Chapter 121: Clearing the Field
This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation
The pit was shrouded in hazy radiance, its edges stained with blood. The tension on the scene was suffocating, like a storm about to break.
No one had expected this many twists and turns at the final moment. Emotions ran high—anger, bloodlust, regret, despair, even madness. Every possible feeling was etched onto the faces of those present.
Li Qing Xiao’s eyes were bloodshot. His hand had been outstretched, inches away from the Eight-Trigram Furnace, when it slipped out of reach once again.
“Who?!” he roared, his voice trembling with fury. He wanted to kill someone—anyone. Three times now, he had been just one step away from victory. If he could have grabbed the furnace even once, it would have ended this battle. But he knew there wouldn’t be a fourth chance. Watching the near-immortal treasure repeatedly slip away was enough to drive anyone insane.
Purple radiance erupted from his body as he swung his Purple Bamboo Rod, smashing a four-meter-tall boulder into fragments.
Tang Xu Mi, on the other hand, was seething with murderous intent. One of his own Golden Armor Protectors had betrayed him, striking him in the back and stealing the furnace. The shame and fury were unbearable—a fall from grace like being kicked off a shining pedestal.
But then, to his astonishment, the furnace was tossed back toward him.
His anger turned to disbelief, then delight. “This… what kind of absurd twist is this?”
Before Tang Xu Mi could reach for it, the furnace briefly landed in the hands of an elite disciple, who froze in terror. Instead of feeling joy, the disciple was overcome with dread. In this pressure-cooker atmosphere, holding the furnace for even a moment felt like holding a death sentence. Any longer, and his head might explode from the sheer force of the surrounding combat. Thinking quickly, he flung it away.
Li Qing Yue, though now revealed, still went largely unnoticed. Clad in the armor of a Golden Armor Protector and concealed behind a golden mask, she blended into the chaos.
Meanwhile, Lu Zhen of the Yin-Yang Pavilion proved himself a force to be reckoned with. Despite retreating earlier, he reentered the fray, hands radiating black and white light, aiming for the furnace.
No one could stop him. Golden Armor Protectors and disciples from the Beyond were hurled aside by the explosive power of his Yin-Yang Force. Twin beams of black and white celestial light erupted from his hands, cutting through everything in his path.
Someone hurled a spiritual spear forged from thunderstrike wood at him. The weapon whistled through the air, only to be shredded to pieces by his Yin-Yang light.
“You dare come back?!” Tang Xu Mi roared, his hand grasping the furnace. His killing intent surged, and his conscious light flared violently.
In an instant, Lu Zhen clashed with Tang Xu Mi. The black-and-white nature of his force shifted—darkness receded, replaced by the blazing brilliance of Extreme Yang, like a burning sun.
Even the nearby disciples were forced back, their conscious light retreating in fear of being ignited and burned through.
Tang Xu Mi himself had to withdraw his conscious light to avoid being scorched. He unleashed the radiant energy from his Huang Ting, countering the overwhelming fire with a blast of golden divine mist.
Their clash created a dazzling explosion of light, sending table-sized boulders flying through the air, many shattering mid-flight. Shards of stone rained down on the battlefield.
The watching disciples from the Beyond were shaken. “This youth from the Yin-Yang Pavilion is terrifying! To challenge one of the core disciples head-on like this…”
Despite being wounded, Tang Xu Mi’s power was undeniable. He blocked Lu Zhen’s assault and retaliated with a celestial blade forged in the light of heaven, striking toward his opponent.
Suddenly, the ground cracked, and another figure darted forward. Li Qing Xiao, emboldened by the display of Lu Zhen’s strength, joined the fray. “With a fighter like him aiding me, why not seize a fourth chance?” he thought.
He knew his family had paid a steep price to enlist Lu Zhen’s help, offering the Yin-Yang Pavilion countless rare treasures. It was proving to be worth every bit.
Li Qing Xiao swung his bamboo rod, intercepting Tang Xu Mi’s spiritual blade mid-air.
Lu Zhen capitalized on the opening. His Yin-Yang Force surged, the black and white light erupting once more as he closed in for close combat with Tang Xu Mi.
Boom! The two exchanged a thunderous blow, their palms colliding with the force of a thunderclap. Both staggered, forced to retreat.
“You… you’re walking two paths simultaneously? Practicing some kind of specialized Celestial Light Force?” Lu Zhen exclaimed in shock.
The disciples from the Beyond were equally stunned. Tang Xu Mi had kept this hidden all along. He wasn’t just following the Awakening Path; he was cultivating on a dual track.
“He’s not pursuing both paths in earnest,” Li Qing Xiao clarified, moving to attack again. “He’s only refining his conscious light by testing himself against different forces.”
The battle grew fiercer. Waves of divine radiance rolled outward, pulverizing the ground and leaving cracks half a meter wide in their wake.
Just then, Jiang Sheng Yu, who had previously retreated, reentered the fight. Moving like a ghost, he lunged forward, hoping to snatch the furnace amidst the chaos.
Su Jing Shu wasn’t far behind, charging in to join the fray. Hu Ting Wen, clenching his teeth, drank a vial of spiritual medicine and leapt back into battle as well.
The pit descended into a chaotic free-for-all.
Tang Xu Mi coughed up blood, realizing that holding onto the furnace any longer would only bring his death. He dropped it to the ground, unwilling to be the target of so many attacks.
Lu Zhen was also injured, blood trickling from his mouth. The other core disciples had focused their attacks on him, ensuring he wouldn’t maintain an advantage.
At that moment, a Golden Armor Protector stepped onto the battlefield with measured, unhurried strides.
Though clad in glimmering armor, it was clear she exuded a unique, almost ethereal presence. She wasn’t an Outer Saint—her body radiated a resplendent glow that marked her as something greater.
As she approached, the core disciples, locked in their fierce struggle, suddenly shifted their attention. All at once, they turned their strongest attacks toward her.
“What’s going on?” The spectators from the Beyond were baffled.
Earlier, six core disciples had ganged up on a single elite disciple. Now, something even more bizarre was unfolding. Every single core disciple—even the injured Lu Zhen—was now focused on this lone figure.
Boom! Jiang Sheng Yu was the first to fall, blasted backward twenty meters. Blood streamed from his nose and mouth, and even his ears were bleeding. He collapsed, barely conscious.
The swirling mist of radiance in the massive pit created an eerie atmosphere, its edges stained with blood. Tension ran high as the battle’s unexpected twists left everyone on edge.
Hu Ting Wen stumbled backward, struck by a wave of five-colored divine glow. He nearly collapsed but managed to stay upright as he retreated further.
With a sharp clang, Li Qing Yue’s hand flashed with a short sword entwined in divine radiance. The blade clashed against Li Qing Xiao’s Purple Bamboo Rod, deflecting it with a ringing sound. In that instant, the sword’s edge emitted a dazzling light, slashing across Li Qing Xiao’s chest and forcing him to retreat, blood seeping from the wound.
Her left hand held a small wooden shield, just slightly larger than her palm, emanating a crystalline glow. The shield intercepted a devastating palm strike from Lu Zhen, the Yin-Yang Pavilion youth. The impact sent shockwaves rippling outward, scattering debris and splitting nearby boulders as if a hurricane had swept through.
With loud crashes, Tang Xu Mi and Su Jing Shu were both blasted backward. Pale-faced and bloodied, they stumbled as they landed, struggling to steady themselves. The scene left the surrounding disciples wide-eyed and speechless.
“Who is this?!” one of them whispered, incredulous. “She’s unstoppable!”
Li Qing Yue surveyed the battlefield calmly. “I know you’ve all been waiting for me to come closer, planning to ambush me again with a combined assault. Pretending must have been exhausting, right?”
She knew that while most had missed her subtle moves earlier, such as the thrown stone, a few had undoubtedly noticed her.
“In truth,” she continued, her voice steady, “I could have stayed back, let the storm rage on without me, giving you no chance at all.”
She paused, scanning the group. “But then, I imagine you’d all be dissatisfied afterward. So here I am, giving you your chance. You’re all injured, aren’t you? Well, come at me together. Even those hiding in the shadows—you’re welcome to join in.”
Her words sent a shiver down everyone’s spine. Was she planning to clear the field entirely?
The disciples watching from the sidelines murmured amongst themselves, realizing the identity of the formidable figure before them. It was none other than Li Qing Yue, the most likely candidate to claim the Eight-Trigram Furnace.
“Wasn’t she gravely injured during the ambush? How is she unscathed now?”
“This… this is completely unexpected!”
With deliberate slowness, Li Qing Yue removed her golden mask, revealing her true face. Her features were ethereal, her expression serene yet commanding. She looked like a celestial warrior clad in gleaming armor, radiating an aura that seemed almost unearthly. Yet, the air around her buzzed with growing intensity, a palpable sense of strength.
The crowd outside the pit erupted into an uproar, while the core disciples in the fray regarded her with grave expressions. Their injuries were severe, and they could feel it—Li Qing Yue had grown even stronger, likely surpassing them all.
Tang Xu Mi gave a wry smile. “Li Qing Yue, you didn’t need to show yourself so early. We already tried to take you down once. No one would’ve questioned you, no matter when you reappeared. But it seems fate has its own plans. Our fear of you led us to push you out early, only for you to return now, ready to finish this.”
Li Qing Yue’s gaze swept over the group. “Consider this my answer to all of you. One final battle. Come at me with everything you’ve got.”
Li Qing Xiao’s expression darkened, while the other core disciples exchanged uneasy glances. They suspected Li Qing Yue’s return wasn’t just about claiming victory—it was a calculated move to cement her authority and win the loyalty of the disciples watching.
“This is a competition among the disciples of the Beyond,” she said, turning to Lu Zhen. “Leave now, or I’ll make you my first target.”
The Yin-Yang Pavilion youth hesitated. Though formidable, he had drawn the ire of Tang Xu Mi and others, who had exploited his presence to launch sneak attacks. Wounded and outmatched, he realized there was no point in staying.
“I’ve done my best,” Lu Zhen muttered to Li Qing Xiao before turning to leave without a backward glance.
The moment he departed, the remaining core disciples launched their attacks once more. Despite their injuries, they couldn’t bear to surrender. Even with their combined strength, if they unleashed their most powerful techniques, surely they could break through Li Qing Yue’s protective glow.
The chaos resumed.
At that moment, a tall figure darted into the fray like a streak of lightning. The newcomer moved with astonishing speed, wielding a spiritual spear aimed directly at Li Qing Yue’s back.
Clang! Li Qing Yue seemed to anticipate the attack. Her small crystalline shield intercepted the spear, halting its advance.
Spinning on her heel, she countered with a palm strike. Radiant multicolored light erupted around them, creating a storm of dazzling brilliance that swept across the battlefield.
The attacker was forced to retreat, their pale hand trembling. Their conscious light flickered unsteadily, dimming as blood dripped from their mouth.
“Li Qing Yue, you didn’t just take one small step forward—you’ve leaped far ahead,” the figure said, revealing themselves as Wang Cai Wei. “Hiding your strength until now was clever, but it’s clear I can’t change anything.”
The admission stunned the other core disciples. A fresh fighter like Wang Cai Wei should have tipped the scales, yet her intervention had failed to make a difference.
Undeterred, she attacked again, clashing with Li Qing Yue multiple times. Though resilient, Wang Cai Wei grew paler with each exchange, her strength rapidly waning.
Others joined the fray as well, their desperation driving them forward. The Eight-Trigram Furnace was so close—how could they give up now?
But the battle’s outcome was inevitable. One by one, the core disciples were struck down, heavily injured and unable to continue.
Amid the chaos, the furnace was sent flying. None of the other disciples dared to approach it now—they all knew it effectively belonged to Li Qing Yue.
At the same time, Qin Ming scaled the edge of the pit. He spotted the furnace near the rim, teetering dangerously close to the edge, and picked it up.
“Hand it over!” Wang Cai Wei, battered and bloodstained, broke away from the battlefield and rushed toward him, a trail of golden light marking her path.
Li Qing Yue glanced in her direction but made no move to follow.