Due to the airwaves set off by the gun, the Fire of Tribulation burned almost half of Linyi. Originally, the cultivators who had only come to attend the meeting fled in panic on their swords in all directions. However, the flames continued to chase after them. Countless cultivators with insufficient spiritual power were defeated in the struggle against the flames and were devoured by them.
Along the way, they flew past the villages close to Confucian Wind Sect in the Upper Cultivation World. Those people didn't know what was going on at all. When they saw the flames coming from the direction of Confucian Wind Sect, they dragged their families and tried to run away, but how could their legs escape from the lava like Fire of Tribulation?
"Father!"
"Father — Father!"
Everywhere they passed, there were cries and shouts. Xue Zhengyong and the others had already expanded the weapon to the maximum, and it was full of ordinary people from the Upper Cultivation World.
Madam Wang kept comforting them, "Don't cry, don't cry. Sit a little further inside. Be careful, hold on to each other, don't fall again …"
However, no matter how much the iron fan expanded, it could only reach that big. There were so many people in the towns that they couldn't save them all. Xue Zhengyong knelt at the front and leaned over to pull a crying child, but the moment he exerted his strength, the iron fan couldn't bear it and shook violently. He had no choice but to let go and watch the tear-stained face full of hope being thrown far away in an instant.
Even a tough man like him couldn't help but wail, "Why? Why? Just because one person is wronged, so many innocent people have to be buried with him? "Xue Zhengyong couldn't stop sobbing, tears rolling down his cheeks." Isn't this world chaotic enough? Aren't there enough people who have died in vain …? "
Madam Wang's eyes were also red. She hugged the two rescued children tightly on both sides. After the parents of the two children put them on the iron fan, they couldn't get on in time and were swallowed by the Fire of Tribulation in the end. The children kept crying. Madam Wang hugged them and kept stroking their hair. She wanted to comfort them, but she didn't know what to say.
She looked back and saw that there were about ten cultivators following behind them. Many of them had already been caught by the flames, and some had already fled in other directions. Chu Wanning and Mo Ran were not here. Her eyes were filled with tears as she silently prayed for the two of them to be safe.
Not far away, the still unconscious Xue Meng was being carried by Jiang Xi. The firelight shone on his handsome face. Jiang Xi's gorgeous sword was not good at carrying heavy loads, so it hummed under his feet.
Jiang Xi glared at Xue Meng in disgust. He had thought of throwing this brat down and burning him several times, but when he saw Madame Wang's pleading eyes on the iron fan, he still pursed his lips with a sullen face and didn't let go.
Xue Zhengyong cried. He wanted to pull a younger child who might be able to carry him, but even though he wanted to, the iron fan was powerless.
When he let go of another hand, Xue Zhengyong was on the verge of collapse. He knelt there and curled up his body. He was heartbroken because of how weak he was … However, at this moment, a silver-red light flashed. Jiang Xi waved his hand. A light flashed in his sleeve and lifted the girl, who Xue Zhengyong couldn't carry on his back, onto his sword.
The exquisite and resplendent sword, the Snow Phoenix, hummed even louder.
Jiang Xi didn't have a good temper. He lifted his leg and kicked it. He said sternly, "What are you shouting for? If you have guts, stand still and wait for the fire to burn you. "
The Snow Phoenix didn't make any noise. It carried Jiang Xi and the other two people and silently flew forward. However, the slender sword hilt looked like it was going to break at any time.
Jiang Xi flew to Xue Zhengyong's side and glanced at him with disgust. He scolded, "What's there to cry about? If you can save her, then save her. If you can't, then forget it. Why are you pretending? "
Madame Wang said, "Senior Martial Brother …"
"What? Did I say something wrong?" Jiang Xi sneered. Although he was extremely handsome, the curve of his mouth was mean and vicious. He seemed particularly unreasonable. "If you hadn't left with him and stayed in the lonely moonlit night, you wouldn't be so weak now. You can't even control your own sword. If your position was empty, your husband, a hero who cares about the common people, could save one more person. "
Madame Wang seemed to be stung. She suddenly lowered her head and slowly closed her eyelashes. She didn't say another word.
In the opposite direction, far away, Mo Ran's sword had also expanded to a great extent. Apart from Chu Wanning, it was also filled with ordinary people from the Upper Cultivation World who were saved.
Those people trembled, tears and snot flowing. They stared blankly at their homes being swallowed by the sea of fire and razed to the ground. The flames reflected the sparkling tears in their eyes. They closed their eyes and cried.
Under such a heavy atmosphere, Mo Ran remained silent and didn't say anything. He wasn't like Xue Zhengyong. He didn't make any unnecessary struggles. He knew that it couldn't carry more people, so he didn't look at the rushing water and crying villages under his feet.
"The sea is in front." He frowned slightly. "Shizun, where are we going?"
"Flying Flower Island. Can you handle it?"
Flying Flower Island was the Upper Cultivation World's closest island to Linyi. Mo Ran nodded and said, "I can handle it, but I'm not familiar with the Eastern Sea. It'll take some effort to find it. Shizun, keep an eye on them and wake them up. The sword is too crowded. If they fall asleep, I'm afraid they'll fall."
Chu Wanning said, "Okay."
Mo Ran flew on the sword for more than two hours. When the sun rose from the horizon, they broke through the clouds and saw a medium-sized ring-shaped island on the sparkling blue sea.
They had finally arrived at Flying Flower Island.
Although this island was under the jurisdiction of the Confucian Wind Sect, it was a desolate place with few people. Most of them were scattered fishermen who relied on the sea for a living. There was only one big family. They saw the huge fire at the Confucian Wind Sect from across the rolling waves of the sea. They were anxious and didn't know what was going on. Many residents looked around in their yards, afraid that there would be a strange phenomenon in the sky. They didn't dare to sleep.
When dawn broke, the strange phenomenon didn't affect them. However, a group of people on a long sword landed on the damp beach. The leader was a tall and handsome man. There were some mottled bloodstains on his cheeks. It was obvious that he had gone through a fierce battle.
There weren't many cultivators on Flying Flower Island. The people who lived there were ordinary people. Therefore, they were afraid when they saw him. They didn't know whether he was good or evil and why he was here.
"Aiya, why are their faces so dark …?"
Some people whispered while looking at the men, women, and children behind Mo Ran.
"They seem to have escaped from the fire … Are they from Linyi?"
A sturdy fisherman gathered his courage and approached them. He asked, "Are … are you from the Confucian Wind Sect?"
"The Peak of Life and Death." Mo Ran handed the child in his arms to Chu Wanning. The child was too young and couldn't support himself. In order to not let him be pushed down, Mo Ran kept holding him on the sword. "Something happened at the Confucian Wind Sect. These … are all residents of Linyi. The fire was too strong, so the weight of the sword was limited. I couldn't save too many people. I …"
He was talking to himself. When he looked up and saw the confused expressions of the fishermen, he realized that he had talked too fast.
How could these people from Flying Flower Island know about the fire and the Art of Sword Control?
So he pursed his lips and said gently, "I'm sorry. I'll tell you in detail later." He turned around and looked at the disheveled crowd behind him. "Can you get them some food and water first?"
A child who had lost his parents was panic-stricken. He slowly moved to Mo Ran's side and reached out his small hand to grab the corner of his robe.
Mo Ran lowered his head and touched the child's hair. He said to the fisherman, "I'm really sorry to disturb you."
Most of the residents of Flying Flower Island were good people. Soon, someone brought tea and snacks for them to eat. Mo Ran briefly told the whole story to the islanders. Those people couldn't close their mouths for a long time. They stared blankly at the flames on the horizon.
"The Confucian Wind Sect … was burned to ashes?" Someone couldn't believe it.
"Sect Leader Nangong passed away?"
Mo Ran said, "He didn't die. He ate the Lingchi Fruit and was taken to another place."
"What's the Lingchi Fruit?"
"It's …"
Chu Wanning stood on the side and watched Mo Ran slowly explain to the fishermen. However, he didn't go forward.
He looked a little unreasonable. Between his eyebrows, there was a natural coldness. If he went to negotiate with the villagers, the result wouldn't be better than Mo Ran's.
In his arms, the sleeping child woke up. Seeing that the person holding him was a strange man, he couldn't help but be stunned. Then, he burst into tears. He wasn't as obedient as when he was in Mo Ran's arms.
Chu Wanning glanced at Mo Ran. Seeing that Mo Ran was still surrounded by the villagers and couldn't get away, he was a little helpless. He habitually said to the child with a straight face, "Don't cry."
The child began to cry even louder. He continued to shout, "Daddy, Mommy … I want Daddy, I want Mommy."
"Don't cry." Chu Wanning stiffly coaxed, "You, don't cry."
"Wah … Mommy … Mommy …"
Chu Wanning didn't have a choice. He held him with one hand and raised the other hand to stroke his hair. Unexpectedly, the child didn't want him to touch him. He tilted his head back. His bright red little face was full of tears and snot. "I want mommy, I want daddy, I want to go home …"
He was really at his wit's end. Chu Wanning had never coaxed a child before, so he didn't know what to say. He couldn't help but think about what he should say to comfort this little guy a little. However, as soon as he sank into deep thought, his eyebrows unconsciously furrowed. His whole person was like a foot of water in a box, or black iron as cold as ice.
The child was crying uncomfortably. While kicking and struggling, she suddenly saw Chu Wan-ning's expression and choked. She was so frightened that she didn't say anything. She only bit her lip and tears rolled down her cheeks like a broken string of beads.
Chu Wanning suddenly thought of something. He opened his Qiankun bag with one hand and took out a piece of glutinous rice candy. He peeled off the candy wrapper and handed it to the child.
"…" With tears in his eyes, the child made a funny sobbing sound. He looked at Chu Wanning and then looked at the candy in his hand.
Since he was young, his mother had told him a lot of stories to coax children to be obedient. Among them, there was no lack of ferocious and terrifying cultivators who would use drugs to knock out disobedient children and capture them to refine immortal pills.
The child silently held back his tears and stared at him. Suddenly, he was extremely frightened.
Chu Wanning didn't know what the other party meant. He stared blankly back at the child while still holding the piece of glutinous rice candy in his hand.
He had phoenix eyes. His eyes were slightly upward and the ends of his eyes were long. Although this kind of eyes was good-looking, when he wasn't smiling, they had a kind of arrogant and judgmental attitude. Even if he was smiling, this pair of eyes would add a bit of wild aura like rose thorns, containing provocation and arrogance.
However, not everyone could bear this kind of arrogance. Therefore, although Chu Wanning's face was handsome, he was innately disliked by people.
He was even more disliked by children.
"Eat it." When he was on the sword, he saw Mo Ran use candy to appease a few little guys. He did the same thing, but he didn't understand why it didn't work.
The child pursed his lips. He hesitated, trembled, and then slowly shook his head.
… He didn't want to be made into an immortal pill …
"You …"
Before he could finish speaking, the child reached his limit and cried out in fear. He cried so hard that the earth shook and the mountains shook, causing the people around to look at him.
Chu Wanning didn't react. He was still holding the piece of glutinous rice candy in his hand and said in a low voice, "… It's quite sweet."
He wanted to say that the candy was sweet, but the child connected the "you" he said halfway, so it became "you're quite sweet." After thinking about it for a while, he felt that this Taoist priest was definitely going to use him to refine immortal pills. Moreover, he was going to refine him into a very sweet immortal pill. He was so scared that he started to wail and cry fiercely.
Chu Wanning froze. "…"