Chapter 86

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Chapter 86: Stars Beneath the Sea

On the other side of the Deep Sea, Ming He felt the momentum of waves rising behind her, causing her footsteps to pause slightly. She was no longer an ignorant small cultivator; now, being pulled by Qin Chu Yi away from the black-clothed men, she clearly knew someone had self-destructed.

Self-destruction meant unleashing all one’s spiritual energy, creating chaos in the world, using one’s life as the price to take down the enemy; killing eight hundred while destroying oneself by a thousand.

They were all elite disciples of great sects, the talents of the human race. Originally… they should have shone brightly, but they were forced to sacrifice themselves before they even fully developed.

She stopped to look back at the blood-red sea, her emotions roiling within. The words "alien race" became clearer and deeper in her heart.

From Mo Ze City to the Donghua Realm, she was awakening to the truth—humans and alien races could not coexist and were bound to be enemies.

“Ming He, we can’t stop yet,” Qin Chu Yi said, standing beside her. She could sense Ming He’s emotions; feelings like these were familiar to her, having seen countless tragedies before, yet it still pained her heart.

But pain was of no use.

There were many young, extraordinary cultivators like Xie Feihe, and even more who had perished in battle like him.

The geniuses of the human race needed to grow, but the alien races would not give them any time, so some must sacrifice their lives to warn others and buy them precious time.

It was merely a matter of choices.

“We still have unfinished business.” Therefore, they did not even have the right to mourn.

“Let’s go.” Qin Chu Yi gently took her hand, offering comfort, support, and guidance as a Senior Sister to her Junior Sister—a leading figure to those who followed.

Zhan Qing Yi and Qu Yanran had become separated from them while escaping the black-clothed men, and they could not afford to be lost again.

“Mm.” Ming He felt a slight tremor at the tender gaze from Qin Chu Yi, her heart moved. She didn’t say anything more, only deeply etched this moment’s feelings in her memory.

Those geniuses who died for her and Qin Chu Yi, all that blood and life, she would one day repay with her sword, seeking revenge from the alien races and the Black Wind Alliance, leaving none behind—blood for blood.

A resolute light shone in her eyes as she walked alongside Qin Chu Yi, their figures standing tall and unwavering under the dark currents of the Deep Sea, identical and resolute.

The star-shaped pattern beneath her heart trembled slightly, and the resonance of the Great Path silently resonated, witnessing the determination deep within her heart. The Sword Cultivator in Blue felt her heart pulsing, gradually turning bright gold, dazzling like the stars in the sky above.

“Ladies, how fortunate!” a cold and arrogant voice sounded behind them, followed by a dark green figure.

The soaring snake transformed into human form in the Deep Sea, standing before the coral reefs, smiling as it watched them with undisguised sharpness and disdain, as if looking down at ants from above.

“Have you been following us?” Qin Chu Yi immediately shielded Ming He behind her, her gaze directed at the newcomer, cold and frosty.

“Shh!” Mo She shook her head, “What you call following is in fact pursuit in the arena of love.”

She gave Ming He a glance from her elevated position, then turned to Qin Chu Yi, her eyes sparkling with covetousness and intrusion, “I merely want a taste of Yi Qing’s beauty.”

“Moreover, the Phoenix Fire Seed is something I, too, desire!” Mo She casually smiled, “Recently, my young leader has grown dissatisfied with my usefulness, so I must prove my worth.”

“I just didn’t expect such a coincidence would bring me this unexpected gain; now the beauty is mine, and the treasure is mine.” She gazed at Qin Chu Yi with affection.

“Yi Qing, I truly fell in love with you at first sight; you should yield to me.” As she spoke, she took slow, deliberate steps forward, confident there was no escaping for Qin Chu Yi.

“Clang!”

Qin Chu Yi drew her sword and pointed it ahead, her stunning face filled with rage and an endless chill. “You just witnessed everything but chose to stand aside without helping?”

“Indeed,” Mo She graciously stopped, standing still at the tip of her sword, undeterred.

“You…” Qin Chu Yi laughed bitterly in her fury, “The human and demon races have a treaty; during battle, you not only failed to assist but now you kick us when we’re down. Are you not afraid of being punished by the Demon Race?”

“Ha!” Mo She laughed derisively, “What if I told you this matter won’t be spread?”

The woman’s deep brown eyes glinted with murderous intent and icy resolve. “I merely wish to taste Yi Qing; after that…” She licked her lips, her mouth curving into a cold smile, “there will be no need to keep her alive. I’ll kill you all, take the compass, and find the Phoenix Fire Seed myself.”

“Even if this matter comes to light, and I obtain the Phoenix Fire Seed, the Demon Race won’t punish me. Even if the young leader wishes to hold me accountable, as long as the demon lord shields me, I’ll remain unscathed.”

Mo She raised an eyebrow and, with a lightning-fast flick, deflected Qin Chu Yi’s sword tip. Noticing her pale complexion, she imagined the events to come and felt a thrill. “If Yi Qing were at her peak, I might fear you a little, as you are indeed an extraordinary genius among the top talents of the Eastern Region.”

“But you seem gravely injured,” she said, her tone as cold as the Deep Sea. “You are no match for me.”

“Hmph.” Qin Chu Yi snorted coldly, exchanging a glance with Ming He, her right hand gripping her long sword tightly, knuckles white. “Then try me.”

Let’s see what this Young Master of the Qin Clan is capable of.

She lightly tapped the sword’s tip, causing it to tremble before shifting into another style of swordsmanship. This was the ancestral sword technique of the Qin Clan—fierce strikes and intricate maneuvers, a legendary method forged by her ancestors through the supreme Daoist path.

Though she couldn’t fully grasp the essence of her ancestors, she still bore the title of the Qin Clan’s Young Master. Despite years of suffering from cold poison, Qin Chu Yi remained Qin Chu Yi.

From the moment of her birth, she was the Qin Clan’s Young Master who stirred the heavens with her brilliance in the Ancient Emperor’s Tomb—a peerless genius, a figure the Black Wind Alliance and the Alien Race Hunting Hall had once sought to eliminate, a hero for the ages.

Ming He didn’t stand idly by; though injured, she was accustomed to fighting while wounded. She lightly tapped her toes and became a shadow beside Qin Chu Yi, just as she had in their previous battle against the black-clothed men in the Deep Sea.

The swordsmanship she wielded bore no connection to the Qin Clan’s ancestral techniques, yet as their long swords danced, it conveyed an unspoken harmony—beyond that of ordinary senior and junior sisters.

“Then I’ll test you.” Mo She maintained her casual demeanor, but her gaze turned sharp and focused, more so than ever before.

She had been intrigued by Qin Chu Yi from the moment they first met. She understood her capabilities better than anyone; the talents of the human race always surpassed her expectations.

“Swish!”

Mo She drew a long whip made from soaring snake skin, snapping it open. The whip moved like a shadow, stirring the deep sea waves.

Qin Chu Yi flicked her sword tip and advanced, entangling the whip with her blade. With a deft twist of her wrist, she directed the whip toward Mo She’s heart, the cold light of her sword merging with the deep sea waves, aiming to strike her down.

Ming He, staying low near the seabed, hooked her toes around a nearby reef and suddenly surged upward, closing the distance like a hungry tiger. Her long sword stirred the waters, empowered by Fourth-tier sword intent, her relaxed demeanor evoking a vast Daoist aura—a technique she had learned from Xie Dan Chen, the Falling Balance Sword.

This was one of the Floating Cloud Sect’s foundational techniques, the sword style of Luoheng Peak.

She wielded the Longquan Sword, a blade dedicated to decisive combat, launching an attack from Mo She’s left flank. When her first strike missed, she swiftly shifted her position, her blue clothes flowing through the water like a slippery eel, elusive and infuriating, leaving Mo She helpless.

“Good, very good!” Mo She swung her whip, evading Qin Chu Yi’s long sword. Suddenly, she was caught off guard as Ming He pierced her left shoulder, breaking her defenses.

The Sword Cultivator in Blue radiated a resolute spirit, her blade aimed to pierce Mo She’s shoulder, her decisiveness rivaling the strongest human cultivators Mo She had ever encountered.

Mo She clutched her left shoulder and stepped back, not angry but smiling. “I thought I had given you enough credit, but it seems I underestimated you.”

“Then let’s end this quickly.” The longer they delayed, the more likely other human geniuses would arrive.

She reverted to her true form, her tail sweeping across the seabed, shattering nearby reefs as the waves surged.

The soaring snake didn’t stop; it expelled a gust of wind that sent Ming He and Qin Chu Yi flying. The attack was sudden, and with the demon’s true form far stronger than her human one, they found themselves powerless in the water.

Ming He coughed up blood, her energy chaotic. As she sank into the Deep Sea, she fell into an unconscious slumber, unable to assist despite her will.

She struggled to her feet, her long sword dripping with blood, her fingers pale and red from exertion. By sheer willpower, she kept the sword in her grip. She still had fight left in her, but she was no match for Mo She.

Yet Mo She wasn’t faring much better.

Ming He smiled faintly, watching as the soaring snake spat blood and reluctantly returned to her human form. Supporting Qin Chu Yi, she turned to Mo She and spoke with her remaining strength, “I didn’t expect this! This is the backlash you face as a demon.”

She enunciated each word clearly, “Before I reach the Wind Master realm, any attack from the Demon Race will incur backlash. If I die here today, the young leader you serve won’t fare any better.”

After all, in the ancient cave dwelling in Luoyin City on the Ninth Continent, Nineteen had once forced the young leader of the Demon Race, Ji Wu Xu, to swear a Blood Oath. That was Nineteen’s protection for her, and who would have thought it would be invoked here first?

Earlier, when the black wolf pursued her outside Ding Kang City, Ji Wu Xu must have been affected as well.

“Hmph.” Mo She sneered, “I’ll leave you with just enough breath to watch how I enjoy myself with your Senior Sister.”

She stood up, leaping forward, closing the distance in an instant, and kicked Ming He to the ground. With her right hand, she reached for Qin Chu Yi, pulling her close. Lowering her head, excitement flickered across her pale, blood-stained lips as she smiled and leaned in.

“Clang.”

Ming He clenched her teeth, summoning strength from somewhere deep within. In a flash, she leaped from the ground, her long sword slicing through the air like a dragon, forcing Mo She back. She grabbed Qin Chu Yi’s hand, pulling her out of Mo She’s grasp. “As long as I draw breath, I won’t let you harm my Senior Sister.”

Her words rang with unyielding resolve, her long sword hanging low, exuding a relaxed demeanor and the indomitable spirit of a sword cultivator—unyielding, unbroken.

“Then I’ll take that breath from you!” Seeing her prize slip away, Mo She’s usual indifference shattered into rage. She swung her long whip with no restraint.

The whip surged forward, carrying the force of a thunderstorm, striking with the ferocity of a dragon. Ming He stood frozen, enveloped by Mo She’s murderous intent, unable to resist—there was no escape, only certain death.

“Thud!”

At the last possible moment, Ming He’s vision blurred. Qin Chu Yi, unnoticed, had regained consciousness and straightened up, shielding Ming He with her body. With a punch, her right fist shot forward, striking Mo She squarely and sending her reeling, her form flickering between human and beast.

Ming He had no thought for Mo She’s fate; her entire focus was on Qin Chu Yi. The woman’s white robes were now drenched in blood, crimson droplets falling from her lips, each one splashing onto Ming He’s face, blurring her vision.

“Senior Sister!” Ming He cried, catching her. Almost instinctively, she whispered, “Why?” Why risk her life to save her?

A dark current surged from behind, pulling them both into its depths. Ming He used the last of her strength to hold Qin Chu Yi tightly, unable to resist, her body carried along by the relentless flow.

“I promised to keep you safe.” Qin Chu Yi’s faint and ethereal voice was barely audible, “Of course, I must keep my word.”

Keep you safe.

Ming He’s heart trembled, her voice lost, her only instinct to hold Qin Chu Yi tighter, refusing to let the current tear them apart. The roaring tide surrounded them, but her gaze remained fixed on Qin Chu Yi.

“Senior Sister, you’re badly hurt!” The wounds on Qin Chu Yi’s body still bled, and seawater poured in. The Water Manipulation Technique had failed, and the Mermaid Pearl could no longer shield them from the suffocating pressure of the Deep Sea.

How could this be?

Panic and despair overwhelmed Ming He as she stared at Qin Chu Yi’s ghostly pale face. Why did the Mermaid Pearl protect her but not Qin Chu Yi?

Qin Chu Yi was too gravely injured to muster the energy to shield them from the crushing depths. What could she do?

Star Lock!

Ming He glanced down at her chest, barely able to summon the Star Lock now. Star Power! The Star Power could save her Senior Sister.

Clutching at her last hope, she channeled Star Power into Qin Chu Yi’s heart, but her complexion remained deathly pale. The seawater gnawed at her wounds, leaving her gasping for air.

What could she do? Ming He had never felt so helpless. She couldn’t save Qin Chu Yi; she was powerless, a failure.

Qin Chu Yi tugged lightly at her sleeve, a faint smile gracing her lips. She seemed to want to tell Ming He not to grieve—this was her choice.

She had always valued her life above all else, for she needed to survive, to cultivate, to grow strong. She dreamed of fighting on the battlefield of the heavens, of eradicating the alien races, of standing beside her brother and avenging her mother.

But if those dreams meant sacrificing Ming He’s life…

Her thoughts faltered—if her death could ensure Ming He lived, perhaps it was worth it.

But why? Was it because Ming He could fulfill her dreams?

She knew better than anyone the talent of the Sword Cultivator in Blue. The Star Lock had chosen its master for her extraordinary gifts. If she grew strong, she would become a force to strike fear into the alien races.

She would lead the human race to victory; Qin Chu Yi was certain of it.

Yet, in that moment, her instinct was clear: Ming He could not die. She would not let her die.

It had nothing to do with talent, alien races, or the Star Lock; at that moment, she simply didn’t want anything to happen to her. Qin Chu Yi couldn’t fathom why, and she probably wouldn’t have the chance to understand.

She could only smile at Ming He, relieved that she was safe.

Ming He didn’t grasp her thoughts. She only stared at Qin Chu Yi’s smile, her heart heavy as if struck hard, causing her to feel a dull pain that nearly took her breath away.

Breathe? Ming He’s eyes widened as she recalled something, glancing at Qin Chu Yi’s lips. Mo She’s whip had indeed inflicted severe injuries, but what threatened Qin Chu Yi’s life now was her inability to breathe.

The Deep Sea cut off her last chance, but she was not without options. The Mermaid Pearl couldn’t protect Qin Chu Yi, but it could shield her; if Qin Chu Yi couldn’t breathe, then she could.

Ming He’s eyes sparkled. Her right hand trembled as she sheathed her Longquan Sword, pulling Qin Chu Yi into her embrace, regardless of where the current might take them.

She cupped Qin Chu Yi’s face with her left hand and slowly lowered her gaze. Qin Chu Yi’s lips, a beautiful contrast of blood red and pale, struck her as magnificent and desolate. Through the waves of the Deep Sea, she could sense her beauty clearly.

If Qin Chu Yi couldn’t breathe, then Ming He would be her air.

It was merely a matter of breathing underwater. Ming He silently cursed herself for realizing this too late, but luckily, it wasn’t too late.

She leaned in, and Qin Chu Yi’s lips felt as she had imagined at first—ice-cold like jelly, with a hint of fresh blood and an underlying floral fragrance that even had a bit of sweetness.

Ming He instinctively licked her lips, and while channeling Star Power into Qin Chu Yi’s heart, she transmitted the air provided by the Mermaid Pearl.

As their lips touched, the Deep Sea surged around them. Ming He kept her eyes open, and amid the crashing waves, she faintly saw Qin Chu Yi’s delicate eyelashes fluttering as if they had blinked into her heart.

Qin Chu Yi did not close her eyes either; she numbly felt the softness and vitality on her lips. The pressure of the Deep Sea suddenly vanished, removing the suffocating sensation that the water caused. In that moment, she felt reborn; it was a wonderful experience.

Even those nearing death, prepared for the end, would be astonished by the return of life.

Ming He’s lips brought that life to her, like green plants miraculously flourishing in a long-dry desert after a sudden rain.

Qin Chu Yi kept her eyes wide open as she watched Ming He pull away momentarily before leaning in again, pressing warmth and hope against her lips with sincerity and fervor.

Their eyes met, and in Ming He’s gaze, she saw her own reflection—a clearly pale face bearing a hint of blush, her dark eyes, shining like obsidian, filled with more springtime warmth than her inherent peach blossom eyes. Is this really her?

Qin Chu Yi felt a twinge of strangeness, yet underneath it all was a joy that she could not hide, coupled with a hint of shyness. The handsome face of the Sword Cultivator in Blue was so close, swept along in the current, but Ming He held her securely.

The Mermaid Pearl at Ming He’s waist continued to shine with a white light.

Qin Chu Yi remembered Bai Mengjiao and recalled the question she had asked Ming He earlier—saving beauty with beauty; it was not about Ming He saving Bai Mengjiao, but about their mutual rescue.

If it were anyone else, if it were any other young cultivator, no matter how talented, why would she risk her life for them?

She also remembered her previous conversation with Zhan Qing Yi regarding Ming He, when Zhan Qing Yi had said, “The honorable Young Master of the Qin Clan seems destined to fall into the hands of a disciple of Liu Yun Sect.”

At the time, Qin Chu Yi had dismissed it with a carefree smile.

But now, as her heart trembled, she found Zhan Qing Yi’s words to be spot on; she had indeed fallen for Ming He.

She had actually developed feelings for Ming He!