Translator: CinderTL
Ji Lin shook his head helplessly at Zuo Hui's words.
But in the next instant, his gaze toward Song Wen turned icy.
He hadn't wanted to clash with "Jiang Yushan," but Zuo Hui's insolent remarks and the other party's hostile demeanor left him with no choice.
However, "Jiang Yushan" was merely a mid-Void Refinement rogue cultivator. Even in his current weakened state, Ji Lin doubted the man posed any real threat.
"Jiang Yushan, I don't care why you've approached me repeatedly. Hand over the Mountain-Devouring Rat corpse and leave, and I'll spare your life."
Song Wen's expression turned frigid.
He had no intention of fighting, not wanting to put Mo Yexue in a difficult position. But Zuo Hui and Ji Lin's consecutive provocations instantly ignited the fury he had been suppressing deep within his heart.
It was as if magma, buried for millennia beneath the earth's crust, had suddenly burst through the surface rock, unleashing sky-devouring flames.
A foot-long dagger materialized in his hand, its cold gleam piercing the night as it shot toward Zuo Hui's face.
Clang!
A flying sword, its entire length shimmering with an eerie blue light, suddenly intercepted the dagger from the side, sending it flying.
"Jiang Yushan, you're courting death!"
With Ji Lin's furious roar, his flying sword reversed direction, hurtling toward Song Wen.
Ji Lin's flying sword was exceptionally sharp, far surpassing the capabilities of ordinary cultivators' swords. It streaked through the air like a meteor chasing the moon, closing the distance to Song Wen in an instant.
A massive surge of blood sea erupted from Song Wen's body, engulfing his figure.
The flying sword sliced through the blood sea, cleaving it in two, but Song Wen's silhouette remained hidden within.
"Demonic cultivator!"
A flicker of solemnity flashed through Ji Lin's eyes as he urgently warned, "This man is skilled. Retreat further to avoid being caught in the crossfire."
His words were directed at Zuo Hui and Mo Yexue, though his true concern lay solely with Zuo Hui's safety; Mo Yexue's fate was irrelevant to him.
As soon as he spoke, Zuo Hui and Mo Yexue swiftly retreated.
The flying sword circled once in the air before descending again, tearing through both halves of the blood sea simultaneously, splitting them into four.
Just as he prepared to further cleave the blood sea, Ji Lin's expression suddenly shifted. Four longswords materialized around him, not attacking the blood sea, but instead orbiting him in a relentless spiral, forming a protective shield of Sword Qi.
Clang!
With a sharp clang, a short blade struck the Sword Qi protective shield, failing to penetrate it even slightly. Instead, the rapidly spinning flying sword sent the blade hurtling away.
But this brief delay allowed the four segments of the blood sea to surge toward each other, threatening to merge back into a single entity.
"Jiang Yushan, do you think hiding in the blood sea will protect you? Watch me shatter this blood sea!" Ji Lin rapidly formed hand seals. The flying sword, radiating an eerie blue light, hovered above the blood sea, unleashing countless azure sword qi strands that rained down like a dense, torrential downpour.
Just as the sword qi was about to pierce the blood sea, a piercing, high-pitched hum erupted from its depths.
Ji Lin felt the demonic sound bore into his ears, like the wails of ten thousand ghosts, piercing straight into the depths of his divine soul and causing his Sea of Consciousness to tremble violently.
Blood seeped from Ji Lin's seven orifices as darkness suddenly enveloped his vision, and he plummeted from mid-air.
Simultaneously, the sky-filling sword qi abruptly dissipated.
The blood sea churned, revealing Song Wen's figure.
Throughout the entire exchange, Song Wen had never fully activated the Blood Sea Seal, keeping the blood sea contained within a few miles.
He had merely used the blood sea to conceal his presence and, more importantly, to hide the shadow void. Otherwise, there would have been no need for such elaborate maneuvers; Ji Lin would have been dead long ago.
The blood sea surged rapidly, engulfing Ji Lin as he plummeted toward the ground.
Simultaneously, a tentacle of blood, like an endlessly extending vine, shot toward Zuo Hui in the distance.
"Ji Yin, spare his life for now. I have questions for him," Mo Yexue suddenly declared.
A longsword had materialized in her hand, its tip pressed against Zuo Hui's lower back.
Zuo Hui's face twisted with shock and fury as he roared, "Mo Yexue, you dare collude with outsiders and harm your own sect members? The sect will never forgive you!"
Mo Yexue applied slight pressure, and the sword pierced two inches into Zuo Hui's flesh, blood gushing forth. Another inch, and the blade would pierce his dantian.
"Where is Elder Pei Ningxuan? Why didn't she escape Yuncang Ridge with you?"
Before Zuo Hui could answer, Song Wen had already closed the distance.
The blood sea had vanished without a trace, and Ji Lin was nowhere to be seen.
However, Song Wen now held a storage ring, and a small Giant Flying Ship hovered behind him.
"Fellow Daoist Mo, Tancang Market is only ten thousand li from here. The battle we just fought is likely to have drawn the attention of high-tier cultivators in the market. We shouldn't linger."
Upon hearing this, Mo Yexue immediately boarded the Giant Flying Ship.
Zuo Hui, however, was dragged onto the ship by Song Wen using his spiritual power.
Moments later, the ship surged forward, accelerating rapidly into the pitch-black night sky.
Aboard the Giant Flying Ship, Mo Yexue stood tall, gazing down at Zuo Hui, who knelt on the deck, his dantian sealed by Song Wen's spiritual power.
"Zuo Hui, you still haven't answered my question. Where is Elder Pei Ningxuan?"
"Mo Yexue, you can't kill me! My father is the Hall Master of the Instrument Hall. If I die, he'll never forgive you!" Zuo Hui panicked, his answer completely irrelevant.
Mo Yexue flicked her fingers, unleashing several streams of Sword Qi.
The Sword Qi pierced through Zuo Hui's chest, leaving finger-sized bloody holes.
"Aaaah..."
Zuo Hui's agonized screams echoed through the ship.
A flicker of hatred flashed in Mo Yexue's eyes. She kicked Zuo Hui to the ground, then pressed the tip of her boot into the wounds on his chest, grinding relentlessly.
"Zuo Hui, I've had enough of you on this journey. If Ji Lin and the others hadn't been around, you would have died long ago. Speak! What happened to Elder Pei Ningxuan?"
"I'll tell you! Just stop stepping on me! Aaaah..." Zuo Hui begged.
Mo Yexue released her foot, and Zuo Hui continued,
"When we were surrounded by the Mountain-Devouring Rats in Yuncang Ridge, Ji Lin originally planned to use you and the other two Senior Brothers as decoys to draw away most of the rats. But after we split up to break through the encirclement, five sixth-tier Mountain-Devouring Rats inexplicably pursued only the three of us."
"Seeing the situation growing increasingly dire, Ji Lin seized an opportunity when Pei Ningxuan was off guard and struck her in the back with a palm strike. Then he fled with me. Pei Ningxuan, caught completely unprepared, was sent reeling into the rat swarm by Ji Lin's blow."
Mo Yexue's expression twisted with fury as she roared, "Are you saying Elder Pei is dead?"
Zuo Hui replied, "I didn't see it myself, but she couldn't have survived."
"You and Ji Lin deserve to die!" Mo Yexue bellowed, raising her right hand and slamming it down.
Bang!
Mo Yexue's palm struck the top of Zuo Hui's head.
Zuo Hui's skull shattered instantly, splattering yellow and white matter across the deck.
Mo Yexue stared at Zuo Hui's mangled corpse, her fury gradually subsiding. With a hint of apology, she said, "Ji Yin, I'm sorry you had to witness this. Elder Pei treated me well; she was the only one who cared for me after I joined the Myriad Swords Pavilion. I never imagined she would die at the hands of a fellow disciple."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (𝗥𝗗𝗖) on the Site till Ch1468. (424 Chapters Ahead)
💲Read upto Ch1278 for ABSOLUTELY 𝙁𝙍𝙀𝙀! ℕ𝕠 𝕃𝕠𝕘𝕚𝕟
⚡15 Novels | 9.1k+ Chapters | 15.2M+ Words [𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐥.𝐜𝐨𝐦]