Chapter 131 – Pyrrhic

  Ren Tianyou’s laughter was harsh and ragged, his body slicked with seat though his flames managed to remain around him, writhing in the air like something alive.

  “What’s the matter, Vice Sect Master Mu?” Ren Tianyou taunted, using her formal title without a shred of respect in his tone.

  “Is that all you can do? My foundation may crack, but you don’t have the strength to finish me!” His unstable core trembled, while the fire around him sputtered even as he forced it to burn stronger and brighter than before.

  All he needed to do was gain enough distance from Mu Yanyu, and he could seize someone with a bloodline from the deck below. He had already spotted several promising targets, and despite the setback of having the Tranquil Mountain Sect Master appear, things hadn’t yet reached a point where their loss was assured.

  Mu Yanyu’s breath came in sharp gasps, and her pale face was marked by blood at the corner of her lips. Her grip on the Moonfrost Sword tightened until her knuckles were white.

  Despite being stronger than Ren Tianyou, she couldn’t gain an advantage. He relied on others to distract her, forcefully detonating their cultivation or acting as a human shield to absorb her strikes, while Ren Tianyou was given free rein of their battlefield.

  She knew that she needed to end this soon or she would be overwhelmed by the Core Formation Demonic Cultivators waiting for her to falter, even if she managed to eliminate Ren Tianyou.

  “I didn’t think I would be forced to use this, but you have left me no choice.” Mu Yanyu whispered, her voice as cold as the frost covering her sword.

  “Witness the third bloom of my ’Thousand Petals Sword Art.’” Mu Yanyu steadied her stance, and the air around her chilled dramatically. When combined with the Moonfrost Sword, her attack was elevated to an entirely new level.

  “The Third Bloom: Withering Frost Lotus.”

  Ren Tianyue sneered as the flames lashed wildly around him.

  “Do you think something of that level will stop me. I will sacrifice a thousand Foundation Establishment experts to see you fall!” He gestured with his hand while forming a seal in the other to drag a number of nearby Foundation Establishment Demonic Cultivators to surround Mu Yanyu once again.

  They couldn’t defeat her, but the detonation of their cultivation would be more than enough to provide Ren Tianyou with an advantage.

  But even as he did so, the air around them was still. Moonlight gathered above her sword’s edge. Petals formed of ice condensed in the sky above her, each one gleaming with killing intent until a pure white lotus unfurled.

  Mu Yanyu thrust her forward, and the lotus bloomed in an explosion of freezing sword light that swept toward Ren Tianyu.

  The former Patriarch roared and summoned a pillar of flames to meet her strike, but his unstable Core cracked audibly. A spiderweb of fissures spread out through his Dantian, and his fire faltered.

  The Foundation Establishment cultivators screamed when the wave of freezing energy hit them, turning them into ice on contact.

  The impact tore through Ren Tianyou’s weakened defences, with his body breaking under the simultaneous attack of both Mu Yanyu’s sword and his own unstable foundation. His fire guttered and died, his body collapsed with disbelief still etched in his features.

  Mu Yanyu barely managed to stay in the air with the Moonfrost Sword trembling in her hands, and her face was as pale as fine paper. She staggered as her depleted energy could no longer keep her aloft.

  The Moonfrost Sword slipped from her hands, its edges dim, and she fell toward the ground alongside it. Her body shook violently, and blood dripped from her lips as her meridians screamed in protest. The Third Bloom had forced her beyond her limits, and she knew that her Core was fractured from the attack.

  Looking inward, she could see the Gold Core that made up her cultivation floating in the darkness of her Dantian. It was normally bright and strong, with a mist of pale blue Qi filling the space. But now her Core was dark, and a faint crack had appeared along one side.

  If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

  Mu Yanyu’s consciousness wavered, and her vision blurred. A single name slipped from her lips, whispered and carried using the last of her Qi.

  “Jun De.”

  Jun De had just reached the top deck after leaving Zhao Wuxian with the healers when he heard Mu Yanyu call out to him. He wasn’t entirely sure how she managed to do it, but Jun De instinctively knew where to find her.

  Without any hesitation, he leapt into the sky, and spiritual energy flooded his body as he invoked the Luminous Step. Radiant light coiled around him as he pushed himself higher using his Qi. Jun De aligned himself with her falling body, gently gripping her while also placing the Moonfrost Sword in his storage ring.

  Gritting his teeth, Jun De channelled his Qi downward in order to control their fall. Now that he was in the 8th Level of Qi Condensation, he was strong enough to glide through the air toward the deck far below using his own power, instead of plummeting like a rock.

  As soon as his feet touched the safety of the deck, Jun De dashed toward the stairwell that he had just emerged from. The healers gasped in shock as he burst into the chamber below, not expecting him to return with someone else just a short time after leaving.

  Zhao Wuxian lay on a cot on the floor, his bones set in place. His face was pale, but he still had a defiant grin on his face, even while unconscious. Jun De carefully set Mu Yanyu down next to him.

  “She needs immediate treatment.” Jun De said, his voice urgent. One of the healers took a look at her, sweeping his spiritual senses over her body, before speaking.

  “Vice Sect Master Mu forced a technique beyond her limits. Her cultivation is crippled. We need to stabilize her immediately or she may never recover.”

  The healers hurried to surround her, their hands glowing with gentle spiritual energy, while others used pills and elixirs to heal her. Jun De lingered for a moment before leaving, but not before taking one last look at her pale face.

  When he burst back onto the upper deck, the sky above the flying ship erupted into light and a deafening sound of thunder. The Sect Master, Lu Qingchen, stood at the epicentre of an explosion. His robes were torn, and his aura was dimming under the strain of his battle against Xun Beiming.

  The Heaven-Suppressing Bell, a spiritual artifact and an important relic of the Tranquil Mountain Sect that the Sect Master had prepared for this battle, thrummed with energy as it floated in the sky in front of him. Its silver surface was cracked, but radiant.

  Within the shimmering glow of the bell, Xun Beiming raged like a caged beast. He was burning his life force to increase his strength, but the power of his unstable foundation was failing. Each time the bell rang, waves of sound battered his flesh and soul, tearing at the Demonic Qi that was sustaining him.

  Jun De gripped the railing of the flying ship, unable to tear his eyes away as he watched the Sect master’s expression turn grim. Lu Qingchen thrust both of his hands forward, pouring what remained of his strength into the bell while City Lord Han prevented Xun Beiming from escaping.

  “Xun Beiming, for the lives you have destroyed, for the Sects that you have defiled and the evil acts you have committed, you will meet justice beneath the heavens! Death would be a mercy that I refuse to grant you!” Lu Qingchen’s voice carried across the battlefield, temporarily disrupting the chaos.

  Xun Beiming howled, his voice filled with unwillingness, hatred and terror. His demonic Qi surged violently as he forced his Nascent Soul to the brink of detonation. He was so desperate to escape that he was willing to destroy himself if it meant he could take his enemies with him.

  But before any explosion could erupt, the bell’s chime deepened to suppress Xun Beiming’s Qi.

  “Do you think I would let you escape punishment by taking your own life?” Lu Qingchen stated angrily. Blood streamed down his chin as he forced more of his spiritual energy into the bell.

  The bell's light blazed even brighter as a vortex of spiritual energy and suppressive forces collapsed inward, wrenching Xun Beiming’s scream into silence. His body twisted, then shattered into a bloody mist. His Nascent Soul, appearing as a miniature version of him, was sealed within the artifact.

  The bell rang one final time before falling silent. The Sect Master swayed and would have collapsed if not for the support of City Lord Han.

  With Xun Beiming’s removal from the battlefield, the Secret Realm shuddered violently. The sky above cracked like shattered glass, and jagged lines of light spread outward. The land that hovered in the air groaned and split apart, with entire sections falling to the earth far below.

  The clouds dispersed, and the sun broke through with dazzling light. For the first time since they had entered the realm, warmth returned and drove back the haze of Demonic Qi.

  The Demonic Cultivators faltered now that their leader was gone, and his presence was erased. Many tried to turn and flee, while others threw down their weapons and begged for mercy.

  The Disciples of the Tranquil Mountain Sect pushed the enemy back, capturing those who surrendered and forcing anyone who tried to flee to submit.

  Jun De let out a breath of relief. He had barely lifted a hand through the battle, apart from striking at a few of the weaker Demonic Cultivators at the start of the fighting. The deck of the flying ship was soaked in blood, and bodies lay everywhere.

  Jun De moved through the crowd searching for Lin Yue and Shen Ruolan. He needed to make sure they were alright before returning to Mu Yanyu.

  But before he could reach them, a figure in black robes dropped from the sky in front of him and landed gently on the deck. A shiver ran down Jun De’s spine, and goosebumps broke out across his skin as he recognized the corruptive feel of the Crimson Rebirth Sutra in the person standing in front of him.

  The woman straightened and pushed her hair out of her face so that Jun De could see her more clearly.

  It was Mei Lian.

  Her cultivation was in the 6th Level of Qi Condensation, but she had a dark aura, and her foundation showed the familiar signs of instability that marked the use of the Sutra. It oozed out of her like a poison, tainting the air around her.

  “Jun De, please, we have to talk.”