Chapter 101: I Want to Get Out!

"Damn it! First Transformation of the Ancient Demon! Power of the Four Prisons!" Having resolved to stop 'Xiao Qian' at any cost, Yu Daoyi had prepared himself for the worst. Yet, as he unleashed the Nine Purgatories of the Four Prisons, his body did not shatter as he had anticipated. Instead, he felt a coolness on his forehead, where a single peach blossom petal shimmered gently.

Surging forward, Yu Daoyi was enveloped in a dazzling crimson radiance, like a desperate gambler playing his final hand. As he shouted the name of the technique, the red light instantly converged into his fist, the eerie crimson glow striking a stark, haunting contrast against the blood-red night.

On his forehead, the petal began to lose its luster at a visible rate, slowly withering away.

Sensing the surging demonic power behind him, 'Xiao Qian' was forced to turn and strike back with his own fist. A thunderous boom erupted, shattering the rocks and causing the mountaintop to crack. In an instant, Yu Daoyi was sent flying backward like a kite with a snapped string, while 'Xiao Qian' was forced to stagger back several steps.

"Old geezer! Is this guy really worth your trust? Fine! Fine!! Then I shall kill this woman, and then seize that brat's consciousness!" 'Xiao Qian' roared savagely toward the old peach tree.

"Hiss... wait, what? It doesn't hurt at all?" Yu Daoyi, who had been bracing himself to scream in pain, realized he hadn't a single scratch, nor was there a drop of blood. He reached up and gently touched the petal on his forehead, suddenly understanding.

"If I fail, you'll really die, won't you, old man?" Yu Daoyi muttered. He realized the petal was temporarily linking his life to the old peach tree; the tree was burning its own life force to provide him with power.

The petal trembled slightly, as if whispering in response.

"Heh, so as long as the blood array is broken, it doesn't matter if you live or die, does it?" Yu Daoyi murmured, seemingly grasping the intent. He then changed his expression and smiled. "I am grateful for your care and trust, old man. So today, let us bring all of this to an end!"

"You brat! Even if I can't kill you, I will make you wish you were dead!" 'Xiao Qian' yelled, charging at him.

"Heh, look at you, acting so high and mighty! I've been sick of you for a long time! Just because you've lived a little longer than me, you think you're something? Shut your trap!" Bolstered by renewed confidence, Yu Daoyi retorted arrogantly.

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

The crimson light seemed to break free entirely, shooting into the sky like a pillar of blood. Within that light, a transformation took place. A strikingly handsome, well-built youth emerged, his ethereal, bewitching face adorned with a peach blossom mark on his brow—a sight that would make any man in the world burn with envy.

His long, flowing hair whipped in the evening breeze, turning the color of soaked blood in an instant. His crimson eyes, like twin rubies, were captivating and even more demonic under the blood-red moon of this crimson night.

"Soul Sacrifice!" 'Xiao Qian' roared. Terrifying, hideous ghosts flew up from the foot and slopes of the mountain, lunging at Yu Daoyi. Upon closer inspection, they were clearly the villagers of Peach Blossom Village.

"You beast!" Yu Daoyi bellowed, unleashing the Nine Purgatories stored in his right arm. Every ghost that stood in the path of his punch shrieked and vanished, as if they had never existed. A massive chasm tore through the mountaintop, splitting the uneven peak in two.

"What kind of technique is this!" 'Xiao Qian' managed to block the blow but was sent flying, his face pale with shock.

"Feels good! I suggest you surrender obediently now, or you'll suffer even greater humiliation before you die!" Yu Daoyi laughed wildly, looking every bit the great villain.

"Yu Daoyi!!!" 'Xiao Qian's' face, once delicate, twisted into a mask of pure malice, a far cry from the graceful youth on the peach tree during the day.

"Xiao Qian, stop! We were never meant to exist in this world," a melodic, anxious voice came from behind 'Xiao Qian'.

"Yao-yao, sister?" 'Xiao Qian' turned around, seeing Yao-yao standing there. The word "sister" slipped out, but he suddenly jolted, clamping a hand over his mouth.

"Damn it! You bastard! You're trying to hinder me too!" 'Xiao Qian' grew even more enraged, even striking himself with his own fists.

"Yao-yao, Xiao Qian's consciousness is still there! Go open the blood array, leave him to me!" Yu Daoyi shouted to her.

"Right!" Yao-yao ran toward the tombstone, whispering, "Xiao Qian, everyone! I will save you!"

"Hey, you rascal! I... I think I can't hold on anymore. Argh!" Xiao Qian looked at Yu Daoyi with a bitter smile, enduring immense agony.

"Xiao Qian! Hold on! Your sister is waiting for you!" Yu Daoyi, seeing the struggle, desperately invoked Yao-yao's name to try and keep him lucid.

"Damn it! Do you really think I can't get rid of you? Even if it costs me dearly, I will not let you remain!" 'Xiao Qian' roared, as if speaking to himself.

"Tch! Nine Purgatories! Power of the Nine Prisons!" Yu Daoyi swung again. A massive burst of power erupted, kicking up a cloud of dust, but the petal on his forehead began to crack.

"Why! Why must you all stand in my way? I only want to live! What did I do wrong!"

"Why does that guy get all your love while I am targeted everywhere I turn? He is me! He is also me! I won't accept this!" 'Xiao Qian' bellowed in defiance.

"I was born from resentment, and I wanted to escape this fake world! I was mindless at first, doing nothing, not even given the right to refuse before that tree demon sealed me away! You treated me as an abomination from the start! If that's the case, what is wrong with me acting according to my nature!"

"Why do you have the right to erase my existence? I just want to get out! I don't want to be sealed for another ten thousand years! We were born into this world together, so why can't you understand even a fraction of what I feel!"

"You are not me! You don't get to make decisions for me! I want to get out!!!"

Yu Daoyi watched the figure before him with complex eyes, breathing heavily as fatigue washed over his body. This meant the power of the petal was fading. Opposite him, 'Xiao Qian' rose from the dust, a trickle of blood at the corner of his mouth, though he was only lightly injured.

"Too weak, after all. The Nine Purgatories unleashed with borrowed power barely scratches the surface of its true potential. If it were the real thing, this brat would have been dead already," a voice echoed from his brow.

"You really picked a hell of a time to show up! I have a score to settle with you!" Yu Daoyi fumed at the sound of the voice.

"I'm only telling you this: you're overcomplicating things. He wants to enter your consciousness and control you? Then just let him," the voice said dismissively.

"What do you mean?" Yu Daoyi paused, stunned.

"I'm hungry, that's all. Let me devour him, and I'll give you a gift." Like a spoiled child, the incomplete artifact spirit's words were simple and blunt.

"Why should I trust you?" Yu Daoyi couldn't help but ask, yet he didn't want to pass up even the slightest chance of winning.

"Suit yourself." The voice fell silent, acting as haughty as ever.

"Heh, hehe, finally suppressed that guy. Die! You all deserve to die!" 'Xiao Qian' panted on the mountaintop, the struggle in his expression gone, replaced by pure ferocity.

"Xiao Qian!" Yu Daoyi called out, but there was no response.

As he spoke, the mountaintop began to tremble. Debris danced across the ground; the entire mountain and the illusion itself began to shake.

Yu Daoyi glanced at Yao-yao and saw her slash her wrist. Blood flowed toward the tombstone as she whispered incantations. Her bright eyes began to dim, losing their color, yet she still looked at Yu Daoyi and her brother with concern.

"You foul woman! Stop it!" 'Xiao Qian' looked at the collapsing illusion around them and then at Yao-yao, shouting in a panic.

"You are not him! You are not my brother! I won't listen to you!" Yao-yao shouted back.