Zheng!
Shen Yuefu drew his sword once more.
The sky was filled with sword qi, falling like a misty rain. Even the air carried a sharp and murderous intent.
Pei Xianqiao's hair whipped in the violent currents of qi, her clear eyes flickering with disbelief.
"Brother Fu… he's serious this time…
Yao Ranran, will you really die beneath Brother Fu's sword today?"
A fleeting sorrow passed through her gaze. She had already forgiven Yao Ranran. Could it be that Brother Fu still could not accept her return?
In the blink of an eye, Pei Xianqiao rushed forward, placing herself in front of Shen Yuefu's killing sword. She threw her body into the storm of sword qi, determined to shield Yao Ranran with her own fragile frame.
She only wanted to tell Shen Yuefu that she no longer held anger toward Yao Ranran.
When she spread her arms wide, baring her delicate body before Shen Yuefu, she caught a rare glimpse of tension in his eyes.
"Brother Fu, don't hurt her…"
Her lips curved into the faintest of smiles. She knew the price. To stand against Shen Yuefu's sword qi was to gamble with her life. She might very well perish here and now.
But she could not watch Yao Ranran die, nor could she bear to see Brother Fu commit such a grave mistake. As an elder of the sect, he should not draw his sword for her sake, should not slay an outsider who had left the sect behind.
She had accompanied Shen Yuefu for so many years. She knew all too well the righteousness and compassion hidden beneath his cold exterior. If Yao Ranran were killed while Shen Yuefu was still trapped within the illusion, when he awoke, he would never forgive himself.
Even if it meant her death, she would not allow him to fall into endless guilt, his Dao heart shaken, his cultivation plagued by inner demons.
Brother Fu was the foremost Xiānjūn of the Central Continent, the future of Wuxiang Sect, and… the one she loved.
Pei Xianqiao looked at Shen Yuefu with that faint smile, her gaze unwavering.
In this moment before death, had she truly seen worry in his eyes?
If so, then to die in Brother Fu's arms… it would be worth it. Her slender body swayed like a withered leaf, carried by the cold wind, resolute in its fall. Still smiling gently, she heard a woman's voice behind her, filled with surprise.
"Fortunately my Nine Lotus Rings are as cunning as serpents and as swift as dragons, otherwise the innocent would have been caught in calamity!"
With those words, a brilliant light erupted, flooding the forest in an instant. The rain of razor-sharp sword qi dissolved into drifting white mist beneath its radiance.
Dazzling brilliance reflected in Pei Xianqiao's pupils. She saw nine lotus flowers spiraling gracefully around her waist, transforming midair into true dragons. They clashed against Shen Yuefu's Sword of Lushuangyun Immortal Sword, knocking it from his grasp.
At last, she heard Shen Yuefu speak.
"Why must you always appear to block my sight?"
The lotus dragons lashed their tails. Pei Xianqiao, the withered leaf in the storm, was flung ten zhang away.
Clang!
The Lushuangyun Immortal Sword slipped from his slender jade-like hand, spinning in the air before landing at the feet of a reborn phoenix.
The phoenix's crimson eyes glowed as it cast its gaze between Pei Xianqiao and Yao Ranran.
A true phoenix must learn to weigh its future.
A true phoenix must know how to plan its path ahead.
"Clang, clang, clang!"
The phoenix cried out, wings unfurling in a dazzling display. It spat out a drop of heart's blood, offering it before Yao Ranran as though presenting a treasure.
"Chirp chirp! Chirp chirp!"
Before her eyes, the magnificent phoenix shrank, becoming a small bird. It nuzzled her hand obediently.
"Master, Master… you are the one I've been searching for!"
Yao Ranran froze. A childish female voice suddenly rang in her mind.
She looked at the phoenix, then at the blood glimmering between its wings. "Was that… you speaking to me?"
"Chirp chirp! That's right, Master, Master, I've been searching for you for so long!" The phoenix fluttered its wings excitedly, rubbing its head against the hem of her skirt.
Yao Ranran studied it silently, then turned to look at Pei Xianqiao, who was collapsed on the ground, blood spilling from her lips.
This phoenix… was it truly so spiritual?
By the logic of the story, shouldn't its destined master have been Pei Xianqiao?
But Pei Xianqiao was in such a dire state now…
Had the heroine grown too weak?
Or had she herself become too strong?
Yao Ranran glanced from Shen Yuefu, his robes stained with blood, to the speechless Pei Xianqiao.
For the first time, she felt that the so-called male and female leads were not invincible after all.
"Master, Master, I've searched for you for so long. Please accept me!" The phoenix whined, clutching her skirt with tiny claws, refusing to let go.
Yao Ranran hesitated, then asked curiously, "Do you eat much?"
A phoenix this large must be expensive to feed!
"Um… um… I don't eat much. I can find food for myself!" The phoenix, quick-witted, noticed the slight change in her expression as she nodded. Realizing the danger, it quickly lied to save itself.
Sure enough, her face brightened at once.
"You really are a rare good bird. If you wish to follow me, then follow me."
Accepting its loyalty, Yao Ranran pulled out a jade vial to store the phoenix blood it had offered. She patted its soft feathers with approval. "If only Xiang Yin had been as quick to surrender as you are."
The phoenix: "…"
Wasn't that blood meant for recognizing its master?
"You… you've gained the recognition of the Divine Phoenix?" Shen Yuefu's long black hair spilled loose, his jade-white face flawless yet pale.
He stared coldly into Yao Ranran's eyes, his faith shattering.
How could this be? How could he lose to her? Why would the Divine Phoenix acknowledge her as master? Who was she truly?
Yao Ranran could not see the collapse hidden beneath his icy expression. She nodded honestly. "This phoenix is mine now. If you want it, you'll have to trade me spirit stones."
Perhaps the male lead might try to reclaim it for Pei Xianqiao, but since it was already in her hands, she wouldn't give it up easily.
The phoenix and Shen Yuefu both fell into silence.
Did she even understand the significance of this creature?
A dull ache pressed at Shen Yuefu's temples.
Now he was certain. The Yao Ranran before him was no longer the same Yao Ranran of the past.
Clutching his aching head, he heard her voice again, filled with concern.
"Elder Shen, don't look down on yourself. You're still very strong. If not for your injuries today, I wouldn't have beaten you so easily."
At her words, Shen Yuefu's pupils contracted sharply. His gaze cut toward the fallen Lushuangyun Immortal Sword.
That was an immortal weapon.
Yet now it lay lifeless on the ground, its brilliance dimmed.
"You needn't console me," Shen Yuefu said coldly. "Defeat is defeat."
Though he had never believed Yao Ranran could defeat him, the brutal truth was plain. He could no longer deny that she had strength.
"Oh, I'm not consoling you. If you had been at your peak, you might have fought me evenly. Unlike now, where you didn't even have the chance to strike back."