Chapter 24 The Final Arrow
His words had barely faded.
The sky darkened instantly. Sand and stones whipped through the air.
Rong Che only frowned slightly and gave a hand signal. The imperial guards immediately surrounded Xie Ning.
But in the next breath, the deafening sound of collapsing mountains drew closer.
Before anyone could react, they were swept off their feet.
Hundreds of demonic beasts leaped out from the void.
Even if their limbs were severed, they regenerated in the next instant.
They feared no death, only charging forward to tear apart the soldiers blocking their path.
Only then did the people inside the hall finally realize where these monsters came from.
They were the soul beasts from the forbidden ground.
The Yin Yang Token.
The ever-composed expression on Rong Che’s face finally cracked.
He whipped his head toward me.
“You gave him the golden token!”
Shock and viciousness filled his eyes.
“When did you give it to him?”
But soon, Rong Che discovered he could no longer move.
Several chains woven from spiritual power burst from the ground, locking his legs in place.
Without him noticing, he had already stepped into my formation.
Rong Che had always known my cultivation was inferior to his and had never taken me seriously.
He had underestimated the power of the silver token.
“Rong Yao, you two planned this from the beginning?”
He stared at me with eyes that looked ready to tear me into pieces.
“You’ve been lying to me all this time?”
I strengthened the spell and looked up at him, my voice calm.
“You deliberately let me overhear your conversation with Xie Ning, hoping it would make us turn against each other.”
“We simply played along and finished the show for you.”
“If we’re talking about collusion, I should thank you for giving me the chance to send Xie Ning away.”
Once Xie Ning left Lan Shan and escaped Rong Che’s surveillance, he could save the clan elders before Rong Che’s assassination attempt.
I could not enter the Demon Realm’s forbidden ground, nor could I command the undead soul beasts.
But Xie Ning could.
“You trust him that much?”
Rong Che’s voice rose, his eyes bloodshot.
He was practically grinding his teeth as he roared, “Rong Yao, we have known each other for fifteen years!”
“Who grew up with you? Who taught you spells and painting?”
“That winter when I made sugar cakes for you, my hands were covered in blisters from hot oil!”
“Everything you liked, I searched the world to bring to you. What more could you possibly want?”
I watched Rong Che teetering on the edge of madness and said softly.
“Actually, I never liked sugar cakes.”
Rong Che froze.
I continued slowly, “You said they were sweet and delicious, so you made me eat them every time.”
“I once casually praised a pastry shop in Yu Jing, so you dragged the master into the palace.”
“You wouldn’t let him go home. He had to spend his entire life making pastries for me.”
“When I was young, you always said you were protecting me. That’s because you drove away every single person who tried to play with me.”
“No one dared to bully me, because no one could even get close to me.”
Rong Che’s throat bobbed.
He gave a bitter laugh and murmured.
“Rong Yao, how can you not understand my painstaking efforts...”
The moment his words fell, a sharp wind blade slashed toward him.
Rong Che waved his sleeve to block it, but the blade still sliced off a chunk of his flesh.
The Eagle Clan elder cursed furiously, “Rong Che, you despicable bastard!”
“You tried to slaughter my entire clan!”
The great families who had nearly been wiped out by Rong Che had also arrived outside the hall. They drew their swords and charged at the imperial guards.
Gradually, Yan Zhuo and the others could no longer hold their ground and began to retreat.
Rong Che fought like a cornered beast, but with his legs shackled, he was powerless.
Arrows cut across his face and body.
He raised his sword to resist, yet the blade still sank into his arm.
I flicked my sleeve.
Rising flames transformed into a soaring azure phoenix, its tail feathers sweeping across the sky above Yu Jing.
“Rong Che murdered my father and forced me to marry him.”
“He raised an army to threaten the imperial lineage. His crimes are unforgivable!”
At that moment, thunder rolled through the clouds.
Heavy raindrops began to fall.
The downpour grew heavier and heavier.
It was almost identical to the scene from my previous life.
Only this time, the one with nowhere left to run was Rong Che.
“Xie Ning, release the arrow,” I said softly.
Xie Ning had been waiting for this moment. He drew his bow and aimed at Rong Che.
“Go to the Yellow Springs and atone to the Demon Emperor.”
But at that critical moment, a strange smile suddenly appeared on Rong Che’s face.
“Rong Yao, I told you before…”
He leaned close to me and whispered slowly.
“We must accompany each other until death.”
A terrible premonition surged in my heart.
Before I could think further, Xie Ning acted faster.
The arrow shot forward with unstoppable force.
It carried all the rage Xie Ning had accumulated these past days.
It nearly pierced straight through Rong Che’s body.
Yet the instant the arrow sank into his flesh, a rush of sweet blood surged up my throat.
Before I could react, everything went black.
My organs contracted violently from the pain.
My body pitched forward heavily.
Before I lost consciousness, the last thing I saw was Xie Ning throwing down his bow and running toward me.