Chapter 194 A Turning Point - Familiar
In the Sixth Domain, the Demon Clan's advance was unstoppable.
The remaining disciples of the Wuji Sword Sect stood ready on the mountain peak, the bleak autumn wind carrying a chill more severe than the dead of winter. They all knew that the dark wind would soon sweep into the sect, and by the time they received the news, countless smaller sects had already perished beneath it.
A deathly silence filled the room.
Finally, one person suddenly knelt down, hugged their shoulders, and sobbed, trembling, "I'm so scared..."
The people around her did not blame her, but instead squatted down and surrounded her, forming a small, sturdy circle, holding the boy in their warm arms.
Ahead of them lay the army about to crush them, and behind them lay the fallen Emperor Taihui.
There was nowhere to escape, nowhere to retreat.
"Are you going to hide?" one of the boys whispered. "Maybe, if we don't get discovered..."
The kneeling student paused for a moment, then shook his head, tears still glistening on his cheeks: "No, I want to fight alongside everyone..."
She forcefully wiped away her tears, then reached out her hand. Someone understood and grabbed her arm, pulling the boy up.
Then another person sighed, "I wonder how Senior Sister Yue is doing now..."
"And Senior Sister Ling, Senior Sister Qi and the others... never mind, with the Sect Master here, they will be safe and sound."
Ahead of them, a dozen elders formed a barrier with their sharp sword energy, serving as the vanguard.
Soon, a dense array of dark figures finally came into view. Leading them was a soldier who seemed identical to the others. Seeing the imposing formation before her, she narrowed her eyes slightly and smiled contemptuously. The next moment, the sword formation surged forth, its dazzling light illuminating the night sky, causing the surrounding fields to tremble and giant trees to sway precariously.
As if vying with the sun and moon, even more so than the pale moonlight, it slashed open the seemingly indestructible black armor, leaving numerous wounds; the other enemies that followed formed a raging torrent, calmly breaking through the cultivators' defenses.
Nevertheless, many soldiers were still reduced to ashes by the sword energy, their demonic forms completely destroyed. In an instant, a glimmer of hope appeared.
The next moment, the leader suddenly raised his hand, his long sword like a white ribbon, capturing all the fierce sword energy. Then, with a fierce slash, he actually returned several sword energies that were attacking her!
Blood rained down, and two people, caught off guard, died on the spot, falling from mid-air like birds with broken wings into the abyss.
The remaining ones, though slightly or severely injured, persisted in rapidly changing formations, determined to stop the surging demonic energy once again, even at the cost of their lives.
These students behind them are their true hope.
We must not give up until the very last moment.
After several more rounds of fighting, the battle situation took a sharp turn for the worse. A young cultivator behind him could no longer sit still and was about to draw his sword and charge forward, shouting angrily:
"Master!"
They were all upright and passionate sword cultivators; how could they disregard their elders' safety and risk their lives to protect them? Yet, this shout pierced the distant, cold wind and was actually heard by one person. The woman she called Master barely managed to block a sword strike, then turned and shouted in a voice even angrier and fiercer than hers:
"Traitor, don't come here to die!"
They had hoped to seek help from the Xihe Palace or other sects, but received only silence. Some, still possessing the resources, sent replies saying they were too busy to attend to it, while others wrote their replies as farewell messages, recording their final moments before their sects were completely annihilated. Only then did the elders of the Wuji Sword Sect understand...
No one can help them.
The wounded cultivators remained silent for a moment, looking at the army that was only half gone, and finally made up their minds.
Seeing them quickly form hand seals, a soldier on the opposite side frowned and shouted to his commander, "Not good—"
Before the sound had even fully faded, flames ignited by spiritual energy surged forth, brushing across the eyebrows and engulfing the entire body, turning the black armor and blood-red hues to dust. The Wuji Sword Sect was renowned for its abundance of wind spiritual roots, and the light emanating from them now displayed a pure azure hue, like clouds and mist hidden deep within the mortal world suddenly unfurling under the influence of the wind.
Amidst a series of deafening roars, waves of scorching spiritual energy rolled in, brushing against the faces of the students atop the mountain. A cool voice then reached their ears:
"it's over......"
The man raised his hand to brush aside the pale blue smoke beside him, wiped away a trace of blood from the corner of his lips, and nodded: "So, this can be considered what you humans call 'unyielding to the death,' isn't it? Truly stubborn..."
She walked slowly toward the mountain peak with her hands behind her back, and thick black mist surged up behind her.
On the peak, only the sound of swords being drawn could be heard in unison.
Just as tensions were about to rise, the leading soldier suddenly stopped, his gaze falling on the deep mountains behind them, shrouded in mist. The mountains were verdant, their outlines appearing and disappearing in the mist. The other soldiers, puzzled by her halt, became even more vigilant, but they also gradually began to hear sounds coming from the depths of the mountains.
In an instant, the earth shook and mountains trembled. A sword light, like a surging Yangtze River, appeared unstoppably from the mountains, engulfing the entire army in its dazzling brilliance in the blink of an eye. Even the leading general, a peak Nascent Soul Realm expert, was suddenly struck and plunged into the bottomless abyss, disappearing from sight for a brief moment.
Amidst the billowing dust, a middle-aged woman dressed in white moved with lightning speed, appearing before everyone in an instant, facing the group of black-armored soldiers from afar.
One of the students was stunned for a long time before finally finding the person's name and identity from his long-ago memories.
She raised her sword high and shouted, "Elder Ji!"
The woman turned her gaze and nodded slightly to the young man, as a response.
She released her sword, her eyes filled with coldness.
The Wuji Sword Sect has a Supreme Elder named Ji Xuan, a descendant of the ancient emperors. His cultivation has reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm, but he has been unable to break through to the next level. Therefore, he has gone into seclusion to cultivate in order to ascend to immortality in one step.
However, whether she was just one step away or a thousand miles away, from the moment she chose to force her way out of the mountain, she no longer had any chance of breaking through to a higher realm within the rest of her lifespan.
Ji Xuan lowered his eyes, his gaze sweeping lightly over the blade of the longsword in his hand.
Do you regret it?
The Xuanyuan Sword, named after the Emperor's Sword by the proud and arrogant boy since her youth, hummed slightly in response to her.
"That's good." Ji Xuan nodded. "Don't worry, there's no need to say anything. The junior will ensure that you are buried with me."
-
The divine fire that vanquished all evil spirits swept away all the black mist, and also invigorated the remaining surviving beings.
Under the burning arrows, many Nascent Soul Realm soldiers were weakened, giving others the opportunity to kill them.
However, this might be possible with ordinary soldiers, since they are elites from various sects. They might not be able to fight ten at once, but they can certainly withstand attacks from multiple directions.
They had almost no power to fight back against enemies at the peak of the Divine Transformation Realm.
Feeling the rapid loss of life, Chi Yueying's face turned pale. She focused her mind to the limit, trying to complete the extremely meticulous formation as quickly as possible.
They also tampered with this, sealing off the entire Taihui Sect. Before the formation was completed, she needed to break these seals—Lin Yuxian couldn't help her with this, and Chi Yueying knew she missed her fellow disciples, so although reluctant, she still let Lin Yuxian leave her and go to the dangerous front line.
She closed her eyes and murmured, "Xueya... Xiao Han..."
Why haven't they arrived yet?
at the same time.
A crimson shadow fell swiftly from the sky.
The already scattered feathers fluttered down, now stained with tiny specks of blood, making them even more vibrant than their original color. Shen Lixia felt her back slam heavily onto the ground, forcing her to cough up another mouthful of blood.
The pursuer did not give up, but swooped down like a long, black serpent, aiming precisely at Shen Lixia to launch an attack. The cold, icy texture of the gauntlet quickly wrapped around the boy's neck. The other party seemed to be exceptionally patient with her, not rushing to draw his sword, but simply gripping her tightly, listening to her painful hissing and panting.
A rare flicker of emotion crossed the soldier's cold eyes. She looked at the boy's furrowed brows, a hint of curiosity in her eyes.
"I heard that you are Lord Lingguang."
The sharp armor plates dug into Shen Lixia's skin, drawing blood.
"Ling Guangjun is known for her rebirth, and even the ability of the phoenix to be reborn is due to her blessing."
Her bloodshot eyes scrutinized Shen Lixia with great interest. "If I tear you to pieces, will you heal yourself...? Ling Guang-jun, Ling Guang-jun..."
Because she was ruthless towards the world, she harbored no ill intentions towards her enemies and would swiftly and decisively kill them. Only this person stirred a nameless hatred within her stagnant heart.
Strangely, this hatred didn't seem to belong to her; perhaps it stemmed from her entire clan. She had no memories of what happened before she awoke.
The woman slowly stood up, her imposing aura cascading down, rendering Shen Lixia unable to move.
She could only cough as she struggled to summon her sword, only to have a dark sword aura pin her palm, causing her lips to turn pale with pain.
Then, she raised her sword and thrust it sharply towards the boy's shoulder.
-
Only she noticed that the crimson star had fallen.
Qiao Yanshen made a hand seal, and a sword aura replaced the real sword, blocking the oncoming attack for her. At this moment, her brows and eyes seemed to be filled with shattered ice, and the flowing patterns on her white clothes also turned into traces of frost and snow, revealing a chilling coldness.
She was very worried about Shen Lixia.
but……
She knew her junior sister wouldn't want her to go back to her. Because they had promised not to die here… so she should go and save more people. Just as that student had hoped before she died, Qiao Yanshen had to protect her fellow disciples.
She killed the boy with her own hands, and thus she found liberation; but the smile of relief she gave him as he faced death, finding solace in his presence, remained forever in Qiao Yanshen's memory. She didn't use Rain Blade, she didn't feel the warmth of blood or the softness of skin, only a sword aura—only a sword aura!
Yet it felt as if the intense heat of youthful life had splashed all over my hands, impossible to wipe or wash away.
Her cultivation, which she had been deliberately suppressing, was released from its stagnation. Demonic energy and spiritual power gradually mixed and became intertwined. She could no longer sense how far her cultivation had progressed, and could only continuously fight back with her whistling sword energy. The pale blue spiritual power was tinged with the clear moonlight and edged with silver, resembling countless swords.
Right now, everything can become Qiao Yanshen's sword.
The sharpness of those swords was like a circle of light pointing towards the enemies in all directions, yet also like needles aimed at her.
Qiao Yanshen dodged the sword by sidestepping and deflected it three zhang away. Even so, the opponent was actually unharmed, only getting a little muddy.
She stood up and stared coldly at Qiao Yanshen. She paused slightly because Qiao Yanshen didn't even have a weapon. Then, black mist surged in her hand and condensed into a long sword.
Qiao Yanshen watched her entire process of creating a weapon for herself, when a wisp of dark blue light suddenly flashed across his fingertips.
But she ultimately didn't try, and attacked with sword energy instead.
The sword energy from that moment had cut her, and the bright red blood stained her white clothes.
The light and the dark intertwine in the moonlight.
Just as their sword energies clashed, she heard a familiar voice behind her:
"Come back with me."
Qiao Yanshen was taken aback, her hand slowing slightly as she barely managed to block the opponent's sword. She instinctively turned her head. Luo You's face appeared in her sight once again, a confident smile still playing on her lips.
She said, "I will punish you myself."
Qiao Yanshen frowned. "I don't know you. Every wrong has its perpetrator, every debt its debtor..."
"Since you're in such a hurry, why don't you go down quickly so you can question people and avoid mistaking someone else for someone else?"
She tilted her head slightly, pointing her sword directly at the soldier in front of her for the heart, using the opportunity to create distance. Luo You's aura was subtle, but definitely stronger than her own. Escaping while she still felt there was room for negotiation was the best option.
Although she held onto that sliver of divine consciousness, she didn't actually know what impact it would have, and subconsciously avoided using it.
But what Luo You presented to her the next moment made Qiao Yanshen bite her lip, her eyes surging with turbulent emotions.
It was a pure white longsword, its blade stained with blood.
—It is Tang Huairou's sword.
Perhaps out of sheer rage, she laughed instead, disregarding the fact that the soldiers behind her were not yet fully dead, and said:
"Why not go to my junior sister and threaten me with her sword? That might be more effective."
Luo You narrowed her eyes. "Because you care about these people just as much, Luo Yang. You've always cared about them." She smiled and casually tossed her sword to the ground.
“You are a saint, aren’t you? A saint who has no complaints even if others forget you and history does not remember you.”
Qiao Yan frowned deeply, then suddenly raised his hand.
The sword lying on the ground suddenly rose up and flew towards Qiao Yanshen, where she firmly grasped it in her hand. This sword had been with Tang Huairou for several years and was named Cuiwei. Now that Qiao Yanshen had it in her hands, it showed no sign of resistance.
The sword trembled slightly as it quickly sensed the familiar aura emanating from Qiao Yanshen. In an instant, it recognized her and obediently served her.
"Friend?" Luo You raised an eyebrow. "The difference in our strength is currently too great, even with the sword..."
"You're afraid of her."
Qiao Yanshen had no interest in listening to her nonsense anymore, and said coldly, word by word, "Because you are afraid of her. Your fear and resentment of her are ingrained in your bones, so even if she is no match for you, you are still afraid of her."
The young man raised his hand to brush his hair behind his ear and took a deep breath.
"Just like the swordsmanship Luo Yang taught you, I can recognize it the moment you make a move."
"From beginning to end, all you've done is lose your master and then take your resentment out on someone else..."
She paused, staring intently at the ugly, grotesque stitches that had surfaced on Luo You's face, a result of her heightened anger. They ran across her entire face, winding down her body and taking root deep within her collar.
"Just a mad dog."
"I won't go with you, and I won't let you punish me." Qiao Yanshen calmly raised his hand.
“I will kill you. I will make you suffer endless torment until you experience the pain of everyone who died in this war.”
As the words fell, Luo You's trembling, blood-red pupils reflected the imminent battle. But even before Qiao Yanshen's sword arrived, a violent flash of fire.
—Someone drew their knife.
The gleaming gold of the blade receded, and a voice, truly familiar and comforting to her, rang out:
"Not bad for talking tough. No wonder you're Yan Xueya's student. Hmm? Did she secretly write you a 'Sharp Teeth and Claws Manual'?"
Immediately, Yi Xiaohan appeared before Qiao Yanshen, his long sword flashing as he shielded her behind him.
She laughed heartily as usual, but this almost brought tears to Qiao Yanshen's eyes.
It was as if the years and lives that had vanished in this war had briefly returned with this smile.
"Leave the rest to us, let's go!"
-----------------------
Author's Note: I guess I'm done for. Actually, the next chapter will have to go back to how they broke through the illusion.
Then we can see that the senior sister is fighting amongst herself again.
Incidentally, she's actually quite sharp when it comes to cursing, but she doesn't usually do it.
And I've already written 800,000 words. I'm doomed. Am I going to have to write a million words? I'm really done for. Although I said when I was a child that I wanted to write a million-word novel, I never thought that my first one would come true.
I'm not ready yet?!
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