Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

Despair is like thick ink, which cannot be dissolved or escaped in the air. Wu Tao's heart seemed to be tightly grasped by an invisible hand, and she was about to suffocate. But she knew that she could not fall down, and she could not give up. She still had Xingchen, Hu Bugui, and... hope.

Wu Tao's eyes met those of the mysterious woman and Taoist Lingxu. For a moment, the determination in each other's eyes was like the twinkling stars in the night sky, illuminating the desperate darkness. Without too many words, they had reached a tacit understanding, a tragic and heroic agreement that they would either succeed or die.

"Mom!" Xingchen broke free from Wu Tao's embrace and stumbled towards Hu Bugui. His small figure seemed particularly frail in front of the huge unknown creature, yet full of strength.

"Xingchen, don't..." Wu Tao wanted to stop him, but it was too late.

Xingchen ran to Hu Bugui and tried to help him up. Hu Bugui's body shook, and the blood at the corner of his mouth was shocking, but he still raised his hand and touched Xingchen's head, with a weak but firm smile on his lips.

"Xingchen, don't be afraid..."

With Xingchen's help, Hu Bugui stood up shakily. His face was as pale as paper, and his body was shaky, but he still stood there firmly, like a pine tree that stood firm in the storm.

Seeing this scene, Wu Tao couldn't hold back her tears any longer. She knew that Hu Bugui stood up for her and Xingchen. He was telling them with his actions that he would never give up until the last moment!

"Let's do it together!" Wu Tao wiped away her tears, walked to Hu Bugui with a determined look, and held his hand tightly.

The mysterious woman looked at the scene in front of her, with a glimmer of admiration in her eyes.

"Okay! In that case, let's..." She took a deep breath and swept her eyes over everyone, emitting an invisible majesty, "Go for broke!"

The mysterious woman's eyes were as sharp as torches as she quickly swept over the crowd. An invisible pressure emanated from her, carrying with it the power to calm people.

"Princess, Prince, please infuse your magic power into your weapons!" Her voice was cold and firm, with unquestionable majesty.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui looked at each other, and saw determination in each other's eyes. Without any hesitation, they mobilized the remaining magic power in their bodies at the same time. The long whip in Wu Tao's hand flashed with dazzling silver light, and as the light flowed, it was like a silver dragon tumbling in the air, perfectly blending with her own spiritual power, emitting a frightening power.

Hu Bugui injected his magic power into the sword at his waist, and the sword body emitted a buzzing roar, and the sword energy was like a rainbow, rushing straight into the sky. The originally simple and plain sword now emitted a cold light, as if it could split the sky and the earth.

Xingchen looked at his parents, his little face full of worry, but he pursed his lips tightly and didn't cry. He knew that this was a critical moment and he couldn't drag his parents down.

Taoist Lingxu sat cross-legged, muttering something. The ancient spell slowly flowed out of his mouth, carrying some mysterious power, echoing in the air. As the spell was chanted, the spiritual power fluctuations on his body became stronger and stronger, gradually forming a huge golden light shield that enveloped everyone.

“The sky and earth are dark yellow, the universe is vast and boundless, I will use my body to protect all living things!” Taoist Lingxu suddenly opened his eyes, a gleam of light flashed in his eyes, and he formed seals with his hands. The golden light shield suddenly shone brightly, like a rising sun, illuminating the world shrouded in darkness.

Seeing this, the mysterious woman's eyes flashed with admiration. She quickly changed complex seals with her hands and chanted obscure spells. As she moved, the air around her began to fluctuate violently, and a powerful energy was gathering.

"In my name, I command heaven and earth, all things become one, break!"

With a cry, the mysterious woman pushed the mark in her hand forward suddenly, and a dazzling beam of light shot up into the sky, heading straight for the unknown creature...

At this moment, the unknown creature seemed to have sensed everyone's intentions. It suddenly raised its head, opened its bloody mouth, and let out a deafening roar. An even more powerful pressure emanated from it, as if it was going to crush the world...

The roar of the unknown creature was like thunder, deafening, and the whole world seemed to tremble under its anger. Its huge body shook slightly, and an even more terrifying pressure came like a tidal wave, several times stronger than the previous oppression. Everyone felt as if a huge rock was pressing on their chest, and it was difficult to breathe. Even standing became extremely difficult.

"Hurry! It's going to fight back!" The mysterious woman's face changed and her tone became urgent, but she still remained calm. Her hands kept changing the magic spells, controlling the dazzling beam of light to fight against the unknown creature.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui gritted their teeth, beads of sweat rolled down their foreheads, the scene in front of them began to blur, their ears were filled with buzzing, and their bodies seemed to be crushed by this pressure in the next second. But they had only one thought in their minds: never give up!

"Tao'er, don't be afraid, look at me!" Hu Bugui turned his head with difficulty and looked at Wu Tao firmly. His voice was intermittent but full of strength. "Xingchen is still waiting for us. We can't fall down!"

Wu Tao nodded heavily. Hu Bugui's eyes gave her great courage and reminded her of the responsibility she had. Yes, she was no longer the little girl who had just arrived in another world. She was the princess of the Tang Dynasty and the mother of Xingchen. She had to protect the one she loved!

"Tao'er, do as I say! Inject all our strength into the column of light!" The mysterious woman's voice penetrated the layers of pressure and was clearly transmitted to Wu Tao's ears.

Wu Tao did not hesitate at all. She and Hu Bugui looked at each other, and they both mobilized the last bit of magic power in their bodies at the same time, pinning all their hopes on this final counterattack. The silver light and the green sword energy intertwined together, converging into a more dazzling light, which was injected into the light column that shot straight into the sky.

"It's not enough!" the mysterious woman shouted, "Put all your will and faith into it! Only by burning your boats can you survive!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui closed their eyes at the same time. They poured all their love for each other, their love for the stars, their love for their homeland, as well as all the resentment and anger in their hearts into this power.

"what--"

The two roared at the same time, and the light suddenly surged, illuminating the entire dark world. Taoist Lingxu's eyes gleamed, and he put his hands together and said in a deep voice: "I will lend you a hand!"

Taoist Lingxu's hair and beard were all spread out, and his body was shrouded in a layer of light golden light. He formed seals with his hands and chanted something. A powerful spiritual power surged out like a tide and merged into the pillar of light that penetrated the sky and the earth. With the blessing of spiritual power, the light of the pillar became stronger and stronger, illuminating half of the sky. The originally oppressive atmosphere was also diluted by this powerful force.

"Now! Inject this power into its body!" The mysterious woman shouted and pushed her hands forward.

Wu Tao and Hu Bugui opened their eyes at the same time. Their gazes were as sharp as torches. Without any hesitation, they worked together to push the beam of light that contained all their hopes towards the unknown creature.

The beam of light was like a roaring dragon, with the power to destroy the world, fiercely slamming into the unknown creature. For a moment, the ground shook, sand and rocks flew, and the dazzling light dyed the whole world white.

However, a horrifying scene appeared! The unknown creature did not dodge or evade, but opened its bloody mouth and swallowed up the powerful force like a whale! A hint of mockery flashed in its cold eyes, as if it was laughing at everyone's overestimation of their own abilities.

"This...how is this possible?!" The mysterious woman widened her eyes in disbelief. The trap she had painstakingly set and the attack she had launched with all her might were actually resolved so easily by this monster.

Before everyone could react, the unknown creature let out an earth-shattering roar, and its huge body turned into a black shadow and pounced on everyone. Its sharp claws flashed with cold light, carrying a suffocating breath of death.

"Get out of the way!" Taoist Lingxu exclaimed, but it was too late.

Fear spread among the crowd like a plague. Despair was written all over everyone's face. In the face of this destructive force, they seemed so small and powerless.

At this critical moment, Wu Tao's eyes fell on Xingchen's terrified face not far away. Without thinking, she subconsciously protected Xingchen behind her and used her body to build a flesh-and-blood barrier for the child. Hu Bugui also stood in front of Wu Tao at this time, looking firmly at the huge black shadow rushing towards him, ready to meet this final impact.

"Tao'er, don't be afraid..."