Chapter 231: Yiyi’s Change of Heart
* * *
Swish—
Clang, clang, clang—
In the snow-covered pine forest, the wind and snow, driven by the crosswind, turned into a turbulent flow that scattered in all directions.
The relentless pursuit by three Core Formation cultivators, coupled with the lingering effects of the spiritual fire from a previous furnace explosion, left Yun Jiujiu’s slightly curled golden hair flying wildly. Her once furious eyes now held the weariness of someone facing death, devoid of their former brilliance.
She gripped a long sword, snatched from a Foundation Establishment cultivator, and drew streaks of dazzling white light through the snow-covered dust.
Clang—
“Hyaa—!”
With a powerful, axe-like downward chop, the light sword in her hand resembled a bear’s claw, showcasing Yun Jiujiu’s terrifying strength, far exceeding that of ordinary cultivators.
Although the Core Formation cultivator reacted in time, blocking with his sword held above his head, the significant difference in strength was vividly displayed when their blades met.
Yun Jiujiu’s innate divine strength, said to be inherited from Baxia, one of the Dragon Prince’s offspring, allowed her to grasp the sun and moon, and move thousands of mountains. After shattering her own meridians to forcibly break through to a higher realm, this divine ability had reached its peak. If power alone was the measure, even a Nascent Soul cultivator might not have been able to defeat her.
Under Yun Jiujiu’s heavy strike, terror flashed in the cultivator’s eyes. His feet directly crushed the rock layer beneath him, and countless cracks spread across the ground.
Boom—
Clang—
The spiritual sword in the Core Formation cultivator’s hand bent to the maximum extent its resilience could withstand, yet Yun Jiujiu added another thirty percent of her strength. The blood vessels on her seemingly fragile, glass-like arms burst under the pressure, spewing forth countless drops of blood.
“Die!”
Amidst her petulant, childish voice, the spiritual sword in the cultivator’s hand snapped with a “crack.” Yun Jiujiu’s sword slid swiftly from his neck, bisecting him diagonally, its tip landing on the rock.
Boom—
The earth-shattering tremor spread outwards. The rock layer within a ten-zhang radius around the two instantly turned into countless fragments, soaring hundreds of feet into the sky.
Yun Yiyi, resting under a tree ten zhang away, saw this and laboriously raised her right hand, forming a spiritual shield to protect herself from the flying debris.
“Jiujiu…”
Yun Yiyi watched the blood steaming from Yun Jiujiu’s body, gritting her teeth, her chest aching. She could tell that every swing of Yun Jiujiu’s sword was consuming her lifespan, and each strike was accompanied by pain that ordinary people could hardly bear. Yet, even so, her second sister had not chosen to escape this pain. Instead, she was fighting with all her might to escort her safely back to the Sword Sect.
A few hours ago, she had lost Ye Anping. And in a while, she would lose her sister, Yun Jiujiu.
—”Hyaa—! I’ll skin you all today! Come on—!”
Ding—
Clang—
“Ugh—! You mother—!”
Her eyes were filled with the glint of swords, and her ears with the clash of steel. Yun Yiyi watched everything in silence, unable to comprehend why Yun Jiujiu was fighting so desperately to protect her.
She hated Yun Jiujiu. Foul-mouthed, unreasonable, rude, impolite, fiery, idiotic, and insane! Yun Jiujiu had once beaten her so badly that she was bedridden for months. She had once spat in her face and publicly humiliated her.
She also knew that Yun Jiujiu detested her. Though they were sisters, they had never acted like sisters. Instead, they were like enemies sharing a roof, constantly plotting against each other for the position of Sect Master. Before Yun Tianchong laid down the rules, they had tried to take each other’s lives multiple times. Yun Yiyi couldn’t even recall a single moment of warmth or reconciliation between them.
But now, this person whom she so hated, and who so hated her, was doing everything in her power, disregarding all consequences, to protect her.
* * *
—She was the elder sister, how could she be protected by her younger sister?!
—She should be the one protecting her sister!
But how could she, who struggled just to lift her hand, protect her second sister?
Displeasure, frustration, pain, and a sense of powerlessness. Countless negative emotions churned within Yun Yiyi.
Yun Yiyi bit her lip and shouted, “Jiujiu!! That’s enough!”
“Enough my ass!! Sister, you shut the hell up!!”
Ding—
Yun Jiujiu gritted her teeth and deflected a sword aimed at her. The next moment, a fire-element spell struck her left shoulder heavily.
Boom—
A surge of heat erupted in the snow forest. Flames, wrapped with myriad fragments of rock, sent Yun Jiujiu flying. She skipped across the snow-covered rock layer like a stone on water, breaking dozens of snow pines thicker than her body before finally coming to a halt.
“Cough—”
Yun Jiujiu coughed up a mouthful of blood. However, upon landing, without any hesitation, she tried to push herself up to grab her sword again. But as she tried to stand, she realized her hand could no longer grip the sword. She couldn’t even stand up.
The remaining two Core Formation cultivators, holding their spiritual swords and gasping for breath, looked at her. Their unperturbed eyes were filled with disbelief. They were Sword Sect disciples themselves and had heard of Yun Jiujiu’s innate divine ability. However, they never expected a Late Foundation Establishment cultivator like her to last so long against their trio of Core Formation pursuers, let alone kill one of them.
However, this battle was likely over. They could tell Yun Jiujiu had reached her limit.
The two took several deep breaths to calm their breaths. Ignoring Yun Jiujiu, who was lying on the ground twenty zhang away, they turned and walked towards Yun Yiyi, who was closer to them. With their spiritual swords reflecting a harsh white light, they lunged towards Yun Yiyi’s chest.
Upon seeing this, Yun Jiujiu bit through her own teeth and filled her lungs with air.
“I’ll go to your grandma’s!! Get away from my sister!!!”
With a roar, her already weakened body erupted with an unbelievable surge of strength. She shot forward, flashing from twenty zhang away to Yun Yiyi’s front in an instant. This instantaneous movement was almost comparable to the evasion skills of a late Nascent Soul cultivator, resulting in a large amount of crimson blood gushing from her knees.
The two were startled, but their long swords did not falter.
Ding—
Yun Jiujiu raised her sword to block. Just as the three spiritual swords were about to clash again, a youth who had been watching from a snow pine branch nearby slightly curved his lips and commanded in a calm voice:
—”Now.”
Instantly, a silver phantom flashed down.
Clang—
Between Yun Jiujiu’s and the two Core Formation cultivators’ interleaved spiritual swords, a fourth spiritual sword appeared.
The next moment—
*Whoosh—*
A streak of golden light swept across one of the Core Formation cultivators at the waist. The sword wind swept away the accumulated snow behind the man, creating a fan-shaped cleared area.
“Hee—”
Feng Yu Die turned and grinned at Yun Jiujiu and Yun Yiyi, who were looking at her from behind, then kicked, sending the lower half of the man flying.
… …
