Chapter 3.2 (2/2)

The moon glows eerily, as if also dyed by blood, casting a layer of crimson light.

On the tall palace wall located on the right of the path, a row of medusa torsos stretches in one line. Under the moonlight, every single empty gaze seems to be glowing dimly.

The blood resembling thick red liquid is sprayed over all the ground and walls in the surrounding area. On the rock paved path are multiple crevices varying in depth, as if carved out, on the walls are indents left behind by the sword and whip, dust and debris exploding in the air.

Guishan Lianquan is kneeling on the ground, a third of the large sword digs into the surface of the ground; she is supporting her weight with it. She does her best to control her body, to not let herself crash to the ground; her vital energy and blood are cras.h.i.+ng through her body, surging across like water in a dam, her conscious is murky, the heavy fear has caused her sanity to snap.

“She is……a complete monster……” Lianquan lifts her gaze that has been blurred by blood, looking at the spotless Shen Yin standing at the other end of the path. Under the moonlight, Shen Yin’s clothes are as clean as first snow, flowing like mist in the darkness of the night. Yet at this moment, Guishan Lianquan herself is covered fresh blood, two wounds so deep on her back that her bones can be seen; at this moment she does not have extra soul powers that can be channeled for healing, the gust after gust of sharp pain is like the claws of a large bird, digging deeply into her spine.

Yet the one, who is truly in fear, is Shen Yin whose expression is still peaceful, but her shock is stronger than Lianquan. As the ‘Second Disciple’, her powers should have overwhelmed the fifth disciple. Everyone knew that among the lords and disciples, there is a distinct divide between the third and the fourth; any lord of the first three-degree has the ability to challenge the latter four lord even if they work together. Yet now, although she has channeled her soul power to such a large extent to kill, Guishan Lianquan still looks full of life. Unless she really has to unleash her soul beast to kill her…… that will be an insult to herself……

Shen Yin looks at the Lianquan who is kneeling on the ground, she asks lightly: “Hey, I’m asking you, are you going to die yet? If you can still fight, then I really have to be serious…… so annoying, actually making me use my energy……” Under the moonlight, Shen Yin looks annoyed, talking about Lianquan’s life as if conversing about eating or drinking. Lianquan stares at the beautiful monstrosity before her, walking slowly, nearing her step by step, and looking like a smiling white devil.

Lianquan stands up abruptly, pulling the large sword from the stone path, slamming it against the wall at the side, the buzzing of the sword tearing the air apart, countless lights roll and explode from the body of the sword, with a loud bang, a gigantic white menacing avian appears behind Lianquan, its sharp and loud callings resounding in the air. Shen Yin’s shaken by the calls, her chest feeling tight. The snow-white large hawk expands exponentially, as if it grows the moment there is wind, in an instant its body fills up the small lane, on the sides of its temples, four sharp thorns as sharp as metal grows, reflecting light like the helmet of an armour. Guishan Lianquan leans against the feet of An Chi; An Chi’s sharp talons are larger than the sword in her hands. She looks at Shen Yin’s horrified expression; on her face is an eerie and pale smile, “Hehe……heheha……Even if I can’t walk out of this alive today, I will drag you to h.e.l.l alongside me……”

Over their heads is a concentration of drumbeats, dongdongdongdong, as if there is someone from a distant land beating on the drum to signify the start of war. Shen Yin looks up at the narrow strip of sky, her expression changes slightly, she s.h.i.+fts a few steps back before withdrawing the fear from her face, her calm, beautiful smile can be seen on her face again. She takes the beaded sea-blue bracelet off her wrist gently, her nails picking at them, sixteen jewels land on her hand. She picks them up with her fingers, tossing them down lightly, “One, two, three……” As if playing a game, she scatters the jewels mindlessly onto the ground, “Fifteen, sixteen,” She Yin’s expression hardens, a layer of frost enveloping her face, her eyes s.h.i.+ning, “I have no more time to play with you, let’s get down to business!”

The sixteen jewels on the ground suddenly start to move up and down with a “dingdong’ sound, and then they start to twist, morphing into a plant in the smoke……the air surrounding them is filled with strange cries of that of babies or ghouls, piercing painfully into the ears of the person listening……

“This is impossible……this……monster……what sort of monster are you……” Guishan Lianquan’s throat locks up gradually, fear seizing her heart like a monster from the deep seas.

On the ground of the long path, the twisting vines cross-cross into each other, building a skeletal system, pus.h.i.+ng out flesh,……under the moonlight, seventeen Shen Yins stand daintily on the group, as if seventeen clouds shrouded in mist, scattered on the long path.

Seventeen identical faces revealing their eerie and menacing smile under the moonlight.

Seventeen tinkering voices, gentle yet bone-chillingly cold, they speak together: “Come, what are you so afraid of……”

The intense howling of the wind; the callings rising and falling in the air.

Silver feathers dust the skies, seventeen shadows as fast as meteors moving across the scene, the sharp bird calls, the sound of the whip breaking the silence of the night, the soul powers are turbulent in the on the path, the feeling of being crushed to pieces by a large hand. The sound of explosions and of stones splaying apart is so loud that the walls of the palaces beside the path shake.

Guishan Lianquan lies on her back on the ground, her face full of blood, An Chi shelters her under its wings, at the same time moving his wings up and down, using the features as sharp as knives to face the seventeen white figures attacking them at the speed of lighting with effort.

An Chi’s tall stature is wounded heavily, blood is gurgling out of the huge gash on its chest, tears fall rapidly from Lianquan’s eyes, but she has no more energy to move…… she watches Shen Yin’s whip biting into An Chi’s hard feathers with her eyes wide open, the flesh tearing on its body. Sorrowful birdcalls sounding in the air resembles a heroic song.

A desperate bird call rips into the night. An Chi’s entire body is trapped by the silver whip, as if being twined by a thin python. The seventeen Shen Yins finally become one again, when the last two bodies fold together, a satisfied smile appears on her face, she holds the handle of the whip lightly in her hands as she looks at Lianquan on the ground and the large immobile An Chi.

“See, I can not summon my soul beast and still end your life. Looks like a disciple of the lower level will always be low.” After saying that, she raises her arm and moves it slightly, from the handle of the whip, rows and rows of sharp thorns appear, all the way to where An Chi is entwined, with that comes the dull sound of flesh being torn, in An Chi’s eyes are unbearable pain, but all it does is to groan softly from its throat.

“You dumb beast……” Tears fall from Guishan Lianquan’s face to the ground. Her fingers exerted too much force – they have sunken deep into the rock surface.

The snake-like silver whip loosens itself from An Chi’s body slowly, letting go of the large soul beast that is no longer moving.

Shen Yin walks towards Lianquan, flicking her wrist slightly, the whip hits Lianquan’s leg with a loud sound, a b.l.o.o.d.y gash opens on her leg, as if enjoying the game from a high position, Shen Yin’s expression is one of elegance and perfection.

Lianquan flips over and becomes unmoving on the ground, after a while, a low and eerie laughter emits from her mouth, “hehe……hehe……” her fingers dig deeply into the rocks; they are covered with blood.

“What are you laughing at?” Interested, Shen Yin looks down at her.

Guishan Lianquan says nothing, just as Shen Yin is about to ask more, she suddenly felt the ground move, in the distant surrounding waters, a loud howl shakes and echoes between the heavens and earth, the thundering sound seems to be nearing. “What……what……” When Shen Yin feels a strong gush of soul powers spewing from the ground, countless beams of light emits from her body and throws her backwards, along the ground, loud booms can be heard, countless large icicles rise form the ground, piercing towards the sky, if Shen Yin backed away slightly slower, her body would have been pierced by these pillars of ice.

“……This is your first soul beast Hai Yin? Impossible……how can it come here from the ocean……”

At the moment where Shen Yin loses focus, Guishan Lianquan unleashes the last of her soul powers, rus.h.i.+ng towards An Chi, she slaps the large sword onto the ground, in the loud buzz of the sword, An Chi extends its wings and dissipates into smoke before entering the sword, and in the next instant, Lianquan rushes towards the seventeenth statue on the wall, she loses all her energy the moment her hands touch the statue.

This is her only escape.

Shen Yin stares at Lianquan who disappeared before her, her angry expression morphs into one of confusion, “Impossible……she already has her own soul weapon, how can she enter the Grave of the Souls again through the Chess Piece?”

She stands her ground with countless ice pillars surrounding her. She narrows her eyes before flicking the whip, all the icicles exploded into shards in an instant, scattering violently. Countless small ice particles float in the air, reflecting bits and pieces of light, illuminating Shen Yin’s murderous expression.

[West of Aslan Empire – Surrounding Waters of Rennes – Grave of the Souls]

Brightly-coloured lights fill the surroundings, the large and deep cavern reflected into multi-colours.

With her body covered in blood, she falls onto a rock, her large sword abandoned at the side.

On the rocks of the four surrounding cliffs are tens of thousands of densely packed glowing soul weapons.

Countless powerful soul weapons are seeking each other out, the fierce resonance they give out are like sharp claws, ripping at the last of Guishan Lianquan’s consciousness.

In her slacking vision is the face of the person who emits justice and perseverance in the wind and snow, under his sharp brows are deep blue eyes, his gaze always resembling a lonely and silent field in a blizzard.

“Fenghun……”

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