Chapter 308 - Love Hurts

The one who made a sudden appearance was Xiao Chen. He looked dejected and his voice was weak as he spoke. Huangfu Xin’er felt even more resentful as she saw him blocking in front of Li Muxue. She bellowed, “It’s none of your business, move away!”

Xiao Chen shook his head. Huangfu Xin’er’s face flashed a sign of rage as she said, “Well! If you want to save her, then the more I am going to kill her!” Then she raised her hand. Suddenly, dozens of red lights emerged from all directions and slashed at Li Muxue.

Xiao Chen immediately gathered his Qi and it cycled around in his body nine times. The True Energy in his body rushed out with a thump. The overwhelming force dissipated the red lights from all directions instantly.

The people below on the square were confused by the situation. The three senior elders on the high platform looked at each other. One of them shouted, “This game is temporarily terminated. The three of you get off the stage immediately!”

However, Huangfu Xin’er did not listen to them. She continued to execute killing moves at Li Muxue. But each time, the move was blocked by Xiao Chen. Xiao Chen pinched his fingers and the Unsullied Sword appeared. He sent Li Muxue onto the sword and said, “You go first!”

“Leaving? It’s not so easy!”

By then, Li Muxue had already flown to the edge of the Floating Platform. Huangfu Xin’er bellowed, and with her sleeve, she rolled Li Muxue up and took her back. Xiao Chen condensed his power on his finger and slashed at her sleeve, cutting it off. However, Huangfu Xin’er rushed in front of Li Muxue in that instant.

Huangfu Xin’er’s five fingers transformed into blades and the expression on her face was terrifying. It was apparent that she did not leave the slightest room for maneuvering. She was going to take Li Muxue’s life no matter what. Xiao Chen immediately performed Immortal-override Steps and was soon in front of Li Muxue. Blood splattered as the fingers pierced into the left side of Xiao Chen’s chest instead of Li Muxue.

If they had pierced into his chest a centimeter more, it would have injured his heart, and even the gods would not have been able to save him. But Xiao Chen did not make any resistance. With that terrifying power of Huangfu Xin’er at that moment, the wound could not have been shallow. Huangfu Xin’er had taken back her force in time.

“Well, you would rather die to save her! Then I will kill both of you!”

Huangfu Xin’er’s eyes turned bloodshot within seconds, and there were faint tears as well. Suddenly, she directed a force out of her body. This force was so fierce that it sent both Xiao Chen and Li Muxue flying.

Immediately, rays of red light started swirling around her body. As she rose up into midair, a terrible and sinister force instantly filled the entire square.

Several elders saw that the situation was getting worse. As they were about to stop Huangfu Xin’er, who was floating high above in the sky, she suddenly spewed out a mouthful of blood. Then like a withering butterfly that had its wings broken, she slowly fell onto the square below.

The crowd exclaimed, “What’s happening?”

“Xin’er!”

Xiao Chen shouted and he reached out to grab her. However, he too spewed out a mouthful of blood at the same moment. Everyone below exclaimed again, “What’s going on here now!”

Xiao Chen’s face suddenly became extremely pale. Then his face was reddish for a second and purplish the next. Li Muxue’s face changed and she quickly held him up. She cried, “Brother Xiao!”

Xiao Chen’s whole body twitched and it was hard to gather any True Energy. At this moment, he felt as though a thousand million needles had pierced through his body. He felt as though those 10,000 arrows had pierced through his heart. He felt as though he was in both fire and water. He was in incredible pain, it hurt so bad that he would rather die.

It was the Heartless Curse taking its toll on him, but it had never been so powerful like it was today.

“Brother Xiao!” Li Muxue panicked and quickly transferred True Energy into his body. However, it made him feel even more pain.

“Ah—” A heartrending moan fell into everyone’s ears. No one knew what was going on. In the distance, Zuo Qiuyang, who was waiting for his final duel with Xiao Chen, was puzzled. “What the hell?”

Murong Xian’er completely went into panic mode. Zhiluan spread its wings and flew up. An elder on the high platform shouted immediately, “Turn off the virtual image transmission array formation!” Then he jumped and flew to the Floating Platform.

The other two elders in the back, as well as Su Yue, Qing Chen Perfected Immortal, and Tai Yi Perfected Immortal, also followed.

“Don’t touch him!”

Su Yue shouted from the back, then she landed on the stage. She pressed on Xiao Chen’s wrist. After a while, she frowned and said, “It should be an extremely powerful spell.”

At this moment, Xiao Chen had completely passed out. Li Muxue suddenly remembered the time when they went to the Heartless Palace to invite Huashang. She exclaimed, “It is the Heartless Curse!”

“Heartless Curse?”

Several elders looked at each other, puzzled. They had never heard of any Heartless Curse before. At this time, Zhiluan suddenly yelled, “Heart—! Heartless Curse! Oh my, meow! So dead! He is so dead this time!”

Everyone turned and looked at him. Zhiluan immediately covered its mouth with its paws. Su Yue said, “I have never heard of this curse before either.” Then she glared sharply at Zhiluan and said, “Weird kitty, what do you know about it?”

. Zhiluan’s whole body trembled. Frightened by her icy cold stare, it slurred, “Nothing… I was spurting out nonsense! Let’s send the kiddo back first.”

An Immortals’ League elder nodded slightly and said, “Immortal Lingzhi is right, let’s send him back first.”

Qing Chen Perfected Immortal picked up Xiao Chen that instant. Su Yue couldn’t help glancing at him again. Her gaze remained on the Frigid Jade Pendant on his chest.

Because of what had happened to Xiao Chen, the date of the last battle had to be rearranged. At sunset, Zi Mo and the others gathered in Xiao Chen’s room. Then, Li Muxue told them about the ins and outs of the Heartless Curse.

Qing Chen Perfected Immortal could not help sighing. “Junior Sister Huashang, she… Aye.” Then he recalled Huangfu Xin’er on the Floating Platform today and sighed even more.

Zi Mo paced back and forth in the room and said, “What do we do now? In this world, I am afraid that only that old woman can lift this curse. Is it necessary to ask that old man Qingfeng to invite her again?”

“I’m fine… Don’t have to trouble Senior Qingfeng…” said Xiao Chen as he woke up suddenly.

Seeing him awake, Murong Xian’er was the first to pounce on him. She was sobbing softly. Xiao Chen sat up slowly. He stroked her hair and whispered, “I am fine, don’t worry.”

Zhiluan moved up to him. It looked stern and serious. It asked, “Kiddo, honestly, how long have you been under this curse?”

“How long? A few months maybe?” He could not remember either. This curse had never really acted up until recently. It was only in the past days that it had been acting up quite frequently. It would only hurt when emotions were involved. The deeper the emotion, the more powerful the attack was.

“It’s over. As the saying goes, there is still a doctor for the illness even if it’s in the late stage, but there is no medicine for a person deep in love. This is talking about you,” Zhiluan said as it shook its head non-stop. It was just missing out that last sentence—”Hurry up and prepare your funeral.”

Xiao Chen smiled bitterly. “It isn’t as serious as you said. I can naturally lift it when my cultivation is higher.”

The few people in the room were still frowning. The curse could not be lifted even by them. It was not as easy as what Xiao Chen said.

Outside the window, the shadows of the trees were slanting, and the sunset glow was like a brocade. At this moment, in the dormitory of the disciples of the Heartless Palace, Huangfu Xin’er was pale and there was blood on the edge of her mouth. She was sitting cross-legged in the room as she paced her breathing. On the floor in front of her, a pool of blood could be seen.

She had cultivated the Heartless Mystic Skill, and therefore, the more she could not have emotions. Otherwise, it would hurt her Soul badly. This was the reason why she had to leave by herself when they were at Thousand Summits Mountain in the beginning.

It was also the reason why her injury never healed. The longer she stayed with Xiao Chen, the longer it would take to heal her injury. Even at night, she had to endure the backlash of the Heartless Mystic Skill. She would rather die than live.

During that time, she still refused to leave and would rather endure the backlash by herself at night. But Xiao Chen would never know about any of this. Just as Xiao Chen did not know in the beginning, the piece of Nine-flowered Shrub of Jaded Leaves sent by Huangfu’s family when the wedding was called off was actually earned with her life. Just as Xiao Chen did not know, she did not know about the wedding being called off.

At night, a crescent half-moon gradually rose from the east, and the wind in the yard blew gently. Xiao Chen walked out of the room and went to the cliff outside the courtyard. Looking at Tianyuan City at the foot of the mountain, the scenes that happened in the day were coming to his mind. He could not help sighing.

“Love comes when you don’t know it, and it gets deeper and deeper.” At this moment, a clear juvenile voice suddenly sounded from behind.

Xiao Chen did not have to look back to know who this voice belonged to. He smiled lightly and said, “Evernight, do you have wine?”

“Where can I find wine for you?” Evernight walked to his side. He watched the lights that were flickering at the bottom of the mountain and whispered, “The word ‘love’ has never had a solution since ancient times, even if you are persistent, what is the benefit? Kiddo, I advise you to just focus on your cultivation for the rest of your life!”

Xiao Chen took a deep breath and greeted the cold wind blowing from the foot of the mountain. The tip of his robe swayed gently. He sighed. “I do not want to let either of them down. Letting either one down is letting both of them down. Forget it. Let’s not talk about this. I will go get some wine. Tonight, we will not go home unless we are drunk.”

“Brother Xiao, how can you drink without me?”

Just as he was about to turn around, a man was heard loud and clear from behind.