Only to kill you

Only to kill you...

In the annals of history, there were names that sent shivers through the realms:

Zhan Chen, the Pill Emperor Hall's Heaven's Chosen.

Yang Fan, Star-Seizing Manor's gifted prodigy.

Hua Xiaoyun, a somewhat ordinary lad, but backed by his elder brother, Hua Taixu, reigning supreme atop the Heavenly Fate Ranking.

All these individuals harbored an intense grudge against him. From Zhan Chen's perspective, death alone could be entrusted with the secret he carried. Silencing Qin Wentian was paramount.

Maybe in Yang Fan's universe, Qin Wentian's existence was moot. Still, given their present convergence, Yang Fan figured he might as well snuff it out.

But if this was the way the wind blew, it marked the end of his sojourn on the Moon Continent. When the world no longer welcomed him, why succumb to fear?

Qin Wentian tilted his head, a humorless laugh escaping him as he spotted Hua Xiaoyun's protector making a beeline for him. "You best stay where you are if you don't want her demise," he advised.

"What business is she of mine?" the protector retorted icily.

"You might want to share that sentiment with Yang Fan." Qin Wentian's bitter laugh lingered, chilling the air. Hua Xiaoyun's protector froze, common sense overriding his rashness. If he harmed her and Yang Fan retaliated, not even his Heavenly Dipper Sovereign status could stave off the Star-Seizing Manor's vengeance.

"Free her, and our feud ends," Yang Fan's words dripped ice.

"Feel free to make a move. Is this really about settling scores?" Qin Wentian's glare bored into Yang Fan. Release Shu Ruanyu? It was doubtful he'd make it out of the Moon Continent alive.

Experience had made him wiser; he wouldn't so easily fall for the enemies' lies.

"Little Rascal, come," Qin Wentian summoned, and within a breath, the creature scampered over, Fan Le and Chu Mang clutching its back.

"Unhand me," Shu Ruanyu's cheeks flushed crimson. Clutched tightly by Qin Wentian, her body melded to his.

"Miss Shu, you're quite the comedian." Another palm strike landed on Shu Ruanyu, the power coursing through her, tormenting her.

"Earlier, didn't you want me dead? Spare me the humor," Qin Wentian chortled wickedly. Yang Fan's expression soured, rage rippling off him.

Shame and humiliation surged within Yang Fan. Shu Ruanyu was his betrothed, trapped in Qin Wentian's embrace, subject to his every whim.

"Touch her again, even a little, and tomorrow becomes an impossibility for you," Yang Fan warned.

"Departing this world with a beauty in my arms? No complaints there," Qin Wentian countered, defiance in his eyes.

His scorching gaze darted to the silver-masked swordsman, then back to Yang Fan, a smirk curving his lips. "Yang Fan, you seem to have real feelings for her. At least you're not like Zhan Chen. You're a step above him."

"BZZZ!"

The words had barely left his lips when a sword beam streaked his way. Bailu Jing intervened, parrying the assault, a chilling laugh escaping Qin Wentian. "Seems like you're really Zhan Chen."

The silver-masked swordsman's eyes froze, realization crashing down – he'd walked into a trap. Unfazed, Qin Wentian pressed on, voice slicing through the tension. "Zhan Chen, in the secret realm, you recoiled from crossing that barrier. So, you fed your companion a pellet to unlock her latent potential, bending her to your will. Ultimately, she'd set off the traps, dying for your designs. Yet, I've unearthed your secret. Your desire to silence me drove you to recklessness."

As Qin Wentian's words lingered, the crowd wore expressions of shock and disbelief.

Zhan Chen had murdered his own comrade?

Since Zhan Chen was so eager to see him dead, it was time to unveil the truth. Let the Pill Emperor Palace ponder the incident's implications.

"Despite knowing your wolfish heart, she ingested that pill willingly, a pawn in your game. Zhan Chen, is there a shred of conscience left in your blackened soul?" Qin Wentian's tone chilled. The silver-masked swordsman hesitated, restrained from further action. Pushing forward now would confirm his identity as Zhan Chen and lend credence to Qin Wentian's allegations.

It also meant Qin Wentian wasn't entirely off-mark.

Zhan Chen wouldn't confess. Despite his boiling hatred, he'd maintain his image of the perfect gentleman. Killing to silence wasn't his style. Inwardly, though, he'd condemned Qin Wentian to death.

"Brother Jing, if Zhan Chen targets you, it can only mean this silver-masked character before us is him," Qin Wentian smirked, piling fuel onto the flames. If Zhan Chen chose to remain silent about his past, every aggressive move he made henceforth would be an admission of guilt. And that would seal his fate, even against the Pill Emperor Hall.

The wrath in Zhan Chen's heart reached cataclysmic heights.

"You're as good as dead," Hua Xiaoyun spat, his face twisting in agony. Qin Wentian was either audacious or mad, taking Yang Fan's betrothed hostage and exposing Zhan Chen's hidden truth. Truth or not, Zhan Chen would hunt him down. There was no way he wouldn't.

Zhan Chen needn't validate Qin Wentian's allegations or reveal his masked identity. A mere denial of the accusations would suffice; that would seal Qin Wentian's fate, and no one would blink if Zhan Chen chose to slay him.

Death was inevitable for Qin Wentian.

Hua Xiaoyun's rants didn't faze Qin Wentian. His focus remained on Qinger's battlefield. Moments later, fractures marred the surface of the half-translucent golden lotus as Qinger reappeared.

The golden-armored Puppet lay shattered. It had sacrificed itself, joining forces with Qing`er to vanquish the female assailant, another Heavenly Dipper Sovereign. Trading a Puppet for a Heavenly Dipper life? A fair trade.

Of the four members of Heaven's Destruction, three had fallen. Their assassination mission had imploded.

The last member, the carriage driver, emanated seething killing intent, his gaze locked onto Qing`er. He ranked highest in Heaven's Destruction, power-wise.

"Go," Qing`er's melodious voice resounded. Qin Wentian understood she meant him.

"I'm not concerned about him," Qin Wentian replied.

Qinger's long lashes fluttered. Qin Wentian wasn't worried about the Heavenly Dipper Sovereign from Heaven's Destruction. His anxiety stemmed from other Moon Continent powers, the likes of Star-Seizing Manor uniting to eliminate Qinger.

"My master has bestowed upon me a life-saving treasure…"

This time, Qing`er's voice echoed directly in Qin Wentian's ears, comprehension dawning on his features.

Certainly, here's the rewritten story with added drama, humor, and conversation:

Of course, Qinger had a stash of life-saving treasures – after all, she was Fairy Qingmei's favored disciple. When Fairy Qingmei sent her to protect him, she must have anticipated that Qinger could end up in harm's way too.

"Alright, I'll take care of one more before I depart," Qin Wentian responded coolly, shifting his gaze toward Hua Xiaoyun.

Since Hua Xiaoyun had ordered his guardian to close in for the kill earlier, the gap between them and Qin Wentian had considerably narrowed. At present, Qin Wentian's fourth-ranked bladed Puppet stood sentinel before them, meticulously observing their every move.

Qin Wentian's eyes glinted with an icy brilliance, and a single glance was enough to send a shiver down Hua Xiaoyun's spine. Here he was, utterly defenseless, yet Qin Wentian still contemplated eliminating him?

Fan Le and Chu Mang, poised with arrows fitted in their bows, had readied themselves for action.

Hua Xiaoyun's protector's expression darkened as he swiftly withdrew, pulling Hua Xiaoyun along. Simultaneously, the fourth-ranked bladed Puppet charged forth.

Qing`er seemed to grasp Qin Wentian's intent. With a wave of her hand, her Mandate of Space surged, conjuring an invisible barrier precisely where Hua Xiaoyun and his protector aimed to flee. Consequently, the protector collided with the barrier, causing a momentary delay—enough for the bladed Puppet to catch up.

In tandem, Little Rascal dashed towards Hua Xiaoyun with Qin Wentian and the others on its back. Hua Xiaoyun was the very reason Qin Wentian had come to the Moon Continent; how could he resist seizing this golden opportunity?

"You're insane!" Hua Xiaoyun bellowed, watching Qin Wentian close in. As the protector fended off the bladed Puppet's assault, he was about to unleash a palm strike when he froze mid-motion—Shu Ruanyu served as Qin Wentian's living shield. Attacking would mean her immediate demise.

"GET LOST!" In a furious roar, the protector delivered both palms charged with formidable force onto the bladed Puppet's head. Suddenly, something within the Puppet shattered, causing it to tremble as though on the brink of collapse.

Simultaneously, Qin Wentian's third eye materialized, casting a radiant golden light directly into Hua Xiaoyun's eyes.

Hua Xiaoyun's head throbbed, his fear intensifying. It hadn't been Qing`er who assaulted him earlier—it had been Qin Wentian?

"AHHHH!" His mind felt like it was about to explode. Clutching his head in agony, Hua Xiaoyun howled deliriously. Arrows rained down, and the protector's face paled. With a powerful roar, he withdrew a hand from the Puppet, hurling it skyward. Its unleashed might obliterated the incoming volley of arrows. Destroying the Puppet was a long-awaited moment for him, but to save Hua Xiaoyun's life, he had to halt the Puppet's demise.

"ARRGHH!"

The protector's scream pierced the air. Qin Wentian's mental imprint still lingered, and while defending himself, the protector had also commanded the Puppet to thrust its arms forward, skewering both their bodies.

"CRASHHH!" The fourth-ranked Puppet detonated, flames consuming the Heavenly Dipper Sovereign in a fiery tempest. The creator of this Puppet harbored malice; a self-destruct mechanism triggered just before its annihilation.

"HUA XIAOYUN!"

A resounding roar shattered the air, its intensity reverberating through the heavens. Despite the haze of pain clouding his senses, Hua Xiaoyun managed to pry his eyes open, only to find Qin Wentian's finger advancing with uncanny force. Around him, a torrent of demonic qi spiraled wildly, its dark tendrils expanding and shrouding the environment. As the finger descended, an encompassing darkness blanketed the region, the very heavens seemingly rending apart from the onslaught of this ominous power.

"I ventured to the Moon Continent for one sole reason—to eliminate you," Qin Wentian's chilling voice echoed, drilling into Hua Xiaoyun's consciousness.

Had he journeyed all this way simply to end Hua Xiaoyun's life?

"Swish!"

The Heaven Breaking Finger thrust through Hua Xiaoyun's skull, a swift and merciless death.

Though Qin Wentian's mastery of the Heaven Breaking Finger was not yet complete, its strength sufficed to extinguish Hua Xiaoyun's existence—a strike capable of rupturing the fabric of space.

For the wrongs he committed against Qingcheng, only Hua Xiaoyun's death would serve as fitting retribution. With no restraint, Qin Wentian had forsaken all to chase Hua Xiaoyun to the Moon Continent, his sole intent to deliver the fatal blow.

The moment the Heaven Breaking Finger landed, Little Rascal pivoted, hurtling away at breakneck speed.

"Ugh..." Emerging from the inferno's embrace, Hua Xiaoyun's protector emerged, his body marred by severe burns and embedded with shards of the once formidable bladed Puppet.

The fourth-ranked bladed Puppet had met its end, a price he paid with his life. And Hua Xiaoyun—the very person he was bound to safeguard—had met his demise. The protector's desire for vengeance against Qin Wentian had waned, replaced by the singular goal of self-preservation. Having failed to protect Hua Xiaoyun, a prominent figure within the Hua Clan's lineage, the protector feared the wrath of Hua Xiaoyun's family would descend upon him. Escaping had become his paramount objective.

Today's battle left devastation in its wake—Qin Wentian's Puppets obliterated, and his body grievously wounded.

Yang Fan surged forward, his footsteps determined as he chased after the retreating figure of Qin Wentian, his voice dripping with icy resolve, "Release my companion."

"And what guarantee do I have that you won't harm her?" Qin Wentian's voice wafted back, tinged with a mixture of tension and steely determination.

"How am I supposed to trust you?" Yang Fan's doubt lingered.

"As his comrade, I can vouch for his integrity. I'm willing to stake my life on the fact that he will free Shu Ruanyu. You can end me if he betrays his word," Bailu Jing interjected, placing his own life on the line to ensure Qin Wentian's honesty. Qin Wentian was deeply touched by Bailu Jing's commitment—this sacrifice meant that he could leave without any hindrance, and Bailu Jing had placed his life in the balance to secure his departure.

Zhan Chen, ranked eleventh among the chosen, was more than capable of defeating Bailu Jing. Yet, Qin Wentian's bold challenge had prevented Zhan Chen from fully unleashing his power, making it impossible for him to employ his Astral Souls or his most potent innate techniques. The result was an ongoing stalemate, neither side securing the upper hand.

"Very well, Qin Wentian, remember this well. If any harm comes to Shu Ruanyu, Bailu Jing and Bailu Yi will pay the price." Yang Fan's voice reverberated with an unsettling chill.

"I, Qin Wentian, keep my promises. Regardless, Yang Fan and Zhan Chen, I will never forget the events of today." Little Rascal's figure soared into the skies, disappearing beyond the horizon. Yang Fan halted in his tracks, gaze lingering on the vanishing silhouette.

When all was said and done, Qin Wentian had narrowly escaped with his life. The intervention of Bailu Jing and Bailu Yu indicated their endorsement of him by the White Deer Institute. However, had Qin Wentian not taken the daring gamble of using Shu Ruanyu as leverage, Yang Fan alone would have been sufficient to detain him, allowing for no escape.