Su Zhuyi’s divine consciousness was now very strong. She had heard the conversation between the Yunxiao Sect cultivators, but in reality, they were still quite a distance away, carefully approaching for fear of disturbing the spiritual beast guarding the immortal herb.

Su Zhuyi looked around carefully and finally spotted a snake outside the barrier. The snake was only as thick as a thumb, with a flower crown growing on its head. Standing among the flower clusters, it looked just like a flower; no wonder she hadn’t noticed it at first. Sensing the aura from the spirit snake, Su Zhuyi discovered that it was also at the late Nascent Soul stage in strength, but was currently hiding in the flower clusters, trembling, obviously fearful of them…

They had all come out of the Rebirth Pond and carried the aura of the Pangu clan. In the ancient secret realm, all living beings naturally feared the Pangu clan. She wondered if this was why the spirit snake was so terrified yet unwilling to leave, probably reluctant to abandon that Sushin flower.

Su Zhuyi pulled out the crushed Sushin flower by its roots. This kind of immortal herb could still be used even when damaged, at most with slightly reduced medicinal effects. She reached out and threw the damaged Sushin flower in front of the spirit snake. The spirit snake was stunned at first, then its flower crown opened. What had originally been a flower the size of a copper coin bloomed in that instant like a gaping maw, directly swallowing the Sushin flower whole, flower and roots together.

Then the spirit snake lay on the ground, with wisps of white light appearing on its body. After a long while, it shed a layer of gaudy snake skin, growing a layer of transparent white scales instead, and lay there motionless. The flower crown on its head also became somewhat similar to the Sushin flower, also having seven petals. At first glance, it looked almost like an immortal-grade Sushin flower.

Her current strength was considerable. Having consecutively killed two Nascent Soul stage cultivators at Dong Fushang Sect, killing Elder Hua from Yunxiao Sect wouldn’t be difficult. This herb-gathering expedition had only brought two cultivators: the Golden Core stage disciple leading the way and Elder Hua. Taking their lives wouldn’t be hard for her.

Su Zhuyi glanced sideways at Qin Jianglan beside her. The only one she needed to be wary of was this man she had just slept with. After all, he had once been a master of the Yunxiao Sect and originally had a good relationship with Elder Hua.

Elder Hua and the others were cautious, but their forward speed wasn’t slow. In the blink of an eye, they had approached closer.

Su Zhuyi raised her hand, grasping at the void, and Sword Ancestor was already in her grip. Immediately after, she concealed her form and leaped up, flying out of the barrier. Her body was as light as a swallow, and in just a few bounds, she had already gracefully arrived before Elder Hua and the others.

She wouldn’t waste words with people.

Hua Yining had first struck ruthlessly at her during their competition, then hired Blood Asura assassins to kill her, and on the southern border, had wanted to raise her as a beauty parasite, trying every means to kill her. Su Zhuyi was the type who, if someone slapped her once, could dismember them a thousand times. The accumulated grudges between the Hua family father and daughter were too deep. Killing them ten thousand times wouldn’t be excessive – she would kill them, then destroy their corpses, and after destroying their corpses, she would capture their souls and torment them with whips in the Liuguang Mirror…

That’s exactly what she was thinking, and various torture methods instantly flooded her mind. Having experienced too much in the Blood Asura sect in her previous life, thinking about it now still made her quite excited. This lifetime had suppressed her nature too much. In this rebirth, she had only manipulated a few mortals in her childhood and, surprisingly, hadn’t done many evil deeds. Instead, she had been acting chivalrously all along, saving quite a few people.

Su Zhuyi directly slashed out with her sword, azure light striking toward Elder Hua.

Elder Hua was a Nascent Soul stage cultivator after all. Although he hadn’t detected the danger in advance, in the instant the sword light suddenly arrived, his spiritual energy surged, and the cloak on his body flew out, enlarging in the air like a battle banner unfurling in the wind. When blown by the wind, the banner grew even larger. The banner blocked that sword strike, with cold light flashing at the banner’s seams, hiding a thin, long flying sword.

Elder Hua’s Xiangfu sword had been broken, and the sword he had replaced it with was of even higher grade. Coming to the secret realm this time, he had made complete preparations, bringing many spiritual weapons and treasures, all of exceptional quality. Among them, this Heaven-Fighting Banner could both defend and attack, with considerable power.

“Who!” As he waved the banner to block the sword, he also attacked, but unexpectedly, the banner tore with a ripping sound, and the sword light was already before his eyes. Golden light flashed in his eyes, and his spiritual energy barrier was operating at full capacity. After being forced to take this strike, his body flew backward, tumbling three zhang before barely stopping. The moment he landed, he took out a pill and quickly stuffed it into his mouth.

“It’s you.” Elder Hua was extremely familiar with both the sword momentum and sword light. Upon seeing Su Zhuyi, he understood that this matter couldn’t end peacefully – there was only fighting to the death, a life-or-death struggle. But her current strength had progressed tremendously. The power of that sword strike had nearly been too much for him to withstand.

Elder Hua could immediately call for people to come.

Many Yunxiao Sect cultivators were not far from this location.

But he was a dignified Yunxiao Sect elder – facing a young junior, could he only seek help from others? Where would his dignity be? Moreover, he had acted improperly in this matter. All previous grudges had originated from them.

“Su Zhuyi.” He bit and crushed the pill in his mouth. “The grudges between us are too deep. Why don’t we make a vow – compete in martial arts to determine life and death, let previous grudges be offset with our lives, no longer involving others.” He paused, took a deep breath, and said: “If I perish, it’s truly because my skills are inferior. Yunxiao Sect disciples must not seek revenge for me. The reverse is also true. Yunlin, you witness this.” Elder Hua turned his head to look at the nervously tense young disciple beside him, saying indifferently.

Actually, with the Gujian Sect’s strength greatly declined now, even if he killed Su Zhuyi, he wouldn’t worry about the Gujian Sect being able to stir up much trouble. Therefore, this condition was his sincerity, also showing his self-awareness.

He was injured, and his chances of victory weren’t high. The female cultivator before him had made shocking progress in strength, and a person was standing silently in the nearby flower clusters whose strength made his heart palpitate. Just Su Zhuyi alone was already more than he could handle, let alone with a powerful expert watching like a tiger from the side.

From Su Zhuyi’s sword strike just now, he knew that today, even if he had countless treasures, he probably couldn’t hold out. He wasn’t confident he could persist until Yunxiao Sect disciples arrived, and similarly, he wanted to protect Yunlin beside him. By saying this, he was preventing Yunxiao Sect from causing trouble for Gujian Sect because of this incident, giving Su Zhuyi a promise that she could kill him without worry – Yunxiao Sect wouldn’t target her for this. He only hoped that after his death, Su Zhuyi wouldn’t continue to trouble Hua Yining.

All grudges and resentments would be wiped clean with one stroke.

Su Zhuyi couldn’t figure out Qin Jianglan’s thoughts. What she was worried about now was whether Qin Jianglan would intervene. Since the old man Hua had said this himself, Qin Jianglan would have no reason to stop them even if he wanted to. Therefore, she nodded, “Good.”

Having said this, she pressed forward, unleashing her Traceless Steps, her form becoming ghostly and elusive.

Elder Hua’s figure stood in place. After taking the pill, his hair and beard had all turned white, and wrinkles had appeared on his face. The human heart is contradictory – although he felt he couldn’t escape this situation, he still couldn’t let go of his daughter, whose sword dao had been destroyed. In that instant just now, he had swallowed a pill that temporarily boosted his cultivation. He stood with his hands behind his back, the flying sword originally in his hand falling to the ground, replaced by a broken sword covered in cracks.

That sword was broken even more severely than Su Zhuyi’s Sword Ancestor, as if forcibly pieced together by a weapon refiner, still only half a sword, covered in countless cracks, looking like it would shatter again at the slightest touch. That was Elder Hua’s Xiangfu, forged by his beloved wife in years past.

Qin Jianglan stood far away, looking at the Xiangfu in his hand, his eyes slightly darkening.

He remembered that sword. In his previous life, before obtaining Songfeng Sword, the sword he used was forged by Elder Hua’s wife, accompanying him for nearly a hundred years. Back then, they had even wanted to arrange a marriage between him and Elder Hua’s daughter.

Originally, Qin Jianglan didn’t remember Hua Yining and had little impression of her – he vaguely remembered the name, but even her appearance was blurred. But after mastering the Liuguang Mirror and going through the Rebirth Pond, he had re-experienced his former life completely, naturally remembering everything clearly. He just hadn’t expected Su Zhuyi to have such deep enmity with them.

The current Elder Hua was no match for Su Zhuyi.

His brows furrowed deeply as he stood in place, momentarily motionless. In the distance, Su Zhuyi and Elder Hua had already engaged in battle.

In just a few short exchanges, Su Zhuyi had completely gained the upper hand. She struck out with a palm, directly hitting Elder Hua’s crown. Under the burning of her Blazing Flame Palm, Elder Hua’s white hair was all singed, and blood flowed from his head, his face covered in blood.

“Elder Hua!” The Yunxiao Sect disciple beside him cried out in alarm, wanting to step forward to support him, but Elder Hua raised his hand flat, indicating he shouldn’t approach.

He looked at Su Zhuyi and said, “I didn’t expect you to have become so formidable. The cultivators of the Gujian Sect’s Luoxue Peak are all so remarkable. This old man admires you.” Having said this, he spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his hand trembling as he covered his wound, saying: “Your sword dao attainment is so high, unprecedented and unlikely to be surpassed.”

The most serious injury on his body was naturally not that Blazing Flame Palm strike, but the sword wound on his chest. As Elder Hua spoke, he could no longer support himself, falling to one knee, using his broken sword to prop himself up to avoid completely collapsing. His face was now deathly pale, covered in blood, and he looked at Su Zhuyi with pleading eyes: “Yining… I failed to teach her properly, spoiled her, but she… she has lost all her cultivation, her sword dao is destroyed. Please, young friend, spare her life…”

The woman before him stood with sword in hand, her entire bearing imposing. If she grew up, she might be able to shock the world with a single sword. Elder Hua even felt that perhaps even the Yunxiao Sect couldn’t stop her anymore.

Standing there, she was like a sharp sword pointing to the heavens.

Elder Hua’s eyes were unfocused, constantly coughing up blood. He looked at Su Zhuyi, his gaze carrying threads of hope.

Su Zhuyi knew he wouldn’t make it. These people usually had many requests before dying, but sparing Hua Yining – she wasn’t that magnanimous. Su Zhuyi stepped forward, directly unleashing her aura pressure. Elder Hua, already at the end of his strength, could no longer hold on. His body toppled sideways, and the Xiangfu sword supporting him completely shattered in that instant. He fell to the ground, holding only a sword hilt in his hand. Even in death, his eyes didn’t close.

Behind her, Qin Jianglan summoned the Liuguang Mirror, silently collecting Elder Hua’s soul into it.

Beside them, Yunlin rushed to Elder Hua’s side, angrily glaring at Su Zhuyi: “Fellow disciples of the righteous path, yet you strike so viciously!”

Su Zhuyi glanced at him sideways, sneering: “A life and death duel – don’t you understand?”

Yunlin’s expression froze. He picked up Elder Hua’s corpse and left. He hadn’t gone far when a group of cultivators came flying on swords, their sword light flashing like meteors, rapidly approaching the flower sea.

Elder Hua was dead, so his soul lamp would naturally be extinguished. He held an extremely high position in Yunxiao Sect as one of the elders, so Yunxiao Sect cultivators had tracked down the location.

“What happened? Yunlin, how could Elder Hua have perished?”

Before the people arrived, their voices came first. The Yunxiao Sect Sect Master shouted, his voice rumbling like thunder.

Oh, all the Yunxiao Sect cultivators who entered were here, even Qin Chuan was among them. She turned her head, giving Qin Jianglan in the shadows behind her a slight smile.

Qin Jianglan, this time I’ve come into conflict with your sect. How will you act? I’m very curious.