Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Chapter 295 The Edge of Despair

The black shadow emerged from the ground, its huge body covering the sky and the sun, like a demon crawling out of hell. It had a body as big as a hill, covered with dark red scales, and exuded a disgusting smell of sulfur. A pair of huge scarlet eyes scanned the crowd as if looking at a group of ants.

"Ancient Demon?!" Li Xiaoyao exclaimed, his voice full of disbelief, "How is this possible?!"

How could the ancient demon, a terrifying existence that is said to have the power to destroy the world, appear here?

"Roar--"

The ancient demon let out a deafening roar, the huge sound waves collapsed the surrounding houses, and huge cracks appeared on the ground, as if doomsday had come.

"Protect the people!" Hu Bugui acted decisively. With a command, the soldiers quickly took action, formed a defensive formation, and protected the people behind them.

Wu Tao also reacted immediately. The magic spells in his hands changed, and golden runes flew out, turning into a huge light shield, blocking the ancient demon.

"boom--"

The ancient demon slapped down with its claws, and the huge force directly shattered the light shield. Wu Tao groaned, took a few steps back, and a trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth.

"Mom!" Xingchen and Yueying shouted anxiously when they saw this.

Hu Bugui waved the sword in his hand, and sword lights shot towards the ancient demon like lightning, but they were all bounced off by its hard scales and could not hurt it at all.

"Damn it!" Hu Bugui was extremely anxious. The power of this ancient demon was too strong and they were no match for it.

“Hahahahahaha—” the leader of the remnants of the mysterious organization laughed crazily, “Did you see that? This is what happens if you become my enemy! I will make all of you die with me for my failure!”

"Don't even think about succeeding!" Wu Tao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, gathered his strength again, and prepared to fight a decisive battle with the ancient demon.

However, the power of the ancient demon was too strong, and Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's armies were defeated and suffered heavy casualties.

"Yueying, be careful!" Xingchen saw that Yueying was almost hit by the ancient demon's attack, and quickly threw her to the ground.

With a loud bang, the place where the stars and the moon shadow were located was hit by the power of the ancient demon. Dust flew up, blocking everyone's vision.

"Xingchen! Yueying!" Wu Tao and Hu Bugui shouted heartbreakingly, trying desperately to break through the dust and fog in front of them... The dust dissipated, revealing the ground that had been bombed beyond recognition, but there was no sign of Xingchen and Yueying.

"Xingchen! Yueying!" Wu Tao screamed heartbreakingly, her voice full of despair, as if she had used up all her strength. Hu Bugui's eyes were red, and he rushed towards the ruins like a madman, desperately digging at the gravel and soil with his hands, not even noticing that his fingertips were cut by the sharp gravel.

"Cough cough..." A faint cough came from not far away. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui turned their heads at the same time, only to see Li Xiaoyao half-kneeling on the ground, blood oozing from the corner of his mouth and his face as pale as paper.

"Xiaoyao! Where are Xingchen and Yueying?" Wu Tao rushed to Li Xiaoyao and asked anxiously.

Li Xiaoyao shook his head and said weakly: "I... I saw them being hit by the power of the devil, and then... then I knew nothing..."

"No! No way! Stars! Moonlight!" Wu Tao's eyes went dark and she almost fainted. Hu Bugui hurriedly supported her, his eyes full of pain and self-blame.

“Hahaha! Did you see that? This is the fate of being my enemy!” The leader of the remnants of the mysterious organization laughed wildly, with a crazy light flashing in his eyes, “All of you must die!”

"You devil! I will kill you!" Hu Bugui roared, and was about to rush forward with his sword, but was stopped by Li Xiaoyao.

"Prince, calm down! You are no match for him!" Li Xiaoyao shouted, "The only way to have a chance now is to take the princess away from here first..."

"But the stars and the moon shadows..." Wu Tao's voice trembled and tears blurred her eyes.

"Trust me, they will be fine!" Li Xiaoyao said firmly, "I will stay and try my best to hold the demon back, you guys go quickly!"

Before Hu Bugui and Wu Tao could react, Li Xiaoyao pushed them away, then forced himself to stand up and staggered towards the ancient demon.

“You don’t know your own limitations!” The leader of the mysterious organization sneered. The ancient demon roared and swung out a claw. Li Xiaoyao’s figure was instantly swallowed by the shadow…

"Xiaoyao!" Wu Tao cried out in grief, and then her eyes went dark and she fainted. Hu Bugui hugged Wu Tao tightly, and looked at the purgatory-like scene in front of him, his eyes filled with pain and despair. He knew that now was not the time to be sad, and he had to take Wu Tao away from here, for the sake of Xingchen and Yueying, who they had not yet found, and for... the child in her belly...

"Let's go!" Hu Bugui roared at the remnants of the defeated army behind him, his voice filled with endless grief and despair, but his tone was extremely firm.

The setting sun was like blood, stretching the backs of the fleeing team to be particularly long. Hu Bugui held the unconscious Wu Tao in his arms, his steps staggering but firm, every step felt like stepping on the tip of a knife, the pain could not stop. Behind him were broken flags and soldiers with low morale. The once mighty army was now only able to flee.

"Your Highness, let us cover your retreat!" An old soldier knelt down in front of Hu Bugui, his weathered face full of determination, "We old bones can still fight for Chang'an once more!"

"Yes, Your Majesty! Let us stay and cover everyone's retreat!" Other soldiers also requested for orders, with a gleam of fearlessness in their eyes.

Hu Bugui looked at these loyal and brave soldiers with great sorrow in his heart. He knew that staying would mean death, but in order to save more lives, he had to make a choice.

"Please, everyone!" Hu Bugui bowed deeply, then turned around resolutely and continued to flee into the distance with Wu Tao and the remaining soldiers.

Behind me, shouts and cries of killing shook the sky. That was the warriors' final tragic song. They were using their lives to buy time for hope.

Chang'an City fell into despair again. The shadow of the devil shrouded this ancient capital, and the prosperity and glory of the past disappeared, replaced by endless fear and despair. The city gates were closed, and the city walls were full of guards. They stared into the distance nervously, their hearts filled with anxiety.

Outside the city, the leader of the remnant of the mysterious organization stood on the shoulder of the devil, laughing arrogantly, the scepter in his hand radiated an evil light, dyeing everything around him black. Under his command, the devil destroyed everything wantonly, houses collapsed, streets broke apart, and the entire Chang'an city seemed to have turned into a purgatory on earth.

“Hahaha! This is what happens when you resist me!” The voice of the leader of the remnants of the mysterious organization was like a roar from hell, “I will make all of you submit to me!”

The surrounding areas were not spared either. The power of the devil spread rapidly, cities fell one after another, countless people were displaced, and the once peaceful and prosperous land turned into a living hell in the blink of an eye.

On the way to escape, Wu Tao finally woke up. She struggled to sit up and looked at the unfamiliar scene around her, her mind blank.

"Stars...moon shadows..." Wu Tao murmured to himself, his voice full of sadness and despair.

"Tao'er, you're awake!" Hu Bugui held Wu Tao's hand, his eyes full of worry and distress, "How do you feel? Where do you feel uncomfortable?"

Wu Tao shook her head and said nothing, but held Hu Bugui's hand tightly, as if she was holding on to the last straw. She looked at Hu Bugui's tired face and bloodshot eyes, her heart filled with self-blame and pain.

"It's all my fault... I'm useless..." Wu Tao's voice choked, "If it weren't for me, Xingchen and Yueying wouldn't have..."

"No, Tao'er, this is not your fault." Hu Bugui held Wu Tao in his arms and comforted her softly, "We will definitely find them. We will go back together and rebuild our home."

Wu Tao didn't say anything, but buried her head in Hu Bugui's chest, tears falling silently. She knew that Hu Bugui was comforting her, they both knew that there was little hope.

The carriage bumped along, heading south, but no one knew where the end was. Silence spread between the two, so oppressive that it made people breathless. Suddenly, Hu Bugui punched the carriage hard, and the wooden board groaned under the heavy weight.

"There must be... there must be another way..."

The atmosphere in the car was so heavy that it seemed like it would explode at any time. Wu Tao tightly held Hu Bugui's hand, feeling the warmth of his palm, trying to draw a little strength from it.

"Not returning, are we wrong?" Wu Tao's voice was hoarse and a little confused.

Hu Bugui frowned and remained silent. He knew that their strategy had been wrong. They relied too much on their own strength and ignored the evil source behind this dark force.

"We cannot defeat the devil with pure force," Wu Tao continued, his tone firm, "We must find other ways."

Hu Bugui suddenly raised his head and looked at Wu Tao, with a glimmer of hope in his eyes, "Tao'er, what do you think?"

"Legend has it that there is a divine artifact that has the power to seal the devil." Wu Tao took a deep breath and said slowly, "If we can find this artifact, perhaps..."

Hu Bugui was shocked. He knew what Wu Tao was talking about. It was an ancient legend, and no one had ever confirmed its authenticity. However, at this moment, it seemed to be their only hope.

"Okay! Let's go find him!" Hu Bugui's eyes were firm and his tone was full of determination.

The two of them no longer hesitated and immediately turned the car around and headed in the direction of the legendary artifact. The road ahead was long and full of unknown dangers, but a glimmer of hope ignited in their hearts, supporting them to continue moving forward.

However, fate always seemed to play tricks on them. Just as they were about to reach their destination, a familiar figure suddenly appeared in front of them and blocked their way.

"Li Xiaoyao?!" Wu Tao exclaimed, only to see that he was covered in blood and was dying.

"Hurry... hurry up..." Li Xiaoyao uttered a few words with difficulty, blood gushing out from the corners of his mouth, "The devil... is right behind us..."

Before he finished speaking, a powerful evil force swept over and knocked Li Xiaoyao to the ground. Hu Bugui was quick to grab Wu Tao and took her away to avoid it.

"It's too late, let's go!" Hu Bugui growled, picked up the seriously injured Li Xiaoyao, and ran towards a small path nearby.

Wu Tao followed Hu Bugui closely, his heart filled with worry and fear. Can they still escape this disaster?

They eventually took refuge in a remote valley...