Chapter 213
**Chapter 227: The Blade of Illusions**
First, sever the illusory Buddha's hand, then cut off Hui Kong's arm.
"Hui Kong, no one is leaving with you today."
A tall figure had appeared on a stone pillar behind Li Qingran without her noticing.
The blood moon hung in the sky, frost lines glimmering in the cracks of the blue bricks.
Mo Shumei stepped lightly in the moonlight, the silk on her scabbard fluttering in the wind.
"How much longer?"
【Less than a quarter of an hour.】 The demonic blade trembled.
"That's enough!"
With a cold snort, Mo Shumei leaped down from the stone pillar, charging toward Hui Kong.
---
**Chapter 228: Li - Great Love Qingran**
Mo Shumei had intended to head straight for the secret realm's gate.
But halfway there, she sensed the loathsome aura of Hui Kong.
She knew that neither Hui Kong nor the Saintess of Yaochi, Song Chiyue, were to be trifled with.
Taking a glance, she confirmed it was indeed Hui Kong committing evil deeds.
She hadn’t planned to intervene, but the female cultivator being blocked by Hui Kong looked somewhat familiar... She seemed to have seen this female cultivator in a mortal county before, traveling on a flying boat alongside the Sword Pavilion's senior sister, Yue Qianchi.
Since she was from the Sword Pavilion, Mo Shumei couldn’t just stand by.
During the chaotic battle at the sect's ruins, if it hadn’t been for the Sword Pavilion disciples providing her with cover and the chance to conceal her presence, she would never have obtained the second volume of the Great Compassion Sutra so easily—dealing with the remnants of the Blade Demon was incredibly challenging. Even when the Soul Abyss pulled it into the Blade Domain, she had nearly lost, suffering a backlash that could have put her in grave danger.
She decided to take advantage of the Soul Abyss while it was still available to deal with Hui Kong first, then quickly leave the secret realm to find a place to recuperate.
But then...
A quarter of an hour later.
Mo Shumei looked at Hui Kong, who stood on a lotus platform, her expression darkening.
She had shattered Hui Kong's Arhat form, yet the opponent's trump cards kept emerging one after another.
At that moment, the lotus platform beneath Hui Kong was a powerful defensive artifact.
Though it was nearly shattered, it had withstood her fierce assault.
【Hmph, I warned you not to meddle! The backlash is about to begin! Enjoy it, but don’t die!】
Before the Soul Abyss finished speaking, a piercing pain exploded from her limbs and bones. The agony, stemming from her very soul, crushed her consciousness like a landslide. Mo Shumei let out a half-stifled whimper, and even biting her tongue couldn’t stop her form from collapsing. Her knees hit the ground, the demonic blade carving a half-arc of cold light, barely propping up her swaying figure against the blue stone.
Hui Kong had already prepared to retreat.
This sudden emergence of a demonic cultivator was incredibly strong; if he had been uninjured, he might have been able to suppress her easily.
But now, he was wounded, and after exhausting his trump cards, he had barely managed to hold his ground.
The lotus platform beneath him was his last resort. If it were shattered, he would have no choice but to flee.
But it seemed the opponent was having some issues?
He glanced at her, a cruel smile creeping onto his lips. "Amitabha. This female benefactor, it seems you’ve been backlashed by demonic energy. Practicing demonic arts is like this—great power, rapid ascension, but you never know when it might cost you your life... The sea of demons is boundless; it’s better to return to the Holy Land with me. In the Burning Purity Holy Land, there are superior Buddhist teachings that can cleanse you of your impurities!"
"You filthy monk, you... don’t even think about it!" Mo Shumei gritted her teeth, struggling to rise.
But her bones felt as if they had been crushed, and moving even a finger was a monumental task.
She could only rasp out a warning to Li Qingran behind her, "Run! What are you waiting for?"
Li Qingran looked deeply at the kneeling Mo Shumei.
From the aura surrounding her, it was clear she was a demonic cultivator.
She had no fondness for demonic cultivators, so she hadn’t intervened while Mo Shumei fought Hui Kong. Yet, she didn’t take the opportunity to leave either; she simply watched, curious about the demonic cultivator's intentions. After observing for a quarter of an hour, she realized this demonic cultivator was different from her preconceived notions. Especially now, even while in crisis, she was still urging her to escape...
Is there really such a righteous demonic cultivator in the world?
Li Qingran didn’t know, but she followed her instincts.
Clang—!
The silk string was drawn.
Mo Shumei felt a sharp sword light brush past her, aimed directly at Hui Kong.
"At times, the long wind will break the waves, and the sails will hang high to cross the vast sea!"
Li Qingran silently recited, then unleashed her sword like a dragon.
As the afterimages swept by, three blossoms of mist erupted, obscuring the ethereal figure of a celestial being inviting the moon, leaving only a frost-haired swordsman standing resolutely with his sword.
With the single sword spirit root enhancing her, she could originally only condense one misty shadow.
Now, she could condense three.
She could freely shift among the three vaporous illusions.
"Excellent swordplay! Come, try my Diamond Subduing Demons Palm!" Hui Kong raised his hand to grasp, but he caught nothing but air. The figure before him suddenly dispersed into mist, and in the blink of an eye, had returned to its original position, while the remaining two illusions coalesced into sword energy, slicing toward Hui Kong from both sides. The speed of the sword energy was so extreme that Hui Kong didn’t have time to form the Diamond Seal.
Crack—!
Two sword marks appeared on the lotus platform.
This already battered lotus platform, which had been hacked to pieces by Mo Shumei, finally couldn’t withstand the assault, shattering with a sound like breaking jade, the protective golden light completely extinguished.
At the same time, Hui Kong's heart shattered as well.
"My artifact!" The lotus platform beneath him had turned into scrap metal.
Hui Kong could only watch helplessly, his eyes turning red.
He was indeed the Son of the Holy Land, but he had fought hard for his resources.
Otherwise, with the cold-hearted nature of Zhenren Fenye, he could be replaced at any moment if things didn’t go his way.
After all, there were countless people in the Holy Land who aspired to be the Son.
Gazing ten meters away at the girl surrounded by sword energy, Hui Kong's heart filled with resentment, his fists clenched.
As he swallowed hard, he roared like thunder: "Wrath!"
The sound wave coalesced into a massive "卍" (swastika) Buddha seal, crashing toward her.
This move wasn’t meant to harm the enemy, but to cover his retreat!
His cassock billowed in the wind as Hui Kong leaped back a hundred meters.
His hand dove into his robe, reaching for a communication talisman. With only twenty percent of his Buddhist power left, he needed to call in his three subordinates for backup!
Now that his true nature had been revealed, he no longer needed to maintain the image of the righteous Son of the Holy Land.
The most important thing now was to secure those two "resources."
Hui Kong moved swiftly.
However, a flash of sword light was even faster!
"With a white feather of a shooting star at my waist..."
"Sword flowers and autumn lotuses spring from the sheath!"
Li Qingran flicked her wrist, the Su Xuan sword arcing with light, its blade reflecting two cold stars in her eyes.
Mo Shumei's pupils constricted as she saw the Su Xuan sword humming, trailing a sliver of crescent moonlight toward Hui Kong.
At that moment, a phantom of a dark-clad swordsman appeared behind the girl.
The sword cultivator's pale hair danced wildly in the wind, their wrist overlapping with the girl’s, as if they were both gripping the Su Xuan sword together.
In that instant, the explosive sword aura carved countless sword marks into the ground around them.
Mo Shumei felt her throat dry.
She believed her blade techniques were fierce, but they paled in comparison to this girl’s sword intent.
Which sword master’s legacy did this girl inherit?
Hui Kong turned, forming a large hand seal to block one sword strike, but his fleeing figure paused momentarily.
Yet he didn’t stop moving, continuing to dash toward the sect's ruins, his figure gradually obscured by the dissipating haze.
"What a pity, if you were at the Golden Core stage, that evil monk wouldn’t be able to withstand you in his current state..."
Mo Shumei shook her head, immediately forcing her pained body into a seated position, attempting to circulate the Great Compassion Sutra.
Hui Kong wanted to call for help; she had to find a way to resolve the backlash from the Blade Domain’s demonic energy before he could summon anyone—though that seemed nearly impossible.
"Golden Core stage, huh?"
Li Qingran heard Mo Shumei's words and paused, her grip on the sword tightening.
Her gaze pierced through the haze, locking onto Hui Kong's desperate fleeing figure, her clear eyes glimmering with the frost of late autumn.
"Then I... will just break through!"
---
**Chapter 229: A New Battle Command**
【Your electronic girlfriend has broken through to the Golden Core stage!】
The notification sound ringing in his ears jolted Chen Huai'an awake.
The game system's freshly updated prompt appeared on his retina.
When he donned the game helmet for an immersive "game" experience, the game notifications would appear in this manner.
He still wasn’t quite used to it, feeling as if someone had stuffed a phone into his brain...
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