117. The friendship of gentlemen is as deep as the sea.

The male disciple's eyes were filled with madness. "I have no way out now, Ni'er... I have to kill you. Because once you are dead, you will belong to me alone, and no one will ever be able to take you away from me! Hahaha... I have sacrificed everything for you, and I absolutely cannot let you go..."

"You... you lunatic, you..." The female disciple spat out blood, unable to rise after falling to the ground.

"I love you, Ni'er... I truly love you. You gave me so much hope... I have no choice but to do this... Let me, let me hold you..." As he spoke, the male disciple moved toward her.

However, the female disciple had already died from excessive blood loss. He cradled her corpse and began to laugh hysterically.

"This guy is just too..." Xuefen said, shaking her head with a strange expression.

Xie Wuji remarked, "Let's go. This is a private matter within their sect, and we cannot interfere. It is better to avoid unnecessary trouble. This man has lost his mind; the deeper one loves, the more profound the wound, and if one descends into madness, the reaction is all the more intense."

"It seems Brother Xie has deep feelings regarding such matters?" Peony asked.

"Junior Sister Peony!" Xuefen said coldly.

Peony immediately covered her mouth, falling silent while stealing a glance at Xie Wuji and the others.

With little time remaining, Xie Wuji, pressed by the urgency, proceeded toward the Heaven-Reaching Tower with the group.

The journey, however, was not destined to be smooth. They encountered constant setbacks, including disciples who attempted to take advantage of the chaos by blocking their path to demand the spirit stones they carried, only to be driven off by Xie Wuji and his companions.

There were also those who tried to take liberties. Since the three junior sisters from the Red Dust Valley were walking together, and as women of the valley, they were all exceptionally beautiful, it was only natural that they drew the attention of the surrounding "wolves."

Fortunately, they had Li Dazui acting as their protector, allowing the group to fend off even the more formidable opponents. Among the ten sects, disciples possessing the cultivation level of the Nascent Soul stage were few and far between.

After crossing a hill and passing through a small forest, Xie Wuji suddenly spotted a mark belonging to the Danxia Sect on a tree.

The Danxia Sect's emblem looked like a combination of a golden elixir and a cloud. Xie Wuji had discovered this mark in an inconspicuous spot.

It meant that members of the Danxia Sect were nearby. Following the mark, Xie Wuji found several Danxia disciples by a riverbank, washing their wounds.

Suddenly, a short blade was pressed against Xie Wuji's throat. "Who is it? Why are you following us?"

"Yan'er?" Xie Wuji immediately recognized the voice. He turned his head and saw that it was indeed Baili Yan'er.

At this moment, Li Dazui and the others caught up. Xuefen declared, "Release Brother Xie at once, or we will not be so polite!"

Baili Qingyan leaped backward, landing on a large rock as the surrounding disciples gathered around.

Xie Wuji said happily, "Yan'er, I didn't expect to find you here."

"Ahem, you have mistaken me for someone else. My name is Baili Qingyan," Baili said. With so many people around, it would be embarrassing if his secret of cross-dressing were revealed.

Xie Wuji immediately understood his intention. He cupped his hands and said, "It is fine; we are all on the same side. Everyone, put down your weapons. These are junior sisters from the Red Dust Valley, this is a death-row prisoner who is now our friend, and this is our fellow Danxia disciple, Baili Qingyan..."

After Xie Wuji made the introductions, everyone realized the situation, and Xie Wuji briefly explained his own circumstances.

Baili Qingyan smiled and said, "So that’s how it is! I thought you were being held hostage by them!"

"Who in this world could hold me hostage? But why are you here? These fellow disciples don't seem to be under the Grand Elder's command. What is going on?" Xie Wuji asked.

It turned out that Baili Qingyan had been placed in a separate location, and these disciples had encountered trouble when a group of demonic beasts—forest wind wolves—surrounded them. These wind wolves could spit air-cannon projectiles, possessed great attacking power, and were extremely fast, usually moving in large packs.

If it had been a single wind wolf, these disciples would not have been afraid, but they were facing a massive pack.

Baili Qingyan happened to be passing by and saved them. They were all ordinary inner-sect disciples.

The group of five had been traveling this way, leaving many marks, hoping to reunite with other Danxia disciples. They had not expected Xie Wuji to see them and come over.

"What a beautiful girl... she is a fairy sister..." Peony exclaimed in admiration.

Baili Qingyan had washed his face and removed his veil, revealing his appearance to the others, including the three sisters from the Red Dust Valley.

Qingyan's natural appearance was extraordinary, and when they caught a glimpse of it, they were naturally struck with awe.

As the group gathered, Baili Qingyan quickly put his mask back on and said, "Since we are all together now, why don't we set off as companions?"

"Leaving so soon? Why not stay and have some fun with us fellows?"

A strange voice echoed from all directions. Xie Wuji immediately looked around, only to find no one there.

"Who? Who is it? Come out!" Xie Wuji shouted.

"What I hate most are these people from the Danxia Sect who pass themselves off as a righteous sect, while in reality, they all do shameful, thieving things behind people's backs!" the voice replied.

As the voice spoke, ten people appeared around Xie Wuji.

Eight of them were draped in black robes, and on the back of their robes was a pattern Xie Wuji was very familiar with—they were from the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons.

The other two had crescent moons on their backs, looking extremely eerie.

"The two on the left are from the Remnant Moon Divine Sect. In the last ranking tournament, they performed slightly better than us, ranking eighth—a step above the Danxia Sect—and they also practice evil arts. The eight on the right, as you can see, are from the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons," Baili Qingyan said.

Xie Wuji stepped forward and cupped his hands. "So, it is our fellow disciples from the Remnant Moon Divine Sect and the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons. Why are you hiding instead of continuing your journey? If you have something to say, why not show yourselves and speak directly?"

"Hahaha! What a joke! Boy, since you are all from the Danxia Sect, you should all remain here and turn into dust. The Elder has ordered that anyone from the Danxia Sect encountered must be annihilated, leaving no one alive. This year's goal is for the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons to suppress the Danxia Sect and become the ninth-ranked sect in the world!" the leading man declared.

"They are here with ill intent!" Peony said.

Xie Wuji said, "Xuefen, Peony, Haitang, this is an internal matter for the Danxia Sect and has nothing to do with you from the Red Dust Valley. The Danxia Sect has always been at odds with the Hall of Ten Thousand Demons, so there is no need for you to be dragged into this. You should leave first!"

"Hahaha, you cannot die, Brother Xie! If you die, where will the three of us sisters go to eat such delicious food in the future? Don't forget, we have a gentleman's agreement. You said that after the tournament, you would treat us to a meal at the Danxia Sect. Have you forgotten?" Xuefen said.

"That... that, of course, I have not forgotten," Xie Wuji replied.

"Good. Sisters, we cannot stand idly by. Brother Xie saved us earlier, and we agreed to stand together through thick and thin on this journey. As disciples of the Red Dust Valley, how can we break our promise?"

Once Xuefen said this, the other two junior sisters agreed.

Baili Qingyan laughed, "It seems you’ve managed to trick three more pretty little junior sisters!"

"I am wronged! I said our friendship is that of gentlemen, just like the two of us!" Xie Wuji said earnestly.

However, to Baili Qingyan, these words felt like a bolt of lightning striking her heart. Her lips trembled as she asked, "You have always thought that the relationship between us is merely that of gentlemen?"

"This..." Xie Wuji felt a surge of killing intent.

Seeing Xie Wuji remain silent, anger welled up within Baili Qingyan. She bit her lip, let out a muffled snort, and immediately charged at the enemies, as if venting her frustration, launching a lethal strike the moment she attacked!