Chapter 1101
"That's right, your only path is to atone with your death."
"You yourself lack ambition, yet you try to stop others from doing so. Besides being the eldest brother, what else do you have to offer? You should be aware that among the three siblings, you are the most incompetent!"
Lin Qingxiang's face was ashen, his eyes sharpened, and his True Qi suddenly contracted, his aura vanished, and he disappeared into thin air. In his place were countless colorful moths, forming a mesmerizing illusion that trapped Lin Qingtong within it. This was the killing move, "Illusory Moth Sword Tribulation."
"Pelting Rain of Arrows!"
At the same time, Liu Qingqing shot an arrow into the sky, which exploded above Lin Qingtong's head, transforming into an array that rained down countless arrows of energy.
"The Peng's Heavenly Whirl!"
Lin Qingtong wielded the alloy sword, causing the airflow to swirl violently, like a roc spreading its wings and soaring into the sky. With a single flap of its wings, it sucked in all the air arrows, creating a dense collision sound and shredding them one by one. Under this all-around defense, even Lin Qingxiang could not find an opportunity to strike, as the swirling gale blocked all angles of attack.
The rain of arrows in the sky became sparse and was about to end when suddenly, two chains emerged from the formation and plunged into the tornado, binding Lin Qingtong's alloy sword.
This was the Divine Arts "Chains of Heaven." Liu Qingqing combined it with her arrow technique, successfully achieving an unexpected effect. Accompanied by a piercing metallic twisting sound, the gale gradually dissipated, and Lin Qingtong's ultimate move was forcibly stopped.
In that instant, Lin Qingxiang unleashed the Illusory Moth Sword Tribulation. A dazzling, blinding sword light flashed, traversing spatial distances and leaving no trace. By the time one noticed it, they had already been struck by the sword.
The Xiaolian Sword pierced straight into Lin Qingtong's chest. Even a metal body could not withstand the sharpness of the divine weapon and was easily pierced through. Then, Lin Qingxiang unhesitatingly detonated the accumulated Sword Qi, which erupted inside the opponent's body.
Lin Qingtong's body trembled, spitting out a large amount of blood mist, but at the same time she clenched her fist and punched straight out, hitting Lin Qingxiang at close range. The huge force roared and severely injured him, causing him to vomit blood and fly away.
"Ha, ha, ha, now you realize your own incompetence, don't you?"
Ignoring her brother lying on the ground, Lin Qingtong pulled out the Xiaolian Sword stuck in her chest, gripped the tip with one hand and the hilt with the other, and snapped it with all her might. Even a divine weapon could not withstand such pure physical destruction. After a difficult resistance, it ultimately could not escape the fate of breaking.
Tossing aside the broken sword, Lin Qingtong immediately rushed towards Liu Qingqing in the distance, not even bothering to pick up the alloy sword that had been flung away by the Divine Arts chains. At the cost of being hit by an arrow, she successfully closed the distance.
Without the Myriad Filth Tainted Blood, and without having practiced the Five Elements Spirit-Refining Formula, Liu Qingqing's close combat ability was extremely limited. Even with a sword at her side, she was no match for the heavily injured Lin Qingtong and soon found herself in grave danger.
After twenty moves, Lin Qingtong slapped the sword out of Liu Qingqing's hand with a palm strike, then followed up with a chop to her wrist, breaking the bone. He then closed in and rammed her with his shoulder. Liu Qingqing felt as if she had been hit head-on by a bull in heat. She was sent flying and crashed to the ground, her meridians throbbing with pain and her body feeling like it was about to fall apart. She didn't even have the strength to get up.
"Do you understand now? The path I chose is the right one. Extraordinary people do extraordinary things. If you are bound by the shackles of etiquette and dare not take that forbidden step, you will forever be an ordinary person... As long as I can change my fate, what does it matter if I bear a bad reputation? Even if others curse me until they have no saliva left, what can they do to me?"
Lin Qingtong approached Liu Qingqing, looking down at her with unwavering determination in her eyes.
"If other people's words can't hurt you, what about their fists?"
Suddenly, a vast and powerful fist force burst through the air, blocking all directions. Lightning surged and flames burned, white and red intertwined, creating yin and yang. The sky darkened and the earth became gloomy, shaking the heavens.
Lin Qingtong's expression changed drastically. She tried to dodge, but felt an overwhelming pressure. She was completely blocked in all directions, with nowhere to hide. She could only try her best to defend herself, but even in her best condition, she could not withstand this attack filled with rage, let alone now that she was seriously injured.
The next moment, she was sent flying at the speed of a cannonball, as if she had been hit head-on by a supersonic plane, smashing through tree after tree.
"Qingqing, are you alright?"
Si Ming ignored Lin Qingtong, whom he had knocked away, and quickly squatted down to check Liu Qingqing's injuries.
Despite the excruciating pain, Liu Qingqing forced herself to speak, "Never mind me... capture Second Sister first."
Si Ming hesitated for a moment, but decided to prioritize the overall situation. However, when he looked up, he was shocked to find that Lin Qingtong was gone, and the place where a large crater had been smashed was now only filled with wisps of smoke.
"Tsk, I went too lightly. The regenerative ability of the Metal Cells exceeded my expectations."
Liu Qingqing insisted, "Chase... catch up with her."
Si Ming did not refuse, but to avoid any accidents after he left, he picked up Liu Qingqing with both hands, channeling his True Qi to heal her injuries while tracking her trail.
After her injuries were stabilized, Liu Qingqing asked, "Where is my older brother?"
"He's right there... wait!" Si Ming looked around and realized that Lin Qingxiang was nowhere to be seen either. "Looks like he caught up with us before us."
"We need to catch up quickly, we have to be fast!" Liu Qingqing said anxiously.
"Then you'll have to bear the pain."
Si Ming immediately activated his internal energy to increase his speed, his feet moving like the wind.
In the grove, Lin Qingtong ran hurriedly, fleeing in panic.
That punch just now made her realize that the opponent who could initially fight her to a standstill had now grown to a level she had to look up to. Even if she were to perform at her best, let alone with her injuries, she wouldn't be a match for him. Running away was the only option.
The Seal Talisman Master, Fuzang, and Diwen who were responsible for intercepting her are probably already in grave danger. They could easily defeat three Nascent Spirit Transformation experts by themselves, so killing a martial artist like her who only had Spirit Transformation level combat power would be too easy. She wouldn't be so stubborn as to want to arm wrestle with them—although she did have an iron head after being completely metalized.
Along the way, she left behind many misleading traces. In addition, her metallic body was different from that of ordinary martial artists, and her aura was very weak, like a mechanical puppet, making her difficult to detect. Lin Qingtong was quite confident in her escape, which is why she ran so resolutely.
As he was pondering, the surrounding environment suddenly changed. Black fire and red water clashed, forming a vortex like a tornado. A thundercloud Manifestation in the sky, transforming into the shape of a giant moth, spinning and dancing around Lin Qingtong.
"Brother, you're like a persistent ghost!"
Seeing this, Lin Qingtong still didn't understand whose handiwork it was, and gritted her teeth. "It's amazing you were able to find my trail."
"You're also my sister. I only need to put myself in your shoes to know what choice you'll make," one of the large moths said.
"You talk as if you know me perfectly well."
"Of course I understand. I know all your thoughts perfectly well, including your reasons for betraying your master... I once had the same thoughts, but unlike you, I restrained my inner madness, while you chose to indulge in it."
Lin Qingtong scoffed, her face full of disbelief. "Oh, then can you tell me what kind of belief sustained you and prevented you from falling into the abyss of madness?"
"... Because I am the eldest brother, it is my responsibility to protect you."
Lin Qingtong was stunned for a moment, then burst into wild laughter, laughing so hard she covered her face with her hands and couldn't straighten up, while tears silently slid down her cheeks through her fingers.
"Why, why didn't you say so sooner?"