The illusory jade flower grew larger and larger. In the span of a few breaths, it expanded to hundreds of zhang in circumference.
Dozens of li south of Tonglin County, any traveller on the road at night would have seen, in the forest not far from the official path, a mass of cloud qi and pink mist under the moonlight, spreading in all directions.
Yet as the cloud qi and mist diffused, the originally dense fog gradually thinned.
…
Within the cloud mist, beneath the ever-enlarging petals of the illusory jade flower, the Holy Maiden Mingyi stood in mid-air. She held the jade flower itself in her hand, her figure concealed among the illusory branches. She poured her full effort into sustaining the illusion while using its branches to shield herself.
And…
She desperately resisted the curse seals from the Holy Maiden Zhilan and the flying sword from Lu Zheng.
If she could break the restrictive formation before the pair breached her defences, she stood a good chance of escaping with her life. If her defences fell before she shattered the formation, she would likely meet her end in the Central Plains.
Thus the Holy Maiden Mingyi held nothing back. She frantically mobilised the qi sea in her dantian, pouring true qi into the jade flower as if it cost nothing.
Shen Ying was already exerting full effort to sustain the peach blossom killing mist, while Liu Qingyan remained at her side as a precaution.
Yue Honghai wielded his whip and blade, hacking madly around the illusory jade flower. Even Fan Boyu freed his hands to harass the Holy Maiden Mingyi.
As for the Holy Maiden Zhilan and Lu Zheng, they naturally formed the main assault.
The Holy Maiden Zhilan hovered her bronze disc above her head, sending waves of Divine Erosion, Bone Corrosion, Spirit Extinction, and Blood Sha curses to erode the illusory jade flower. Lu Zheng controlled his flying sword to pierce back and forth, occasionally releasing a Golden Tower Heart Sword to disturb the Holy Maiden Mingyi.
Yet they still could not halt the illusory jade flower’s relentless growth.
…
Rage filled the Holy Maiden Mingyi’s heart. Her strength surpassed Zhilan’s. Even with Lu Zheng’s considerable power and the addition of the other four besieging her, though she might not win, she could have escaped at any time.
She had never expected them to lay a trap, causing her to unwittingly fall into the restrictive formation. Then a single careless move had left her somewhat injured.
Thus the situation reversed. Attack and defence swapped places, and even escape became a distant hope.
“Zhilan, when I return this time, I shall have Senior Sister Hongyu act and eradicate your entire Original Sect branch!” the Holy Maiden Mingyi declared viciously.
“Then do not return!” replied the Holy Maiden Zhilan.
“You cannot stop me!”
As the words fell, the illusory jade flower suddenly shot skyward, actually bursting through the bonds of the restrictive formation.
Moonlight poured down, the starry river brilliant.
The Holy Maiden Mingyi’s eyes lit up.
In the next instant, the illusory jade flower flashed and instantly retracted into the jade flower in her hand. Her figure flickered, turning into a streak of flowing light as she soared upward, escaping the formation’s range.
She had to act quickly. A single breath’s delay would allow Lu Zheng and Shen Ying to envelop her once more with the formation.
Yet the very moment she retracted the illusory jade flower and shot upward.
“Pure Subtle Jade Morning, Grand Unity Five Thunders, strike!”
“Boom!”
The Holy Maiden Mingyi sought to seize this fleeting instant to escape. Lu Zheng sought to seize the same instant to secure victory. Otherwise, if the stalemate dragged on too long and she, seeing no hope of escape, fought desperately with her life, someone on their side might be endangered.
Purple light flashed across the heavens. Immense Grand Unity Five Thunders crashed down. Golden thunder illuminated the world, striking straight at the Holy Maiden Mingyi.
“Did you think I would be unprepared again?”
Facing the majestic Grand Unity Five Thunders, the Holy Maiden Mingyi spoke coldly. Then the jade flower hovered above her head. She did not even release another illusion. Instead, the jade petals unfurled one by one, blooming fully overhead.
“Boom!”
The five thunderbolts struck the jade flower above her one after another. The flower dimmed, and the Holy Maiden Mingyi’s face paled, yet it did not halt her ascent. It allowed her to fully exit the formation’s bounds.
She was out!
At this distance, even if the others could close in within a fraction of an instant, she would still have enough time to flee.
A ferocious smile twisted the Holy Maiden Mingyi’s lips. Though injured and her vitality severely depleted, her life was safe. Moreover…
She glanced towards Tonglin County and sneered coldly. With the highest cultivation, her speed was naturally the greatest. She might yet snatch Du Yueyao away!
Just as the Holy Maiden Mingyi shifted to depart, a gentle breeze and fine rain suddenly began to fall.
In the next moment, a five-coloured radiance flashed before her eyes.
True Dragon Concealed Head Blade! Five-Coloured Dragon Scale Armour!
“Slash!”
The Holy Maiden Mingyi could indeed escape in a fraction of an instant, but unfortunately, Lu Zheng needed far less than that to intercept her.
That previous Grand Unity Five Thunders had been meant to exhaust her. This blade was the true killing move!
Having expended everything to burst the formation, vitality gravely injured, then blocking the Grand Unity Five Thunders and further depleted, how could she withstand this strike?
The Holy Maiden Mingyi’s pupils contracted sharply. Having just blocked the thunder, the jade flower’s light was dim and recovering. This was her weakest defensive moment. How had he appeared?
The blade howled, dragon roars resounded!
The Holy Maiden Mingyi could only mobilise all her true qi while retreating swiftly.
“Slash!”
The three-chi-eight-cun blade edge swept past. From the left brow bone of the Holy Maiden Mingyi, it slashed diagonally downward, cleaving open half her face. It exited from her left ribs rightward. Blood sprayed violently.
“Ah!!!”
The Holy Maiden Mingyi screamed in agony. Daring not linger, she scattered bloody mist as her figure turned into flowing light, fleeing desperately.
Yet…
That single instant’s delay allowed the innate cloud qi and peach blossom killing mist to rise once more, enveloping her completely.
“Holy Maiden Mingyi, you cannot leave…” Shen Ying’s voice sounded faintly in her ear.
…
Before dawn, the white clouds and pink mist beside the official road gradually dispersed. Early travellers and wayfarers passed to and fro, none noticing anything amiss.
Hmm, the air felt fresher…
Hmm, the jade seal had fed well again…
…
In the main hall of the Lu residence, the Holy Maiden Zhilan cupped her hands in thanks. “This time, we must thank Daoist Friend Lu for your vigilance. Otherwise, Junior Sister Yueyao would likely have been abducted by Mingyi.”
“No need for thanks. Yueyao is my little sister too,” Lu Zheng said with a smile. “Besides, discovering her was an accident.”
He certainly did not wish to admit that he idly used the Cloud Palace Treasure Mirror each night to survey the surroundings of Tonglin County, and one evening spotted the Holy Maiden Mingyi occupying a certain residence.
“Speaking of which, with Mingyi dead, the New Sect no longer holds much advantage,” Zhilan remarked.
The Primordial Saint Sect had eight Holy Maidens in total. The Original Sect had three, the New Sect five. Yet the strongest was the Original Sect’s First Holy Maiden, whose lifespan was nearing its end, making it difficult for her to exert full strength. Thus though the two sides remained deadlocked, the New Sect held comprehensive superiority, and the Sect Leader came from the New Sect.
Yet who could have foreseen that in just a few years, the New Sect’s Holy Maidens Xueyi and Mingyi would both perish in Tonglin County.
Now, in terms of Holy Maiden numbers, the two sides were even.
“A pity Eldest Sister’s lifespan is running out. Otherwise, I would beg her to clean house,” the Holy Maiden Zhilan said regretfully.
“No rush. Is Yueyao not still growing?” Lu Zheng laughed. “You should at least leave one Holy Maiden for her.”
Du Yueyao sat below, her face blank with confusion.
