Chapter 37: Battle(3)

"Scared?" the enemy leader's voice rang through the battlefield, filled with contempt and arrogance.

His eyes glowed with an intense killing intent as he raised his blade high. "Die!" he roared, pouring all his strength into his strike as he lunged at Ling Xing Yue.

Boom!

Their weapons clashed with an ear-shattering impact, sending shock waves rippling through the battlefield. The force of the collision made the ground beneath them tremble.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

In mere seconds, they exchanged several fierce blows. Sparks flew with each clash of their weapons, the sheer force behind them enough to carve deep marks into the surrounding stone and earth.

The enemy leader smirked, sensing her wavering strength. His eyes gleamed with triumph. "You won't last much longer," he sneered. "Your defence is crumbling, your energy fading. Surrender now while you still have a choice." His voice softened, turning persuasive. "I won't make things difficult for you. I'll pamper you. You will live in luxury, never lacking cultivation resources. I will provide you with everything you need to grow stronger. All you have to do is submit."

Ling Xing Yue tightened her grip on her sword, her eyes burning with unwavering determination. "Surrender? Become your slave?" Her voice was laced with disgust. "That would be a fate worse than death."

Despite her bravado, she knew the truth her strength was waning. She had managed to block his attacks so far, but barely. If this continued, she wouldn't hold out for much longer. However, surrender was not an option.

Still, she refused to give in. Summoning every ounce of her strength, she lifted her sword and faced him head-on. "No matter what happens, even if we lose, we will never surrender. Either we die, or you do. There is nothing else to discuss."

Her unwavering determination only made Her opponent chuckle darkly, admiring her stubbornness. "Foolish woman," he mused. "But that only makes this more entertaining."

Without another word, he lunged forward again, his attacks more aggressive than before. Each strike was sharp, precise, and relentless. Ling Xing Yue gritted her teeth as she parried his blows, but her footing wavered with each impact. She was steadily being pushed back. Each attack was on the edge of almost penetrating her defence.

Although, the Enemy leader was happily looking at the defence falling apart with each attack,

From the corner of his eye, the enemy leader glanced at the battlefield beyond. His companions were struggling against Xiao Linger and Ning Waner. It wouldn't be long before they were overwhelmed. This made him even more anxious.

His heart pounded with urgency. 'This can't continue,' he thought grimly. His lips curled into a sinister smile. 'It's time to use that move.'

.

"One lost time, surrender or not," he asked for a lost time.

"No matter how many times you ask, my answer won't change it will be the same, either we die or you do" Ling Xing Yue stood firm on her decision, her gaze met his gaze fearlessly.

She already had accepted Lestes's slave mark, she couldn't betray him. Even if she hadn't accepted Lestes's Slave mark she would never have accepted anyone's slave mark, you have to know she was a core formation realm expert, and a foundation realm expert was asking her to be his slave, she would never yield to someone beneath her in cultivation. If not for the Lestes slave mark she would have crushed him a long ago.

She accepted Lestes's slave mark because Lestes was extraordinary whose origin was related to the immortal world, at least that was what she believed.

The enemy leader's expression darkened. "Good," he hissed. "Since you seek death, I have nothing more to say."

Raising his voice, he barked out an order to his men. "Use the Holy Qi! Leave no witnesses!"

As soon as his command was given, he and his companions began forming strange hand seals.

A sinister aura filled the air.

Dark, ominous Qi erupted from their bodies, corrupting the very atmosphere around them. The ground beneath them cracked, and the sky seemed to darken.

Ling Xing Yue's heart pounded. Her pupils shrank in horror. "Dark Qi?! You're from The Dark Tower?!"

The enemy leader smirked at her reaction. "Ah, so you know of us? Then you must also know we leave no witnesses."

The Dark Tower is an evil and mysterious organization known for its cruelty. Their origins were unknown, but their deeds were infamous. They thrived in chaos, committing acts of murder, rape, and robbery. Those who encountered them rarely lived to tell the tale.

With the emergence of Dark Qi, the enemy leader's aura surged, rising from the early Foundation realm to the peak of the same stage. His companions also experienced a significant increase in power.

"Die!" he roared, launching himself at her once more

Boom~

Ling Xing Yue took several steps back but still defended barely.

"You defended it, you can't be an ordinary cultivator, my attack, Interesting. You shouldn't have been able to withstand that, even the top disciples of the major top-grade sect can't defend in the same realm but you can, and your realm is lower than mine, which means you can't be ordinary, or say Your cultivation technique… it must be extraordinary."

His eyes gleamed with greed.

"Die" This time Ling Xing Yue attacked.

Boom~

Their weapons clashed once more, but the impact sent her flying.

She crashed into the ground, coughing up blood. Her limbs felt heavy, and her Qi was nearly depleted. Her body refused to move.

"Looks like I got it right. Your cultivation technique is extraordinary. You barely have any qi left but can still form a defence," he said. He walks to her.

With Yin-Yang Fusion Art her qi was much thicker, which is why even with a trace of qi she could form a defence that saved her life otherwise that impact could kill her.

The enemy leader approached leisurely, looking down at her battered form. He crouched beside her, smirking. "Such a waste. I could kill you now, but… I have a better idea."

His fingers glowed with dark energy as he reached toward her. "I will turn you into a Dark Slave. Then, you will tell me everything about your cultivation technique."

Ling Xing Yue's eyes flickered toward Lestes, who remained in deep meditation nearby.

'Was my choice wrong?' she wondered bitterly.

Dark Qi invaded her body. She gasped as her body lifted into the air. The sinister energy coiled around her, trying to corrupt her very soul. Her vision blurred, and her thoughts became muddled.

'Do you regret choosing between being his slave?' a question arose deep in her heart.

She was barely able to keep herself awake. She smiled and said 'No'

''Why? Without the slave mark, you would have had the strength to protect yourself and your friends.' another question. She didn't understand who was asking these questions. But she still answered anyway 'It was my choice, I wanted to use him as a ladder to climb at the peak of cultivation. So I have to face the consequences of my choice'.'

She was a core formation expert, who aged more than two hundred years. Throughoutt her life, As city Lord of the Sunset City, she had witnessed many things. One of them was the People blaming others for the consequences of the choices they made. She knows that since she made the choice she has to face its consequences. She refused to be one of them.

She closed her eyes, accepting her fate.

But then, The slave seal in her divine sense realm trembled a little, A warmth spread through her soul.

Her eyes snapped open. A thin, glowing membrane had formed around her soul, shielding her from the Dark Qi. She traced its source and gasped in shock.

'The slave seal?'

The very mark binding her to Lestes was now protecting her. Not only her soul but even key parts of her body were wrapped in this fragile yet resilient film.

More and more dark Qi poured inside her, dark Qi was trying to penetrate the film membrane, but the fragile membrane stood firm. Ling Xing Yue's mind raced and she started to think about the ideas, she knew that though the film membrane was standing firm once dark Qi reached saturation, which would be soon, the film may break, she didn't wanna waste her second chance. She had to figure out a solution soon I

The Dark Qi soon reached saturation the slave seal trembled one more time. Instead of corrupting her, tracing the path of the 'Yin-Yang Fusion Art', the Dark Qi was drawn toward the slave seal. The Dark Qi reached to the slave seal. Dark Qi was Introduced in the slave seal.

Her breath hitched in panic.

'Is the slave seal being corrupted?!'

 Slave seal was protecting her initially, but now that Dark Qi was introduced into slave seal it won't be long before the slave seal would corrupt. This means that Ling Xing Yue's final hope was gone. Soon slave seal started to suck Dark Qi actively. Soon, A surge of pure spiritual energy flooded her body released by the slave seal and pure spiritual Qi traced the path of the 'Yin-Yang Fusion Art' return to her dantian. She was surprised to find out this.

"The Slave Seal can purify Dark Qi!" she exclaimed in surprise. She was excited to find this. She remembered Lestes's words 'My slave seal has any uses.'

"Yes my choice was right, he comes from the immortal realm." she was happy to make this choice of becoming Lestes's slave.

The Slave seal absorbed more Dark Qi and then released pure spiritual Qi after purifying it.

The enemy leader was happy to see that he could easily conquer a potential dark slave, for him Ling Xing Yue was at the eighth stage of the qi condensing realm but had defended his attack, an attack from a cultivator at the peak of the early foundation realm.

When the slave seal started to suck dark Qi actively, he was even more happy, he thought that Ling Xing Yue was turned into a dark slave and was replenishing her Qi.

Meanwhile, the enemy leader watched with satisfaction, thinking she was succumbing to darkness. But as the absorption intensified instead of subsiding, his expression changed to confusion… then fear.

He stopped channelling Dark Qi and took a cautious step back.