Urban Martial Saint

Chapter 2017 - 2017: On the Edge of Life and Death

As Nalan Jingwei and the Executioner Scholar lunged forward, the Sky-Killing Master also rushed over. He knew what was behind this final barrier, and naturally, he was aware of the dangers of the Heart Demon Great Array. Initially, he wanted to warn Nalan Jingwei and the Executioner Scholar. However, by the time he noticed, they had already leapt forward, and it was too late for him to shout a warning.The Executioner Scholar arrived first, directly lunging towards Ye Qing, and thus managed to snatch Ye Qing, charging forward a few meters. Meanwhile, Nalan Jingwei attacked the Great Lord, delivering a heavy punch to the Great Lord's back, forcing him a few steps forward. But when Nalan landed, he fell precisely on the spot where the Great Lord had just stood. In that instant, his expression froze, just like the Great Lord earlier, standing dazed in place, having fallen into an illusion.

The Executioner Scholar's situation was the same as Nalan Jingwei's. As soon as he entered the range of the Heart Demon Great Array, he was attacked and fell into an illusion.

However, the Great Lord's situation was different. He had originally been controlled by the illusion. But after being punched by Nalan Jingwei, although internally injured, he was snapped out of the illusion. Seeing the situation around him, the Great Lord's face changed dramatically. Though unaware of what had happened, his instincts told him that the previous situation had been extremely dangerous. More crucially, Ye Qing had been snatched away by the Executioner Scholar. Without hesitation, he rushed over to grab Ye Qing back.

The Executioner Scholar, caught in an illusion, was naturally unaware of how to defend. Seeing this, the Sky-Killing Master suddenly let out a roar, picking up a stone from the side and hurling it forcefully.

The stone missed the Great Lord, but it hit the Executioner Scholar. Originally in an illusion, the attack shocked the Executioner Scholar awake. As he opened his eyes and saw the Great Lord lunging towards him, he was utterly startled, quickly rolling backward several meters. Although he avoided the Great Lord's attack, he failed to hold onto Ye Qing, who was once again snatched back by the Great Lord.

Seeing the Executioner Scholar escape unharmed, the Sky-Killing Master breathed a sigh of relief and shouted, "Be careful, that's the Heart Demon Great Array; it causes illusions and is extremely terrifying. Get out quickly!"

The Executioner Scholar, realizing the precariousness of the situation, quickly turned and attempted to retreat from the area. But after taking just a couple of steps, the Sky-Killing Master suddenly shouted, "Retreat quickly!"

"Ah?" The Executioner Scholar hesitated for a moment but instinctively took a step back. At that instant, a gigantic Devouring Demon Flower landed just ahead of him. Had he charged forward earlier, he would have been ensnared by that flower. The Sky-Killing Master's timely shout had indeed saved his life.

Seeing the Devouring Demon Flower, the Executioner Scholar was even more astonished, asking, "What is this?"

This was the Executioner Scholar's first time in the Demon Hideout Cave. He had never encountered the Devouring Demon Flower before, so upon witnessing it descend, he was momentarily too shocked to react.

"It's a Devouring Demon Flower!" the Sky-Killing Master urgently shouted, "Don't just stand there, look up!"

Upon hearing the words "Devouring Demon Flower," the Executioner Scholar's face changed instantly. Although he hadn't seen one before, he had heard many legends about them and naturally knew how terrifying they were. Hearing the Sky-Killing Master's words, he instinctively looked up. He saw large Devouring Demon Flowers everywhere, with petals opening and descending upon him. The Executioner Scholar was standing right beneath them, several of the flowers enveloping him simultaneously.

Utterly terrified, the Executioner Scholar turned pale, not daring to hesitate. He quickly retreated to evade the descending Devouring Demon Flowers. However, in doing so, he bumped into Nalan Jingwei, still under the influence of the illusion, knocking him aside.

Nalan Jingwei, originally controlled by the Heart Demon Great Array, was in a deep illusion. But the bump from the Executioner Scholar jolted him awake. Seeing the Executioner Scholar desperately dodging the flowers and observing the looming gigantic blossoms surrounding him, he knew something was amiss. Quickly looking up, he saw an unending shower of Devouring Demon Flowers descending upon him, shocking him to his core. With no time to consider anything else, he hastily ran like the Executioner Scholar, escaping the ever-falling Devouring Demon Flowers.

Ye Qing watched from a distance as the pair narrowly dodged numerous Devouring Demon Flowers, thinking regretfully to himself. If not for the Sky-Killing Master waking the Executioner Scholar, who in turn awakened Nalan Jingwei, the Devouring Demon Flowers might have engulfed them both. Now that they were awake, they could evade these flowers more easily, and trapping them within was no longer simple.

Nevertheless, Ye Qing wasn't worried at the moment. Now that the Devouring Demon Flowers had begun their assault, he had nothing further to do. All he needed was to stand by and observe. He was unafraid of the Devouring Demon Flowers, but the people from the Church and Nalan Jingwei, along with the Executioner Scholar, had no choice but to desperately avoid them.

The Great Lord suffered a blow from Nalan Jingwei, his internal organs slightly disturbed, his complexion somewhat pale. He saw the flowers falling, and although he couldn't understand the words of Sky-Killing Master, he already knew these were undoubtedly the Devouring Demon Flowers. Thus, he dared not be negligent, swiftly dodging away. The Great Lord's speed was much faster than that of Nalan Jingwei and Executioner Scholar, so naturally it was easier for him to evade them. However, at this moment, he didn't have time to catch Ye Qing; seeing so many Devouring Demon Flowers falling, he could only toss Ye Qing aside and desperately ran out.

Within the Heart Demon Great Array, about fifty to sixty Devouring Demon Flowers fell together, appearing immensely grand. Yet, Nalan Jingwei, Executioner Scholar, and the Great Lord, all outstanding among Peak Masters, managed to escape from these fifty to sixty Devouring Demon Flowers, which made Ye Qing sigh secretly in regret.

Observing the situation here, everyone engaged in the chaotic battle in the distance was stunned, halting their fighting, all staring dumbfounded at this side, shocked by the unfolding events. After all, since entering the Demon Hideout Cave, it was the first time they saw the Devouring Demon Flower. Seeing the legendary, terrifying Devouring Demon Flower, everyone's hearts were filled with awe.

The three, having rushed out of the range of the Devouring Demon Flowers, breathed a sigh of relief. They glanced at each other, clearly on guard against one another. Despite this, none took the initiative to attack each other; instead, they simultaneously looked toward Ye Qing, standing within the Heart Demon Great Array.

The fifty to sixty Devouring Demon Flowers fell, and Ye Qing's position was initially within their coverage. However, for some unknown reason, after these flowers descended, they didn't engulf Ye Qing. On the contrary, as those Devouring Demon Flowers slowly rose back, Ye Qing stood unharmed at the same spot, which was indeed puzzling.

"Ye Qing, how… how come you're alright?" The Great Lord was the first to ask in a deep voice, his intuition telling him there's definitely something peculiar about this matter. Moreover, he already felt that he had completely fallen into Ye Qing's trap.

Ye Qing himself didn't know why he was unharmed. He saw those Devouring Demon Flowers falling, with two of them fully covering him. However, the Devouring Demon Flowers didn't wrap around him and didn't entrap him, which was strange even to himself, unaware of what happened.

Actually, Ye Qing had consumed so many Devouring Demon Flowers that he possessed their power inherently. When these flowers descended, they treated him as one of their own, naturally not devouring him. Just like the Heart Demon Great Array, it wouldn't attack Ye Qing, only others.

"I also don't know what happened," Ye Qing truthfully replied. "Perhaps it's just luck."

"Luck?" The Great Lord frowned, of course not believing such a reason. He looked at Ye Qing and suddenly said in a deep voice, "This place is too dangerous; you should come out quickly!"

The Great Lord completely distrusted Ye Qing by now, but outwardly he showed no sign of it. He instead spoke in this manner, trying to coax Ye Qing into coming out. He dared not step into the range of the Heart Demon Great Array again, naturally daring not to go in and capture Ye Qing, wanting to draw him out and control him instead.

Ye Qing wasn't foolish; he wouldn't be deceived by the Great Lord. He shook his head, saying, "No, it's too dangerous here, and there are traps everywhere. If I walk out and step on a trap, I'm done for. How about you come in and drag me out?"

The Great Lord had suffered greatly in the Heart Demon Great Array earlier, knowing full well about its ability to trap people in illusions. He had fallen into an illusion and was struck by Nalan Jingwei, already injured, so he dared not experience it again. Moreover, Nalan Jingwei and Executioner Scholar were watching intently by the side. He understood clearly that if he were to enter the array again and fall into an illusion, those two would definitely strike him immediately. So he wouldn't re-enter the Heart Demon Great Array under any circumstances.

"Don't worry, walk out; I'm watching from here. If there's any danger, I'll rush over to save you!" The Great Lord replied.

"No, I really can't walk; my legs are numb." Ye Qing casually found an excuse to fool him, his attention focused on the surrounding Devouring Demon Flowers. Initially, he thought that once these flowers moved, they would trigger all other Devouring Demon Flowers and trap these people in one fell swoop. However, reality proved him wrong; despite some movement, the flowers in other parts of the cave showed no sign of activity. This indicated that these flowers weren't so easily manipulated. At least, for now, Ye Qing couldn't control them at all.

If it was impossible to mobilize all these Devouring Demon Flowers, then killing these people wouldn't be feasible. Ye Qing was troubled in his heart; he brought these people to the Demon Hideout Cave intending to seize the opportunity to eliminate them. If the Devouring Demon Flowers couldn't be used, Ye Qing had no means to kill them.