Immortal Refiner

”Senior Yanxi, it’s time to act!”

Senior Yanxi?

The moment these words were uttered, confusion spread across the faces of everyone present, whether they were from the Heavenly River Sect or the Shangqing Sect’s pursuers.

Who was Yanxi? How could Ling Ying address him as ”Senior”? Could he be a True Lord of the core formation realm?

But there didn’t seem to be any core formation realm True Lord named Yanxi in the Azure Ridge Domain.

Could he be an unknown rogue cultivator?

In an instant, Su Xin felt a premonition of danger, a prickling sensation on her back.

At that moment, Shi Nantian’s expression twisted into something sinister, a ruthless glint flashing in his eyes.

Boom!

A silver spear materialized in his hand as if from nowhere. With a flick of his wrist, the spear shot through the air, hurtling toward Su Xin.

”No!” Su Xin’s beautiful eyes narrowed, realizing she couldn’t evade this sudden attack.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl. She watched helplessly as the silver spear, radiating overwhelming force, hurtled toward her.

When the spear tip was mere inches from her body, a surge of azure spiritual light erupted from Su Xin.

In an instant, the water-attribute spiritual energy in the heavens and earth surged violently, coalescing into countless long rivers that converged upon her.

The spear’s momentum instantly faltered, like a clay ox sinking into the sea, its force draining away into sluggishness.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

All eyes turned to Su Xin, now surrounded by shimmering water rings that lent her an ethereal, immortal aura.

”Shi Nantian, what are you doing?!” Liu Hanyue demanded, her voice ringing with fury.

”Do you even realize what you’re doing, Shi Nantian?!”

”Senior Brother Nantian... you...”

The other elders of the Heavenly River Sect stared at Shi Nantian in disbelief. This elder, who had always maintained a low profile within the sect, was now attacking a fellow sect member!

But Shi Nantian’s expression had long since twisted into a sinister grimace, utterly devoid of the sincerity that had once characterized the earnest young man he had been.

”Naturally, I’m taking the Water Spirit Pearl fragment,” Shi Nantian said with a twisted smile. ”Ling Ying, come and lend me a hand.” His words were accompanied by swift action as he manipulated the silver spear to strike at Su Xin once more.

At that moment, Su Xin merely sighed softly, her beautiful eyes flashing with icy coldness.

”Senior Brother Qing Xuan always suspected there was a traitor within the sect. How else could the Shangqing Sect know so much about the Heavenly River Sect’s affairs?”

”It seems that traitor... is you.”

Even the usually calm and composed Nine Heavens was visibly shocked, his mouth hanging wide open. He couldn’t believe that someone who had traveled with them all this time had betrayed the sect.

The other elders exclaimed in horror, ”How is this possible? The Shi Clan suffered a devastating blow from the Shangqing Sect! Shi Nantian, how could you side with them?”

”Heh heh heh... That’s because the boy named Shi Nantian died many years ago.”

”He is an elder of the Shangqing Sect—Yanxi!”

Ling Ying charged forward on the back of the Sky-Rending Eagle, Liu Hongyuan at his side.

”Damn snake!”

Su Xin’s murderous intent was palpable. She clenched her hand into a fist and flipped her wrist.

The rings of water circling her body suddenly vibrated violently, rippling outward in concentric waves that swept across the battlefield.

Swish!

Su Xin formed a hand seal with one hand and pointed repeatedly into the void.

Splash!

Dozens of deep-colored water droplets materialized in the air, converging once more toward Shi Nantian—no, Yanxi.

”Senior Yanxi, I’ll assist you!” Liu Hongyuan shouted, maneuvering his Profound Wood Great Shield to intercept the attack.

Yet in the blink of an eye, several of the dark water droplets pierced through the Profound Wood Great Shield as easily as piercing tofu.

Liu Hongyuan watched in horror as one of the droplets pierced his arm, completely ignoring the protective spiritual light he had cast.

As the searing pain flooded his mind, he muttered in disbelief, ”How could this be? My Profound Wood Great Shield is a masterpiece among high-grade magical artifacts!”

Yanxi roared, ”Retreat! Fall back immediately!”

Boom!

The Golden War Boat, piloted by Zhong Ya, was also riddled with deep, gaping holes by the water droplets.

Faced with the relentless assault of expanding water rings and the deadly black droplets, the pursuers retreated in disarray, unwilling to press the attack further.

”Now’s our chance! Keep running!” Su Xin shouted urgently.

Having witnessed the devastating power firsthand, no one dared to pursue the fleeing remnants of the Heavenly River Sect any further. They could only watch helplessly as the survivors escaped.

”No wonder the Water Spirit Pearl is considered the supreme treasure of this realm,” Ling Ying murmured to himself, his eyes burning with fervor. ”Even a fragment possesses such formidable power. It’s no wonder Lord Crocodile desires it so desperately.”

”What’s next? We’re almost at the Mu Kingdom’s border. Are we just going to let them go?” Liu Hongyuan, his face twisted in pain as he clutched his severed arm, flew over, his expression dark.

Yanxi, inhabiting Shi Nantian’s body, replied, ”Of course not. We’ll continue the pursuit. The Water Spirit Pearl may be powerful, but its energy isn’t limitless.”

With that, he surged forward, leading the charge.

”Alright, let’s follow Senior Yanxi’s lead,” Ling Ying nodded, falling into step behind him.

The other foundation establishment cultivators who had gathered to intercept the fleeing cultivators, including several clan heads from prominent cultivation clans, gritted their teeth and charged ahead as well.

In the northern reaches of the Mu Kingdom, the sudden snowfall had just ceased.

”We can’t shake them off. Those Shangqing Sect bastards are sticking to us like leeches.”

”Maybe we should just make a stand. I’m running low on mana, and we can’t keep running forever. They’ll catch up eventually.”

”Senior Sister Su Xin...” Liu Hanyue gazed anxiously at the graceful, water-like figure ahead. Even her flight now faltered, her movements unsteady.

Clearly, channeling the power of the Water Spirit Pearl fragment had drained Su Xin considerably. By the time she reached this point, she was nearing her limit.

As if sensing her weakness, the cultivators led by Ling Ying accelerated their pursuit.

”A spent arrow! Surrender now!”

Yanxi, the fastest among them, locked his gaze firmly on Su Xin ahead and unleashed a piercing cry:

”Profound Gold Nine Slashes!”

Nine dazzling golden blades erupted from the dim snowy sky, cleaving through the frigid mist and hurtling toward Su Xin with overwhelming force.

Each golden sword qi possessed an unparalleled sharpness, surpassing even some blade-type magic artifacts!

A divine ability!

Without a doubt, this was a powerful divine ability cultivated by Yanxi, its destructive potential terrifying—a true killing move.

”Run, Senior Sister Su Xin!” Liu Hanyue’s eyes flashed with urgency as she watched the scene with deep concern.

”No! Senior Sister, watch out!” Liu Huai’an’s eyes burned with desperate fury.

Beside them, Nine Heavens wore an expression of utter despair. Their opponent still had the strength to unleash such a devastating divine ability.

Sensing the overwhelming danger behind her, Su Xin turned around with a serene expression. In her beautiful eyes, a look of resigned acceptance had already taken root.

”Senior Brother Sect Leader, Ancestor, I’m sorry. Su Xin cannot fulfill the mission you entrusted to me.”

She slowly closed her eyes, calmly accepting her impending fate.

Nine golden sword qi had completely sealed off all escape routes, leaving her with nowhere to retreat.

Having already used the power of the Water Spirit Pearl fragment once, she no longer possessed sufficient mana to activate it again.

Death loomed so close.

Just as everyone watched helplessly as the nine golden sword qi were about to strike Su Xin down, an extreme, bone-chilling cold suddenly permeated the heavens and earth.

Boom!

A blinding white flame erupted before Su Xin, scattering countless sparks of the same searing white light.

The golden sword qi instantly dissolved upon contact with these incandescent sparks.

Then, a carefree voice echoed through the air:

”Heh, this is quite a surprise. I didn’t expect to see so many familiar faces here.”

(End of the Chapter)

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