Chapter 203: Chapter 124: Haitang’s Resolve (Part 3)
Chu Xuan now recalled the calm gaze of the old monkey and felt he was indeed too naive and easy to deceive.
"Be careful!" Gu Haitang slashed out streaks of chaotic sword light, shattering countless green vines into dust.
These vines were shot from the distant Ruomu, and the space resembling an array before them seemed to be constructed with Ruomu as the core.
Chu Xuan immediately grasped the large, jade-like white thigh bone on the stone platform, but to his surprise, he couldn’t lift it as it seemed to be one with the stone.
In his urgency, he slapped the Divine Command in his other hand onto it.
Surprisingly, it worked.
Not only did Chu Xuan manage to lift the thigh bone, but the Divine Command also imprinted directly onto it. Strands of crimson blood were forcibly drawn from the bone, converging onto the token.
However, to fully absorb a drop of essence blood would take more time, as the thigh bone contained a powerful force resisting the extraction of its blood by external forces.
During this process, the vines shot from the Ruomu increased in number and strength. Some vines even transformed into green dragon-like shapes, spitting dragon flames as they attacked.
Gu Haitang, with no other choice, employed the Qimen Dunjia divine techniques she had learned from the Immortal Demon Crystal. Her body emanated chaotic energy, opening eight gates, and transformed into eight.
Eight Gu Haitangs surrounded the stone platform, resisting the green vines to buy Chu Xuan time.
Chu Xuan knew well that fighting these vines was addressing the symptoms but not the root cause; if prolonged, it would undoubtedly lead to death. Hence, he didn’t help Gu Haitang but instead pondered how to break the array.
If the core was truly the Ruomu itself, a hundred thousand miles away, how could they possibly charge through the countless vines?
The more critical the situation became, the calmer Chu Xuan grew. He calculated with his fingers, and his eyes suddenly lit up.
He raised the thigh bone high in his right hand, exerting his full magical power, the strength of his Celestial Marrow body, and smashed it fiercely onto the stone platform before him!
"Boom~!" A loud crash sounded as the stone platform cracked abruptly.
The space behind Chu Xuan also cracked like a mirror, revealing the lurking long-armed apes outside through the fissure.
Seeing it work, Chu Xuan was invigorated. Although it was just a small crack, it was enough for someone who possessed "Shift the Stars and Change the Dipper."
Chu Xuan was about to grab Haitang and make an escape.
But just then, three of the Gu Haitangs were breached by the vines. Engulfed in roaring flames, their remaining images dissipated into nothingness, leaving only one Gu Haitang, blood trickling from her lips and her face pale.
If that wasn’t enough, a vine snuck in, wrapped around her ankle, and pulled her towards the Ruomu body!
As Chu Xuan reached out, he found nothing but air.
Gu Haitang was being dragged farther and farther away, struggling while shouting:
"Go! Leave me."
Of course, Chu Xuan couldn’t possibly abandon her. Disregarding the consumption of magical power, he continuously used "Shift the Stars and Change the Dipper," flashing beside her within a few blinks, and with the thigh bone in hand, slashed at the vines binding her, cutting them cleanly.
But by doing so, Chu Xuan distanced himself from the hard-won fissure while more and thicker vines surged in from all sides, surrounding them both.
Chu Xuan ignored this, lifting Haitang by the waist, and used "Shift the Stars and Change the Dipper" once again, but to his shock, he couldn’t teleport out.
More accurately, the vines had already entwined him. These green vines could actually lock down the usage of spatial power, and unless he cleared them off, he couldn’t teleport away.
Of course, this also related to Chu Xuan’s lack of divine technique cultivation, unable to counteract the Ruomu’s power for now.
"Put me down. I won’t die, trust me," Gu Haitang urged anxiously.
She had a trump card, confidence in her survival, but using it would reveal her family background, which she didn’t want to reveal in front of Chu Xuan, at least not before he left.
Chu Xuan, however, paid no attention, summoning the Thousand-Handed Guanyin Dharma Aspect: Vajra Hand, Vajra Pestle Hand, Treasure Sword Hand, Palace Ruins Hand, Golden Wheel Hand, Treasure Alms Bowl Hand, Sun Mani Hand, Moon Mani Hand...
Countless golden hands grasped magical artifacts, blasting in all directions, forcibly carving out a passage.
Still, stragglers slipped through, which Chu Xuan had to sever one by one while clearing those clinging to him.
During this process, Gu Haitang kept urging: "Put me down, or neither of us will escape. I still have something that can save my life; surely I won’t..."
Chu Xuan, impatient, shouted, "Shut up! We’ll talk once we’re out."
Haitang was utterly stunned; no one had ever dared speak to her like that.
From childhood to now, whether in the sect or her family, everyone treated her with utmost care, as she was one in a million, the sect and family’s future hope.
Even if she erred, others would speak softly to her—no one had ever yelled at her this way.
Gu Haitang fell silent, merely pursing her lips and tightly clinging to Chu Xuan’s neck, as if silently declaring: Now you’re done for—I won’t let go; we’re dying here together.
Chu Xuan, rare to see her acting petulant, found it somewhat amusing. As long as she stayed quiet, it was fine.
Subsequently, despite all of Chu Xuan’s myriad techniques, the peculiar array grew more formidable over time, with the power of the green vines escalating without limit.
Chu Xuan gradually faltered—the magical power consumption was secondary—he primarily couldn’t harm the vines any longer.
Initially, sword qi could sever them; later, even wielding the Celestial Demon Slaying Immortal Sword merely left marks on the vines.
This seemingly confirmed Gu Haitang’s assertion: escaping at the start would have worked, but trying to save her meant both dying here.
