Urban Martial Saint

After letting Yin Xianzi rest for a while until she fully recovered, the two of them finally got up and continued walking forward.

The wound on Yin Xianzi’s arm had now stopped bleeding and started to heal. After all, Ye Qing had given her a Ziyu Chenxiang Pill, which had outstanding healing effects.

”Be careful, all five of these paths have Devouring Demon Flowers,” Yin Xianzi walked ahead, cautiously watching the surroundings while whispering to Ye Qing, ”The sorcerer just controlled a Devouring Demon Flower at the corner ahead, and I was nearly trapped by it there. Ye Qing, hold on to the Mu Ling and make sure to stay alert. Otherwise, if you get swallowed by the Devouring Demon Flower, even with the Mu Ling, we’re doomed!”

Ye Qing had heard about the dangers of the Devouring Demon Flower from Yin Xianzi earlier, so he was also very cautious. Luckily, since the Mu Ling could resist the mesmerizing medicine secreted by the Devouring Demon Flower, they were spared from the greatest crisis. As long as they were careful not to be swallowed by the Devouring Demon Flower, then there wouldn’t be any danger.

When they arrived at the corner, both Ye Qing and Yin Xianzi slowed their steps. This was where Yin Xianzi encountered the sorcerer earlier, so both were very guarded.

Holding their breath and stepping cautiously to the corner, they exchanged a glance, and Ye Qing handed the Mu Ling to Yin Xianzi. Yin Xianzi took a deep breath, tightened the ribbon in her hand, and suddenly dashed past the corner. Her speed was so quick that not even the sorcerer or Ye Qing could catch sight of her figure.

At such speed, even if the sorcerer were prepared, he couldn’t ambush Yin Xianzi. Moreover, Yin Xianzi had a Mu Ling, fully capable of blocking the Devouring Demon Flower. If she encountered the sorcerer, he’d definitely be the one at a disadvantage!

However, after Yin Xianzi dashed past the corner, there was no sound from that side for quite a while. Just as Ye Qing was curiously about to turn and look, Yin Xianzi had already walked over.

”The sorcerer isn’t here!” Yin Xianzi whispered.

Ye Qing frowned slightly. Although he was a bit disappointed, this was something they had already anticipated. After ambushing Yin Xianzi here earlier, the sorcerer would definitely not be here a second time. Who would fall twice in the same spot?

”Let’s keep moving,” Ye Qing replied softly.

Yin Xianzi didn’t speak either, and alongside Ye Qing, they cautiously looked around as they proceeded. However, they walked approximately three hundred meters without encountering anything, leaving them both amazed.

”Where’s that sorcerer?” Ye Qing asked, puzzled.

Yin Xianzi shrugged; such a situation was unexpected for her as well. She had thought the sorcerer would be waiting to ambush them here, but they hadn’t seen him even as they were almost at the end of the cave. What’s going on? Where did the sorcerer go?

Though they were a bit uneasy about not encountering the sorcerer, the two continued forward. After walking another fifty meters, the cave suddenly narrowed, and an exit appeared ahead.

This path had finally reached its end, and they were about to leave!

Seeing the exit, Ye Qing looked at Yin Xianzi in surprise. Yin Xianzi had previously mentioned that these five paths were the last five checkpoints. Getting out from here was almost impossible. It wasn’t just the crisis of the Devouring Demon Flower; more importantly, there were other dangers that made it extremely difficult to walk out.

Yet, the two of them had walked all the way here without encountering any dangers. Not only had they not faced any unknown threats, they hadn’t even met the Devouring Demon Flower. What’s going on?

Seeing Ye Qing looking at her, Yin Xianzi knew what he was thinking and whispered, ”I don’t know exactly what dangers are here; it’s what the Heavenly Master told me. In any case, be careful, as this last segment might indeed have some danger!”

Ye Qing nodded slowly. In fact, he also had an inexplicable feeling in his heart. For some reason, arriving at this place gave him a sense of oppression he couldn’t quite describe.

The two became more vigilant, first carefully observing the surroundings, and then slowly walking towards the direction of the exit.

After a few steps, Yin Xianzi suddenly raised her hand to signal Ye Qing to stop, but it’s unclear what had happened.

”What’s wrong?” Ye Qing asked softly, while alertly looking around, thinking there might be some danger.

”Look over there.” The Fairy Yin pointed to the stone wall at the entrance and whispered.

”What’s there?” Ye Qing looked in the direction the Fairy Yin pointed, initially seeing nothing. But after staring for a while, he was suddenly astonished to discover that there seemed to be words carved on the stone wall!

Ye Qing took a deep breath and blinked forcefully, examining it carefully. The words on the stone wall still existed. And what amazed him the most was that the carved words became increasingly clear. Initially, he could only see them vaguely. Eventually, those words became strikingly lucid, as if carved into one’s memory!

Moreover, the strokes of these words were firm and continuous, without any dispersion, looking as if someone had written them with a brush on the stone wall. Except, these words were clearly deeply engraved into the stone wall, as though someone had written into the stone. How... How could this be?

”What... what do these words mean?” Ye Qing asked in astonishment. Although the words seemed quite distinct, they weren’t Huaxia’s language; they appeared to be ancient script, which Ye Qing couldn’t recognize.

The Fairy Yin stared at those words for a while, her complexion suddenly turning pale, as she quietly said, ”Those are ancient seal script, saying ’Living Must Halt’!”

”What does that mean?” Ye Qing’s eyes widened. Living must halt? Does that mean only the dead should proceed?

Fairy Yin was even more puzzled than Ye Qing. She frowned deeply and said solemnly, ”Could this be the crisis the Heavenly Master spoke of? The living cannot pass this point?”

”What a joke.” Ye Qing replied, ”The living can’t pass this point; does that mean only the dead can go across? I think this is someone playing tricks, trying to scare people and keep them from entering.”

The Fairy Yin glanced at Ye Qing, her brows still knit. She was more aware of the Great Demon King’s issues, and thus held deep reverence towards the inside of Bei Mang Mountain. Seeing this sign made her incredibly uneasy. At this moment, deciding whether to proceed or turn back had become a significant dilemma.

Seeing the Fairy Yin remain silent, Ye Qing was somewhat anxious and said, ”Fairy Yin, we can’t just stand here and wait, can we? Since we’ve come this far, what is there to be afraid of? Regardless of life or death, we have to go in and try!”

The Fairy Yin was silent for a moment before suddenly shaking her head and saying, ”No, we cannot go inside, going in means certain death!”

”Why certain death?” Ye Qing asked curiously.

”The words say ’Living Must Halt,’ meaning the living absolutely cannot enter!” the Fairy Yin said. ”Those who must enter can only be dead. If we insist on entering, in the end, we’ll just leave our lives here. Do you think the Great Demon King’s Bei Mang Mountain is that simple? Entering means certain death!”

Ye Qing was somewhat frustrated and said, ”Fairy Yin, before we came here, we agreed to risk our lives to find a way to save Mr. Ding. We’ve come this far, and now you’re backing out?”

”It’s not the same!” The Fairy Yin shook her head decisively, took several deep breaths, and said solemnly, ”Cyclops is already dead; there’s no need for us to risk our lives for him. If we all die here, who will avenge him? If we all die here, it will only make those sorcerers happy; what other benefits are there? No, we cannot go inside!”

As the Fairy Yin spoke, she actually began to retreat. Ye Qing grew very anxious, turned, and said, ”Fairy Yin, you promised, that even if there was a sliver of hope, you’d do anything to save Mr. Ding. We’ve not gone in yet, we’ve not tried; how do you know we’ll surely die here? Since we’ve come this far, how could you not want to go in and take a look? If we fail to save Mr. Ding because of this, can you forgive yourself for the rest of your life?”

”Why wouldn’t I be contented? Why wouldn’t I forgive myself? Why would I throw my life away knowingly—why would I walk into a certain death!” The Fairy Yin’s voice was almost hysterical now, retreating quickly while shouting. Her speed was swift; within a few breaths, she was already far away, leaving Ye Qing unable to chase after.

Listening to the fairy’s footsteps gradually fading, Ye Qing stood stunned. He hadn’t expected the Fairy Yin to abandon her resolve at such a critical moment and flee as quick as she did. Initially, he admired her very much for this matter. But now, all admiration had vanished, leaving only disdain. To retreat after coming this far, what kind of behavior was this!

Turning his head to look at the stone wall inscribed with ”Living Must Halt,” Ye Qing sighed heavily in disappointment. It seemed he would need to proceed alone. Since a way to save Ding Lianshun existed inside, Ye Qing was determined to go in and try, because he owed it to Ding Lianshun.

Of course, moving one step forward might be a pathway to death. Is sacrificing his life worth it to save Ding Lianshun?

After a moment of silence, Ye Qing lifted his foot, just about to step forward. Suddenly, a rustling sound appeared next to his ear, as if some small creature was crawling.

This rustling sound resonated in Ye Qing’s ears like a thunderous explosion. Ye Qing suddenly opened his eyes to see a massive flower, opening its petals, slowly engulfing towards him!