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Ye Tianchen had been in the Flame Valley for two days and nights. Tomorrow was the designated day for the life-and-death battle with Devouring Sky Village in the Devouring Sky Canyon, but Ye Tianchen had not yet returned. Zhang Ruotong's divination led Tianshuang, Dongfang Meng, and others to feel despair because it was apparent that Ye Tianchen, upon entering the second fire domain of Flame Valley and attempting to retrieve the flame within the Fire Well, had been discovered by the legendary Immortal Beast Fire Qilin. There was almost no hope of survival. If not for a bizarre accident, Ye Tianchen should have been utterly annihilated!

Tianshuang, Zhang Ruotong, and Dongfang Meng, these three women all harbored some degree of affection for Ye Tianchen. The nature of their relationship didn't need to be explicitly stated. In such a cruel world, full of bloodshed and storms, having a few friends, a few confidantes, is indeed rare. Ye Tianchen's death was a significant blow to them, causing profound grief, and even led one of the beauties to contemplate suicide out of grief. However, the three women were strong and were not mere vases. They understood well that tomorrow was the scheduled day for the life-and-death battle with Devouring Sky Village. Since Ye Tianchen was unlikely to appear, they resolved to take his place in the fight, vowing to protect what Ye Tianchen sought to protect, so that his spirit in the afterlife could be consoled, and so that Ye Tianchen could rest in peace.

Enduring immense pain, the three women eventually stopped shedding tears. They all knew that in the battle the next day, even if it meant dying, even if it meant fighting desperately, they must protect Desolate Stone Village. It was a community that absolutely trusted Ye Tianchen and whom Ye Tianchen cherished as family. To Ye Tianchen, they were extremely important, or else he wouldn't have protected Desolate Stone Village through such perilous challenges, narrowly escaping death multiple times!

However, what Dongfang Meng, Zhang Ruotong, and Tianshuang never anticipated, even in their wildest dreams, was that Hu Gao, sworn brother to Ye Tianchen, would choose to abandon them, opting for cowardice and avoidance rather than sharing their resolve. This was beyond their expectations. Although Hu Gao had always been somewhat unreliable and nonsensical, the fact that he chose to abandon them and leave at this crucial moment, forsaking his brotherhood with Ye Tianchen, was truly unexpected and extremely disheartening. Is this not a chilling reflection of the saying that the tea cools once a person departs?

"Hu Gao, you bastard!" Zhang Ruotong couldn't help but curse at Hu Gao's retreating figure.

"Let it be, let him go. Everyone has their own aspirations. People think differently. Tianchen had two sworn brothers, Tian Boguang and Hu Gao, both controversial figures in the Ancient Martial World, looked down upon by many. Yet Tianchen became sworn brothers with them, trusting his own judgment. Just didn't expect... enough, let's not talk about this. We should rest early. At dawn tomorrow, we'll gather at the village entrance, and the three of us will head to the Devouring Sky Canyon together," advised Dongfang Meng, shaking her head to prevent Tianshuang and Zhang Ruotong from pursuing the matter further.

Sorrow!

This night is destined to be sorrowful!

Be it Tianshuang, Zhang Ruotong, or Dongfang Meng, each of them lived in different rooms, yet none could sleep throughout the night, tears streaming down their faces. Their minds tirelessly replayed memories of their time with Ye Tianchen, from their encounter to acquaintance and then to camaraderie, experiencing numerous cherished moments along the way. Countless times Ye Tianchen had narrowly escaped death and returned alive, but this time seemed truly hopeless. It was unimaginable and utterly terrifying that a legendary Immortal Beast Fire Qilin would appear in the three major Ancient Martial Worlds on Earth, which were long deemed unfit for cultivation!

Besides Tianshuang, Zhang Ruotong, and Dongfang Meng, there was also Hu Gao who didn't sleep the whole night. Deep into the night, Hu Gao sat on the back mountain of Desolate Stone Village, facing the cold wind and gazing at the stars in the sky. The usual playful demeanor was gone, the unreliable smile vanished, replaced by a strong aura of killing intent, perhaps stronger than ever, even during the time of his grandfather's death, for one reason only—his sworn brother, his good brother Ye Tianchen was dead!

"Once upon a time, I, Hu Gao, was ridiculed as the Wash Cut Blow of the Ancient Martial World. No one respected me, no one played with me, I had no friends. It was you, big brother, who swore brotherhood with me, treating me as a brother, sharing life and death, through thick and thin; once upon a time, whenever danger loomed, you were always the first to step forward, shielding me. You procured the Ten Thousand Year Old Ginseng to extend my life, practically serving as a reborn parent to me..."

Turning around, Hu Gao spoke, then looked up at the sky once more, his face flooded with tears. A grown man, a man who never laid his emotions bare before others, had his bond of brotherhood erupt at this moment. Ye Tianchen's death brought him immense pain, as he was his only friend, his sole brother. Who could imagine that Hu Gao, such a nuisance, would harbor such deep emotions? This was an outburst of feelings he would never let anyone else see.

"Big brother, rest assured, the things you protected, I, Hu Gao, will continue to guard. Those three women deeply love you, and you love them. I won't let them take the risk, because we are brothers!" Hu Gao declared, clenching his fists tightly as he spoke.

Spring breeze, encountering a soulmate, peach blossom, smiling upon the sacrificial altar.

Bao, An Bangzhi's generosity, exhibiting talent to achieve great feats, loyal and righteous, sharing hardships, moon boosting my sentiments, spear hand, swords gleaming, see my brethren, stride forward amid the beacon fires...

Early the next morning, Dongfang Meng, Tianshuang, and Zhang Ruotong had actually stayed up all night, saddened through the night, crying incessantly. Ye Tianchen's passing was hard for them to accept. Without Ye Tianchen in the days to come, they didn't know what to do, yet what could they do? They had to be strong, they had to persist, to protect the things Ye Tianchen fought to protect with his life. That was what they must do, otherwise, Ye Tianchen would not rest in peace. This was also how they expressed their deep love for Ye Tianchen.

"Are you all ready?" Dongfang Meng asked upon seeing Tianshuang and Zhang Ruotong.

"Yes!" Tianshuang and Zhang Ruotong nodded in unison.

However, upon reaching the village entrance at Desolate Stone Village, the three women discovered a formation set up at the entrance. Although this formation wasn't very powerful, with their cultivation strength, breaking it instantly still proved highly challenging, leaving them momentarily stunned. Today was the agreed life-and-death battle with Devouring Sky Village. Not attending might result in a catastrophe. If those from Devouring Sky Village, including that terrifying presence, swept into Desolate Stone Village, it would spell disaster for Desolate Stone Village. Therefore, eliminating Devouring Sky Village and its backing terrifying existence in the Devouring Sky Canyon was initially Ye Tianchen's thought.

"Who set up this formation to trap us?" Zhang Ruotong anxiously questioned.

"It's Hu Gao, look!" Tianshuang frowned, glancing at a nearby rock where Martial Arts True Qi flowed with Hu Gao's message left on it.

On the rock at Desolate Stone Village's entrance, Hu Gao left a message, seriously written, without nonsensical jests, saying, "Dear three beauties, I, Hu Gao, am indeed somewhat unreliable and nonsensical, but I cherish my friends and my brothers. Big brother has always protected me, and this time it's my turn to protect what he wanted to protect. You three don't need to go to Devouring Sky Canyon; I will handle everything there. It's my time to shine, ha-ha!"

Unexpectedly, at the last moment, Hu Gao still jested a bit, but Dongfang Meng, Tianshuang, and Zhang Ruotong didn't feel he was unreliable. Instead, they exchanged glances, realizing they had misunderstood Hu Gao. Yesterday's words were merely to relax their guard and anger, unsuspecting of Hu Gao's plans.

"It seems we wronged Hu Gao!" Zhang Ruotong murmured.

"Tianchen's judgment was indeed insightful. The brother he befriended turned out to have such noble actions, truly unexpected," Tianshuang nodded in agreement.

"Aside from some unreliability and jesting, Hu Gao is essentially kind-hearted, a disposition borne from childhood. We must collectively break this formation quickly. With Hu Gao's sole cultivation strength going to Devouring Sky Canyon, I fear he can't even handle Daley!" Dongfang Meng remarked sternly.

There, Dongfang Meng, Zhang Ruotong, and Tianshuang worked together to break the formation, striving to dismantle the barrier Hu Gao set up to hinder them. Little did they know, upon commencing, it was far from easy. Despite not being very powerful, the formation involved numerous complex runes, requiring one-by-one dismantling, thus making breaking it feasible but time-consuming.

"Seems like Hu Gao planned well to stall us!"

"He intends to kill all the people from Devouring Sky Village before we arrive and prevent us from taking risks, wanting to face that terrifying existence alone?"

"No time for talk, break the formation with full effort. Hu Gao is also our friend and family; we can't watch him perish without diving in. Otherwise, Tianchen would blame us!" (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian.com to vote for recommendations and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com.)

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