"That is?"
Upon seeing that black aura, Chu Feng's heart jolted, and a trace of worry surfaced on his face.
That black aura had been transformed from the Shadow — which meant that although Bai Liluo had swallowed the Shadow, she had yet to fully refine it.
Right now, the Shadow was launching a fierce assault on Bai Liluo, inflicting considerable pain upon her. If she could not completely subdue and refine it, she would be in grave danger.
Bai Liluo, for her part, was clearly aware of the problem. She hurriedly sat cross-legged and began setting up a formation, channeling her own power to suppress the Shadow.
Under Bai Liluo's suppression, the Shadow rapidly receded and dissipated. At the same time, the look of agony on her face faded as well.
"Little brother Chu Feng, I need a bit more time to suppress this thing. You go ahead first. Once I've dealt with it, I'll come find you." Bai Liluo opened her eyes and spoke to Chu Feng.
"Do you need my help?" Chu Feng asked.
"No need. I can handle this. My power has always been above his. The only reason I never laid a hand on him before was that he deceived me — I truly believed he was my little brother. Instead of fighting him, I let him take advantage of me time and again, even siphoning enough of my energy to gain power equal to my own."
"But now that he's been weakened because of you, I won't hold back any longer. He's no match for me anymore. It's just that this creature is no simple thing either. To fully refine him, I'll need a little time."
After saying this, Bai Liluo was still worried Chu Feng might not feel at ease, so she added, "I really can handle it. Don't worry."
"Alright then, I'll head back first. Take care of yourself." Chu Feng cupped his fists.
He genuinely didn't want to take up any more of Bai Liluo's time, because even while speaking to him, she remained seated on the ground with her hands forming seals. That meant she had to suppress the Shadow as quickly as possible — otherwise it would counterattack and inflict a backlash upon her.
So Chu Feng said nothing more. Once he was certain Bai Liluo didn't need his help, he prepared to leave.
"Wait."
Just as Chu Feng was about to depart, Bai Liluo's voice rang out once more.
"Brother, thank you. If not for you, I might never have learned the truth."
"And sooner or later, I would have died at this creature's hands. If that had happened, it truly would have been the greatest injustice."
As Bai Liluo spoke those words to Chu Feng, her beautiful eyes were brimming with gratitude.
How could she not be grateful? If not for Chu Feng's secret voice transmission earlier, which led the two of them to put on an act together, Bai Liluo would never have uncovered the truth of what happened all those years ago.
And that truth meant the world to Bai Liluo. It would greatly ease the guilt she had carried in her heart toward the villagers and her elder sister.
In truth, a great stone that had weighed on Bai Liluo's heart could finally be set down.
"No need for thanks. But since you're so much older than me and you've been good to me, I suppose I might as well acknowledge you as my older sister."
"That said, if you really do take me as your little brother, you should be prepared to clean up my messes — because I'm the kind of person who just loves courting trouble." Chu Feng said with a grin.
"From now on, anyone who dares bully my little brother Chu Feng won't get away with it." Bai Liluo returned the smile.
"Good. Focus on your cultivation, sister. Devour and fully refine that monster — not just for your own revenge, but for the sake of every one of this village's kin." Chu Feng said.
"Rest assured, brother. This vengeance will be mine." The confidence in Bai Liluo's voice was unmistakable.
"Take care."
Chu Feng cupped his fists once more and departed. He had noticed that in the brief time Bai Liluo had spent conversing with him, her complexion had already turned somewhat ghastly again.
This meant the Shadow had resumed its assault on her. She had to suppress it as quickly as possible, and Chu Feng naturally did not want to waste even a moment of her time.
After all, even the briefest delay was something Bai Liluo simply could not afford right now.