"Clack, clack, clack—"
Where Ling Xiao's sword pointed, a cage made of eerie white bones was slowly unfolding.
The friction of the joints produced a grating sound that was particularly piercing in the silent ruins.
As the final joint moved aside, it revealed an unconscious Li Nanzhu inside. Her face was as pale as paper, yet her hand still tightly gripped a green jade folding fan.
"Little Junior Sister!"
A purple figure flashed by like a gust of wind. Duan Xianxing's face was filled with panic. His trembling fingers hovered under Li Nanzhu's nose for three breaths before he suddenly collapsed to his knees, as if drained of all strength. "She's still alive..."
Almost simultaneously, Zhu Yinxi arrived in a flutter of white robes. His usually composed face carried a hint of panic, and he didn't even notice when the jade flute in his hand fell to the ground.
He knelt on one knee, his fingertips quickly reaching for Li Nanzhu's pulse.
"Evil creature!" Ling Xiao's sword was faster than his voice, the blade pointing directly at the little skeleton that had just reassembled from its cage form. "It was this bone skeleton that trapped her!"
Golden sword qi tore through the air but came to a jarring halt three inches from Suisui's skull—two swords had abruptly blocked it.
Duan Xianxing and Zhu Yinxi had acted at the same time to forcibly parry Ling Xiao's strike. If Ling Xiao hadn't noticed them and withdrawn his power in time, they would have been severely injured, if not killed.
Just as Suisui recovered from its cage state, it was pinned in place by the pressure of three Soul Transformation auras. Its soul fire flickered violently, and its bone claws reached out desperately, trying to get closer to Li Nanzhu.
"Nonsense!" Duan Xianxing gritted his teeth, a trace of blood overflowing from the corner of his mouth. The eyes of this usually carefree young sword cultivator were now burning with fury. "Suisui was protecting our Little Junior Sister! It is not an evil creature!"
Zhu Yinxi's sword transformed back into a jade flute. He blew a single note, and a sonic barrier instantly rose to protect Suisui.
At the same time, he lifted Li Nanzhu, letting her lean against his shoulder. His usually cold voice carried a rare note of anxiety. "Her spiritual energy is depleted, and her sea of consciousness seems to have a problem. She needs to adjust her breathing immediately."
Everyone was shocked by his words. If a cultivator's sea of consciousness had a problem, it could mean the end of their future, or they might even become an idiot.
Liu Qingyang broke free from his father's grip, his green hair flying in the wind. "Seniors, please see clearly! In the passage, it was Suisui who transported the spirit stones. Together with Junior Sister Li, it stabilized the array and saved everyone!"
Liu Changhe's face changed drastically. "Qingyang! Come back!" But his son had already stepped firmly in front of Suisui.
"You've been bewitched!" Zhao Wufeng barked. "Do you even know what you're protecting?"
"We are not bewitched!" Liu Qingyang said loudly. Among the four of them, his status was currently the only one that carried some weight. "This skeleton is named Suisui. It is Junior Sister Li's spiritual pet. I can guarantee with my life that it is absolutely not an evil creature."
"Ridiculous!" Liu Changhe's beard shook with anger. "How many days have you even known them?"
"So what if it's only been half a month?" Liu Qingyang looked up, his gaze resolute. "It's enough for me to see their character! I believe in them! I believe in Suisui!"
The scene instantly became tense. Three young cultivators stood against a dozen high-grade cultivators, and the air seemed to solidify.
Suisui took the opportunity to crawl to the unconscious Li Nanzhu's side, its bone claws tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, its soul fire flickering more and more intensely.
"Absurd!" Hua Xiangrong's Seven-Emotion Silk was pulled taut. "Such an evil creature should be destroyed on the spot!"
"Where is the evidence?" Zhao Wufeng spoke again, his sword hanging three inches from Duan Xianxing's throat. "How can you prove this isn't some trick of an evil cultivator?"
Liu Qingyang pointed directly at the four members of the Sword Heart Sect standing to the side. "The fellow Daoists from the Sword Heart Sect were also there at the time. They can testify!"
Everyone's gaze immediately turned toward Qu Chen and the others. Cang Dongqing's expression flickered slightly, and she quietly pulled Le Changxi back half a step, hiding herself in the shadows of the crowd.
Qu Chen's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the hilt of his sword. His Adam's apple bobbed a few times as he also chose to take two steps back.
At some point, a wisp of ice crystal condensed on Lin Shuang's fingertip before quietly dissipating. Her eyes flickered, and she eventually lowered her gaze.
As for Le Changxi... the half-broken memory stone falling from his sleeve was currently displaying the image of Suisui transporting spirit stones in the passage.
"You—" Duan Xianxing was suddenly enraged. He roared at the four from the Sword Heart Sect, "Ungrateful wretches! If it weren't for Suisui transporting those spirit stones, you would have been buried alive!"
Cang Dongqing finally spoke. "She was only doing it for her own survival." As she spoke, she also raised her sword. "If she hadn't done that, she would have died too. And as for this skeleton's identity, you know it in your hearts!"
Lin Shuang and Qu Chen exchanged a look, both silently agreeing with Cang Dongqing's words.
Even though they had relied on Suisui to transport spirit stones back then, its very existence was abnormal.
The one who had persevered until the end was Li Nanzhu; it was Li Nanzhu who had risked everything to save them. If it were her who was in a difficult position now, they would have stepped forward without hesitation.
But this was a skeleton.
Furthermore, from Liu Qingyang's words, Lin Shuang realized that the situation wasn't at all like what Liu Qingyang had originally claimed—that it was something produced by some secret treasure. Otherwise, he would have said so to prove its innocence long ago.
Thus, just as Zhao Wufeng had said, under the circumstances where they couldn't be certain if this was a product of an evil cultivator, she couldn't gamble with the safety of so many people.
Even if this skeleton had indirectly saved their lives.
In this gap, Liu Qingyang kept scanning the surroundings, trying to find Zhao Wuya. That rogue cultivator had also been present and could likewise testify.
But the result disappointed him. As soon as that man noticed things were going south, he had slipped away. Where could he be found now?
During this brief silence, several figures suddenly rushed out from the crowd—they were the disciples of the Shenmu Sect.
Daoist Master Qingmu hadn't expected them to dare rush out under these circumstances and hadn't been able to stop them in time.
"Xiaowan! Zhou Zichun! Are you planning to rebel? Get back here!" he roared under his breath.
"Seniors, please see clearly!" Lin Xiaowan's voice was trembling, but she used her shaking fingers to perform the most standard sect salute. "Seniors... I am willing to swear on my Dao heart..." A trace of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, but she insisted on finishing, "Suisui is absolutely not an evil creature..."
Zhou Zichun also stumbled forward, his face as pale as paper. "Suisui... it really isn't an evil creature..."
Ling Xiao's gaze swept over them like a blade. The pressure of a Soul Transformation expert made it difficult for these low-grade cultivators to breathe. Lin Xiaowan's knees buckled, and she nearly fell, yet she still stubbornly tilted her head up.
"You..." Zhao Wufeng frowned. "Mere Qi Condensation and Foundation Establishment disciples, you dare speak so recklessly?"
"We... we saw it with our own eyes..." Tao Ying's voice grew smaller and smaller, and she nearly curled into a ball under Ling Xiao's cold stare.
"It was Suisui and Daoist Friend Li who saved us! We... we believe in them!" Shen Qingqiu also gritted her teeth, showing no intention of backing down.
"Look!" Liu Qingyang raised his voice. "This is the evidence!"
"Nonsense!" The cold light from Ling Xiao's sword edge flared. "The testimony of a few juniors—is that worthy of this deity's belief? All of you, move aside!"
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