye, Xi Yunqing appeared in the air and landed before him.

His sharp gaze swept across Chen Xiao. The latter was still panting when Xi Yunqing suddenly grabbed his wrist. “You’re hurt!”

Chen Xiao looked down and saw the back of his hand was scraped open, likely from the falling rocks earlier. Blood streamed down freely. He spoke quickly, “It’s nothing. Where are the others?”

Without another word, Xi Yunqing wrapped an arm around him and carried him across the chaos, bypassing the rampaging serpent to the far end of the cavern.

At the cave entrance, he set Chen Xiao down. “Fellow Daoist Tong has already led the children out through this exit. Go now!”

But Chen Xiao grabbed his arm. “We’ll go together! The murderous qi is too strong. This cave is going to collapse any moment.”

Xi Yunqing’s voice was firm and brooked no argument. “Someone has to cover the retreat. You go first. I’ll catch up soon. Be good!”

Once those two words, “Be good”, were spoken, Chen Xiao could no longer argue. Reluctantly, he shoved a handful of protective talismans into Xi Yunqing’s hand and turned to chase after Tong Nuonuo.

The group led by Zhao Jiao wasn’t foolish. The venomous serpent wouldn’t go berserk without a reason. As soon as the children were rescued, they realized they had been set up. Their low-level cultivators and Foundation Establishment disciples were of little use now; they were immediately ordered to chase down the fleeing group.

Xi Yunqing held the path alone, his Snowblade heavy sword carving through the air with devastating force. Few of the evil cultivators could withstand even a single blow from him.

Among them, a single Golden Core cultivator was desperately dodging while trying to pacify the serpent. He used a secret technique that seemed strangely effective, and the creature began to calm down.

Tang Ru seized the opportunity and darted in to disrupt him. The Golden Core cultivator turned his head and raised a palm, sending a torrent of force crashing toward her like a tidal wave.

As he moved, his curled hair shifted, revealing angular features. Tang Ru’s eyes widened, not because of the counterattack, but because this man wasn’t from the Central Realm. He was a barbarian, just like her!

Her goal of disruption achieved, Tang Ru attempted to dodge, but she was a step too slow. Half her body took the full brunt of the blow.

She let out a stifled grunt. Her short stature and naturally youthful voice gave her the sharp clarity of a child.

The barbarian cultivator had been ready to strike again, but that sound made him pause. When he caught sight of her face, something changed. For some unknown reason, he let her go. Tang Ru, blood trickling from her lips and half her body unresponsive, managed to limp away.

As the serpent stirred once more, the Golden Core barbarian turned back to pacify it again.

Tang Ru could barely move one leg, but she stumbled forward toward Xi Yunqing’s position. The ground shook more violently by the second, and it felt as if the cavern had become a furnace ready to explode due to some catastrophic error in its alchemical sequence.

“Go!” she cried, spitting blood. She had reached her limit and could no longer flee. All she could do was shout at Xi Yunqing.

He killed the last Foundation Establishment evil cultivator, then darted over with astonishing speed, hooked a finger into her collar, and turned to dash toward the exit.

“...” Tang Ru rolled her eyes as her collar choked her. At that moment, she felt like she’d become Tong Nuonuo. The double standard in how he treated people, could it be any more obvious? Did he think she hadn’t seen how he had cradled Chen Xiao so protectively? She wasn’t asking for the same treatment, but was an arm really too much to ask for?

The murderous qi ignored the barriers of rock and stone. Wherever it met open flame, it snuffed it out. Wherever it encountered plant life, it withered it instantly. Any crawling or slithering creatures it touched died in the blink of an eye.

Though the evil cultivators could draw strength from this sinister energy much like righteous cultivators did from spiritual qi, even they weren’t foolish enough to stay behind in a place about to explode. When destruction loomed, survival always came first.

Zhao Jiao and the others no longer cared about the venomous serpent. Abandoning the beast, they turned and fled for their lives. But just as they were entering the tunnel, Xi Yunqing, mindful of Tong Nuonuo’s instructions, casually tossed in a spiritual energy bomb. With a thunderous explosion, the passage collapsed, sealing it off completely.

The group erupted into curses. “Those Dao cultivators are even more ruthless than us demon cultivators! Is there no justice left in this world?” But they didn’t dare linger. They frantically searched for another exit. The tunnel system stretched in all directions, if they moved quickly enough, they could still escape.

Tang Ru’s injuries slowed her down significantly, forcing Xi Yunqing to fall back to assist her. The surrounding baleful aura was growing denser by the moment. Suddenly, the protective talisman she wore ignited of its own accord, bursting into a flash of light that formed a thin, shimmering halo around her. Though it could repel the baleful energy, it only lasted for a brief moment before shattering like a fragile eggshell.

Seeing this, Tang Ru hastily pulled out more protective talismans Chen Xiao had given her. But the tunnels were long and winding, and in no time, she had used them all up.

A bitter taste rose in Tang Ru’s mouth. Am I really going to die here today?

Just then, Xi Yunqing handed her a stack of protective talismans. Tang Ru was stunned. “Daoist Xi, if you give them all to me, what will you use?”

Xi Yunqing’s expression remained cold. “I have my own ways to protect myself. Just focus on staying alive.”

No sooner had he spoken than the tunnel around them began collapsing in massive sections. The deafening rumble made it seem as though the entire cavern was about to crumble.

Xi Yunqing glanced upward, then quickly handed Tang Ru a pill. “I’ll hold them off, go, now!”

As he shouted, the Xuefeng Heavy Sword in his hand burst into countless sword shadows, transforming into pillars that propped up the falling tunnel and carved out a path to escape.

Tang Ru had always thought Xi Yunqing was cold and indifferent, showing kindness only to Chen Xiao and no one else. Only now did she realize how wrong she had been.

If they were buried alive together, Xi Yunqing could still escape on his own. She, on the other hand, would be doomed. If he had abandoned her to save himself, Tang Ru wouldn’t have blamed him, but she never imagined he would make such a sacrifice at the critical moment. Her heart swelled with emotion and shame. The prejudice she had once held toward cultivators of the Central Region now seemed utterly ridiculous.

Blinking away the tears in her eyes, Tang Ru swallowed the pill. Her paralyzed limbs began to recover. She slapped the protective talismans onto herself and called back, “Thank you!”

As Tang Ru ran ahead, Xi Yunqing remained standing amid the surging baleful aura. He closed his eyes, and a moment later, the energy around him abruptly shifted, from vibrant and majestic to dark and eerie. His heavy sword slashed down as if slicing through tofu. The baleful energy, instead of resisting, parted obediently to reveal a hidden path.

Xi Yunqing frowned. This was the first time he realized his innate curse could be used in this way. The thought unsettled him. Since when could I manipulate baleful energy? Isn’t that something only demon cultivators can do?

Around him, rocks and soil exploded with deafening force, the tunnel had indeed collapsed. But Xi Yunqing stood firm, unafraid. The baleful energy didn’t harm him, and as far as he was concerned, carving out a path was just a matter of effort.

Worried that his Brother Chen might be anxious about him, Xi Yunqing forced down his doubts. Once the tremors subsided, he began digging his way out.

Meanwhile, Chen Xiao had rejoined Tong Nuonuo and was busy affixing protective talismans to the children. These young ones had suffered terribly, starved and abused, they were as light as feathers. Chen Xiao and Tong Nuonuo carried the weakest few, while the rest were encouraged to keep running.

Some of these children had been under demonic control for a long time, used for chores like fetching water, stoking fires, and washing clothes. Enslaved for so long, they had lost all sense of self and become like emotionless puppets. Even when told they were safe, they didn’t respond. But at least they followed orders well, each command was followed to the letter, and no one was left behind.

They were the first group to escape and just barely made it out before the cavern collapsed. Once outside, the children reacted in dramatically different ways. Those who had only recently been captured cheered with joy, while those who had been enslaved longer wept silently. After living so long in the darkness, the bright light was unbearable to their eyes.

Chen Xiao and Tong Nuonuo quickly covered their heads and faces and led the group, seventy or eighty children in total, away from the entrance.

The collapse of the tunnels had caused a large section of the mountain to cave in. Even in midwinter, clouds of dust filled the air, choking everyone and causing fits of coughing. Chen Xiao had no choice but to lead the children farther and farther away, only stopping once they were completely out of danger.

Still worried about the others, Chen Xiao asked Tong Nuonuo to look after the children while he returned to search for them. Tong Nuonuo agreed and immediately pulled out cooking utensils to boil water and make food. These children had barely eaten or drunk clean water. If they were to travel any distance, they would need proper food first.

Chen Xiao handed over most of his own rations before hurrying back to the tunnel entrance. But after waiting for a while, only Tang Ru emerged, Xi Yunqing was nowhere to be seen.

Chen Xiao’s face went pale, his mind suddenly blank with dread.