Yuan Xi's Nightmare (Three-Thousand-Character Chapter)

The next second, killing intent surged skyward, almost taking tangible form. The towering waves formed from Luo Jiao Lake's waters were like the fury Yuan Xi had buried deep in her bones.

Mu Jin's heart stopped for an instant.

So Yuan Xi had still held back when she fought him just now!

With killing intent and pressure this dense, if she went all out, there was no way a Great Perfection Foundation Establishment cultivator like him could withstand her!

Great Perfection Foundation Establishment and Golden Core Cultivation Level... in the end, they were separated by far more than a trivial gap.

Countless threads of water shot toward Priestess Gu Ming. Her red lips curled upward as her gloved hand clenched in the air.

A tidal wave of red spiritual energy surged forth, condensing into a crimson hand in midair.

As Gu Ming closed her five fingers, the hand in the air moved in tandem, swallowing and crushing all the roaring water dragons and rain-silk threads rushing toward it.

The lake water crashed forward in an unstoppable charge, leaving nothing intact in its wake.

The crimson hand suspended in the air overflowed with Evil Energy, cold and unruly, as though it had been forged from the convergence of countless bloody evils.

With one grasp of its fingers, spiritual energy ran rampant—ten thousand ghosts howling in fury would be no more terrifying than this.

Yuan Xi could tell at a glance that this evil cultivator's Cultivation Level was about the same as hers. The reason she could unleash such a powerful move was not because of her own strength, but because there was something strange about the gloves on her hands.

After that exchange, Yuan Xi held her sword as her figure merged into the rain, silently drawing closer to Gu Ming.

Raindrops swayed in the air, a breeze lightly stirred, and the refracted light cast everything in dim shadows.

Danger lurked everywhere!

The silver sword trembled faintly, shrieking by her ear. Water droplets struck like beads falling onto a jade plate, crisp and clear.

A cold gleam tore open a patch of sky within the black curtain.

Clang!

The water-slicked sword tip stabbed toward the red glove, and the crash of metal rang in every direction.

Sparks flew as immense spiritual energies collided, whipping up a violent gale and raging waves.

Mu Jin, crouching in the rear, was nearly swept into the water by the surge.

While resisting the spiritual-energy shockwaves from their battle, he used a secret signal to contact the City Lord's Manor.

Suddenly, he heard a faint sound from the air.

Crack!

What had broken?!

He focused his gaze and instantly caught sight of cracks spreading across Yuan Xi's blade.

The spiritual-energy impact grew ever more terrifying. Amid the howling winds, a fragment broke away from the sword and flew off.

Two pieces, three pieces... countless fragments broke free from the blade, shooting in every direction.

The sword in Yuan Xi's hand had shattered completely!

The smile at the corner of Gu Ming's lips deepened. She abruptly withdrew her hand, her body shifting and vanishing like a spirit. In the blink of an eye, she appeared before Yuan Xi.

"You're very formidable." She did not stint on praise, and the smile beneath her violet-gold mask was soul-stealing.

"Nothing but nonsense!" Yuan Xi shot her a disdainful glance.

She discarded the sword hilt. Water Silk, refined from a deep-sea merman shark and a High-grade Spirit Treasure, spiraled out and lunged at Gu Ming with murderous force.

Gu Ming smiled. "I can't beat you. But... today, you are destined to fall by my hand."

Yuan Xi did not understand where her confidence came from.

Just as Water Silk was about to strike her in the face, Gu Ming suddenly threw out a sachet.

Under the impact of immense spiritual energy, the sachet instantly exploded, scattering its fragrant powder everywhere.

Four words immediately flashed through Yuan Xi's mind—Ghost-faced Musk Deer!

Oh no!

She and Mu Jin cried out inwardly at the same time.

Gu Ming raised a hand to lightly cover her smiling lips, her laughter sweet and crisp.

"This is Ghost-faced Musk Deer at ten times the concentration. It is nothing like the stuff used on those fools. Go on and have a good sleep. I'll bring your heads back in one piece."

Yuan Xi prided herself on having passed through many illusion realms; she would not be instantly bewitched by Ghost-faced Musk Deer.

Yet the moment she controlled Water Silk to advance another step, the scene before her was instantly engulfed by a sea of flames.

Familiar faces moved through the inferno, screaming miserably, struggling... until they were all mercilessly pierced through by one sword after another.

Blood soaked deep into the ground, and the stench of blood seeped into every crevice.

Tall, magnificent buildings suddenly collapsed. Flames leaped upward, dyeing even the sky blood-red.

Those memories hidden in the darkness were pulled out in an instant. As one living face after another vanished, a black-clad youth carrying a sword emerged from the sea of fire.

The youth was strikingly handsome. When his lips curved into a smile, his peach-blossom eyes shone brilliantly, while the corners of his mouth carried a trace of wickedness.

Step by step, he walked toward Yuan Xi.

As Yuan Xi watched that face gradually come into focus, the fury buried in her heart was amplified countless times in an instant.

That rage seemed ready to burn away every drop of her blood and every scrap of flesh.

Yuan Xi's eyes turned bloodshot. Her entire body trembled with fury, and an intense killing intent surged up from the depths of her bones.

Kill him!

At that moment, this was the only thought in her mind.

Yet for some reason, no matter what she did, she could not move her body.

She could only watch helplessly as the black-clad youth drew closer.

He wore his usual smile, revealing a mischievous little canine tooth. His eyes shone like stars, and his low voice was gentle.

"Little Xi, you're the only one left."

"Don't worry. Big Brother will definitely be gentle."

"When you get underground, remember to complain to Father and Mother. In your next life, don't give birth to an animal like me..."

The moment Yuan Xi heard the words "Big Brother," it felt as though her head were about to explode. Her eyes reddened enough to drip blood, while a sharp pain twisted through her heart.

The next second, the black-clad youth smiled and drove his sword into her chest.

The blade was incomparably sharp, and she felt no pain when it pierced her.

Scarlet blood spread across the ground. Her gaze gradually turned vacant, and she could only stare fixedly at the black-clad youth's face.

Was this truly the brother who had doted on her since childhood?

When the sword pierced flesh, it really hurt.

With blood covering the ground, she was truly so cold...

Amid the sea of flames and bloody shadows, she saw a beautiful, delicate girl linking arms with her brother and asking disdainfully, "She's not dead yet?"

The black-clad youth gently stroked the girl's face. "Still worried?"

"Should I give her another stab?" he asked carelessly.

Clinging to his arm, the girl said coquettishly, "Who would've thought your sister was actually a top-grade Water Spiritual Root, born with a Cauldron Physique..."

"Forget it. Dead or not, it doesn't matter."

"If she really is lucky enough to survive, then as a girl with a top-grade Water Spiritual Root, I'm rather curious how miserably she'll live..."

The girl's distinctive violet eyes glowed with an eerie light amid the flames, brimming with dense malice.

The black-clad youth chuckled softly and indulged her, "All right, I'll listen to you. If you say spare her life, then we'll spare her life."

The girl happily clasped his hand. "Don't worry. My Father said that as long as you obediently do as you're told, there'll definitely be a share of the Heavenly Sacrifice Divine Art for you."

As their figures grew ever blurrier, Yuan Xi's fury finally shattered her reason.

She finally broke free of the "restraints," gripped the broken sword in her hand, and swung it forward with all her strength...

"Stop!" Lin Qi cried out.

Luo Ci followed close behind. "You're not allowed to touch my Senior Sister!"

When the two finally caught up, they saw a masked woman holding a dagger to Senior Sister Yuan Xi's throat.

Without a moment's hesitation, Lin Qi raised her wooden sword and slashed down at the woman's back.

Gu Ming's spiritual-energy blade, which she had painstakingly gathered, was disrupted by their shout.

She lifted her eyes for a glance. Weren't these the two Qi Refinement brats from the Grey-robed Daoist's memories?

"You came at just the right time. Then I won't stand on ceremony—I'll take you all!"

She raised her hand and clenched at Lin Qi's wooden sword through the air. She had thought she could crush Lin Qi's sword outright, but an illusory ice phoenix suddenly rushed out from its tip, carrying no small amount of force.

She had no choice but to release her grip and dodge to the side.

Lin Qi used the Vertical Thunder Art, her figure darting nimbly through the air until she reached Senior Sister Yuan Xi.

At the same time, she raised her hand and activated the Thunder Burst Talisman concealed in her palm.

Gu Ming sensed the danger a step ahead. Red spiritual energy instantly gathered in her palm, forming an enormous shield.

Thunder shot straight into the heavens, lightning flashing within it. Terrifying power erupted in an instant and blasted against the massive red shield.

Lin Qi had not expected the "first-rank" Thunder Burst Talisman she had drawn to be so powerful.

She rushed to the unconscious Senior Sister Yuan Xi's side in a few strides and shook her several times. When she could not wake her, she untied the High-grade Cold Stones from both Senior Sister Yuan Xi's waist and her own.

Then she took out a hammer and nails from her storage bag and smashed the High-grade Cold Stones with all her might.

This time, she used no spiritual energy—only brute force.

Ripples spread across the Phoenix Feather pattern on her wrist. Lin Qi suddenly felt her strength multiply, and in just a few blows, she shattered both High-grade Cold Stones.

Senior Sister Yuan Xi's body was instantly frozen.

Practice made perfect; she completed everything in no more than a few breaths.

Over there, after Gu Ming raised a hand to block her Thunder Burst Talisman, she saw what Lin Qi had done and immediately flared with anger.

"Courting death!"

She reached out and clenched her hand in the air. Lin Qi was instantly bound, unable to move, the air in her chest dwindling bit by bit.

Gu Ming snorted coldly and curled her five fingers. A mass of red spiritual energy immediately gathered in her palm.

With a sweep of her hand, the spiritual energy shot straight at Lin Qi's face.

This was exactly the move Lin Qi had been waiting for.

She closed her eyes and even stopped struggling.

The pressure of a Golden Core cultivator came crashing down over her head, the aura of death drawing nearer by the moment.

Just as the ball of red spiritual energy was about to strike Lin Qi, light flickered between her brows.

A streak of light broke free of its restraints in the blink of an eye, shattering the red spiritual energy ball and condensing into a figure in midair.

"Who are you?!"

Gu Ming had not expected her attack to be broken. The backlash of spiritual energy forced her two steps back.

True Monarch Qingyun stood serenely in the air, her wide sleeves and long gown drifting. "You seek to kill my disciple, yet you ask who I am?"

Though she was merely a phantom, the pressure of a Nascent Soul True Lord still bore down on Gu Ming until she could barely breathe.

She knew that sect cultivators always left their disciples life-saving protections such as soul imprints. It was a common sight for attacking the young to bring out the old.

The more so, the stronger her desire to end this quickly grew.

No longer holding back, she sent a long whip spinning out from her waist, its sharp tip stabbing straight toward Lin Qi's brow.

True Monarch Qingyun flicked her five fingers, gathering a ball of lightning in her palm. The spiritual energy from every direction was drained away in an instant.

Bang!

The tremendous blast shook the surrounding mountains, collapsing more than half of them.

Dark purple lightning flashed, spreading into every corner.

The force of the explosion crashed into Gu Ming. By the time she raised her hand to defend herself, it was already too late. She took the blow squarely in the chest and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Then came the dense barrage of lightning, crawling from her wrist across her entire body. Like countless blades piercing into her marrow, it hurt so badly that Gu Ming cried out involuntarily.

Her body plummeted from the sky, smashing a massive crater into the ground.

I still owe one chapter. I'll work a little harder.)