Chapter 1367: Regret Comes Too Late
Chapter 1367: Regret Comes Too Late
Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen charged out of the sword formation, heading straight for Consort Xi.
Consort Xi’s face lit up with delight.
The deep azure giant dragon she had summoned, originally poised to attack the sword formation, coiled its tail and lashed out to ensnare Song Wen.
Facing the dragon radiating extreme cold, Song Wen neither dodged nor evaded. He allowed the dragon’s tail to strike him, his physical body shattering into pieces upon impact.
His reason for leaving the sword formation was to ensure none of Wen Xuan and his companions escaped.
While within the formation, Song Wen had observed that Ying Wu’s strength, even with him as a "burden," was sufficient to defeat the trio. However, completely annihilating them seemed unlikely.
After all, the moment the trio sensed danger, they would undoubtedly flee!
Moreover, Ying Wu didn’t seem particularly intent on killing all three. Her attitude seemed to be: Kill them if you can, but it doesn’t matter if they escape.
Song Wen, however, was determined to eliminate them all.
If any survived—especially Wen Xuan or Consort Xi—they would never let the matter rest and would inevitably seek revenge.
As a Body Integration Stage elder of the Myriad Swords Pavilion, Ying Wu had no fear of retaliation from the trio. Even if their actions alerted Great Ascension Stage cultivators from the Azure Flame Sect, who might seek revenge on the Southern Nether Continent, the Myriad Swords Pavilion would undoubtedly shield her.
Song Wen, however, had no such protection.
If the trio gathered reinforcements and ambushed him in the Zhenhou’s territory, he would not only fail to obtain the Blood of the Zhenhou but also risk losing his life.
Thus, upon exiting the sword formation, he immediately activated his life-substitution art, using the opportunity to close in on Consort Xi.
Although Consort Xi had expended considerable spiritual power during her fierce battle with Ying Wu, her cultivation realm still surpassed Song Wen’s by two minor stages. Only by catching her off guard with a thunderous strike could Song Wen secure a decisive kill.
The reactions of the other four to the shattering of Song Wen’s physical body varied.
Ying Wu, Consort Xi, and Wen Xuan wore expressions of disbelief, utterly baffled as to why Ye Hua would willingly seek death.
A thought even flashed through Ying Wu’s mind:
Could Ye Hua have chosen this desperate measure to avoid burdening me?
Consort Xi and Wen Xuan, however, felt their hearts sink.
With Ye Hua dead, they had lost their leverage over Ying Wu.
Moreover, Ye Hua’s death would likely enrage Ying Wu, further diminishing their chances of survival.
Among the four, only Gu Huang was utterly horrified.
The scene unfolding before him was all too familiar.
He had encountered Song Wen three times, and each time they had clashed. He would never forget Song Wen’s seemingly endless supply of Substitute Puppets.
Even dealing with just Ying Wu had pushed the three of them to their limits, their situation precarious. With the addition of Gou Jun, none of them were likely to escape alive today.
Gu Huang’s eyes swept across the battlefield, noting that no one was paying him any attention.
He began to retreat slowly.
To avoid drawing attention, he unleashed a storm of Sword Qi, a sky-covering barrage aimed at Ying Wu, using it to conceal his movements.
As for the so-called "big business," it paled into insignificance compared to his own life!
Consort Xi, witnessing Ye Hua’s demise, was momentarily paralyzed, her gaze instinctively turning to Daoist Wenxuan.
Meanwhile, on Wen Xuan’s side:
The towering giant pillar crashed down, but Ying Wu deftly deflected it with the Azure Phoenix Sword before nimbly dodging aside. Fueled by fury over Ye Hua’s death, she channeled her killing intent into the Azure Phoenix Sword and thrust it toward Wen Xuan, who was gripping the base of the giant pillar with both hands.
Wen Xuan was fully occupied with countering the Azure Phoenix Sword, leaving him no time to spare for Consort Xi.
For a moment, Consort Xi hesitated, unsure whether to flee or assist Wen Xuan.
Just then, she suddenly sensed a chilling killing intent surging from behind.
Her muscles instantly tensed. Without a second thought, she activated the flower basket hovering above her head, unleashing a torrent of radiant light that coalesced into a protective shield behind her.
The shield had barely taken shape when a two-foot-long short sword pierced through it.
This strike—
Its killing aura darkened the heavens, its blade’s brilliance startled gods and demons!
Consort Xi’s heart nearly stopped in terror.
She had no confidence that her hastily formed, incomplete shield could withstand this earth-shattering, heaven-rending strike.
Her fears proved justified. Before the short sword, the luminous shield shattered like thin paper.
The blade sliced through the shield, scattering fragments of light in all directions.
Thud—
With a sickening sound of metal piercing flesh, the short sword plunged into Consort Xi’s back.
Violent Sword Qi erupted within her body, tearing apart her flesh, shattering her dantian, and obliterating her nascent soul. Only her wide-eyed head remained intact.
The severed head rotated.
Consort Xi finally realized that the sword wielder was none other than Ye Hua!
This Ye Hua was gaunt as a thousand-year-old mummified corpse, his body enveloped in a crimson blood mist.
A sinister smile stretched across Ye Hua’s withered face, radiating an eerie malevolence that plunged Consort Xi into utter despair.
In the next instant, a surging blood sea erupted from Ye Hua’s body, engulfing the scattered flesh and her remaining head. The world before her eyes turned crimson.
As her soul teetered on the brink of annihilation, Consort Xi suddenly recalled Gu Huang’s words from moments earlier: "Ying Wu is a peerless powerhouse in the Body Integration Stage." At the time, she had scoffed at the notion. Now, she realized how ignorant and foolish she had been.
With this thought, she glanced toward Gu Huang’s position, only to find him long gone.
Though no one had initially noticed Gu Huang’s desertion, his escape became glaringly obvious once he had fled far enough. Yet, preoccupied with the battle, no one had the time to stop or even acknowledge him.
Consort Xi suddenly realized that Gu Huang had likely recognized Ye Hua’s true strength but hadn’t identified him earlier. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have fled in such panic the moment Ye Hua unleashed his life-substitution art.
These thoughts flashed through Consort Xi’s mind, but the realization came too late.
Too late to understand, too late to regret!
"Ye Hua, you’re alright after all..." Ying Wu’s voice carried a hint of surprise.
But before she could finish, her gaze fell upon the short sword in Song Wen’s hand.
"The Nine Calamity Heaven-Measuring Sword! You’re... Gou Jun!"
The name "Gou Jun" held considerable renown in the Southern Nether Continent.
After all, he not only wielded the coveted Nine Calamity Heaven-Measuring Sword but also carried a sky-high bounty from Ancestor Yuanrong of the Great Ascension Stage at Myriad Swords Pavilion!
"Fellow Daoist Yingwu, I’ll explain my identity later. Please ensure Wen Xuan is killed—don’t let him escape. I’m going after Gu Huang."
As Song Wen spoke, a pair of black wings materialized behind him.
Thunderlight crackled around the wings, engulfing Song Wen entirely before he pierced through the pitch-black sky.
While fully activating the Thunder Kui Wings, Song Wen also employed the Profound Thunder Nine Heavens Escape Technique, pushing his speed to its absolute limit. Only by doing so could he hope to catch up to Gu Huang.
As a sword cultivator, Gu Huang’s escape speed would typically surpass that of other cultivators at the same cultivation stage. Moreover, his cultivation level was a minor stage higher than Song Wen’s. Without exerting every ounce of his strength, Song Wen stood no chance.
(End of the Chapter)
---------------------------
📚 Continue Reading [RDC] on 𝖈𝖎𝖓𝖉𝖊𝖗𝖙𝖑.𝖈𝖔𝖒.
👉 Read upto [104] Free Chapters ahead. No Login Required! Members can read upto [288] Chapters ahead.
Read 16 other high quality novels with 11.8K Chapters, only on 𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝕞.
---------------------------