"By the way, San Xiong," Duan Xia said softly, drifting closer to San Jie as the group broke into quiet clusters. "You weren't surprised to see Yu Shixiong. Have you seen him without the mask before?"
San Jie gave a short nod. "Luo Cheng wasn't surprised either."
Duan Xia smiled gently. "That's just how he is. No one ever knows if he's sad, happy, or surprised. But… when he realized it was Yu Shixiong, his eyes dimmed. So maybe, deep down, he was surprised, right?"
San Jie stared at Duan Xia. "You observe everything, don't you, Duan Shimei?"
She didn't answer.
"Meng Li Shimei," Wu Xuan called across the room. "They knew I was coming. He Jin was the only one who knew me, and that was five years ago. So why... even the lowest servant knew what I looked like?"
Hong Li, seated off to the side, lifted her head. "Three days ago, we received a drawing of you. And a warning about your presence."
"Three days ago?" Wu Xuan narrowed his eyes. "So, they knew from the start. But how could they be so sure I'd come?"
Hong Li shook her head. "I don't know. We were ordered to kill you. But they said to keep Lingyu alive."
A cold smirk twisted across Wu Xuan's lips. "So, you knew Lingyu was coming too?" Hong Li hesitated, then nodded.
"You mean... Shen Ming's confrontation at the market was pre-planned?" San Jie asked. "How could they have known we'd arrive on that exact day?"
"Jian Yu said he didn't send the warning to the sect," Wu Xuan said, voice taut. "It was Murong Meng who got the news. He told you to go into the city, right?"
San Jie's eyes narrowed. "Murong Shixiong just asked us to buy sweets…"
"Why ask Yu Xiong's apprentices when he has his own team?" Yu Yi asked flatly. San Jie had no answer.
"I… I don't know."
Yu Yi's voice was low and sharp. "Did Murong Xiong plan this from the start? Did he know our Da Shixiong would jump in to help Yu Xiong? Did he use you as bait?"
"Don't jump to conclusions," Yu Lingyu's soft voice cut in. Everyone turned. When had he woken up?
"This might be a trap against Murong Shixiong," he added.
Wu Xuan laughed bitterly. "You believe in him that much, Yu Shidi? Then I won't say anything. But explain one thing, why did they want "Lingyu" alive?"
"You think I'm an accomplice?" Lingyu asked quietly.
Wu Xuan shook his head, smirking. "Oh, no-"
A sudden tremor rocked the cave, cutting him off. Several people fell over, clutching their ears as a deafening roar echoed.
"Cultivator, please save us!" The desperate cries of ordinary people rang from inside. "Please!!"
"What a burden," Wu Xuan muttered with a scowl, glancing toward the entrance.
"He's back," Lingyu murmured, standing on unsteady legs. His eyes lifted toward the blood-red clouds swirling outside. "He bought time. And now it's fulfilled."
Wu Xuan's glare shifted toward Hong Li. Die. That was the unspoken word in his eyes. She began to tremble.
Her gaze flicked toward Yu Lingyu. If I were him, what would I do? she wondered. Lingyu often almost gave up his life for the people he loved.
"Lingyu-" she tried, but his look silenced her.
"Don't say it," he said gently. "I don't want anyone else to die."
"Y-You… Did you know about me?"
He offered her his usual kind smile. "From the beginning."
The tears that Hong Li was barely holding back flowed down her cheeks.
"Well then, I have nothing to do but intervene," Wu Xuan said as he stepped forward, sword drawn and aimed at Hong Li. Around them, the others were still trying to piece together what was happening.
But before he could reach her, another sword suddenly blocked his path. Steel clashed against steel with a sharp ring.
"Don't force me, Wu Shixiong," Yu Lingyu said quietly. The sword in his hand, Tianxing, glowed with a gloomy, bluish light, its hue dark and heavy like a storm ready to burst.
Wu Xuan narrowed his eyes. "What if I do?"
The pressure between them grew thick. Yu Lingyu's expression changed as he stepped forward, kicking Wu Xuan's sword aside and standing between him and Hong Li.
"Yu Shidi!"
"I'm sorry, Wu Shixiong. But I can't let you use Hong Li."
"Hmm?"
Everyone felt the tension tighten in the air like a stretched string. Even Luo Cheng, who had always kept his distance, didn't move this time.
"Look around you, Yu Shidi. Are you really going to let everyone die?"
Wu Xuan's voice was calm, but sharp. He walked slowly toward the mouth of the cave.
"Will you sacrifice one and save everyone? Or will you die here with everyone? You decide, Yu Shidi." His voice didn't shake. "But remember, if I get the chance... I'll kill her."
Crimson mist began to gather around him, curling like a snake around his robes. It clung tightly, seeping into the fabric, feeding off the heat of his body.
Silence fell behind him.
Then he stepped out.
Outside, the world looked broken.
The earth had turned to pulsing flesh. Every few seconds, the ground throbbed like a living organ. A figure stood ahead, if it could be called a figure. It had no clear shape. Its form twisted over and over again. First, it turned into San Jie. Then Yuan Yu Yi. Then Wu Xuan himself.
Each face was lifeless. Hollow. Mocking.
The ground beneath Wu Xuan trembled with the echo of a distant heartbeat. It thudded not just through the air but through his bones, his blood. It was as if the monster's heart was forcing his to beat in rhythm with it.
Wu Xuan grinned, trying to hide the fear curling in his gut. His face stayed calm, but his fingers trembled slightly.
Pride was armor, but armor could crack.
He raised his hands, channeling his qi. A blue light pulsed from his palms, glowing along the ground. For a moment, the red earth recoiled, pushed back by the light.
"Xul-"
He tried to speak, but the words died in his throat.
A stabbing pain tore into his shoulder.
His eyes widened as blood burst from his mouth.
The pain exploded through his body, blooming like fire. Blood splattered down his robes, thick and fast.
He staggered.
But Xul'goth hadn't even moved.
Not a finger.
Yet his body was already breaking apart.
A scream echoed from the shapeless beast. It wasn't a sound made by anything human. It sounded like ice shattering on a frozen lake, the crack echoing for miles.
Wu Xuan gritted his teeth and raised his sword, but the sound alone was enough to shake his soul. The wave of pressure hit him, rippling through his body. His bones groaned in protest. His qi faltered.
And then, he felt it.
The blood in his veins began to chill. Not from fear.
From something else.
It was as if Xul'goth had reached inside him without touching him, and now, even his blood was turning to ice.
That's right! Xul'goth is the bloodlust demon.
"Your resistance is... charming, little cultivator." Xul'goth's voice echoed in the air, warped and cruel, as he manifested in the form of Wu Xuan. His words dripped with disdain, as though mocking Wu Xuan's defiance.
"But you don't deserve to fight with me."
With that, Xul'goth opened his mouth. It was a grotesque sight, filled with thousands of tiny needle-like teeth, each one sharp and uncountable.
Blood poured from them like an unstoppable river, staining the air with a foul scent. The sight was more horrific than anything Wu Xuan had ever seen. Worse still, Xul'goth had taken his very form.
At the same time, a stream of dark crimson energy erupted from Xul'goth's mouth, swirling toward Wu Xuan's heart with lethal precision.
"Not yet!" Wu Xuan gritted his teeth, summoning all the spiritual energy he could muster. He roared, channeling his power into a burst of blue lightning that ripped through the blood magic. The forces collided with an earth-shattering explosion, sending shockwaves throughout the cavern.
Wu Xuan was flung backward by the force of the blast. His vision blurred. His body slipped on the slick, blood-soaked ground, and he could taste the metallic tang of his own blood in his mouth.
He hadn't expected this. He had hoped, no, believed, he could handle Xul'goth, but reality was settling in: He had no chance. The pressure in his chest grew as blood poured from his wounds. "Damn it!" He spat the blood out, refusing to let it take him down.
Focusing through the pain, he gathered what little qi he had left and weaved it into an intricate seal. His hands trembled, but he forced himself to complete it.
"Last technique... A thousand lightning!"
The air exploded with a violent surge of power. The world seemed to crack under the intensity. Bright purple lightning burst from his body, ripping through the air, engulfing the entire area in a storm of blinding light. It was a technique so powerful that, if it had been cast on a city, it would have turned the whole place to dust in mere moments.
But even as the storm raged, Wu Xuan knew it wasn't enough.
"I'm impressed," Xul'goth sneered, his voice cold and mocking. Despite wearing Wu Xuan's form, the blood-red gaze of Xul'goth still pierced through. "Lord Xin may have powerful allies, but little cultivator... that's not enough."
With a flick of his hand, Xul'goth unleashed a brutal attack. Wu Xuan's blood vessels ruptured violently. The pressure forced him to the ground, and he screamed in agony as blood poured from his eyes, nose, ears, and mouth.
Xul'goth approached slowly, taking his time, savoring the moment. His claws gleamed in the dim light, sharp and deadly. With a swift motion, he brought them down toward Wu Xuan's throat, but before the blow could land, a streak of Azure blue energy tore through the air.
It struck Xul'goth with the force of a comet, forcing the blood demon to stumble back. The oppressive aura that had suffocated the cave loosened, but only just.
"Yu Lingyu!" Wu Xuan managed to shout, his chest tightening. "Get out of here!"
His heart pounded, but his mind screamed at him. Yu Lingyu wasn't ready for this fight. He wasn't strong enough to face Xul'goth. Yet, despite all logic, Yu Lingyu stood beside him, unwavering. His robes fluttered, billowing in the wind like battle flags.
Xul'goth laughed, a cruel, excited sound. "Lord Xin, you never change," he taunted, shifting his form from Wu Xuan's to Yu Lingyu's, mocking the younger cultivator. The red eyes that now stared out from the familiar face were full of malevolent amusement.
Yu Lingyu, undeterred by the devil's taunt, kept his gaze fixed on Wu Xuan. "Get out of here, Wu Shixiong," he said, his voice firm.
"Wait, Lingyu!" Wu Xuan tried to protest, but his strength was failing him. His voice came out as a rasp, weak.
Lingyu tightened his grip on Tianxing, his fingers glowing with emerald energy. He raised the sword high, ready to strike, but Xul'goth wasn't done yet. With a dark smile, the blood demon launched a devastating attack. The air thickened with the clash of wind and blood, rattling the earth itself.
Lingyu didn't hesitate. With a flick of his wrist, he summoned a storm, its winds whirling violently around him. The gusts became ferocious, twisting like a living thing in his hands. But even as the wind obeyed his command, a deep weariness settled over Yu Lingyu's features.
He was no longer Zi Feng. Now, he was a mortal, a mere human. And no matter how much power he called upon, he could only hold the wind for so long before it began to slip through his fingers. He was too exhausted. There was nothing left but to fight until his last breath.
Wu Xuan felt a surge of dread as he sensed Yu Lingyu pulling something; something was wrong. Whatever it was, he knew it wasn't going to end well.
"No!" Wu Xuan shouted, his voice barely rising above the chaos of the battle. But Yu Lingyu's words reached him nonetheless, quiet yet final.
"Goodbye, Wu Shixiong," Yu Lingyu said, his voice calm and resigned, a peaceful smile on his face.
Then, with a force that shattered the air itself, Yu Lingyu unleashed his ultimate technique.
"Inner Domain... Devouring Lord's Fiery Wind!"
In an instant, the storm swirling around Yu Lingyu expanded, transforming into a raging, incandescent fiery wind. Wu Xuan was flung back by the sheer force of it, the air around him burning with an intensity that threatened to turn everything to ash.
The heat of the storm consumed all in its path, and with a final, devastating eruption, the two forces collided, the Blood Domain collapsing, the fiery wind tearing apart everything in its wake.
Yu Lingyu and Xul'goth were no longer in the Blood Domain. They were in a different realm altogether, surrounded by a tempest of flame.
Xul'goth, sensing the catastrophic threat, immediately attempted to quell the fiery storm with his blood magic, summoning torrents of crimson to extinguish the flames.
But it was too late. This was no longer his domain, and the fiery wind roared with fury, resisting his efforts. The clash between the two forces sent shockwaves throughout the air, creating a deafening explosion that rattled the world around them.
Yu Lingyu's life force was waning. His strength was slipping away, but he felt no regret. It wasn't that he had ever cared for living, it was the fight that mattered.
The moment, the battle, the sacrifice, it was all worth it. A peaceful smile spread across his face as the golden wind rippled through the chaos, surrounding him, even as his body began to fade.
With one final roar, Yu Lingyu released everything, unleashing the full force of the fiery wind. It roared toward Xul'goth, swallowing him whole.
It's over. The thought was fleeting, then, something happened.
Without warning, Yu Lingyu was struck from behind, and the fiery wind faltered. He was sent spiraling into his own domain, his energy unraveling as he crashed into the ground.
"No, Hong Li, wait!" Yu Lingyu cried out, confusion and alarm flooding through him. His heart sank as he realized what had happened. Hong Li had intervened.
Hong Li stood there, her eyes full of compassion and sadness. The lotus-shaped silver mark on her forehead pulsed with light, radiating a powerful aura.
"Live, Ah-Yu," she said softly, her voice trembling. "This burden... will be mine."
Before Yu Lingyu could respond, Hong Li raised her hands, channeling her essence into a blinding sphere of light. The very air around them seemed to tremble as the orb of pure energy shot toward Xul'goth. It collided with the demon with a thunderous force, sucking his very flesh and causing him to roar in pain as he was forced back.
But Hong Li didn't pause. She didn't go after Xul'goth. Instead, her gaze never left Yu Lingyu. She knelt beside him, her hand gently pressing against his chest. The contact didn't hurt him, but Yu Lingyu felt a surge of power, life force transferring from her to him.
Hong Li was holding back his death.
Yu Lingyu could only watch helplessly. There was nothing he could do but witness the sacrifice she was making. Hong Li, the White Lotus Spirit, was a demon. She had been cast out of Jun Peak, exiled without mercy. Yet, at Wei Yunhe's request, Shen Guo had spared her life. Now, she was giving her essence, her very being, to keep him alive.
"Please, remember me, Ah-Yu," Hong Li's voice echoed in his mind. "You are my only and last friend."
As her form began to dissolve, the illusion of a white lotus appeared, glowing rapidly. But after a moment, it vanished into a flash of silver light. It was as if she had never existed at all.
"Don't!!!" A primordial inferno flared up inside Yu Lingyu as her form disappeared completely. "Hong Li!" His voice was a desperate cry, his mortal body cracking under the strain of the emotions surging through him. The fury within him ignited the winds once more.
The True God of Wind slowly stirred, his form rising in all its majesty. The winds began to howl, growing stronger, faster, until the entire domain was engulfed in a violent storm. Xul'goth, still reeling from Hong Li's attack, struggled to contain the overwhelming power.
Zi Feng, Lord of the Wind, had returned for a moment.
"DIE!!! YOU DAMNED DEMON!" Yu Lingyu's voice roared, his spirit rising from the depths of his grief and anger.
Outside of Lingyu's domain, Wu Xuan could only watch in horror. The heat of the storm was suffocating, even from a distance. A barrier, formed by Lingyu's dying domain, stretched out in front of Wu Xuan, preventing him from entering. The storm winds howled around him, their power radiating outward, but Wu Xuan could only stand helplessly, unable to do anything.
The storm, Lingyu's final attack, would destroy not only Xul'goth but also Lingyu himself.
But something lingered in Wu Xuan's mind. Hong Li's final words echoed in his thoughts before she walked past him and entered that domain. "Even after the storm, the wind whispers a new beginning."
Gradually, the storm began to subside, and the chaos around them settled. They were back in the collapsing underground hall, the dust storm slowly clearing.
The ceiling, already cracked, was spewing debris, threatening to cave in at any moment. Amid the wreckage, the red mist that had once consumed the center of the hall now dissipated, leaving behind a figure lying motionless in the rubble.
San Jie rushed toward the fallen figure. "Yu Shixiong!" he cried out.
Wu Xuan felt a weight lift from his heart when he felt life force from that figure, yet it was quickly replaced by a crushing sorrow. He stood there, broken, realizing how powerless he truly was. Lingyu had given everything, had laid down his life in the final moments, and Wu Xuan knew the depth of that sacrifice.
Despite his efforts, the barrier had kept him out, and he had been forced to watch as his closest companion faded away. It was as if his entire existence was unraveling before his eyes.
San Jie carefully lifted Yu Lingyu into his arms, and Yu Yi helped Wu Xuan to his feet. It was only because Yu Lingyu had stopped them, had spared them from facing Xul'goth, that they were all still alive. Otherwise, they would have fought, and they would have fallen, just like countless others before them.
"Get out!" Duan Xia shouted, his voice urgent. "The place is collapsing!"
San Jie moved quickly, carrying Yu Lingyu with great care, leading the group toward the exit. The others followed in haste, panic fueling their steps. Wu Xuan, still dazed from the weight of what had just transpired, turned to Yu Yi for support. As they moved toward the exit, something caught Wu Xuan's eye, a flash of golden light among the falling debris.
Without hesitation, Wu Xuan broke away from Yu Yi and headed toward the other side of the hall. The last remnants of dust swirled around him, but his focus remained on the strange sight before him.
There, standing alone amidst the wreckage, was a divine rabbit. Its fur glowed a soft golden hue, and its ears stood upright, listening, watching, as though aware of everything around it. Its gaze locked with Wu Xuan's, silent yet heavy with meaning.
"Yu Lingyu?"