Mo Shumei had initially intended to head straight to the entrance of the Secret Realm.
However, halfway there, she sensed the detestable presence of Master Huikong.
She knew that neither Master Huikong nor Song Chiyue, the saintly maiden of the Jade Pool, were good people.
Upon taking a closer look, it was indeed Master Huikong committing evil deeds.
Though she initially didn’t want to interfere, she noticed a female cultivator stopped by Huikong seemed familiar—she seemed to have seen this woman in a mundane county town before. At that time, she was aboard a flying boat with Yue Qianchi, the eldest disciple of the Sword Pavilion.
Since she was from the Sword Pavilion, Mo Shumei couldn’t just stand idly by.
During the earlier chaotic battle at the Sect Ruines, if it weren’t for the disciples of the Sword Pavilion giving her the opportunity to conceal herself and remain unobtrusive, there was no way she could have so easily obtained the second volume of the Great Compassion Assignment. That demon blade’s remains were extremely difficult to deal with; even when Soul Abyss pulled it into the Blade Domain, she almost couldn’t handle it, resulting in a backlash from the Blade Domain that left her constantly on the brink of danger.
She decided to take advantage of the moment while Soul Abyss could still be unsheathed, defeat Master Huikong first, then quickly leave the Secret Realm to find a place to recuperate properly.
However…
Fifteen minutes later.
Mo Shumei stared at Master Huikong standing on his lotus platform, her expression grim.
She had shattered Huikong’s Arhat body, but then one after another, his hidden abilities emerged endlessly.
The lotus platform under Huikong’s feet was a powerful defensive artifact.
Despite the fact that the artifact was already almost broken, it managed to withstand her fierce attack.
“Hmph, I told you not to meddle unnecessarily. The backlash is about to begin! Just endure it well, don’t die!”
Before Soul Abyss finished speaking, excruciating pain erupted from every bone in her body. The pain originating from her spirit crushed her consciousness like a storm, forcing a half-strangled cry from her throat. Even biting her tongue hard couldn’t stop her from collapsing. Her knees hit the ground, and the magic blade drew a cold arc of light, its edge barely holding against the blue stone to support her swaying figure.
Master Huikong had already prepared to retreat.
This suddenly appearing Demon Cultivator was extremely powerful. If he hadn’t been injured, perhaps he could have firmly suppressed his opponent.
But now, with injuries and having exhausted all his resources just to achieve a draw,
the lotus platform beneath his feet was his last resort. If the lotus platform was also destroyed, he would have to flee.
It seemed the other party encountered some problems?
He looked up and down, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his mouth: “Amitabha Buddha. Lady practitioner, this is the backlash of demonic energy. Practicing demonic arts is like this: strong combat power, rapid advancement in cultivation realms, but there’s no guarantee when it will cost your life… The sea of demons is boundless, but turning back leads to the shore. Why not follow this poor monk back to the holy land? Our Cleansing Fire Sacred Land has superior Buddhist teachings that can surely cleanse the filth from your body!”
“Stinking monk, you… never!” Mo Shumei clenched her molars tightly, struggling to get up.
But her bones felt as if they had been crushed, making even moving a finger a challenge.
All she could do was use her hoarse voice to warn Li Qingran behind her, “Quick, go! What are you waiting for?”
Li Qingran deeply looked at Mo Shumei who was kneeling on the ground.
From the aura emanating from this person, she was undoubtedly a Demon Cultivator.
Li Qingran had no good feelings towards Demon Cultivators, so when Mo Shumei fought with Huikong, she did not intervene, but neither did she take the chance to leave. Instead, she watched from the side to see what this Demon Cultivator intended. After observing for a quarter of an hour, she realized this Demon Cultivator was different from what she had perceived. Especially now, despite being in crisis herself, she still prioritized telling her to escape…
Could there really be such righteous Demon Cultivators under heaven?
Li Qingran didn’t know, but she followed her inner instincts.
Clang!
Her plain string sword was drawn.
Mo Shumei only felt a sharp sword beam pass by her side, heading straight for Master Huikong.
“There will be times when the wind will carry us forward, let’s hoist our sails and cross the vast sea!”
Li Qingran silently recited, and then her sword moved like a dragon.
Wherever the shadow passed, three water mist blossoms bloomed. In the haze, there was no trace of the fairy-like immortal inviting the moon to drink wine, only the white-haired swordsman standing with his sword ready.
With the single sword spirit root enhancement, she could originally only condense one water mist image.
Now, she could already condense three.
She could freely transform within these three water vapor illusions.
“Good swordsmanship! Come try the Diamond Subduing Evil Palm of this poor monk!” Huikong reached out to grab, but grabbed nothing. Suddenly, the figure before him dispersed into water vapor and returned to its original position in the blink of an eye. Meanwhile, the remaining two images condensed into sword qi and slashed toward Huikong from both sides. The sword qi was so fast that Huikong didn’t have enough time to form the Diamond Seal.
Crack!
Two sword marks appeared on the lotus platform.
This platform, which had already been battered by Mo Shumei, finally couldn’t hold up any longer. Amidst the sound of shattered jade, the protective golden light completely vanished.
At the same time, Huikong’s heart broke.
“My Dharma tool!” The lotus platform underfoot turned into several pieces of scrap metal.
Huikong could only watch helplessly, his eyes turning red.
He was indeed the Buddhist son of the Holy Land, but his resources were earned through his own efforts.
Otherwise, with Master Fenye’s cold character, he could be replaced at any moment of dissatisfaction.
After all, there were too many people in the Holy Land who wanted to become the Buddhist son.
Looking at the girl ten meters away, surrounded by surging sword qi,
Huikong harbored hatred in his heart and clenched his fists.
As his throat rolled, he roared like thunder: “Anger!”
The sound wave condensed into a giant “卍” shaped Buddha seal and slammed directly at him.
This move wasn’t aimed at harming the enemy, but cutting off the retreat!
The kasaya swept up a fierce wind, and Huikong had already retreated a hundred meters away.
His hand reached into his bosom to touch the communication talisman. With only two-tenths of his dantian’s Buddha force remaining, it was safer to call his three subordinates for help!
Now that his true face was revealed, he no longer needed to maintain the image of the righteous Buddhist son of the Holy Land.
The most important thing now was to secure the two ‘resources’.
Huikong’s speed was fast.
However, the sword light was faster!
“May the white feathered arrow be inserted in the waist…”
“The autumn lotus sword flower shines as it emerges from its scabbard!”
Li Qingran flicked her wrist, and the plain string sword drew several arcs of light. The sword blade reflected the two cold stars in her pupils.
Mo Shumei’s pupils contracted sharply. She saw the plain string sword humming and dragging a crescent moon slash towards Huikong.
At this moment, the shadow of a black-clothed swordsman appeared behind the girl.
The pale long hair of the swordsman danced wildly in the wind, his wrist overlapping with the girl’s, as if holding the plain string sword together with the girl.
In this instant, the exploding sword qi carved countless sword marks into the surrounding ground.
Mo Shumei felt her throat dry.
She thought her blade technique was fierce, but it was far inferior to even a third of this girl’s sword intent.
Whose lineage of sword respect does this girl inherit?
Huikong turned around, forming a large hand seal to block the sword, halting his escape momentarily.
But his steps didn’t stop. He continued running towards the direction of the Sect Ruins, his figure gradually being covered by the yet-to-dissipate gray haze.
“Unfortunately, if you were at the Golden Core Stage, with the current injuries of that evil monk, he definitely wouldn’t be able to resist…”
Mo Shumei shook her head and immediately sat cross-legged, trying to circulate the Great Compassion Assignment despite the intense pain.
Huikong was calling for reinforcements, and she had to find a way to resolve the backlash of the knife domain’s demonic energy before he brought help—although this was almost impossible.
“The Golden Core Stage, huh?”
Li Qingran heard Mo Shumei’s words and paused her hand holding the sword.
Her gaze pierced through the haze, locking onto the disheveled figure of Huikong fleeing.
A pair of clear eyes were filled with the heavy frost of late autumn.
“Then I… will break through!”
…
