Chapter 166: Between Life and Death

"Ant, this game ends here."

The voice was vast and desolate, as if a lofty deity were about to descend with judgment.

Boom! Golden light covered everything before his eyes.

A blazing, dazzling sun, endless radiance, like a falling star, the piercing brightness nearly swallowing everything in sight.

The stretch of river caught in the blast began to boil at once, evaporating in the blink of an eye, while the vegetation along both banks was scorched to charcoal, then torn apart by the terrifying shockwave.

A colossal mushroom cloud rose into the air, and the ground seemed to tremble with it.

Huang Qi stood quietly, the divine halo behind him gone, the black-flame great axe in his hand once again transforming into that strange-glowing polyhedron.

But now the polyhedron was webbed with cracks, as if it might shatter at any moment.

He paid it no heed, merely gazing indifferently at the sky, waiting for that one slim chance of escape to arrive.

The trial had failed; the Sword Sovereign's sealing power should have a momentary gap. If he could seize that instant to flee this star system, everything could be resolved.

One second, two seconds…

Hmm? It shouldn't take this long.

Huang Qi's brow furrowed slightly, and he couldn't help looking down.

He saw, upon that dried and cracked riverbed, a figure like a skeleton struggling to rise.

A charred skull lay bare, only two dark, hollow eye sockets remaining; the flesh on her body had nearly vanished, and through her ribs one could see the ruined viscera within.

Spiritual light flowed; within half a lung, a heart beat with difficulty, like the faint flame of her own life.

Yet her right hand still gripped, death-tight, that ice-crystal longsword of which only half remained.

"Is it the path she chose that left her with this last sliver of life?"

He was somewhat surprised, but quickly understood the reason.

The Principle of Danger had now been pushed to its utmost; even Huang Qi felt a faint sting between his brows.

Though her eyeballs were gone, leaving only sockets, he could feel her still staring at him, the killing intent cold and utterly unhidden.

One final strike…

"Truly stubborn, but that's all it amounts to."

The flame halo blazed to life once more, tongues of fire leaping.

Though his words were contemptuous, in his heart he harbored not the slightest carelessness.

………

In space, within a small starship hovering at rest.

"La la la! La la la!"

Chi Jiuyu hummed a nameless tune she had composed herself as she walked through the long, narrow, chilly corridor.

A blue-gold longsword of ancient, plain style followed behind her, occasionally flicking out a thin sword Qi to scoop up a kind of hard-shelled nut and crack its outer shell open.

Three pouches hung from the sword's hilt: one for the nuts, one for the kernels, and one for the shells.

Soon, the girl and her sword arrived at the control room.

The blue-gold longsword circled around to Chi Jiuyu's front, and every nut had been cracked open by it.

"Oh, pretty fast. Let me see how your control has been training along."

Chi Jiuyu took the three pouches from the sword's hilt, then took out the kernels and went through the motions of inspecting them.

"Not bad, not bad! Not a single one damaged—your control is excellent! Keep this up and you'll surely become a sword like Uncle-Master Moon Shadow!"

The blue-gold longsword immediately let out a cheerful sword-cry, then merrily swam around Chi Jiuyu.

Chi Jiuyu looked at her Natal Sword, grabbed a handful of kernels, and tossed them into her mouth.

Ever since her Natal Sword had seen Uncle-Master's sword in the Moon Shadow Secret Realm last time, something had come over it, and it had grown utterly worshipful of Moon Shadow.

After looking into it, she decided to adopt an encouraging style of education!

As a clever fisher, Chi Jiuyu felt she had always known a thing or two about adapting on the fly! Thinking this, she ate another handful.

Emm… feels like something's still missing.

"Right, go try your hand at carving a few fruit plates and pouring a cup of juice for me." Chi Jiuyu's tone was solemn. "Remember, the cut fruit must be uniform in size, and the juice must not spill."

"This is also to train your precision and control. If you want to become a sword like Moon Shadow, these two aspects can't be neglected either."

The blue-gold longsword heard this and grew solemn, then set about Chi Jiuyu's task with high fighting spirit.

Chi Jiuyu watched her busy Natal Sword and suddenly felt a vague ache at the back of her head.

She scratched her head and glanced back.

She did not see the expected red moon, and only then relaxed. Ah well, her words weren't entirely untrue.

She truly did want her Natal Sword to become the dashing figure Uncle-Master Moon Shadow was!

If only it were a little more obedient, that would be even better!

It absolutely must not become a rebellious little brat sword spirit like Master Yuè Yǐng! Thinking this, she plopped down into the comfortable seat, leaned back against the backrest, and set the pouch of kernels on her lap.

"Activate virtual—"

She had just been about to have the starship open the projection of the fifth planet.

The ship's spirit, Little Snow, spoke up first.

"Welcome, honored Star Domain Guardian, Hidden Edge Sword Master—Li Ke."

Holy shit!

Startled, Chi Jiuyu was about to rise when a slender palm pressed her firmly back down.

The force was light, yet Chi Jiuyu did not dare move at all.

"Dead fish, you sure know how to enjoy yourself!"

A teasing voice reached her ear.

Chi Jiuyu turned her head stiffly.

"I…"

She had barely spoken one word when her eyes fell upon Li Ke—pale-faced, one hand pressed to her abdomen—and she froze.

"What's wrong?!"

"Don't shout so loud—I'm not dead yet."

"You fucking—!"

Li Ke weakly waved her hand: "Take me to the med-bay. Use my Senior Uncle's power to suppress the injury."

After saying this, she fainted outright and slumped onto the seat.

After entering the Chifeng No. 47 star system and being suppressed to Foundation Establishment, she could no longer hold on.

But fortunately, the residual power in her wounds was also suppressed—higher-level forces naturally counterbalance each other.

With the med-bay's aid, she should recover part of her injuries.

This was Jing Hai's suggestion.

She had waited until Chi Jiuyu completed her mission before coming aboard her starship.

Chi Jiuyu stared at the unconscious Li Ke, quickly scooped her up, and rushed out of the control room in panic.

Most small starships like this one are equipped with med-bays, their effectiveness depending on the potency of the medicinal fluid.

But now, no matter how good the fluid, it's limited to Foundation Establishment level.

Soon, Chi Jiuyu brought Li Ke into the med-bay, where five med-pods stood in neat rows.

They were oval-shaped, their shells crafted from smooth, matte-jade-like material, emitting a soft, warm glow.

Chi Jiuyu helped Li Ke remove her clothes and dressed her in a special white bodysuit.

The streamlined pod door opened silently.

After placing Li Ke inside and fitting her with a respirator, the door closed soundlessly again.

Pale green medicinal fluid slowly rose, enveloping Li Ke entirely.

Glancing at the nearby screen and confirming her vital signs were stable, Chi Jiuyu finally relaxed.

Phew—scared the hell out of me!

After exhaling, she prepared to check on Zhang Yunlu's condition first.

"Activate the 'Virtual Projection Observation System.' Target: Fifth Planet. Locate cultivator Zhang Yunlu!"

Hum~ Just as before, the space before her twisted unnaturally.

But since she'd adjusted the parameters beforehand, the image appeared clearly and normally.

The figure before her—no flesh left, nothing but a skeleton—made her freeze.

Huh?!! Is that Xiao Yunlu?!

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(End of chapter)