Chapter 110 The Final Battle (Part 2)
The sword, like a streak of fire, clashed instantly with the axe. The immense force of the impact nearly knocked people to the ground, the heavens and earth trembled, and even the sturdy low stone wall surrounding the altar was shattered by falling pebbles, seemingly more fragile than the glass itself. The once clear and azure sky, after countless exchanges between Bian Yi and Wu Ma Yi, was now covered with dark clouds, as gloomy as night.
"Why do you need to come again?"
A chill flashed in Wuma Yi's eyes. She could tell that although Bian Yi's movements were still light and graceful, they were no longer as powerful as they had been that night.
With a loud thud, it crashed down again.
The white stone floor of the altar beneath Bian Yi's feet cracked open, and she sank into it. The arm holding the sword lowered further and lower, and hideous veins crawled from her neck under her white robes up her cheeks and right arm, like the ugly roots of an old tree. Bian Yi's usually gentle eyes bulged as a result, as if they were about to fall out of their sockets.
“I had to come. This is… the end between you and me.”
Suddenly, a surge of powerful internal energy erupted from his dantian and flowed into the Fiery Blaze sword in Bian Yi's hand. A scorching force rushed towards him, extremely agitated and violent, instantly overwhelming the axe's momentum. Wu Ma Yi retreated instantly, dodging the blade and cutting through the air with a streak of light that resembled flames.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Bian Yi escaped and lightly leaped to the highest point of the altar. She reached out and wiped the blood from her lips, making her already pale face seem even more translucent.
To outsiders, it may have seemed like just a few moves, but the two had already exchanged hundreds of blows. Her internal strength was now far inferior to that of a half-immortal, so she was at a disadvantage. Even if she could compensate to some extent with her skills, she would still inevitably suffer internal injuries.
Bian Yi's moon-white robes flowed even more gracefully in the spring breeze, yet also made her appear even more frail. The sword in her hand, gleaming like flames, possessed a completely different sword intent from the Dust-Clearing Sword—one gentle, the other violent. The sword's energy condensed into red flames that swirled around Bian Yi; the two were neither in harmony nor compatible, but rather forcefully combined together.
Wuma Yi narrowed her eyes; she suddenly felt the sword looked familiar. She shook her head, too lazy to waste any more time thinking about it.
She had already given Bian Yi a chance, a chance to live. If she didn't appear before her again after the Spring Search, there was no need for her to cling to a useless pawn. Wuma Yi felt this was the most merciful she had ever shown, but the person she wanted to spare was unwilling to appreciate it, seemingly destined to die at her hands.
Who instigated this? Wuma Yi glanced at the black-clad youth standing outside the altar. The next moment, the flames formed from scorching sword intent stirred the slightly cool air. Bian Yi's sword was so fast that it could not be seen clearly. In an instant, it was like a sea of fire falling from the sky, or like a net spread out.
"Don't you understand... it's all in vain!"
The axe tore a hole in the net, but Wuma Yi didn't move an inch. She raised her hand and saw that there were only a few black marks on her cuffs, and immediately lost interest.
She didn't understand why, knowing full well that the ant was just a small fry, it would try to shake the tree.
"Do you want to die a more dignified death?" Wuma Yi sneered, no longer holding back. His inner strength surged, and his body seemed to be surrounded by golden light, suppressing the person in front of him.
"Since you want to die, then I'll grant your wish."
...
Lin Chengye never expected to see Qin Ruoli in the middle of nowhere.
Not long after she and Bian Yi embarked on the long journey to Northern Yan, she suddenly saw a figure ahead on the snow-covered mountain road. As they drew closer, she could see the broadsword the figure wore. Even from just a silhouette, she recognized the person at a glance.
"What are you doing here?"
Lin Chengye pulled on the reins, his tone unpleasant, and glanced at Qin Ruoliu indifferently. Unfortunately, the road was narrow, and Qin Ruoliu had blocked it completely, leaving her no way to get around.
"Do you intend to come with me to Northern Yan? Wuma Yi is injured, but not dead. You are just able to remain conscious for the time being."
"for you."
Qin Ruoliu ignored Lin Chengye's sarcasm, pulled the broadsword from her waist, and threw it to her.
The world's number one sword was carelessly tossed over. Lin Chengye caught it, frowned, and asked.
"What's the meaning?"
"She's missing a sword."
Qin Ruoliu's face was hidden in the wind and snow, and her voice was faint, revealing no emotion.
Before Lin Chengye could say anything, the man was no longer in the same spot, revealing a wide road ahead.
During the Northern Yan period, Lin Chengye melted this blade into a raging fire and reforged it into a sword, which he then gave to Bian Yi. Seeing that the man was still hesitant to accept it, she said...
"This is Qin Ruoliu's idea."
Having grown accustomed to seeing the dust, Bian Yi looked strange no matter how she held the sword in her hand.
The sword exuded too much killing intent and looked too heavy.
...
"Damn it..."
Why, why did things get exposed? Wei Jingrui's face turned pale. He panicked when he heard someone shout, "This thief is not Her Highness the Princess."
He knew, of course, that person was not his aunt, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that the person had made him the crown prince, so naturally... naturally he could also become the emperor.
Before anyone knew it, Wei Yun'e had also disappeared. Wei Jingrui could only retreat via a side path, with only a few loyal servants by his side.
But what should he do after that...? Just as Wei Jingrui was feeling lost, suddenly, his loyal servant shouted and tackled him to the ground.
"Your Highness, be careful!"
Instantly, the loyal servant let out a bloodcurdling scream, his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed into a pool of blood, lifeless. A long arrow had struck him squarely in the back.
Wei Jingrui's eyes widened in disbelief, a chill rising from the soles of his feet, climbing up his skull, and surging between his teeth.
If it weren't for the loyal servant, that arrow would have killed him.
But, but... he is the Crown Prince... who, who exactly is it... who wants to kill him? Who dares to kill him?
The clamor of horses' hooves grew louder and louder, coming from all directions. Before he knew it, soldiers had formed a semi-circle, blocking all his escape routes.
"How dare you! You've gone too far! Who gave you permission to treat me like this?"
Wei Jingrui could barely control the trembling in his voice as he cried out in despair, but the people he usually considered lowly ignored him and paid no heed to his disheveled state.
"I."
A familiar voice rang out. Wei Jingrui abruptly raised his head and saw the person sitting on the highest horse, their eyes meeting.
Wei Jingyu.
The man was dressed in light blue clothes, but was covered in silver armor, which shone so brightly in the sunlight that it was blinding.
His younger sister.
Wei Jingyu's eyes were so cold, as if he didn't recognize him, as he continued speaking.
"Ah...ah..."
Wei Jingrui collapsed to the ground, his fine clothes stained with mud, and his throat felt as if it were being choked, unable to utter a sound.
He was trembling all over, and his eyes were bloodshot.
"Father is but a frail and sickly man! How can he sit securely on this throne! Wei Jingyu, you willingly serve as a lackey on his sickbed, how can you be a virtuous person yourself! What virtue or ability does Wei Yun'e possess..."
When a person is about to die, what do they care about etiquette or saving face?
Wei Jingrui seemed to have gone mad; he pointed at Wei Jingyu and roared.
"Fine, you kill me, what good will it do you? You think Wei Yun'e will pass the throne to you? Let me tell you! He won't! He just wants to sit on that throne for himself? To sit on it until he dies!"
"I am merely paving the way for the monarch I follow."
Wei Jingyu shook her head. She sat on her horse and slowly drew her bow.
"Whom do you follow?"
Wei Jingrui was stunned for a moment, then suddenly spoke in disbelief.
"Wei Jingchen? You and I both know perfectly well that he's an illegitimate child of unknown origin! She lost her memory, did you lose your memory along with her?"
The bow is fully drawn, the arrow is released.
In an instant, Wei Jingrui's eyes went blank, and his body collapsed like a rag doll. He kicked his legs and gradually stopped breathing, but his eyes remained open, staring intently at Wei Jingyu, as if he would wait for this answer even in death.
"It has nothing to do with her."
Wei Jingyu lowered her eyes to look at the bloodstains that were gradually spreading on the ground. She had thought that even if it was an older brother who was like a stranger to her, she would feel grief for his death. But now, looking at this person, she felt no wavering in her heart.
She coldly uttered a few words.
"But I believe that Jingchen will be a good ruler."
...
"Jing Chen, is this your plan?"
Wei Yun'e had already boarded the carriage and was fleeing through the deep forest paths. Beside him, Wei Jingchen smiled and nodded.
"Haha... Finally, finally... I finally..."
Wei Yun'e threw his head back and laughed loudly, raising his hands high. But when he laughed, every muscle in his face was contorted, and his eyes showed an indescribable excitement.
"You may convey my will..."
"Don't worry, everything is arranged."
Wei Jingchen nodded.
"Wei Jingrui is probably dead."
"That's great, that's great... Those who help Wuma Yi will all die a horrible death."
Wei Yun'e laughed coldly, his eyes filled with venomous resentment. He no longer cared about kinship or blood ties. In his eyes, there were only the words "traitor Wu Ma Yi" and his accomplices.
He muttered to himself again.
"That would be best, that would be best... that Bian Yi could die with her, then I could finally rest easy..."
But before he could finish speaking, he suddenly felt an itch in his throat and vomited violently, vomiting a mouthful of black blood, which actually seemed to contain chunks of flesh.
What is this...? Wei Yun'e suddenly cried out, scratching incessantly at the skin on his chest until it was a bloody mess.
It hurts so much, why...? Every part of his body hurts so much.
"Jingchen...save me..."
He reached out his trembling hand, trying to grab Wei Jingchen's sleeve, but the man dodged away immediately.
"you……"
His vision was already blurred, and he could only manage to utter this word with difficulty. He could no longer sit still and fell to one side. He seemed to see Wei Jingchen's eyes and lips, which seemed to be smiling but not smiling.
I haven't seen Liu Yue for a while, could it be...?
But he would never have time to understand. Wei Yun'e breathed his last with his eyes open.
“...Go back, back to the altar.”
Wei Jingchen glanced down at the man, letting the yellow sand cover the imperial robes and let his blood spread all over the ground.
...
"you……"
Wuma Yi coughed up blood in disbelief, her body trembling. She looked down and saw a red sword blade.
Bian Yi's sword had already pierced her heart.
Just now, she suddenly felt a sharp pain in her body, and it was this slight oversight that allowed Bian Yi to seize the opportunity and pierce her with his sword.
Clean and efficient.
"Why……"
When was she poisoned? Wuma Yi raised his hand and grabbed Bian Yi's white sleeve. Her mask was shattered, and her hair hung down in disarray.
After all these years, this is actually the closest they've ever come to each other.
There was no arguing, no resentment. It was simply one person holding a sword, while the other bled profusely.
In fact, this scene should have happened long ago, but in Wuma Yi's heart, the two of them had switched places.
"...Just think of it as the gods being unable to bear the sins you've committed."
Bian Yi avoided looking at Wu Mayi's struggling eyes. She turned her head away, coughed, and a trickle of blood flowed from the corner of her mouth. But compared to Wu Mayi, her injuries were not serious.
"Are you...insulting me?"
Wuma Yi's hands suddenly tightened, gripping her arms tightly, and he growled.
"Who is it? Who orchestrated all of this? Tell me!"
Wuma Yi seemed to have figured something out. His eyes darted around, and he glanced at the woman below the stage who had been watching their fight. She was still standing straight, and her tense expression had finally relaxed.
What was his name again? Wuma Yi's consciousness began to fade, and his body grew cold.
Ah Ye? Just a lowly retainer...
"...Her surname is Lin."
Lin, Aye...
Lin Chengye, the last surviving member of the Lin family.
Actually, it was quite difficult to retrieve this name from Wuma Yi's memory; she had never taken this person seriously before. But then...
She had always wondered why someone from the martial arts world would get involved in these things.
She was also a player in this game, just like Bian Yi... But this person was also the one playing the game, and she hadn't even realized it. It was originally a game she had set up, but somehow someone else had already started playing against her.
She lost.
What repentance, what begging for mercy, and what deity?
If there truly were a divine presence watching over her, she should have died long ago! Why wait until now!
Wuma Yi sneered. Her trembling, blood-stained fingertips touched Bian Yi's face, leaving several bright red marks on it.
Amidst the gushing black blood from her mouth, Wuma Yi opened and closed her lips, uttering one word at a time between her teeth, still smiling.
"Bian Yi, I just lost."
...
it's over?
it's over……
Lin Chengye watched as Wuma Yi knelt on the ground in the distance, his body swaying as he collapsed at Bian Yi's feet. Bian Yi stood with his back to her, seemingly unharmed.
She suddenly felt a sense of relief. Her leg was still trembling as she took a step, but she could clearly hear the wind had stopped.
The sky began to clear.
Everything was so quiet. Suddenly, Lin Chengye swung his arms and ran wildly, like a mischievous child who had not been taught manners and ran into his mother's open arms.
She felt no joy, her mind was blank, yet she could see the person in the white and red robes, but she only felt that she had to run to Bian Yi's side, to... grab her, only then could she feel at ease.
A long arrow pierced through the clouds and shot toward where Bian Yi was standing.
That arrow was actually quite weak; anyone could see the hesitation in its trajectory. And someone like Bian Yi could easily have dodged it with just a slight movement of his leg.
But she didn't. She stood there, waiting for the arrow to pierce her heart.
Lin Chengye's blood froze instantly; her dark eyes reflected the image of that person falling backward.
She stopped running.
One step, two steps... Lin Chengye walked blankly up to the altar, walked to the person's side, and knelt down.
She didn't understand; how could she understand?
She tried several times before finally lifting Bian Yi's body with trembling arms, letting her lie in her embrace, her head resting against her neck. Lin Chengye looked up helplessly, meeting Wei Jingchen's equally bewildered eyes, the man's hand holding the Lan Chen Bow trembling slightly.
The vastness of heaven and earth still echoes through the bowstring.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
