Fall
The giant crimson hand, carrying the power of annihilation, crushed inch by inch the golden light domain that Xie Linyang had desperately tried to support.
Xie Linyang looked up at the overwhelming shadow of death, the dazzling light flickering in her palm, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
The source of Yang Sha Marrow is being rapidly consumed under the crushing force that seems to have stirred up the resentment fire of the entire Qishan earth veins.
Jiang Cheng's eyes were bloodshot, and the Three Poison Swords hummed incessantly. He tried to move forward to protect Xie Linyang more thoroughly, but even lifting a foot was as difficult as carrying a mountain.
The music of Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen's qin and xiao had long since dissipated, and blood trickled from their lips, yet they still struggled to hold on. Wei Wuxian knelt on the ground, his Chenqing flute supporting him, staring intently at the demonic figure in the air, blood dripping continuously from his mouth.
Just as the dark red giant hand was about to completely crush the golden light domain and devour the group of young people along with Xie Linyang, Qinghengjun's eyes blazed with light. Ignoring the desperate entanglement of several Wen clan guests in front of him, he drew a circle in the air with his sword, and a magnificent and clear blue sword curtain suddenly unfolded, transforming into a flexible yet resilient pushing force that temporarily forced the entangled enemies back several steps.
He moved with his sword, leaving no room for retreat, and charged straight at the side of the dark red giant hand, attempting to deflect its force with his own sword domain.
Almost simultaneously, Nie Mingjue roared like thunder, his Baxia Blade Qi soaring into the sky, forcefully cleaving the two high-level Flame Puppets surrounding him flying backward. His tiger's mouth split open, blood flowing freely, but he didn't care at all. The ground beneath his feet exploded, and he and his blade became one, transforming into a streak of crimson-gold light that fiercely slashed upwards towards the giant palm!
The sword intent was fierce and powerful, advancing relentlessly!
Jiang Fengmian's swordsmanship flowed like water and clouds, finding an opening to escape the encirclement. His sword shadows were numerous, weaving a dense sword net that protected the heads of Jiang Cheng and Xie Linyang below, attempting to create a buffer before the giant palm fell.
Jin Zixuan's Suihua Sword shone brightly with starlight, as he desperately cleared away the puppets attacking from the flanks, creating a fleeting opportunity for the sect leaders to escape.
However, Wen Ruohan merely snorted coldly, not even glancing at the group. The dark red giant palm paused slightly, its palm crackling with resentful flames, and an even more powerful and sinister pressure suddenly spread out!
"Bang!"
The sword barrier of Qinghengjun, powerful enough to split mountains and shatter rocks, collapsed and disintegrated the moment it made contact with the edge of the giant palm, emitting a crisp cracking sound. As the sword barrier crumbled inch by inch, the backlash surged back, causing Qinghengjun's body to tremble violently, his face to turn pale abruptly, and with a muffled groan, a trail of crimson blood spilled from the corner of his mouth as he was sent flying backwards for several dozen feet.
Nie Mingjue's indestructible crimson-gold blade light struck the giant palm, only stirring up a circle of dark red ripples.
Immediately, an unimaginable, chilling force surged through the Baxia Blade. Nie Mingjue felt as if his arm bones had been struck by lightning, and his internal organs seemed to have shifted. The Baxia Blade almost slipped from his hand, and his powerful body was slammed hard into the ground, creating a deep crater. Dust flew everywhere, and he was unable to get up for a moment.
Jiang Fengmian's dense protective sword net shattered after only a few breaths under the spreading pressure.
The sword energy backfired, and he felt a sweet taste in his throat, which he forcefully suppressed.
Injured merely by the residual force and recoil of that giant palm, the sect leaders were all wounded and their breathing was disordered. Wen Ruohan's terror far exceeded their expectations! They didn't even have the right to give him a second glance before they were defeated.
At this moment, the dark red giant hand, after being slightly hindered, continued to press down with even more unstoppable force!
Below, Xie Linyang's golden aura had shrunk to three feet around his body, and Jiang Cheng and the others were pressed almost to the ground, death imminent.
Wen Ruohan stood in mid-air, her gaze fixed on Xie Linyang as if she were looking at an insect, and more precisely, on the Blazing Staff in her hand that still emitted a stubborn golden light.
“The power of pure Yang… the Baoshan lineage is always such a hindrance.” His icy voice came through the roar of the torrent of resentful fire, “If I destroy you, then no one in this world will be able to truly restrain Yin Iron.”
He raised his hand and made a grasping motion.
Xie Linyang felt an instant increase in pressure, as if an invisible giant hand was gripping his throat. He was uncontrollably pulled by an incredibly strong suction force, his feet leaving the ground and flying into the air! The purification light domain shattered completely, and the blazing light dimmed to the point of almost going out.
"Lin Yang—!" Jiang Cheng roared, burning his remaining golden core essence without regard for anything else. He managed to break free from some of the restraints for a moment. He staggered forward and reached out to grab her, but his fingertips only touched her fluttering clothes.
Lan Wangji's zither music suddenly rose, and a condensed sound blade slashed out, but it couldn't stop anything at all. When he looked down, he saw that his ten fingers were covered with bloodstains, and blood flowed down the Wangji zither.
A fierce glint flashed in Wei Wuxian's eyes, and the Chenqing flute once again emitted a sharp sound, causing his blood and qi to flow in reverse, and he spat out another mouthful of blood.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye. Xie Linyang's figure had been sucked into the air, less than ten feet away from Wen Ruohan. The shadow of death had never been so clear.
In that moment of utter silence, when everyone thought the outcome was already decided—
A figure, moving with the speed of a streak of light tearing through the shadows, suddenly burst forth from behind Wen Ruohan, in the shadow of the majestic city wall of Nevernight City!
It's Meng Yao.
He was still wearing the Wen family's fiery red robe, now stained with dust and blood. His face was expressionless, devoid of his usual docility and the madness of the secret chamber, only a frozen, extreme calmness remained.
His movements were so concise that there was nothing superfluous, and he didn't even make a sound.
He held the Qingyang Sword in his hand, the sword he named himself, with a long blade, which was now flowing with a strange and restrained radiance.
The radiance was not the intense, magnificent gold of a blazing sun, but a gentle, warm golden halo, like the morning sun, yet seemingly containing endless vitality, subtly enveloping the sword.
What was even more astonishing was the aura surrounding him. It was an indescribable, pure, and vast yang energy, which, though not ostentatious, subtly formed a kind of essential opposition to Wen Ruohan's raging resentment.
Wen Ruohan focused most of his mind and energy on controlling the resentful flames, suppressing the entire area, and capturing Xie Linyang. He had almost no defenses against his newly accepted disciple behind him, given the current situation where he had absolute control.
Until the gleaming, pale golden sword, with an incredibly mysterious and unpredictable trajectory, pierced through the most solid and imperceptible point of his protective resentment fire—the point where it flowed and merged with the core of the earth's Yin Iron—with perfect precision, penetrating deep into his heart!
The moment the sword tip pierced through, the pale golden halo suddenly brightened a bit, yet remained gentle.
Time seemed to be infinitely stretched and frozen at this moment.
All sound on the battlefield disappeared.
Everyone witnessed that incredible scene.
Meng Yao's figure was pressed close to Wen Ruohan's back, her arm thrust forward, and the Qingyang Sword almost completely disappeared into Wen Ruohan's body, leaving only the hilt outside, with a small red sun stone on the hilt facing Xie Linyang's direction.
Wen Ruohan's body stiffened abruptly.
The enormous, dark red hand that blotted out the sky instantly disintegrated into a shower of flames.
The invisible suction force that had been binding Xie Linyang suddenly disappeared. She groaned and fell from mid-air, only to be caught by Jiang Cheng, who was rushing over from below with bloodshot eyes. The two of them fell to the ground together.
The terrifying pressure that filled the world receded rapidly like a tide.
Wen Ruohan slowly, extremely slowly, turned her head.
For the first time, an expression appeared on his face.
A pure, incomprehensible astonishment, mixed with the absurdity of being bitten by ants, and... a deeper sense of disbelief.
He looked at Meng Yao, who was pressed close behind him, and then at the sword that had pierced his body, flowing with a familiar yet unfamiliar yang energy.
"The Yang-Generating Technique?" he uttered hoarsely, dark red blood gushing from the corner of his mouth.
The pure and vast life force attached to the sword spread wildly within his body in a way that was both purifying and disintegrating, severing and dissolving the countless energy links between him and the Qishan earth veins and the source of several pieces of Yin Iron!
This power... was nothing like the power of the Yang-Generating Technique he had ever seen before!
Meng Yao met his gaze, her face expressionless, only a fleeting, elusive, icy yet strangely calm smile flashing deep in her eyes.
On the battlefield, the deathly silence was shattered, replaced by gasps of shock and an uproar of disbelief.
"The Tilted Sun Sword? That's... the aura of the Yang Life Technique? How could it be so powerful?!" Jiang Cheng helped Xie Linyang to his feet, staring at the scene in the air, utterly shocked. He clearly sensed that the purity and refinement of the Yang energy emanating from Meng Yao at this moment was subtly comparable to Xie Linyang at his peak! But he clearly...
Xie Linyang propped himself up, staring intently at the shimmering Yang Sword in Meng Yao's hand, then at Wen Ruohan's rapidly weakening aura, which was still being continuously eroded by some kind of pure Yang energy. His eyes flashed sharply: "When did he cultivate the Yang Life Technique to this level? This is definitely not an ordinary twelfth level... What has he figured out?"
Lan Wangji and Lan Xichen quickly approached each other, their eyes also filled with shock.
Xie Linyang remembered that his master once said that above the twelfth level of the Life-Generating Technique, there was a supreme realm that no one had been able to reach to this day. It was a sign of "the initial condensation of the Yang Spirit, reflecting back on oneself"...
Ancient texts occasionally mention it, but no one has ever truly achieved it. He, through his own talent, without any guidance...
Qinghengjun, Nie Mingjue, Jiang Fengmian and others also broke free from their opponents and gathered together. Looking at the scene in the sky, their expressions all changed drastically.
Xie Lin Yang trembled uncontrollably in Jiang Cheng's arms, her gaze fixed on Meng Yao. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest, as if it would explode. The scene of betrayal she had foreseen in the memory grass reappeared, but everything before her eyes was completely different from what she had predicted and what she had believed!
He used the Qingyang Sword.
He was using the Yang-Generating Technique, which she had personally taught him and was meant to suppress all evil and filth, and he had reached a supreme level that even she had never touched!
He didn't use any schemes or tricks, nor any strange poisons, but rather the righteous martial arts she taught him and the sword she tacitly allowed him to name, to deliver this earth-shattering blow!
Why? Why did that cunning disciple, who claimed to take everything from her and lead her into the abyss of darkness, reveal such astonishing talent and power in such a seemingly luminous way at the very end?
Wen Ruohan's astonishment and suspicion were quickly replaced by an overwhelming rage and... a sinister pleasure.
The dark red flames of resentment on his body began to dissipate and recede uncontrollably, and his aura weakened. He knew he was finished; the energy link was being completely severed by that damned life force.
Even if I have to die, I'll drag him down to hell with me!
Wen Ruohan no longer tried to gather a large-scale attack. Instead, he combined the last remaining, purest and most violent wisp of primordial resentment fire with the power of the Yin Iron fragments, along with his last divine soul curse, and compressed it into a thin line that was extremely condensed and dark in color, like concentrated blood!
The thin, dark red line pointed directly at Meng Yao's brow. Meng Yao's pupils reflected the rapidly enlarging, deathly dark red, but his body sluggish for a beat due to the exhaustion and shock after the all-out attack.
There's no escaping it.
This realization flashed coldly through my mind.
Well, he thought, ending it this way seems... not so bad. At least, in his master's eyes, he used the technique she taught him in the end, and did something... that might bring her some comfort? Even if that comfort might be negligible.
He even closed his eyes slightly, preparing to face the agony of annihilating his soul and the eternal darkness.
The anticipated devastating pain did not come.
Instead, a gentle yet firm force struck his shoulder, pushing him diagonally backward. The force was not great, but it carried an undeniable resolve.
He opened his eyes in astonishment.
What came into view was Xie Linyang's profile, which was very close to his.
She had somehow managed to break free from Jiang Cheng's support and, with a speed that no one could keep up with, took a half-step to the side. Resolutely and without reservation, she used her own back to meet the deadly line of blood that was shooting towards him!
Time seemed to be stretched and distorted infinitely.
Meng Yao could see her slightly furrowed brows, the fine beads of cold sweat on her forehead, her pale complexion from exhaustion, and even the slightest tremor of her long eyelashes.
Her eyes held no complex scrutiny of him, no heavy anticipation of the future, no astonishment or judgment of his actions, only a near-blank, purely focused... protective intent.
Those eyes were crystal clear, revealing no calculation or weighing of options, only the most primal instinct to protect the person behind them.
"Pfft."
The dark red line of blood struck Xie Linyang squarely.
The fabric instantly turned to ash at the point of impact, revealing the pale skin beneath. But from the point of impact, a spiderweb-like pattern of gray-black lines rapidly spread across the skin. Wherever the lines passed, the flesh lost its luster at a visible speed, becoming dull and withered, as if its life force had been instantly drained.
Even more terrifying, an extremely cold and vicious annihilating power was surging wildly into her body, impacting her meridians, dantian, and most vulnerable part... her soul!
"Well……!"
Xie Linyang's body trembled violently, and she arched forward abruptly, spitting out a mouthful of dark golden blood, speckled with crystalline foam, which splashed onto the ground in front of her. The spiritual energy fluctuations around her suddenly dimmed.
"Lin Yang—!!!"
Jiang Cheng's roar pierced his throat, his voice hoarse and broken, filled with boundless terror and despair, as if his heart had been torn apart alive.
He had just been forcefully freed by Xie Linyang when he witnessed this scene that terrified him. He pounced on her like a madman, catching her with trembling arms before she collapsed and pulling her into his embrace.
Upon touching it, one is greeted by a spreading, unsettling feeling of withered flesh.
"Lin Yang! Lin Yang!" Jiang Cheng's voice completely changed. He futilely tried to cover the terrible wound with his hand, only to touch a cold and withered area that was rapidly losing its vitality.
His spiritual power surged wildly and recklessly into her body, but he could find no way to hold onto her life. Instead, he was subtly backfired by the chilling power of annihilation.
His eyes were bloodshot as he looked up at the sky. Wen Ruohan's body was falling, but his hatred had nowhere to go, and could only turn into piercing pain and panic that almost overwhelmed him.
"No...no...don't scare me...please...look at me..."
Lan Wangji flashed forward and was already close by. He placed his Wangji Qin horizontally and quickly plucked the strings with bloodstains on his fingertips. The clear but slightly anxious sound of the qin flowed out, trying to stabilize Xie Linyang's collapsing soul and dispel the cold power.
But the moment he made contact, his face turned even paler; the viciousness and power of that force far exceeded his imagination.
Wei Wuxian staggered forward, nearly dropping his Chenqing flute.
Seeing Xie Linyang's rapidly fading face and horrific wounds, his pupils constricted. He immediately sat down cross-legged, ignoring the lingering backlash on his own body, and once again played the Chenqing flute.
This time, the flute's mournful and low melody was no longer a sound of killing. Instead, it was Xie Linyang forcibly activating the gentler "soul-gathering" power within the Yin Tiger Seal, attempting to coordinate with Lan Wangji's zither music to restrain and soothe Xie Linyang's soul, which was being frantically eroded and seemed about to leave his body.
"Hold on! Xie Linyang, you have to hold on!" His voice was hoarse, and blood kept spilling from the corner of his mouth.
Lan Xichen had also arrived. He planted the Shuoyue Sword in the ground and placed his palms on Xie Linyang's shoulders. His gentle and mellow spiritual energy flowed like a gentle stream, trying to protect the last bit of warmth in her heart. His gentle brows were filled with solemnity and sorrow.
Jiang Fengmian and Yu Ziyuan also rushed over. Jiang Fengmian swayed, and his usually calm face aged considerably in an instant. He squatted down, placed his fingers on Xie Linyang's wrist, and then his expression changed drastically, with deep pain and helplessness welling up in his eyes.
Yu Ziyuan clutched her wound, her complexion not much better than Xie Linyang's. She looked at Xie Linyang, at her son's broken and frantic state. This girl... this silly girl! Her lips trembled, wanting to say something, but she couldn't utter a single word. She could only clench her teeth tightly, turn her face away, and her eyes instantly reddened.
Nie Mingjue, Qinghengjun, Jin Zixuan, and others surrounded them, their faces grave, their eyes filled with shock, grief, and helplessness. The joy of victory had vanished, replaced by a heavy gloom.
And Meng Yao.
After being pushed away by Xie Linyang, he staggered back a few steps before regaining his balance. He stood frozen in place, like a stone statue that had suddenly lost all commands.
All the expressions on his face froze, revealing a blank blankness and... helplessness that he had never shown to anyone before.
He watched her fall into Jiang Cheng's arms, watching the brilliance of her life fade away at a visible speed.
Why?
Why did she do that?
Wasn't he... a despicable and hateful disciple who schemed to possess her, even at the cost of destroying everything she cared about to force her to look at him? Didn't he just use the techniques she taught him to backstab the strongest enemy in the world, doing something shocking and enough to overturn all judgments?
Shouldn't she be shocked, confused, perhaps a little moved, but mostly wary and distant?
Shouldn't she... hate him, despise him, be wary of him, and wish he were dead?
Why...why would someone stand in front of him?
With her own life?
Those eyes, always clear and calm, seemingly able to see through all illusions, looked at him for the last time with an almost instinctive, pure protectiveness.
It was a kind of genuine affection he had longed for his entire life, yet never truly believed it could exist in this world. Not because of his background, not because of his abilities, not because of any consideration for personal gain, but simply because… he was her disciple? Or because… he was a man about to be killed?
He spent his life scheming, understanding people's hearts, manipulating emotions, and firmly believing that everything in the world could be traded and exploited. Sincerity was the cheapest yet most luxurious lie in the world. He craved Xie Linyang's gaze, a craving that twisted into possession and destruction. He thought that as long as he stood high enough and controlled enough, he could imprison her by his side, and even if what he gained was hatred, it would still be a unique possession.
But now...
All his logic, all his understanding, all his ambition and obsession were shattered by Xie Linyang's sudden, almost instinctive block.
Power and scheming cannot buy such a gaze, nor can they buy such selfless protection.
He got all the attention he had ever dreamed of, and even... more than just attention.
But it happened in this way, at his most vulnerable and unexpected moment.
A sharp, unfamiliar pain shot through his chest. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out. He could only watch helplessly as Jiang Cheng collapsed, as everyone rushed to his aid, and as Xie Linyang's breath grew weaker and weaker, his life force flickering like a candle in the wind.
He suddenly felt that his life was like an absurd and laughable joke.
He took a step forward, his steps unsteady, wanting to touch that swift, cold figure, wanting to confirm whether it was yet another elaborate illusion or a deception.
But Jiang Cheng suddenly raised his head, and his bloodshot, tearful eyes erupted with terrifying killing intent and hatred, as if he wanted to devour him alive.
"Get out of my way!" Jiang Cheng roared hoarsely, like a wounded wild beast guarding its food.
Meng Yao froze. Yes, what right did he have to approach now? He was one of the culprits; he was the one who drew out Wen Ruohan's final killing move; he was the one who... caused his master to be in this state.
Just then, Xie Linyang's eyelashes trembled very slightly.
Jiang Cheng immediately noticed, held his breath, and his voice trembled uncontrollably: "Lin Yang? Lin Yang, can you hear me?"
Xie Lin Yang's lips moved slightly, her breath coming in a barely audible whisper. Jiang Cheng brought his ear close to her lips.
She said, "Don't...blame him...it was...my own...choice..."
Every word was written with great effort.
Jiang Cheng's tears finally welled up and spilled out, large drops landing on Xie Linyang's cold cheeks. "Don't speak... please don't speak... save your strength... you'll be alright... you'll definitely be alright..."
He was incoherent, repeating the same few sentences over and over, his arms clenched as if that would stop the flow of life.
Xie Lin Yang shook his head very slightly, his gaze seemingly searching for something. His unfocused gaze swept over Jiang Cheng's tear-streaked face, over Lan Wangji's tense jaw, over the blood constantly flowing from Wei Wuxian's mouth, and finally, with great difficulty, landed on Meng Yao, who was standing stiffly not far away.
Her eyes were unfocused, blurry, yet miraculously, she accurately caught his direction.
She looked at him, her lips moved again, but no sound came out.
But Meng Yao understood her lip movements.
What she said was: "Live well...".
Then, the last glimmer of light in her eyes went out completely.
The last breath she had been holding on to finally dissipated. Her body went completely limp in Jiang Cheng's arms.
"No--!!!!"
Jiang Cheng let out a shrill, inhuman wail, clutching the rapidly cooling body in his arms. His whole body trembled violently, as if the entire world was collapsing before his eyes. His cries were hoarse and broken, filled with endless despair and madness.
Wei Wuxian's flute playing abruptly stopped. He coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face ashen. Looking at Xie Linyang's lifeless face, his eyes were filled with disbelief and deep sorrow. Lan Wangji's hands, pressed against the strings, were so clenched that his knuckles turned white, his nails digging deep into his palms, blood seeping out, but he seemed oblivious. His light-colored eyes were fixed on Xie Linyang, their depths churning with turbulent emotions.
Lan Xichen closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and when he opened them again, his eyes were filled with sorrow.
Jiang Fengmian looked up and clenched his fist.
Yu Ziyuan finally couldn't help herself, turned her face away, and her shoulders shrugged slightly.
Despair and sorrow, so intense they seemed to permeate the air, enveloped everyone.
Just as this extreme grief and despair permeated the air, Jiang Cheng nearly went mad, and Meng Yao stood there, seemingly drained of her soul—
Mutation and regeneration.
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