Killing Huang Youdi

Killing Huang Youdi . . . 

As Nie Yunchang locked eyes with her senior sister, an unsettling chill coursed through her heart. However, within moments, an eerie, maniacal laughter erupted from her lips.

The notion that they were bound together in spirit, akin to sisters, from the moment they joined Matriarch Ji's sect echoed in her mind. Matriarch Ji herself had imparted this belief when accepting them as her disciples. She held no desire to witness her disciples embroiled in conflict, for such a spectacle would be a testament to her failure as a teacher.

Supreme experts often held diverse ideologies when it came to nurturing disciples. Some reveled in fostering strife among their proteges, while others, like Matriarch Ji, sought unity and mutual support among their disciples. In her eyes, those who possessed spatial talent, especially females, were a rare and precious breed. Women often faced greater challenges in cultivation, their journeys complicated by matters of the heart. The path of cultivation was often a solitary one, and she had hoped her disciples would stand by each other.

Yet, within the sacred academy, the unthinkable had occurred—Nie Yunchang and Qing'er, both her cherished disciples, engaged in a bitter feud.

"Senior Sister, you cannot fathom the trials I've endured, yet you blame me?" Nie Yunchang's laughter bordered on hysteria. "All because she possesses a more illustrious background and superior talent?"

"A heart demon has taken root in your soul," Mo Ziyan, the senior apprentice sister, remarked solemnly. "I may not comprehend the extent of your suffering, but I can surmise the circumstances that led Huang Youdi to command you to ambush Qing'er. My heart aches for you, but it should never justify harming a fellow disciple." Mo Ziyan had always been a pillar of support among her junior sisters, and her words carried great weight.

"What would you do if you were in my shoes, Senior Sister?" Nie Yunchang challenged.

"I would either choose to sacrifice myself or seek retribution against all who wronged me. I would never betray our master's teachings or harm a fellow disciple," Mo Ziyan replied without hesitation, her resolve unshakable. It was a choice born from her unwavering principles.

"Why should I die for her?" Nie Yunchang couldn't fathom the rationale.

"Every individual possesses their own will and choices. This is your path. Nie Yunchang, despite the suffering you've endured, you mustn't employ it as justification for your actions. When we leave this sacred academy, I will lay bare the entire truth before our master, imploring her to render a fair judgment," Mo Ziyan declared. "You may find it hard to accept, but you shouldn't have implicated Qing'er. I understand that you believe you suffered due to her, and that many of our fellow sisters perished as well. But I can attest that if today's catalyst for this tragedy had been you instead of Qing'er, we all would've acted the same way, myself included. Without complaint, we would've given our lives. Even though I no longer condone your actions, I would still make the same choice, accepting the consequences alongside you. How can we lay claim to the title of Matriarch Ji's disciples if we do otherwise?"

"In this imperfect world, nothing is flawless," Mo Ziyan's voice resonated, her words laden with wisdom and melancholy. She addressed Nie Yunchang with a solemn gaze. "Our master bestowed upon you the teachings of cultivation, elevating your status within your clan and ushering in an era of boundless glory. Yet, when the sect called upon you to stand alongside a fellow disciple, you chose the path of cowardice, condemning your sister instead. If this is your stance, why did you join our sect in the first place? You see, the moment we made that choice to enter this sect, certain events became preordained."

Mo Ziyan's measured words struck Nie Yunchang like a thunderbolt, causing her heart to quiver. The crazed smile on her face dissolved into tears. Today, if the roles were reversed, they would fight just as fiercely for her. They would willingly lay down their lives.

Was she the one in the wrong all along?

Mo Ziyan's gaze drifted away from Nie Yunchang, her focus now squarely on Huang Wudi and their adversaries. A seething rage had kindled within her, her icy eyes ablaze with unbridled fury.

"How intriguing," Huang Youdi chimed in with a sardonic laugh. "Such touching sentiments, but what does it change? As you said, ever since you all committed to this war, destiny set its course. What kind of man is my elder brother, you ask? He radiates a magnificence that transcends generations, unmatched within the sacred academy. For him to favor your junior, Qing'er, should have been a mark of distinction. Yet, you've chosen to perceive it as a humiliation. If that's your stance, allow me to illustrate what true humiliation looks like to you, dear disciples of Matriarch Ji."

With those words hanging in the air, those aligned with Huang Youdi surged forward, their immortal foundations unleashed, emanating a daunting power.

Mo Ziyan and her companions responded in kind, releasing their formidable auras. Among them, an expert from the Battle Saint Tribe possessed an even more staggering cultivation. He bellowed, transforming into a colossal figure, a divine ape phantom materializing behind him. Its presence sent shockwaves rippling through heaven and earth, saturating the atmosphere with the indomitable might of a battle saint.

Qing'er slowly turned her gaze toward Huang Youdi, her eyes radiating an icy resolve. She harbored no resentment toward Nie Yunchang despite the betrayal. But for Huang Youdi, a deep-seated hatred festered. Some individuals truly deserved to meet their end.

A ferocious spatial storm surged from within her, interwoven with fragments of law energy. It was as though her very being had transformed into the embodiment of laws, pulsating with an overwhelming spatial power that enveloped her surroundings.

Huang Wudi furrowed his brow. He had already noted Qing'er's transformation earlier, but feeling her aura now brought clarity. This strength bore a resemblance to the energy surrounding his brother, Huang Shatian!

But how could this be?

A body of laws represented a transformation into the embodiment of a specific law. It was a state only attainable by immortal kings, as they came into contact with the gate leading to the realm of immortal kings. However, Qing'er's cultivation remained at the fifth level, and she should have been far from this stage. How had she made contact with the immortal king's gate?

Mo Ziyan's eyes flickered with a hint of curiosity as she sensed Qing'er's transformation. Was this what her master had referred to as the 'innate immortal king' potential? It seemed that Qing'er was born with the innate potential to become an immortal king. For her, there would be no insurmountable barrier to the immortal king realm. Even at her current stage, with her immortal-foundation level still developing, she had already touched the boundaries of the immortal king realm.

"Royal Brother, you take care of that mature lady. I'll handle Qin Wentian's companion," Huang Youdi declared, the deliberate choice of words intended to provoke Mo Ziyan.

"Be cautious; she's undergoing some kind of transformation," Huang Wudi warned.

"No need to worry," Huang Youdi replied, determined not to suffer defeat today like he had at the hands of Qin Wentian and Jun Mengchen.

Huang Wudi glanced at one of his subordinates, instructing them to support Huang Youdi if necessary and ensure his safety. With that assurance, he advanced toward Mo Ziyan.

On one side, there were eight members on Huang Wudi's team. On the opposite side, Mo Ziyan and Qing'er were joined by two experts from the Battle Saint Tribe, making their total four.

Huang Wudi and Huang Youdi would engage individually. Huang Youdi had a protector, and the remaining five experts, including White-eye, focused on taking down the two Battle Saint Tribe members.

Battle erupted instantly. Qing'er advanced toward Huang Youdi, who conjured six radiant human emperor silhouettes, each emitting a blinding light that slashed toward her. However, the beams of immortal light dissipated upon contact with Qing'er, as if they were futile attempts to pierce the void. Qing'er's body radiated a continuous flow of law energy, transforming the surrounding space into her domain.

"KILL!" Huang Youdi roared, intensifying the glow of his immortal light, which transformed into razor-sharp swords raining down upon Qing'er.

Qing'er remained as cold as ever, disregarding the attacks landing on her. She stepped forward and released the Immortal-Slaying Diagram, shrouding the entire area with potent spatial power. Her spatial swords sliced through space, seeking to annihilate everything.

"Be cautious!" Huang Youdi's protector lunged forward, his sword aimed at Qing'er's throat with immense power. The sword struck, tearing through the spatial diagram. Yet, Qing'er did not retreat. Her countenance remained composed as she reached out and grasped at the fabric of space. Huang Youdi suddenly found himself immobilized, forced to endure the onslaught of spatial swords created by Qing'er.

"BANG!" The protector's sword struck, causing rippling spatial energy fluctuations around Qing'er. She was enveloped in the light of spatial law energy. Desperately, Huang Youdi's protector dragged him away, using his sword to break through the spatial barriers.

Despite their escape, Huang Youdi had suffered significant injuries, coughing up blood as he paled. He stared in disbelief at the resplendent figure before him, his heart racing.

Once again, he had been defeated, and this time, in a humiliating state. He had proclaimed himself a match for anyone beneath the heavens, yet he had now suffered three consecutive defeats, each time to individuals with lower cultivation bases. He couldn't even withstand a single strike.

"Be cautious! Surround her! She wields a hint of immortal king's might!" Huang Wudi's earlier theory had been confirmed. The daughter of the Evergreen Immortal Emperor possessed the ability to harness a trace of immortal king's power even at the fifth level of the immortal-foundation stage. It was an astounding feat, defying conventional expectations. But in the vast realm of the immortal realms, talent varied greatly, and some were blessed by destiny from the moment of their birth.

Harnessing even a trace of immortal king's might was a truly awe-inspiring feat, but it was also a power that could easily spiral out of control.

Undeterred, Qing'er continued her determined advance toward Huang Youdi, her eyes icy with intent to end him. In her path, three formidable experts, including White-eye, stood resolute to block her way.

Qing'er, seemingly impervious to their presence, moved forward, using her spatial energy to carve a path through their defenses. In a blink, she materialized before Huang Youdi, her overwhelming spatial force leaving him frozen in terror. Her audacity left the experts behind her bewildered. Martial cultivators who harnessed the might of spatial energy were nothing short of terrifying. Quickly, they pooled their energy, launching a combined, devastating assault on Qing'er. Even with her grasp on the trace of immortal king's might, the overwhelming force of their attack threatened to overwhelm her.

"CAREFUL!" Huang Wudi's face drained of color. Qing'er was clearly prepared to sacrifice herself to eliminate Huang Youdi.

"RUMBLE!" A cataclysmic wave of energy surged forth as Mo Ziyan unleashed a powerful attack, effectively immobilizing Huang Wudi. All hope rested on the three experts who stood as Qing'er's last line of defense.

Qing'er's finger descended, its target unmistakably Huang Youdi's head. His impending death was inevitable.

But in the heart-wrenching moments that followed, Huang Youdi trembled, his face etched with pure terror, devoid of arrogance. The spatial energy that enveloped him rendered him motionless, a helpless prey awaiting the final blow. He glanced past Qing'er at the three experts, counting on them to ensure her downfall.

Then, in a breathtaking turn of events, an intense surge of spatial light erupted from behind Qing'er. A figure appeared, shielding her from the impending onslaught. It was none other than Nie Yunchang!

With her full might, Nie Yunchang summoned a formidable spatial diagram that devoured the combined attacks of the three experts. Yet, the strain was too great, and her immortal-foundation shattered in the process.

In the same moment, Qing'er's killing strike found its mark, piercing through the center of Huang Youdi's brow. Terror and despair filled his eyes as her finger landed, giving birth to a multitude of spatial fractures in his consciousness. In mere moments, his life ceased, his eyes losing all signs of vitality.

"Yunchang!" Mo Ziyan froze, tears welling in her eyes as she witnessed the sacrifice of her fellow disciple.

The earth may have trembled beneath them, but the hearts of Matriarch Ji's disciples were gripped by emotions even more profound, rendering them oblivious to the physical upheaval around them.