This was exactly what happened to them.
Even with Yan Ruyu and Zhao Huai using their spiritual power to protect them at the last moment,
they still bled from their five orifices,
felt dizzy,
and their whole bodies were twitching.
It was obvious that they had suffered severe injuries.
One could hardly imagine what would have become of Ye Xingchen, Gu Zhiruo and the others if Yan Ruyu and Zhao Huai hadn't intervened in time.
Would they even have been left with a whole body?
It was highly unlikely.
Everyone was filled with fear and panic. They quickly stepped forward to help the injured up.
"This demon star has no humanity at all. She doesn't deserve your protection, my lords," one person said.
"Your Majesty, you are the ruler of our Cangwu Kingdom. How could you protect such a monster and even get injured because of her? Such a monster has no consciousness. She doesn't recognize you. In her eyes, you're just an annoyance," another person chimed in.
"Clan Leader, you—"
The endless stream of condemnation came once again.
This time, it was even more intense than before.
Zhao Shuning's hands were shaking. She suppressed her inner fear and slipped her hands into her sleeves to hide her unease from the people below.
The crowd was enraged, glaring angrily at Zhao Shuning.
Yes, this was the result she wanted.
Now, they would probably be completely disappointed in her. When she had attacked earlier, she had been more afraid than anyone else.
The people on the ground took a long time to calm down the chaotic spiritual power in their minds.
They looked up at Zhao Shuning, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"She's not my sister," one of them said.
"Sister Ling—she's really not Sister Ling," another whispered.
"Senior—"
Ye Xingchen's look at Zhao Shuning was so strange that it sent shivers down one's spine.
Zhao Shuning's heart was being torn apart, but on the surface, she remained calm.
Harming them was truly out of necessity.
She knew that Bu Ran would protect them.
When she attacked, she had also added a binding spell to the fire dragon. Even if Bu Ran and the others hadn't been able to act in time, the fire dragon wouldn't have really taken their lives.
However, the damage the fire dragon had inflicted on them was already severe.
"You're not Sister Ling. Who are you?"
Zhao Shuning laughed, but there was a lot of bitterness hidden in her smile.
She tilted her head up, and no one could see her expression clearly. They only thought she was being extremely arrogant.
No one noticed that her eyes had already welled up with tears.
When she lowered her head again, there was no trace of emotion in her eyes.
"You are all ants. Now, let this deity end this once and for all," she said coldly.
"Are you going to hand over your spiritual souls obediently, or should this deity take them by force?"
Everyone had just witnessed the woman's power.
As soon as she spoke, it immediately enraged the crowd.
"We are all practitioners of the right path. Even if we die, we will never bow to a monster like you," one person shouted.
"Two Venerables, since you're not going to act, let us pave the way for you," another person roared.
At this moment, someone suddenly shouted, and it was immediately echoed by the crowd.
By now, they had given up on relying on Yan Ruyu and Zhao Huai.
They spontaneously activated the Ten - Thousand - Man Blood Formation.
Yan Ruyu tried to stop them, but at this moment, Zhao Shuning intervened.
As soon as Yan Ruyu picked up her jade flute, it was bound by a red silk ribbon.
Yan Ruyu looked up. The red silk ribbon was coming from Zhao Shuning's hand.
"Ning'er, let go," Yan Ruyu said.
Zhao Shuning's eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't let go.
At this moment, Bu Ran still called her Ning'er. She knew that no matter how hard she tried to disguise herself, she couldn't deceive this man in front of her.
Zhao Shuning shook her head.
Yan Ruyu waved her hand and switched the jade flute to the other hand.
At the same time, countless red silk ribbons shot out from behind Zhao Shuning. This was an advanced move of the Blood Vine Slaughter—Red Silk Binding.
The red silk ribbons were full of spiritual power, but they were extremely gentle.
They came surging forward and completely wrapped Yan Ruyu up.
Seeing this, Zhao Huai quickly rushed to help Yan Ruyu.
The red silk ribbons split into two and bound both of them.
Without their interference, everyone could focus on activating the Ten - Thousand - Man Blood Formation.
The Millennium Stone Soul in Zhao Shuning's body was constantly attacking the seal she had left.
"Little thing, you're crazy. Once the Ten - Thousand - Man Formation is completed, not only this deity but also you will never be able to turn things around," the Millennium Stone Soul hissed.
Zhao Shuning smiled faintly.
"This is exactly the result I want," she said.
The red silk ribbons tightened more and more, but Zhao Huai and Yan Ruyu didn't know what to do.
This was because the red silk ribbons were covered with Zhao Shuning's spiritual power.
If they were to tear the ribbons apart rashly,
the backlash would travel back through the ribbons and into Zhao Shuning's body.
At that time, Zhao Shuning would surely be seriously injured.
They couldn't bear to do this.
It was precisely because she knew how much they cared about her that Zhao Shuning dared to use this move.
The sinister aura of the Millennium Stone Soul lingered in Zhao Shuning's entire spiritual world.
Mo Bai's aura appeared and disappeared.
"Ningning, don't get angry," a voice whispered in her ear.
"Don't get angry."
"Don't get angry."
These four words echoed constantly in Zhao Shuning's ear.
Zhao Shuning felt as if her whole body had been penetrated by some force. A discomfort welled up in her lower abdomen, and then her body seemed to be drained of all its strength.
However,
she still didn't let go of the red silk ribbons in her hands.
Her spiritual power continued to flow towards Yan Ruyu and Zhao Huai.
It seemed that there was another force,
absorbing the spiritual power in Zhao Shuning's body and competing with her for something.
"The Ten - Thousand - Man Blood Formation is about to be completed," someone shouted.
This would be the place of her death, the place where she would be buried.
She had chosen this place because the Divine Mountain of the Nine Provinces was facing Qingyun Peak in Qingyun Kingdom.
At that time, they would be looking at each other from afar.
Would she still be able to sense Bu Ran's presence?
The power in her hands was gradually fading.
Yan Ruyu and Zhao Huai noticed something was wrong. They carefully flew out of the gaps in the red silk ribbons.
The two of them hovered in the air.
Opposite them was Zhao Shuning.
"Little Ning'er, you're being very naughty," Zhao Huai frowned, looking worried.
Yan Ruyu said nothing and flew directly towards Zhao Shuning.
But when he was five meters away from her,
he was suddenly frozen in mid - air.
"What's this?"
"The power of space?"
"And your natal lotus," Zhao Shuning said. There was a hint of happiness in her eyes.
Yan Ruyu's heart ached.
"Ning'er, don't do anything stupid," he said.
Zhao Shuning reached out her hand, wanting to touch Yan Ruyu.
But in the end,
she put her hand down.
Now that she was full of sins and in the darkness, a demon wandering in the world, how could she stain his clean green robe with her filth?
Yan Ruyu had never expected that when he gave his natal lotus to Zhao Shuning, his intention was to protect her heart meridian so that no one in the world could ever hurt her again.
But at this moment,
this natal lotus had become a barrier in Ning'er's hands.
A barrier that was so strong that it blocked him from getting close to her.