Chapter One Hundred: Graceful Peach Blossoms, Gentle Ripples

"Bus? What is that?" A rare trace of confusion flickered across Xiao Qian's face.

"That's not important! Right now, I'd rather let Yao Yao possess me than let you touch me for even a second!"

"You don't have a choice," Xiao Qian replied with chilling indifference.

"She is not like you! Her home is here!" Yu Daoyi said with ironclad conviction.

"She is unique. I will find a way to resurrect her."

"What! What the hell are you talking about now? Do you think death is just some trivial thing? Like sleeping? You think someone can just wake up after a nap?" Yu Daoyi roared in exasperation.

"Her physical body is protected here by the Blood Array, and her soul exists within this illusion. As long as the right method is found, she can wake up," Xiao Qian said softly, looking down at Yao Yao on the ground.

"If you care about her, why did you let those villagers hurt her!" Memories of the blood-soaked night flooded back, fueling Yu Daoyi's rage.

"She is still alive, isn't she? I told you she is special. As long as she remains, I am confident I can recreate 'Peach Blossom Village'!" Xiao Qian spoke dismissively. As long as she was alive, that was enough; whether she was injured or not had never mattered to him.

"Heh, heh heh, damn it all! You never cared about her at all. You just want to satisfy your own twisted, possessive desires. You only want the power of the Blood Array."

"Honestly, in comparison, the real Xiao Qian is infinitely more lovable than you!" Yu Daoyi laughed, mocking himself for even considering a compromise with a demon.

"What? Angry? Or is it that you don't care about the people outside anymore?"

"Let me tell you something! I won't sell my soul or my body! If you want to possess me, you can forget it!" Yu Daoyi shot Xiao Qian a look of pure contempt and raised his middle finger.

"Don't act like I can't survive without you! I'm telling you, if I lose you, I'll just take the position of the Inheritor myself! When that time comes, I'll still be able to save them! Don't underestimate me!"

With that, Yu Daoyi lunged forward, swinging a punch at Xiao Qian’s face. But before he could land a blow, Xiao Qian caught his right hand, twisted it downward, and after a surge of excruciating pain in his wrist, Yu Daoyi was slammed one-handed onto the jagged rocks.

"You are too weak. If I didn't need you to take me out of here, I would have killed you already," Xiao Qian brushed his hands off casually, completely unconcerned by the attack.

"Ha, you won't kill me. Even if I were useless to you, you wouldn't kill me casually. Once I die, I can just start over, and that would cause even more complications for you."

"You are clever, but you never act like a smart person," Xiao Qian remarked with a hint of surprise.

...Does this bastard think I'm an idiot?

"Ancient Demon Transformation! Nine Purgatories! Power of the First Purgatory!"

Ignoring the pain from being slammed onto the rocks, Yu Daoyi surged to his feet. The faint crimson glow radiating from his body concentrated on his right fist. Tiny beads of blood began to seep from his skin; even his current body could not withstand the toll of using the First Purgatory.

"Weak." Xiao Qian slowly raised his hand, catching Yu Daoyi’s punch with his palm.

"Tch! Power of the Second Purgatory!" Yu Daoyi pushed off the ground, a more intense demonic aura erupting from his body. This time, his right arm bones began to crack. He threw the punch, and although Xiao Qian blocked it with one hand again, the shock on his face was unmistakable.

"A strange technique. To think it could become this powerful in an instant."

"There's so much you don't know! Power of the Third Purgatory!" Yu Daoyi bellowed. As the words left his lips, bursts of blood mist erupted from his body.

Given his current state, his body hadn't completely shattered yet. With his cultivation reaching the Fifth Realm and the tempering of his spirit, he could barely manage to unleash the Third Purgatory within this illusion.

"Interesting!" Xiao Qian smiled slightly and blocked it with one hand again, but this time, he was forced to step back half a pace.

"A formidable technique. I never saw such power even from Baili Mo, and I can sense that this technique is far from its limit."

"Even though most of my power was sealed by that tree, I still possess the strength equivalent to the peak of Foundation Establishment. To think that someone at the mere Fifth Realm of Qi Refining could reach this level." Xiao Qian’s voice was filled with surprise, even a touch of admiration.

"Damn it! Even this can't move him! And that book just drained me dry and is ignoring me now... I've really hit a dead end..." Yu Daoyi hung his head, gasping for air, covered in wounds.

"You were right before; I won't kill you. Killing you offers me no benefit. However, I will exhaust your strength. Once you are weak, I can control you directly. At that point, I won't need your consent to break the Blood Array!"

"I was born from the resentment permeating that array. I have quite a bit of experience in disturbing minds and controlling souls. Yu Daoyi, you cannot escape." Xiao Qian spoke casually.

"A puppet will never be a slave!" Yu Daoyi gritted his teeth, took one long look at Yao Yao, and with a roar, used his final ounce of strength to leap off the cliff.

"Leap of Faith!" At the edge of the summit, he jumped. As long as he could restart, he was confident he could do everything better.

"Did I say you could jump? Can't you just be obedient?" Xiao Qian said coldly, flicking his right hand.

Yu Daoyi, mid-air, suddenly froze as if snagged by an invisible force. In the blink of an eye, he was yanked back and slammed face-first into the rocks atop the mountain.

"Don't try any cheap tricks, and don't pin your hopes on that tree. It no longer has the power to interfere with such matters." Xiao Qian looked at the struggling Yu Daoyi and continued: "The reason you can keep restarting is merely a method used by Baili Mo to test the Inheritor. I cannot change that, but as long as you do not die, there won't be any surprises."

Yu Daoyi struggled to his feet. His body was a wreck from overusing the Ancient Demon Nine Transformations, and his consciousness began to blur from blood loss.

"A dead end... Why does a protagonist like me always run into this kind of stuff?" he muttered in resentment.

Suddenly, a breeze blew by, stirring the ends of Yu Daoyi's hair. Unlike the bloody evening wind from before, this one carried the scent of peach blossoms, as if drifting from a great distance.

He looked up under the blood-red moonlight to see a single peach blossom petal dancing in the air, leaping with the breeze, until it drifted slowly and gently onto the forehead of the unconscious Yao Yao.

"You old geezer, you're already half in the grave, why are you still meddling in others' affairs!" Xiao Qian suddenly realized what was happening, his brow furrowing in anger.

A visible ripple appeared on Yao Yao's forehead, and she slowly opened her eyes.

"Heh, I really am an idiot! I didn't even think of that! Besides you, there’s someone else who knows how to break the Blood Array—no, there's a tree!" Yu Daoyi watched the scene with delight, reveling in Xiao Qian’s fury.

"You old fool, if you want to die, why drag me into it!" Xiao Qian roared, glaring toward Yao Yao with a ferocious expression, clearly deciding to strike.

"Go ahead, end it all." Another breeze blew, carrying the fragrance of peach blossoms and a flurry of petals, accompanied by a tired, ancient voice.

One petal landed on Yu Daoyi’s forehead. After a ripple passed through him, the wounds on his body vanished, and he felt invigorated, as if he had exploited a loophole to be reborn once more without any side effects.

"Old man! You really are bold! You're throwing me straight against a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator!" Despite his words, Yu Daoyi leaped up, instantly triggered the First Demon Transformation, and charged at Xiao Qian.

"Xiao Qian?" Yao Yao’s gaze shifted from vacant to clear. She felt as if she had just woken up from a nap, yet her mind was filled with new information, and her head was throbbing with pain.

"Yao Yao! He’s not Xiao Qian! Get away from him!" Yu Daoyi shouted immediately.

"Don't blame me! That old man forced my hand! I don't want to kill you, but I can't leave you alive any longer!" Xiao Qian struggled and roared. To him, Yao Yao, now knowing the method to break the array, was a grave threat.