Chapter 114: Chapter 112: Self-Destruction
The faces of Li Yueyun and the four Spirit Moon Sect Elders fell. They never expected the Mountain Sect to appear here.
But they had acted in utmost secrecy. How could the Mountain Sect have known Jiang Ling’Er would take this path? It was as if they had been lying in wait the whole time, a step ahead of the Spirit Moon Sect.
Li Yueyun had only been able to predict Jiang Ling’Er’s path because she, as her master, knew about the unique encounter she’d had in the Moonlight Forest.
Originally, only a handful of them knew about this. But now...
With a grim expression, Li Yueyun faced the Minor Grandmaster. "Minor Grandmaster Jiang Song, the capture of Jiang Ling’Er is a matter of life and death for my Spirit Moon Sect. I beg you to stay your hand. The Spirit Moon Sect would never forget such a kindness!"
Jiang Song, a Minor Grandmaster from the Mountain Sect, was at the Innate Seventh Layer Initial Realm. He had only recently broken through to the Minor Grandmaster Realm, but his strength alone was enough to effortlessly crush Li Yueyun and her entire group. They didn’t have the slightest chance to fight back.
He gave a sinister smile and looked at Li Yueyun. "Originally, all Jiang Ling’Er had to do was agree to the Feng Family’s Young Master, and your Spirit Moon Sect would have become the top sect in the Celestial Pearl Country. But you’re the ones who tossed that chance aside. Besides, your Spirit Moon Sect has always aimed to replace our Mountain Sect. We’ve always been on opposite sides. Why would we pass up an opportunity to grind the Spirit Moon Sect under our heels?"
A wave of despair washed over the members of the Spirit Moon Sect at Jiang Song’s words.
Fighting Jiang Song to rescue Jiang Ling’Er was unthinkable; they were simply no match for him. But if the Mountain Sect captured her, their Spirit Moon Sect, even if not destroyed outright, would face constant suppression. They would be reduced to the lowest-ranked sect in the Celestial Pearl Country, and it might not be many years before the Spirit Moon Sect ceased to exist entirely.
Li Yueyun gave a tragic smile. "We wouldn’t dare compete with you, Minor Grandmaster Jiang Song. We will take our leave now."
She finished speaking and gave Jiang Ling’Er a deep, long look, her eyes filled with helplessness, regret, and perhaps something more.
But Li Yueyun had only led her people a few steps away when Jiang Song’s cold voice drifted over. "Since you’re already here, why bother leaving?"
A chill went down the spines of the Spirit Moon Sect members. They knew exactly what he meant: he was going to kill them all to silence them.
At the same time, a dozen or so Mountain Sect experts, all at the Innate Third Layer or higher, flickered into motion. They formed a tight circle, cutting off all escape.
Things were changing too fast. Throughout it all, Jiang Ling’Er had been watching coldly from the sidelines, using the opportunity to recover her strength. Her Water Spirit Power was already mending her wounds.
"Minor Grandmaster Jiang Song, we’ve already given up! Why are you doing this?" Li Yueyun demanded, her expression grim.
"An act like this is bound to trigger a war to the death between our sects! If the Spirit Moon Sect unleashes its full power, even if your Mountain Sect isn’t destroyed, you’ll suffer a grievous blow! How much of your strength would even be left?"
The faces of the other Spirit Moon Sect members were ashen. Some of the younger disciples were so scared their legs had begun to tremble.
In the presence of a Minor Grandmaster, they lacked even the courage to fight. Not that courage would have mattered—the result would be a slaughter. Nothing could change that.
"I sealed this area long ago with techniques befitting a Grandmaster. How could news of what happens here possibly spread?" Jiang Song said, his voice dripping with cold malice.
Li Yueyun fell silent for a moment, seemingly resigned to her fate. "A Restriction has been cast over this place," she said. "We can’t escape, and no news can get out. We know we’re going to die. Since that’s the case, Minor Grandmaster Jiang Song, why not let us die with some clarity? Tell us who informed you that you could intercept Jiang Ling’Er here. I refuse to believe the Mountain Sect has an Inference Master skilled in Divination!"
Jiang Song said nonchalantly, "Li Yueyun, you’re a sharp woman. I suspect you already know who it is, even if I don’t say it. Shii Xiaoyu, the future Sect Leader of the Spirit Moon Sect. And, of course, she has always been a disciple of our Mountain Sect’s Dark Sect."
Everyone from the Spirit Moon Sect, except for Li Yueyun, stared at Shii Xiaoyu in utter disbelief.
"Xiaoyu... is it true?" a senior sister from the Spirit Moon Sect, one who was usually quite close to her, asked in disbelief.
"So the Mountain Sect’s Dark Sect disciples are real... I thought it was just a rumor. The Spirit Moon Sect has been investigating this for so long, but we never found anything..." An Elder from the Spirit Moon Sect sighed, her face filled with disappointment as she looked at Shii Xiaoyu. "Xiaoyu... so it was you all along. *Sigh*."
Shii Xiaoyu’s face was a mask of indifference. The moment her cover was blown, she had moved to stand beside Minor Grandmaster Jiang Song. She swept her gaze over her former sect members. "Don’t you worry, you can all go to your deaths," she said. "The Spirit Moon Sect will surely prosper in my hands!"
Hearing Shii Xiaoyu’s heartless words, the members of the Spirit Moon Sect stared at her with pure hatred. If she were to become the next Sect Leader, the Spirit Moon Sect would essentially become a subsidiary of the Mountain Sect. What difference was there between that and complete annihilation?
But Li Yueyun’s expression was now surprisingly calm. Ever since Shii Xiaoyu’s identity had been exposed, she hadn’t spared her a single glance or uttered a word of reproach. Instead, she turned her gaze to Jiang Ling’Er. "Ling’Er," she said, "this time, it was my fault. You don’t blame me, do you?"
Jiang Ling’Er stood there, her expression serene. "I told you before," she said. "I have always considered you my master."
This time, Li Yueyun smiled, a smile of pure relief. Her gaze softened as she looked at Jiang Ling’Er. "In this lifetime, I, your master, took on two disciples. One was your junior sister, Shii Xiaoyu, and the other was you. As the senior sister, after I’m gone, I’ll leave it to you to discipline her. Alright?"
"I know your junior sister has never seen eye-to-eye with you, but you’ve never truly let it bother you. She probably doesn’t remember, when she was five years old, during the coldest winter the Celestial Pearl Country had ever seen... The wind and snow were raging, and it was you who carried her, unconscious, from the foot of the mountain up to the Spirit Moon Sect..."
As she spoke these words, Li Yueyun suddenly burst into action. In an instant, she appeared beside Jiang Ling’Er. Then, with all her might, she flung Jiang Ling’Er away. At almost the exact same moment, Li Yueyun shot up into the sky, her body erupting into a blindingly brilliant expanse of Spiritual Light that filled the world.
Self-destruction!
An expert at the Innate Fifth Layer Perfect Realm had suddenly self-destructed without any warning. Not even Minor Grandmaster Jiang Song had time to react.
The powerful energy from the self-destruction surged into the void, striking the Restriction that Jiang Song had personally laid. It wavered, and countless cracks spiderwebbed across its surface.
A spiritual projection of Li Yueyun appeared in the sky. She was smiling gently, a look of bliss on her face, because Jiang Ling’Er had finally made it into the Moonlight Forest.
She had never been the most powerful, but her life had been remarkable nonetheless. She had accepted two disciples: one was Shii Xiaoyu, and the other, Jiang Ling’Er!
Li Yueyun’s soul dissolved into a final burst of energy and surged toward the heavens!
BOOM!
The Restriction that had sealed the area finally shattered. And in that same instant, Li Yueyun’s soul dissipated completely.
Shii Xiaoyu raised her head to the sky. Her tears would no longer fall!
