Chapter 257 | With a Protagonist Halo, How Did I End Up the Villain?

Upon hearing the Yunhua Saint ask about the state of the array, the Saint of the Starry Sect wiped the cold sweat from his brow and cried out in a voice full of misery, “I can’t open the array for now!”

The Yunhua Saint froze, doubting his own ears. How could the array you set up yourself be impossible to open? “How is that possible?!”

“Why?!” As soon as the Saint of the Starry Sect spoke, the other survivors couldn't help but cry out in alarm.

“Then open it faster, damn it!” someone roared.

The Saint of the Starry Sect was also fuming. Damn it, do you think I don't want to be fast? I just can't, alright?!

However, he still looked up and shouted, “Hold on! I feel like I'm almost there!” He had, in fact, found a flaw.

Lu Ming, who had just finished dealing with the Tianqi Crown Prince and his group, happened to hear their shouting. Without a word, he flicked out several more array patterns, merging them into the protective array.

The Saint of the Starry Sect, who had just seen a glimmer of hope, suddenly felt as if someone had given him a heavy backhand slap. He plunged right back into darkness!

He looked at Lu Ming in terror, complaining in his heart: Is this monkey even going to let anyone live?! It’s bad enough that he’s so strong in a fight, but he’s even an expert in arrays!

But he didn't dare make a sound, fearing he would catch Lu Ming's attention and be swatted to death. He had seen how the monkey had just taken care of the Crown Prince of the Tianqi Dynasty and his group. So many primordial spirits had died without even making a splash.

The Saint of the Starry Sect’s eyes flickered as he thought to himself, This won't do! With this monkey here, I clearly have no chance of breaking the array.

Looking at his own side, which was almost wiped out, he realized his turn would be next once they were all dead. No, I can't die!

With that thought, he quickly sent a sound transmission to the Soul Transformation cultivators of his sect: “The array can't be broken. It's only a matter of time before that monkey kills us!”

“What?!” The Starry Sect cultivators looked at their Saint in shock. Their Saint's array mastery was top-tier. If even he couldn't break it, did that mean the monkey’s mastery was even higher?

“Then what do we do?” someone asked anxiously.

The Saint of the Starry Sect’s eyes shifted. “We’re not breaking the array anymore. We have to find a way to stay alive!”

Someone looked at the Yunhua Saint and the others who were still fighting and said, “But... isn't it bad if we do this?”

The Saint of the Starry Sect said righteously, “What's bad about it? I'm just afraid of death. Is there something wrong with that?”

“Even an ant clings to life, let alone a human—and let alone a Saint like me! Besides, if we survive, we can tell their families how they died... and even avenge them... So our living is more meaningful than dying!”

Hearing this self-righteous reasoning, the Starry Sect cultivators were stunned. They suddenly felt that their vocabulary was completely insufficient to describe their Saint’s cowardice!

“Hurry, let's hide in those piles of corpses and play dead...” the Saint of the Starry Sect urged.

“Why play dead? Can't we just find a hidden spot and set up a concealment formation?” someone questioned.

The Saint of the Starry Sect looked at the man in annoyance. Damn it, you really know how to touch a sore spot! I can't even break an array modified by that monkey; do you think he won't notice our concealment formation?

“That monkey has sharp eyes; our formation won't escape his notice!” Taking a deep breath, the Saint of the Starry Sect made up a random excuse.

“Alright, alright... we’ll listen to the Saint!” The man also realized he had said the wrong thing.

“No, we can't hide among the corpses of those who were beaten to death,” said the Saint of the Starry Sect as he smeared blood on his face.

The Starry Sect cultivators, who had just found spots to lie down, asked in confusion, “Saint, why is that?”

“Are you stupid? Those people were beaten to death; they all have wounds. We don't have any. Come on, lie down next to those who were poisoned...”

The Soul Transformation cultivators who had come to the gathering had first been poisoned by the Crown Prince’s group to lock their spiritual energy. Then, they were caught in the shockwaves of the battle. When Zhu Wuneng released his toxins, they had no spiritual energy to resist!

Some had died instantly. Others had taken high-grade detoxification pills and were barely holding on. They only hoped the battle would end soon so they could get out. Perhaps they could still save their lives.

At the same time, they loathed the top-tier powers like the Tianqi Dynasty. To kill a monkey, they had been so unscrupulous, completely disregarding their lives.

While these people were struggling in hidden corners, they saw the Saint of the Starry Sect arrive with his sect's Soul Transformation cultivators.

Thud... Thud...

The Saint of the Starry Sect and his men killed them without hesitation.

“It's enough if we’re the only survivors. Too many people will make it easy to get suspected...” In truth, he was more worried that these people would snitch!

After dealing with them, they quickly found spots to lie down. They would wait for Lu Ming’s victory and then try to slip away.

After reinforcing the array, Lu Ming popped a handful of recovery pills into his mouth and scanned the chaotic battlefield. He first helped Big Yellow deal with the Soul Transformation cultivators surrounding it. Then, his figure blurred as he flew toward Ji Chen.

Wang Defa and the others were holding their ground, but Ji Chen was covered in blood and heavily injured. His opponent was also the strongest.

Boom!

Golden light flared as the heavily injured Yunhua Saint was sent flying by Lu Ming’s staff. A loud explosion echoed as the Yunhua Saint smashed through a palace hall, sending clouds of dust billowing into the air.

At this moment, the Yunhua Saint’s clothes were shredded, and he was covered in blood. His hair was a mess, and crimson blood kept flowing from the corners of his mouth. After landing, he staggered a few steps before he could no longer hold himself up. He slumped to his knees, his face as pale as paper, his eyes filled with shock.

He had known that since Ye Qingcheng had offered such great rewards, this monkey wouldn't be easy to kill. But he hadn't expected it to be this difficult. They had gathered the top-tier powers of the Central Province and the younger generation of Soul Transformation experts, yet this was the result.

He couldn't drag this out any longer; he had to leave immediately, or he would die here too. With that thought, he turned to look at the spot where the Saint of the Starry Sect was supposed to be breaking the array. Suddenly, his eyes widened.

There was no one at the spot where the Saint of the Starry Sect was supposed to be! Where did he go? Was he dead, or had he run away?

Before the Yunhua Saint could think further, Lu Ming and Ji Chen’s attacks arrived. The sharp sword qi tore through the protection magical artifact the Saint had hurriedly activated.