Chapter 140: What technique?

"Has he shown up yet?"

The members of the Eternal Teachings Sect scouted carefully from the perimeter, examining any fluctuations between Heaven and Earth.

They had already laid down a sky-covering net here, waiting for Lu Ye to appear.

"Nothing at all—not even a ripple."

"She’s about to die—really no reaction?"

"Swear on it. The Skyweb Mirror hasn’t detected a single fluctuation."

"Could it be that Chu Ling... Lu Ye doesn’t even know her?"

"Fool. The Upper Realm is targeting Lu Ye. Lu Ye is ranked in the Eternal Heaven’s Heaven’s Chosen List across all Nine Heavens. Chu Ling, on the other hand, is a no-name junior cultivator. If there’s no connection between them, how would the Upper Realm know about Chu Ling?"

"That’s... kind of a good point. But what if Lu Ye really doesn’t come?"

"The Supreme Sword Sect probably won’t really kill Chu Ling. They’re suspicious that they can’t figure out the younger generation’s emotions. Just the fact that only Feng Wuhui is making a move says a lot."

"Puh!"

Another arm severed.

Chu Ling was kicked through the air, spewing blood from her mouth, and collapsed to her knees.

She was... really about to die.

At this moment, a dazed light appeared in Chu Ling’s eyes.

Death...

To Chu Ling, that word had always felt distant and unfamiliar.

It had been a very, very long time since she last faced the threat of death. Now that it had come again, it felt like an infinite darkness, vast and suffocating, swallowing her whole.

Blood poured freely.

Her aura rapidly weakened.

She really was going to die...

Gongzi really hadn’t come to save her. He really didn’t care at all anymore.

Blood, mixed with tears, streamed down her face.

"Die!"

Feng Wuhui roared. His longsword burst into a beam of sword light, giving Chu Ling no time for sentimental farewells. The enormous blade slashed downward toward her.

Suddenly, a crisp noise.

"Ding!"

The sword light didn’t shatter—but it was knocked off course.

Chu Ling’s head snapped up, and a flash of hope lit up her eyes. Had Gongzi come?

Had Gongzi come to save her?!

So Gongzi really did still love her. Gongzi... Ling’er truly knows she was wrong, Ling’er...

"Fellow Daoist Wuhui, this woman cannot be killed just yet."

An aged, smiling voice echoed through the heavens. A cultivator from the Eternal Teachings Sect, clad in purple-gold Daoist robes and carrying a warm smile, stepped forward.

“Fellow Daoist Ziquan, what’s the meaning of this?” Feng Wuhui asked.

“Fellow Daoist Wuhui, no need to be tense. The Eternal Teachings Sect was also furious when we heard Sword Mountain had been stolen from the Supreme Sword Sect. However, now that Chu Ling has already merged Sword Mountain into her own Dao, even if you kill her, Sword Mountain won’t come back.”

“We of the Eternal Teachings Sect possess a secret technique known as Heaven-Stripping Art—it allows one to forcibly strip another’s Dao...”

Shen Xitong, who had been munching melon seeds, nearly stuffed her whole mouth with them—but then she froze, her brows instantly knitting together.

“Ding. What did he just say that technique was called?” Shen Xitong asked, uncertain.

Lu Ye remained unfazed, and even snickered internally. “The Heaven-Stripping Art.”

“Ding. The what art?”

“‘Strip’ as in—strip off your clothes, strip off your skin, strip off your flesh, strip you of everything—Heaven-Stripping Art!”

"PA!"

The table in front of Shen Xitong exploded into splinters.

“Ding. Blasphemy against Heaven! Blasphemy against Heaven!”

“Ding. Good, good, good. Eternal Teachings Sect, I...”

Lu Ye watched as Shen Xitong pulled out a small black booklet, wreathed in black smoke, and began writing something in it.

Lu Ye couldn’t help but sneak a glance.

“Ding. Not for you to read!”

Shen Xitong turned away, scribbling in secret.

Lu Ye was surprisingly delighted.

Haha, we’re eating melon seeds but ended up watching a show about ourselves.

The scene on the light screen continued.

“We of the Eternal Teachings Sect are willing to take action and strip Sword Mountain from Chu Ling’s Dao. Once it’s extracted, we’ll return it to the Supreme Sword Sect—and we’ll take Chu Ling with us. Does that sound acceptable?” Daoist Ziquan said with a smile.

Feng Wuhui furrowed his brows slightly.

This... might actually work.

“Then I’ll trouble the Eternal Teachings Sect. The Supreme Sword Sect will remember this kindness.”

“Hahaha, we’re all fellow cultivators—no need to stand on ceremony!”

Four experts from the Eternal Teachings Sect stepped forward, forming hand seals in rapid succession. A violent aura erupted forth.

In that instant, even the Dao itself began to ripple with irregular fluctuations.

Chu Ling’s body floated up on its own.

An overwhelming pain surged through every corner of her being in a flash.

It could be seen—her Nascent Soul within her dantian was radiating unprecedented brilliance, yet it flickered like an illusion, shifting ceaselessly.

A vague image of Sword Mountain surfaced over her Nascent Soul’s heart.

Chu Ling could no longer endure it and let out a pained, wrenching scream. The agony of having her Dao peeled away inch by inch—it was no less than the torment of having her soul torn apart.

So this was what it felt like—committing a mistake and being made to suffer so terribly in return.

Gongzi... Chu Ling was wrong. Chu Ling truly knows she was wrong.

“Gongzi...”

A blood-curdling scream tore from her throat.

“It’s coming!”

Suddenly, a terrifying wave of energy burst down from the Ninth Heaven.

In that instant, all the surrounding powerhouses raised their heads to the sky. The experts from the Eternal Teachings Sect were visibly excited.

He came!

He actually came!

No—wait. That wasn’t Lu Ye?

Heaven and earth were suddenly swallowed by a chilling cold. The entire Land of Spirit Ruin was sheathed in frost.

A dense curtain of rain fell from the sky. The bone-piercing cold condensed into white mist, surging downward like the breath of a god.

Bai Qiulan, dressed in pure white robes, appeared high in the sky, unleashing the full force of her Chaotic Supreme Yin power.

Though this power was extremely rare, its explosive might was terrifying.

This was not a force that should have existed in the First Heaven.

“Who is that?”

A single question echoed in the hearts of many.

All kinds of powerful defensive arts flared to life—but even so, none could resist that bone-deep chill. Even their Nascent Souls felt on the verge of freezing.

To be able to unleash seventy percent of one’s full power under such freezing pressure was already astonishing.

“Looks like it’s Lu Ye’s master, Bai Qiulan. So Lu Ye didn’t come—but his master did?”

“His master? Even better. Capture her!”

Streams of light shot into the sky, rushing straight toward Bai Qiulan.

“Boom!”

At that moment, a streak of blood light, moving at an incomprehensible speed, shot toward Chu Ling.

Even cultivators in the Tribulation Crossing Realm couldn’t follow it. It was fast—insanely fast.

Shangguan Huanling arrived at Chu Ling’s side.

“Heavenly Silkworm Nine Transformations!”

“Heavenly Lord Fist!”

A majestic, overwhelming aura erupted from Shangguan Huanling’s fist.

It was terrifying.

Several experts involuntarily froze.

That punch—it seemed absolutely monstrous.

But Feng Wuhui showed no fear. His longsword had just begun to move—“Senior Brother—”

Feng ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) Wuhui paused.

He didn’t strike.

If Chu Ling had no relation to Lu Ye, that might be one thing. But now that Lu Ye’s master, Bai Qiulan, had come—the situation clearly wasn’t so simple.

Now that Lu Ye’s master had appeared on the battlefield, everything was no longer so easy to predict.

Shangguan Huanling’s eyes were sharp. She wrapped her arms around Chu Ling, and the blood light engulfed them both once more.

“Boom!”

Two consecutive uses of Demonic Blood Escape—Shangguan Huanling’s aura had noticeably dropped.

One could imagine, for Shangguan Huanling to act so decisively—she had likely been promised one hell of a big reward.