166 - Douluo: Martial Spirit Blue Silver Grass

Chapter 166: Days and Nights of Rebirth as the Malicious Senior Sister Fu Ling had always had a kind heart, and Shen Fu Yang reminded her of Jiu Ying from her previous life, who had been controlled by the love curse. Winning or losing was not her main concern; she just wished Shen Fu Yang could return to being a normal person. Unaware of the intricacies of puppet techniques, she naively believed that simply releasing the soul trapped in the white banner would restore Shen Fu Yang's consciousness. Yet, the real challenge was convincing the soul to return to his body. Everything happened so quickly that no one had time to react. Dai Yuan Xi was still in shock when a cluster of spirit fire appeared in mid-air. The next moment, the girl raised her arm and tossed the white banner into the air, where it was swiftly engulfed by flames. Though the flames were small, their intensity was immense. Before long, the air was filled with a familiar burnt stench. Sensing the diminishing malevolence surrounding the white banner, Dai Yuan Xi felt a surge of anger and urgency. Ignoring the wound on her arm, she pushed the young man in front of her aside, eager to retrieve the white banner. But before her right hand could touch the flames, a sharp needle emerged from the fire, piercing her fingertip. The piercing pain was overwhelming, and she quickly withdrew her hand. Upon inspection, the needle had completely embedded itself into her flesh, leaving only a faint warmth behind. The fire needle was formidable; everyone except Fu Ling and Shen Fu Yang dared not go near the flames. Realizing this, Dai Yuan Xi shot a fierce glance at the young man beside her. "Retrieve the Soul Banner!" The soul was trapped within the white banner, and with the spirit fire burning it, Shen Fu Yang was the one suffering the most. Seeing him standing there without moving, Dai Yuan Xi's anger grew even more intense. "Go get the Soul Banner!" The human body has three souls and seven spirits, intrinsically connected. Although the burned soul had left the body, it deeply affected what remained of Shen Fu Yang's being. He tilted his head back, his vision blurred. He attempted to move forward, but as he lifted a foot, he immediately stumbled, collapsing to the ground. As the flames flickered, his body trembled incessantly. It was then that Fu Ling noticed his back was soaked in sweat. Her lips parted, a flicker of compassion crossing her face, momentarily worried he might die from the pain. As the fierce flames blazed, the malevolent energy in the air was nearly purified. Desperate to retrieve the white banner, Dai Yuan Xi found that in this situation, she could only rely on Shen Fu Yang. Despite his pained moans from the ground, she acted as if she saw nothing, mercilessly kicking him. "Shen Fu Yang! Shen Fu Yang!" "You useless fool, get up!" "Do you want to die? If you dare die, I'll kill those four little things to accompany you!" "Get up, do you hear me?!" "Shen Fu Yang! Shen Fu Yang! Retrieve the Soul Banner!" The hoarse cries echoed as if conducting some strange ritual. Fu Ling observed coldly, her heart longing to teach this malicious old woman a lesson. Yet she suppressed her anger, continuing to release spiritual energy into the fire. Everyone thought Dai Yuan Xi was mad with fury, never expecting Shen Fu Yang to actually respond to those piercing calls. In mere moments, he was tremblingly rising from the ground, enduring the soul-burning agony to attack the girl in front of him. Fu Ling sidestepped the attack, her bright eyes fixed ahead, hesitating before deciding not to retaliate. Instead, she retracted, holding the white banner further back. Shen Fu Yang was focused on retrieving the white banner and ignored everything else in pursuit. With the fire between them, their silhouettes flickered closely. Dai Yuan Xi feared the fire needle, but Shen Fu Yang did not. The white banner was within reach, and as he reached out multiple times, his hands became bloodied by the needle's piercing. The tension escalated. Though protected by the spirit fire, Fu Ling gradually found herself at a disadvantage, merely defending without counterattacking. A gust of wind whipped up, flaring the flames, intensifying them. The white banner was entirely engulfed, and Shen Fu Yang's face contorted with agony. Dai Yuan Xi remained unconcerned about his suffering, her anxiety rising as the Soul Banner approached destruction. She chanted mantras frantically, moving to Shen Fu Yang's side. Before anyone could react, she firmly grabbed his right arm, heedless of the fierce flames, and thrust his bloodied hand into the fire. "Retrieve the Soul Banner!" "Fail, and I kill the little ones!" The same orders and threats persisted. Shen Fu Yang's expression was pained, sweat pouring down his forehead. Fu Ling, seeing this, couldn't bear it. Her gaze swept over the four children, softly murmuring. "Shen Fu Yang—" "I'll help you save them—" One voice was filled with intimidation, the other with compassion. Shen Fu Yang's vacant eyes blinked, the flesh surrounded by flames slowly numbing. Amidst the blazing light, his fingers slightly contracted. Unseen by others, he relinquished his hold on the Soul Banner he'd almost grasped. In that instant, the white banner burned away, the air filled with fine dust, releasing the souls from the sorcerer's banner. And Shen Fu Yang collapsed entirely. The destruction of the Soul Banner meant Dai Yuan Xi lost her strongest asset. The outcome of the contest was clear. Without taking the four children, she vanished into the moonlit night as Fu Ling was momentarily distracted. The night's battle was indeed spectacular. The spectators were afflicted by the evil poison, but thanks to Ning Wan Qiu's prior arrangements, the Spirit Treasure Pavilion swiftly dispatched people to gather them. When Fu Ling returned to the ground with the unconscious Shen Fu Yang, only the four children, not yet turned into puppets, remained. "Brother!" "Brother!!" Upon seeing Shen Fu Yang, all four children began to cry. Fu Ling watched, perplexed. According to Jiu Ying, destroying the Soul Banner should have released the trapped souls and restored Shen Fu Yang to normalcy. It should have been a joyous event, so why were these children in tears? Seeing them cry even harder, she bit her lip, cautiously approaching. "Why... why are you crying?" "Shen Fu Yang, he's—" Before she could finish, the oldest girl interrupted harshly, crying. "Brother is dead!" "You burned Brother's Soul Banner, he can't live anymore!" Dead? How could that be? Fu Ling paused, stunned by the word 'dead,' as if momentarily forgetting its meaning. At this moment, her mind kept replaying Jiu Ying's previous words— Souls trapped within the banner would be freed if the banner was destroyed. She thought, surely her senior sister must have known her intentions when she said that. She meant to save Shen Fu Yang, so how did it end up with her causing his death? Unable to fathom it and too afraid to think more, Fu Ling glanced ahead, met with the dark night that revealed no sign of Jiu Ying. Shen Fu Yang's breath was faint, on the verge of death, unlikely to survive the night. As Fu Ling stepped forward, hoping to make a difference, she was immediately blocked by the weeping children— "You bad person, you killed Brother!" "Bad person, bad person!" "You're as bad as her, you're both bad people!" Her? Fu Ling was momentarily taken aback, realizing the ‘her’ referred to Dai Yuan Xi. Left speechless, she struggled to find words to defend herself. In her awkwardness, a slender figure descended from the darkened sky—the inexplicably vanished Jiu Ying. Author's Note: Thank you to the angels who voted for me with power stones or nourished me with nutrient solutions between 2021-02-21 03:18:13 to 2021-03-22 23:24:30~ Thank you to the angel who cast shallow water bombs: 516010611; Thank you to the angel who sent a rocket launcher: Aqua-kun, 1 piece; Thank you to the angels who sent landmines: Mu Qing Mu and Bai Shi Zhu's bear, 1 each; Thank you to the angels who nourished me with nutrient solutions: Yu Mu with 55 bottles; 49175837 with 50 bottles; zy with 48 bottles; Ya with 43 bottles; 46099749 with 20 bottles; Meishisiyu with 10 bottles; 42282380 with 9 bottles; Chongya www with 6 bottles; Wenjie, Xiao Yu, Aqua-kun with 5 bottles each; Bai Yi Wu Chen, Bai Shi Zhu's bear with 3 bottles each; Mao Mao Yu and Drink More Hot Water with 1 bottle each; I am extremely grateful for everyone's support, and I will continue to work hard!