Into The Sea

Lan Wu immediately realized, “She’s here to block Ah Yue’s escape.”

“What should we do?” Lin Wantang frowned. “Can we just go straight through? I’m the Hall Master, and you’re the Third Princess. If Ji Xing knows that your imprisonment has been exposed, she should at least show some restraint, right?”

Lan Wu shook her head. “She already knew my identity back in the Hundred Demons Scroll, and she still tried to kill me. If this gets out, whether she shows restraint or not, she’s more likely to silence us permanently.”

Yao Zhu nodded in agreement. “You don’t know how crazy she is. She’s unpredictable. It’s better not to run into her. But do we have to go through the Wanxiang Gate? Can’t we just climb over the wall?”

“The wall is protected by a formation. Climbing it will trigger it.”

Yao Zhu sighed, frustrated. “Just when I thought we had some good luck, this happens. My big mouth…”

After a moment of silence, Lan Wu said, “I’ll go.”

The person on her back stirred restlessly. Lan Wu carefully put her down, handing her to Yao Zhu. Ji Lingyue struggled, her fingers clenching Lan Wu’s collar. “Lan Wu…”

Lan Wu comforted her. “I don’t know why, but Ji Xing hates me. If she sees me, she’ll focus her attention on me.”

“You’re going to be a decoy?” Yao Zhu exclaimed. “You can’t beat her!”

“I can’t beat her, but I can run.” Lan Wu said, removing her cloak and draping it over Ji Lingyue. “This is the only way. Ah Yue, once you meet my sister, have her remove the seal from your spiritual roots. Then, you can use the contract to summon me back.”

Ji Lingyue shook her head, choking back tears. “No…”

Lan Wu blinked and continued, “My sister is stronger than Ji Xing. She can definitely remove the seal. I’ll hold on until then. Don’t be scared. I’ll… I’ll make it through.” Then, she turned to Lin Wantang, her voice hoarse. “Please take care of her.”

Lin Wantang couldn’t help but press her lips together. “I’m sorry. I thought I could get you out safely.”

“You’ve already helped more than enough.” Lan Wu took a deep breath, slowly backing away. “Be careful.”

Lin Wantang nodded. Lan Wu retreated into the darkness, standing there for a moment. Then, she stepped forward again, carefully cupping Ji Lingyue’s tear-stained face and kissed her forehead. “Be good…”

She whispered, “I’ll be fine.”

The familiar scent suddenly faded, and Ji Lingyue’s eyes widened. All she could see was Lan Wu’s retreating figure. She let out a sob, the pain in her body awakening again, causing her to lose focus and start convulsing uncontrollably.

She opened her mouth, her voice trembling. “Yao… Yao Zhu…”

Yao Zhu, sensing that something was wrong, hurried over. “What’s wrong?”

Ji Lingyue blinked, tears falling. “Was it… was it wrong for me, wrong to escape tonight? I should have… ugh, I should have endured it a bit longer…”

Yao Zhu was stunned for a moment before saying hoarsely, “It’s not your fault, Ji Lingyue. None of this is your fault.”

***

The cold wind swept past them, the snow falling heavier, blurring their vision. Suddenly, a silver light shot out from the side, streaking toward Ji Xing like a dragon. Ji Xing frowned, raising her hand to stop the sword in its tracks, preventing it from advancing further.

With a resounding crash, the two demonic forces collided, the resulting wind whipping their hair and stinging their faces. Ji Xing narrowed her eyes, looking through the falling snow at the attacker. She couldn’t help but scoff. “Lan Wu.”

She suddenly raised her hand, sending Lan Wu flying back with her powerful demonic energy. Lan Wu regained her balance, twirling her sword, her gaze cold.

“Yun Chuhe is truly a saint,” Ji Xing said, raising an eyebrow. “She even gave you her Cloud Dewdrop.”

Although she didn’t know what she was talking about, Lan Wu scoffed, “Compared to you, even the King of Hell is a saint.”

Ji Xing nodded as if she agreed. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“…You’re really disgusting.” Lan Wu muttered through gritted teeth.

She pushed off the ground and charged, her sword aimed at her. Ji Xing remained motionless, casually lifting an arm to defend herself. After several unsuccessful attacks, Lan Wu pressed her lips together. The silver bracelet on her wrist suddenly dissolved into hundreds of sharp silver threads, shooting towards Ji Xing.

“Hiss…” Ji Xing blinked, instinctively turning her head. After a moment, she raised her hand to wipe her face. Seeing the blood on her finger, her eyes grew cold. “Lan Wu.”

Seeing this, Lan Wu turned and ran. Ji Xing closed her fingers, conjuring a black whip. It lashed out at her ankle. Lan Wu spun around, grabbing the whip and pulling, causing Ji Xing to stumble. Anger flashed across her face. “You’re courting death!”

The woman moved like mist, flying up and instantly closing the distance. Lan Wu was startled, instinctively raising her sword to defend herself, but was sent flying by a powerful blow. A metallic taste filled her mouth.

Her old injuries hadn’t healed. After falling to the ground, she coughed up blood. Another powerful force came towards her. Lan Wu’s eyelashes fluttered. She quickly rolled forward, narrowly avoiding the attack, before pushing herself up, running towards the palace above.

The cold snow brushed her face, and the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end. That icy voice seemed to cling to her ear. “Where do you think you’re going?”

Lan Wu gasped, throwing out a net of silver threads to intercept her. Without listening to the sharp clanging behind her, she charged into the towering black palaces above. She was focused on getting rid of Ji Xing, not paying attention to the path ahead. After walking for some time, she realized that the area was eerily silent.

Lan Wu stopped, looking up. She felt suffocated by the oppressive darkness around her. The black shadows surrounded her, and the bare branches reflected on the cold brick walls looked like grotesque monsters. She clenched her sword, took a breath, and continued forward cautiously.

After what felt like forever, a faint light appeared in the darkness. Lan Wu frowned, slowly walking closer. She saw a pool of water with fireflies flickering above it. Someone was floating in the pool, their hair spread out, only their face visible above the water.

Lan Wu stared intently, then gasped. “Xuan Yu!”

She took a few steps, jumping into the waist-deep water. She shivered from the cold. Xuan Yu’s eyes were closed, unmoving, as if she was asleep. Lan Wu called her several times, but she didn’t respond. She then fearfully reached out to touch her neck. After a moment, she let out a sigh of relief.

She wrapped her arms around Xuan Yu, about to pull her out of the water, when a cold voice suddenly came from behind. “Who’s there?”

Lan Wu was startled, quickly raising her sword and pointing it in the direction of the voice. A barefoot woman stood by the water’s edge, wearing only a thin white robe, her silver hair cascading down to her waist. Her deep blue eyes calmly watched Lan Wu.

Lan Wu met her gaze and, for a strange moment, was lost in a daze.

This woman… looks like a mermaid…

“Lan Yuan?”

The cold voice spoke again, startling Lan Wu. Before she could respond, the woman continued, “Or is it Lan Wu?”

Lan Wu froze. “You recognize me?”

“It seems it’s Lan Wu.” The woman said indifferently. “Who allowed you to enter?”

Lan Wu was confused. As she was about to speak, her gaze fell on the woman’s hand. Her eyes widened, staring at the broken stone tablet. She felt dizzy.

“You…” She released Xuan Yu, her voice hoarse. “Who are you?”

“Who am I?” The woman repeated softly, asking, “Don’t you know?”

“Why would I know?!” Lan Wu glared at her, her eyes turning red. “Who are you?! Why do you have that thing?!”

“This thing?” The woman looked down at it, asking, “What’s wrong with this thing?”

Lan Wu was furious. “The fragments of that thing were found where my father died! Why do you have this stone tablet?!”

The woman nodded. “It’s simple. Because I was the one who killed your father.”

The surroundings fell into silence. After a long while, Lan Wu finally said in disbelief, “What did you say?”

“I said, I killed your father.” She even smiled. “But he still died too easily.”

Lan Wu trembled, suddenly letting out a pained groan. She raised a wave of water and attacked the woman, but the sharp sword energy was blocked by an invisible barrier, unable to get any closer. The woman looked at Lan Wu’s grief-stricken eyes and frowned. “You want to kill me?”

Lan Wu hissed, “You murdered my father! How could I not?!”

“You want to avenge your father?” The woman blinked, as if she had heard something ridiculous. She laughed. “Lan Wu, you want to avenge your father? What kind of revenge is that?”

“What do you mean?!”

The woman grinned, suddenly throwing Lan Wu aside. She laughed maniacally, “Don’t you know? The one who has always wanted you dead the most… was him!”