Senior Sister, Please Forgive Me

"That miasma has left."

Zhong Yue withdrew his gaze. The Dragon Scale Sword, which had been leaping restlessly inside the sword case on his back, also settled down. He thought, I always feel as if a pair of eyes is spying on us from the shadows. Along the way, these demonic beasts and creatures have attacked us one after another. Could it be related to those eyes? Just now, I sensed killing intent in that gaze. The owner of those eyes must have wanted to make a move, but for some reason suddenly held back...

"Someone's coming. Be on guard!"

Ting Lanyue noticed something and gazed into the distance. Then she smiled. "No need to guard against them. They're disciples from my Upper Court! Senior Sister Yu, this group is made up of disciples from the Lishan Clan. The one leading them is Li Xiuniang."

"Li Xiuniang of the Lishan Clan?"

The girls were startled and all turned to look at Yu Feiyan. Ever since the core disciples of the Ten Great Clans had arrived at the Upper Court, the Upper Court had ceased to be peaceful, especially the Women's Court.

The senior sister of the Women's Court was Yu Feiyan, hailed as its number one. Although Li Xiuniang had never fought Yu Feiyan, many female disciples had been discussing the matter behind their backs, convinced that the two would inevitably battle for the title of senior sister of the Women's Court.

Yu Feiyan snorted coldly and looked toward the approaching disciples of the Lishan Clan. The many Lishan Clan disciples were rapidly drawing near. Li Xiuniang walked at the very front, with more than ten Lishan Clan disciples supporting each side, forming a triangular formation. They had clearly gone through many battles along the way; their clothes were tattered and torn, and they looked somewhat bedraggled.

Li Xiuniang, however, remained pristine and composed. Her clothes were not damaged in the slightest, and not even her delicate bare feet had picked up a speck of dirt.

The Lishan Clan girl walked barefoot, yet her feet did not touch the ground. With every step she took, a Demonic Lotus Flower automatically grew from the air beneath her.

Each time, her bare foot landed precisely on the flower's stamen. Her dainty toes merely touched the fragrance of the blossom. The lotus flowers were manifestations of her mental power, and once the girl had passed, the blossoms withered, their petals growing fainter and fainter before vanishing into the air.

Even though Yu Feiyan was wary of the girl, she had to admit that this Lishan Clan girl was truly formidable. Her control of mental power and application of visualization had already reached an inconceivable realm!

Zhong Yue glanced at her from afar and likewise exclaimed in admiration, deeply impressed by the girl's attainments.

"Lotus Blooms with Every Step requires visualization. With every step, a lotus automatically grows beneath her foot. It's practically subconscious visualization, requiring no deliberate effort. That alone is incredibly impressive."

Compared with Yu Feiyan, he saw even more. He secretly praised her in his heart, Thought Arises from the Heart. Only when a thought arises in the heart can one visualize. That is already an extremely profound realm, and it greatly enhances one's combat power. Yet this Lishan Clan girl has reached an even higher level. She doesn't need to form a thought; visualization happens automatically. That means she has made visualization a part of her body, as natural as walking or raising a hand to take something. The core disciples of the great clans truly each have their own unique strengths. They aren't all hothouse flowers.

Zhong Yue glanced at Yu Feiyan and thought, Senior Sister Yu hasn't reached this stage yet. The gap between her and Li Xiuniang is probably not small, and her position as senior sister may not be secure. Li Xiuniang is walking toward us with blazing battle intent. She is probably here to challenge Senior Sister Yu and seize the position of senior sister of the Women's Court.

Yu Feiyan's face was as cold as frost, and her aura gradually gathered strength. Clearly, she too had sensed the blazing battle intent radiating from Li Xiuniang.

"Zhong Yue of the Zhongshan Clan?"

As the many Lishan Clan disciples surged forward, Li Xiuniang suddenly stopped. She did not look at Yu Feiyan. Instead, her gaze fell on Zhong Yue. Tilting her head, she smiled and said, "Junior Brother Zhong, I've been looking forward to fighting you for a long time. Unfortunately, you spent the previous period hiding in your residence without showing yourself. Better to seize an unexpected encounter than seek one out—Junior Brother Zhong, please!"

Zhong Yue was stunned. Yu Feiyan was also dumbfounded, and the other girls all froze.

They had originally thought Li Xiuniang's target was Yu Feiyan, but they had never expected it to be Zhong Yue!

Yu Feiyan sighed, somewhat indignant. She thought, Li Xiuniang's target isn't me but Junior Brother Zhong. Does she think I'm less of a threat to her than he is? How would she know without fighting?

Zhong Yue frowned slightly. "Senior Sister Li, you're challenging me?"

Li Xiuniang smiled, her expression carrying a hint of allure. She said leisurely, "Junior Brother Zhong, you may regard it as a challenge if you like. I don't have as many little schemes as Shui Qinghe. To me, this challenge is simply crushing!"

Her sleeves fluttered as she stood barefoot atop a Demonic Lotus Flower floating in the air. Her entire person appeared strange and ethereal. "My goal is to crush an expert like you, build up an invincible momentum, and then, in the Unrestricted Duel, use that invincible momentum to sweep away the elites of the other clans and utterly crush them! Junior Brother Zhong, please!"

Zhong Yue drew a long breath. Thunder gradually emerged around his body, transforming into one magnificent Lei Thunder Totem Pattern after another. He said in a low voice, "Crush?"

Li Xiuniang laughed. "You don't need to take my words to heart. If you have the ability, you can crush me as well. As long as you defeat me, I'll accept it wholeheartedly."

Her aura grew stronger and stronger. Behind her, a terrifying vision gradually appeared. It was her highly concentrated mental power, which slowly revealed the Lishan Clan's totem—the Demonic Lotus Flower!

The enormous flower spanned three zhang and six chi. A demonic god slowly rose from its center, standing more than ten zhang tall, with three faces and four arms. Demonic Energy soared into the heavens!

This demonic god was Li Xiuniang's mental power transforming the void into reality. She had materialized the demonic god totem and displayed it before everyone!

The girl was about the same age as Zhong Yue, yet she had already reached this stage. It was truly admirable!

Zhong Yue's gaze flickered. A dragon's roar suddenly rang out, and a vicious Flood Dragon slowly swam out from between his brows, coiling around his body and limbs. Its head rose from behind him, held high, its ferocious eyes fixed tightly on the demonic god behind Li Xiuniang.

At this moment, Zhong Yue's aura changed abruptly. When he had been among the girls, his presence had been gentle, and there had been nothing to distinguish him from any other young man. But now, the girls felt a wild aura erupt from within him!

It was like a primeval beast, like a fierce tiger lying atop a hill suddenly lifting its head in alarm, like a vicious Flood Dragon emerging from the abyss in search of prey. It gave them an incomparably dangerous feeling!

"Roar—"

The Flood Dragon formed from mental power behind Zhong Yue's head opened its mouth and bellowed. Its voice shook the mountains. From deep within Beast God Ridge came the rising and falling roars of beasts, for the demonic beasts living there could not help but answer the dragon's roar.

"Not bad!"

Li Xiuniang praised him. With a light step, she shot toward Zhong Yue as swiftly as a fleeting shadow. As she moved, the giant demonic god moved at the same time. Its four arms rose, each palm forming strange totem seals, and the palm strikes slammed viciously down at Zhong Yue!

"Junior Brother Zhong has only recently entered the sect. I wouldn't be surprised if you used a soul weapon!"

Li Xiuniang spoke as she visualized. Petals drifted through the air, and lotus flowers grew from nothing one after another, floating and fluttering down like a goddess scattering flowers.

"Falling Flower Sword Array!" Li Xiuniang shouted softly.

Clang, clang, clang—

The petals danced, then suddenly transformed into streaks of crimson-red sword qi. In an instant, sword qi filled the space dozens of zhang around them, surrounding Zhong Yue within the sword array!

She had unleashed her strongest methods from the very beginning. By visualizing the demonic god and Demonic Lotus Flower and casting the Falling Flower Sword Array, she meant to ravage him and crush him. There was no probing attack—she intended to defeat Zhong Yue outright!

"Not bad."

The corner of Zhong Yue's mouth twitched. He stood rooted to the spot, unmoving as a mountain. Thunder burst from around him, and his mental power surged like thunder. Rolling thunderclaps were even mixed into it, as if real thunder were hidden within. In an instant, the space dozens of zhang around him filled with Lei Thunder Totem Patterns, each one like a golden serpent several zhang long, dancing wildly through the air.

"Thunderclap Sword Art!"

Clang—

A sword cry rang out, clear and ringing yet mixed with the sound of thunderous explosions. Sword light erupted throughout the space dozens of zhang wide and collided with the Falling Flower Sword Array. Streaks of sword qi cut across the sky, shattering in a display of incomparable brilliance!

At the same time, the palm seals of the demonic god behind Li Xiuniang descended. Each palm seal was as large as a tabletop, and within it, various totem patterns tangled together, forming a totem seal technique that contained terrifying power.

The Falling Flower Sword Array merely restricted Zhong Yue's movements and trapped him in place. Li Xiuniang's true killing move was still this demonic god!

Zhong Yue raised his hand. The body of a Flood Dragon coiled around his arm, making it appear incomparably thick. He lifted his hand to clash head-on with the demonic god's great palm seal. The instant their palms collided, the air shook violently and was compressed toward all directions.

At the perimeter, several girls suddenly clutched their lower bellies and began vomiting. The shockwave in the air had reached them, striking their abdomens as heavily as a punch. They were not body refiners and did not possess the cultivation of Li Xiuniang and the others, so they had been almost entirely unprepared for such a heavy blow transmitted through the air.

The impact shook Zhong Yue's body, and the demonic god behind Li Xiuniang also staggered. Amid the swaying, thunder erupted beneath Zhong Yue's feet, and his figure suddenly became incomparably swift as he circled rapidly around Li Xiuniang.

Li Xiuniang was startled. She had not expected him to recover his strength so quickly. Zhong Yue's figure moved with such speed that he almost became a phantom circling her!

Yet amid those phantoms, streaks of Lei Sword Qi stabbed at her from every direction. At the same time, dragon claws reached down toward her one after another.

"What a formidable fellow—he's much stronger than when he fought Shui Qinghe!"

Cold sweat appeared on Li Xiuniang's forehead, and her lovely face gradually turned solemn. Her hands changed in a thousand ways, and the four arms of the demonic god behind her changed in a thousand ways as well, blocking the sword qi and dragon claws attacking from all directions!

"His techniques aren't particularly refined, and his visualization of the Flood Dragon Totem hasn't received the true inheritance, but his explosive power is far too fierce!"

Li Xiuniang received attack after attack, her qi and blood boiling from the impacts. Zhong Yue's attacks were not exquisite and lacked variation, but their power had already surpassed hers. With overwhelming force and unparalleled speed, he forcibly made up for every flaw in his techniques, suppressing her until she could only defend and had no time to use her own exquisitely varied moves!

"This won't do. If I keep defending, sooner or later there will be a moment when my defense breaks!"

Li Xiuniang moved, stepping into the air. Lotus flowers appeared beneath her feet one after another, and she actually trod upon the blossoms, rising higher with every step. She intended to widen the distance between herself and Zhong Yue.

Her steps were extremely swift. In only a few steps, she had risen more than twenty zhang into the air.

"Come down, Senior Sister Li!"

Zhong Yue crouched, then leaped. His body resembled a Flood Dragon soaring into the sky as he shot more than twenty zhang upward in a single bound. He reached out, seized the girl's ankle, and swung his arm, smashing her viciously toward the ground.

Boom—

Li Xiuniang was slammed into the ground and slid backward. Broken stones and dirt flew in every direction, leaving her shocked and furious. The demonic god behind her immediately flipped upright, but at that moment, a figure rushed forward. Countless fist and leg shadows poured densely toward the demonic god, and in an instant, an unknown number of attacks landed on the demonic god formed from her condensed mental power.

Bang!

The demonic god was shattered by force. Li Xiuniang flew backward, but at that moment, a hand shot out like lightning, seized her by the neck, and lifted her bodily into the air.

Zhong Yue set Li Xiuniang down, released his hand, and took a step back. His aura receded as he saluted her. "Senior Sister, please forgive me."