Chapter 287

Chapter 287: Escape the Barrier Formation

Two Peak of Void Refinement bloodlines were still not enough.

Li Shuang and You Lan moved together again. Since the Devil Seeds’ first target was Li Shuang, she would act as bait. When every Devil Seed rushed her, Li Shuang used a piece of Luminous Amber and took a full volley head-on. After just one wave, the amber shattered to dust.

At the same time, You Lan pushed her speed to the limit. Three Eighth-Grade Thunderfire Beads streaked out and badly wounded three Peak of Void Refinement, while the others were left with lighter injuries.

“Interesting,” the True Devil said with an easy smile: “But by now their spiritual power must be almost gone. Even if they still have treasures, I doubt they can fire them again. Isn’t that right, City Lord Yu?”

Ember said nothing. She only pressed her attacks harder, acting more and more anxious. The more frantic she seemed, the more joy the True Devils felt.

For years uncounted, if not for Ember’s sudden rise, they would have broken out of the Heaven Severing Lands in force already and claimed half the Human Race’s territory. Now they were trapped here, sneaking Devil Seeds out in secret. The Human Race could not enter the Heaven Severing Lands, and they could not leave. Ember alone had forced five hundred years of relative peace.

But all things end. The turning point began today. Yu Mo died and Ember grew stronger from the blow. If Li died too, they did not believe Ember would remain spotless inside, without birthing a single Devil Demon.

In the Water Screen, Li Shuang and You Lan’s spiritual power truly was almost spent. Three Void Refinement Realm Devil Seeds were heavily injured, but the two women had no strength left to finish them. The Peaks gathered again to surround them.

Then an ancient, far-reaching aura rose from Li Shuang’s body.

“Supreme Spiritual Root. So it really is a Supreme Spiritual Root,” the True Devil said, pupils contracting.

“You knew long ago?” Ember’s eyes flashed with anger: “No wonder you would pay any price.”

The True Devil let out a soft laugh: “There’s a devil in every heart. This world belongs to Devil Seeds. Summon the devil in men’s hearts, and nothing in the Heaven Severing Lands can be hidden. City Lord Yu, I know you’ve killed many Human Race traitors. But where there is desire, there are Devil Demons. And with Devil Demons, we can exploit them. You will never wipe out all the traitors.”

“That’s none of the Heaven Severing Lands’ concern,” Ember said coldly: “For every traitor I see, I’ll kill one.”

“I do hope you can,” he answered with open mockery.

While they spoke, Li Shuang once again stepped into a world of frost and ice. When her Supreme Ice Spiritual Root first formed, she had entered this world and called out an Ice Dragon Phantom. This time, she felt she could go farther.

Li Shuang pushed on. Last time, she had seized a ball of light that held a dragon’s Phantom Stage. She could choose to borrow that dragon’s strength again. But three full years had passed. [I shouldn’t stop here.]

The farther she walked, the colder it grew. The wind sliced like knives. With an ice shield guarding her body, she forced herself onward. The pressure kept building. Just as the realm was about to reject her, she lunged forward and grabbed another ball of light with all her might.

Outside, the Void Refinement Realm Devil Seeds hurled their strongest strikes at Li Shuang. Ember’s fingers twitched. [Does Li still have a way? If she’s at her true limit, I can’t let her fall.]

Li Shuang’s eyes snapped open. This time, a strange Phantom Stage rose behind her: a human-faced, bird-bodied being stepping on a Mystic Ice Wheel, with wings spread wide and a giant bow in its hands firing an arrow of ice.

As Li Shuang swung her sword, the Phantom’s arrow shot out like a bolt of winter.

The Devil Seeds never expected Li Shuang to erupt with such force. The three already badly wounded had no time to dodge. The ice arrow flew forth, then split in the air into three, each shard chasing a wounded Devil Seed.

At the same moment, You Lan burned her blood and hurled her Revolving Wheel. Acting together, they finally snuffed out the breath of those three Devil Seeds.

Li Shuang’s face went paper white. Of nine Devil Seeds, they had slain five. It looked impressive. In truth, they had spent every last method. They were at their absolute limit.

The remaining Devil Seeds had scattered for a moment, bluffed by the Phantom behind Li Shuang. But that Phantom delivered only a single strike and faded from sight.

“Go! They’re spent!”

By the time the rest charged again, Li Shuang and You Lan had already pulled the Devil Seed bloodlines and were sprinting toward the Barrier Formation. Both were near their limit, but You Lan, born with a Wind Spiritual Root, had terrifying speed. A Bloodcloak unfolded over her shoulders. Grabbing Li Shuang’s hand, she set her blood ablaze. Fed by blood, the cloak turned into a roaring gale that swept the two of them away.

Gritting her teeth, Li Shuang said: “You Lan, once we’re out of the Barrier Formation, you don’t need to worry about me. They only want me. We split up. I’ll stall them. You go get reinforcements.”

You Lan glanced at her. [By the time I return with help, Li might have died several times over.] She understood Li’s meaning, but it wasn’t necessary. She had never been the kind to run. She took City Lord as her model. If she didn’t have the courage to fight Devil Seeds without retreat, how could she call herself the City Lord’s follower?

Her voice was cool as she answered: “Either we die together or we live together. There is no other choice.”

Li Shuang bit her lip, moved despite herself. This time You Lan had been dragged into danger by her, yet You Lan was not someone who changed her mind lightly.

Li Shuang pressed on: “That cloak burns blood to drive it, right? Does it have to be your blood?”

You Lan looked back at her. Li Shuang thrust out her hand: “Use mine too.”

With Devil Seed bloodlines warding them, they had already slipped out of the Barrier Formation. Now they had one goal: make it back to Myriad Arts City. Under the city’s rules, they might yet survive.

“I do have a Secret Art that lets me take someone else’s blood,” You Lan said: “Then I’ll borrow yours.”

She drew a thread of Li Shuang’s blood. The instant it burned, their speed jumped again, and the Void Refinement Realm Devil Seeds who had nearly caught them fell behind.

Li Shuang went a shade paler. But as long as they could escape, blood could be replenished with time. She exchanged for a batch of blood-recovery pills from the Heaven and Earth Furnace and was about to hand some to You Lan.

You Lan’s expression turned odd as she tossed her own pills back: “Your blood works better. You take all of these. I’ll keep drawing your blood. As long as we hold out for a hundred li, we win.”

It struck You Lan as strange too. Burning Li Shuang’s blood worked far better than burning her own. But this wasn’t the time to study why. Since Li Shuang’s blood was more effective, they would use Li Shuang’s blood.

Li Shuang shoved handfuls of pills into her mouth. Her blood was drawn, then replenished, drawn again, then replenished again. The cost was huge. Even so, the two of them burst out of the Barrier Formation and, for the moment, shook off the Devil Seeds chasing them.

Back in the Heaven Severing Lands, the faces of several True Devils had turned very, very dark.