Chapter Twenty-Two: Su Wan’s Strength

Mo Sha’s pupils constricted violently as he stared at the profound patterns flowing within the cyan light, his heart jolting in shock.

"This sword technique... it’s actually a Heaven-tier cultivation method?! How could a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator possess such a supreme treasure?" Beyond his shock, his fury intensified—if he could seize this technique, combined with the spiritual vein, the Blood Shadow Hall would surely dominate the entire region!

"You’re courting death!" Mo Sha roared, unleashing his signature technique, the "Blood Demon Bone-Splitting Blade." The blood-red spiritual energy condensed between his palms transformed into a blade a zhang long, infused with the overwhelming pressure of a ninth-stage Golden Core cultivator, shattering Su Wan’s sword light with raw force.

Riding the momentum of the recoil, he dove downward, his blade descending toward the crown of Su Wan’s head with the force to shatter bones and sever tendons. "Die!"

With nowhere to dodge, Su Wan could only cross her sword to block.

With a thunderous clang, she was sent reeling backward, her lower back slamming into a stone pillar of the Scripture Pavilion. A metallic sweetness surged into her throat, her spiritual energy scattered instantly, and her sword nearly slipped from her grip.

Yet, she clung to the hilt, her knuckles turning white from the strain.

"Don't even think about taking the spiritual vein!"

"I was once a waste without even a spiritual root. It was the Xuantian Sect that taught me to grasp a sword, that taught me the dignity of a 'sword cultivator'!" Su Wan screamed as she lunged forward again. Though her sword light was scattered like the setting sun, it burned brighter than ever with this obsession. "If you want the spiritual vein, if you want to dismantle this sect, you must step over my corpse first!"

She roared as she charged again. Although her sword light was ragged, it carried a savage tenacity, tearing a tiny gap in the web of blade energy.

She knew she couldn't last long, yet she wanted to hold on for just one more heartbeat. If she could only wait for her Master to arrive, the spiritual vein could still be saved.

Just as Mo Sha’s blade was about to cleave her in two—

"You scum of the Blood Shadow Hall, you dare touch the spiritual vein of my Xuantian Sect?"

A thunderous roar erupted like a clap of thunder, shaking Mo Sha to his core.

Before the roar had even faded, Ye Chentian descended from the sky. The hem of his white robes whipped violently without a breeze. His gaze landed instantly on Su Wan, and upon seeing the blood trickling from the corner of her mouth, his usually tranquil eyes surged with turbulent fury.

"Mo Sha."

Ye Chentian’s voice was low, yet it felt as if it had been quenched in the ice of the netherworld. With every word that landed, the bluestone floor cracked into spiderwebs. He slowly raised his hand, and a cluster of purple-gold flame flickered in his palm.

Mo Sha’s legs turned to jelly from the sheer pressure, but he braced himself and shrieked, "Hmph? You dare touch me?! My Blood Shadow Hall is spread across the Eastern Territory, and our Hall Master is a powerful Void Refinement realm expert! If you kill me, he will surely raze this pathetic sect of yours to the ground and leave not even a chicken or dog alive in your Xuantian Sect!"

"Hmph!" Ye Chentian sneered, the purple flames in his palm surging violently. "You harmed my disciple and dared to covet the spiritual vein?" He took a step forward, and as his foot touched the ground, the entire mountain range trembled.

"Today, I shall ensure your soul is utterly extinguished!"

Seeing this, Mo Sha knew Ye Chentian would not let him go. A vicious glint flared in his eyes: "Bone-Eroding Sinister Thunder!"

He bit his tongue and sprayed a mouthful of vital blood into his palms. As he rapidly formed hand seals, pitch-black malevolent energy rose around him, with purple-black lightning crackling within.

The killing intent in Ye Chentian’s eyes deepened, and a cold arc curled his lips: "A grain of sand dares to compete with the sun and moon?"

"Divine Fire Heavenly Technique: Heaven Burn!"

Ye Chentian thrust his palms forward, and the gold-red flames instantly transformed into a sea of fire.

The moment the Bone-Eroding Sinister Thunder touched the sea of fire, it emitted a sizzling sound of annihilation. The purple-black electric threads melted like snow under the power of the divine fire, failing to last even half a heartbeat. Mo Sha’s prized sinister thunder was effortlessly purged into nothingness.

As the line of fire shot out, space itself was scorched into a void. The gold-red light flashed so quickly that Mo Sha couldn't even track its trajectory.

"Ah!"

Following that, the divine fire spread through his meridians. His body twisted and burned within the flames, the crisp sound of his bones turning to ash clearly audible. Even his screams were swallowed by the fire, leaving behind only a pile of charred dust that scattered into the ether with the wind.

After dealing with Mo Sha, Ye Chentian walked quickly to Su Wan. As his fingertips touched her wrist, his brows knit together sharply.

He had not expected Su Wan to be poisoned. The toxicity of the Bone-Eroding Sinister Thunder had already spread through her meridians, leaving even the knuckles gripping her sword with a faint, bruised blue.

"Endure this." With a flick of his finger, a translucent white jade bottle hovered in his palm. As he uncorked it, a medicinal fragrance, bitter yet fresh with the scent of herbs, permeated the air.

"This is the Hundred-Herb Soul-Returning Pill. Swallow it; it will not only purge the lingering toxins but also nourish your damaged meridians."

Ye Chentian poured out a pill the size of a pigeon’s egg, its surface swirling with intricate emerald patterns.

Su Wan took the pill with trembling hands. As soon as it touched her tongue, it dissolved into a cool, warming current that slid down her throat. Her damaged meridians felt as if they were being nourished by sweet dew; even her scattered spiritual energy was drawn together by this warmth, becoming even more refined than before.

She opened her eyes in surprise, feeling the power surging within her, and couldn't help but whisper, "Master, this pill... it has such miraculous effects?"

"Focus on your cultivation." Ye Chentian placed a hand on her head, injecting a gentle yet irresistible force of spiritual energy to help her refine the medicinal power faster.

After a while, Su Wan’s complexion returned to normal.

Half an incense stick later, a streak of light dove from the horizon; it was Xiao Yi.

As Xiao Yi knelt on one knee, he faced Ye Chentian with profound respect.

"Master, this disciple has returned."

"Was everything settled with Liu Ningxia?" Ye Chentian asked casually as his gaze swept over him.

Xiao Yi’s tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed.

"According to the agreement from three months ago, I took her to the Xiao family ancestral hall." He paused, his voice dropping lower. "One thousand kowtows. She has finished them all."

Su Wan had just finished her meditation and couldn't help but look up. Though she had not personally experienced the old affairs of the Xiao family, she had heard of the humiliation her senior brother suffered when the Liu family broke off their engagement.

Ye Chentian watched the emotions churning in his eyes—there was relief, there was resentment, but more than anything, a clear-eyed realization of his own strength.

Indeed, Xiao Yi slammed his forehead against the stone floor with a dull thud. "Master! Only today did I truly understand: if you hadn't stepped in for me at the Biluo Sect, let alone forcing Liu Ningxia to kowtow, I wouldn't even have been able to withstand the pressure of Qin Tiangang!"

As he looked up, his eyes were red-rimmed but burning with intensity. "I beg you, Master, grant me permission to go into seclusion! I must become stronger!"