243: Chapter 243 "The Stitcher"

If Su Chen were here, he might have been able to recognize them.

These women were the members of the True White Snake Cult he had encountered in Jinguan City not long ago.

At the very front of the formation, an exquisitely beautiful woman stood suspended in mid-air.

As the only person present not wearing a black robe...

...her figure was incredibly curvaceous and full.

Even though her loose white robe was blown tightly against her body by the fierce wind, it still outlined a breathtaking silhouette that would make anyone's blood boil.

Her snow-white hair fluttered wildly in the wind.

Her cheeks were pale.

On the side of her long, fair neck, several fine snake scales were faintly visible.

This was the current true backbone of the White Snake Cult.

The one revered by countless female disciples.

Ancestor Suzhen.

Bai Suzhen.

And opposite them...

...was another group also dressed in black robes...

...yet they were strange people whose gender and age were completely indistinguishable.

Although the two groups were in a standoff, the atmosphere was quite strange.

At this moment, anyone with a discerning eye could see.

If this rift appearing in Yuhang City were truly expanded further, releasing monsters into the High Martial World...

...for a city already plagued by natural disasters...

...it would likely be an even heavier blow.

But these Men in Black Robes confronting Bai Suzhen...

...not only did they not help repair the rift, but they also continuously hurled light orbs formed from black spiritual energy at the formation of Bai Suzhen and the others, attempting to tear the rift even wider.

"Hehehe... Cluck cluck cluck..."

The leader of the strange group opposite them let out a shrill, androgynous laugh.

"Don't waste your energy."

"Look at the pathetic state you're in now, Ancestor Suzhen?"

"How is it that the grand 'True' White Snake Cult, under the leadership of such a great leader as yourself, can't even block the casual attacks of those of us you call the 'Fake' White Snake Cult?"

The leader's tone was full of sarcasm and pleasure.

His gaze swept over the female disciples behind Bai Suzhen, who were already spitting blood, and the smile at the corner of his mouth grew even more radiant.

"What?"

"Has repairing such a tiny spatial rift already forced you bitches, who claim to be orthodox, to burn your martial artist origin?"

"Shut up!"

Bai Suzhen's delicate body trembled, and her already loose clothing slipped down a bit further.

Only by clutching them with her jade-like hands did she prevent herself from being exposed.

Clutching her chest, she coughed up a mouthful of blood along with her subordinates behind her.

Her eyes, which were originally as gentle and clear as autumn water, were now slightly red with anger.

Strangely...

...that mouthful of blood landed squarely on the formation set up by the True White Snake Cult.

Instead of weakening it, it actually stabilized the formation that had been teetering under the attacks.

"You have the nerve to mention that in front of me!"

"You bunch of traitors who have forgotten your ancestors!"

She rebuked them sharply; even though her breath was weak, her spine remained ramrod straight.

"Before that incident years ago, you were also disciples of my White Snake Cult."

"You once swore to seek neither fame nor fortune, to hide your identities and practice medicine to save the world, protecting the land."

"This has always been the most fundamental pursuit of our White Snake Cult!"

"I don't blame you for leaving the cult. Xiao Qing and I were in seclusion back then; perhaps our cult truly did you wrong."

"And perhaps it was for this very reason that the tragedy of Su Weiqing and 'The Needleman' occurred."

"If that were the case... it would be one thing if you only attacked our White Snake Cult."

"But now, you are actually artificially creating and expanding these spatial rifts all over the world."

"Do you have any idea what it means to release those ancient monsters?"

"Once they descend upon the human world, they won't care who is right or wrong."

"They will only destroy everything in sight in the most tyrannical way possible!"

"Do you want to destroy all of humanity, along with yourselves, in this apocalypse?!"

She took a deep breath, suppressing the surging blood within her, and corrected him coldly.

"Furthermore, I, Bai Suzhen, have never been the leader of the White Snake Cult!"

"From ancient times to the present, there has only ever been one leader of my White Snake Cult!"

At this point...

...the image of a handsome figure in a green robe uncontrollably flashed through Bai Suzhen's mind.

A thousand years ago, he had rescued her, heavily injured and near death, from the riverbank.

Back then, he was so gentle.

Heh...

So much so that she hadn't been able to forget him for a thousand years.

Even now, when her life was on a countdown...

...she was still thinking of him.

Not having seen him for a thousand years, Bai Suzhen thought that her identity as the Lady Bai had died.

But once anything related to the White Snake Cult was mentioned...

...her first reaction was still to clear his name.

Su Chen, Young Master Su.

Other than him, who in this world is worthy of being Bai Suzhen's leader?

Who is worthy of being her lord (husband)?

"Hehe... The White Snake Cult did us wrong?"

"At least you're aware of it!"

Hearing Bai Suzhen's words, the leader of the Fake White Snake Cult suddenly flew into a rage, his face darkening even more as the energy around him became more restless.

"As for 'The Needleman'..."

"You still have the face to mention him?"

"If 'The Needleman' were still alive, why would repairing these broken spatial laws be as difficult as it is now?"

The leader's voice was exceptionally shrill as he roared.

"But what's the point of saying all this now?"

"The Needleman... he was the father of our current cult leader."

"He protected this world without asking for anything in return, yet he was murdered by a bunch of incredibly stupid hypocrites and a group of despicably mean-spirited villains!"

"It also allowed us to see clearly... how many selfish, ignorant, and sanctimonious scumbags there are in this so-called human world."

"The Cult Leader told us... as the leader of this splintered branch of the White Snake Cult and as the daughter of The Needleman..."

..."her sole purpose is to make this entire filthy world be buried with her father."

"Furthermore..."

The leader stared intently at Bai Suzhen.

"A major reason why 'The Needleman' was driven into a corner and died a tragic death was that you, the White Snake Cult, cared too much about your reputation and were far too sanctimonious!"

The Needleman...?

Father...?

Bai Suzhen's beautiful eyes widened suddenly, and a storm of shock surged in her heart.

She certainly knew who "The Needleman" was.

Although she had only heard of him and never seen him with her own eyes.

It was said that he was an extraordinary person who, despite having no cultivation himself, could easily stitch together any spatial rifts that appeared between planes where monsters resided due to his special bloodline.

He had once briefly served the White Snake Cult before dying for some unknown reason.

But... as for what exactly happened back then, Bai Suzhen herself knew very little.

Back then.

To extend the life of her broken demon body...

...to endure the long years until the day she could see Young Master Su again...

...she was in deep seclusion with Xiao Qing in the depths of a secret realm.

All contact with the outside world had been severed.

(Bonus Chapter Progress: 26/99)

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