Chapter 344

Chapter 344: Blood Cherry Joins the Battle, a Slash That Splits Mountains and Seas (Seeking Monthly Votes, Seeking Subscriptions)

No one knew if the northern aristocrats regretted their choices, but their faces turned deathly pale.

Having suffered two consecutive defeats—both at the hands of a woman—their displeasure was evident.

Now they also recognized how troublesome Yan Yunyu’s abilities truly were.

True, she lacked combat instincts, but her fearlessness toward foreign powers and ability to transfer injuries gave her an absurdly high margin for error.

The northern aristocrats hadn’t forgotten: Yan Yunyu wasn’t their true enemy. Mu Lin was.

And he still hadn’t lifted a finger.

While some wore bitter expressions, others in the northern camp smirked openly.

"Hmph! I warned you not to underestimate the Southeast Province," sneered Spirit Void Master, who’d been mocked as a coward during previous arguments. "They showed mercy by holding back. Your own stupidity forced Mu Lin into opposition…"

His words carried vindication. Having endured insults of cowardice before, he now relished watching the northerners squirm.

Naturally, his gloating drew ire.

"Shut your mouth! This isn’t over!"

As tensions flared, another development unfolded in the fighting arena—one that shocked the northern faction.

Yan Yunyu, victor over Lu Yun and Pan Gong… voluntarily stepped down from the platform.

Descending the steps, she murmured weakly:

"Mu brother… I can still fight."

Mu Lin rolled his eyes. Through the Other Shore Flower’s power, he sensed her true emotions—a turbulent mix of lingering fear and anxiety.

The cursed blade strike hadn’t physically harmed her, but the psychological damage was clear. Her brave front was just that: a facade to avoid seeming weak in his eyes.

Fortunately, Mu Lin saw through it.

"Rest," he said gently. "You don’t prove worth through battle alone."

"Courts need both civil and military leaders. Your management skills and merchant wisdom are what I truly need. Be my advisor—that’s how you’ll serve best."

His reassurance gradually steadied her trembling spirit.

Meanwhile, the northern aristocrats brightened at seeing Yan Yunyu withdraw.

"Is Mu Lin finally taking the stage?!"

Excitement rippled through their ranks. Though aware of Mu Lin’s superior strength, they clung to hope—after all, he was just one man against their hundred. Through relentless challenges, surely someone would find his weakness.

(Even video game players rally when facing final bosses, don’t they?)

But before their hopeful grins fully formed, a figure from the southern aristocrats leaped onto the platform.

However, the person who leaped onto the stage wasn’t Mu Lin as the northern prodigies had anticipated—it was Blood Cherry.

“Why’d you come up here?”

“A defeated general has no right to stand here!”

“Blood Cherry, stop messing around and get back!”

Her sudden appearance shocked both northern and southern factions.

Some northern cultivators who’d beaten her before sneered at the “loser,” while southern aristocrats dismissed it as another of Yan Yunyu’s reckless stunts.

But Blood Cherry’s next words froze the crowd:

“I fight not for myself, but for my lord Mu Lin… Three days ago, I swore allegiance to him.”

“?!!”

The declaration left everyone speechless. After a long pause, whispers erupted.

Someone turned to Elder Ge and marveled, “Your Ge family acts swiftly.”

“No—your resolve astounds us! Blood Cherry’s a prodigy wielding a spiritual weapon! How could you surrender such talent?”

Elder Ge hid his irritation—the magical blade wasn’t even their family’s inheritance, and they couldn’t stop Blood Cherry’s choice. Stroking his beard, he smiled benevolently:

“Why cling to regrets? Blood Cherry and Mu Lin are well-matched—a pairing blessed by heaven itself. We’d never hinder such destiny.”

He kept silent about her still being tied to the Ge family. But her move stirred anxiety—three powerful clans in Southeast Province already connected to Mu Lin, a future powerhouse. Those unaffiliated grew restless.

For now, it was mere unease. What followed, however, shattered their composure.

……

While southern aristocrats debated the Ge family’s costly gamble, northerners focused on defeating Blood Cherry.

One warned gravely: “Don’t underestimate her. Yan Yunyu’s a soft merchant—her spiritual weapon did all the work. But Blood Cherry? She’s a battle-hardened killer. Even before joining Mu Lin, she was formidable. Now she’s worse.”

Another scoffed: “Three days isn’t enough to change much.”

A black-armored cultivator vaulted onto the stage, black sword gleaming.

“I’ll handle her.”

……

Standing opposite Blood Cherry, the black-armored cultivator did not speak any insults. Though tormented by forbidden power, northern cultivators weren’t all reckless. He regarded Blood Cherry with respect, and she, too, felt a connection with him.

“Fang Mu, your sword techniques are formidable. I lost our last duel, and I’ve longed for a rematch.”

“But today, I fight for my lord. I’ll hold nothing back—swordplay alone won’t limit me.”

The black sword said little in reply. He simply drew his blade and stated calmly, “As it should be. I’ll also wield my forbidden power.”

A low hum filled the air as Blood Cherry and the black sword strode toward each other. Their energy surged, their momentum swelling until it crested—then erupted like a volcano.

With a roar, Blood Cherry’s body underwent a Giant Transformation. Her frame expanded massively, blood-red scales and jagged bone spines erupting across her skin. A spiraled crimson horn sprouted from her forehead. In moments, she towered over seven meters—a Dragon-blooded warrior, fearsome rather than fair. Her sheer size and menacing vertical pupils radiated crushing pressure, as if facing a primal predator. Blood-red lightning crackling around her only heightened her ferocity.

“Unbelievable… She’s suffocating me… Has she reached combining Essence and Evil?!”

“Impossible! Three days ago, she’d barely begun Refining the Evil!”

The crowd gaped. They’d expected growth after she allied with Mu Lin, but a tenfold leap in three days defied reason.

The black sword, meanwhile, faced overwhelming force. As Yan Yunyu triggered her own transformation, no physical change followed—but when his power peaked, a haze of gray particles drifted down. To the perceptive, these were remnants of dead spiritual energy, snuffed out by his essence of death. Yet compared to Blood Cherry’s visceral might, his Death Energy seemed subdued.

Still, he stood firm. “Momentum matters… but battle isn’t won by momentum alone.” Steeling himself, he met Blood Cherry’s gaze.

Their eyes locked—then both exploded into motion.

Post-transformation, Blood Cherry’s speed and strength had multiplied tenfold. Though her bulk hindered agility, her initial burst rivaled lightning. Fifty meters vanished in an instant; her charge left a crater where she’d stood as she slammed before the black sword.

The Slaughtering Blade in her grip stretched thirteen meters—a dragon-slaying long knife. Fueled by her titanic strength, its downward swing carried mountain-splitting force, sheathed in blood-red lightning.

Air screamed. Space quaked. The black sword’s pupils narrowed.

“Too fast… Too strong!”