"She's this generation's Alliance Leader! I swear on the Bloom family name to guard her side, even unto death!"
"Uh..." Papa Bloom swayed a little at those words—clearly, the poison was starting to take effect.
"Quick, take the antidote!" Caleb Miles hurriedly handed them two pills from the bottle—there were still several left—because they were Butterfly Rogue's family.
"But she isn't the Alliance Leader yet," Papa Bloom said worriedly, glancing at Ivy Shen—naturally, he had no idea Ivy was actually a girl.
"Dad, she is! In my heart, she's already the Alliance Leader. You guys need to go!" He pushed his father's hand away, glanced at Liam Willow and Caleb Miles, and the three of them nodded in silent agreement before charging ahead.
Seeing this, Grandpa Bloom and Papa Bloom froze for a moment, unsure what to do.
"You should go. Don't worry about him. That person isn't just his Alliance Leader—she's also the wife he loves. Of course he'll stay and protect her." Liam Willow stood up and explained to the two elders.
The two elders blinked in surprise, finally understanding why Trey Bloom was so determined.
"Let's go. He's finally grown up!" Papa Bloom smiled with relief. Out of his four sons, this one was always the most hopeless—no sense of responsibility, always causing trouble and embarrassing the family, even telling outsiders he was an orphan whose parents died young. Papa Bloom had once been so angry he nearly cut ties with him. But today, he saw a different side: his son standing tall, showing a maturity that shocked and comforted him.
Papa Bloom glanced at the person cross-dressing as a man, heart full of gratitude—thank you for teaching my carefree Trey Bloom what it means to be a real man.
"But his martial arts are so weak..." Grandpa Bloom fretted. No matter how mischievous his grandson was, no matter his faults, he was still family—and as a grandpa, he couldn't help but worry.
"We have to trust Trey Bloom. If he says she's the Alliance Leader, then she is. As a member of the Bloom family, it's his duty to protect Wulin—even if it costs his life." Papa Bloom declared, full of pride.
Grandpa Bloom nodded at those words—his Trey Bloom had finally grown up and learned to shoulder the family's burdens.
"We have an even more important job to do," Papa Bloom said to Grandpa Bloom. The two exchanged a look and dashed down the mountain—they had a crucial mission: to lead the survivors to safety. For the Bloom family, protecting these people was destiny; it mattered more than any private concern.
"What do I do, what do I do?" Liam Willow paced frantically. He couldn't help her at all, and what really terrified him was that Poison Silver Consort was pressing Ivy so hard she couldn't stop for even a second—if Ivy slipped up, the next fatal move would hit one of her friends.
Right now, Lucian Vane was a nervous wreck. How had Silver Consort gotten even stronger since last time? Her internal energy was overwhelming, and worst of all, he couldn't get the antidote to Ivy Shen.
"Ivy, take the antidote first!" Caleb Miles shouted. He knew the longer Ivy went without it, the weaker she'd get—but his aunt kept closing in, every move a killing blow, leaving them no chance to get close. Worse, her henchman Black Ink and several others had joined the fight, so they had to split up to keep them from ganging up on Ivy.
Poison Silver Consort shot Caleb Miles a vicious glare and snapped, "You're betraying me for this man?"
"Aunt, please stop—Song Zhijue is not a good man!" Caleb Miles yelled as he fought Black Ink.
"Traitor! When I'm done with this monster, I'll come teach you a lesson myself!" With that, she pressed Ivy even harder, but was shocked to find this 'monster' could still hold out after all that poison—and her inner strength was ridiculously deep.
"Ivy, the antidote!" Lucian Vane was beside himself with worry. The endless stream of bodies collapsing around him kept reminding him just how deadly this poison really was.
"Don't even think about giving her the antidote!" Silver Consort whipped out the cord at her waist and struck Lucian Vane's hand—instantly, a bloody welt appeared. But he still stubbornly reached out, trying to get the medicine to Ivy Shen.
At that moment, no one realized Ivy's body was already changing. Her internal strength was deep, so she could withstand even a deadly poison like this—but she never expected it would trigger sharp pain in her lower abdomen. She knew exactly what that meant: no matter how strong she was, whenever her period hit, she was helpless as a drowning child. She'd tried every treatment, but nothing worked; even the best cultivation couldn't save her from this recurring weakness.
And now this poison was actually causing her abdominal pain. Ivy started to worry—was it going to trigger her period early?
"You dead woman, I'm taking you down!" Butterfly Rogue yelled and launched himself from behind, wrapping Silver Consort in a tight hug. He shouted at Lucian Vane, "Get Ivy the antidote—NOW!"
Seeing this, Silver Consort went all out, hammering her elbows backward again and again—each blow brutal and relentless.
Lucian Vane seized the chance, hurried to Ivy Shen's side, and took out the antidote—only to find it smashed in his palm. Panicking, he shouted, "Caleb Miles! The antidote—quick!"
"Catch!" A dazzling spin bought him a split second, and he tossed the medicine bottle to Lucian Vane.
Lucian Vane grabbed the bottle, rushed to Ivy Shen, and opened it. "Ivy, take the medicine—now!" He struggled to get a pill out, thrilled to finally help—only to watch Ivy leap away, vanishing from his sight.
"Pfft, pfft—"
"You want to die!" Silver Consort struck Butterfly Rogue with all her strength. The force was so great that Butterfly Rogue started coughing blood, his eyes rolling back—yet he still clung on. "Even...even if I die...I won't let go..." Blood poured from his mouth with every word. Ivy Shen couldn't stop to take her medicine, because she saw Silver Consort draw a handful of gleaming silver needles. "If you want to die, I'll oblige!" Silver Consort spun the needles in her hand, aiming straight for Butterfly Rogue's heart.
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"Take this!" Ivy Shen shouted, successfully drawing Silver Consort's attention. She seized the moment, darted over, and yanked Butterfly Rogue away. He dropped like a stone, collapsing instantly.
Seeing this, Liam Willow rushed over, arms outstretched, trying to catch Butterfly Rogue as he fell.
"Move!" Colin Kerr yanked Liam Willow aside and caught Butterfly Rogue himself. The impact nearly drove Colin to his knees, but he was secretly thrilled—he'd managed to catch Butterfly Rogue himself. If Liam had tried, he'd have been crushed!
Liam Willow hurried to Butterfly Rogue's side, calling out in worry, "Butterfly Rogue, Butterfly Rogue..."
Butterfly Rogue lay there, eyes shut, face pale as paper. Suddenly, a yellow tail slowly replaced his legs...
"Butterfly Rogue, wake up! Wake up!" Liam Willow cried, panic rising. He knew showing a tail while unconscious meant only two things: either Butterfly Rogue was gravely injured, or... he was dying.
"Don't move him—his organs have taken a terrible hit..." Colin Kerr warned, watching the bright yellow tail lose its shine.
"How could this happen? Please save him, Colin—you know martial arts, right? Save him, please!" Liam Willow's tears spilled over. He hated tournaments, hated death, hated seeing loved ones go. When his mother died, it felt like the sky collapsed; now, he'd come to see these people as family, and he couldn't bear to lose them too.
"Pfft—" Just as Liam Willow was beside himself with worry, another body crashed to the ground from above.
"Lucian!" Ivy Shen shouted inwardly. Her head was spinning—clearly the poison was taking hold. Silver Consort took advantage, striking with a deadly palm—but unbelievably, that fool actually used his own body to shield her...
"Lucian Vane!" Just then, a shadow shot down and caught Lucian's falling body.
"You came?" Lucian Vane, bleeding at the mouth, looked up at Adrian Night and shakily pulled a bottle from his belt. "This is the antidote. Take one—then make sure Ivy gets hers. Hold on for now. I'll... I'll be right behind you..."
Adrian Night swallowed a pill and said, "Rest now. Leave the rest to me—don't worry, even if I die, I'll protect Ivy!" With that, he dashed off toward Ivy Shen.
"Adrian!" Ivy Shen's head throbbed, but she was stunned to see him. How... how did he get here?!