Chapter 1014: Severely Injured

Chapter 1014: Severely Injured

“This stubborn old man is really a handful.”

Lin Nuo put in a tremendous effort to take down the Sword Saint, depleting much of his own energy, and now, with the vast expanse of souls nearly consumed, his Demon Soul Power was running low as well. He needed to rest for a while.

Given the damage dealt to the Sword Saint by this fight, he must have sustained heavy injuries; he wouldn’t be able to recover quickly, even if he didn’t die.

Logically, Lin Nuo should have gone to deliver the finishing blow right now.

But with Ling Meng severely injured, he couldn’t leave her side.

If it had been someone else who hurt her, Lin Nuo might have ignored it; after all, she could usually explode with power and heal herself after a bout.

But she was struck by the Sword Saint! It was known that in the last life, she had died at the hands of the Sword Saint—nothing could help her then; the scenario was fatal, and one blink could mean her end.

Looking at Ling Meng’s injuries now, she should have reached the point where she could unleash her power, but it hadn’t happened.

He strongly suspected that the Sword Saint’s sword was suppressing her, some peculiar technique specifically designed to inhibit her from bursting forth.

He’d cautioned her multiple times to run as soon as she saw this Sword Saint, yet here she was, matching him head-on, just asking for trouble—a classic case of innate disadvantages!

Chasing after the Sword Saint wouldn’t guarantee a clean finish. They could end up brawling for dozens of rounds, and by the time it was over, Ling Meng might be beyond saving.

“Is there any hope left?”

“Ling Meng, how are you? Can you move?”

“I… I’ll try…”

Ling Meng struggled to articulate each word, attempting to move, but her body felt weak, and any motion sent waves of pain coursing through her.

“Enough, don’t move anymore.”

Lin Nuo said, noting that despite Ling Meng only appearing to have been struck twice, she seemed like a dying soul—suffering, utterly drained of vitality.

He needed to infuse her with some Demon Soul Power to see if it could help her recover on her own.

Taking a deep breath, Lin Nuo focused on channeling his Demon Soul Power into Ling Meng.

The energy entered her body, but her condition didn’t improve.

This wasn’t right; the Sword Saint’s strikes had severely damaged her internal channels, and the Demon Soul Power he transferred was unable to be absorbed, instead, it started to leak away.

Should I give her a little more push, force her to explode with power?

That could backfire; if she didn’t explode, she might actually die!

Having inadvertently killed his own disciple after nurturing her for so long would be too much to bear.

“Hm?”

Lin Nuo felt something was off again—almost all of the Demon Soul Power he’d just infused was leaking out, but even her own was draining away.

Is that some kind of anti-Demon sword you’re wielding, Sword Saint? Does it come with a chronic soul drain effect?

And she still hasn’t exploded. Come on, sis, if you explode, you’ll be fine!

This really is a case of destiny at odds—she can’t even explode anymore!

“Master, oh Master… I…”

“Alright, enough talking. You’re in pain, just hold on. I’ll save you. Don’t worry.”

That sounded good in theory, but he was supposed to be a wind assassin capable of both striking and enduring; his healing skills weren’t exactly top-tier.

Should he seek Liu Shuqin?

By the time she arrived, Ling Meng would likely be beyond saving.

Ultimately, she had to recover on her own; even if Liu Shuqin showed up, she probably wouldn’t be able to help much.

In these dire circumstances, he could only rely on that one trick.

Truth be told, using it would only lead to trouble for him later.

But he couldn’t just watch her fade away.

“Just hang in there, you’ll feel better soon, but stay awake. Keep your strength up.”

Lin Nuo said, scooping Ling Meng into his arms, looking around for a place to perform the ritual quickly.

……

“Is it over?”

Liu Shuqin and the others noticed the previous uproar had vanished, feeling puzzled.

“I hope it’s finished, but this kind of ending doesn’t bode well for either side…”

Ni Wanqing commented anxiously; she felt conflicted, hoping for a resolution while fearing that one side might have suffered casualties, which left an uneasy feeling in her heart.

She wished no ill upon their group, but could they truly negotiate a peaceful solution?

She felt utterly powerless, forced to hide away and contribute nothing in times of crisis.

As the anxiety mounted, a sudden surge of powerful spiritual energy swept through the area.

“What is this?!”

They immediately became alert; could it be the Sword Saint?

Did Lin Nuo lose? Were they found out and the chase was now on them?

Then suddenly, a figure plummeted from the sky, hitting the ground with an explosive crash, sending up a cloud of dust.

“Who is that?”

They instinctively backed away, considering whether to retreat.

“This person carries strong energy, but they are not a demon practitioner. You need to leave; I’ll cover for you.”

Liu Shuqin said, positioning herself in front of Li Ruo’er and her mother to serve as a shield.

This was what her junior martial brother had urged her to do; she had to do her utmost to protect them.

“I… Ruo’er, you go with this young lady. Mother will protect you both. Young lady, I am your senior; I can protect you.”

“It’s my responsibility to safeguard you; besides, it’s rare for a senior like me to reunite with Ruo’er. If something were to happen now, it would be a huge blow to her. I can handle this; it’s fine.”

“He’s the Sword Saint; you can’t handle him.”

Ni Wanqing’s tone was resolute; she could sense that the person who had fallen was indeed the Sword Saint.

At this moment, she couldn’t allow Liu Shuqin and Li Ruo’er to take a risk. She couldn’t back down; she could face him!

“Take Ruo’er and run!”

She shouted, immediately drawing her Sharp Sword and charging into the swirling dust ahead.

Liu Shuqin: “…”

She couldn’t stop Ni Wanqing; the latter was so quick that she struck first, moving past Liu Shuqin in a flash.

The dust quickly dispersed, confirming that Ni Wanqing’s instincts had not led her astray—the one before them was indeed the Sword Saint.

However, the Sword Saint was severely injured, barely managing to stand, propped up by the dimly glowing Spirit Sword in his grasp.

His state was dire; his eyes were dazed, fatigue overpowering him, and his body leaned forward, threatening to topple over.

“You, don’t come any closer, or I won’t hold back.”

Ni Wanqing pointed her Sharp Sword at the Sword Saint. He lifted his head slightly, expressionless, his eyes vacant, stripped of their former might.

His vision blurred, the sights before him growing indistinct.

Bang! He collapsed to the ground.

Ni Wanqing: “…?! You… don’t pretend! I’m not falling for that!”

Ni Wanqing didn’t let her guard down; she was cautious, unsure if the Sword Saint was playing tricks.

But there was no need for him to deceive her; he truly was gravely wounded.

That was fortunate—this would give Li Ruo’er and the others a chance to escape; all she had to do was watch him and ensure he didn’t go wild.

However…

Looking at the Sword Saint’s injured form, Ni Wanqing’s inner conflict began to churn once more.

Should she really just stand by and watch? He appeared to be in critical condition—if left unassisted, would he die?

Even if he were to die, it didn’t really concern her, right…?

Um, not really.

But…

Despite her frequent complaints and feelings of resentment, she couldn’t forget the beautiful memories shared between them.

He had saved her once, and without him, there would be no precious, lovely daughter like Li Ruo’er.

To just watch him die—she couldn’t bring herself to do that.

Perhaps she should let Ruo’er and the others go first.

“Mother, he’s severely injured.”

While Ni Wanqing hesitated, Li Ruo’er had already seen the fallen Sword Saint and found herself instinctively wanting to approach him.