Chapter 19 – Retreat 撤退

Song Muqing stared coldly in the direction of the Treasure Pavilion. A cold glint flashed in her eyes, and with a "whoosh", she disappeared from the spot like a ghost.

In the blink of an eye, she teleported to the front of the Treasure Pavilion. But at that moment, a violent surge of spiritual energy rushed towards her. The once majestic Tianhen Golden Wheel's aura became faint, as if it had been whipped severely several times, and it began to emit an unsettling, unstable fluctuation that made people feel creepy.

Song Muqing's brows knitted tightly, and she secretly thought something was wrong in her heart. "Something's wrong. Why is the Tianhen Golden Wheel's aura all messed up? Did someone meddle with it?"

She didn't hesitate. In an instant, she activated the demonic energy in her body, preparing to forcefully break through the barrier of the golden wheel and snatch the treasure. Just as she was about to take action, the aura of the fake golden wheel suddenly soared, and a powerful explosive fluctuation rushed out. It turned out that this was a big commotion caused by a trace of the genuine spiritual energy injected by Lin Yuan when he created the "fake golden wheel" and the energy of the Jiuchong Ring, directly rebounding back at Song Muqing!

"Boom!" Accompanied by a loud noise, the energy wave generated by the self-destruction of the fake golden wheel was like a crazy beast, surging out. Song Muqing completely didn't expect this. She was hit squarely by this impact. Although she reacted quickly and immediately mobilized the demonic energy in her body to resist, she was seriously injured and a bit of blood oozed from the corner of her mouth..

"Who is it?!" Song Muqing suddenly turned her head, her gaze as sharp as a knife, and scanned the direction of the Treasure Pavilion fiercely. She could feel that although the Tianhen Golden Wheel wasn't completely destroyed, its spirituality had weakened a lot. This time, her plan had come to nothing.

Just then, the leader of the Longevity Sect and the grand elder rushed to the vicinity of the Treasure Pavilion in a hurry. When the leader of the Longevity Sect saw that Song Muqing was injured, his eyes lit up. He immediately seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and fully activated the long sword in his hand. A Hualin sword qi shot straight at Song Muqing's chest.

Song Muqing gave a cold snort. With a flash of her figure, the demonic energy instantly turned into a black mist. With a "bang", the sword qi was shattered. Although she was injured, the strength of the middle stage of the Deity Transformation realm was not to be underestimated. With a casual wave of her hand, she forced the leader and the grand elder to step back repeatedly.

Just when the situation was so tense that it was on the verge of breaking out, a cold voice came from the side. "Leader, take a rest for a while. Leave this to me."

The leader was slightly taken aback. He turned around and saw Lin Xuefei, who had been hiding on the periphery of the battlefield, slowly walking out. The aura around her suddenly changed. Her spiritual energy fluctuations were like surging waves, instantly rising from the Foundation Establishment Great Perfection to the Golden Core Great Perfection!

The grand elder was so shocked that his eyes almost popped out. He stammered, "You... you actually hid your cultivation base?"

Lin Xuefei had a calm expression and simply replied, "The situation is special. There's no time to explain." As soon as the words fell, a silver long sword appeared out of thin air in her hand. The sword body shimmered with a radiance like moonlight, and it was clearly a top-grade spiritual weapon at first glance.

Song Muqing's eyes froze. She stared at Lin Xuefei and sneered, "Great Perfection of the Golden Core stage? You traitor!"

In the blink of an eye, Lin Xuefei and the leader of the Longevity Sect attacked Song Muqing from the front and the back, just like tigers pouncing down the mountain. The three of them immediately engaged in a earth-shattering battle. Lin Xuefei's swordsmanship was light and elegant, like a wisp of breeze under the moon, specifically targeting Song Muqing's weak points. The leader, on the other hand, suppressed Song Muqing head-on with his powerful Hualin sword qi, making it impossible for Song Muqing to gain an advantage for a while.

Although Song Muqing was a master at the middle stage of the Deity Transformation realm, after being rebounded by the fake Tianhen Golden Wheel, her strength was greatly reduced. As time passed, her movements became slower and slower, while Lin Xuefei became more and more valiant in the battle. Her sword moves were as sharp as lightning. With a "puff", she stabbed a sword through Song Muqing's left shoulder. However, Lin Xuefei was also sent flying by a fierce palm strike from Song Muqing. The protective jade pendant around her waist shattered instantly. Although she wasn't seriously injured, her whole body was in pain and numb, and she couldn't fight again.

"Damn little girl!" Song Muqing was so angry that she jumped up and down in a rage. With a furious roar, the demonic energy turned into a gust of wind and rushed towards Lin Xuefei frantically.

The leader of the Longevity Sect seized this excellent opportunity. The Hualin Sword condensed all the power in his body, and a blazing white sword light fell from the sky like a bolt of lightning, striking towards Song Muqing. Song Muqing wanted to dodge, but her speed was affected by her previous injuries. She could only avoid the vital parts and endured this fierce attack forcefully.

"Puff!" Song Muqing suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and her figure staggered backward several steps. She knew in her heart that if she continued to fight like this, she would surely die here.

Song Muqing gave Lin Xuefei and the leader of the Longevity Sect a cold look and said viciously, "Very well, Longevity Sect. I'll remember this debt!"

After saying that, she gritted her teeth, suddenly bit through her tongue, spat out a mouthful of blood essence, activated a secret technique, forcefully tore through the void, and disappeared without a trace like a dark shadow.

The leader of the Longevity Sect frowned slightly, put away his sword qi, and let out a long sigh. "Though she escaped, today's battle has finally curbed the Demon Sect's arrogance."

Lin Xuefei put away her silver sword, took a few healing pills, and had a calm expression, but fine beads of sweat had already appeared on her forehead. She said in a low voice, "Leader, her strength is too strong. I'm afraid today's matter isn't over yet."

At the same time, Lin Yuan hid in the corner of the Treasure Pavilion and witnessed all this. He covered his chest, feeling the cold power transmitted by the Jiuchong Ring, and secretly rejoiced in his heart. "Fortunately, that fake golden wheel worked. Otherwise, the leader of the Demon Sect would have surely destroyed the entire Longevity Sect just now."

Lin Xuefei walked up to him and said angrily, "That thing of yours almost got us all killed."

Lin Yuan scratched his head and showed a flattering smile. "Senior Sister, I still have you, the great savior..."

Lin Xuefei gave him a glare, then looked in the direction of the leader and the elders, her expression complicated. She murmured in a low voice, "Which side should I really stand on..."

...

After returning to the residence of the Demon Sect, Song Muqing's face was as pale as paper, and her injuries simply couldn't be contained. She quickly summoned her direct disciples, passed on the position of the leader of the Demon Sect to the person she trusted the most, and then said coldly, "I'm going into seclusion to heal. You'll take full charge while I'm away."

When everyone else had left and only Song Muqing and her disciple were left, the direct disciple asked in surprise, "Master, why is this so sudden?"

Song Muqing's eyes were solemn. She said hoarsely, "My time's running out..."

=====================

宋沐晴冷冷地盯着藏宝阁的方向,眼中寒芒一闪,"嗖" 的一声,整个人如鬼魅般消失在原地.

眨眼间,她就瞬移到了藏宝阁前.可就在这时,一股狂暴的灵气波动汹涌袭来.原本威风凛凛的天痕金轮,气息变得若有若无,就像是被人狠狠抽了几鞭,又重新散发出一种让人心里直发毛的不稳定波动.

宋沐晴眉头拧成了麻花,心中暗叫不好:"不对劲啊,这天痕金轮的气息怎么乱成这样?难道被哪个家伙动了手脚?"

她也不含糊,瞬间催动体内魔气,准备强行破开金轮的结界,把这宝贝抢到手.就在她刚要动手的时候,假金轮的气息猛地暴涨,一股超强的爆裂波动汹涌而出.原来,这是林远制造 "假金轮" 时,注入的一丝真品灵气与九重戒能量搞出来的大动静,直接给宋沐晴来了个反噬!

"轰!" 伴随着一声巨响,假金轮自爆产生的能量波如同一头疯狂的巨兽,汹涌冲击而出.宋沐晴完全没料到这一出,被这股冲击力结结实实撞了个正着.尽管她反应够快,赶紧调动体内魔气抵挡,但还是被伤得不轻,嘴角溢出一丝鲜血.

"是谁?!" 宋沐晴猛地转头,目光如刀,恶狠狠地扫视着藏宝阁的方向.她能感觉到,天痕金轮虽然还没完全报废,但灵性已经弱了不少.这一下,她的计划算是泡汤了.

就在这时,长生派掌门和大长老风风火火地赶到了藏宝阁附近.长生掌门看到宋沐晴受伤,眼睛一亮,立刻抓住这个千载难逢的好机会,全力催动手中长剑,一道化霖剑气如闪电般直刺宋沐晴的胸膛.

宋沐晴冷哼一声,身影一闪,魔气瞬间化作一道黑色的雾气,"砰" 的一声,把剑气震得粉碎.虽说她受了伤,但化神中期的实力可不是盖的,随手一挥,就把掌门和大长老逼得连连后退.

就在局势紧张到一触即发的时候,一道清冷的声音从旁边传来:"掌门,您先歇会儿,这儿交给我."

掌门微微一愣,回头一看,只见一直隐藏在战场外围的林雪霏缓缓走了出来,周身气势陡然一变.她的灵力波动如同汹涌的海浪,瞬间从筑基大圆满飙升到金丹大圆满!

大长老惊得眼珠子都快掉出来了,结结巴巴地问道:"你... 你居然隐藏了修为?"

林雪霏一脸冷静,简洁地回答道:"情况特殊,来不及解释." 话音刚落,她手中凭空出现一柄银色长剑,剑身流转着月光般的光辉,一看就是顶级灵器.

宋沐晴眼神一凛,盯着林雪霏,冷笑着说:"金丹大圆满?你这叛徒!"

说时迟那时快,林雪霏和长生掌门一前一后,如猛虎下山般夹击宋沐晴,三人瞬间展开了一场惊天地泣鬼神的大战.林雪霏的剑法轻灵飘逸,就像月下的一缕清风,专门攻击宋沐晴的破绽;而掌门则以雄浑的化霖剑气正面压制,让宋沐晴一时间根本占不到便宜.

宋沐晴虽然是化神中期的高手,但被假天痕金轮反噬后,实力大打折扣.随着时间的推移,她的动作越来越迟缓,而林雪霏却越战越勇,剑招犀利得如同闪电,"噗" 的一声,一剑刺穿了宋沐晴的左肩.不过,林雪霏也被宋沐晴狠狠一掌拍飞了出去,腰上的守护玉佩瞬间碎裂.虽然没受重伤,但全身疼痛麻痹,短时间内根本没法再战.

"该死的小丫头!" 宋沐晴气得暴跳如雷,怒吼一声,魔气化作一阵狂风,朝着林雪霏疯狂扑去.

长生掌门抓住这个绝佳时机,化霖剑凝聚起全身的力量,一道炽白色的剑芒如同一道闪电从天而降,劈向宋沐晴.宋沐晴想要躲避,却因为之前的伤势影响了速度,只能避开要害,硬生生承受了这记迅猛的攻击.

"噗!" 宋沐晴猛地吐出一口鲜血,身影踉跄着向后退了好几步.她心里明白,再这么打下去,自己非得交代在这儿不可.

宋沐晴冷冷地扫了林雪霏和长生掌门一眼,恶狠狠地说:"很好,长生派,这笔账我记下了!"

说完,她一咬牙,猛然咬破舌尖,喷出一口精血,催动秘法,强行撕裂虚空,化作一抹黑影消失得无影无踪.

长生掌门眉头微微皱起,收起剑气,长叹一声:"虽然让她跑了,但今天这一战,总算是挫了魔教的锐气."

林雪霏收起银剑,服下几颗疗伤丹药,面色平静,但额头上已经渗出了细密的冷汗.她压低声音说道:"掌门,她的实力太强了,今天的事恐怕还没完."

与此同时,林远躲在藏宝阁的角落里,把这一切都看在眼里.他捂着胸口,感受着九重戒传来的冰冷力量,心中暗自庆幸:"还好那假金轮起作用了,不然刚才这位魔教教主非得把整个长生派给掀了不可."

林雪霏走到他身边,没好气地说:"你那玩意儿差点把我们都害死了."

林远挠了挠头,露出一个讨好的笑容:"师姐,不是还有你这个超级大救星嘛..."

林雪霏白了他一眼,随即看向掌门和众长老的方向,神色复杂.她低声喃喃道:"到底该站在哪一边..."

...

回到魔教驻地后,宋沐晴脸色惨白如纸,身上的伤势根本遏制不住.她赶忙召集亲传弟子,把魔教教主之位传给了她最信任的人,然后冷冷地说:"我要闭死关疗伤,这段时间的事你全权负责."

等其他人都退下,只剩下宋沐晴和她的弟子两人时,亲传弟子惊讶地问道:"师尊,为什么这么突然?"

宋沐晴目光深邃,声音沙哑地说:"因为我的时间,不多了..."