Chapter 14
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Chapter 14: Title
“Senior sister!”
Yan Li severed the fierce beast’s neck and materialized beside the screaming junior. Her sword energy cleared space as Sanqing Realm disciples clustered around her, the youngest trembling in her grip.
“Formation,” Yan Li ordered, driving her blade into the earth. The steel’s thud steadied frantic hearts as disciples moved to obey.
The disciple nearest to her immediately raised her sword and shouted, “Formation!”
The defensive sword formation materialized instantly, protecting all Sanqing Realm disciples within. Pure white spiritual energy poured continuously into the formation’s core where a sword stood embedded.
“Watch over her.” Yan Li passed the unconscious disciple to the female disciple who had called out “Formation.”
When the dark blue six-petal flower emblem burst in the sky, Xia Shi was devising ways to lose Suiyin.
The explosion startled Suiyin. She tilted her head upward. “What’s that? A pretty flower.”
“Six-petal flower—Sanqing Realm’s emblem. That direction… must be where Yan Li’s group is.” Wen Zhishu’s face clouded with concern. “They might be in danger.”
Xia Shi pressed her lips tightly. She retrieved a palm-sized wooden token from her storage ring and thrust it at Wen Zhishu. “This contains sword energy for protection. Farewell.”
Without another word, she transformed into a streak of light darting toward where the Sanqing Realm emblem had flared.
Wen Zhishu gaped at the token, then turned bewildered eyes to Suiyin.
Teeth-grinding noises erupted as Suiyin glared at the vanishing light trail. “Charming. Couldn’t even spare me a glance.”
She shoved her own sword energy token at Wen Zhishu, muttered “Farewell,” and pursued the dwindling streak.
Wen Zhishu: “…”
Clutching two sword energy tokens, she stood as the wind whistled mournfully around her.
Meanwhile, Yan Li strained to channel spiritual power into the formation core. The blood-mist enshrouded beasts outside weren’t ordinary secret realm spirit beasts conjured from spiritual energy.
The Thirteen Ghost Domains had infiltrated the secret realm.
This realization hardened Yan Li’s expression. The Ghost Domains’ activities had grown brazen recently.
The formation’s encircling sword energy drew strength from its members. Though talented, the trial disciples lacked experience—Yan Li bore the formation’s main energy burden.
*Crack.*
“Senior Sister! Your sword—” The youngest disciple’s eyes widened at fissures crawling up the blade from where it met earth, soon marring half its length.
Yan Li’s knuckles whitened, but her energy flow never faltered. “It holds.”
The junior saw her senior’s pained resolve—withdrawing the sword would collapse the formation.
“Use mine!” The junior thrust forward her own sword, face solemn.
“Take mine!”
“Mine too!”
Others brandished their blades. Yan Li’s lips curved faintly, the ghost of a smile.
Her fingers traced the hilt’s familiar grooves. This sword—her Master’s gift upon entering Sanqing Realm—had stayed at her side through countless battles. No divine weapon, yet infinitely precious.
Her gaze swept over offered blades before settling on a plain iron sword.
Its owner shifted uneasily, eyes darting.
"Can I borrow your sword?" Yan Li gestured toward her.
"Ah? M-me?" The sword’s owner stammered, torn between delight and shame. "But my sword is too…"
Too plain. The words stuck in her throat.
She’d purchased this iron sword from a shop at the mountain’s foot for five spiritual stones. While thrilled that the Senior Sister wanted her blade, she burned with embarrassment – every other disciple’s sword was at least an artifact, while hers lacked even decorative flourishes. A sword so plain nobody would bother stealing it.
"May I borrow it?" Yan Li repeated softly.
"Go on!" urged nearby disciples. "The senior sister’s waiting!"
Head bowed, Qin An shuffled forward but couldn’t lift the sword.
"Your name?"
"Qin An… from Jingyang Peak." Her voice faltered as the iron sword left her grasp.
She looked up to see Yan Li testing the weight of her plain blade. Qin An’s face burned as she wrung her hands until the knuckles whitened. Why choose her shabby sword when others had better weapons?
"If I break it, I’ll replace it with something finer." Yan Li gave Qin An’s shoulder an encouraging pat. "Good sword."
Disciples assumed she wanted to spare her own blade from shattering as the formation’s focal point. None anticipated Yan Li darting from the sword formation, iron sword in hand, deliberately drawing the fierce beasts’ attention.
"Senior Sister!!"
"Come back!!"
Qin An gaped at the white-robed figure dancing among monstrous shadows, chest tightening until she could barely whisper: "Senior Sister…"
The demonic beasts kept attacking, oblivious to pain. Yan Li fought to lead them away from the sword formation, throat raw from panting. Yet the creatures moved with strange coordination – some pursuing her while others maintained their assault.
Controlled movements.
…Controlled.
Yan Li’s eyes narrowed as a distant whistle teased her ears.
This was intentional. Someone meant to slaughter Sanqing Realm disciples.
She flashed back into the formation, pressing her Master’s protective artifact into Qin An’s palm while eyeing her crumbling sword.
"Use this if the formation falls before I return."
Qin An suddenly clutched Yan Li’s wrist. "Don’t go," she begged, dread coiling in her gut. She refused to imagine what might happen, yet the fear remained.
Yan Li easily broke the gentle grip, pushing Qin An toward safety. After scanning the terrified junior disciples, she shot toward the whistle’s source. Find the controller quickly, protect the juniors, avoid troubling the Master.
This was her first time taking disciples out for training, and she couldn’t disappoint her Master.
Yan Li’s figure flashed swiftly, finding the whistle’s source within breaths—a woman standing sideways beneath a waterfall, her features concealed by black mist.
"How’s that? My control skills aren’t bad." The woman turned, her mist-shrouded eyes flashing with awe upon seeing Yan Li, followed by intense greed.
Yan Li’s face hardened. "Bullying teenagers to flaunt your control skills? Your shamelessness matches your thick skin!"
She lunged with her sword before the woman could reply.
The iron sword’s murderous intent sliced through air, making the waterfall seem to pause mid-crash.
The woman dodged effortlessly, hovering barefoot. She scoffed at the weapon. "That sword can’t kill me."
"I’ll try anyway." Yan Li’s confidence wavered. Though unable to discern the woman’s cultivation realm, she knew this opponent surpassed her.
"You show promise—might even achieve ascension to immortality someday. Why die for strangers?" The woman’s voice curled like a hook, prying at hidden vulnerabilities.
"You could just leave."
"Disciples share life and death." Yan Li channeled spiritual power into her blade. Water surged beneath the waterfall as she attacked with icy resolve. "I’m their senior sister!"
Qing Gui blinked in surprise—an iron sword manipulating water?
She’d underestimated this cultivator.
"Sanqing Realm… intriguing."
The iron sword shattered after the attack, leaving only its hilt.
Yan Li’s grip trembled. Had she struck true?
The mist obscured everything. She maintained defensive spiritual energy—swordless but not helpless.
A cold finger pressed against her neck proved her wrong.
Death lingered one breath away. Yan Li hadn’t sensed the woman’s movement.
"Remember your killer—Qing Gui, City Lord of Wanyou from Thirteen Ghost Domains." The ruler traced Yan Li’s profile from jaw to eyelid.
"Kill me then," Yan Li hissed, eyes squeezed shut.
Qing Gui forced their gazes to meet. "Not scared?"
When Yan Li stayed silent, the tyrant smirked. "Fine. Let’s kill your juniors instead."
A whistle pierced the air. Yan Li’s eyes flew open.
"No!"
Spiritual power coalesced into a long sword—chipped yet deadly—before her.
Yan Li froze.
This wasn’t her sword, but it was the only one she had now.
She snapped into action, gripping the blade that had flown to her and thrusting it through Qing Gui’s left shoulder.
The strike was blindingly fast—no longer a wielder guiding the sword, but the sword dragging its wielder. Yan Li was hurled forward by the weapon’s momentum.
With a thunderous crash, they slammed into the stone wall. Rubble cascaded behind Qing Gui as half the sword’s length buried itself into the rock, pinning her shoulder.
Hot blood sprayed across Yan Li’s face, dyeing her vision crimson. Gripping the hilt with both hands, she roared and wrenched the blade upward from Qing Gui’s collarbone.
The screech of metal against stone pierced Yan Li’s ears. Her hands trembled, strength failing.
As she plummeted over the waterfall’s edge, Yan Li glimpsed Qing Gui’s face through the blood haze—features contorted in fury and terror.
She’d severed the demon’s arm.
Icy water choked her nostrils. Darkness swallowed Yan Li whole.
