The distant immortals who had just arrived managed to hastily escape the range of the spiritual absorption, but those nearby were unable to move without exception. They could only watch helplessly as their spiritual energy was frantically absorbed by that strange, spinning small horn.
The only consolation was that there were an enormous number of immortals present. To counter the sea calamity, both the mountain and sea sects had mobilized almost their entire forces. There were at least fifty thousand, if not a hundred thousand, immortals who had come to the East Sea. No matter how great Jiang Li Fei’s ability to absorb spiritual energy was, she couldn’t drain tens of thousands of immortals’ spiritual energy all at once. In this brief respite, Sang Huajun, who was at the forefront, suddenly noticed that the sphere-like object enveloping Jiang Li Fei and her companion seemed to have shrunk a little, and its earth-shattering power had also diminished compared to earlier.
Even in his confusion, he could sense that the once-every-five-hundred-years heavenly thunder and sea of fire were inextricably linked to Jiang Li Fei. Whether it was a punishment for her or a heavenly trial, the only certainty was that they couldn’t let her die before their eyes. Even if she were to die, it shouldn’t be a death without an intact corpse in the heavenly thunder and sea of fire.
Although the records on the Spirit Stele were novel and enticing, they did not explain the greatest mystery—Jiang Li Fei’s identity. They were a group of people who had been thirsting and wandering for hundreds of years, repeatedly terrified by the sea calamity, yet repeatedly captivated by that unknown power. Jiang Li Fei’s appearance was as alluring as the scent of meat, and the Spirit Stele she left behind was like a sip of soup—not only unable to quench their thirst and longing but intensifying their desire even more.
They had to save her.
Sang Huajun suddenly called out loudly, “Fellow Daoists, please come forward. Don’t shy away.”
Jiang Li Fei was absorbing spiritual energy, yet he was calling those immortals who had successfully escaped to come back and court death. All along, the attitudes of Sang Huajun and these academy founders had remained ambiguous, causing even the various sect leaders to hold back from exerting their full power. Immortal Cuixuan, who had been holding back until now, could no longer contain himself and angrily retorted, “This is absurd! To save the lives of two foreign creatures, are you willing to sacrifice the lives of our Central Plains Daoists?!”
Sang Huajun, unwilling to argue with him, continued, “You must have all seen the Spirit Stele. This woman comes from overseas and has a deep connection with the sea calamity that occurs every five hundred years. Moreover, she possesses extraordinary abilities. This opportunity is unique; we must not let her perish or escape. Come forward, and when she emerges from the heavenly thunder and sea of fire, capture her alive immediately!”
Immortal Cuixuan said grimly, “What if we can’t capture her alive? Should we just watch her run away again?!”
Sang Huajun replied calmly, “If we can’t capture her alive, with thousands of immortals here, can we not deal with a woman severely wounded by the heavenly thunder and sea of fire?”
Immortal Cuixuan laughed coldly. Sang Huajun finally glanced at him, slowly shaking his head, “Daoist Cuixuan, your perspective is narrow, seeing only black and white. This may not necessarily be good for cultivation.”
Immortal Cuixuan laughed sarcastically, “Such a narrow perspective, seeing only black and white! Have you all forgotten the tragedy from five hundred years ago? You may have forgotten, but I cannot! The grudge against these foreign creatures is irreconcilable!”
Sang Huajun sighed, “The strong prey on the weak; it’s the law of nature. Precisely because of this, we must understand the situation overseas. If we isolate ourselves, how is it any different from a blind man walking at night? As the saying goes, know yourself and your enemy, and you’ll be victorious in every battle. If you want to avenge our humiliation, killing two dying overseas people here won’t achieve that. Daoist Cuixuan, do you understand?”
He didn’t understand, nor did he want to. But his “want” no longer mattered. Countless immortals from behind surged forward like a tide. The speed of spiritual energy absorption suddenly slowed, allowing the previously immobilized immortals to move again.
But no one moved. Most of the immortals here, driven by curiosity and longing for the unknown overseas, willingly moved closer to let Jiang Li Fei absorb their spiritual energy, ensuring she wouldn’t die on the spot.
Immortal Cuixuan felt an indescribable anger, mixed with an inexplicable fatigue. He couldn’t forget his colleagues who had died tragically at the hands of the Yaksha five hundred years ago. Their spilled blood was still hot, their wails still echoing in his ears. The shadow of the Central Plains immortals’ humiliation still lingered. Was he the only one who remembered? Had they all forgotten?
The heavenly thunder and sea of fire gradually subsided. The scorching wind no longer suffocated them, and the dull thunder no longer tormented their minds. Was Jiang Li Fei about to emerge unscathed? She might even be pampered and nurtured, living for hundreds or thousands of years, to satisfy these people’s curiosity.
Immortal Cuixuan turned and flew far away. Although there were countless Central Plains immortals here, from beginning to end, it felt as if he alone had been fighting a lone battle. Looking over the vast sea of people, he suddenly saw a white-robed young man hovering on a sword in the distance, not approaching like the others.
The young man seemed lost in thought, staring at something. He had changed a lot too. The once panicked yet hopeful child had become a blade that couldn’t help but kill indiscriminately. Perhaps in the long years to come, this blood-stained blade would be tainted with even more blood. In this, Immortal Cuixuan’s hand had played a part in pushing him.
Immortal Cuixuan gazed at his pale, indifferent face, feeling an inexplicable sense of loss in his heart. Unable to articulate the meaning of this loss, he could only stand there in a daze, listening to the thunder gradually diminishing behind him.
Endless spiritual energy poured into Jiang Li Fei’s body. The surging, powerful spiritual energy in her extraordinary meridians turned into a gentle stream of source spiritual energy, slowly overflowing from her palms and releasing onto the snow-white spiritual energy net.
The heavenly thunder and raging flames repeatedly attempted to tear apart the spiritual energy net, and she tirelessly repaired it, focusing solely on this task. Lei Xiuyuan, covered in blood, lay inside. The thunder had almost shattered him, even breaking off one of his horns. She had to protect him.
How long had it been? An hour? A day? Or just an instant?
Perhaps she had already died, her body turned to ashes by the heavenly thunder and flames, leaving only a stubborn instinct persisting. Everything in her vision was distorted—endless darkness, suffocating blood-red hues. Countless bolts of lightning struck down, like muffled drumbeats pounding on every inch of her bones.
Li Fei could only clearly see Lei Xiuyuan’s face. The deep, mottled wounds on his face were slowly healing—thanks to the source of spiritual energy. As long as she was there, no matter how severely injured the Yaksha was, he could always stand up again. She was both a treasure and a curse that had driven the entire Yaksha tribe mad.
He had just said, “It’s not a curse.” This abrupt statement suddenly made sense to her.
He wanted to say that everything he did for her wasn’t because of the curse, right? She had known all along. The young man who only had eyes for her, always cold and proud on the surface, protected her in his way, shielding her completely. How could that be because of a curse?
Lei Xiuyuan had always been fighting desperately for her, like an endless battle—against demons, immortals, natural barriers, and finally against himself. But his expression now wasn’t one of pain. Instead, it showed a hint of relief, and even a childish, victorious smugness.
Was it because he had overcome the curse-driven madness within him? Was he very tired? For her sake—a woman who was neither gentle nor considerate, who couldn’t even speak sweet words—he chose to sacrifice his life to protect her at that moment. Was this victory over the curse, bought with death, worth it?
Why did he always apologize? The one who minded the curse was himself, torn between protecting and possessing her, unable to break free from this cycle. But even if it was a curse, so what? Let him be unable to leave her! Let him seize her, monopolize her. Because he was Lei Xiuyuan, she was willing to be his alone forever.
The flames devoured her body. Li Fei quietly watched as chunks of snow-white, shattered skin fell into the black and red interwoven void. Her hands quickly split open in the heavenly thunder and sea of fire. Her skin peeled off like flower petals, revealing the flesh beneath. Soon, new skin grew over the flesh, only to crack and shatter into pieces moments later.
Was she about to die? Not at the hands of the Central Plains immortals as she had thought, but inexplicably in this heavenly thunder and sea of fire.
Strangely, she didn’t feel particularly sad. It’s said that cultivators practice to escape the cycle of life and death, but the boundary between life and death is too clear and harsh. The living never knows where the underworld of the dead lies. After her master’s death, he had never once visited her in her dreams. Would she be able to see him after she died? Would he be waiting for her, his unfilial disciple?
She had failed to fulfill her master’s wishes. She hadn’t achieved anything great, but at least she had erected the Spirit Stele. Her master’s painstaking efforts would never be erased. Would future generations, seeing this stele and its records, gain a better understanding of the overseas world? Would their fear lessen?
Her body was burning hot, seemingly constantly shattering from within. Li Fei could no longer feel pain. The sound of thunder diminished, gradually fading to silence. The terrifying power of the sea of fire slowly waned. It seemed to have transferred into her body, continuing to rage, destroying her from the inside.
Suddenly, the world became clear and vast. The heavenly thunder and sea of fire vanished in an instant. Li Fei, hugging Lei Xiuyuan who was tightly wrapped in the spiritual energy net, fell straight down towards the sea abyss. The constantly spinning Si horn flew out like lightning, suddenly enlarging and supporting the two of them, continuing to fly towards the overseas without stopping.
The immortals, long prepared, would not let her escape like this. She had exhausted the heavenly thunder and sea of fire. Even if she had incredible abilities and hadn’t died immediately, she must have been severely injured and on the brink of death. Her power to absorb spiritual energy had been weakening; capturing her alive shouldn’t be difficult.
Sect Leader Guiyuan exerted all his strength to cast out his fly whisk. The countless soft strands once again opened like a flower, easily enveloping Jiang Li Fei and her companion who were not flying fast. Sang Huajun quickly followed with his imprisonment technique. The five elemental spiritual energies formed a massive cage, locking them in along with the fly whisk.
Li Fei felt utterly exhausted, her mind hazy and unable to muster any strength. It felt as if every internal organ was exploding, every inch of bone turning to dust. She placed her hand on the fly whisk, but after absorbing just a bit of spiritual energy, she could no longer move. Collapsing in the cage, she suddenly found an unknown source of strength, turning her body to shield Lei Xiuyuan, just as he had done for her earlier. This time, she used her body to protect him.
The immortals were jubilant. Countless figures moved outside the cage, some laughing, some sighing, some puzzled and curious. The peculiar sky, half day and half night, was returning to its clear state. The long-absent scent of seawater came with the wind. The East Sea water, swallowed by the abyss, was about to return to its original position, signaling that this sea calamity was nearly over.
Unlike any previous sea calamity, this one came quickly and fiercely and departed just as swiftly. Casualties were remarkably few, and they had even captured Jiang Li Fei and Lei Xiuyuan. It was an unexpected delight.
Li Fei’s face rested weakly on Lei Xiuyuan’s chest. His heartbeat was intermittent, barely audible. The East Sea waters were rapidly returning to their place. Strong hurricane winds drove the waves, making it difficult to keep one’s eyes open.
She gritted her teeth, about to use spiritual absorption regardless of the consequences, when suddenly, a familiar elderly voice roared from afar, “Get out of my way, all of you!”
The shocking voice was like a giant hand pushing violently, sending the immortals around the cage flying backward. The five-element spiritual energy cage and the fly whisk shattered instantly under the impact. Li Fei felt a blur before her eyes as her body fell into a mass of lush, fragrant snow-white fur. Riyan’s furious voice exploded above her head once again: “Useless things! Watch how this old man slaughters them all!”