Chapter 250 - 244: Eldest—Senior—Brother!!
"You wield the power of the demonic path, yet you accuse me of slaughtering my own disciples. Isn’t that a contradiction?"
"It’s not the same!"
"Enough." The smile vanished from Xuanyuan’s face, his expression growing indifferent. "Your death will be more painful than theirs. After all, your body doesn’t seem quite as fragile as theirs. Try to endure it."
Before his voice even faded, the golden hook Magical Artifact in his hand shot forth, transforming into a magnificent, sweeping streak of light. The black mist evaporated wherever the golden light touched, and its pure, righteous aura shot straight toward Su Ling’er!
It was too fast—so fast that Su Ling’er couldn’t track its trajectory at all. She could only watch helplessly as the light expanded infinitely in her pupils, consuming everything.
’It’s over.’ From his hiding spot at the edge of the mist, Wang Xiedi saw it all unfold.
He hated himself.
He hated that he only had a Pseudo Spirit Root. He hated that he was still only at the Qi Refining Stage.
He hated how his so-called "duty" and "responsibility" were as fragile as a joke in the face of true power.
’Save Miss Su? I don’t even have the right to get close to the battlefield.’
’Avenge Miss Qin? The courage to even stand up straight is being drained from me, bit by bit.’
’Am I supposed to just watch my companion be slaughtered right in front of me, while I hide in the mist, trembling like a frightened rabbit?’
’Duty, responsibility... For a good-for-nothing like me, those words are too heavy...’
’But... even a good-for-nothing can do *something*!’
Just as the golden light was about to consume Su Ling’er, Wang Xiedi burned his blood essence once more.
Mirror Flower Water Moon Step!
He once again activated the only Secret Technique he had obtained from the River God’s Grotto-Heaven—it might also be the last trump card he would ever play!
HUMMM—!
A momentary ripple appeared in space. Su Ling’er felt the light and shadows before her eyes shift, and in the next second, she had been instantly transported several dozen meters away.
And where she had just been standing was now Wang Xiedi, the golden Magical Artifact piercing straight through his chest.
"SPURT—!" Blood blossomed across his chest.
The Heart-Protecting Mirror on Wang Xiedi’s chest flashed with a faint light, absorbing part of the devastating force and saving him from exploding on the spot. He used the last of his strength to give Su Ling’er a pained smile. "Quick... run..."
Her companion was trying to trade his life for her a sliver of a chance to survive!
Su Ling’er stared at the sudden change of scene, at the horrific sight of Wang Xiedi impaled by the Magical Artifact. Her mind reeled. She instantly recalled that moment in the Guixi Secret Realm—the same shift of light and shadow, the same instantaneous escape from danger.
’So... Wang Xiedi was the one who saved me back then, too...’ A strange glint flashed in Xuanyuan’s eyes as he looked at Wang Xiedi, but his focus remained locked on Su Ling’er in the distance.
"Petty tricks." The voice rang out right beside Su Ling’er’s ear without warning. She whipped her head around, only to see that Xuanyuan had somehow appeared right in front of her!
Wang Xiedi’s sacrifice hadn’t even delayed him by a single step. The respite, bought with a life, was so cheap.
Xuanyuan gripped the ancient Qingxu Sword in his hand. "Then I’ll let you die with a little more dignity." Before his voice had even faded, the Qingxu Sword was unsheathed! Its cold edge rapidly filled Su Ling’er’s vision.
This time, death was no longer a distant threat but a cold reality pressing against her cheek. Just then, the pot of Sorrow Flower in her storage pouch erupted in an eerie blue light.
On the flower, the sorrowful face that looked so much like Su Ling’er’s became incredibly solid.
"SWISH! SWISH! SWISH!"
Flashes of sword light, too fast to be seen, struck thousands of times in an instant. Countless gashes, deep enough to reveal bone, instantly appeared on the figure formed by the Sorrow Flower. It then exploded into a shower of light specks that filled the air.
Countless cracks also appeared on Su Ling’er’s demonized body. Blood sprayed from every fissure, staining her completely red. Xuanyuan had already sheathed his sword, his movements graceful and unhurried.
But it wasn’t over.
The petals of the Sorrow Flower fully bloomed at that moment, only to instantly wither, turning to ash. A surge of power enveloped Su Ling’er. The fatal sword wounds on her body began to reverse and heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
In a flash, her body was restored to its peak condition. The Sorrow Flower had died for her a second time!
Su Ling’er didn’t even have time to feel relief for having survived before a hand gently pressed down on the top of her head. A trace of pity was on his face.
"Still just petty tricks, Su Ling’er. A summer cicada can never comprehend the winter snow. All of your struggles are meaningless."
"No..." Su Ling’er wanted to fight back, to roar in defiance, but she found that an invisible force had completely bound her. She couldn’t even move a single finger.
All her Spiritual Power, all the black mist, was utterly suppressed by that hand, unable to stir in the slightest. The hand on top of her head began to slowly apply pressure.
"CR... CRACK..." She clearly heard the sound of her own skull fracturing.
Excruciating pain flooded her mind, searing her consciousness blank. Meanwhile, the True Understanding of Ten Thousand Transformations Returning to the Origin and the Supreme Heart-Clearing Soul-Refining Skill began to circulate wildly within her.
"Your Dao Heart is quite good. I even used the Qingxu Sword to grant you some final respect. But this is where it ends."
’It’s hopeless. I... I have nothing left. All my tricks have been exhausted, and every last shred of hope has been crushed.’
’I still want to resist, but my body is held fast. Even resistance itself seems to have become a pathetic performance, looked down upon by a superior being.’
Countless images flashed before her eyes like a revolving lantern: the bone-deep despair upon learning she had a Pseudo Spirit Root; the naive yearning for the immortal path when she first entered Qingxu Temple; the struggle on the Asking Dao Ladder for a faint, illusory future;
the absurdity of fighting alongside those demonic senior brothers in the Guixi Sect... Finally, all the images froze on the back of a figure in dark robes—a figure who was always infuriating, always baffling, yet always appeared at the most critical moments.
’But... I ran away without permission... In his eyes, have I already become a... traitor? Will he... still come to save me? Will he come to save Xiedi?’
’No... He probably won’t...’
Even this last fantasy seemed so pale and feeble. Her consciousness began to fade as darkness consumed everything.
But her heart was still unwilling to yield.
’The righteous path isn’t supposed to be like this... I still want to pursue immortality and the Dao. There are so many things I still want to do. I don’t want to die like this, so meaninglessly...’ All the unwillingness in Su Ling’er’s heart finally coalesced into a single cry for help!
"ELDEST—SENIOR—BROTHER!!!"