"You dare!"
Zhou Hai roared, twisting and pulling out the short dagger. He held his long sword in his right hand and fiercely smashed its hilt onto Liu Liying's back. With a yelp, Liu Liying's delicate body heavily impacted the mountaintop, kicking up a cloud of dust. Countless cherry blossom petals condensed in the air, protecting her body, a clear sign she had used her innate abilities.
"Very good!"
Zhou Hai hurled the short dagger to the ground, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth. He laughed, "Excellent, excellent! Such a resolute Fan Goddess suits me perfectly. If you, Liu Liying, lacked this spirit, I, Zhou Hai, would not have fancied you!"
"And you think you're worthy?"
Liu Liying hovered in the air, her hand clutching a broken fan. Her beautiful eyes blazed with fury. These demon cultivators were the prime culprits in Lin Zhao's death, and Liu Liying naturally harbored an intense hatred for them.
"Well, worthy or not, we'll discuss it slowly on the bed."
Zhou Hai sneered, soaring into the air and unleashing a torrent of sword intent. Instantly, thousands of sword lights bloomed in the sky, descending like raindrops.
Liu Liying gently waved her sleeve, as if sacrificing half the mountaintop. She merged the terrain and her cultivation into one. The endless cherry blossom petals surged upwards. In terms of cultivation and foundation, Liu Liying's power had increased immensely after arriving at the Mountaintop Villa, but unfortunately, time was not enough for her to break through to the next level. Otherwise, she might have been able to truly contend with Zhou Hai.
Fighting an upper-tier cultivator with a mid-tier cultivation was too difficult!
Amidst whistling sounds, countless sword energies rained down, piercing the cherry blossom barrier.
Liu Liying cried out in pain, spitting blood, like a fallen leaf in a fierce wind.
...
Natural Dwelling.
With the Snow Domain Celestial Pool breached, Natural Dwelling stood isolated and helpless. Its sparse protective formations were quickly shattered by a horde of demon cultivators. The residences of Chen Ben, Mu Duo, and Chu Yu were soon ransacked, followed by more demons ascending the mountain.
"Whoosh!"
Under the moonlight, a dark green figure swept over Natural Dwelling. It was an elder with white hair and beard, clad in a dark green long gown, holding a pine wood staff, appearing somewhat frail. However, a pair of ancient, golden earrings hung from his earlobes, emanating divine light, signifying his extraordinary status and combat prowess.
Chen Rusong, a powerful cultivator from the Jiingmei clan deep within the demon realm's ancestral land. After tens of thousands of years of nurturing by the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, he had finally reached the thirteenth realm. He was known as one of the ancestors of the Jiingmei clan and was highly favored by the Demon Ancestor, who appointed him as a guest elder on the ancestral mountain, granting him a status equal to Ning Yuansheng and Fu Sheng.
Now, Chen Rusong's assault was complete. His staff had stirred up countless pine wood waves, killing many of the Snow Domain Celestial Pool's cavalry. However, Chen Rusong's true obsession remained the maid in Natural Dwelling, the eleventh-realm Apricot Girl Dongcang. The fortune she possessed was immense, having received favor not only from figures like Han Xin and Yan Beichen but also from the master of the Eternal Secret Realm, the one who held the divine seat.
If Dongcang were kept by his side and slowly refined, perhaps in a few decades, Chen Rusong could become the first fourteenth-realm cultivator of the lower realm's Jiingmei clan. At that point, he would likely command all the Jiingmei and be on par with the Demon Ancestor!
"Hmph!"
Chen Rusong smiled faintly, drifting down to the second floor of Natural Dwelling. He sat on a recliner, crafted from twelfth-realm Blaze Maple, a favorite of Su Qingjiu, and looked towards the distant apricot grove. He chuckled, "Lin Baiyi's residence is indeed elegant, far more so than many peak great demon dwellings. Dongcang, as the chief maid of Natural Dwelling, it is impolite not to attend to guests."
In the apricot grove, Dongcang, dressed in an apricot-yellow gown, stood above an apricot tree, her entire being radiating the aura of an eleventh-realm Apricot Girl. Tears welled in her eyes as she said, "My young master has sacrificed himself for the realm. Why should I entertain these beasts who have come to the mountain?"
"Well said, well said!"
Chen Rusong clapped his hands gently and rose, chuckling. "Demons, indeed, are cruel and violent by nature, lacking in refinement. But you needn't worry, Dongcang. I am different from demons. My name is Chen Rusong, a thirteenth-realm old immortal who has cultivated to enlightenment in these mountains. The Snow Domain Celestial Pool has now been reduced to ruins. I, an elder, have come here first, specifically for you. As fellow beings, I cannot stand by and watch you suffer, so..."
He frowned and said earnestly, "Dongcang... you are naturally kind-hearted, and it is a pity for you to fall into the mud like falling flowers in a chaotic world, trampled by the masses. Come with me. The human realm is doomed. If you follow me and cultivate diligently, achieving the twelfth or even thirteenth realm is possible. Moreover, you can wait patiently for Lin Baiyi's reincarnation and return to his side."
"..."
Dongcang stood silently in the apricot grove, her beautiful eyes like water. In the past, the simple Dongcang might have believed this "immortal-like" old immortal. However, having followed Lin Zhao for so long, Dongcang could now deduce the truth from subtle clues.
Now, the Snow Domain Celestial Pool had officially collapsed. Gu Lingyu had transformed into a white tree and begun his self-imposed confinement, while Huang Tingyu had fled with Tong Yu, Zhang Luobai, and Zhuang Yirong. At this moment, was there any good person left in the Snow Domain Celestial Pool?
Chen Rusong had accompanied the demons up the mountain. If he were not in league with them, how could the Demon Ancestor, Yu Zhi, and the others have tolerated him? His honeyed words were merely a tactic to prevent her from inadvertently damaging her foundation and disrupting his sinister plans when he made his move.
Suddenly, Dongcang understood everything. She tilted her head, looking at the thirteenth-realm Jiingmei old immortal. A smile flickered across her pretty face as she said, "You are clearly a beast, why do you try to speak like a human?"
"You!"
Chen Rusong roared, no longer bothering to conceal his true intentions. He leaped into the air, his sleeves billowing like a gale, his thirteenth-realm Jiingmei aura surging uncontrollably. He sneered, "You refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit! Surrender now!"
With that, Chen Rusong unleashed a thirteenth-realm miniature world, stirring up ten thousand feet of pine waves and crushing everything in its path. The kitchens, apricot grove, and bamboo forest near Natural Dwelling were instantly annihilated, as if a dream had shattered. Endless ancient pine vines, seemingly imbued with life, lunged towards Dongcang, interspersed with three great refined innate artifacts.
Chen Rusong attacked with all his might, aiming to capture Dongcang before severely injuring her, thus preserving her virginity. A virgin eleventh-realm Apricot Girl would possess the most potent vital energy. Even if Chen Rusong's cultivation path wasn't dual cultivation, he could still draw upon the vital energy from Dongcang for his own needs.
Though not skilled in combat, Dongcang was still an eleventh-realm cultivator. Her pretty face lost its usual gentleness. She spread her long sleeves, and apricot blossoms danced in the air. Even knowing her opponent was a thirteenth-realm cultivator, she was prepared to fight with her life!
"Rustle..."
In the distance, an inconspicuous fallen leaf drifted past, concealing a praying mantis – the avatar of Lin Zhujie.
He glanced in the direction of Natural Dwelling. Dongcang was desperately defending it, which filled Lin Zhujie with sorrow. However, after a brief look, Lin Zhujie made his decision. Chen Rusong, being a pine wood Jiingmei, shared a similar origin with Dongcang. His intention was to capture, not kill, Dongcang, so she could be temporarily left to her own devices.
Furthermore, Chen Rusong was a thirteenth-realm old Jiingmei with formidable combat power. Lin Zhujie knew that even as a twelfth-realm sword cultivator, he could kill Chen Rusong if he fought with all his might, but that would take hundreds of moves. If he made a move, the great demons below would surely notice, and they would all ascend the mountain, making the situation even more unfavorable.
Therefore, Lin Zhujie wasn't unwilling to save Dongcang; he simply couldn't.
He frowned and turned, heading straight for the mountaintop.
He would save whoever he could. He would do his best!
...
Mountaintop.
Cherry blossom petals swirled. Liu Liying suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her cultivation realm was suppressed, her combat power diminished. After being struck by Zhou Hai's sword in the abdomen, Liu Liying's vital energy began a steep decline, making it impossible for her to contend with her opponent.
Meanwhile, Zhou Hai was determined to capture her alive. Gentle sword energies constantly surged around Liu Liying's waist, like tendrils that would soon bind her.
However, Zhou Hai had underestimated Liu Liying, underestimated the significance of Lin Zhao in her heart, and most of all, underestimated the fierce nature of the Fan Goddess.
Back in the Hundred Flowers Realm, Liu Liying had been controlled by the umbrella-wielding inner demon Wu Yuanzi, her innate heart and soul, even her innate meridians, were in his grasp, yet she had still dared to resist Wu Yuanzi. How could Liu Liying easily yield to Zhou Hai now?
"Liu Liying!"
Zhou Hai sent out a sword strike, his eyes filled with rage. "Do you want to die so badly? Isn't living good?"
"Are you speaking of living a life of shame in another's embrace?"
Liu Liying was surrounded by swirling cherry blossom petals. Her exquisite face, though injured, appeared even more captivating. Her beautiful eyes were filled with resolve, showing no hint of compromise.
The moment Zhou Hai met Liu Liying's gaze, he knew he could never possess this Fan Goddess. She harbored an innate divine ability, capable of ending her own life at any moment. He didn't know what intoxicating elixir Lin Baiyi had given her, to make her willing to die rather than surrender.
A wave of intense frustration washed over Zhou Hai.
Liu Liying's innate primordial spirit was clearly intact, indicating she was still a virgin. Lin Baiyi had clearly not claimed her, yet she remained so devoted.
Where did I, the great Zhou Hai, lose?
With this thought, Zhou Hai's heart was unburdened. His gaze turned ferocious, and he laughed, "Then I shall send you to see Lin Baiyi!"
He spoke, and a blinding sword light descended from the heavens, a perfectly straight line.
"Chop!"
The moment the sword light struck, Liu Liying's forehead was split open. Her body then divided in two. Amidst splashing blood, she transformed into countless shattered cherry blossom petals. This sword strike had directly annihilated Liu Liying's innate primordial spirit!
A rain of cherry blossom petals fell, drifting towards a piece of green rock on the nearby mountaintop. That rock was where Lin Zhao used to practice his punches. Later, Tong Yu had struck it with his sword while practicing, creating a very smooth stone surface.
That was precisely the burial place Liu Liying had chosen for herself.
The cherry blossom petals drifted into the stone wall, like a celestial brushstroke, outlining a peerless Fan Goddess in a red dress, holding a fan, leading a magnificent white horse.
...
"Tsk!"
Zhou Hai let out a sneer and, holding his sword horizontally, bisected the mural.
Precisely, this sword strike passed through the neck of the goddess holding the fan, extinguishing her within the mural.