Chapter Thirty-F

Sunlight poured into the courtyard of Azure Cloud Sect like scattered fragments of gold. Two figures appeared there, one following the other.

The sharp sound of red high heels striking the stone pavement rang out, crisp and clear. Su Li crossed her arms beneath her ample chest, her expression proud as she declared, “Azure Cloud Sect truly is vast.” Words intended as praise, yet with her domineering tone, they carried a hint of mockery.

Bai Yujing stiffened. His fists tightened. Yet his face remained utterly calm, betraying no hint of hostility—tranquil as still water. As the sect master of Azure Cloud Sect, he could not act like a petulant child and allow anger to show on his face. The leader must possess the dignity and composure befitting his station.

Bai Yujing stepped into the main hall and said, “Come in.” Even as his words fell, he lightly stamped the ground, sending an invisible surge of spiritual power into the inscribed runes below. Instantly, the space of the hall began to twist and stretch, transforming what was once an ordinary chamber into a boundless expanse in the blink of an eye.

A flicker of surprise flashed through Su Li’s eyes. Despite her arrogance, she understood well: to expand a simple hall into such an immense space, one’s mastery of spatial inscription must be extraordinary—even she might not possess such skill. This man’s connections, it seemed, were indeed extensive.

With her proud bearing undiminished, Su Li strode gracefully into the hall, the echo of her heels resounding with clarity in the vastness. She and Bai Yujing kept a measured distance as she steadied herself, channeling spiritual power into the ring upon her finger. Tiny inscriptions surfaced on the ring, which then emitted a shaft of light that fell into her palm.

She grasped two conical nails, each engraved with intricate runes that glimmered with a cold, spectral light. Looking at Bai Yujing ahead, Su Li called, “I’ll count to three before we begin. Any objections?”

“None,” Bai Yujing replied calmly, hands tucked into his sleeves. His air of easy nonchalance kindled anger in Su Li’s heart.

“It seems you do know how to be courteous to a lady,” she sneered.

Bai Yujing, as if oblivious to her sarcasm, nodded earnestly. “I have always had a tender heart toward women. I’ll give you three moves first.”

Su Li’s anger turned to laughter. Though her main focus was on the art of runes, her combat ability was never weak. In all of Shanghai, no man had ever dared to speak to her so. This man’s lack of self-awareness surpassed any she had encountered before. Truly, men were arrogant, unreasonable, and foolish creatures, blind to their own faults.

The more Su Li dwelled on it, the more her anger surged. Her spiritual pressure spilled forth uncontrollably, threatening to fill every corner of the boundless expanse. She drew a deep breath, a shard of icy resolve flashing in her gaze, as she poured her energy into the two nails in her hand. The runes along their shafts flared, casting a ghostly light.

“Go!” she commanded softly. With a flick of her wrist, the nails shot out like arrows loosed from a bowstring, slicing through the air.

With two crisp sounds, the nails embedded themselves precisely, one to the left, one to the right. The left nail bore the high-level inscription “Requiem of Eternal Slumber”; it quivered slightly, then released ripples of pale moonlight. These ripples spread like rings upon water, swiftly reaching the surface of Bai Yujing’s body.

Within those ripples lay formidable hypnotic power; even the slightest touch would send an ordinary person into instant slumber. Even a ninth-tier spirit master would struggle against such potent lethargy. Any trace of drowsiness would drag the victim into a dream, while the “Blood Prison Nightmare Lock” engraved on the right nail would ensnare the dreamer in endless nightmares until their mind collapsed.

This combination was one of Su Li’s favorite techniques: simple yet effective, it had tormented many a spirit master in their sleep. Yet Bai Yujing remained as he was, hands folded within his sleeves, his expression as calm as a still lake—unmoved, as if those deadly hypnotic ripples were nothing but a gentle breeze.

“The first move,” he said at last, his unhurried voice landing like an invisible slap across Su Li’s face—mocking her impotence.

Su Li’s face turned ashen, her delicate features contorted by anger. She bit her lip, abandoning all restraint. The runes on her ring flared; a magnificent longsword materialized in her grasp. Its scabbard was inlaid with complex golden patterns, the hilt studded with gemstones in dazzling hues, each one shimmering with uncanny light.

Gripping the sword, Su Li murmured, “Bankai—Samsara Requiem.”

A clear, metallic note rang as the blade shattered into a hundred and eight beams of light, scattering like meteors. Where each beam landed, it sank swiftly into the earth. The ground began to quake, as if some monstrous force was breaking free below.

With a thunderous rumble, thick vines burst forth from every direction, their surfaces bristling with sharp, glistening green thorns. Wriggling like giant serpents, the vines converged above Bai Yujing’s head, forming a cage with wide gaps.

“The power of Samsara Requiem is to heal a person's wounds at the fastest possible speed. But if someone is already perfectly healthy and subjected to its healing, it becomes a deadly poison,” Su Li lifted her chin, her gaze haughty and cold, like a noblewoman tossing alms to a beggar. “If you beg for mercy now, I might let you go. Otherwise, only when you taste the true agony will you understand a fate worse than death.”

“How wonderful. It’s been a long time since I’ve experienced true pain,” Bai Yujing replied with a tone as cutting as her own.

His sarcasm only deepened Su Li’s anger; her expression chilled, as if rimed with frost. “Very well. Let me enlighten you.”

She unleashed her full spiritual pressure. The green glow along the vines surged violently, cascading down upon Bai Yujing like a tidal wave.

Yet Bai Yujing was shrouded in a robe of condensed spiritual energy, which shielded him entirely from the green light. The glow accumulated on this barrier, growing denser and denser, until at last it formed a massive cocoon of green light, completely enveloping him. In just a few breaths, the cocoon swelled to the size of a small house.

Su Li watched, but felt no joy—only confusion. Ordinarily, the healing light should have seeped into the body, not lingered outside.

“The second move,” came his calm voice from within the cocoon, and Su Li’s expression darkened immediately. She now understood that her attack had been blocked by some unknown means.

How was this possible? Was it a rune? Or perhaps a sword spirit… No, he hadn’t even drawn a weapon, nor used any technique at all!

Realizing this, Su Li’s face paled. This man was proving far more formidable than she had imagined.

She could no longer hold back.

With a wave, she released the Bankai. The towering vines dissolved into countless streams of silver light, like a flock of crows returning to roost, swiftly reassembling into a magnificent sword in her hand. She sheathed the blade and returned it to her storage ring.

“Any other tricks left?” Bai Yujing asked.

“Of course,” Su Li answered coldly. “I didn’t intend to use this in a friendly match, but you’ve thoroughly infuriated me. For the record, the sequence number of my Void Cicada Worldshift is as high as one hundred and two—it can transport a person anywhere. If I choose a specific part of your body, it becomes a deadly weapon. If you don’t want to end up crippled, now is your last chance to apologize.”

“Make your move,” Bai Yujing said, poised to shatter her arrogance.

A flash of anger passed through Su Li’s eyes as she answered through gritted teeth, “Very well. Let me oblige you.”