resolute
Xie Linyang's protective barrier of yang energy barely shielded Meng Yao from the "Raging" puppet's fatal blow. A surge of scorching air rolled through the air, and Meng Yao seized the opportunity to leap back several feet, managing to regain her footing in a disheveled state. Clutching her fractured left arm, she gasped for breath, her eyes filled with gratitude as she looked at Xie Linyang.
He opened his mouth, the words "Thank you, Master" swirling in his throat, but he couldn't bring himself to say them.
Because he clearly saw the lingering cold scrutiny in Xie Linyang's eyes, and the aloofness emanating from her that was completely different from before. It wasn't the focus one would show when facing danger, but rather... a heavy, distant wariness directed at him.
"Master..." he finally called out hoarsely, with a hint of hesitation.
Xie Linyang didn't look at him, her gaze fixed on the three Yang Sha puppets that had readjusted their postures. Her tone was calm and even, but it carried an unquestionable command: "The core of the puppet is in its chest, containing extremely Yang Sha Qi, which is difficult to break by brute force. You are seriously injured, so just hold them off. I will take the lead in the attack."
She didn't ask him why he was able to break free from the illusion ahead of time, nor did she question Su She's cause of death, or even offer a simple expression of concern.
This unusual calmness was more alarming to Meng Yao than any reprimand.
His mind raced, and countless guesses flashed through his mind in an instant.
Before he could think further, the two puppets of "greed" and "obsession" pounced again, their murderous aura scorching and distorting the air itself.
"Yes!" Meng Yao suppressed her turbulent emotions and responded softly. She moved nimbly, her sword light no longer aiming to kill, but precisely stabbing at the puppet's joints, eye sockets and other vulnerable points, trying to interfere with their movements and create an opportunity for Xie Linyang.
His movements remained exquisite, carrying a kind of restrained ruthlessness, but each time he clashed head-on with the puppet, the excruciating pain from his left arm made his face even paler.
Xie Linyang witnessed his resilience and pain, but incongruously, the image of his decisiveness and ruthlessness in killing Jin Rusong and plotting against Nie Mingjue flashed through her mind. The intense sense of disconnect almost made her gasp for breath. She forcibly suppressed these thoughts; now was not the time to dwell on this!
The "Life-Generating Technique" was activated at full power, and the Radiant Golden Hairpin in her hand transformed into a golden stream of light, no longer possessing gentle purifying power, but instead condensing into an extremely sharp and yang edge. She moved with the hairpin, dodging the "Raging" puppet's ferocious fists, and like a butterfly flitting among flowers, she thrust directly at the "Obsession" puppet with its head bowed and eyes lowered!
"bite--!"
A crisp metallic clang rang out as Zhuoyao pierced the puppet's dark gold chest armor, but failed to penetrate it in one strike! Instead, a scorching backlash of malevolent energy surged up the staff, causing Xie Linyang's arm to go numb and his blood to surge.
This Yang Sha puppet is incredibly tough!
"Master, be careful!" Meng Yao cried out in alarm. It turned out that the "Greedy" puppet had opened its huge mouth, and a powerful suction force had suddenly appeared, trying to seize the spiritual energy and life force dissipating from her body!
Despite the danger, Xie Linyang remained calm. With a light tap of her toes, she used the momentum to float backward, while Zhuoyao drew an arc in front of her, using pure Yang spiritual energy to form a barrier that barely resisted the strange suction force. Her brows furrowed; this couldn't go on. Her spiritual energy was being consumed at a great cost, while the puppet seemed tireless.
Just then, she noticed a tiny white dot on the chest where the "Obsession" puppet had been stabbed by Zhuo Yao, and the surrounding crimson aura seemed to freeze for an almost imperceptible moment.
The key is that the attack must be concentrated on a single point, using even stronger, more intense Yang energy to break through!
"Meng Yao!" she shouted, no longer hesitating, "Buy me three breaths!"
Before she finished speaking, she closed her eyes, cleared her mind of all distractions, and focused all her energy on communicating with the source of the "Yang-Generating Technique" within her body. She even drew upon a trace of mysterious energy from ancient times within the Memory Grass.
The Radiant Golden Hairpin hovered in front of her, its light restrained, yet it emitted increasingly terrifying heat waves, causing the surrounding air to crackle as if it could not withstand this power.
Meng Yao's pupils contracted slightly upon seeing this. He immediately understood Xie Linyang's intention: Xie was about to unleash his strongest attack!
"Disciple obeys!"
He stopped his hit-and-run tactics and charged fearlessly toward the two puppets, "Wrath" and "Greed"! His sword light surged, and he used a desperate, wound-for-wounds fighting style to entangle them and buy Xie Linyang those precious three breaths of time! Several more scorch marks appeared on his body, his robes were stained with blood, his face was as pale as paper, but his eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.
Three breaths, gone in the blink of an eye!
Xie Linyang suddenly opened his eyes, a flash of golden light in them! The suspended blazing sun had transformed into a golden beam of light, condensed to its extreme and only the thickness of a finger. With a resolute determination that could pierce through everything, it shot towards the chest of the "Obsession" puppet again at a speed beyond the reach of sight, aiming at the white dot left behind earlier!
"break--!"
"puff!"
There was no earth-shattering roar, only a soft sound, like tearing silk. The golden beam of light pierced the core of the "Obsession" puppet's chest without any hindrance!
The crimson aura that had been violently surging around the puppet suddenly stopped, and then collapsed abruptly as if it had lost its support.
On that dark golden body, countless spiderweb-like cracks rapidly spread from its chest, and finally, with a loud "boom," the massive body shattered into pieces, turning into a pile of lifeless fragments.
The core has been destroyed, and one of the puppets has been ruined!
Xie Linyang swayed slightly, her face pale; this attack had almost drained most of her spiritual power.
Just then, the greedy puppet seemed to be completely enraged, abandoning its original target Meng Yao. Its murderous aura erupted like a volcano, and its huge fist, burning with crimson flames, smashed down on Xie Linyang, who was exhausted, with the force of shattering mountains and splitting rocks!
"Master!"
Meng Yao's eyes were bloodshot. He was already seriously injured, but at this moment he suddenly burst out with amazing speed from somewhere. Like a moth drawn to a flame, he suddenly slammed into Xie Linyang and pushed her away violently!
"Crack!" The sickening sound of bone breaking rang out clearly.
It was Meng Yao who used his already injured and fractured left arm to forcefully block the edge of the puppet's fist!
He let out a miserable groan, spitting out blood, and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into the wall behind the main hall, which was engraved with the trajectory of stars, along with Xie Linyang, whom he had pushed aside.
The expected hard impact did not occur. The moment the two bodies made contact, the wall rippled like water, revealing intricate teleportation runes! In a flash of light, the two figures were instantly engulfed.
The next moment, the world spun around.
Xie Linyang and Meng Yao crashed heavily onto the hard, cold ground.
They were in a completely sealed chamber, no more than ten feet in diameter. The walls and ceiling were carved with star trails similar to those on the stone doors outside, emitting a faint glow that provided the only source of light. The air was stagnant, filled with dust and the scent of ancient times.
"Cough cough..." Meng Yao curled up on the ground, coughing violently. Each cough aggravated her injuries, bringing excruciating pain.
His right arm was twisted even more severely at the fracture site, and his left shoulder was also a bloody mess. His face was frighteningly pale, and cold sweat soaked his forehead hair, which stuck to his cheeks, making him look extremely vulnerable.
Xie Linyang crawled over and quickly checked his injuries, his brows furrowed.
He suffered a fracture, internal organ concussion, and significant blood loss; his condition was very bad.
Without hesitation, she once again channeled her remaining spiritual power, mixing it with the gentle Yang Flame power emanating from Zhuo Yao, and carefully transferred it into his body. First, she stabilized his turbulent blood and qi, then she tore off the lining of her own robe to prepare to fix his injured arm.
Meng Yao sat down against the stone wall, her severed left arm hastily fixed with strips of cloth, her right hand still clutching the blood-stained Qingyang sword.
He slightly opened his eyes, looking at his master's focused and pale profile, watching her generously channel spiritual energy into him, his eyes churning with extremely complex emotions. There was the dazed feeling of surviving a calamity, the heartache for her disregard for her own safety, the frustration at his inability to protect his master, and even more so, a deep, almost overwhelming, weakness... a craving for this warmth.
“Master…I am useless and have dragged you down with me…” His voice was hoarse and weak, filled with his usual self-blame.
Xie Linyang held Meng Yao's arm, his fingertips as cold as if they had just been pulled out of ice.
She had secured the boy's severed arm with strips of cloth, and blood seeped out, staining her cuffs red.
"Master, slow down..." Meng Yao's voice was breathless as she leaned her head against the wall, her warm breath brushing against the back of her hand. "My arm hurts so much..."
Xie Linyang's hand tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white.
Images of the lingering grass flashed before his eyes: Qin Su forced to hang herself, Jin Rusong killed by his own hands, Nie Mingjue's crazed appearance...
Her fingertips instinctively pressed against his pulse; with just a gentle touch, she could make this future demon vanish completely. She could even feel his pulse beating, weak yet resilient, just like when they were night-hunting in the Mengyu Mountains.
"Master?" Meng Yao seemed to sense something, looked up at her, her eyes still moist. "What's wrong?"
Xie Linyang's hand trembled violently, knocking over the moss-covered stone wall as she withdrew it. She recalled their experience in the Mengyu Mountains a year ago, his smile upon receiving the Qingyang Sword, and his ever-present protection...
These memories pierced her heart like needles, making it impossible for her to confront them.
Kill him? That would be too easy on him. Besides... could she really bring herself to kill this boy who still depended on her?
Xie Linyang's gaze turned cold, and her fingertips moved to his meridians.
She wanted to cripple his martial arts, so he could never do evil again. This thought had barely crossed her mind when she immediately dismissed it: Meng Yao's most terrifying trait was never his martial arts, but his cunning. Even without martial arts, he could still stir up trouble, using poison, schemes, and manipulation of people's hearts…
She looked at Meng Yao's pale face and suddenly laughed, a laugh tinged with self-mockery and ruthlessness: "Meng Yao, do you know? I just thought of three ways to deal with you."
Meng Yao froze, looked up at her, and the dependence in her eyes turned into confusion: "Master...?"
“First, I’ll kill you to prevent future troubles.” Xie Linyang’s voice was calm and even. “Second, I’ll cripple your martial arts and turn you into a cripple. Third…” She paused, leaned down, and said with a despair she herself didn’t realize: “I’ll imprison you and keep you where I can see you for the rest of your life.”
Meng Yao's pupils contracted sharply, and her lips trembled: "...Master, what...what are you saying...I am Meng Yao, your disciple..."
"Disciple?" Xie Linyang's eyes were as cold as ice. "If someone kills their father, brother, wife, son, friend, or even master... do you think I would still consider them my disciple?"
Meng Yao's pupils suddenly contracted to their maximum size, and the blood in her body seemed to freeze in that instant!
Father murder? Brother murder? Wife murder and child murder?! These accusations struck him like the most violent thunderbolts, leaving him trembling with fear! How...how could he?! How could his master know...No, he didn't do any of it! Some of it he wouldn't even dare to imagine!
"Master!" He struggled violently to sit up, the pain from his injuries nearly causing him to faint. His voice trembled with extreme shock and grievance. "What are you saying?! This disciple...this disciple doesn't understand! What murder of my wife and friend...I didn't! How could I..."
His eyes quickly welled up with tears, not feigned, but genuine emotions overwhelmed by the shock and injustice he had suffered. "Father... I admit I killed Father, he forced me to... But Master, you treated me like family, I never intended to harm you!... Killing my wife and children is utter nonsense! Master, are you... are you being misled? Or have I done something wrong that has caused you to misunderstand me like this?!"
He spoke incoherently, desperately trying to explain himself, attempting to find a trace of familiar trust or softening in Xie Linyang's cold eyes.
However, there was nothing. There was only a bottomless, icy pool.
Looking at his agitated, aggrieved, bewildered, and terrified expression, Xie Linyan felt a violent killing intent tearing at her heart, clashing with her cold rationality. She knew that Meng Yao hadn't actually done those things yet. He didn't even know he would have a wife named Qin Su and a mentally challenged son named Jin Rusong in the future. She was judging him for crimes that hadn't yet occurred.
Is this fair?
But if left unchecked, those tragedies will come true! Nie Mingjue will be dismembered, Jin Zixuan will die a horrible death, and countless families will be destroyed because of him!
Kill him, and that would be the end of it. The thought rose again; looking at his current helpless state, it would be as easy as turning one's hand.
But… her hands trembled slightly. She remembered how he had pushed her away without hesitation, taking the puppet's attack with his own body; she remembered how he had carefully presented her with the tea when she first joined the sect; she remembered how he had tirelessly coordinated within the alliance, all to ease her burden…
Those real, heartwarming moments, intertwined and collided with the bloody and cruel future in the photo-op, almost tearing her sanity apart.
She couldn't bring herself to do it. At least, at this moment, she couldn't bring herself to kill the boy who was crying and pleading with her.
They cannot be killed, nor can they be abolished.
So……
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