153: Chapter 153 Reversal

Xu Changsheng heard her free-spirited voice in his ear: "Brother Xu, you'll come to save me, right?"

There was no response, only a sudden shake of the head.

Seeing this,

Crimson Rainbow's Face turned pale, and she gave a miserable smile: "As expected, Brother Xu is a man of the Dao, unmoved by feminine charms."

Xu Changsheng was stunned.

He thought to himself that Crimson Rainbow had misunderstood his meaning.

Earth Stone One's eyes remained cold as she walked behind Crimson Rainbow: "Fellow Daoist Crimson Rainbow, it's best you get in the carriage first, otherwise I'll start to feel like you're truly stalling for time."

"Fine."

Crimson Rainbow lowered her head, letting her black hair fall messily over her shoulders; her originally charming and exquisite Face was now dim and lusterless.

She stepped onto the footboard, pursing her red lips, and turned back once more to gaze at Xu Changsheng.

Her heart was filled with grief; this might be the last time she would ever see him.

Yet she saw that the latter still stood as straight as a pine, his expression unchanged, even carrying a hint of a smile.

Crimson Rainbow's willow-like brows furrowed: "This bastard is truly detestable."

But her words said something else entirely: "Take care, Brother Xu. I wish you and Sister Tang a long life together until your hair turns white."

Having said that,

She turned her head.

Pulling aside the curtain, she stepped into the carriage, her figure completely vanishing from Xu Changsheng's sight.

Earth Stone One said nothing and followed to the front of the carriage.

Just then,

Xu Changsheng spoke up: "Senior Earth, release her, and I will let you leave."

"Hmm?"

Earth Stone One turned around, her sword-like brows slightly furrowed: "Fellow Daoist Xu, is it? If it weren't for Fairy Crimson Rainbow's Face, you would already be a pile of withered bones."

Her voice grew colder: "Do not waste her kindness and lose your little life!"

A Golden Core pressure quietly emanated from her body as she narrowed her eyes at Xu Changsheng.

The nearby Qi Refining Disciples were unable to withstand this pressure.

*Crack, crack.*

One after another, they knelt or slumped onto the ground.

"Senior Xu..."

Crimson Glow's voice was bitter; she didn't know what Xu Changsheng intended.

Inside the carriage, Crimson Rainbow also heard Xu Changsheng's words. She pulled back the curtain and cried out hoarsely, "Xu Changsheng, what are you doing? Have you lost your life? Quickly apologize to Senior Earth!"

Facing the Golden Core pressure, Xu Changsheng remained unmoved: "As I said, Senior Earth, if you don't want to die, then release her!"

Upon hearing this,

Astonishment first flashed through Earth Stone One's eyes, followed immediately by a deepening frown that turned ruthless: "Were you just threatening me?"

Xu Changsheng shrugged: "I suppose so, but I'm also pointing out a clear path for Senior."

As soon as these words were spoken, everyone was stunned!

Ye Quan and the other Qi Refining Disciples, seeing immortals fighting, couldn't intervene at all. They could only remain kneeling, occasionally glancing forward from the corners of their eyes.

They prayed that Senior Earth would just kill Xu Changsheng and not notice them.

Crimson Glow remained silent.

Crimson Rainbow stared blankly at Xu Changsheng's confident appearance. She knew he wasn't a reckless person; if he dared to say such things, he must have his reasons.

Her red lips trembled: "Brother Xu, you?"

He nodded and looked at her quietly: "Fairy Ni, I accept the kindness you showed by using yourself as bait, but I don't plan on paying it back."

Her eyes reddened: "You bastard, you lied to me again..."

"Have you said enough?"

Earth Stone One could no longer suppress the anger in her heart: "A clear path? Simply laughable."

Usually cold and stern, she laughed out of sheer anger: "Based on you, a mere Foundation Establishment? You're worthy of pointing the way for me? Why don't I first point you towards the path to the Yellow Springs."

The next moment,

*Whoosh!*

A terrifying Movement Technique was fully displayed as her figure vanished from beside the flying carriage.

With a flicker, she arrived inches away from Xu Changsheng, four silver flying daggers held between her fingertips.

She flicked her hand.

They shot toward Xu Changsheng at a speed indiscernible to the naked eye.

"Die!"

Earth Stone One's figure stopped in place, her eyes narrowing. In her eyes, Xu Changsheng was already a dead man.

The others only just reacted, their mouths hanging open. Facing an attack they couldn't even see clearly, they truly didn't know how Xu Changsheng would respond.

Looking at the spikes gradually sharpening and enlarging before him, he smiled calmly.

The next instant,

Earth Stone One's eyes suddenly widened, a look of disbelief on her Face.

She saw Xu Changsheng's smiling figure turn into an afterimage, shattering inch by inch and completely vanishing from the world.

Along with him, everyone else vanished, and even her third-grade flying carriage disappeared.

"How is this possible!"

Her pupils constricted as she looked around.

She discovered that the surrounding scenery had undergone a world-shaking change; the low shrubs that were there before had vanished at some point.

Everywhere she looked were towering ancient trees that blotted out the sun. A cold wind blew from the forest, stripping the warmth from her body.

Earth Stone One keenly sensed a hint of crisis. Her figure vanished from the spot as she suddenly charged in one direction.

With her movement speed, a few dozen breaths should have been enough to fly out of the Trial Grounds.

However, she quickly realized something was wrong.

After flying for a full half-incense stick of time, the surrounding scenery remained exactly as it was at the start, still a lush and verdant landscape.

She closed her eyes and felt quietly.

She sensed a faint, almost non-existent twisting force in the surroundings. She suddenly snapped her eyes open, her clear black and white eyes looking into the distance.

"Illusion? No, it's an illusion formation!"

An illusion of such massive scale could only be produced by a large-scale illusion formation.

At this moment,

Crimson Rainbow had already come to Xu Changsheng's side, standing shoulder to shoulder with him.

Looking at Earth Stone One spinning around in the sky like a headless fly,

She tugged at his sleeve: "Brother Xu has kept me in the dark so cruelly. Since you had such a method, why didn't you use it earlier?"

Recalling her genuine display of emotion just now, her cheeks flushed: "You made me play out such a long tragic scene for nothing."

Xu Changsheng gave a chuckle: "Because I knew you had already notified True Man Zhuzhao."

"Brother Xu is truly heartless, treating Ni'er like an outsider."

Xu Changsheng pulled her hand down from his Daoist robe and held it in his own: "I didn't treat you like an outsider..."

Feeling the warmth from his palm, a deep red suddenly climbed up to her ears: "You, what are you doing?"

He turned his head and stared at her intently.

She averted her gaze to the other side: "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because only by pretending not to care about you could I save you."

"..."

Earth Stone One tapped the storage belt at her waist and took out an inky black square mirror. The pitch-black mirror surface reflected the surrounding scene in grayscale.

As an assassin of the Yinsha Pavilion, she had to Face many great formations, and illusion formations were naturally no exception. This Mirage-Breaking Mirror in her hand was specifically designed to counter illusion formations.

She applied some pressure to the mirror surface, and the frame emitted a black light. Everywhere it touched, it was like ink spreading over a painting.

The gray images on the mirror surface twisted and changed constantly.

Finally, it settled on a single image.

Shrubs, a bright sun, white clouds.

It was exactly the place outside the Mizong Old Forest where she had caught everyone; despite wandering for so long, she was still in the same spot.

Gripping the handle, she tilted it and saw that Crimson Rainbow was already standing next to Xu Changsheng.

Seeing Earth Stone One's gaze sweep over, the latter sighed: "She is a Golden Core True Person after all, and one renowned for assassination. As expected, she couldn't be trapped for long."

"Go to hell!"

Her lips beneath the mask moved slightly, and a black-light dagger flew out, carrying immense power as it struck.

Xu Changsheng shook his head: "I never intended to trap you for long. I just needed to stall until True Man Zhuzhao arrived."

Crimson Rainbow raised her hand: "Yes, Junior Martial Uncle has arrived."