"Leader, save us!"
Behind Xuan'ai Dao Gu, thousands of disciples cried out in unison, their cries tearing at people's hearts.
Qingyu Dao Gu couldn't determine whether Xuan'ai Dao Gu had momentarily released control, or if she was controlling the disciples to cry out like this.
"What do you want, the position of the leader? I'll give it to you, anything you want, just spare these disciples!" Qingyu Dao Gu gritted her teeth and spoke in a compelling manner, having no choice but to yield to Xuan'ai Dao Gu.
There was blood at the corner of her mouth, a result of her anger.
Xuan'ai Dao Gu slapped Qingyu Dao Gu away, disdainfully saying, "The position of the leader? I wanted it badly before, but now, all I want is to accompany the Founder in the mortal realm."
"Jiang Ren Emperor might have noticed something unusual. I need to control the protective array to block Jiang Ren Emperor and Junior Sister Jingxin, so hand over the core of the array obediently."
...
"Jiang Ren Emperor, Junior Sister Jingxin, you're late." Xuan'ai Dao Gu mocked Qingyu Dao Gu, who was beneath her feet.
The protective array spread out, like a bubble enveloping the entire Pure Land of the Red Dust, appearing fragile but incredibly sturdy. The Red Dust Pure Land had been established for countless ages, renowned for its mystique and splendor. Many had tried to probe its beauty, and it had faced numerous crises, but all had been stopped by the protective array. None had been able to breach it.
Xuan'ai Dao Gu was not worried at all that Jiang Li would be able to break the protective array. This was an array that the Founder of the Red Dust had brought from the immortal realm. Even if an ordinary immortal attacked with all their might, the array wouldn't even tremble. She didn't believe that Jiang Li could break it! He was just a mortal in the Mahayana stage, not a supreme being from the immortal realm. How could he compare with an immortal array!
While Senior Sister Jingxin often made decisions beyond her authority, seeing her master being so humiliated caused her eyes to turn red, shattering the protective array.
The peerless blue lotus rotated and bloomed in the void, causing ripples in space, as if unable to bear the weight of the blue lotus. Senior Sister Jingxin pointed forward, and the peerless blue lotus vigorously collided with the array, causing the space to shatter.
Seeing the protective array remain undamaged, dozens of blue lotuses in the void simultaneously collided with the array.
The intense explosion turned the nearby area into flat ground, but the protective array remained unaffected.
Jiang Li took a step forward, patting the panting Senior Sister Jingxin.
"Let me handle this."
These simple words conveyed Jiang Li's confidence.
Xuan'ai Dao Gu seemed to find it amusing, looking up and laughing heartily. "Jiang Ren Emperor, I respect the contributions you've made to the Nine Provinces, and I don't want to disrespect you, so step aside. Otherwise, your invincible myth will be shattered today!"
Jiang Li ignored her and instead called out to Qingyu Dao Gu, who was beneath his feet, "Qingyu, I'm saving your life today. Don't hold a grudge against me anymore. Can we call it even?"
Before Qingyu could reply, Jiang Li swung his fist down, and the protective array, which had remained intact for thousands of years, shattered like a mirror.
Xuan'ai Dao Gu was dumbfounded, feeling immense fear, as she saw Jiang Li and Senior Sister Jingxin slowly approaching her. She hastily pointed at the over a thousand disciples, yelling in desperation, "Don't move! I've implanted controlling gu in these disciples. As long as I think it, they will all commit suicide. Can you move faster than my thought!"
Jiang Li indeed stopped moving forward, calmly looking at her and slowly saying, "I can't be sure I can move faster than a thought."
Xuan'ai Dao Gu breathed a sigh of relief, thinking that her life had been temporarily spared, but then she couldn't help but sneer.
Whether it was the arrogant Qingyu Dao Gu or the domineering Jiang Ren Emperor, weren't they all obedient to her because they were concerned about the lives of a group of Nascent Soul and Golden Core disciples?
Xuan'ai Dao Gu found this very laughable.
In her view, Qingyu Dao Gu and Jiang Ren Emperor were only strong in terms of cultivation, not true powerhouses. Only someone like her, who was ruthless and self-centered, with high cultivation, counted as a powerhouse!
She believed that one day she would surpass Jiang Li and reign supreme!
"I don't ask for much. Let me take the Founder of the Red Dust and go, and all of you must swear an oath..."
"But why would I need to be faster than a thought?" Jiang Li drew a sword from his storage ring; seeing the situation turning grim, Xuan'ai Dao Gu hastily ordered some of the disciples to commit suicide, hoping to intimidate Jiang Li.
Jiang Li swung the sword, not even releasing any sword energy, yet the gu in the bodies of the over a thousand disciples was cut in half, and they all died one after another!
The disciples who were just about to commit suicide instantly broke free from control and stopped their actions!
"My swordsmanship is dull, and I only know this one move." Jiang Li continued to advance towards Xuan'ai Dao Gu, frightening her to the point of sitting on the ground, unable to find the strength to stand up, desperately kicking her legs back to retreat.
"This move is called Heart Sword. It arises in a thought and falls in the sea of consciousness. Within this one thought and one fall, sword energy forms inside the body."
"This move was originally used to sever tendons and muscles, but now it seems to be very suitable for cutting gu and saving people."
"Wait, I still have..." Xuan'ai Dao Gu saw the cold gleam of the sword in the moonlight, and was so terrified that she wanted to explain her own value to Jiang Li.
However, Jiang Li wouldn't even listen. With a simple swing of the sword, everything settled.
Jiang Li originally wanted the Pure Heart Saintess to resolve this matter on her own, but as it exceeded the scope of what the Pure Heart Saintess could handle alone, he had to take care of it himself.
"Thank you, Emperor Jiang, for helping the Red Dust Pure Land through this disaster. Pure Heart can’t repay you, so I can only offer myself as a token of gratitude."
"..."
Seeing that the Pure Heart Saintess could still joke, Jiang Li thought her heart was unharmed. He didn't respond to her words, but instead walked over to Qingyu, the Daoist nun.
"Being almost manipulated into becoming the Hehuan Sect, you folks in the Red Dust Pure Land should be more careful. I will keep this matter confidential and it won't be spread outside."
Sincerely, Qingyu Daoist kowtowed to Jiang Li, just as he had said before he saved her, all past grievances were canceled out, and she no longer saw Emperor Jiang as an enemy who killed her former lover, but as the savior of the Red Dust Pure Land.
Without Jiang Li, the Red Dust Pure Land would have become a laughing stock, and Qingyu would have been nailed to the pillar of shame in the Red Dust Pure Land.
"Emperor Jiang's actions tonight will surely be remembered in the hearts of the Red Dust Pure Land."
...
"Jiang, am I going to die?" In the lower town, Du Xiner's vision was blurred, unable to see clearly who had come, but she could sense it was Jiang Li.
In fact, it wasn't just Jiang Li who had come, but also the Pure Heart Saintess, who deliberately hid her presence as she didn't dare to face her naive junior sister directly.
With Xuan'ai, the master of the Gu worms, dead, the Gu worms were dying one after another. As a result, the entire upper and lower towns were littered with corpses and thick with deathly silence. Du Xiner, a Golden Core cultivator in her lifetime, could hold on for a while, but not for long.
Jiang Li spoke to Du Xiner in a somber tone, recounting everything, while the Pure Heart Saintess silently wiped away tears on the side.
"Is that so? So I've already died. No wonder I couldn't cultivate…" Du Xiner smiled, not even understanding why she was smiling.
"Sister Pure Heart isn't here? I want to see her one last time..."
Upon hearing this, the Pure Heart Saintess no longer concealed her presence and rushed up, holding Du Xiner's cold little hand. "Junior Sister Xiner, Sister is here, I'm here!"
But Du Xiner lay still, her head slumping to the side.
She was dead.