Lin Xiao clenched his fists, his joints letting out a crisp crack. Veins bulged on his thick arms. “We are all supposed to be members of the Righteous Path! It’s one thing not to help each other after coming in here, but to actually stab someone in the back?!”
‘It is also possible he has fallen into mania,’ Wu Yan said, not entirely agreeing with Lin Xiao’s view. In a place like this, cultivators with weak wills could easily suffer from Chi Deviation due to inhaling too much Demonic Chi. As time passed, more and more people would likely succumb to it. Eventually, everyone would fall into madness and kill one another, leaving only a single survivor. That was likely exactly what that Mahayana Realm Demonic Cultivator wanted—a perfect Gu King.
The group rushed toward the depths of the Mineral Cave without stopping. The further they went, the darker the light became, and the thick scent of blood in the air grew heavier. Faint sounds of magical explosions drifted from ahead, mingled with frenzied shrieks.
“Over there.” The moment the sound reached them, Xia Lingshuang locked onto the position.
After passing through a narrow, long tunnel, the space suddenly opened up. The cave walls were embedded with a large amount of eerie green ore, making the entire area look no different from a ghostly realm. In the center of the cave, azure Sword Chi flew in all directions, causing the ground to tremble.
Before Zhao Wuji stood Li Qingzhou, who was wearing the robes of the Taiqing Sect. Spiritual Power swirled around him, and under the stimulation of the surrounding Demonic Chi, fire and water miraculously merged. Red and blue circled him, creating a terrifying aura.
“Give me the Key!!” Li Qingzhou’s once-elegant voice was now utterly frenzied, and his offensive grew even more violent.
“You need to stay calm, Brother Li!” On Zhao Wuji’s silver-white blade, azure sword light flared. Thousands of sword shadows rose into the air, shooting rapidly toward Li Qingzhou. Faced with the overwhelming rain of swords, a water snake wrapped in fire patterns simply exhaled, and the sword rain vanished into nothingness. A famous sword technique had been neutralized by a casual strike. The water snake then lunged toward Zhao Wuji, the air tearing with a burdened scream.
“As long as I can get that thing!!” Li Qingzhou’s eyes had long since lost focus; his crimson pupils held nothing but the most primitive desire for survival.
” [Wuji Sword Formation] !” Zhao Wuji swept his sword in a circle. Seven virtual sword shadows merged with the longsword in his hand to form a ring, shielding him within. The violent water snake roared forward, the boiling air current creating a sonic boom as it slammed heavily against Zhao Wuji’s formation.
Crack —
The sword formation let out an overwhelmed wail before the sword shadows abruptly dissipated. The silver-white longsword was knocked several meters away. It was over! Zhao Wuji closed his eyes in despair, waiting for death to arrive. However, the expected pain did not come. Instead, he caught a whiff of the faint fragrance of lilies.
‘This scent… is it Junior Sister Wu?’
Zhao Wuji hurriedly opened his eyes and saw that Li Qingzhou’s terrifying strike had been completely intercepted by a white shield formed from a long silk ribbon. Amidst the surging impact, the originally integrated power of water and fire was stripped away by the shield, turning into two violent waves. The flames on the left side turned into countless sparks after losing their support, while the water on the right turned into a cold torrent after being separated from the fire patterns.
Behind the silk ribbon, Xia Lingshuang’s face was indifferent. Taking this hit was an easy task for her.
“Elder Xia, Junior Sister Wu, everyone…”
“Senior Brother Zhao, don’t talk for now. I’ll treat you.” Su Qianqian arrived at Zhao Wuji’s side and took a pile of healing pills from her Storage Bag, preparing to stuff them into his mouth.
“Junior Brother Lin, stall him from the front. Don’t counterattack, just focus on defense. I only need three breaths,” Wu Yan commanded coldly. “Qingyao, be ready to strike at any moment to disrupt the elemental balance of his water dragon and make it collapse. You can do it.”
Lin Xiao hesitated slightly. Although he had been shouting about beating up the murderer, now that he saw the corrupted Li Qingzhou, he wasn’t sure if he should actually strike.
“He has fallen to the demons,” Wu Yan said coldly, her figure suddenly vanishing from the spot.
“Fine then. Boom! ” The ground was stomped into spider-web cracks, and gravel flew into the air. “You crazy bastard playing with fire and water, take this!!”
Lin Xiao was like a human bull, shrouded in dust as he charged straight into the red and blue storm Li Qingzhou was re-condensing. Facing the water-fire dragon that was capable of killing Zhao Wuji in an instant, Lin Xiao did not dodge. He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his body glowing with golden light as he slammed into it head-on.
A dull thud shook the entire cave. Lin Xiao let out a muffled groan as his feet plowed two deep furrows into the ground, forcing him back several meters.
At that exact moment.
“Strike.” Yu Qingyao’s voice rang out, cold and clear. A scorching heat wave erupted from Chixiao as several burning, bright-red fire feathers flew into Li Qingzhou’s water dragon. In an instant, the fire patterns on the originally stable water dragon flared with light, and its boiling body began to evaporate. Yu Qingyao’s Nirvana Fire was of a much higher grade than the spiritual fire within Li Qingzhou, causing the master of water and fire to suffer the consequences of his own power.
“Roar —!!” Li Qingzhou let out a beastly howl. The Spiritual Power within him went wild, and just as he tried to disperse the water snake, he lost his chance.
Wu Yan’s figure pulled a localized afterimage through the glow of the green ores. She did not use any flashy sword moves; she simply held her sword with both hands, crossed her feet, and lunged inward. The blue-green blade of Wu Nian whipped up a whistling gale.
[Ethereal Sword Arts: Startling Swan]
A point of cold light arrived first. Li Qingzhou instinctively tried to thicken his Spiritual Power shield, but Wu Yan’s sword was faster than his thoughts.
Puchi ! The sound of a blade cutting through cloth rang in Wu Yan’s ears as the tip of her sword accurately pierced the center of Li Qingzhou’s chest. The flames vanished, and the wildly dancing water snake instantly turned into a torrential downpour. Following that, the blade sliced upward, cutting through his throat without resistance and silencing that nauseating roar.
Blood did not spray out; it was blocked by a wall of wind. Li Qingzhou’s blood-red eyes suddenly widened. The madness and tyranny in his eyes receded like a tide, replaced by a brief moment of clarity. He opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but his vocal cords were severed, and he could only make a hissing sound.
Wu Yan pulled her sword out expressionlessly. She stepped aside, avoiding him. The corpse lost its support and fell heavily to the ground with a dull thud. His eyes remained open, but the light had vanished from them forever.
Wu Yan flicked her wrist, shaking off a drop of blood from the tip of her sword.
“Rest in peace,” she whispered. This was the final bit of dignity she offered to the man who had once been her rival.
With Li Qingzhou’s fall, the entire Mineral Cave instantly fell silent. The oppressive atmosphere of madness dissipated, leaving only the faint sound of water droplets hitting the ground in the distance.