STNS: Chapter 488 (Patreon)

Shuchang knew they were in trouble.

[Scorching Flames of the Vermillion Bird]

He manipulated his chi to produce flames that sprouted wings and took the shape of the very bird his cultivation was named after. As the fire took shape, he launched it at Zhou Wen. The bird of fire screeched as it soared through the air. It sounded just like the Vermillion Bird itself. The earth around it was scorched as the extreme heat from the flames caused the very atmosphere to combust as all the water evaporated. This was one of his strongest attacks. A normal cultivator wouldn’t stand a chance against it.

Yet it did not hit Zhou Wen.

The flames died seconds before reaching her.

“You have a lot of power for one so young, but your strength means nothing in the face of someone much stronger,” Zhou Wen said. The way she chided him as if he was a young disciple in training and she was a master cultivator annoyed him to no end. Up until now, this woman had always remained in the background. He hadn’t paid any attention to her. Now he was regretting that.

Zhou Wen had hidden her strength well.

Shuchang did not understand why this woman had hidden her strength all this time, though he knew it had something to do with Jian Wu… no, with Wu Jian. That was his real name, wasn’t it? Shuchang felt miffed that his friend had been going under an alias this entire time and hadn’t said anything, though he understood the man had his reasons. He hoped Wu Jian would tell him. How could Shuchang call them friends if Wu Jian wasn’t even willing to trust him with this?

“That’s not all I’ve got!!”

[Vermillion Inferno]

With a roar, Shuchang released his chi and produced a pillar of flames that erupted underneath Zhou Wen. The woman was quickly engulfed. The immediate release of intense heat from the roaring flames caused the temperature to sharply rise in the surrounding area. Smoke and particles were produced from the combustion that reduced his ability to see. The smoke would also cause those nearby to have breathing difficulties. Shuchang was hoping the woman would choke. The intense heat from the flames even caused thermal updrafts as the air above the flames was forced to rapidly expand, though for some reason, they did not go beyond a certain point. The flames and air currents stopped after reaching a spot in the sky. He could only assume that was the barrier for this domain.

“I can’t sense anything… did I get her?”

“What do you think?”

Shuchang’s eyes went wide as someone spoke behind him. He sensed danger and tried to dodge, but something powerful and fierce slammed into his back. He didn’t know what it was. All he knew was that getting hit by hit hurt. A lot. It felt like his spine was snapping as he was sent sailing away. He struck the ground, rolled, and tried to scramble back onto his feet. He looked at where he had been standing, but there was nothing there.

“What are you looking at?” a voice asked behind him.

He turned, but the person was no longer there, and something once more struck him in the back--the exact same spot as last time. Shuchang cried out in pain as he cartwheeled through the air and struck the ground hard enough to leave a crater. The taste of iron filled his mouth. He coughed several times as blood dribbled down the sides of his lips. He tried to get up. He knew he had to, but immense pain shot through his spine each time.

I think it’s broken…

A broken spine wasn’t enough to put a cultivator out of commission, but it would temporarily prevent him from moving much. He grimaced and sank his fingers into the dirt, then used the strength in his arms to try and force himself to stand, to get up, but a foot suddenly slammed into his chest. He grunted in shock and pain as he was knocked back to the ground. The impact was so intense that the ground beneath him cracked some more. He reached up and grasped her boots. Shuchang realized belatedly that she was wearing heels, and those heels were digging painfully into his chest.

“It really is too bad,” Zhou Wen said casually as she looked at her nails as though they were more interesting than him. “You have so much potential. It’s been centuries since anyone has been able granted blood from the Vermillion Bird. You could have become one of the most powerful cultivators on this planet… but you chose to side with the wrong people. Now you’ll die, and you have no one to blame but yourself.”

Shuchang tried to say something, but all that came out was a gurgled grunt. Blood was welling up in his lungs. He normally would have channeled some fire into his lungs and burned the blood away, but the woman stepping on him was ruining his concentration. The pain of her heel grinding into his chest kept him from being able to do much.

“Well, I suppose it’s time to end this,” Zhou Wen muttered.

Spreading her fingers wide, the woman narrowed her eyes as dark black energy erupted from each nail. Shuchang didn’t know what this power was or what it did. However, he could tell instinctively that this attack would kill him. The amount of chi being emitted from each finger along was enough to make a Seeker Realm cultivator explode.

Is this… really the end?

Images flashed in Shuchang’s mind, of a young woman with blonde hair, golden eyes, and a strange manner of speech. He grimaced as he thought of his sister. The entire reason he had worked so hard was to help her, but it looked like that would be impossible now.

I’m sorry your brother is so useless… Please, live well.

[Severance of Time]

The last thing Shuchang heard was the sound of something shattering, and then he heard nothing at all.

***

Zhou Lihua had been watching the entire fight take place, so unlike those who were actually in combat, she could see more easily how outclassed Wu Jian, Hou Jingshu, and Shuchang were. Even after dividing herself into three like she had, Zhou Wen’s power allowed her to fend off all of their attacks and counter with two times the strength. After watching her fight, Zhou Lihua had realized this woman must have been somewhere in the Realization Realm. Wu Jian could have defeated her if she was in the Seeker Realm. But if she was two whole realms above him…

She might even be at the peak of the Realization Realm.

The battles were not going well. Wu Jian was still fighting, but he was bleeding from numerous injuries. After he failed to strike her with his most powerful technique, Zhou Wen had proceeded to demolish him. She cut into him using powers that Zhou Lihua couldn’t understand. Attacks done on her disappeared as if time had reversed, and when she attacked him, they always hit even when it looked like they missed. It was bizarre.

Hou Jingshu’s and Shuchang’s battle were going even more poorly. Despite having a higher cultivation than Wu Jian, they lacked his extreme power and experience. Shuchang’s flames were sputtering as he tried to attack the woman’s duplicate with little success. Zhou Wen was like a ghost. Nothing he did worked. All of his attacks missed, and she returned his attacks with counters that dealt massive damage. He launched a massive amount of flaming projectiles, but they vanished, and the next thing he knew, his left arm was bent in a direction human arms were not meant to go.

However, the worst off was Hou Jingshu.

Zhou Lihua felt like her heart would stop as she watched Zhou Wen avoid every attack she threw, then hit her with an even more powerful counter. Hou Jingshu was now on one knee, the tendons in her leg severed; she stared up at Zhou Wen, who looked down at her with merciless coldness. In that moment, Zhou Lihua felt as though time was standing still, like she was at a crossroads. On the one hand, she could choose to watch as her friends were killed, and on the other, she could betray her family for the sake of her friends. She had no love for her family, but she had never contemplated betraying them either.

I can’t remain like this. I need to make a choice.

Zhou Lihua thought back to all the times she had shared with Wu Jian and Hou Jingshu. They had been her friends ever since she was young. She grew especially close to Hou Jingshu after the Wu Clan’s destruction, when the two of them had sought comfort in each other’s presence. They had commiserated over the loss of the person they loved together. Hou Jingshu was like a sister to her.

And, of course, there was Wu Jian, the boy she loved. What had started as simple interest had blossomed into genuine feelings. Wu Jian’s was determined and driven, always pushing himself to become the best and strongest person he could. She had admired that drive because it matched her own. But he was also kind and caring. He noticed the little things she did to catch his attention and knew when and how to compliment her. She appreciated everything he did.

She could not let them die.

Standing up and stepping in front of Youmei, Zhou Lihua held out her hands, palms a few chih apart from each other, and concentrated. A tiny ball of incandescent white flames erupted between them. She compressed the flames into a small ball, then increased the amount of chi she was channeling. The flames burst once more, and once more, she compressed them. Zhou Lihua repeated this process until the ball in her hand was so dense that the flames seemed to form a physical shape. She had channeled all of the chi she had into this ball. Sweat ran down her body and her breathing was labored, but she glared at the barrier that separated her from her friends.

[Heavenly Ghost Flames Bloom]

Zhou Lihua tossed the sphere at the barrier. It shot forward at the speed of sound, emitting a massive sonic boom that nearly tossed her backward. When it struck the barrier, the fire that erupted was so bright, she was almost forced to shut her eyes. She kept them open through sheer will. The ball of fire erupted in a spectacle akin to a blossoming flower, engulfing the entire barrier within its brilliance and setting everything in a several chih radius around it ablaze. The sea of burning silver fire raged as cracks formed on the barrier, one after another, constantly growing wide and bigger until, with a sound like shattering glass, the barrier fractured and broke.

The two Zhou Wen clones that had been fighting Hou Jingshu and Shuchang suddenly vanished. Zhou Wen had been about to launch a powerful attack at Wu Jian, but with the barrier gone, the power sputtered out. The woman stared at her now empty hand, then turned her fierce glare onto Zhou Lihua.

“So… you’ve chosen these ants over your own family?” asked Zhou Wen. She didn’t give Zhou Lihua time to answer before snorting. “I should have known you would. You’ve never displayed any loyalty toward our family, even though we have given you every luxury and opportunity to grow. You’re an ungrateful wench. I will be sure to let the master of our clan know of your treachery. He will see to it that you are punished for this.”

Zhou Lihua wanted to say something, but a powerful force slammed into her, cutting her off and causing her to chose. It felt like gravity had increased around her. She couldn’t even lift herself off the ground. Her face was planted in the dirt and her body shook with intense fear. Even though she understood killing intent, that did not mean she could defend against it when someone so much more powerful that her directed that intent her way. It took every bit of willpower just to keep her bladder under control.

“I think the one who needs to be punished is you. How dare you harm the people I love.”

A voice echoed around them moments before the suffocating feeling of Zhou Wen’s killing intent was lifted. Someone screamed. Zhou Lihua soon raised her head to see someone standing in front of her. That person had hair so dark it looked like a streak of midnight in the middle of the day. Zhou Lihua could only see her back, but her pale skin was visible through her billowing hair, which revealed a swan-like neck and gorgeous pale skin. Her ruqun hanfu was dark black and gray, but a single blue Yāodài that kept the hanfu closed added a splash of color. She recognized this woman, even if she hadn’t seen her in years.

“Wu… Meiying…?” she asked.

Wu Meiying turned her head. Bright blue eyes like a clear sky smiled at her.

“I’m sorry for being so late. I ran into a spot of trouble, but don’t worry, I’m here now and won’t let you or the rest of my loved ones suffer anymore.”