Chapter 211 Success!

"Lu Yingqi, what are you doing!" Shen Bingsi roared in anger, her hands gripping the sword feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds.

"I'm doing what I'm supposed to do," Lu Yingqi said calmly, his smile vanishing as if he had never smiled at all, the color draining rapidly from his face.

"What do you mean by 'what you should do'? Is holding back during a duel what you should do? I want to win fair and square, not like this—" Shen Bingsi was furious. "You don't respect me at all, you don't take me seriously, Lu Yingqi. You don't think this makes you noble, that I should be moved by your sacrifice and never forget it, do you?"

“…No need for that,” Lu Yingqi looked down at Shen Bingsi, one hand gently resting on the Shengxie Sword. The powerful spiritual energy within the sword peeled away the skin from the surface of his fingers, but Lu Yingqi seemed not to feel it. “I’m doing this entirely for myself, it has nothing to do with you. You don’t need to be moved, just hurry up and do it.”

Shen Bingsi was furious with Lu Yingqi: "Do you really think I wouldn't dare to make a move?"

"Hurry up, if we don't act now, I won't be able to restrain the flower demon anymore," Lu Yingqi urged.

Shen Bingsi didn't know exactly when Lu Yingqi regained his senses and made such a fatal move.

All he knew was that Lu Yingqi had planned to trap the flower demon inside his body long ago.

It's impossible for a cultivator nearing the Integration stage to be possessed by a flower demon in a single encounter. Moreover, according to Brother Jiang and Elder Bai, the flower demon would first hypnotize the person and then control them with nightmare magic. But Lu Yingqi wasn't asleep at all, so the flower demon's possession ability wasn't that strong.

There is only one possibility that Lu Yingqi was instantly possessed by the flower demon: Lu Yingqi deliberately allowed the flower demon to possess him, pretending that he could be easily controlled, thus deceiving the flower demon into believing him. Once the flower demon entered his body, he then used his spiritual power to trap it.

After trapping the flower demon... just wait for Shen Bingsi to get close, pretend to fight Shen Bingsi, say some heartless words to arouse Shen Bingsi's fighting spirit, and then make no further resistance, waiting for Shen Bingsi to pierce through with a sword - nailing him and the flower demon together to death in the air.

That's a brilliant plan.

"No wonder you spoke so clearly just now," Shen Bingsi said in a deep voice, "and you even remembered our duel so clearly."

“…” Lu Yingqi did not deny it.

"Lu Yingqi, your move was far too insidious. I will never forgive you, nor will I thank you." Shen Bingsi gripped the hilt of her sword tightly. "If you had known this would happen, why did you do it in the first place?"

“…You wouldn’t understand,” Lu Yingqi said. “Since you’re dragging your feet and unwilling to make a move, then let me do it.”

Shen Bingsi's eyes widened. He felt the hilt of the sword in his hand push forward and then turn half a circle. With the destructive power of the Shengxie Sword, this small movement was enough to disembowel a person, making them impossible to save.

This fatal twist was made by Lu Yingqi himself, wielding the blade of the Shengxie Sword. His movements were decisive and swift, as if he felt no pain because it wasn't his own chest or abdomen that was being ripped open.

The foundation of a cultivator lies in the dantian. Whether it is the golden core or the nascent soul, they all originate from the dantian. Lu Yingqi's twisting motion shattered the source of his spiritual power, destroying any possibility of repairing this body. He vowed to destroy it together with the flower demon.

"Lu Yingqi!" Shen Bingsi felt blood flowing down the sword's edge, wetting his wrist. "You did this... for Xiaozhi?"

“Of course not, I’m doing this for myself.” Lu Yingqi looked back at Shen Bingsi, a hint of regret in his eyes. “Unfortunately, you are no longer a member of my sect, so I cannot tell you the ruthless path that I have come to understand. Shen Bingsi, the only true path in the world is the ruthless path.”

Shen Bingsi stared at Lu Yingqi in astonishment. Lu Yingqi was already at his limit, and clearly, he wasn't just being stubborn; he genuinely felt that way.

What exactly did he realize? After realizing this, he immediately sacrificed himself... What kind of ruthless path is this? Why has Shen Bingsi never heard of it before?

However, the answer will never be known. A burst of bright light burst from the large hole in Lu Yingqi's abdomen. His primordial spirit flickered for a moment, and a vast amount of spiritual power poured out, pushing Shen Bingsi aside.

Shen Bingsi raised her hand to cover her head and face. Her protective spiritual energy rubbed against Lu Yingqi's dissipated spiritual energy in the air, as if a dense silver rain was hitting the golden protective shield.

It's not over yet.

Shen Bingsi's heart was pounding.

He knew it wasn't over yet.

This is the most crucial moment; he must concentrate fully on searching for the flower fairy's trail amidst the rain of silver.

Lu Yingqi is definitely dead, but the flower fairy may not be.

Shen Bingsi only pierced Lu Yingqi's dantian, but the flower demon could hide anywhere in Lu Yingqi's body. Once its host dies, it can escape in the chaos, hiding in the vast spiritual power, disguising itself as a line of innocent silver rain, without even needing to have a physical form—just like when it hibernated in the Ruthless Dao Palace for decades.

Shen Bingsi must catch the tail trying to escape at this crucial juncture, then drag it out completely and smash it to pieces before this matter can be truly over.

"Buzz".

The Victorious Evil Sword has always been able to find demons, and Shen Bingsi activated its detection ability to the maximum, quietly waiting for its reaction.

Finally, it's here!

The barely perceptible vibration was accurately transmitted into Shen Bingsi's palm. Shen Bingsi immediately turned her head and looked at the place in mid-air where the silver rain was most concentrated.

A pale red shadow suddenly flashed by, following the large plumes of silver rain, rushing towards the crumbling magic array barrier.

On the other side of the barrier stood Rong Xie, who was wringing his hands and looking over nervously.

That wretched flower demon, where are you running to!

Shen Bing Si was more anxious than ever before. In an instant, she transformed into a golden light, passing through countless silver raindrops, and headed straight for the pale red shadow!

The mimosa flower demon chose the spot with the densest silver rain for a reason. The silver rain was the spiritual energy that had dissipated after Lu Yingqi's dantian shattered. It was still extremely powerful. It splashed onto the barrier wall of the sealing array, and after repeated blows, it could always tear open one or two lines of weakness. At that time, the mimosa flower demon could take the opportunity to escape. After escaping, it could immediately possess Rong Xie, making Shen Bingsi hesitate to act. It had calculated all of these insidious and vicious moves.

What it didn't expect was that whenever it came to Rong Xie, Shen Bing Si's mind would work incredibly fast, and she would understand its entire plan almost instantly. The anger in her heart would swell even more intensely, burning fiercely in her chest, and she would wish to kill the Hehuan Flower Demon immediately to vent her hatred.

When faced with Rong Xie's situation, Shen Bingsi was able to unleash his full potential, and even his cultivation level rose steadily, completely pushing away Lu Yingqi's spiritual power.

"Whoosh!"

In the blink of an eye, Shen Bingsi arrived in front of the barrier. He turned around abruptly and blocked the path of the Hehuan Flower Fairy. He held his sword horizontally in front of his chest, gripped the tip of the sword with one hand, and flicked the sword forward, piercing into the pale red spirit body.

"Bing Si, be careful!" Rong Xie's voice came from behind Shen Bing Si, very close to him.

Shen Bingsi narrowed her eyes, channeling all her spiritual power into the tip of the Shengxie Sword. All the exorcism spells she had learned in her life were unleashed at this moment: "Break!"

Golden light condensed into a small pellet, pierced the pale red spirit body, and suddenly exploded. Strands of golden light spread out like cracks in ice, quickly covering the surface of the pale red spirit body.

"puff"!

A pale red spiritual energy exploded from the center, scattering like blood mist in all directions. The air was filled with the rich fragrance of mimosa flowers. A gust of wind blew, and the fragrance dissipated without a trace.

"..."

Silence.

"It worked...?"

Shen Bingsi raised her head and looked ahead. After a shower of silver rain, her vision became clear and unobstructed.

In the pure air atop the mountain, layers upon layers of mountains stretch into the distance, seemingly without end; the scenery above Wenxin Gorge is truly magnificent.

Shen Bingsi was momentarily captivated by the magnificent scenery. His heart pounded. It was over. It was really over. The Shengxie Sword stopped vibrating, and the fragrance of the mimosa flowers was gone from the air.

A wave of unreal joy washed over Shen Bingsi, but before he could fully savor it, he suddenly remembered something important. He turned to look at Jiang Caijie, who was surrounded by the ball of light: "Brother Jiang, the flower demon is dead. Quickly withdraw your primordial spirit!"

"Really?" Jiang Caijie's voice came from the ball of light. His voice was usually calm, but now he couldn't suppress his joy. "Wait a moment, let me contact Xiaohe and ask Tianjing to investigate."

Jiang Caijie has a token that allows him to directly contact the Mirror Palace and confirm with the Heavenly Mirror, which is the safest method.

"Good!" Shen Bingsi saw the ball of light fade a bit, and he could vaguely see Jiang Caijie picking up the token and contacting the Mirror Palace. He exhaled, turned around, and looked at Rong Xie again through the barrier of the Heaven-Sealing Formation.

"Rong'er, I—"

Before Shen Bingsi could finish speaking, she felt a wave of dizziness. Rong Xie's face was unusually pale. He opened his mouth as if to shout something, but it seemed to be far away, and Shen Bingsi couldn't hear him clearly.

"Bang!"

The world suddenly went out.

...

...

...

Without warning, Shen Bingsi fell face down inside the barrier.

It was less than a foot away from Rong Xie.

"Ice Crystal!"

Rong Xie called out, squatted down, and reached out with both hands towards that spiky, familiar head, but he couldn't reach it no matter what.

The Heaven-Sealing Formation separated the two, so Rong Xie had to brace himself against the barrier with both hands, repeatedly calling out, "Bing Si, wake up! Bing Si!"

Rong Xie's shout reached Judge Jiang, who turned around in the ball of light, and the silver token slipped from his hand.

Rong Xie continued pounding on the barrier wall: "Bing Si! Bing Si! Don't sleep, don't sleep!"

"Wake up! Look at me! I'm here!"

"Ice Crystal!"

All the calls were in vain; Shen Bingsi did not respond.

"Thank you," Judge Jiang's voice came from the air, like a final verdict, "He's been hypnotized. He can't leave the barrier. Take this opportunity to leave."

He was hypnotized. Every word he uttered was exceptionally cold and ruthless.

So far, everyone who has been hypnotized by the flower demon and fallen asleep has been controlled by the flower demon without exception. Therefore, Shen Bingsi must also stay here and be destroyed along with Jiang Caijie's primordial spirit.

"No... there must be another way, there must be another way!" Rong Xie pounded on the barrier wall with all his might, leaving bright red marks on the barrier wall, but he was completely unaware of it.

"Rong Xie, do you still remember, you said you wouldn't live or die with the loser..."

"I don't need you to remind me!" Rong Xie suddenly became angry and embarrassed. "I've changed my mind now. Let me in!"

Judge Jiang sighed. Sure enough, people who are obsessed with love are unreasonable. He had almost understood Rong Xie just now, but now he found it incomprehensible.

"Enough, it's all a tragic fate." Jiang Caijie stopped trying to dissuade Rong Xie and focused on gathering his primordial spirit, preparing to self-destruct.

On the silver barrier of the Heaven-Sealing Formation, visible cracks meandered up and down, threatening to shatter at any moment.

Rong Xie took out the light-emitting white orchid, gritted his teeth, and stabbed the sword into the crack.

"Don't do that. If the barrier breaks, it will escape," a voice said calmly.

“I know, you don’t need to tell me!” Rong Xie shouted. “It won’t get far. Judge Jiang will self-destruct soon, and the entire Tianji Altar will be razed to the ground. I can’t just leave Bing Si for such a ridiculous reason!”

He paused for a moment, then said, "No need to self-destruct."

"What?" Rong Xie suddenly realized something and looked up in surprise. A familiar figure was reflected on the barrier wall. Rong Xie's eyes widened in astonishment. "You...you're not dead?"

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Guess who you are. [doge emoji]