Chapter 2386: The Aloof Sword Cultivator and His Natal Sword Spirit 30

Liu Qingcheng was like a torn sack being repeatedly beaten, his hoarse, broken cries the only sound left, his eyes filled only with deepest fear.

Just as Jin Chen's fingers curled into claws, reaching straight for Liu Qingcheng's vital dantian.

"Xie Qingmo!"

A tortured, distorted howl came from behind him.

Xie Qingmo's mind was almost entirely focused on Jin Chen, worrying that his forceful breakthrough of the strange spiritual power might backfire.

This momentary distraction gave the person behind him an opening.

An icy sword tip pressed against his back without warning.

The sword point pierced the white fabric, the icy sensation instantly penetrating the skin, aiming straight at the heart, yet he did not strike.

Xie Qingmo's body suddenly stiffened.

He slowly turned his head, catching in the corner of his eye Yun Che's struggling, distorted face.

Yun Che's sword‑hand trembled violently, his tiger's mouth splitting from overexertion, his once steady eyes now bloodshot.

"Qingmo..."

Yun Che's voice was hoarse beyond recognition, each word squeezed out like bloody phlegm: "Let… let him go… let Qingcheng go… please…"

He fixed his gaze on Jin Chen's hand about to deliver the fatal blow, his eyes pleading.

Xie Qingmo felt the sword tip almost piercing his chest.

"Senior Martial Brother." He called softly, his eyes complex and sorrowful.

Yun Che jerked his head up, roaring hoarsely toward Jin Chen, "Release him! Or… I'll kill Xie Qingmo!"

"Senior Martial Brother! You're crazy!"

Xing Yan and Shi Yan tried to rush forward, but were driven back by the chaotic sword aura bursting from Yun Che, only able to shout anxiously.

In the flash of lightning, two thoughts transmitted within his sea of consciousness to Xie Qingmo.

Thereafter, Xie Qingmo nodded in silent understanding.

Jin Chen, "Xie Qingmo, don't be soft‑hearted; he's already corrupted to the bone, beyond salvation."

Xie Qingmo: "……Mm."

The two moved simultaneously.

Jin Chen sent a sword qi sweeping over; Yun Che instinctively dodged back, while Liu Qingcheng, thinking he could find a chance to escape, was again seized by Jin Chen, who reached straight for his dantian.

"No!" Liu Qingcheng uttered a shrill, extreme wail.

Jin Chen's hand had already withdrawn from Liu Qingcheng's shattered dantian, clutching a frenzied struggling mass of spiritual power between his fingers.

【Detected scattered fragments of the Five Elements Divine Object "Shen Jin"! Soul Search plugin triggered.】

【After the protagonist's death, collect the fragments immediately; Host, please pay attention.】

Jin Chen raised his brows in surprise, flicked his hand away in disdain.

This thing is actually a Five Elements Divine Object—filthy.

Liu Qingcheng's body went limp as if all his bones had been removed, his pupils scattered, vitality cut off.

Jin Chen crushed that scattering soul mass into powder.

At the same moment, Xie Qingmo slightly turned sideways; the tip of Yun Che's sword pressed against his back narrowly grazed his shoulder and missed.

Xie Qingmo turned his wrist, the blade sweeping upward in a reverse grip to pierce Yun Che's chest.

Pfft—

The sharp blade cut through flesh and blood.

The madness and pain on Yun Che's face froze instantly; he lowered his head in disbelief, staring at the blood‑stained sword tip protruding from his chest.

He spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered a few steps.

"Ugh…"

Yun Che's gaze struggled to shift from the sword tip before his chest, past Xie Qingmo's shoulder, to Liu Qingcheng's corpse collapsed like mud, then slowly turned back to meet Xie Qingmo's eyes brimming with complex sorrow.

Finally, he looked toward Xing Yan and the three others who had turned away, unable to bear watching.

"Senior Martial Brother," Xie Qingmo said softly, "how did we come to this…"

Yun Che opened his mouth, more blood pouring out.

"I'm sorry…"

Before the words faded, his tall body collapsed backward with a crash, hitting the ground hard and kicking up dust.

The Chen Sword was drawn out, trailing a line of blood.

Jin Chen withdrew his sword intent barrier.

"Qingcheng! Yun Che!"

A heart‑rending wail rose.

True Person Ling Xu rushed in first, like a madman.

He lunged to Yun Che's corpse, then stumbled toward Liu Qingcheng's body, whose dantian bore a bloody hole, a miserable sight, old tears streaming, his whole body trembling.

Two personal disciples, one dead, one lost—the shock cleared his mind, which had been under demonic control.

During this time, his absurd actions surged into his mind like a tide, guilt and anguish nearly overwhelming him.

"No, impossible… how could this be…" True Person Ling Xu clung to Yun Che's gradually cooling body, gazing at Liu Qingcheng's ashes, where not a trace of remnant soul could be grasped, and let out a despairing sob.

Just then, Liu Qingcheng was completely shattered; amid the soul ashes that should have vanished, several extremely faint wisps of soul twisted oddly and sped off toward the Demon Realm.

"Demon energy! It really is demon energy!"

"Liu Qingcheng truly colluded with the demon clan! Even his soul carries demon energy!"

"Turns out he was the source of calamity!"

Outside the barrier, the cultivators who had witnessed everything gasped in unison.

Li Wu Feng, who had just recovered from shock, was patting his chest, relieved that the pervert thing had finally died; upon hearing this, he immediately jumped up in anger, pointing at the drifting soul and retorting.

"You're full of it! Nonsense! Our demon clan certainly doesn't have that kind of pervert thing that absorbs human essence and lives by parasitizing others!"

"That's clearly some evil creature that crawled out of some gutter; don't try to pin the blame on our demon clan!"

Li Wu Feng was so angry he stomped his feet, not even caring about maintaining the demon king's dignity.

After a brief shock, everyone's gaze eventually fell upon the white-clad figure in the field.

Xie Qing Mo's white robes were stained with blood, and the tip of the sword in his hand was still dripping Yun Che's warm fresh blood.

He lowered his eyelids, his expression unreadable.

Jin Chen walked silently to his side, wrapped his arms around Xie Qing Mo's waist, and whispered softly: "Xie Qing Mo."

Xie Qing Mo, as if just waking from the chaos, lifted his eyes to look at him, "Huh?"

Jin Chen grabbed the wrist he used to hold the sword firmly, and said softly, dissatisfied: "Xie Qing Mo, you've gotten me dirty."

Xie Qing Mo: "......"

Xie Qing Mo instantly stopped feeling sentimental.

He helplessly glanced at the sword tip, then at Jin Chen, and said, "Don't say such things."

Jin Chen opened his arms toward him and said, "Do you want a hug?"

Xie Qing Mo clenched his fists, slowly moved closer, leaned into Jin Chen's embrace, and only then dared to close his eyes tightly.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -10, total 24!】

Jin Chen held him tight, rubbed his palms a few times on his back, giving him a sense of security, then whispered in Xie Qing Mo's ear: "Liuqing Cheng's soul has fled to the demon clan; he's probably not dead yet."

"But don't be afraid, I took precautions beforehand." Jin Chen kissed Xie Qing Mo's ear, felt him flinch from the tickle, and then reached out to pinch him.

"What?" Xie Qing Mo asked, his voice also softening, really having no strength left.

"I crushed a strand of his living soul; even if Liuqing Cheng could be reborn through the demon clan, he'd at most be an idiot, and furthermore..."

Jin Chen said something like a secret, only near Xie Qing Mo's ear so only he could hear: "I snatched away Liuqing Cheng's important reliance."

Xie Qing Mo understood, and after the topic was shifted, his mood improved greatly, so he straightened his body.

Ling Xu Zhenren stood not far away, appearing mad, and suddenly glanced at Xie Qing Mo.

Jin Chen raised an eyebrow, vaguely blocking in front of Xie Qing Mo, and said, "What are you going to do?"