บท 82: Battle at the Mountain
Seeming to realize that escape was impossible, SiTu Fanzhi locked his hands around Li Luoning's wrists, unleashing a powerful force from within, intending to destroy his inner core and take Li Luoning with him.
The golden light before Li Luoning grew blinding, but the eerie blue glow in his eyes began to fade.
In the instant he saw Mi Xingzhe rush past him, Li Luoning snapped back to reality. He broke free from SiTu Fanzhi's grasp, pulled Mi Xingzhe into his arms, and turned to shield him, casting an icy shield to protect them both.
The immense power from SiTu Fanzhi's self-destruction shattered his body into burning fragments, scorching the ground within several dozen feet and breaking through Li Luoning's icy shield.
Even with the shield, Li Luoning was injured by the blast, feeling a burning sensation in his chest before coughing up blood.
"Master!" Mi Xingzhe, protected in Li Luoning's arms, felt warmth on his shoulder. Turning, he saw Li Luoning's pale face, unfocused eyes, and his body swaying before collapsing.
Catching Li Luoning, Mi Xingzhe held him close. "Master, wake up!"
"Nian... Nian'er," Li Luoning weakly lifted his hand, his voice faint as he looked at Mi Xingzhe.
"Master, don't die! I promise I'll listen to you from now on, I swear. Please don't leave me," Mi Xingzhe cried, his voice filled with desperate pleading as tears streamed down his face.
"I'm fine, Nian'er, don't worry." Seeing Mi Xingzhe's panicked tears, Li Luoning found it somewhat amusing. Though very weak, he wasn't near death. He wondered why his little disciple was crying so bitterly.
[The timing is perfect.] O Shinan, who had been watching from the rooftop, sensed the opportune moment. "You've all seen it, right? Immortal Master Xiao Yi committed treason and attacked the Immortal Lord." He ended the recording with the Empty Flower Token.
Li Luoning patted Mi Xingzhe's arm, signaling someone approaching.
Mi Xingzhe followed the direction Li Luoning indicated and saw O Shinan casually walking to where SiTu Fanzhi had self-destructed. O Shinan's delicate fingers, holding a black-gold fan, poked at the ground, summoning fragments glowing with golden-purple light.
"Though broken, they still have power." O Shinan absorbed the fragments of SiTu Fanzhi's inner core. As he opened his eyes, he felt an immense power. His dark green pupils glowed golden, and his hands radiated purple, red, and gold light.
"What do you want?" Mi Xingzhe asked warily, now distrustful of anyone from the Liao Yin Immortal Realm.
"Immortal Master Xiao Yi, I never thought a mere disciple would make you go to such lengths. If I'd known, I wouldn't have bothered with all this trouble; I would've just kidnapped him." O Shinan glanced dismissively at the master and disciple, his tone mocking.
Li Luoning signaled Mi Xingzhe to help him up. "You've done all this just to have me kill him for you?"
"Yes, but not entirely." O Shinan smiled lightly, still exuding the elegance of a gentleman. He half-covered his face with his fan, nodding slightly, "I wouldn't be satisfied with such a small gain."
Before finishing his sentence, O Shinan's eyes filled with murderous intent. He lunged at the master and disciple.
Prepared, Li Luoning pushed Mi Xingzhe aside and intercepted O Shinan's attack. Already injured, Li Luoning struggled to block the blow.
Mi Xingzhe, reacting quickly, tried to help but was caught by a black-purple force from O Shinan, which lifted him by the neck.
Li Luoning hadn't expected O Shinan to be so powerful and was at a loss for how to handle the situation.
"Immortal Master Xiao Yi, will you exchange your inner core for your disciple's life again?" O Shinan taunted, his voice icy.
"Master... don't... don't give it to him," Mi Xingzhe choked out, unable to summon the Floating Light Golden Seal.
"Silence." O Shinan tightened his grip, causing Mi Xingzhe to struggle for breath, his face turning red, veins bulging, and vision blurring.
Allowing this treacherous person to rule the three realms would be disastrous. But if he didn't agree, Mi Xingzhe's life was in danger.
"Well, Immortal Master Xiao Yi, make your choice. I'm running out of patience," O Shinan's voice was dangerously low.
Li Luoning knew this decision was not just about life and death but potentially the fate of the three realms.
O Shinan didn't plan to give him much time to think. He knew Mi Xingzhe was Li Luoning's weakness, "Choose!"
"I... I choose..." Li Luoning, tearful and hesitant, began to speak.
"Stop!" A powerful voice interrupted, and a strong sword wind split Li Luoning and O Shinan apart.
O Shinan retreated, dropping Mi Xingzhe, who fell to the ground. Qingyuan stood between them, holding the Cuiyun Blade.
"Little junior, are you alright?" Yue Ruling, who had come with him, helped Mi Xingzhe to Li Luoning's side.
"Escaping the dungeon just to join the fray, you two are just like your master, meddling in everything," O Shinan said displeased.
"A mere flower demon, daring to try and dominate the world, is audacious!" Qingyuan rebuked sternly.
O Shinan's expression darkened at being called a flower demon again, a murderous look in his eyes. "God of War Qingyuan, have you forgotten? The entire Liao Yin Immortal Realm is under my control, and you are just a guard dog."
"You!" Qingyuan was momentarily speechless, gripping his blade and glaring at O Shinan.
Seeing the situation, O Shinan knew he couldn't defeat all four of them alone. With a reluctant look, he threw a smoke bomb and vanished.
"Immortal Master Xiao Yi, I will have that Moon Shadow Pill," O Shinan's voice echoed in the air as he disappeared.
Mi Xingzhe, snapping out of his shock, exclaimed, "It's him! He is the one!" He started to give chase but was held back by Yue Ruling.
"Where are you going?"
"It's him! He's Nan Zhe! He's the one who killed Miss Ruoying. I have to avenge her." Mi Xingzhe, overwhelmed with emotion, tried to rush in the direction O Shinan had fled.
"Calm down, calm down! You can't defeat him. Don't you see that?" Yue Ruling held Mi Xingzhe's wrist tightly, trying to stop him.
"Sister, let go of me. I must avenge Miss Ruoying." Mi Xingzhe struggled, trying to break free.
"Nian'er!" Li Luoning's stern voice cut through the air, followed by a cough, blood seeping from his mouth.
Hearing the reprimand, Mi Xingzhe remembered his master's injury and hurriedly ran over to support him, worry etched on his face. "Master, are you alright?"
Li Luoning, choking on his blood, struggled to breathe, but he waved his hand to indicate he was okay.
"Now that the Liao Yin Immortal Realm is entirely under O Shinan's control and Immortal Master Xiao Yi is injured, we need to find a place to recuperate," Qingyuan said, his face filled with concern.
"Returning to the Mirror Cloud Residence is out of the question, and the Flatland is also under his control. Where can we go?" Mi Xingzhe was at a loss.
After a long silence, Li Luoning spoke weakly, "Given the current situation, there's only one person who can help us."
"Who?"
"Shentu Zhajia."
**Wuming Demon Mountain, Demon Lord's Hall**
"Are you certain you did not assassinate Hua Ruoying?" Shentu Zhajia asked, scrutinizing Mi Xingzhe.
"It was Nan Zhe who killed Miss Ruoying. I saw it with my own eyes," Mi Xingzhe reiterated.
"Demon Lord, O Shinan has now taken over the Liao Yin Immortal Realm and seeks my master's Moon Shadow Pill to unify the three realms. If we don't stop him, the people of the three realms will face a great catastrophe."
"Wait, what does O Shinan taking over the Liao Yin Immortal Realm have to do with Nan Zhe killing Ruoying?" Shentu Zhajia asked, confused by the connection.
"O Shinan is Nan Zhe!" Mi Xingzhe said, exasperated.
Shentu Zhajia was taken aback, stunned by the revelation. As a warrior, he struggled to grasp the complexity of such schemes.
"Demon Lord, you and I both call the Yanding Dragon King 'uncle.' My late father was an old friend of your father's. I, Li Luoning, swear on my life that my disciple speaks the truth. O Shinan's ambitions threaten all of us. If we don't act, even the demon clan will not be spared," Li Luoning said, his tone earnest and respectful.
Shentu Zhajia pondered for a moment, then sighed, "What do you plan to do?"
Seeing Shentu Zhajia finally agree, the group was visibly relieved.
At that moment, a demon servant entered, carrying a tray with fresh tea and a blue silk handkerchief embroidered with daisies.
**Liao Yin Immortal Realm**
O Shinan, now residing openly in the Immortal Lord's palace, carefully plucked a petal from a Blue Snow Flower with bamboo tongs and dropped it into a golden cauldron.
On a nearby table sat a small redwood carving of a figure.
"Immortal Lord, according to the report, Li Luoning, Yun Wan Nian, Qingyuan, and Yue Ruling arrived at Wuming Demon Mountain last night," a soldier reported.
"So, they really went to him," O Shinan murmured to himself, setting down the tongs. "Issue my order: Mirror Cloud Residence's Immortal Master Xiao Yi; disciple Yun Wan Nian; for conspiring to murder the former Immortal Lord SiTu Fanzhi, to be hunted and executed by the three realms. God of War Qingyuan and General Yue Ruling, for aiding the rebels and falling into demonic ways, are to be punished equally."
"Yes, sir."
O Shinan turned to the redwood carving, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
"Ruling, Ruling?" Qingyuan called out as he arrived at Yue Ruling's room in the morning, finding her standing in the center of the room, dazed. He stepped in and patted her shoulder.
"Huh? Master, why are you in my room?" Yue Ruling asked, snapping out of her trance with no recollection of what she had been doing.
"It's early, and you're not eating. Why are you standing here, lost in thought?" Qingyuan asked, placing the breakfast he brought on the table.
"I haven't been sleeping well lately. Every morning, I wake up feeling sore, as if I hadn't slept at all," Yue Ruling yawned, stretching her tired body.
"Have you been sneaking out with Yun Wan Nian to drink again? If you're feeling uneasy, ask Immortal Master Xiao Yi for some dragon bone incense to calm your nerves. We can't afford to have you unwell with the impending battle," Qingyuan advised gently.
"Little junior is almost always with Immortal Master Xiao Yi. I haven't had the chance to drink with him," Yue Ruling pouted, sitting down to eat.
"Now is not the time for indulgence. After this is over, I'll take you to the mortal realm to drink to your heart's content," Qingyuan promised.
"Really? Master, you better not go back on your word!" Yue Ruling said excitedly.
"When have I ever broken a promise?" Qingyuan smiled, affectionately poking Yue Ruling's forehead.
As the sun set, casting a crimson glow over the sky, Shentu Zhajia gazed at the horizon, reminiscing about his past with Li Minghan. Seeing Li Luoning's face always pulled him back into those memories.
"What kind of person was he?" Li Luoning's voice came from behind. They both looked at the sunset, avoiding eye contact.
"Minghan was not a completely evil person," Shentu Zhajia said quietly.
"I know. The circumstances of this life were unfair to him. His transformation wasn't entirely his fault," Li Luoning sighed softly, thinking of how his father's mistakes led to their current situation, wishing he still had a blood relative by his side.
"If I had noticed his changes earlier, maybe things would be different now," Shentu Zhajia said with a hint of self-blame, clutching his chest as the thought of Li Minghan triggered a reaction from the dormant venom.
"Fate has its own way of unfolding," Li Luoning said profoundly, turning to leave.
"Do you wish to see him again?"
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