Chapter 246: General Star Divine Fiends

"General Star Divine Fiends?" Tie Ningxiang clearly didn't understand Lu Xing. She still didn't know her Fate Pattern was special, assuming his previous attempts to kill her were purely out of revenge.

I took a half-step forward, smoothly interposing myself between Lu Xing and Tie Ningxiang. "General Star Divine Fiends is the Fate Pattern of your eight characters. Lu Xing has been secretly collecting people with special eight characters. That's why he kidnapped Xiaofeng."

"I just want a drop of heart's blood. Think it through. Tearing off all pretenses won't do you any good." Lu Xing twisted Yi Yi's neck, lifting the little girl like a kitten. Her face went deathly pale.

"Stop!" Tie Ningxiang stepped forward. "Don't hurt Yi Yi!"

I reached out and grabbed her arm, holding her back tight. "This is a trap. Lu Xing won't let you off that easily—don't fall for it!"

Lu Xing kept his eyes fixed on Tie Ningxiang. "Gao Jian, this isn't our first time crossing paths. You should know how I operate. I'll do whatever it takes, but it all serves the Two-Faced Buddha's grand plan! I know you're hard to deal with, and you probably still have some trump cards left. I can't gauge your true depths, so I just want a simple exchange to get what I'm after. You give me the heart's blood of the General Star Divine Fiends, and I give this girl back. We both get what we need. Isn't that better?"

"Do you think I'd believe you?" I kept my expression calm, holding my ground. "You're the most insane person I've ever met. I don't see a single trace of humanity in you."

"Seems like you're the one constantly standing in my way, doesn't it? I don't know why you're collecting the Eight Characters Divine Fiends, but it must have to do with defying the heavens to change your fate. We're on the same path, so why put on this disgusting hypocritical act? Humanity? Don't make me laugh. The waters of this world run very deep. I just want to survive." Lu Xing's words carried hidden implications. What he was doing wasn't as simple as I had guessed.

After this brief exchange, everyone in the dim corridor turned to Tie Ningxiang. The heroic police officer became the focal point of our attention.

The grip of Lu Xing's fingers grew tighter. Yi Yi slowly lowered her head, forcing back her tears. "I'll give you three minutes to consider. Think it through. If you don't agree by then, I'll kill this girl right now, and then we'll see whose skills are better. There are hundreds of yin souls outside that door. I know you might be hiding Daoist talismans, but in a fight to the bitter end, it's hard to say who will survive."

The reason Lu Xing didn't attack me directly was because he had suffered a massive loss last time at Century New Garden, leaving him with a lingering psychological shadow.

In his eyes, anyone capable of pulling out an Upper Vehicle Talisman definitely had a massive background and powerful backing, so carrying some life-saving Talisman Paper was perfectly normal.

Moreover, the last time he fought Lu Jin, he had depleted his vitality just before I arrived. That probably gave him the misconception that Lu Jin and I were fellow disciples. After all, we both used the unpassed secrets of the Profound Truth Dao.

Because of this misunderstanding, Lu Xing didn't drive the yin souls to slaughter us, opting instead to negotiate an exchange.

Three minutes passed quickly. Lu Xing offered a cruel smile and reversed his grip on the knife, preparing to pierce the back of Yi Yi's neck.

"Wait!" Tie Ningxiang raised her uninjured hand and gently pushed me away. "I agree to your demands. I'll give you what you want. Stop hurting Yi Yi. She's just an innocent child."

"Don't do anything stupid. These people won't keep their promises."

I tried my best to dissuade her, but Tie Ningxiang waved me off. "Once it's done, you take Yi Yi and leave first. I'll bring up the rear."

Seeing that I still wanted to argue, Tie Ningxiang did something that completely surprised me, something I had never expected.

"Gao Jian, I can only trust you now. Do as I say." She turned around, her face calm and composed, and took a slow step toward me. Opening her arms, she awkwardly wrapped her hands around mine. "Take her away. Yi Yi is innocent."

A faint fragrance lingered at the tip of my nose, seeming to seep into my body. I never expected that the first time I got this close to Tie Ningxiang would be in a moment of life and death.

Rationally, this was the best solution. I couldn't refuse, offering only a very slight nod.

"Thank you."

Tie Ningxiang let go of my hands and faced Lu Xing. "What do you want me to do?"

Clang! Lu Xing tossed the sharp knife onto the floor in front of Tie Ningxiang. "I know you don't trust me. How about this? You pierce the knife right above your heart. I want a single drop of blood fresh from the heart. Just one drop—you won't be too severely injured. Then we let go at the same time. You throw the knife to me, and I return the girl to you."

I couldn't find any flaws in Lu Xing's logic. Every step seemed perfectly fair and reasonable. But it was exactly this reasonableness that felt wrong. Given Lu Xing's character, he wouldn't be playing it this straight.

I sensed a trap, but I couldn't spot it yet.

"Fine!"

Tie Ningxiang picked up the sharp knife from the floor and wiped the blade on her clothes. It was bright, sharp, and showed no signs of poison.

"What a resilient rose. I almost can't bear to watch," Qiu Ren sneered mockingly from the side, while Lu Xing simply grinned, saying nothing.

'Their attitudes are a bit bizarre. There's definitely a problem, but where is it?' I was restless with worry for Tie Ningxiang, and at that moment, ninety percent of my attention was focused on her.

Raising the sharp knife to her chest, Tie Ningxiang's eyes brimmed with determination. "Remember, you must get Yi Yi out of here!"

After giving her final instruction, she pressed the tip of the knife just above her heart, driving it in bit by bit.

Dark red blood flowed out, but this wasn't the heart's blood Lu Xing wanted. The tip of the blade pressed deeper. Tie Ningxiang's face was drenched in sweat, and the pain made her wrist tremble, yet she clenched her teeth and didn't utter a single word.

Her skin, fair as white jade, instantly ran crimson. The bloody hue on the tip of the knife looked like a rose blooming over her heart.

As the heart's blood flowed onto the blade, Tie Ningxiang pulled out the knife and doubled over. "Here is the heart's blood you wanted. Let Yi Yi go!"

I supported her, staring at the blood on the sharp knife, but the unease in my heart only grew stronger.

"We both let go at the same time. You give me the knife, I release the girl." Lu Xing's tone revealed a long-suppressed excitement, which was distinctly unnatural.

"Senior, be careful. In case it's a trick."

Tie Ningxiang nodded. Accompanied by me, she slowly walked toward Lu Xing, while he approached us with his hand gripping Yi Yi's neck.

Both sides stopped at the intersection of the corridor. Tie Ningxiang reached out and offered the sharp knife. Lu Xing shoved Yi Yi over, then snatched the blade.

The transaction seemed to have concluded just like that. Tie Ningxiang tenderly hugged Yi Yi into her arms, while Yi Yi kept her head deeply lowered, seemingly out of fear.

"Not bad, it really is the General Star Divine Fiends!" With the sharp knife in hand, Lu Xing didn't say anything else. He reached into his coat and pulled out an Octagonal Token. Ancient Chinese characters were written on five of its eight corners: Death God, tribulation fiend, Heavenly Physician, ten evils, and Yuanchen.

Seeing this token, I remembered the one I kept close to my chest. It also had characters written on three of its corners: Yuanchen, Heavenly Physician, and Tianyi.

'I got my token from Zichou. Could this be proof of identity as a disciple of the Two-Faced Buddha?' While I was still thinking, Lu Xing dripped the warm blood from the tip of the knife onto the token. Not long after, the name of the sixth divine fiend appeared on the Octagonal Token—General Star!

He stared at the two new ancient Chinese characters that had appeared on the token. Unable to control his expression any longer, his mouth split open in a grin, and he burst into raucous laughter.

His hysterical laughter—God knows how long he had been repressing it—rang clearly down the entire corridor.

Sensing something was wrong, I stepped back. "Senior, quickly take Yi Yi and leave! Run toward the Ferris Wheel!"

Before I could finish speaking, a sudden gust of cold wind flashed from behind me, followed by Tie Ningxiang's scream. "Look out!"

With my enhanced five senses, I reacted instantly, narrowly dodging that icy gust. But when I turned to look, the sight before me made me feel like I had plunged into an ice cave.

Yi Yi stood with her head lowered and hair disheveled, holding a short knife in her hand, staring intently at my spine.

"You're not Yi Yi!"

Massive waves surged in my heart. I had constantly been on guard against the enemy replacing Tie Ningxiang, focusing almost all my attention on her while completely overlooking this girl.

Lu Xing was truly too cunning. Everything had been an act. Qiu Ren disguising himself as Tie Ningxiang, all the events and clues we had encountered in the Amusement Park, and possibly even the apparent discord between the two of them—it was all likely intentional to distract me, forcing my brain to analyze irrelevant details while ignoring the most fatal point.

Lowering the sharp knife, the scars on Lu Xing's face began to stretch out. He laughed maniacally, shrieking hysterically, "Gao Jian, do you remember what I said to you back then?"