Chapter 291

The dark mist in the hidden realm had grown even denser than it was not long ago.

The fierce winds scattered the heavy clouds in the sky into gray wisps, while the ink-black darkness silently seeped across the dome of the heavens, bringing with it the musty scent of decaying earth.

The battle between Meng Jue and the black dragon was nearing its end.

The black dragon possessed an extremely high cultivation level, and coupled with the surging demonic energy around it, its power had increased significantly, reaching the early stage of the Nascent Soul level.

Due to the gap in cultivation levels, the only one among them who could stand against it was Meng Jue, the senior disciple of the Xuanxu Sword Sect.

The attacks of the other two were as ineffective as scratching an itch, having little effect.

This black dragon alone was already troublesome enough, yet the demonic energy in this place kept growing heavier, attracting numerous demonic beasts, all determined to feast on human flesh.

Among those who attracted the most attention were the unconscious Ning Ning and Pei Ji.

Bai Ye had roughly witnessed the whole course of events, and Ning Ning’s reckless actions had given him quite a scare.

Even now, he was still shaken.

Seeing the demonic beasts gathering from all directions, he gritted his teeth and broke away from his fight with the black dragon to stand guard in front of the two.

However—

The young talisman cultivator furrowed his brow instinctively, the endless flashes of lightning in his hand gradually weakening as exhaustion set in.

He was only at the Golden Core stage, while most of the demonic beasts here were at the Golden Core or Nascent Soul stage.

One-on-one, he might still manage, but wave after wave of beasts kept charging, and with his spiritual energy depleted, he was inevitably feeling overwhelmed.

Something was strange.

Bai Ye struck a ferocious beast into the air, his gaze sweeping quickly over the dark mass of the beast horde before glancing at the black dragon not far away.

Demons were drawn to one another by demonic energy, so it made sense that these strange beasts would charge at Pei Ji after his demonic energy surged earlier.

But now, Ning Ning had severed Pei Ji’s demonic energy, which was nowhere near as strong as the black dragon in the sky.

So why… were the beasts still going mad and rushing toward this spot?

He couldn’t make sense of it.

Not that this was the time for Bai Ye to dwell on the matter.

The demonic beasts came charging like a tidal wave, shadows shifting chaotically all around, flying through the air and running on the ground—a veritable feast of beasts of all kinds.

Meng Jue and Yonggui were too preoccupied with their fight against the black dragon to assist, leaving Bai Ye alone at the front.

If he let his guard down for even a second—

The thought barely crossed his mind before Bai Ye’s body tensed.

A giant eagle dove from the sky, and several figures rushed at him from the sides at the same time.

With only a sliver of spiritual energy left, there was no way he could fend them off.

This is bad.

Bai Ye’s heart sank, but instead of turning to flee and exposing the two behind him to the horde, he pulled out a yellow talisman from his robe, his fingers trembling slightly.

This was his most prized possession, a last-ditch tool to channel all his remaining spiritual energy into a deadly spell for a final strike.

It was a self-destructive technique, capable of fending off this wave of attacks, but after that…

No matter.

Surviving this moment is what matters.

Hardening his resolve, he bit down on his fingertip in an instant, ready to press the blood onto the talisman.

But then, a deafening howl erupted from his side.

—Too late!

A demonic wolf’s paw slashed through the air, leaving him no time to react as its sharp claws mercilessly raked toward the young man’s face!

He Xiaochen slammed his hand on the table and yelled, “Bai Ye!”

At that very moment, in the blink of an eye, a streak of sword light flashed suddenly, splitting the wolf’s paw in half just before it reached Bai Ye.

“What…?”

Qu Feiqing stood motionless, intently staring at the image in the scrying mirror, and then her lips curled slightly.

“Pei Ji is awake!”

Tian Xianzi mused, “Ning Ning broke his inner demon.”

In the secret realm, behind Bai Ye, a blood-soaked young man in black gently laid the unconscious girl in his arms on the ground, then slowly stood up.

Although the long sword in his hand remained sheathed, the surging sword energy around him radiated with a murderous, cold light that lit up his pitch-black eyes.

“Sword manifested from spiritual consciousness—his cultivation has broken through,” remarked Ji Yunkai, tapping his knuckles against the table, unusually serious.

“But who knows how Ning Ning is faring.”

“Pei… Junior brother Pei?” Bai Ye, pale-faced, stared at him in disbelief.

As the sword light around them flared and several demonic beasts let out deathly howls, he tentatively asked, “Are you alright? Is your mind still intact?”

Oh god, if Pei Ji had also succumbed to his inner demon and fallen to the demonic path—they would all be doomed.

Pei Ji, taller than Bai Ye, cast his cold gaze downward, a few dark red droplets of blood dripping from his long lashes.

His expression, as usual, was unreadable, his eyes filled with darkness and murderous intent.

But then, as if some thought crossed his mind, the bestial fury in his eyes paused briefly, replaced by a flicker of embarrassment.

“Take care of… Ning Ning for me.”

Of course, Bai Ye would take care of her! He was a man, wasn’t he?

Wait—when did it become ‘taking care of her for him’? Wasn’t junior sister Ning Ning everyone’s concern?

Before he could respond, Pei Ji wordlessly drew his sword.

As embarrassing as it was to admit, Bai Ye couldn’t help but be mesmerized.

After breaking free from his inner demon, Pei Ji still emitted demonic energy, but he was clearly no longer controlled by it.

Frowning and focusing his strength, he even managed to harness the demonic energy, channeling it into his sword, creating streaks of blood-red power with imposing force.

The boy’s tall, slender figure, his bloodstained black hair and robe billowing in the fierce wind, contrasted sharply with the dazzling white of his sword energy, which glowed like cold light, captivating the eye.

Despite his injuries, Pei Ji’s movements were still so fast they were almost impossible to follow.

Light and shadow vanished, the sword struck without a trace, and with a loud rumble, the sword’s light split into countless blades like falling snow, piercing into the flesh of the demonic beasts—

Then came a muffled explosion, the sword energy erupting layer by layer, sending blood and flesh flying.

It was raw, violent beauty.

Bai Ye knew this junior sword cultivator wasn’t known for a good temper, but he never imagined Pei Ji could fight more ruthlessly than the demons without leaving a single margin for escape.

Fortunately, the number of demonic beasts imprisoned within each level of the Demon Refining Tower was limited.

After wave after wave, they were all swiftly cut down by Pei Ji’s sword.

Thus, when Meng Jue and Yonggui finally finished off the black dragon, their blood-blurred vision revealed nothing but piles of beast bones stacked upon one another.

And standing atop the mountain of corpses, Pei Ji sheathed his sword, his gaze cold as he locked eyes with them from afar, his expression devoid of emotion.

The eye contact lasted only a moment before Pei Ji shifted his gaze, stumbling slightly from exhaustion, and then began walking toward Ning Ning.

It wasn’t until he drew closer that Bai Ye saw what condition junior brother Pei was in.

His entire body was covered in gashes from beast claws and bites, his pale lips cracked and bleeding, and his face was devoid of color, as though he might collapse at any moment, clearly having exhausted all his strength.

How ruthless.

Pei Ji wasn’t just ruthless toward his enemies—he was even more ruthless toward himself.

Though he appeared calm and indifferent, every time he drew his sword, he was putting his life on the line.

Bai Ye felt a sense of admiration.

Knowing that Pei Ji had come specifically for Ning Ning, he stepped aside to clear a path.

Unexpectedly, Pei Ji hesitated for a moment, then shook his head and rasped, “I’m covered in blood; I’ll dirty her.”

Amazing—just moments ago, he had been a ruthless god of death, yet now he was suddenly concerned about such a trivial matter.

Bai Ye watched as the murderous intent in Pei Ji’s eyes gradually dissipated.

When he looked at Ning Ning, there was even a fleeting panic in his eyes.

Bai Ye couldn’t help but mutter to himself: “He’s really showing no hesitation in favoring her, this brat.”

“Junior sister Ning is exhausted and unconscious. I fear she shouldn’t remain in the Demon Refining Tower any longer,” Meng Jue said as he finished dealing with the black dragon, quickly sheathing his sword and stepping forward.

“Perhaps we should—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a voice suddenly laughed from behind them.

It was the laughter of a young man—hoarse and wild, like gravel scraping against the ground, far from what one would call “pleasant.”

In an instant, demonic energy surged toward them.

Meng Jue drew his sword to block the collision of demonic energy and sword energy exploding into swirling currents.