Into The Sea

Suddenly, something coiled around Yao Zhu’s waist, yanking her out of the suffocating horde of demons. Clutching Xuan Yu tightly, Yao Zhu gasped in relief and looked toward the source of the vine that had saved her.

Ah, isn’t that…?

Before she could finish the thought, the vine around her waist shook violently. Startled, she looked down and saw that the thick tree trunk was now crawling with demons. Countless winged demons were also swooping in from all directions, only to be violently repelled by bursts of azure light.

Yao Zhu snapped out of her daze and looked toward the back of the demon horde. Sure enough, she spotted Yuan Changning, the Demon Lord of Mingdu, but none of the other familiar figures. Realization dawned on her, and she turned to shout at Ye Qingjun, “Hey! This is just one wave led by a single Demon Lord! There are three more like this coming!”

Ye Qingjun called back, “Weren’t you supposed to be negotiating peace? Why the sudden betrayal?”

Before Yao Zhu could respond, a demon, overhearing their exchange, roared, “You humans betrayed us first! You slaughtered our kin! You broke your word and deceived our queen!”

Ye Qingjun was taken aback. “What?”

The dense demon horde split into two groups—one charging towards her, the other towards the opening in the barrier. A whirlwind of sword shadows weaved through the sandstorm, piercing demon after demon with deadly precision. Blood sprayed, and black demonic energy burned the wounds, preventing rapid healing and leaving the demons incapacitated.

Gradually, the clamor of human voices grew louder as the awakened cultivators finally arrived. Just then, Ji Lingyue felt a chill creeping up her spine. She frowned, reaching back to grab the blade aimed at her, and said coldly, “Have you lost your mind?”

Unexpectedly, the man stumbled backward, falling and coughing up blood.

In full view of everyone, the man struggled to his feet, pointing at Ji Lingyue, his face contorted with terror. “Everyone, look! This demon! The demon’s true face has finally been revealed! She’s trying to break the barrier and let the demons in!”

Ji Lingyue’s long lashes fluttered. She looked up, her eyes widening.

Behind her, the demon horde was held at bay by her impenetrable sword shadows. In front of her, faces stared back at her, full of doubt and suspicion. Ji Lingyue clenched her fists, her voice tight with anger. “Can’t you see what I’m doing?!”

“You’re just putting on a show now that your plan has been exposed!” the man shouted hoarsely. “My fellow disciples and I caught you in the act, and you nearly killed us! You killed my junior sister! You killed her!”

“That’s impossible!” Qi Yueyao pushed through the crowd, shouting, “You from Penglai are the real culprits! You’re just trying to repeat your old tricks, like how you destroyed Wangliang City and now you want to destroy Shiling City!”

A wave of murmurs swept through the crowd. The man’s eyes widened. “How dare you slander us?! We are all cultivators! Why would you believe that demon instead of me?! She and that Lan Wu are working together! This so-called peace talk was just a ploy to lower our guard and let the demons attack us by surprise!”

“That’s nonsense!”

“If I’m talking nonsense, then what are those demons outside doing here?! Did you really believe they’d start a peace talk in the morning and then betray us by nightfall?!”

Amidst the uproar, a deafening crash echoed from behind. Ji Lingyue instinctively turned, seeing a towering elephant demon lumbering closer. His eyes were wide, his body covered in blood, pierced by countless sword shadows. Yet, he pressed on, his heavy breaths rasping as he reached the edge of the fragile barrier. He placed his hands on the cracked edges.

Ji Lingyue’s lips tightened. Without hesitation, she pierced the demon’s palms. He shuddered, sweat pouring down his face. Yet, he still gripped the barrier, pulling it apart with a roar. Ji Lingyue hesitated, then sent two streams of demonic energy to bind his wrists, immobilizing him. “The truce is about to begin. I don’t want to kill you. Stop this.”

“Truce?” The elephant demon chuckled, his eyes bloodshot. “There can be no truce! You killed my brother! He… he was following our queen’s orders to release the cultivators, and you killed him! How could you kill him?!”

Ji Lingyue frowned. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

With that, she slammed her palm into the elephant demon’s stomach, sending him flying. But the man’s voice rang out again, relentless. “They’re at our doorstep! Do you still believe in this peace talk?!”

“Shut up!” Qi Yueyao snapped. “There must be some misunderstanding!”

Qi Yun, assessing the situation, said gravely, “Regardless of who’s at fault or whether the peace talks are real, there’s no time to argue. The priority is to seal the barrier.”

“No!” Danbai cried out. “Our sect leader is still outside! You can’t seal it!”

“Sect leader? You mean Sect Leader Ye? Why is she out there?”

Before Ji Lingyue could explain, a scream came from outside the barrier, growing louder as a dark figure crashed down, rolling across the sand and leaving a long trail.

Coughing weakly, the figure came into view. Ji Lingyue recognized her and quickly redirected her sword shadows to avoid them. Yao Zhu shook the sand off her head, clutching the unconscious Xuan Yu as she stumbled forward. After placing Xuan Yu inside the barrier, she transformed into a fiery red fox and dashed back into the demon horde without a second glance.

“Yao Zhu!” Lingyue was shocked. She looked up and saw that the once-lush tree was now completely engulfed in darkness. Stripped of its vibrant green, it resembled a twisted, writhing monster.

Drip. Drip.

Thick blood trickled down the rough branches. Even with her extraordinary strength, facing thousands of demons at once was overwhelming. The intertwined vines formed a protective barrier, shielding her from the relentless onslaught and taking most of the pressure off her.

But one demon managed to break through.

With a metallic clang, the longsword glowing with spiritual light steadily blocked the iron axe that came slashing down. Ye Qingjun lifted her head and met Yuan Changning’s golden beast-like eyes. “Coming out of the barrier alone… I don’t know if you’re overconfident or just have a death wish.”

Ye Qingjun’s face was pale, but she smiled. “One life for three? I think it’s a fair trade.”

“Three lives?” Yuan Changning scoffed. “You think you can walk away from this?”

“Who said the third life is mine?” the woman raised an eyebrow. “You jumping in here saved me a lot of trouble.”

Yuan Changning froze, then burst into laughter. “You’re still so stubborn when death is upon you! You want to kill me? Can you even do it?!”

“Who knows?” Ye Qingjun narrowed her eyes, calm and collected. “I didn’t become sect leader just because I’m friends with Chi Jinghe.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the vines surrounding them burst into white flames. The demons clinging to the outside were caught off guard, their bodies scorched by the intense fire. They howled in pain and fell to the ground. Yuan Changning’s eyes widened in shock. “You have dual spiritual roots?”

“Wrong.” Ye Qingjun said, twirling her sword. A radiant golden lotus with twelve petals bloomed beneath her feet. She took a step forward, and a sharp sword aura erupted, slicing across Yuan Changning’s rough cheek.