Chapter 100: The Victor

Yinyao could not fathom how Ji Muyu’s power had surged to such an extent. This was not a normal or legitimate method; there was only one possibility: he had employed some form of forbidden technique, much like her own beast-taming arts, which allowed dead bats to regain their combat capability.

He must have forcibly accelerated his power within a short period, a method that surely carried a heavy price. If her intuition was correct, it was draining his very life force.

Staring fixedly at Ji Muyu’s movements, Yinyao dared not act rashly, fearing she might miss a single detail. Not currently engaged in combat with him, she gradually expanded her spiritual consciousness, dividing a portion of her focus to monitor the battle between the other four.

Though his eyes were tightly shut, Ji Muyu’s consciousness was incredibly clear; at this moment, he could perceive every move each person made in his mind. The black mist surrounding him grew denser, and the small black dragon upon his forehead became vivid, writhing incessantly.

Ji Muyu seemed to have entered a bizarre state.

Lie’s hands were his phantom weapons, and it was clear he had fused his power perfectly into his body. He stood in mid-air battling Ji Xuanyu with lightning-fast movements; his vision was even more terrifying.

Ji Xuanyu had to admit that Lie had identified the flaws in his attacks. The speed was truly horrifying, leaving him no choice but to accelerate his own pace, utilizing timing gaps to delay Lie’s judgment.

However, this was unsustainable; it drained his stamina and mental energy at an alarming rate. He had to find a way to counter Lie quickly; he could not remain on the defensive.

Yinyao, observing from the sidelines, naturally noticed this as well. Lie’s insight was no mere boast. Furthermore, she realized that every time Lie’s eyes flashed red, he had pinpointed a vulnerability.

He was worthy of the power of the eagle. An eagle’s vision was a terrifying asset, and the eagle was the king of the sky. Continuing to fight in the air was not a viable strategy. However, the dragon was also a master of aerial combat. She wondered, if the king of the sky faced a divine beast, who would prevail?

In terms of mastery over various powers, Lie’s strength was perhaps a notch higher, but the power of the dragon was not to be underestimated. She needed to find a way to counter that "eagle eye" immediately.

As Ji Xuanyu moved, Lie’s eyes burned like torches. With a flash of red light, he lunged forward, grabbing the scorching flame blade Ji Xuanyu was swinging toward his face. Sparks flew as the metal ground against his palms. Seeing his hands charring, Lie steeled himself, gripped the blade tightly, and forcibly turned it to strike back at Ji Xuanyu.

A faint smell of burnt flesh filled the air. Seeing Lie’s actions and the charred state of his hands, Ji Xuanyu knew that the blade itself was intense heat; no one dared to catch it barehanded as Lie had.

Lie’s actions showed he was indifferent to his own injuries. He had only one goal: to defeat Ji Xuanyu, regardless of the consequences or the cost.

Holding his sword with his right hand and bracing the blade with his left, Ji Xuanyu met Lie head-on, both pushing with all their might to drive the blade toward the other. Since the blade was Ji Xuanyu’s own phantom weapon, its intense heat had no effect on him.

Seeing this, Lie did not stop; instead, he pushed harder. Several times, Ji Xuanyu was nearly grazed by the blade. While the heat didn't harm him, a direct strike would be no minor wound.

Lie’s refusal to yield made Ji Xuanyu feel he had met a formidable rival. He slammed his left hand against the blade, causing it to vibrate violently and emit a humming sound, which threw Lie’s hands back. Seizing the opportunity, Ji Xuanyu lunged at Lie with the blade.

But Lie was no simple opponent. He flapped the black wings he had kept hidden, instantly appearing above Ji Xuanyu’s head. Lie opened his hands, revealing that the charred wounds had already scabbed over. His eyes glowed with red light, and the phantom image of a great eagle emerged behind him.

The eagle swooped down, its sharp beak aimed at Ji Xuanyu. Stepping back, Ji Xuanyu raised his blade to block the strike.

"Aah!"

Yin Su let out a sky-piercing cry. Her hair turned white in an instant, scattering and dancing with the currents around her. Her expression was indifferent, even showing a hint of a smile. The power of the phoenix surged out of her body, circling her and calling out incessantly.

Opposite her, Gu Shenyu swayed, a streak of bright red blood at the corner of his mouth marking his appearance. It was not hard to guess that a massive clash had just occurred between them.

The result: Yin Su had succumbed to the demonic path, and Gu Shenyu was severely wounded.

Yinyao rushed over in the next second. She steadied Gu Shenyu and looked at Yin Su: "Stop! You’ve won!"

"Ha! I’ve won! Gu Shenyu, do you concede? Will you admit that my choice was not wrong?" Yin Su looked at Gu Shenyu, wearing the smile of a victor and laughing loudly.

But was she truly happy inside?

If Yin Su hadn’t added those words, Gu Shenyu might have just conceded, but because she did, he would never give in: "Is that so? Are you sure you’ve won?"

Yinyao looked at Gu Shenyu; she knew there were things between these two that others were unaware of. She didn't know what to say. Gu Shenyu pulled away from Yinyao’s support, stood tall, and looked at Yin Su with a sneer: "You think this is winning? You have fallen into the demonic path! That alone seals your fate—you have lost! Lost completely!"

When he said the word "completely," Gu Shenyu spoke with cold ruthlessness and pride, looking at Yin Su as if she were a loser—a pathetic loser.

Enraged, Yin Su roared. Her white wings flapped at a frequency invisible to the eye, forcibly driving Yinyao out of the range of her battle with Gu Shenyu. Gu Shenyu laughed, wielding his Tiger’s Howl to engage Yin Su.

Yinyao wanted to intervene, but she suddenly sensed a black aura approaching from behind. Her spirit tensed instantly; she retreated rapidly while swinging her Ice Spirit.

"Clang!"

The Ice Spirit met the Dual Soul Hooks. Ji Muyu had emerged from his previous state, and his presence was so terrifyingly concealed that Yinyao only noticed him when they were five paces apart.

Ji Muyu looked at Yinyao and smiled—an eerie, cruel smile, the look one might give a dying person. Yinyao had to admit she hated that look; it made her feel like a lamb waiting for the slaughter.

By what right!

With a cold scoff, Yinyao swung her Ice Spirit; it moved with a speed that was staggering. Ji Muyu remained calm, blocking the path of the Ice Spirit instantly. Retracting her weapon, Yinyao spun her body, launching her colorful chains. The chains and the Ice Spirit attacked Ji Muyu one after another.

The chains lacked the destructive power of the Ice Spirit, but they could split into seven, making it difficult for Ji Muyu to dodge them all under such pressure.

Ji Muyu grew annoyed with these tricks. He steadied his breath, erecting a black barrier in front of him that blocked Yinyao’s attacks.

Yinyao used a clever flick of her left hand to twist seven silk threads into one, channeled her spiritual energy into both hands, and swung the Ice Spirit and the chains simultaneously, aiming at a single point on his barrier.

The barrier shattered the next moment, but Ji Muyu showed no surprise, implying he had anticipated this. The barrier had merely been to buy time, for he was gathering power!

The Dual Soul Hooks merged into one, and Ji Muyu seized the moment to throw them at Yinyao.

Yinyao refused to face the incoming hooks head-on. She performed a side-flip to dodge, but to her surprise, the hooks changed trajectory, turning back to pursue her.

Jumping and flipping, Yinyao dodged again and again, but the hooks were like a curse, relentlessly chasing her. With no other choice, Yinyao swung her Ice Spirit to collide with the pursuing hooks.

A scene she could never have imagined occurred.

The moment the Ice Spirit hit the hooks, Yinyao felt her movements slow down. Her speed began to drop rapidly.

Seeing this, Ji Muyu laughed. He had coated the hooks with poison, and combined with his spiritual energy, it had achieved this effect. As long as anything Yinyao held touched the hooks, she would be indirectly poisoned. This had been prepared specifically for her.

Teleporting, Ji Muyu appeared before Yinyao. He picked up the hooks and looked at her with a cruel smile: "Today is the day you die!"

Yinyao’s movements were now as sluggish as those of an elderly person; she could not dodge his attack. Yet, she refused to submit. The spiritual energy in her body surged, trying to break through a barrier. Her expression became contorted, filled with intense unwillingness.

When the other four noticed the situation, Ji Muyu was already swinging the hooks toward Yinyao’s heart.

"No!"

Ji Xuanyu used all his remaining strength to rush over. He did not know why Yinyao didn't dodge, but there must be a hidden reason. He could not watch Yinyao die; that was his first instinct.

Seeing this, Mu Ye and Ai Shuo were stunned, their mouths agape, robbed of the ability to speak.

Li Su, who had rushed over from the palace, saw the scene and cried out hoarsely: "No!"

Even if he were fast, he could not beat Ji Xuanyu, who was closer to Yinyao. He could only watch as Ji Xuanyu rushed in front of her, shielding her.

The hooks struck Ji Xuanyu’s back, and blood splattered.

Ji Xuanyu looked at Yinyao and grinned: "It’s all right."

Yinyao’s tears slid from the corners of her eyes.

"Aah!"

Breaking through her internal barrier, Yinyao opened her arms. In the next second, she closed her eyes and floated in the air; everyone suddenly found they could not move. They had lost all ability to act.

Wan Youxue, behind the small bamboo house, stared blankly at the scene; she, too, was frozen.

When Yinyao opened her eyes again, she found herself back in the place where she first met her father. She knew her father had something to impart, and that this was the last time he would come to see her.

"Yao’er, at this time tomorrow, you may enter the Void Continent. I am here to tell you how. First, you must gather four people at the peak of the Void Realm, and you need the Li family bloodline, which possesses superior regenerative power. Five people, channeling power simultaneously, will tear the space-time seal! Enter the Void Continent!" Only a voice remained; there was no figure.

"The best location is the Cold Spirit Valley. Your mother was able to escape the Void Continent because the seal there was the weakest. The Li family’s choice to reside nearby was to protect that spot. I must go! Child, once you enter the Void Continent, your strength will break through!"

The voice faded away. Yinyao’s eyes were full of tears. Finally, she could go to the Void Continent.

When Yinyao awakened, everyone regained their ability to move.

Giving them no time to adapt, Yinyao took the opportunity to lash out with her Ice Spirit, aiming for Ji Muyu’s heart. Suddenly, someone rushed into the line of fire! Yinyao had no way to retract her force.

The Ice Spirit pierced through both of their bodies.

Yinyao watched as Wan Youxue hugged Ji Muyu, both falling.

Everyone was speechless at the sight. No one had expected Wan Youxue to appear suddenly, nor that she would be the one to react the fastest.

Clinging tightly to Wan Youxue, Ji Muyu’s heart trembled.

The two embraced tightly; everything was unspoken.

Ji Muyu was dead, and Wan Youxue was dead as well.

Gu Shenyu and Ji Xuanyu exchanged a glance and launched a pincer attack on Lie. Lie was killed.

As for Yin Su, everyone turned their eyes toward Yinyao and Gu Shenyu.

Gu Shenyu lowered his head, silent. Yinyao remembered her father’s words and shook her head: "No one is to move against Yin Su. Let me talk to her."

No one dared to object. They stepped back, leaving the space to Yinyao and Yin Su.