“Mingyi, you actually followed me?”
The voice of the Holy Maiden Zhilan came from outside the formation, laced with both shock and anger.
The woman in white, none other than the Holy Maiden Mingyi of the New Sect branch of the Primordial Saint Sect, wore a grim expression. Glancing at the surrounding cloud qi and pink killing mist, she said coldly, “Zhilan, you actually colluded with outsiders to scheme against me?”
“You…”
The Holy Maiden Zhilan had barely uttered a single word when the Holy Maiden Mingyi suddenly shot upwards, rushing towards the sky.
At the same moment, countless curse seals scattered outwards as if they cost nothing, embedding themselves into the innate cloud qi and peach blossom killing mist, eroding the seal.
The cloud qi and pink mist rippled, seeming to thin considerably. The Holy Maiden Mingyi’s eyes brightened. She formed a hand seal, and an invisible wave spread from her hands.
With a leap, she instantly traversed hundreds of zhang.
Yet, seeing the increasingly thin but still impenetrable cloud qi and peach blossom mist that obscured vision beyond a few zhang, the Holy Maiden Mingyi’s face darkened. She hovered in mid-air.
“Oh dear, discovered already?” Lu Zheng’s teasing voice drifted in. “Take a couple of steps. If nothing happens, take a few more. You will reach the White Cloud Temple soon.”
“Cur!” the Holy Maiden Mingyi cursed angrily.
“Sneaking around in the dead of night. You are the cur!”
A rough, hearty shout of anger accompanied a steel whip and serrated blade that suddenly appeared before the Holy Maiden Mingyi.
“Courting death!”
The Holy Maiden Mingyi rebuked sharply, pointing a finger towards Yue Honghai.
Yue Honghai’s eyes widened. He felt his blood and qi surging chaotically within him and hurriedly circulated his energy to suppress it. Unprepared, he faced a palm strike from the Holy Maiden Mingyi as a Mountain-Breaking Curse arrived before him.
“Boom!”
Yue Honghai withdrew his steel whip and blade to protect himself, while a large white cloud hand seal simultaneously shielded him from the front.
A tremendous force struck. Yue Honghai grunted dully, borrowing the momentum to retreat back into the cloud qi and peach mist.
Noting the direction of Yue Honghai’s retreat, the Holy Maiden Mingyi descended to the ground.
“Zhilan, what is this? You do not even dare to show your face?” the Holy Maiden Mingyi said coldly.
“I dare not show my face? Between you and me, who is the one sneaking around, afraid to reveal themselves?”
“Heh, and who is the one acting like a thief, secretly infiltrating the Central Plains?”
“You!”
In the next instant, the boundless innate cloud qi and peach blossom killing mist seemed to come alive, growing denser and pressing towards the Holy Maiden Mingyi.
A flash in her eyes, and a jade flower the size of a fist, complete with a stem beneath, appeared in her hand.
The flower emitted a radiant light, forcing back the surrounding cloud qi and pink mist.
“The most annoying enemies are those with magical treasures. So hard to kill…”
Lu Zheng’s voice rang out, followed by a casual question. “Holy Maiden Zhilan, what do you say?”
After a moment.
The Holy Maiden Zhilan’s voice sounded faintly. “This was my oversight. Let Young Master Lu decide.”
“Zhilan, how dare you!?”
“Mingyi, let us speak truthfully in the presence of a true person. If not for the Eldest Sister still being here, I fear you would have long since moved against me and Senior Sister Qingxin.
Now that Eldest Sister is advanced in years, you grow ever more overbearing. To think you followed me this time. Are you worried I might find some treasure for Eldest Sister to extend her life or improve her cultivation?”
The Original Sect and New Sect of the Primordial Saint Sect coexisted only because neither side was confident of annihilating the other without injury, allowing outsiders to profit. It was not out of any familial affection.
On the contrary, each side wished the other would die off quickly, so they could build the sect according to their own vision.
“In that case, let us send this Holy Maiden Mingyi on her way.”
At the same time, the jade flower in the Holy Maiden Mingyi’s hand blazed with light, allowing her to see the group approaching within the barrier.
From the east, Lu Zheng in cyan robes approached slowly, a banner flag floating beside him with wisps of cloud qi drifting across its surface.
From the west, the Holy Maiden Zhilan held a bronze disc aloft, black-and-white curse seals orbiting around her.
From the south, Fan Boyu and Yue Honghai advanced side by side. Yue Honghai wielded his steel whip and single blade, while Fan Boyu held an ebony staff.
From the north, Shen Ying in a pink gown and Liu Qingyan in emerald robes approached together. Shen Ying held a round fan, while a white jade ruyi sceptre hovered above Liu Qingyan’s head.
The Holy Maiden Mingyi’s face turned ashen. Though she was stronger than Zhilan, this Lu Zheng was no weakling either. With the formation complete and herself trapped, victory was hopeless. She could only break out.
In the next moment, her figure twisted, shifting from solid to ethereal. She instantly turned into a streak of black light, shooting straight towards Shen Ying.
She had seen clearly that the sealing formation trapping her consisted of Lu Zheng’s cloud qi and Shen Ying’s peach blossom killing mist.
Lu Zheng’s cultivation was profound, making a decisive strike difficult. Shen Ying was considerably weaker. If she could catch her off guard, perhaps she could force a flaw in the formation, giving herself a chance to escape.
The Holy Maiden Mingyi closed in swiftly. The jade flower in her hand flashed, its jade petals unfurling one by one. Curse seals shot out from the petals, transforming into divine-eroding, bone-melting, spirit-destroying, blood-devouring curses that flew towards Shen Ying and Liu Qingyan.
In the next instant, four illusory fox tails shimmered with cyan light behind Liu Qingyan, absorbing boundless moonlight into the jade ruyi above her head.
The jade ruyi blazed with light. Amidst the hazy cyan glow, it fully protected both herself and Shen Ying.
At the same time, Shen Ying channelled her true qi into the round fan and waved it casually.
A gentle breeze fanned out, and specks of red starfire appeared from nowhere within it. As if alive, they met the incoming curse seals.
“Boom boom boom boom boom boom boom—”
A series of explosions rang out as curse seals and starfire burst apart. Though seemingly small, both unleashed tremendous power.
Spiritual force raged, spreading like shockwaves, yet anything directed towards Shen Ying was completely blocked by the cyan light from the jade ruyi.
The Holy Maiden Mingyi drew a breath, her eyes narrowing. “Fine magical artefact!”
This jade ruyi had been crafted from materials Lu Zheng once obtained from the White Cloud Temple. Originally intended for his own artefact, he later acquired the White Cloud Flag, which was sufficiently powerful and suited him well. Since Liu Qingyan lacked a protective treasure, he refined the jade ruyi for her instead.
Designed purely for defence and bolstered by Liu Qingyan’s connection to lunar essence and her four tails, its protective power was elevated further. Even a full assault from the Holy Maiden Mingyi could be withstood for some time.
And that time…
Was enough…
“Whoosh!”
A cyan sword light carrying silver streaks arrived in an instant.
The Holy Maiden Mingyi’s pupils contracted sharply. Though protected by the jade flower’s radiance, she shifted sideways, striving to avoid facing the flying sword head-on.
The Silver Feather Cyan Radiance Sword streaked past, carving a deep gash in the flower’s protective light.
At the same moment, two white beams and two black shadows shot forth, aiming from left and right to pierce the Holy Maiden Mingyi’s body.
Fan Boyu formed a hand seal as a black shadow skimmed the ground at terrifying speed, closing in rapidly, while Yue Honghai brought down his whip and blade in an overhead strike.
