Insecticide

"Why! Why! Why are you all trying to stop me? What's wrong with me avenging my family?"

Xia Guanxue unleashed his inner power, and instantly a dark mist swirled around him, as if thousands of ghosts were being pulled out of the darkness and gathered at the tip of his sword, slashing out like a mountain of ghosts pressing down on him.

The ice crystals shattered, Murong Qing was forced back by the One Sword. Her tiger's mouth was even split open, and blood splattered everywhere. She struck out with her palm backward, using the recoil to stop her retreat. She stared intently and solemnly said, "No matter what reasons Senior Yan may have, your family died because of his decision, and you certainly have the right to seek revenge against him."

Xia Guanxue was taken aback, not expecting the other party to admit the righteousness of her actions. She couldn't help but ask, "Then why did you stop me? Is it because he's your senior uncle, so you side with your own family instead of reason?"

"Because when Senior Yan sacrificed your family, he also saved many citizens, including myself," Murong Qing solemnly. "It is only natural for you to seek revenge, and it is also only natural for me to repay your kindness. This is a difference in perspective, not a matter of justice."

Xia Guanxue was stunned, as if struck by lightning, and remained silent for a long time.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha..."

Xia Guanxue burst into wild laughter, even covering the upper half of her face with her hand. Her whole body trembled with laughter, and her True Qi overflowed, sweeping through the valley like a storm.

"What a difference in stance! It has nothing to do with justice—die!"

As if her own existence had been denied, Xia Guanxue revealed a face contorted with fear. With a roar, she unleashed twelve percent of her power, leaping into the air and raising her sword to the sky. The swirling winds in the valley were all drawn towards the sword, and a sword Sword Qi shot out from the tip, leaving a crimson sword mark in the sky, as if the heavens were wounded and bleeding.

"Blood Flows from the Fingers, Ghostly Form Withers!"

Faced with the wailing of ten thousand ghosts, Murong Qing showed no fear. He also stirred up his internal energy, and the cold Yin energy spread everywhere, freezing the surrounding land. Snowflakes fell like goose feathers, and the graceful phantom of the Moon Goddess appeared behind him, exuding a holy and illusory beauty.

"The Seven Rosy Clouds Heavenly Light Reflecting Moon Wheel!"

The demonic sword slashed furiously, its crimson color reflecting the sky, its Sword Qi pouring down like blood rain, destroying everything in its path.

The moon rose high, its holy light spreading across the earth; a sword-like rainbow danced like a silver serpent, and all things were bathed in frost.

The two ultimate moves clashed, and their similar skill levels created a brief stalemate. However, this balance was quickly broken because the dissipated Youming energy after the Hundred Ghosts Devour Immortals Formation shattered was attracted by the Ghost Sword and flowed into the blood-red Sword Qi, further enhancing the power of the ultimate move.

In the air above the valley, the Moon, seemingly faltering, slowly descended under the onslaught of the blood rain from the myriad ghosts, soon to touch the earth, causing rings of air currents to ripple across the ground.

Su Yingtao was caught in a dilemma. Lacking experience in life-or-death battles, he didn't know whether to leave with Yan Jinghong or to support Murong Qing. If he chose the former, could he really escape the area covered by the ultimate move? If he chose the latter, could his additional strength turn the tide of battle?

"Get out of the way! I'm going to kill Yan Jinghong, not you!" Xia Guanxue warned.

The outcome of the ultimate move was a life-or-death struggle, but Murong Qing showed no intention of yielding or withdrawing, continuing to exploit his Cultivation Body and resisting with all his might.

Seeing this, Xia Guanxue no longer held back, going all out, absorbing all the Youming energy, and pouring it into the sword to slash down fiercely. At this moment, the world lost its color, leaving only that streak of blood-red light, which transformed into a ghost god devouring all things and destroying the holy moon wheel.

At this point, he could no longer have any compassion, nor did he believe he had the right to sympathize with anyone.

Ghostly and chilling energies surged and clashed, exploding with a deafening roar. The two swords clashed, producing a resounding clang. The result of this extreme conflict was—

The sword breaks and the ghost vanishes!

"How could this be...?"

Xia Guanxue glanced listlessly at the half-broken Ghost Sun Sword in her hand, then at her chest, where there was a wound an inch wide and a foot long. This wound ran through her chest and back, severing countless bones. The blood gushing from her back was frozen, forming a shape resembling wings, which was quite tragic and beautiful.

Such injuries would normally have been fatal for Xia Guanxue, but because he was frozen by the cold and no blood was flowing out, he was spared—clearly, Murong Qing had shown mercy at the crucial moment.

They were not defeated by their techniques, but by their weapons.

One move made all the difference, and Xia Guanxue was completely bewildered. She didn't know whether to criticize her opponent for winning unfairly, lament her own failure, or simply say that she had no regrets about the defeat.

My vision blurred, and I seemed to see three familiar figures leaning together happily, smiling and waving at me.

"Father, Mother, Sister..."

Xia Guanxue took a difficult step forward, trying to see the three people's faces clearly, only to find that all three faces were blank.

It turns out, I've even forgotten what my family members look like...

An indescribable sorrow flashed through her mind, and Xia Guanxue's consciousness went dark. She collapsed to the ground, the frozen blood splattering in a fan shape on her back resembling a tombstone.

After Murong Qing relieved, a look of pain appeared on her face. Her body swayed, and a large amount of Youming energy erupted from her body, tearing her skin and bringing out puffs of blood mist. Her face turned ashen, as if her yang energy had been drained by a ghost.

Su Yingtao asked anxiously, "Are you alright?"

Murong Qing waved her hand, then pressed her fingers together to seal several acupoints, using her Blazing Sun True Qi to suppress the rampant Ghostly Gloom Sword Qi within her body. She endured the pain and said, "It's alright, I can suppress this injury. As long as I find my companion, his Blazing Sun True Qi can easily clear away this ghostly energy. The most important thing right now is to leave this place quickly, otherwise it will be dangerous if we encounter enemies again."

"And what about him?" Su Yingtao pointed to Xia Guanxue lying on the ground. Although she was barely breathing, she was still alive.

Murong Qing showed a hint of pity and sighed, "Don't worry about him, let's go. Although it's just a gut feeling, I think he won't seek revenge against Senior Yan again."

Su Yingtao was completely flustered. Hearing this, he nodded, hoisted Yan Jinghong onto his back, and was about to leave when he couldn't help but turn back and ask, "Do you need me to help you?"

"No need," Murong Qing refused.

Su Yingtao stared, mesmerized, at the figure covered in blood, clearly in excruciating pain, yet stubbornly pretending to be unharmed, unwilling to worry others.

This strength and independence was something he could never understand, or rather, something he had always longed for, having always been protected by his elder brother.

"What's wrong? Let's go quickly," Murong Qing urged, then, as if remembering something, asked with concern, "If the injuries are too severe for you to carry, please let me take care of Senior Yan."

"No, it's okay, I can carry it!"

Su Yingtao replied hastily, then quickly turned and walked away. To hide his emotions, he tried to change the subject. "By the way, how did you know Yan Jinghong was in danger?"

Murong Qing paused for a moment, then slowly said, "It was the Second Prince who sent someone to tell us."

"The Second Prince! How could it be him?" Su Yingtao looked incredulous. "If it were the Third Prince, that would be one thing, but the Second Prince should be considered an enemy, right?"

"At first, we didn't believe it either, but we soon realized that Senior Yan was gone. So, we decided to believe it was true and headed to the designated location. On the way, we saw a coded message left by Senior Yan, and then we split up and acted according to our own speed..."

Chapter 498 Insecticide