The mountains and forests were silent, with only the night wind entwining the branches and the occasional low cry of a distant beast, its echo lingering. Xiang'er was curled up by vines, reflecting under the moonlight. She looked up at the sky and saw the cold moon, fractured into segments by floating clouds, light and shadow interlaced, much like her own fragmented and desolate heart. Her breathing was slightly erratic, her mind swaying, as if heaven and earth trembled with her pain. The memory of the scene just now echoed in her heart for a long time, as if a dream had reappeared. She turned with difficulty and looked at the figure tightly bound by vines not far away, Lin Dalu. Blood stagnated at the corners of his lips, and his breathing was almost silent. If there were any further delay, his life would be completely severed before her eyes. At that moment, her tears had dried, yet she felt a bitterness deeper than tears.
"He... is still waiting for me." Xiang'er felt a pang in her heart, and the tears in her eyes were forced into determination by the coldness. Her lips trembled slightly as she bit them until they bled. A sense of resoluteness surged from her heart like a rushing subterranean fire, instantly burning away all hesitation, fear, and lingering attachment to the mortal world. She and he had met in the humble beginnings of the mortal world and accompanied each other through the drifting wind and rain. Those smiles exchanged over simple meals, the mutual support while trekking across mountains and rivers, his clumsy yet sincere comfort in the dead of night, and the little details of how he seemed simple but protected her everywhere, all these now transformed into thousands of soft silk threads tightly entwining her heart, then condensed into the hardest armor, granting her the courage to face death.
Once she stepped onto this path of no return, there would be no turning back. Her life force would be severed, Premature White Hair would grow, and her Instantaneous Aging of Appearance would occur. Yet, in her heart, there was not a hint of regret, only a clear tranquility and a desolate, beautiful heroism. For him, this man who was willing to protect her with his life, this man who let her experience the warmth of the human world and the taste of love, let alone this cultivation and physical body, even if her form was entirely destroyed and she fell into reincarnation, it would be worth it! With her mind set, a tragic and exquisite aura permeated from her surroundings, like a night-blooming cereus in its final bloom before withering.
In that instant, heaven and earth grew silent. She suddenly smiled, a smile containing both sorrow and ferocity. She murmured softly, "If this life is destined to turn to ash, I would rather burn out for him." Tears fell, staining her fingertips red. She lightly touched her chest, and a sudden brightness appeared at her heart, as a wisp of extremely dark Black Qi Mist slowly rose. Black Vein Markings faintly appeared on her skin, her Bloodline Reversal occurred, and her Qi Surge.
"Diao Zeyi!" Xiang'er suddenly raised her head. Her originally soft and moving voice now carried a trace of bone-chilling mockery and determination, "You rely on your Foundation Establishment Stage cultivation to view us Qi Cultivator as mere ants, manipulating us at will and disregarding our life and death... However, I should thank you for only sealing my physical body but not forbidding my consciousness, giving me this... life-wagering opportunity!"
Before her voice had even faded, heaven and earth suddenly shook.
A violent wave of qi burst out from within Xiang'er, spirit qi recoiled, and crushed stones flew everywhere. It was as if a tyrannical power had been completely released! She groaned, her delicate brows furrowed, and an extreme pain instantly flickered across her face. From the pores of her body, countless minute Black Qi Thread like dust escaped, signs of her life force frantically burning and draining away! Her face lost its luster and rosiness, becoming dim. Her jet-black hair was as if eroded by severe frost, and white hair instantly climbed onto her temples. Simultaneously, a majestic and vast Spirit Power, far exceeding anything before, erupted like a volcano that had slept for ten thousand years, soaring into the sky from Xiang'er's delicate body and stirring the clouds in all directions!
That wave of qi was like wind and thunder shaking the sky, instantly causing Diao Zeyi to lose his footing and nearly fall from his flying sword. "What!" Diao Zeyi's pupils contracted sharply.
Diao Sandai and Zhuo Huan below were in an even more wretched state, forced back repeatedly by that violent wave of qi. Dust flew beneath their feet, and they had to cover their faces with their arms. Their clothes snapped in the fierce wind like fluttering banners, and their cheeks were stung by wind blades, making it almost impossible to open their eyes!
When the fierce wind subsided slightly and the dust settled, everyone looked on in horror to see Xiang'er standing proudly in place, the vines entwining her already shattered into powder and scattered. Her originally peerless face, though still faintly showing the elegant contours of the past, was now covered with the marks of hardships. Her gaze was as sharp as a cold unsheathed blade, bloodshot and revealing a nearly heterodox allure and madness. Her full head of white hair danced wildly without wind like silver snakes in the air, her robes billowed, and a heart-palpitating, terrifying spirit pressure far exceeding the Early Foundation Establishment began to spread like a tide, enveloping the scene!
"This... how is this possible!" Diao Zeyi finally managed to steady his flying sword, the blood draining from his face and his pupils shrinking to the size of needle tips. His voice was filled with extreme shock and fear, "Mid Foundation Establishment! You... you actually Forced Cultivation Advancement to the Mid Foundation Establishment cultivation?! This is absolutely not something the Qi Refinement Stage can achieve!"
However, without waiting for him to make any reaction, or even for his thoughts to fully turn, Xiang'er moved!
Her figure was like a ghost, like a startled swan, fast beyond the limits of what the naked eye could capture. Only a slowly dissipating faint afterimage remained in place, while her true body had instantaneously reached Zhuo Huan! Zhuo Huan only felt a blur before his eyes as a foul wind hit him, carrying the chill of death. Before he could even see the form of the comer, a slender hand, gathering qi and power like a sharp edge piercing the air, with Spirit Power pulsating between five fingers and bone-piercing dark qi, struck his face with force that could crush metal and stone!
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/mZqj5GPF/Q0012A1.jpg
"Ugh, ah!" Zhuo Huan only had time to let out a short, fear-filled scream before being sent flying by the massive force, repeatedly crashing through tree trunks! "Bang, Bang, Bang," Wood chips flew, and his momentum did not stop until he was thrown by Xiang'er like a discarded worn-out shoe, heavily hitting the hard ground twenty yards away with a dull thud that made one's scalp tingle!
"Pfft—!" Zhuo Huan's body shook violently as if falling apart, blood marks overflowed, and he slumped on the ground, unable to rise again.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/KcVfHy1M/Q0012B1.jpg
Xiang'er did not even look at Zhuo Huan's fate, as if she had just swatted a fly. With a flick of her white hair, her bone-chilling, murderous gaze instantly locked onto a place not far away. It fell upon the terrified and pale-faced Diao Sandai!
Xiang'er's figure moved again, as fast as lightning, charging straight ahead!
"You—how dare you!" Diao Zeyi shouted in shock and anger. Amidst his roar, his hands danced rapidly, and the Early Foundation Establishment Spirit Power within his body poured out without reservation, "Withered Vine Art, rise!"
The ground shook violently, and dozens of thick vines burst from the soil, carrying a fishy smell and an eerie light as they coiled toward Xiang'er.
"Break!" Xiang'er snorted coldly.
Xiang'er's momentum did not decrease. Facing the layers of obstruction, her figure flickered, the Spirit Power in her palm surged, and a claw attack came, breaking the wind with a whistling sound. Wherever it passed, those thick and tough vines were all snapped and shattered, green smoke rose, and wood chips flew. The heavy barrier was instantly pierced with a huge gap!
Diao Sandai was terrified and hurriedly cast Flame Vortex Art, a ball of intense flames whistling out and lighting the night sky red. However, before the firelight reached her, it was crushed by Xiang'er's palm wind, and not even the remaining flames could touch the corner of her robe.
"No... don't kill me!" Diao Sandai completely collapsed. Just as he wanted to flee, his footsteps were unsteady.
Xiang'er raised her hand like the wind, her jade palm pressing onto Diao Sandai's chest.
"Pfft—!"
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/c4nhq53L/Q0012D1.jpg
A muffled explosion occurred, like a heavy drum cracking. Diao Sandai was hit as if by a ten-thousand-pound hammer, his body flying back more than ten yards in a tragic arc and hitting the rock wall behind him. Blood marks overflowed from his mouth as he knelt on one knee, nearly fainting.
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/8P648nvP/Q0012C1.jpg
"Dammit!" Diao Zeyi roared, controlling his flying sword to dart out. The flying sword let out a clear chime, and emerald light pierced the air, aiming straight for Xiang'er's back.
Xiang'er's expression did not change. Without turning her head, she suddenly reached back with one hand, Black Qi Mist swirling around her white fingers. At the critical moment, she actually caught the flying sword with her bare hand.
"Clang—!"
[Illustration ↓]
https://i.postimg.cc/m2Hjx69h/Q0012E.jpg
The flying sword vibrated violently in her palm, letting out an unwilling hum. Emerald light flashed wildly and sword qi overflowed, yet it was as if clamped by an iron hoop, unable to struggle free in the slightest!
"Go!" Xiang'er shouted coldly. With a shake of her arm, she actually threw this flying sword, which was infused with Diao Zeyi's Divine Sense, toward the distant Lin Dalu who was still entwined by the remaining vines and unconscious!
Swoosh! The flying sword, carrying the massive force and sharp qi infused by Xiang'er, precisely brushed past Lin Dalu's body, cutting all those tough vines at the roots, and shattered vines flew everywhere. Then, with a crisp "clang," it plunged deeply into the ground less than three feet from Lin Dalu, the sword hilt still vibrating violently and the Spirit Power light gradually dimming, as if mourning.
Lin Dalu's chest shook, air rushed back in, and he let out a painful and heavy sound of breathing.
Diao Zeyi's face was ashen, filled with shock and anger, mixed with a trace of unbelievable fear. He wanted to reclaim the sword, but it was too late.
Xiang'er's figure flashed like a passing shadow, charging straight ahead. She was less than three feet in front of Diao Zeyi! Her white hair danced wildly, her eyes bloomed with blood-red light, and the terrifying Mid Foundation Establishment pressure came down like a physical mountain, making the surrounding air become viscous!
Diao Zeyi only felt his breathing stagnate, and the Spirit Power circulation within his body became sluggish, as if falling into a quagmire!
"Bang, Bang, Bang,"
——(To be continued)