Chapter 53: Leaving a Glimmer of Hope

Zhou Kai was relatively unharmed; he had activated three or four defensive talismans. Along with his own protective aura, the ice spike's power, though immense, only pierced through four layers of defense. The aura still shielded him, leaving him unscathed.

But Wang Tao was not so fortunate. His protective aura twisted, distorted, and finally shattered; both his shoulder and calf were pierced by ice spikes. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth beneath the mask, and cold sweat drenched his forehead—he was filled with lingering fear. Had he not desperately evaded the vital points of his heart and head, his injuries would have been far more severe.

Yet there was no time for distraction. His flying sword, having lost control, was battered by Chu Xin’er until its glow dimmed. He hastily formed a hand seal and called the sword back to his side.

Sighing inwardly at the failure of her most powerful ice spike talisman, Chu Xin’er knew that victory was unlikely against two opponents. As Wang Tao and Zhou Kai recalled their spiritual weapons for defense, she did not press her advantage. Instead, with a mere thought, she retrieved her weapon and prepared to mount her flying sword and escape as a beam of light.

“Useless. You can’t even handle a mere slip of a girl? Looks like I’ll have to handle this myself.”

From the nearby forest, Huang Yipeng, who had been lurking in the shadows, could no longer contain his annoyance. He slapped his storage pouch and drew out a pale golden sword.

It was the Vajra Sword, a mid-grade magical weapon. With his cultivation at the peak of the thirteenth layer of the Qi Refining stage—just a foot away from the Foundation Establishment realm—breaking through Chu Xin’er’s protective aura would pose no difficulty at all.

The little sword expanded in the wind, transforming instantly into a golden longsword that shot toward the young woman’s back.

“Damn it, who are these people? Why are they so relentless in pursuing me?”

Chu Xin’er had kept her divine sense vigilant, so she detected the Vajra Sword even before it approached. The fact that these two masked figures showed no concern for the Green Leaf Sect was already suspicious. She had not activated her spirit vision in her right eye to see beneath their masks, as it required time and considerable cultivation to pierce through the magical disguise. Now, as a third masked man revealed himself, she was certain she had fallen into a carefully laid trap.

Yet the crisis left no room for hesitation. Chu Xin’er spun around swiftly, forming a seal with her hands. Her spiritual sword blazed with light and clashed fiercely with the Vajra Sword.

A deafening crash resounded.

The Vajra Sword, being a mid-grade weapon wielded by a cultivator at the very peak of the Qi Refining stage, was overwhelming. In a direct confrontation, Chu Xin’er stood no chance.

“This is bad… What should I do?”

As the other two masked assailants sneered and sent their weapons flying toward her again, Chu Xin’er’s heart raced with anxiety. Escape seemed impossible. She considered releasing Xiao Wenzi to draw their attention, but the little spirit’s strength could barely match a fourth-layer Qi Refining cultivator—he would amount to nothing more than cannon fodder in this battle.

Left with no choice, Chu Xin’er poured all her strength into controlling her two magical swords, weaving and dodging, hoping to buy time and await a miracle.

The valley echoed with continuous booms. Zhou Kai and Wang Tao, having suffered earlier, now held nothing back, while Huang Yipeng’s Vajra Sword was devastating in its ferocity.

Before long, with a series of brittle snaps, Chu Xin’er’s sword was left with several fine cracks. The connection between her mind and weapon meant she spat blood, her aura instantly weakening.

Taking advantage of her faltering state, the cunning Zhou Kai shattered her blue protective shield with a single strike. His sword halted mere inches from her throat, but Chu Xin’er, resolute and unyielding, paid no heed to the blade’s threat. She formed a decisive seal, ready to send her own sword spinning back—if escape proved impossible, she would rather end her life than be captured.

It was a desperate but logical plan. Yet reality rarely yields to one’s intent. Seeing the determination in Chu Xin’er’s eyes, Huang Yipeng’s lips curled with a cold smile beneath his mask. His hands moved rapidly, and with a flurry of attacks, he shattered her already damaged sword. The other sword was entangled by Wang Tao’s flying sword, unable to return to her aid.

In that brief moment, Zhou Kai’s sword, under his control, reversed direction and struck Chu Xin’er brutally in the abdomen. The pain convulsed her body, doubling her over helplessly.

“Master, what’s wrong? Why didn’t you call me to help? Quickly, release me—I’ll hold them off while you escape…”

At that moment, Xiao Wenzi’s anxious voice rang out in Chu Xin’er’s soul. He had sensed her sudden weakness and hurriedly reached out through their spiritual bond.

In truth, Xiao Wenzi’s motivation was not pure loyalty. If Chu Xin’er died, their master-servant contract meant he too was at risk of perishing. There was a chance he could be revived with a Crimson Heart, but still, Chu Xin’er had treated him well. She also had hundreds of fourth-layer system coins, enough to exchange for a dozen or so attack talismans—there was at least a sliver of hope for turning the tables.

His only concern was that if he kept unleashing talismans, Chu Xin’er would grow suspicious and discover his secrets. To avoid exposure, Xiao Wenzi urged her to flee.

“Xiao Wen, meeting you has been one of the greatest fortunes of my life. But you can’t defeat them. I’ll remove the imprint of ownership from your soul—if you get the chance, run for your life. If fate allows, avenge me one day…”

Not everyone in the cultivation world is heartless. Though Chu Xin’er was ruthless to her enemies, she was still a young girl. Moved by Xiao Wenzi’s offer to buy her time, she touched her spirit beast pouch, and as she released him, she also erased the mark of ownership from his soul.

Just then, seeing that Chu Xin’er was about to bite her tongue and commit suicide, Huang Yipeng darted forward, sending strands of spiritual energy into her body and sealing her completely.

Paralyzed and unable to act, Chu Xin’er could only long for death. Her sword fell, its spiritual glow dimmed. Zhou Kai and Wang Tao both exhaled in relief.

Yet none of them noticed the mosquito, three or four times larger than normal, concealed in the palm of the girl's half-clenched right hand.

Chu Xin’er had not released Xiao Wenzi directly before the three cultivators—after all, among them was a master of the thirteenth level with keen spiritual senses. Her hope was that, after her death, the assailants would merely rob her corpse and leave it in the wilderness, giving Xiao Wenzi a chance to survive and perhaps, one day, avenge her.

She had not expected, however, that they would not even allow her the chance to end her own life.