Chapter 188: It’s Over, Finally Done
"Sect Master Li, are you okay?" the sect masters called out in unison as they approached Li Yao’s floating form. She remained motionless in the sky, her silver hair whipping in the wind, her back turned to them.
The silence stretched uncomfortably. Wang Jian cleared his throat and tried again, his voice more urgent this time. "Sect Master?"
Li Yao slowly turned to face them, and the moment her eyes met theirs, every single Soul Formation expert froze as if struck by paralysis. Her gaze held something that made their souls recoil, a cold, merciless killing intent.
"What’s with that look?" Jin Guang whispered under his breath, unconsciously taking a half-step backward. The other sect masters mirrored his retreat, their instincts screaming warnings about the danger before them.
Li Yao said nothing. Without a word, she turned away and shot through the sky, leaving only crackling lightning in her wake as she disappeared toward the Azure Cloud Sect.
The sect masters remained frozen for several heartbeats after her departure, the oppressive aura slowly lifting from their shoulders. A collective sigh of relief escaped their lips.
"What’s with her?" Jin Guang asked, his voice still shaky as he wiped sweat from his brow.
Wang Jian could only shake his head. What could have possibly happened to make her killing intent so intense that it didn’t disperse even after eliminating the enemy? The murderous aura he’d sensed from her felt even more terrifying than the cult leader’s—and that man had been a demonic cultivator who bathed in blood for centuries.
A chill ran down Wang Jian’s spine as an unwelcome thought surfaced. He hoped he wasn’t witnessing the birth of a new cult leader.
Pushing aside his dark thoughts, Wang Jian raised his voice to address the scattered alliance forces below. "Everyone, clean up the battlefield! Carry the injured back to safety!"
The survivors below immediately sprang into action.
Meanwhile, Liu Feng stood over the corpse of a demonic cultivator, blood splattered across his pristine robes. With a wet crunch, he crushed the fallen enemy’s skull beneath his boot, brain matter and bone fragments scattering across the scorched earth. He lifted his arm, watching as the dragon scales that had emerged during combat slowly retreated beneath his skin, leaving only smooth flesh behind.
"Still too weak," he muttered to himself, breathing heavily as exhaustion finally caught up with him. His legs gave out, and he sank to the ground.
The memory of Li Yao’s battle with the cult leader replayed in his mind. Were they really of the same generation? How could the gap between them be so impossibly vast? He had always taken pride in being called a genius, but witnessing her power made him feel like a child playing with wooden swords.
He took back his previous words. No, not even the top geniuses of the Holy Lands could match her—maybe some prodigies from the previous generation who had already become elders, but certainly none from his own.
A shadow fell across him, and a calloused hand appeared in his field of vision. Looking up, he saw Wang Jian’s concerned face gazing down at him.
"Young Master, there was no need for you to get involved in such a brutal fight," Wang Jian said.
Liu Feng managed a weary smile as he grasped the offered hand, allowing himself to be pulled to his feet. "It’s okay. I just wanted to stretch a bit," he replied.
Internally, he reflected on the battle’s unexpected benefits. Many of the demonic cultivators possessed some strange lizard and snake-type bloodlines which while nowhere near as potent as his dragon bloodline, his Immortal Refining Scripture had allowed him to absorb and refine their essence, boosting his own dragon bloodline considerably. At this rate, he might achieve High Blood status soon.
Would that be enough to match Li Yao? He shook his head ruefully. Probably not.
Wang Jian studied the young man carefully. He had been observing Liu Feng throughout the entire battle, and the results impressed him greatly. As expected of a genius from the Central Continent—the boy had actually managed to fight and kill a Nascent Soul realm cultivator. Granted, it was just a weak one, and the effort had clearly drained him completely, but it was still a remarkable feat nonetheless.
Of course, it would have been even more impressive if he hadn’t witnessed Li Yao’s overwhelming display of power.
Wang Jian sighed deeply. He hoped Liu Feng’s dao heart was firm enough to withstand this blow to his confidence. Otherwise, witnessing such an impossible gap in talent might shatter his cultivation foundation entirely.
...
Xiang Yu was deep in concentration, carefully refining pills when a familiar sensation jolted him from his work. The distinct feeling of his formation being broken.
"Dammit, I just fixed that," he muttered under his breath, frustration creeping into his voice as he quickly extinguished his Abyssal Void Flame and secured his alchemy equipment. His mind immediately raced to the worst possible scenario—had the true body of the soul clone come to find him? If that were the case, didn’t that mean Li Yao had lost?
The thought seemed impossible. How could Li Yao be defeated? What should he do now?
As he spun around to make his escape, a presence materialized behind. Strong arms wrapped around his torso, pulling him into an embrace.
"Senior brother..." The voice was barely a whisper, but he recognized it instantly.
A felt a wave of relief wash over his entire body. She had won. He wondered briefly how she had discovered this hidden location, but the answer came to him quickly. He guessed the Empress probably told her about it.
Li Yao’s arms tightened around him. The fury that had consumed her during and after the battle still burned within her. She felt as if she might explode from the sheer intensity of her anger. But when she was close to her senior brother, all that rage simply melted away, replaced by an entirely different sensation.
A menacing smile curved her lips as a new urge suddenly overwhelmed her. She wanted to "attack" him.
[Yeah, no,] the Empress’s voice cut through Li Yao’s consciousness, accompanied by the immediate sensation of her life force being cut off from the limit break technique. [I won’t fund your games.]
Li Yao’s body erupted in brilliant white light, the energy crackling around her before gradually fading away. The transformation began to reverse itself, her silver hair slowly returning to its blue spirit form, then to her natural black. Her glowing eyes also dimmed back to their usual color.
As the limit break completely wore off, every ounce of energy drained from her body. Her grip on Xiang Yu loosened dramatically, and she collapsed backward onto the soft grass (Xiang Yu’s herbs), her limbs suddenly feeling like they were made of lead.
She tried desperately to push herself back up, but her muscles refused to respond to her commands. "What is happening?" she wondered, panic beginning to creep into her thoughts as she found herself completely helpless.
[Although the limit break consumed my lifespan to maintain, it’s still your body that performed all those stunts,] the Empress explained. [The backlash is inevitable.]
She finally understood what was happening, her body had been pushed far beyond its natural limits, performing movements and techniques that should have been impossible. Now, it was time to pay the bills.
Actually, this might not be such a bad situation after all. She was completely weakened and defenseless, lying helplessly before her senior brother. If he decided to take advantage of her, to perhaps bully her just a little bit... she wouldn’t mind at all. Just thinking about it made her heart race.
"Yao Yao, are you okay?" Xiang Yu’s concerned voice broke through her thoughts. He knelt beside her and gently shook her shoulders, his brow furrowed with worry when she didn’t respond.
Seeing no reaction, he placed his warm hand directly on her chest, trying to feel her pulse and assess her condition.
"Yes, yes, yes!" Li Yao screamed internally.
But before she could fully enjoy the moment, Xiang Yu frowned and moved his hand to her neck instead, clearly seeking a more accurate reading of her vital signs.
"No, no, no!"
After a thorough inspection using his medical skills, Xiang Yu confirmed that she was simply suffering from extreme exhaustion rather than any serious injury. He pulled his hand away and reached into his spatial ring, relief evident on his face.
Fortunately, he had anticipated exactly this kind of situation and prepared accordingly. He had crafted several fifth-grade healing pills specifically for the Soul Formation experts, using materials they had provided. His success rate had been solid enough that he’d managed to save three extra pills for himself.
He carefully placed one of the precious pills against her lips, but Li Yao stubbornly refused to open her mouth. When gentle coaxing failed, he could tell she was intentionally resisting.
He pinched her thigh, causing her to wince from the pain. Even then, she kept her mouth firmly closed.
He wondered what exactly she wanted from him. Then he noticed the subtle way she was shaping her lips, forming them into a particular gesture, and couldn’t help but smile at her audacity.
She was incredibly powerful, capable of defeating enemies that terrified even Soul Formation experts, yet sometimes she behaved exactly like this...
With a resigned sigh, he placed the pill in his own mouth and leaned down to transfer it to her through a kiss.
...
Author’s Corner
Have I reused this title?
Can’t think of any rn, just recommend something and I’ll change it