"You shouldn’t have pushed yourself so hard," Xia Youchen said languidly, and then he pointed a finger toward Mu Hanyan’s brow.
In an instant, Mu Hanyan felt a piercing coldness engulf her whole body.
She had heard of the Soul Searching Technique and knew that casting it was no easy task, relying entirely on spiritual power. And the greater the depletion of the opponent’s Primordial Energy, the weaker their spiritual power, thus making the Soul Searching Technique easier to execute.
But she had no choice. Even if she didn’t give her all, staying behind was just as much a death sentence. For original chapters go to novelꜰire.net
What she hadn’t anticipated was that Xia Youchen would be so cunning, not showing his hand early on, but feigning that he was hindered and trailing behind her, all to deplete her spiritual power.
The gap in strength was already huge. And with much of her Qi consumed over the mere hundred feet they had moved, facing Xia Youchen’s finger, skeletal like a dried corpse, Mu Hanyan found she had no way to block or dodge it.
"Tap!" With a soft sound, Xia Youchen’s finger pressed into the center of Mu Hanyan’s brow.
This time, there was truly no escape. Feeling an eerie, cold breath invading her forehead, Mu Hanyan didn’t even know how to resist. This kind of nefarious cultivation technique was beyond the scope of her cultivation experience.
So, Mu Hanyan knew she was doomed. To be precise, her spirit and soul were doomed, with only her body continuing to live in the world, akin to a walking corpse.
Seeing this scene unfold, everyone’s heart sank sharply, plummeting into Ice Valley.
"Brother Han Yan!" Mu Cheng’s eyes were on the verge of bursting as he rushed down the cliff, and though he stumbled and fell badly, bruising his face, he still held his Longsword high, running recklessly toward Mu Hanyan.
In that moment, he had forgotten all past grudges and grievances, even forgotten Ye Lanfeng, forgotten the original intention of following Mu Hanyan. All he knew was that Mu Hanyan was one of the Mu Family’s Disciples, his kin. He knew that if it weren’t for Mu Hanyan, he would have died long ago in the Exotic Beast Valley or at the hands of Fourth Miss Zhao.
He had vowed early on that he would live this life only for Mu Hanyan! Even if he had to sacrifice his own life, he could never just watch Mu Hanyan die before his eyes. To live or die together, at least he would be true to himself.
"Mu Cheng, wait for me!" Wu Qiuyun also charged down. Any hesitation he might have felt before dissipated when he saw Mu Cheng’s determined, selfless courage in his sacrifice.
After all, his life had been saved by Mu Hanyan, and not just once. What did it matter if he died with him? To have such a friend on Huangquan Road would make this life worthwhile.
"Charge!" Witnessing Mu Cheng’s tragic determination, something tugged fiercely at Mu Feng’s heart, and he too charged forth.
The Mu Family’s Disciples, no matter how they fought internally over power and profit, when faced with external enemies, always united as one. For thousands of years, this had never changed, and it was precisely why the Mu Family had stood tall through countless disasters.
Before them stood the notorious Beast Taming Sword Saint from a thousand years ago—Xia Youchen. With their strength, charging forth was like an egg hitting a rock, but there wasn’t a trace of hesitation or fear on their faces, only the resolve to live and die together.
The young Swordsmen once again felt their blood boil with pride and honor as swordsmen surge in their hearts.
Mu Hanyan could risk her life alone to let them escape. If they simply watched her die at the hands of Xia Youchen, how could they live up to the name of Swordsmen? If they continued to live like that, not only would they never be at peace for the rest of their lives, but their families would also bear the shame.
"Kill, kill..." In the midst of the roaring, the last one hundred or so Swordsmen all raised their Longswords and turned to charge at Xia Youchen.