Chapter 66: Now, Leave
Ye Zhao Zhao glared at Long Yan in disbelief. Although she had long despised him for being a defiled Sword Spirit, she had hesitated to cast him aside. Only moments ago, she had borne great pain to cleanse the miasma from him. Yet now, before her eyes, he dared speak to Li Shuang in such a manner.
Her blood surged like a raging river, and her mind teetered on the edge of madness.
This Sword Spirit—what sort of wretch was he?
Unable to contain her anger, Ye Zhao Zhao leapt at Long Yan, her fingers striking like fierce talons. Though he had become an incorporeal shadow, her inner qi surged forth. As her spiritual energy touched him, streaks of crimson appeared across his spectral form, as if invisible blades had carved wounds upon him.
“Long Yan! Have you no honor? I have purified your defilement, yet you turn against me!” she roared, her face twisting into a monstrous mask as her feigned calm shattered completely.
Sheng Yuan and Shen Yue rushed forward, grasping her arms to hold her back.
“Junior Sister, calm your spirit!” Sheng Yuan intoned, channeling water-element qi into her meridians like a cool stream soothing burning embers. Gradually, her mind cleared and her breath steadied.
Long Yan, weakened by her assault, remained silent. Instead, he cast a sorrowful glance at Li Shuang.
He had wagered everything on this moment.
He hoped that Li Shuang would show mercy. Though he was a defiled Sword Spirit, at least he had awakened. Li Shuang had once nurtured his strength—what prevented her from doing so again? Meanwhile, the spirit of the Black Abyss Sword lay dormant. Was it not wiser to trust a known companion than an uncertain power?
This was his only chance.
He knew Ye Zhao Zhao well. Today, her act of cleansing him had been done out of duty rather than heartfelt willingness. He had seen it clearly—a fleeting glimmer of resentment in her eyes.
She might tolerate him in public.
But in private?
[I am doomed,] he thought.
Bound to her by a master-servant contract, she could, with a single thought, invoke its power and unleash unspeakable torment. He could not allow fate to take its course.
This was his final chance to return to Li Shuang’s side. After all, had Li Shuang and Ye Zhao Zhao not once exchanged swords as a sacred vow? What harm was there in reversing that bond? Ye Zhao Zhao herself seemed to regret having chosen him. If that was so, why not mend the broken ties before it was too late?
Long Yan fixed his gaze on Li Shuang, his eyes full of unspoken words—regret, longing, and plea. He silently begged her for one last chance.
Ye Zhao Zhao ground her teeth, her glare as fierce as a storm.
“Li Shuang, are you satisfied now? Were you and Long Yan plotting together all along, deceiving me from the start?”
Doubt slithered into her heart like a venomous snake.
Long Yan had claimed that he had used Dragon’s Roar to strike Li Shuang’s inner qi himself. But could the Grand Supreme Emotionless Art truly mend a shattered dantian? If it had failed once, why not try again? He had said he lost consciousness after one attempt, but was that truly so?
[Was it all a lie?]
Had she been nothing more than their pawn?
Today, in the Arena, could it be that Long Yan had thrown the match on purpose? Had they staged everything just to see her qi channels broken?
Now that their act was over, did Li Shuang really believe she could simply reclaim the sword?
Ye Zhao Zhao bit her lip hard and snapped, “Li Shuang! That day before the Scripture Pavilion, we swore upon the exchange of swords, vowing never to regret our bond! And now you wish to take it back? It cannot be!”
Even if Long Yan were now a defiled Sword Spirit, Dragon’s Roar remained a true Third-Grade Sword. It could still serve her well. And what of Black Abyss?
It was the lowest of the low—a Sword Spirit doomed never to awaken. What use was it to her?
Long Yan had betrayed her, yet he still hoped to escape unscathed? [A foolish dream,] she thought.
Li Shuang’s expression was calm as she surveyed Long Yan’s pitiful act and Ye Zhao Zhao’s furious face. She spoke evenly, “Ye Zhao Zhao, I have told you—betray me once, and trust is lost forever. I do not regret my choices. The matter between you and Long Yan is for you to settle. Take him and leave now—do not disturb the peace of Emotionless Peak.”
Long Yan’s face fell. He had humbled himself, yet Li Shuang still refused him. Shock filled his eyes as he looked at her. “You reject me? Am I truly worth less to you than the Black Abyss sword?”
Ye Zhao Zhao laughed coldly, her tone laced with mockery. “She has spoken—there is nothing more to ask.”
“Li Shuang!” Long Yan cried out. “We have always moved in harmony. I needed you, and you needed me. There was but a small misunderstanding between us! With all the years we shared, we could overcome any rift. You worked tirelessly to forge Dragon’s Roar into a Fourth-Grade Sword. Now that it has fallen in rank, do you not wish to restore it? It embodies all your efforts!”
His eyes then turned to the sword at her waist—Black Abyss. “But this sword is only a First-Grade weapon, its Sword Spirit asleep and useless. If you choose it, it will only hold you back!”
Desperation tinged his voice.
Deep within Black Abyss, in the silent realm of the Sword Spirit, a faint tremor stirred.
The tiny spirit began to awaken, as if hearing a gentle call.
[I am not useless,] it thought. [I will be of service!]
[And I will grow strong!]
[Above all, I will never, ever betray Li Shuang.]
The form of the Sword Spirit took on the vague outline of a face. Its closed eyelids trembled, straining to open yet remaining in deep slumber.
Li Shuang chuckled coldly. Without hesitation, she drew her sword and aimed it directly at Long Yan.
He had many words left to speak, but as soon as the tip of Black Abyss pointed at him, an icy spiritual aura surged forth and choked his voice.
Her voice rang out cold and firm, “Long Yan, I am not you—I would never abandon a comrade. When others called you a defiled Sword Spirit and urged me to cast you aside, I did not listen. I gave all I had to awaken you. When dark energies tainted you and you could not fight, I stayed by your side. When others doubted your future, I refused to heed their words. I nurtured you step by step until you proved them wrong.”
Long Yan’s face grew pale.
Yes… yes…
Li Shuang had never abandoned her comrades in hardship, and he knew that all too well.
“And now, my comrade is Black Abyss.” Her eyes turned colder still. “I will not tolerate anyone speaking ill of those I cherish. If you dare to do so again, let us settle it in the Arena.”
With that, she swung her sword. A flash of brilliant sword light passed by Long Yan, and he stood frozen, too afraid to move. Behind him, a massive boulder crumbled into dust.
“Now, begone,” Li Shuang declared, her voice crisp and final.
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