At the moment he was swallowed by the giant snake, Min Zhan used the last of his spiritual power to drag the fallen Xu Xian into the snake's belly with him.
Xu Xian felt the world go even darker. He was falling, surrounded by a slimy stickiness that was both scalding and unbearable.
Finally...
He seemed to fall into a deep pool, unable to move.
A pungent stench assaulted his failing sense of smell. He could feel his body being corroded and decomposed by the mucus in this deep pool. The agony of it momentarily surpassed the pain from his previous injuries.
His mind went blank. It was as if he could see death itself raising a scythe, ready to strike him down.
'Is it really... over?'
In this moment, he wished more than anything that this so-called transmigration was just a dream—that none of this had ever happened.
Thump-thump!
Thump... thump!
Thump...... thump!
His heartbeat slowed until it nearly stopped. His consciousness gradually blurred until he began to sink into an endless darkness.
Suddenly...
Inside his body, within the nearly withered sea of qi, the sword embryo awakened. A shimmering mist transformed into countless threads of the breath of life, surging from the youth's sea of qi toward his physical body, eventually wrapping around his stalled heart.
It was warm.
It was gentle.
Like meeting a cool breeze in the height of summer.
Like glimpsing light in the middle of a dark night.
Thump—thump!
Thump—thump!!
Thump-thump!!!
Thump-thump!!!!
His heart beat once more, faster and more urgent. His rotting flesh began to regrow at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Just as it had when he ascended the sword steps, the sword embryo was like a seed. Once it broke through the soil, it grew wildly within Xu Xian's body, feeding the life force back into the youth.
Broken bones reconnected.
Rotten flesh was renewed.
Internal organs returned to their proper places.
Wounds healed.
The light of life enveloped him. Xu Xian took a sharp, deep breath.
"Gasp!"
He opened his eyes amidst the desolation, like a fire reignited from the ashes.
Within his mind...
Xu Xian heard the cry of an ancient whale echoing from the depths of the universe.
Accompanied by a loud shout that resounded with ethereal, ancient, and mysterious tones, the echo thundered in his ears.
"Sword, come!"
Buzz—
In the moonlit forest, the giant snake that had just swallowed Min Zhan and Xu Xian was digesting their energy, slowly slithering out of the snake valley.
Suddenly, its eyes—like two blood-red lanterns—snapped wide. Its pupils constricted to points as agonizing distortion instantly took over its entire head.
"Hiss!"
"Roar!"
"Agh!"
It began to struggle desperately, thrashing and writhing. It lunged left and right, then surged forward and back. Occasionally, it reared its head to howl under the moon; at other times, it slammed into the earth with pained cries.
It was as if it were possessed.
In its belly, the alternating red and black light was replaced by a brilliant white glow.
The white light flowed like water, surging through its body and faintly tearing at its thick scales.
After just a few breaths, the great snake reared its head and let out a blood-curdling scream.
At that same moment, the white light burst forth completely. It was as if a nuclear bomb had been detonated in its stomach. The energy wave instantly tore its mountain-like body apart, shredding it to pieces.
First the belly, then the seven-inch mark, and finally the head.
It shattered inch by inch, scattering into countless chunks of flesh.
That was sword intent.
A towering, overwhelming sword intent.
As the sword qi raged through the moonlit forest, the phantom of a hundred-zhang-tall white Sword Tower appeared. It was faint, shimmering for only a moment before vanishing.
It looked like a divine manifestation reserved for masters at the peak of tribulation transcendence, yet it also resembled a mirage born of a natural phenomenon.
But in the end, it was a fleeting bloom, a momentary firework.
One either missed it entirely or failed to see it clearly.
The white sword light was dazzling. Though it lasted only an instant, it lit up the entire night as bright as day.
It tore through the mountain-sized snake and pulverized everything within several miles.
When the light faded, the residual power turned into a gale that swept in all directions, blowing for dozens of miles.
The mournful wind wailed like ghosts and wolves. Amidst the flying sand and rolling stones, everything in sight was a mess.
Outside the valley, the Black Armor Cavalry was in chaos. Warhorses neighed incessantly, agitated and restless. The soldiers felt as if they were trapped in a thick fog, filled with unease.
"Hiss!"
"Whoa!"
Those lucky enough to catch a glimpse of the Sword Tower's phantom stood dazed, their faces blank.
"What was that just now?"
"It looked like a tower?"
"A white tower?"
"I must have seen it wrong..."
Nangong Ning, who was charging through the formation, heard the snake's scream and glimpsed the energy storm. Even if she didn't know where the energy came from, she knew everything was over.
The Little Grand-Uncle was at the very center of that storm. The possibility of his survival was practically zero.
She was grief-stricken. It felt as if someone were stabbing her heart with a knife—stab, sprinkle salt, stab again, and sprinkle more salt.
That pain made her forget everything else. It even made her forget she was still alive.
The Little Grand-Uncle was dead. He had died to save her.
She had only one thought now: break out, charge through.
Light the spirit incense, fulfill the Little Grand-Uncle's request, and tell the truth to the world.
She couldn't stop. She couldn't fall.
Nangong Ning held Ningyue, never pausing for a single moment.
She fought through the chaos, killing like a madwoman. This girl was like a wild beast under the moonlight, driven by nothing but the instinct to kill.
"You all deserve to die! You all deserve to die!"
"Why... why..."
"Get out of my way!"
Thousands of Black Armor Cavalry surrounded and intercepted her, their battle cries shaking the heavens.
"Stop her!"
"Don't let her escape!"
"Fire arrows!!"
Yet Nangong Ning still managed to charge out, disappearing into the vast night and leaving the cavalry far behind.
The few core formation stage generals within the Black Armor Cavalry tracked her aura, pursuing her relentlessly.
Nangong Ning fought as she fled. The sounds of battle and shouting gradually grew distant in the dark night.
"Chase her!"
"Witch, take a spear from this general!"
Exhausted to her limit, Nangong Ning relied on her staggering will to sustain herself in this desperate situation.
Fighting and retreating, she cut down the core formation generals one by one, leaving the rest far in her wake.
Finally, covered in wounds, she collapsed on a mountain peak.
The Big Dipper was shifting across the sky, and the east was beginning to turn white.
She forced herself up with incredible willpower. Kneeling on both knees, her face a mess of bloodstains and tear tracks, her eyes were hollow and her lips parched.
Like a walking corpse, she pulled a golden spirit incense from her robes. She held it in her hand.
The gold spirit incense caught fire as it touched her blood, and a faint golden smoke rose into the air.
In a blur, Nangong Ning forced her sealed lips open. With a trembling voice, she spoke:
"Yecheng has rebelled. Falling Cloud Peak disciple Song Qingshu has fallen in battle. Zhujian Peak disciple Ruan Zhong has fallen in battle. None of the five from the Yecheng Supervision Hall survived. Little Grand-Uncle Xu Xian... status unknown."
"Falling Cloud Peak disciple Nangong Ning requests the sect... to suppress the rebellion immediately!"
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