After the Fairy Maidens Fell to Darkness, They Captured Me to Ruthlessly 'Repay' Their Gratitude-Chapter 76 - "It’s Been a While, Little He Ange"

…

Bai Zihua’s Evening Blossom Slash was executed with 90% of his full strength, a culmination of his years of training.

But when his sword clashed with the eerie Abyss Orb floating midair, it was like an egg smashing against a boulder. No matter how much force he exerted, it didn’t budge.

Worse still, as his blade connected with the orb, its sinister energy began creeping along the sword, threatening to reach Bai Zihua’s right hand.

At the last moment, the Abyss Orb emitted a blinding, malevolent light. Bai Zihua instinctively shut his eyes and threw his now-tainted sword aside, retreating several steps to escape the orb’s influence.

“This... this is the Abyss Orb?!” Bai Zihua exclaimed, his voice trembling with shock.

He Ange calmly retrieved the Abyss Orb, his cold gaze unwavering. Behind him, the fox demon girl had fainted. Without urgency, he gently picked her up and leaned her against a tree.

Something strange caught his attention—Xia Ranyue’s nine tails had fully emerged, writhing as if alive. They reached toward He Ange, brushing against him as though reluctant to let him go. Even as he walked away, the tails strained to follow, only to fall limp when their reach ended.

How strange.

But He Ange had no time to ponder the mystery of her tails. He had more pressing matters to attend to.

With the Abyss Orb in hand, he advanced toward Bai Zihua, his steps deliberate and unyielding.

For every step He Ange took forward, Bai Zihua instinctively stepped back.

The power of the ancient Abyss Orb was no secret to Bai Zihua. He knew its capabilities: the Abyss Spirit Orb granted immense strength, while the Abyss Orb controlled the minds of others.

“Why... why is the Abyss Orb in your possession?” Bai Zihua demanded, his voice laced with unease.

This revelation was even more unsettling than he had anticipated.

According to Qin Shiyan’s intelligence, the Abyss Orb was in the hands of Nightfall, the Holy Son of the Demon Sect—a highly dangerous artifact. Yet here it was, in He Ange’s grasp. The boy was injured, fleeing Yong’an City under the cover of night. The implications were glaringly obvious.

“What do you think?” He Ange replied, his tone light, his eyes cold.

“Did you... kill Nightfall in the Abyss Spirit Hall and take the Abyss Orb? And now you’re fleeing Yong’an City? He Ange, don’t tell me you’re planning to betray the Shengxu Sect!” Bai Zihua’s voice rose as the pieces fell into place.

The scenario was terrifying, but somehow, it felt plausible. He Ange now held the Abyss Orb, an ancient treasure that could tempt even the most loyal cultivators to turn against their sect.

He Ange didn’t answer. His cold gaze and faint smile were his only response. Under the moonlight, Bai Zihua noticed the sharp fangs glinting beneath his lips.

“Senior Brother Zihua, you know too much,” He Ange said softly.

“—!?”

…

Stay calm.

Stay calm.

Stay calm.

Despite He Ange’s menacing aura and sinister demeanor, Bai Zihua forced himself to think rationally.

First of all, the Abyss Orb’s ability to control minds required the wielder’s cultivation to be equal to or greater than the target’s. Bai Zihua, a peak Core Formation cultivator, far surpassed He Ange, who was only at the Foundation Establishment stage. The idea that He Ange could use the Abyss Orb to control him was laughable.

Unless He Ange physically pinned him down and forced the orb’s influence upon him, there was no way he could be controlled.

And Bai Zihua wasn’t foolish enough to let that happen.

Secondly, could He Ange even defeat him in a fight?

Unlikely.

If Bai Zihua couldn’t handle a mere Foundation Establishment junior, he had no business calling himself a direct disciple of the Shengxu Sect.

With these thoughts in mind, Bai Zihua regained his confidence. If anyone should be panicking, it was He Ange. The boy had exposed his possession of the Abyss Orb, marking himself as a traitor to the sect. What right did he have to act so arrogantly?

This realization bolstered Bai Zihua’s resolve. He decided to engage He Ange in combat.

But soon, his confidence began to waver.

In their brief exchange, Bai Zihua struck He Ange three times, while He Ange landed only one blow.

At first glance, Bai Zihua seemed to have the upper hand.

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But the problem lay in that single strike.

Bai Zihua’s sword strikes were clean, but He Ange’s weren’t.

From that one hit, Bai Zihua felt a searing pain in his arm. Pulling back his sleeve, he discovered that the wound was infected with a sinister purple energy, spreading through his veins like a plague.

He recognized it immediately—it was the Abyss Orb’s demonic poison.

During their clash, He Ange had wielded his sword in one hand while secretly holding the Abyss Orb in the other. He had coated his blade with the orb’s malevolent energy, turning it into a poisoned weapon.

“Despicable! You call yourself a sword cultivator, yet you poison your blade?” Bai Zihua shouted, his voice filled with indignation.

“You’re absolutely right,” He Ange replied, his tone light, almost amused. “But, Senior Brother, this isn’t the sect, is it?”

“You—!” Bai Zihua’s face twisted with anger.

He had underestimated He Ange’s cunning. Raised within the sect, Bai Zihua’s mindset was bound by its rules and traditions. He hadn’t anticipated such underhanded tactics.

If he had more experience fighting rogue cultivators, he would have taken precautions against poison.

Now, he didn’t know how severe the infection would become. All he could do was press his fingers to his arm’s pressure points, attempting to halt the poison’s spread.

But the mere presence of the poison was enough to disrupt his focus.

In their subsequent exchanges, Bai Zihua’s swordsmanship faltered. He was no longer fighting with confidence but with hesitation, wary of another poisoned strike.

The imbalance was clear. He Ange could afford to make mistakes, but Bai Zihua couldn’t. One misstep could be fatal.

As the fight dragged on, Bai Zihua’s composure crumbled.

His swordsmanship became erratic. Despite his superior cultivation, his fear of the poison sapped his will to fight.

He realized that retreat was his only option.

Bai Zihua wasn’t afraid of losing to He Ange. He was afraid of the consequences of being injured.

He wasn’t a coward—he was pragmatic. Fighting a poisonous snake wasn’t worth the risk.

“Senior Brother, are you leaving already?” He Ange asked, lowering his sword as Bai Zihua began to back away.

“You know all my secrets. Leaving now seems... irresponsible,” He Ange added, his tone teasing.

“Don’t worry. When I return to the sect, I’ll make sure everyone knows about your treachery. You’ll pay for your actions tonight,” Bai Zihua sneered, his eyes glinting with malice.

He had no intention of letting this go. Once he was back in the safety of the sect, he would expose He Ange’s possession of the Abyss Orb, ensuring the boy became a fugitive in both the immortal and demonic realms.

“Do you really think you can escape?” He Ange asked, his voice calm as he planted his sword in the ground.

Bai Zihua didn’t respond. He turned and activated his sword flight, disappearing into the forest.

He Ange didn’t give chase. Instead, he walked back to check on the unconscious fox demon girl.

But moments later, a chilling sound emerged from the forest.

Rustle, rustle, rustle.

He Ange straightened, his gaze shifting toward the source of the noise.

“Help! There’s a monster! Help me! Please!” Bai Zihua’s voice rang out, filled with terror.

He stumbled out of the forest, crawling and rolling until he collapsed at He Ange’s feet.

He Ange looked past him, his cold gaze narrowing as he spotted the source of Bai Zihua’s panic.

The trees behind them were withering, their leaves turning to ash. A girl stepped out of the shadows, her petite frame wrapped in bandages, a massive blood-stained scythe resting on her shoulder.

Her crimson eyes glowed like embers beneath her hood.

As she emerged, the air grew heavy with an oppressive sense of death.

Bai Zihua turned to look, his face pale with horror.

Under the moonlight, he saw the severed head dangling from the girl’s scythe. As it turned, he recognized the face—it was Xu Daoyun, the immortal attendant of the Abyss Spirit Hall.

Xu Daoyun, a Nascent Soul cultivator, had been reduced to this.

The girl’s presence was suffocating. Each step she took seemed to drain the life from the forest around her.

She ignored Bai Zihua entirely, her crimson eyes locking onto He Ange.

Under the moonlight, she smiled brightly, revealing sharp, bloodstained fangs.

“It’s been a while, little He Ange,” she said, her voice sweet yet chilling.