"Hahaha~! Finally! I was starting to doubt myself, but it seems... Iâm still amazing!"
Yao Xin laughed excitedly, spreading her arms wide as she watched the righteous side swallowed by explosions.
But thenâ
WHOOSH!
A shadow shot through the smoke like a blade, slicing straight toward her.
It was so fast that in the next instant, a sword was already at her chest.
Ting!
A protective talisman materialized just in time, blocking the strike.
Yao Xin smiled teasingly as she looked at the sharp-eyed beauty in front of her.
"Hehe~ you Heavenly Sword Sect disciples sure are fierce~"
Ning Jianli scoffed and didnât waste a single word.
Her sword flashed as she slashed toward Yao Xinâs neck.
Ting!
Yao Xin blocked effortlessly, a remaining rank-two talisman forming a barrier around her.
At the same time, she flicked another attack talisman forward.
But Ning Jianliâs blade moved just as fast as she split the talisman in half in midair and followed up with another strike, faster and far more lethal than before.
SLASH!
Yao Xinâs eyes narrowed at the womanâs strength.
âThis one... is dangerous.â
She slipped something out from her sleeveâ
Ting!
Sparks flew as Ning Jianliâs sword was intercepted by a strange fan-like weapon.
"Oh?" Yao Xin tilted her head, studying her.
"Who are you? Someone this strong shouldnât be nameless."
Her gaze sharpened slightly as she sensed that this woman cultivation had already reached the peak of the ninth stage of Qi Refinement.
Such a disciple... there was no way she was unknown.
âUnless... this is the standard of the Heavenly Sword Sectâs outer sect?â
If so, that was truly terrifying.
Ning Jianli didnât respond.
Her cold gaze locked onto the metallic fan.
âA spirit weapon...?â
A flicker of disdain passed through her eyes.
She couldnât help but look down on someone who relied so heavily on external resources to fight.
Without warning, she lashed out with a kick but it wasnât meant to hit.
BANG!
Using the force, she pushed herself backward, creating distance.
Once she landed, she calmly sheathed her sword.
"Ohh? Giving up already?" Yao Xin smirked, unfolding her fan lazily.
"Well, I suppose itâs only natural. After all, youâre facingâ"
She never finished because the moment Ning Jianli lowered her stanceâ
Zing!
Her sheathed sword flashed at extreme speed, releasing a thin beam of white light that shot forward like lightning.
"!?"
Yao Xin tried to block but it was too late.
Spurt!
The light pierced straight through her shoulder.
"Ugh! You bitch!"
Her beautiful face twisted in fury but then her expression froze.
...because Ning Jianli had disappeared.
"Wherâ"
But then, instinctively, she looked up and saw Ning Jianli was already above her, suspended upside down in midair with one hand resting on her sheathed sword.
Her cold, emotionless sharp eyes were locked onto Yao Xinâs neck.
"Youâ"
Zing!
A thin silver line appeared across Yao Xinâs throat.
For a moment... nothing happened.
Then Yao Xinâs head slowly tilted... along with the tree behind her, both cleanly sliced in half horizontally.
Slowly, Yao Xinâs head separated from her neck and fell to the ground...
Thud.
Ning Jianli landed lightly, calmly sheathing her sword with a soft
Click.
Spurt!!
Yao Xinâs headless body collapsed into a pool of blood.
But then Ning Jianli glanced at the corpse, and her brows knitting slightly.
"...Did she always look like that?"
The face... seemed different.
But then the head began to glow redâ
BOOM!!
The body exploded, engulfing the area in a burst of blood and smoke.
Above, on a nearby tree branch,
Yao Xin sat casually, watching with amusement and was completely unharmed.
"So... you can talk~"
She then turned her gaze across the battlefield.
By now, both the demonic and righteous disciples had already began to clashed.
The area rang with the sound of clashing blades and spells, while the scent of blood filled the air.
Yet, there were still zones that no one dared to interfere with... one of them being the storm of invisible blades where Yan Moxuan stood, and another the frozen field between Ye Mo and that cold fairy.
Listening to the shouts, cries, and roars, Yao Xin slowly caressed her cheek as a strange excitement began to surge through her heart again after so long.
"So this is... a battlefield."
She rested her hand against her rosy cheek and looked down, then murmured softly,
"...Let us begin our dance too, shall we?"
The moment her words fellâ
ZING!
CRACK!
The tree she was sitting on was cleanly sliced in half.
But Yao Xin had already moved.
She dodged as she descended, only for a silver flash to strike again in midair.
Ting!
She blocked with her fan.
"Ahh~ I think youâre quite beautiful too~"
Yao Xin murmured, her tone filled with admiration as she looked at Ning Jianliâs cold expression.
And just like that...
The area erupted into a chaotic battle between the two sides.
_
_
_
Meanwhile....
A short distance away, Old Han, the middle age wandering cultivator who had been lucky enough to enter the secret realm with Wei Zhenxin, could be seen crouching low as he observed the raging battlefield.
He gulped nervously,... yet his eyes remained fixed on the floating light as greed flickering within them.
But he quickly shook his head.
"No... not yet. If I go now... Iâll be dead in an instant."
He murmured to himself.
Then, a voice responded beside him.
"Youâre quite smart not to enter the fray as there are already many disciples watching that light."
Old Han nodded, a pleased smile forming on his face.
"Haha, I know what Iâm doing. I just have to wait until both sides are exhausted, thenâ"
He suddenly froze.
Cold sweat began to trickle down his temple.
â...Since when did I have a companion?â
Slowly, Old Han turned his head with visible hesitation.
Then he let out a sigh of relief.
"Ohh, young miss, you scared me to death!"
It was Wei Zhenxin, calmly crouching beside him, her gaze fixed on the battlefield.
She didnât respond.
Her eyes scanned the area, as if searching for something... or someone.