Chapter 228: LiâBoundless Love for Qingran
Mo Shumei had originally planned to head straight for the secret realmâs exit.
But halfway there, she sensed Huikongâs revolting presence.
She knew both Huikong and the Jade Pool Saintess, Song Chiyue, were nothing but trouble.
Curious, she came over for a lookâand sure enough, Huikong was up to no good.
She hadnât intended to interfere.
But when she saw the female cultivator Huikong had cornered, she found her oddly familiar. Hadnât she seen this girl before in a mundane county town? Back then, she had been on a flying boat with the Sword Pavilionâs senior sister, Yue Qianchi.
Since she was from the Sword Pavilion, Mo Shumei couldnât just ignore this.
Back when the battle broke out at the sect ruins, the Sword Pavilion disciples had helped her conceal herself, giving her the chance to bide her time. Without that opportunity, she wouldnât have been able to seize the second volume of
.
She had planned to take out Huikong while
was still unsheathed, then leave the secret realm to find a safe place to recover.
But nowâ¦
â
Half a quarter-hour later.
Mo Shumeiâs expression was grim as she stared at Huikong, who stood atop a lotus platform.
She had shattered his Arhat bodyâ
Yet the monk still had more cards up his sleeve.
The lotus platform beneath him was a powerful defensive artifact.
It was nearly broken, but it had held up against her fierce attacks.
ãHmph! I told you not to meddle! Now the backlash is coming! Try not to die, will you?ã
Before
finished speaking, searing pain erupted from every fiber of Mo Shumeiâs being.
It was a soul-deep agony, an overwhelming force that crushed her consciousness like an avalanche.
She let out a strangled sound, half a gasp, half a whimper.
Even biting through her tongue couldnât stop her body from collapsing.
Her knees slammed into the ground.
The demonic blade scraped against the stone, its edge flashing cold light, barely supporting her trembling frame.
Huikong had been prepared to retreat.
This mysterious demon cultivator was strongâif he had been uninjured, he could have suppressed her.
But he was wounded, had burned through his trump cards, and had barely managed to fight her to a draw.
The lotus platform beneath him was his last line of defense.
If it broke, heâd have no choice but to flee.
And yetâ¦
Something seemed wrong with her?
He scanned her from head to toe, then smirked.
âAmitabha. Lady cultivator, it seems youâve been consumed by demonic backlash.â
He shook his head with mock sympathy.
âSuch is the fate of those who practice demonic arts. Swift power, rapid advancement⦠but sooner or later, it takes your life. The demon sea is endless, but salvation is just one step awayâcome with me to the Holy Land. Our
sect has supreme Buddhist techniques that can cleanse you of all filth.â
"You⦠shut up!"
Mo Shumei gritted her teeth, struggling to stand.
But her bones felt as if they had been ground to dust.
Even moving a single finger was nearly impossible.
Her voice hoarse, she forced out a warning to the girl behind her.
"Run! What are you waiting for?!"
Li Qingran looked at Mo Shumei, kneeling on the ground, unable to rise.
From her aura alone, she was undoubtedly a demon cultivator.
Li Qingran had no fondness for demon cultivators.
So, when Mo Shumei fought Huikong, she hadn't intervened.
But she also hadnât left.
She had simply watchedâtrying to understand this demon cultivatorâs motives.
And now, even in crisis, the first thing Mo Shumei did was urge her to escapeâ¦
Was it truly possible for a demon cultivator to be righteous?
Li Qingran didnât know.
But she decided to trust her instincts.
was drawn.
Mo Shumei saw a sharp sword light flash past her.
It was aimed straight at Huikong.
Li Qingran murmured the verse as she struck.
Her sword moved like a dragon.
Where she passed, three misty water blossoms bloomedâ
Like a fleeting illusion.
No ethereal swordsman toasting the moon, only a lone, frost-haired swordswoman standing poised.
With her single-sword spiritual root, she had previously been able to form only one mist image.
Now, she could create three.
She could shift between them at will.
"Good swordplay! Letâs see how you fare against my
!"
Huikong reached outâ
But his hand closed on empty air.
The figure before him vanished into mist.
In an instant, she had returned to her original position, while the other two mirages transformed into sword energyâ
One left, one right, slicing toward him.
The attack was too fast.
So fast he had no time to form a Vajra hand seal.
Two sword marks split the lotus platform.
Already battered by Mo Shumeiâs earlier assault, the platform finally shattered.
With a sound like breaking jade, Huikongâs protective golden light collapsed.
And so did his heart.
"My artifactâ!"
The lotus platform beneath his feet was now nothing more than shattered scraps.
Huikong could only watch, his eyes reddening with grief.
Yes, he was a sacred landâs Buddhist Child.
But his resources were earned, not granted.
The Burning Purity Patriarch was mercilessâif anything displeased him, he would replace Huikong in an instant.
There were plenty of candidates vying for his position.
Glaring at the young swordswoman ten meters away, her sword aura towering,
Huikong clenched his fists.
His throat tensedâ
Then he roared, like thunder:
A sonic blast erupted.
A massive
symbol formed in mid-air, smashing toward Li Qingran.
This attack wasnât meant to injure.
It was meant to cover his retreat.
His kasaya billowed as he leapt back a hundred meters.
Reaching into his robes, he grasped a communication talisman.
His Buddhist energy was down to twenty percentâ
To be safe, he had to summon his three subordinates!
There was no longer any need to maintain his false saintly image.
What mattered now was securing his âresources.â
Huikong was fast.
Butâ
A sword was faster!
Li Qingranâs wrist flicked.
traced arcs of cold light.
The swordâs blade reflected two points of chilling starlight in her eyes.
Mo Shumeiâs pupils shrank.
She saw
tremble with a resounding humâ
And then it struck, leaving an arc like a waning moon.
In that instant, a phantom swordsman appeared behind Li Qingran.
His black robes billowed.
His long, pale hair whipped in the wind.
His wrist overlapped with the girlâsâ
As if he were guiding her hand.
For a fleeting moment, a tempest of sword energy erupted.
The earth around them became a lattice of crisscrossing sword marks.
Mo Shumeiâs throat went dry.
She prided herself on her blade skills.
But her technique was nothing compared to this girlâs sword intent.
What sword masterâs legacy had she inherited?!
Huikong turned, forming a hand seal to block.
He managed to halt one strikeâ
But his momentum was broken.
Still, he kept moving.
He fled toward the sect ruins, his figure swallowed by the lingering gray mist.
"Pity," Mo Shumei murmured.
"If you were Golden Core stage, that bastard wouldnât have stood a chance."
She shook her head, then forced herself into a meditative position, fighting through the pain.
If Huikong was calling reinforcements, she had to purge the Blade Domainâs demonic backlash firstâ
Even if it was nearly impossible.
"Golden Core, huh?"
Li Qingranâs grip on
tightened.
Her gaze locked onto Huikongâs retreating figure, mist curling around him.
Her eyes shone like frost at autumnâs end.
"Then⦠I'll just break through."