Undying Life

Chapter 91: Siege

"Mother, is that you?"

Tianling'er's subconscious question made the girl in green's nose tingle with emotion.

"I'm your aunt, Nie Qingqing." The girl in green quickly wiped the dirty grease off Ling'er's face.

Tianxingzi, leading the way ahead, also felt a pang in his heart.

"Ling'er, take this pill first, we're almost at that valley." Tianxingzi immediately took out the pill again.

This time, Tianling'er didn't resist. Instead, she opened her mouth and swallowed it down. But, she didn't close her eyes to rest, as if she feared delaying seeing Zhongshan as soon as she took a breath.

Seeing her daughter like this, Tianxingzi could only press his hand on Tianling'er's back to help her digest the pill.

Tianling'er's condition improved significantly.

Normally, seeing this aunt should have been very exciting, but at this moment, there was no excitement at all. Since she wasn't her mother, there was no ripple in her heart. Now, the most important thing was Zhongshan. Zhongshan, please be safe!

Tianling'er's tears were almost dried up, allowing Nie Qingqing to wash her face without any reaction.

Seeing Tianling'er like this, Tianxingzi felt even more heartache.

On the eighth day, Zhongshan, in his original form, endured the constant immersion of lightning in the Scorpio Valley.

Gritting his teeth, Zhongshan endured. Eight days without food, even if one ate every day, it would be unbearable for most. Electricity surged through his body, a torrent of currents.

Yet, amidst the torment, Zhongshan sensed a subtle change in his true qi. It was refined once again, even though the quantity had diminished greatly. Still, that tiny bit of true qi was purer than before.

Fortune hides within misfortune, misfortune lurks within fortune. Although Zhongshan endured inhuman torture, as long as he persevered, there would surely be unexpected gains.

But how much longer could he endure? On the eighth day, Zhongshan's eyelids grew heavy, and his mind was flooded with illusions. Just as he was about to close his eyes, memories from the past flooded into his mind.

"Master, the sunlight is beautiful today. It's been a while since we went to Cui Lake for a picnic. This time, I'll definitely catch a big crab and make crab soup for you."

"Good, catch a big crab. This time, our whole family will go together. We'll also call your younger brother to join us."

"Yes, we'll call Second Brother. Third Brother isn't around lately; otherwise, he's the best at catching crabs."

"Haha, haha, Master, come quickly! There's a huge crab here, it's massive!"

"I'm coming, Kui'er, wait for me. I'll get a big net."

In Zhongshan's illusions, the beautiful woman appeared repeatedly. She was his first wife, Kui'er. For a moment, Zhongshan seemed to slacken, a faint smile playing at the corners of his mouth amidst the pain, as if he were about to give up resistance.

Just then, the illusions abruptly changed.

By the lake, Kui'er rolled up her sleeves, using a fork to stab at a large crab, while Zhongshan ran towards her from a distance.

Suddenly, a group of people descended from the sky between them.

"Haha, we've found her, the woman of the Yin year, Yin month, Yin hour," a man in golden robes, with a fissure on his forehead as if hiding a third eye within, laughed heartily.

The man reached out his hand towards Kui'er.

Boom!

A rain of blood filled the sky as Kui'er's delicate body exploded into countless pieces, flesh and blood scattering everywhere, turning into dust in the blink of an eye. Amidst the compression of energy by the man in golden robes, where Kui'er had exploded, a blue silhouette of Kui'er suddenly appeared, only to be grabbed by the man and sent into the black flag held in his other hand.

"No!"

Wrapped in residual lightning, Zhongshan suddenly widened his eyes, filled with a hatred as if to annihilate heaven and earth, roaring loudly.

Veins bulged on Zhongshan's body as the last remnants of his true qi surged continuously, rotating within his body. He even tried to assimilate these currents with his powerful will.

"I cannot die! I cannot die! Li Tian, Kui'er, Kui'er, I have not yet avenged Kui'er."

With bloodshot eyes, Zhongshan's body trembled incessantly, shaking and resisting the lightning's assault with sheer willpower.

I cannot die! I cannot die! This was Zhongshan's only thought now.

"Zhongshan!"

Just as Zhongshan's entire body seemed to verge on madness, a strong shout from Tianling suddenly echoed above the valley.

Watching a giant azure phoenix swiftly descending from the sky, along with a group of people on its back, a faint smile appeared on Zhongshan's lips.

Buzz!

Zhongshan finally closed his eyes. At the last moment, he lost consciousness as his eyelids shut.

At that moment, Tianxingzi waved his hand and summoned Zhongshan.

"Zhongshan!"

Tianling rushed to Zhongshan, embracing him tightly, despite the lingering lightning on his body.

Even though Zhongshan had left the Thunder Scorpion Egg, electricity still crackled around him. But Tianling didn't care; she just wanted to hold Zhongshan with all her strength.

Tianxingzi grabbed Zhongshan's arm and with a press, the lightning dissipated.

"He's fine, just unconscious. He'll be fine in a few days," Tianxingzi reassured Tianling immediately.

"Is Zhongshan okay?" Tianling asked tearfully, her eyes filled with joy.

"Yes, he's fine," Tianxingzi nodded.

Meanwhile, without Zhongshan, lightning burst out from the Thunder Scorpion Egg. Quickly, a larger scorpion crawled out from within the mountain walls. As soon as the giant Thunder Scorpion emerged, it saw the female Thunder Scorpion dead nearby and immediately unleashed its fury. Its enormous tail stabbed towards the azure phoenix.

"Yin~"

The azure phoenix let out a long cry, a hint of anger flashing in its eyes.

The giant azure phoenix's claw stomped fiercely on the tail of the giant scorpion, emitting a faint blue light, preventing the tail from moving.

The giant azure phoenix's head pecked towards the giant scorpion.

Thump, thump, thump.

As if the lightning from the Thunder Scorpion was useless against the azure phoenix, the azure light emanating from the phoenix's beak pecked several times, gradually dispersing the lightning on the scorpion's body.

Dead, the Thunder Scorpion encountered its natural enemy.

Xuanxinzi took the scorpion's tail sting.

"Qing'er, let's go back," Nie Qingqing said.

"Alright." Qing'er nodded, then plucked something resembling a dan from the Thunder Scorpion's body and swallowed it, before speaking.

Disregarding the dead female Thunder Scorpion, the giant wings spread out, carrying everyone towards the direction of Kaiyang Sect once again.

However, Tianling continued to hold Zhongshan's hand tightly, refusing to let go. Tianxingzi fed Zhongshan some pills, waiting for him to regain consciousness.

As Zhongshan fell into a coma, his hidden form also dispersed abruptly within the Zhong Mansion of Xuan City in the Great Kun Kingdom, seemingly disappearing into thin air.

The hidden form was like an external projection from afar. When the main body was unconscious and unaware, the hidden form vanished as well, only to reappear when the main body regained consciousness.

At this moment, while Zhongshan was unconscious, a tense atmosphere enveloped Xuan City.

Eight hundred thousand troops encircled the city, laying siege to it.

The Emperor of Great Kun Kingdom, Su Zhengde, personally led the army.

With the city surrounded and all entrances blocked, nobody was allowed in, only out.

In the southern camp.

Inside the largest tent, twelve figures were gathered.

One sat at the head, while eleven sat below. The Emperor Su Zhengde, dressed in imperial robes, sat below without the slightest hint of resentment, gazing at the person sitting at the head.

"Ancestors, the Zhao, Qian, Sun, and Li families each have two innate masters. Our royal Su family, including me, my father, and Duke Wei, have eleven innate masters. Together with you, our ancestor, who has reached the pinnacle of the innate realm, we will surely take Xuan City this time," Su Zhengde spoke.

The one sitting at the head was the ancestor of the royal Su family, a practitioner of immortal cultivation.

"From the last encounter, we underestimated Zhongshan. What does it matter if we have twelve innate masters here? Last time, we also had the heads of the four major families and their ancestors. Didn't they disappear just like that?" the head ancestor spoke.

"Ancestors, last time there was outside help, someone named Zhao Suoxiang, and a woman in red. But they are no longer in Zhong Mansion. Now, only Zhongshan's remaining disciples are there," Su Zhengde said.

"Zhengde, you are now the emperor. What do you think we should do?" the leading ancestor asked.

"I, I think we, the innate powerhouses, should go to the city gates, break them open, and then the army will rush into the Zhong Mansion. We'll wipe out everything in one fell swoop," Su Zhengde immediately said, changing his usual usage of 'we' to 'I'.

Hearing Su Zhengde's words, everyone nodded, thinking it feasible. However, one person beside Su Zhengde shook his head.

"Lianxian, you are Zhengde's father and have also had dealings with Zhongshan. Do you think this plan will work?" the leading ancestor turned to the man sitting beside Su Zhengde.

That man sat there with an imposing air, shaking his head. "Granduncle, I believe this plan won't work. I know Zhongshan very well. Xuan City has already been fortified by him. Haven't you noticed the walls are much higher now?"

"So what?" asked another person nearby. After all, even if the walls were higher, could they withstand these innate masters?

"I suspect that by now, ballistae have been set up around the city walls. Unless we all attack in the same direction, and someone is willing to sacrifice themselves to assist others in entering the city, I'm afraid it won't work," Su Lianxian frowned.

Ballistae? The innate masters shuddered. They had no way to resist such siege weapons, especially when entering the city without the ability to leap through the air. If the arrows were shot at them during this moment, they would be doomed. Moreover, the news they received not long ago was that the heads of the four families and their ancestors fell under these ballistae.