Chapter 56: The Fracture
A brilliant beam of golden sword light flooded the arena, concealing even Li Shuang’s silhouette. A slight, triumphant smile played upon Ye Zhao Zhao’s lips.
Under Li Shuang’s careful tutelage, the mighty Dragon’s Roar had taken shape. Yet, in the end, it mattered little. For so long, Long Yan had stubbornly refused to tie his fate to Li Shuang. Now, he had willingly sealed his destiny with her by the harshest master-servant pact. And for her sake, he had not hesitated to turn his blade against Li Shuang.
[Her failure as a person was undeniable in his eyes.]
At last, Ye Zhao Zhao could savor the moment of Li Shuang’s downfall. Clutching the Dragon’s Roar tightly, her heart thundered with anticipation as she longed to see the despair on Li Shuang’s face.
Long Yan surged forward like a mighty golden dragon, his sword held high. His final, powerful strike was aimed straight at Li Shuang. Back when Dragon’s Roar had reached the fourth tier, Li Shuang had spent countless days in search of a True Dragon Stone. She had embedded it into the sword so that every strike carried a trace of the True Dragon’s might—a force that, if preserved well, could be unleashed in one devastating blow. For years, she had never dared use that secret power. Now, it was Long Yan’s to claim.
Summoning the True Dragon’s power was no simple feat. Even with Ye Zhao Zhao’s cultivation at the Foundation Establishment Stage, she could not harness such strength. Long Yan, in his desperation, had to burn his very soul to launch this earth-shaking attack. The price was steep.
Once, his spirit had been as solid as flesh, like a true man. But now, as his spirit blazed, that steady form wavered, becoming faint and translucent. If he nurtured himself carefully, he might keep his physical presence. Yet one more calamity and he would vanish like morning mist. This was the cost he was willing to bear, just to defeat Li Shuang in an honorable duel. He wanted the world to know—he, Long Yan, was never meant to be just an extension of Li Shuang. With his new master, Dragon’s Roar remained a peerless blade, and he, a matchless Sword Spirit.
Closer and closer he advanced, victory shimmering within his grasp. Long Yan trembled with excitement while Ye Zhao Zhao’s smile of triumph grew ever wider.
Then, in the midst of the blinding radiance, Li Shuang raised her hand. With a swift movement, her sword danced gracefully. Ye Zhao Zhao froze, her eyes narrowing in shock. In that instant, an eerie chill gripped her heart.
A deadly frost spread from Li Shuang, filling the arena. And then, before her eyes, a lotus of pure ice unfolded. Its crystalline petals shone like frozen blades, their delicate cores woven with frost that glistened with a haunting beauty. This deadly blossom was as magnificent as it was perilous.
At once, a surge of chilling Sword Energy leapt upward. From the cold void, a blade named Black Abyss sliced through the air, striking the head of the golden dragon. A sorrowful wail echoed as the golden dragon shattered into countless flecks of gold. As it fell, the True Dragon Stone within Dragon’s Roar trembled violently. Then came a crisp sound as the stone disintegrated into dust. A gust of wind swept away its remnants, and along the blade a crack began to form. Its brilliant light faded away.
Long Yan’s face turned as pale as paper. Dragon’s Roar had lost its might! The once-mighty sword, honed by Li Shuang into a Fourth-Grade weapon, was now diminished. The True Dragon Stone was broken, and the Sword Spirit’s essence weakened, unable to support the sword’s former strength. The magnificent blade was reduced to a mere Third-Grade sword.
In the cold air, the Ice Lotus continued to bloom. From its crystalline petals, Li Shuang stepped forward, her steps graceful as if drifting on air. With a smooth swing of her sword, drifting petals gathered around Black Abyss, releasing a deep chill that pierced the bones.
“Ye Zhao Zhao,” Li Shuang said, her voice as cold as sealed frost, each syllable sharp as a blade. “Long Yan has fallen. Every technique he used and every insight into the Sword Dao was mine from the start. But what of you? Where is your mastery of the Sword Dao, Ye Zhao Zhao? I give you one chance—prove it to me.”
As her words fell like heavy rain, Li Shuang raised her sword, its tip pointing directly at Ye Zhao Zhao. The young warrior’s face turned deathly pale, her lips trembling uncontrollably. In that moment, a terror deeper than words surged within her.
Li Shuang!
How could this be?
Li Shuang!
How dare she!
The one who should have been celebrating victory—should have been her!
Inside, Ye Zhao Zhao screamed, “Long Yan! What are you doing? Strike again! Use that move once more! I refuse to believe Li Shuang can call forth another Ice Lotus!”
Long Yan’s fading spirit wavered as he replied uncertainly, “Zhao Zhao… The True Dragon Stone is shattered. That technique cannot be used again. Even if it were whole, my spirit is too unstable—I cannot unleash it a second time.”
“What does it matter if your spirit is unstable? If you cannot defeat Li Shuang, then what use are you to me?” Ye Zhao Zhao’s voice dripped with venom. “Think! Find another way! Or do you wish to see me humiliated by Li Shuang?”
Her anger burst forth like a raging storm. Since she had arrived in this world, everything had seemed to fall into place for her. Even the once-revered prodigies had been dragged down one by one. What did it matter that Li Shuang was the Heaven’s Mandated Heroine? She, Ye Zhao Zhao, was a traveler from another realm! Armed with the knowledge of an advanced civilization, how could she possibly be defeated by a mere native?
Ye Zhao Zhao had always looked down on Li Shuang, hiding her disdain behind a pleasant smile. In her eyes, the Heaven’s Mandated Heroine was nothing more than a pawn to be controlled. Yet now, the one she had scorned had defied fate itself, rising from despair to turn the tide against her.
Unacceptable.
Absolutely unacceptable.
“Long Yan! Attack!” Ye Zhao Zhao screamed once more. But Long Yan remained silent. Her fury burst forth in a torrent of curses, each word sharper than the last. Long Yan’s eyes flickered with confusion. Her voice, so piercing, cut deep into his soul, leaving him dazed. This was not how things were meant to be.
When he first met Ye Zhao Zhao, her sweet smile and eyes like crescent moons in a clear night sky had enchanted him. Though he was but a humble Sword Spirit, she had treated him as a True Immortal. She cared for his weariness, spun tales of distant lands for his amusement, and noticed even the smallest shifts in his emotions… But now, did she not see that his form was fading, that his essence was as fragile as morning mist? Did she not see that his strength was barely holding him together?
He had long known that his Zhao Zhao was not as innocent as she appeared. Otherwise, she would never have urged him to strike down Li Shuang. Yet once, he had found her mischievous nature endearing. She had whispered that eliminating Li Shuang was for his own sake, that she wished to remain with him forever—and that was why she had to remove Li Shuang.
Those sweet words still echoed in his mind, but now the sting of her curses shattered them, forcing him back to harsh reality. Long Yan’s lips trembled. In a daze, he turned his gaze toward Li Shuang.
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