Chapter 93: Finally Out
Elder Guo stared at the explosion scene in shock, his face ashen as the reality of what had just happened settled in his mind. With trembling arms, he tried to push himself up from his position.
"Junior brother..." he whispered.
"Stop moving, you’re still hurt," Elder Huang spoke gently, her hands steadying him as she helped him sit back down. Though she bore injuries herself, her focus remained entirely on caring for her senior brother in this devastating moment.
She studied his face, noting the hollow look in his eyes. This had to be the worst day of his life. Even when his golden core was injured years ago, he hadn’t worn such an expression of utter devastation. But how could he not? Guo Shantian, Mei Zhiyuan, and Wei Tianxu had all trained together under the former sect master. They weren’t just fellow disciples—they were best friends who had sworn brotherhood to each other.
Now, one sworn brother had betrayed him, and the other had sacrificed himself in a desperate attempt to save what remained of their sect. And as if that weren’t enough, Elder Guo had lost all his cultivation, reduced to a mere mortal while the sect still faced imminent danger.
Elder Guo leaned against her shoulder as she gently ran her fingers through his hair.
"Sect Master, I..." he began, his words disjointed, he didn’t seem to be in the right state of mind.
"It’s okay," she soothed.
"I can’t protect the sect anymore,"
Elder Huang surveyed their surroundings with dread. The demon authority that had pinned everyone to the ground had lifted following the explosion, and the demonic cultivators were rising to their feet. Even with their leader apparently eliminated, the enemy forces still outnumbered and outmatched the remaining sect disciples. They had really lost this battle.
Just as this realization settled in her mind, a bright red light suddenly appeared in the sky, drawing everyone’s attention upward.
"There is no way..." she thought, her breath catching in her throat as she stared at the impossible sight above them.
Suspended in the air was a small drop of blood that shone with a bright crimson glow. The fighting below ceased as everyone—friend and foe alike—watched in horror. In the next second, the droplet contorted, twisting unnaturally before expanding outward in all directions.
From this single drop of blood, Elder Mei’s form materialized completely, fully restored as though the self-destruct explosion had never happened.
Elder Huang’s eyes widened in shock, her mind refusing to accept what she was witnessing. How was this possible? Even if Mei was a peak Golden Core cultivator, there was no way he could have survived the point-blank detonation of the Sect Leader’s self-destruction.
"Hahaha!" Elder Mei’s triumphant laughter echoed across the courtyard. "Did you really think you could take me out that easily? With the power of the Demon God, even if just a drop of blood remains, I can still regenerate."
Around them, the remaining sect disciples dropped their weapons, shoulders slumping in defeat. The sect was truly doomed. How could they possibly defeat an enemy who could regenerate from a single drop of blood?
Elder Guo stared up at the recovered Elder Mei, rage burning in his eyes despite his powerless state. Elder Huang maintained her grip on him, preventing him from moving—not that he could do anything in his current condition.
As his gaze locked onto Elder Mei hovering above the courtyard, Elder Guo’s eyes suddenly widened in disbelief.
Am I seeing things? he wondered, blinking rapidly to clear his vision. Why do I see that disciple of mine floating behind Elder Mei?
...
Li Yao clutched the token tightly as the familiar sensation of spatial transfer enveloped her. In an instant, she found herself suspended high above the Azure Cloud Sect.
What greeted her eyes resembled scenes from an apocalypse. The once-pristine courtyard lay in ruins, bodies scattered across the broken stone like discarded dolls. Blood painted dark patterns across the ground and the elegant sect buildings now stood partially collapsed, smoke rising from several structures.
She then spotted her master and martial aunt huddled together amidst the destruction. Even from this height, Li Yao could see the numerous injuries they had sustained. Most alarming of all, she couldn’t sense any cultivation from her master.
Following their upward gaze, Li Yao’s attention was drawn to a figure hovering next to her.
"Did you really think you could take me out that easily?" the figure’s voice boomed across the devastated landscape. "With the power of the Demon God, even if it’s just a drop of blood left, I can still regenerate."
Li Yao’s eyes narrowed as recognition dawned. This creature emanated the same dark energy as the monster she had faced on the ninety-ninth floor of the Heaven-Testing Pagoda, though the aura surrounding this being was far more intense.
Despite the overwhelming aura, Li Yao felt strangely calm. She had improved significantly since her battle in the pagoda. After advancing two stages in the Core Formation realm, she could more easily handle her elemental form and her affinity with lightning had increased even more.
Her fingers tightened around the hilt of the Azure Cloud Sword. It was time to test this so-called pseudo-divine weapon. The motion drew Mei’s attention, his eyes locking onto her.
"And who are you?" he demanded before recognition flashed across his features. "Oh, so it’s the so-called sect genius," he mocked, lips curling into a disdainful sneer.
"If you had run away, you could have survived," he continued, "But now that you’ve shown yourself, you’ll have to die here today."
Li Yao met his gaze unflinchingly, her voice steady as she replied, "We’ll see who dies first."
Her body erupted with energy as she activated her elemental form. Blue-silver electricity crackled across her skin, her hair lifting to float around her head like a halo. The transformation felt more natural now, though she still felt a little strained.
In this state, her combat power was equivalent to a late stage Golden Core cultivator. Combined with the pseudo-divine weapon in her hands, she might even reach peak stage.
[Be careful when using the weapon. You still haven’t refined it yet,] the Empress’s voice cautioned within her mind.
Li Yao acknowledged the warning silently. Without complete refinement, she couldn’t access the sword’s full potential, but she didn’t need it to deal with this enemy.
Without further hesitation, she vanished from her position, her elemental form increasing her speed even more. She materialized directly behind Elder Mei, who spun around with impressive reflexes—but not quite fast enough.
The Azure Cloud Sword, covered in crackling lightning, sliced through the air with unstoppable momentum. The blade encountered Elder Mei’s arm and passed through with virtually no resistance, severing the limb cleanly from his body.
Li Yao examined the sword with appreciation. The sword was impossibly sharp, cutting through the dark element enhanced flesh easily.
From below, Elder Huang watched the exchange with wide-eyed astonishment. "Was your disciple always this strong?" she asked, turning to Elder Guo beside her.
"It’s my first time seeing this as well," Elder Guo admitted, his face momentarily brightening with a flicker of hope as he observed the battle unfolding above them.
Li Yao’s display of power exceeded anything he had witnessed from her before. Her strength seemed to surpass even the transformed Elder Mei’s, suggesting she might be capable of turning the tide of this seemingly hopeless battle. Had she received some divine inheritance within the pagoda? Or had she always been this strong?
Elder Mei’s agonized scream tore through the air as he clutched where his arm had been. Blood flowed freely from the wound, but unlike before, the severed limb showed no signs of regenerating. Panic flashed across his features as he realized something was terribly wrong. Was it the lightning element interfering with his regeneration?
No, that couldn’t be it—with the blood of the Demon God flowing through his veins, not even lightning should be able to prevent his recovery. Only the light element might possess such properties, and this girl clearly wielded lightning.
His frantic gaze landed on the sword in Li Yao’s hand, understanding dawning. "It’s that sword," he realized.
Li Yao followed his gaze to the weapon she wielded, a slow smile spreading across her face as comprehension dawned. "Does it prevent regeneration?" she wondered aloud, "No wonder the ancestor could use it to deal with the Demon God."
The smile transformed into a grin as she raised the sword once more, "Well, this makes things a lot easier," she declared, her form blurring once again as she charged toward her opponent...