Chapter 278

Chapter 278: Breaking the Shackles of the Heart

At that moment, Xue Feishuang exuded the presence of a powerful general, a true leader. Even when facing the Saint, Lie Qianlong, she remained fearless, fully intent on slaying him.

However, Yuluan was stunned.

“Me?”

She pointed at herself in disbelief.

Zhang Yang frowned. Xue Feishuang’s actions seemed unusual, as if she were planning something deeper.

Though puzzled, he trusted Xue Feishuang completely. He remained silent, quietly observing, eager to see her true intent.

The others including Ling Yue and Xu Li, Ironback Blue Bull, Golden Ape, the Four Raging Demons, and the Four Ghosts, all stared in shock.

That was a Saint!

Even a frail, dying Saint could still kill them with a single finger.

Xue Feishuang’s voice was unwavering. “Yes, I command you to slay Lie Qianlong.”

Yuluan swallowed nervously, glancing at the aged Lie Qianlong once more.

His cold, bloodthirsty eyes sent a chill down her spine. Instinctively, she reached out, gripping both Xue Feishuang and Zhang Yang’s hands, subconsciously seeking their reassurance.

“Sister, he’s a Saint,” Yuluan said hesitantly.

Xue Feishuang’s expression turned cold. “Are you refusing to obey me?”

Yuluan trembled. She feared Xue Feishuang deeply, and her body shook as she stammered, “O-Okay, I’ll do it!”

Clenching her teeth, she drew the Silver Dragon Holy Sword and turned to face Lie Qianlong.

The old man watched with amusement, as if he were observing an ant’s final struggle. The deep wrinkles on his face creased further as he smirked, giving him an even crueler demeanor.

Yuluan’s hands trembled around the sword’s hilt. She instinctively looked at Zhang Yang.

“Attack!” Xue Feishuang ordered.

Yuluan shut her eyes tightly, grit her teeth, and yelled, “Kill!”

She truly charged forward.

“Hahaha, how amusing. Ants!”

The word barely left Lie Qianlong’s mouth before his expression twisted in shock. His eyes widened as he roared, “Ants! You dare to ambush a Saint?!”

Suddenly, a brilliant holy light erupted from his body.

The icy aura of the holy light made it feel as though towering glaciers had descended upon the palace.

However, despite its terrifying radiance, it did not unleash the kind of holy might that would shake the Green Sparrow Palace.

Strangely, it did not even affect those present.

Zhang Yang quickly noticed something, beneath Lie Qianlong’s feet, intricate Forbidden Law Patterns had begun to surface.

At first glance, they appeared to be only a dozen or so, but with Zhang Yang’s current mastery of the saintly path, he could see beyond the surface. Hidden beneath them lay tens of thousands, perhaps even more, only partially revealed due to their sheer complexity.

“The Forbidden Law of Saints!”

“How dare you ambush me?!” Lie Qianlong bellowed in fury.

He unleashed his power, weaving holy light into sharp swords that violently struck the ground.

Zhang Yang quickly deduced that this had to be Xue Feishuang’s doing.

This meant she had anticipated this situation long before it happened.

She had prepared for it.

She had brought the power of the Vast Forest here in advance.

At that moment, Zhang Yang caught sight of Xue Feishuang subtly gripping a Forbidden Law Stone within the sleeve of her robe.

Of course, suppressing a Saint wasn’t as simple as just using a Forbidden Law Stone—there had to be deeper strategies involved. Otherwise, even a dying Saint would have been impossible to restrain.

Such a sudden turn of events made Yuluan, who had been paralyzed with fear, feel slightly more at ease.

However, for some reason, as she watched Lie Qianlong struggle desperately, an inexplicable tension still gripped her heart.

Her hand, which clutched the sword, remained unsteady.

"Yuluan, don’t hesitate," Xue Feishuang commanded.

Yuluan suddenly felt her hands grow slick with sweat as she cautiously approached Lie Qianlong.

"Roar!"

Lie Qianlong howled in fury. Though he was restrained and unable to unleash his full strength, the old Saint still exuded a fierce, commanding presence, like a tiger poised to strike. His power was undeniable, and despite his predicament, he still instilled fear.

Not only was Yuluan visibly shaken, but Ling Yue, Xu Li, Ironback Blue Bull, Golden Ape, Chen Mo, the Four Raging Demons, the Four Ghosts, and everyone else breathed heavily in tension.

Seeing this, Zhang Yang frowned deeply.

At last, he understood the purpose behind Xue Feishuang’s actions.

He exchanged a glance with her, and in that silent moment, they understood each other’s thoughts perfectly.

His mind drifted back to Mo City, the time he decided to kill the newly emerged Saint Liu Yinhua of the Liu family. Back then, he hadn’t thought much about it. In hindsight, he realized he had been overly excited and agitated at the time, which had prevented him from noticing key details.

Now, as he observed Yuluan, everything became clearer.

Back in Mo City, she had carried herself like a bandit queen, arrogant and fearless. Yet, whenever the topic of Saints arose, her demeanor would change. She would grow quiet, stealing hesitant glances whenever someone mentioned slaying a Saint.

Even at Moonview Tower, when she struck a deal with Yi Ren Zui, she hadn’t displayed the shrewdness one would expect from someone of her background. She could have demanded far more for herself, yet she had ended up surrendering almost everything to Yi Ren Zui, allowing Yilie to benefit instead.

Had she harbored a deep-seated fear of Saints all along?

Zhang Yang recalled another moment at the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins.

When faced with a Saint, she had completely lost her voice. She had hidden behind him, avoiding the Saint’s gaze entirely.

Yuluan was like that.

And the others weren’t much different.

They all stood frozen, gripped by fear, as they watched Lie Qianlong struggle violently against his restraints.

At that moment, Zhang Yang finally understood.

For those of noble birth, Saints represented something profound.

From the moment they were born, they were taught that Saints were invincible, supreme beings who stood beyond the reach of ordinary mortals. They were indoctrinated with the belief that Saints were undefeatable, instilling in them a natural reverence, and fear that shaped their very existence.

But Zhang Yang was different.

Unlike them, he had not grown up worshiping Saints. He had encountered them for the first time in battle. Even though he held Chi Zhenyi’s soul and life in his hands, his unique bloodline had allowed him to shatter his inner shackles easily. He was fearless.

However, for those who could not break free from this ingrained fear, significant breakthroughs in martial arts would always remain out of reach. Even if they possessed immense talent, they would never go beyond the Saint realm. They would forever be bound by fear, unable to even dream of reaching Eternal Night.

The Vast Forest existed because of Zhang Yang.

He was destined to break through Eternal Night.

So how could the people of the Vast Forest allow their inner fears to hold them back?

"Roar!"

Lie Qianlong let out another furious howl.

In his desperation, the holy power within him surged violently. Holy light condensed into a sword, and the seals binding him began to crack beneath his strength.

He was trying to break free.

Yuluan gripped her sword tightly, staring at Lie Qianlong. It felt as if she had been pulled back into a long-forgotten memory, one she had buried deep within herself.

A memory she had never dared to confront.

She had been hunted by a Saint as a child.

The world had turned upside down—the sun and moon had lost their light. She remembered the one who had protected her, how they had been slaughtered before her very eyes. That day had left an indelible scar on her soul.

Not everyone facing an invincible enemy could remain fearless and undaunted in their pursuit of revenge. In reality, most were paralyzed by terror or even despair, ultimately surrendering completely.

Yuluan was no exception.

She had lived under the shadow of that fear for far too long.

"Yuluan, if you don’t slay the Saint, he will break free!" Xue Feishuang’s voice was cold, cutting through her hesitation.

Yuluan’s grip on the Silver Dragon Holy Sword trembled.

"If he escapes, you will die, I will die, and Zhang Yang will die," Xue Feishuang continued, her voice deadly serious.

"No!"

Yuluan’s body jolted, and she screamed reflexively.

"Who dares to kill you?! Who dares to kill Zhang Yang?! I will slay him! Slay him! Slay him!"

Her eyes burned red with fury.

These two Xue Feishuang and Zhang Yang were her reasons for survival. The thought of losing them meant more to her than losing her own life.

"If you don’t want me and Zhang Yang to die, then kill him!" Xue Feishuang shouted.

"Kill!"

Yuluan suddenly threw her head back.

Nervousness, fear, anxiety, and rage—all of it erupted in that instant, shaking the very foundation of the psychological shadow that had haunted her since childhood.

"Kill!"

She swung the Silver Dragon Holy Sword.

"No!"

Lie Qianlong’s furious cries were in vain.

Crack!

A blade of silver light flashed.

A severed head, no larger than a fist, flew through the air.

Lie Qianlong was beheaded.

That strike did more than just kill a Saint.

It severed the chains that had bound Yuluan’s heart for so long.

As she stared at the Saint’s blood dripping from her sword, she suddenly threw her head back and let out a long, resounding howl, one that shook the heavens.

It was as if something had awakened within her.

Her bloodline surged violently. A dragon’s roar erupted from within her, and a Chi Dragon King, as flawless as jade, materialized in the air.

She had broken free from her inner shadows.

She no longer feared Saints.

Her bloodline had fully awakened.