And the flying sword, which had originally hovered at least ten feet above the ground, suddenly sank until it was only five feet up.
Jiang Zhi herself also abruptly sagged, as though an unbearable burden had suddenly been pressed onto her shoulders. Her back pitched forward, and she nearly fell headfirst to the ground.
Then she seemed to enter a tug-of-war with something.
Again and again she straightened, only to be bent down again and again.
Throughout this, her skin and flesh stretched so taut that they had split in places. The blood that seeped out formed beads, mingling with sweat as they rolled down her forehead, cheeks, and arms.
At the same time, the bones throughout her body gave off a series of cracks each time she forced herself upright.
Merely hearing those sounds made one's scalp tighten.
Even so, her almond-shaped eyes, ordinarily so gentle, were still filled with resolve.
At least, there was not the slightest trace of retreat in her gaze.
And her inner voice was no different-
"Ugh... Jiang Zhi... you're the Eldest Senior Sister..."
"Jiang Zhi... all these years... when have you ever acted like an eldest senior sister?"
"Jiang Zhi... all these years... when your junior brothers and sisters were bullied... where were you?"
"When Fourth Junior Brother was gravely wounded by Blade Ghost... where were you?"
"When Second Junior Brother was trapped in the Thousand Buddha Kingdom... where were you?"
"Jiang Zhi... this time... you must act like an eldest senior sister... even if there's only a thread of hope... you must secure... the chance to challenge the Sect Master in a Sword Inquiry..."
"Jiang Zhi... you... cannot... fall..."
Xu Taiping silently listened to all of this and watched it all, his face expressionless.
But he had long since gripped the blade's