Chapter 28: Clash in the Secret Realm Part 3

Even if Xiao Yuxie was Nascent Soul and could crush her, she would never bow to these two.

Even if it meant burning her Dantian, she’d leave indelible scars on them!

“Who… did you say I should chop?” Xiao Yuxie suddenly asked softly.

Thinking it was directed at her, Xie Wenxin pointed at Lu Mingyi. “Cousin, h-her! The one you just hit!”

Xiao Yuxie tucked a strand of white hair behind her ear. As her wide sleeve fell back, it revealed an arm so slender it bordered on emaciated. Then, she gripped the cyan immortal sword she had meant to sheath.

Lu Mingyi’s Dantian energy was on the verge of bursting forth, her body tensed to the limit.

But in the next instant, Xiao Yuxie’s action stunned both Lu Mingyi and Xie Wenxin—

She turned her own sword on herself, carving five wounds into her body!

“C-Cousin?!” Xie Wenxin cried out in horror.

But Xiao Yuxie wasn’t done. Ignoring the blood gushing from her wrist, she seized Xie Wenxin by the collar and hurled her into the cold pool where the Profound Turtle’s corpse still floated!

“Cousin!!” Xie Wenxin thrashed in the icy water, sputtering and wailing.

Xiao Yuxie’s delicate face paled from blood loss, but she curved her lips into a faintly icy smile. “Twisting right and wrong. Stay in that cold pool and reflect properly.”

Though speaking to Xie Wenxin, ever since drawing her sword on herself, her tangible gaze had fixed on Lu Mingyi.

Lu Mingyi’s heart pounded like a drum.

She had no idea what madness had seized Xiao Yuxie, making her hack at herself.

And those five wounds—whether coincidence or design—matched exactly the spots her sword qi had struck on Lu Mingyi! Only deeper; in moments, Xiao Yuxie’s white robes were stained crimson.

Lu Mingyi didn’t care about that. She knew now, with Xiao Yuxie injured and deranged, was the perfect chance to flee!

But as she prepared to bolt, a scent of blood-tinged orchid grass assailed her—Xiao Yuxie had flown right to her side!

Lu Mingyi’s heart jolted. She instinctively recoiled, but Xiao Yuxie sidestepped her wrist wound, gripped her tightly, and swept her with gentle eyes: “You’re hurt. Let me heal you.”

That gaze seemed tender, yet turbulent undercurrents churned within, her pupils clearly reflecting the unfamiliar tall figure before her.

Lu Mingyi: “…”

In the past one hundred eighty years, has Xiao Yuxie truly gone mad?

These wounds on me—weren’t they from her sword qi? Now she’s hypocritically offering to heal me?

Probably wants to lure me somewhere secluded to silence me for good!

Lu Mingyi’s brows furrowed slightly, suppressing her revulsion at the touch. “Fellow Daoist, don’t joke. You wanted to avenge your cousin—haven’t five sword strikes on me satisfied you sisters yet?”

At her words, a flicker of dimness crossed Xiao Yuxie’s eyes. She said softly, “It was my mistake. Let me make amends. Come with me.”

Lu Mingyi: “…?”

She was barely holding back the expression on her face, thinking, Has Xiao Yuxie suddenly gone insane, or is she having a split personality?

Lu Mingyi tried to pull her hand free from Xiao Yuxie’s grasp, only to find that the other woman’s seemingly slender and fragile wrist was unshakably firm.

She felt like this wasn’t the moment for normal conversation with the woman before her, so she quickly changed tack, putting on an impatient expression as she said, “Are you sick in the head? You were the one who wounded me just now, and now you’re talking about healing me? Is toying with people like this how the great clans and sects conduct themselves?!”

No matter what Xiao Yuxie was really up to, Lu Mingyi had made her words as cutting as possible. Coming from a great clan herself, Xiao Yuxie was bound to get angry.

Whether that led her to attack or to hold back out of concern for her reputation, it would all be an opportunity for Lu Mingyi.

But Lu Mingyi hadn’t expected Xiao Yuxie’s reaction to be completely different from what she’d imagined.

A strange expression surfaced on that familiar face, shattering the calm and steady aura around her. Her red lips trembled slightly, and her eyes and brows were filled with vulnerability and restraint.

She seemed like she wanted to caress Lu Mingyi’s face, but as soon as she extended her other hand, Lu Mingyi shrank back. The motion stabbed at Xiao Yuxie like a thorn, reddening the rims of her eyes as she silently withdrew her hand, looking utterly pitiable.

No… no way?

Were her words that devastating?

Lu Mingyi’s eyes widened slightly in shock, utterly floored once again.

“I didn’t… I wouldn’t toy with you,” Xiao Yuxie said hoarsely. When she lifted her gaze again, she stared deeply at Lu Mingyi before her, her eyes full of cautious tenderness. “Let me take you away. I’ll take good care of you and make sure you never suffer any more harm.”

Lu Mingyi: “…”

She really wanted to shout, We’re talking at cross purposes! Totally different languages here! Who keeps repeating this same half-baked line?!

What the hell was Xiao Yuxie doing? Had she lost her wife in these past 180 years and was now grabbing body doubles off the street?!

Yet, considering Xiao Yuxie’s “track record,” Lu Mingyi weirdly felt like this idea wasn’t entirely implausible.

But no matter what, she absolutely did not want to be taken away by Xiao Yuxie.

As the two of them remained locked in this standoff, a crisp sword cry rang out from the woods.

Lu Mingyi and Xiao Yuxie both turned toward the sound, where a woman in white robes embroidered with golden patterns and silver edges was descending slowly on her sword, coming to a stop before them.

The woman had a clear, refined face and an upright posture, her expression indifferent. Upon seeing the two of them, she first addressed Xiao Yuxie: “Senior Sister Xiao, I won’t interfere with you following Junior Nephew Xie into the Secret Realm for now. But aside from helping Junior Nephew Xie, you shouldn’t be doing anything else.”

When Lu Mingyi saw her, her eyes widened slightly, and she subtly sized up the newcomer.

The 180 years felt truly tangible in this moment—

The little junior sister who used to stammer when she spoke had now become so aloof!

Seeing Qi Yinxue again, Lu Mingyi first noticed her sect robes.

Golden embroidery with silver edges—that was the uniform of the Sword Peak Master. After Jiang Liuzhao became the Sect Leader of Taiqing Sect, she had truly made Qi Yinxue her successor as Peak Master!

Qi Yinxue was still so young—didn’t Jiang Liuzhao worry she couldn’t keep the elders and disciples in line?

A flurry of thoughts raced through Lu Mingyi’s mind, and she noted the especially tense atmosphere between Xiao Yuxie and Qi Yinxue.

Xiao Yuxie’s white robes were stained with blood, but it did nothing to diminish her elegant poise. She smiled faintly, neither warm nor cold. “Has Junior Sister Qi been following me this whole time to show up right now?”

“Master knew you were entering the Secret Realm and specifically instructed me to keep an eye on you. After all, your health these days is far from what it used to be…” Qi Yinxue lowered her gaze, speaking flatly.

At the words “Master,” Lu Mingyi’s mind instinctively flashed to Jiang Liuzhao’s figure. Looking again at the poised and graceful little junior sister before her, she reached a conclusion:

Qi Yinxue’s current aura screamed disciple of Jiang Liuzhao at first glance!

“If you’re here to keep an eye on me, then since Junior Sister Qi sees I’m fine, shouldn’t you be on your way?” Xiao Yuxie said with narrowed eyes and a smile, while tightening her grip on Lu Mingyi’s hand as if afraid she’d slip away.

Qi Yinxue shook her head directly. “No. Senior Sister Xiao, this person has already upset you and Junior Nephew Xie. You’ve slashed her five times to vent—that should be enough. How can you take her away now?”

Lu Mingyi: “…”

Though she was grateful for Qi Yinxue stepping in to block Xiao Yuxie at this moment, was slashing her five times really considered reasonable?

When had Taiqing Sect become such a nepotistic sect!

Cold intent gathered in Xiao Yuxie’s eyes as she said, “Junior Sister Qi, whether I take her or not shouldn’t concern you, right?”

Qi Yinxue lowered her gaze for a moment, and her slender, entirely silver-white immortal sword descended into her hand, trailing frost wherever the blade passed. This was her natal immortal sword, named Chilling Twilight:

“Senior Sister Xiao, Master instructed me to watch over you. You shouldn’t be so fixated anymore.”

From the look of her, she actually planned to fight Xiao Yuxie!

Lu Mingyi was shocked. Qi Yinxue was nearly 200 years younger than Xiao Yuxie. Now that Xiao Yuxie had stepped into Nascent Soul, Qi Yinxue was probably only at early Golden Core at best—how dared she make a move on Xiao Yuxie?

Meanwhile, Xiao Yuxie—who had just carved five deep wounds into her earlier—faced Qi Yinxue with complete composure.

Flying Light unsheathed from behind her back, its cyan sword light blazing brightly and easily overwhelming Qi Yinxue’s silver-white glow. “Junior Sister Qi, then don’t blame Senior Sister for not holding back. This person—I’m taking her today, no matter what.”

Lu Mingyi had even forgotten to struggle free from Xiao Yuxie’s hold. Staring at the tense standoff, her mind fixated on one question:

Are these two really going to fight? They’re direct senior-sister and junior-sister—how could they be so at odds!

Just as the battle was about to erupt here, a series of whooshing sounds tore through the air from afar.

Lu Mingyi looked up to see several streaks of crimson Immortal Flags streaking through the sky!

These Immortal Flags left two behind every five hundred meters as they sped past this area, extending into the distance.

The so-called Immortal Flags were a simple way to set up barriers: the space between two flags formed the boundary field. The barriers generated by the Immortal Flags were extremely sturdy, and depending on their grade, they could withstand attacks from even peak Soul Transformation cultivators at the highest level.

Precisely because of their power, Immortal Flags were exorbitantly expensive—the lowest-grade flag started at least at five hundred high-grade spirit stones.

But this rapidly spreading Immortal Flag Array stretched endlessly at a glance, with at least several hundred flags!

Lu Mingyi was dumbfounded, wondering who could be so extravagantly generous.

It had to be someone from a great clan or family, using Immortal Flags to outright claim the fortunes and treasures in the Secret Realm.

But this might just give her a chance to escape!

However, Lu Mingyi noticed Xiao Yuxie’s expression change abruptly as well.

The gentle woman’s aura shifted in an instant, radiating a spine-chilling pressure that instilled instinctive fear. At the same time, a deep blue glow erupted brilliantly from her fingertips!

A sensation like a soft yet icy snake slithered from Lu Mingyi’s calf up through her entire body, making her shiver uncontrollably. It climbed all the way to her slender white neck before stopping.

—Xiao Yuxie had cast a Water Prison on her, binding her in place and rendering her immobile!