Yun Dehe and the other two gazed solemnly at the violent surge of evil qi towering into the skies. The only ones who remained calm were Lu Ziqian and Yao Ranran.
Master and disciple stood unnervingly composed. As Hao Yinqin spread open his arms, blood mist raged madly around him. Yao Ranran finally made her move.
With her upgraded Lotus Petal Cloud-Stepping Shoes, white lotus illusions bloomed in layers with every step. Her figure moved like the wind, carrying the scent of flowers, and in an instant she floated to the very tip of Hao Yinqin's nose.
He caught sight of a lotus petal drifting into his palm. Curiosity made him clench his hand, only to feel a scorching pain sear into his flesh.
When he flung his palm open, the white lotus petal had already burned into his very bone marrow like molten iron. In the blink of an eye, his hand was aflame, flesh scorched down to bone!
Hao Yinqin's eyes widened in disbelief. Looking up, he saw countless Azure Lotus blossoms opening above him, piercing through the thick layers of blood mist, descending toward his body.
"How is this possible? What… what is this tech—"
Panic shattered his composure. The petals seared into both palms were now devouring his arms. He could not even imagine the torment once nine full Azure Lotus descended upon him.
"Fairy, spare me! I never wanted to kill you! When I said my arms were open for you, I was confessing my admiration, not threatening your life!"
Fear and despair filled Hao Yinqin's eyes. As the nine Azure Lotus rained down toward him, he frantically channeled his evil qi. Dense blood mist engulfed him, hiding his figure completely.
"A misunderstanding! This is all a misunderstanding!!!"
But the lotus ignored every defense. One after another, the blossoms pierced straight through his heart and skull.
Yao Ranran stood poised atop the drifting lotus petals. The violent miasma parted for her, clearing the air around her. Even amidst such chaos, she remained elegant and untarnished, pure as jade.
"Aah!"
Hao Yinqin's screams tore through the air as he rolled on the ground. His body leaked endless evil qi, his skull blooming with flowers, his chest erupting with Azure Lotus.
Blood itself nourished the lotus petals. The devouring mist was drawn into them, until the skies above the City Lord's Mansion of Dongman City turned clear once more.
Yun Dehe and the other two trembled with unease as the blood mist dissipated, praying the battle had truly ended as they hoped.
Lu Ziqian stepped forward, his brows furrowed. Suddenly he quickened his pace, movements urgent.
The three's hearts jumped to their throats.
"Lu Daoyou, has Fairy Yao suffered harm?" Yun Dehe asked anxiously. It was the first time he had seen Lu Ziqian so tense.
But Lu Ziqian waved his Good Fortune Brush across the void, pulling away lingering filth of blood qi. Shaking his head, he said softly, "Sect Master Hao's death was too grotesque. I would not let my master's eyes be sullied."
Yun Dehe blinked. "So… Lu Daoyou was merely cleaning up Hao sect master's corpse?"
Lu Ziqian set his brush aside and stared quietly at Hao Yinqin's ruined body. "Something like that."
Unable to hold back, Yun Dehe strode forward. His face stiffened with shock. "He is truly dead!? Just one strike…"
So quickly?
Xiao Fengyi struggled forward, dragging his wounded body. He had to see for himself just how terrifying this woman truly was.
"Senior Brother, I will go too!" Lin Fang refused to fall behind, crawling forward beside him.
When they saw Hao Yinqin's corpse blooming with bloody lotus, and nine crystal-clear Yin Fiend Blood Soul Beads rolling in Yao Ranran's palm, Xiao Fengyi's pupils shook violently. He could not even hear Lin Fang calling from behind.
"Senior Brother… did she really kill Hao Yinqin…?" Lin Fang stammered, dumbstruck by the sight of blood-fed lotus blooming from the corpse.
Lu Ziqian ignored them, his gaze fixed on the beads in Yao Ranran's hand. Suddenly, a memory surfaced.
"Master, this Yin Fiend Blood Soul Bead feels… very familiar."
Yao Ranran produced another bead, the very same one he had picked up years ago from that blind Daoist fortune-teller. She placed it alongside the nine newly claimed beads.
Recognition dawned instantly. That bead was none other than one of Hao Yinqin's painstakingly nurtured Yin Fiend Blood Soul Beads!
"So that fortune-telling Daoist and Sect Master Hao were in league all along!"
Lu Ziqian quickly pieced the truth together. Relief washed over him. How fortunate that he had not been lured away back then. Instead, he had firmly chosen to take Yao Ranran as his master. If he had chosen otherwise, he would have ended up in Hao Yinqin's service at Youyan Gate, doomed to become a demon cultivator.
Life was unpredictable indeed. He had almost walked the path of a demon.
Lu Ziqian shook his head with a long sigh.
Yao Ranran's gaze on him softened. Back then, it was precisely this bead that made her recognize something different in this disciple.
Though he was not a demon cultivator at heart, the path he treaded bore striking resemblance to theirs. Yet this foolish disciple still had not noticed. He thought himself no different from others.
She pocketed the beads and looked around. "It's finished. Disciple, did your demon soldiers open Youyan Gate's treasure vault yet?"
Lu Ziqian straightened, bowing respectfully. "Master, rest assured. The vault of Youyan Gate belongs to you. I have long ordered them not to touch a single item."
Yao Ranran arched a brow in surprise.
This disciple… finally said something pleasing to her ears.
"Well done! Come, let us see the vault of Youyan Gate for ourselves!"
She summoned her flying boat, but just as she leapt aboard, a hand seized her arm.
"What is it, Sect Master Yun?" Yao Ranran turned, startled by the bitter resentment burning in Yun Dehe's eyes.
"Fairy Yao, the sect master of Piao Miao Sect once shared close ties with us. But her betrayal is what led Yun Gu Sect and Suohong Tower to such dire straits. Now that we have captured two elders of Miao Yun Sect, what should be done with them?"
His hatred was not directed at Yao Ranran, but at Miao Yun Sect and Piao Miao Sect alike.
Earlier, he had put aside grudges in order to survive. But with Hao Yinqin slain, and Miao Yun Sect's Ancestor Tian Shan and three elders already dead, leaving only two half-crippled elders lying before him, Yun Dehe's fury rekindled.
Yao Ranran frowned. "This matter… take them along when you attack Piao Miao Sect. Keep their treasure vault untouched. I will come later to inspect it myself."
Yun Dehe cupped his fists in salute. "As you command!"
When she and Lu Ziqian had left, Yun Dehe suddenly remembered something.
"The Piao Miao Sect's vault… perhaps I should wipe out Miao Yun Sect along with them."
Xiao Fengyi and Lin Fang paled. Without hesitation, they secretly released a transmission talisman into the distance.
…
At Youyan Gate.
A shadowed side hall sealed off all light.
Before a wall of densely arranged memorial tablets, a pale, icy hand lifted a freshly carved wooden plaque and placed it carefully in line.