Chapter 260 It’s time to evacuate
The rolling heat waves slowly dissipated, and the towering flames began to subside.
It was unclear how much time had passed before the colossal aftermath of the Qi Refinement
Sixth Stage cultivator’s self-detonation finally settled into silence.
From a distance, Master Mu and the other three survivors gazed at the center of the explosion,
their hearts clinging to a fragile hope that the middle-aged swordsman’s sacrifice had
succeeded in killing the elder.
But reality is often cruel.
A figure emerged from the epicenter of the blast.
The Wu Kingdom elder was drenched in blood, his body battered beyond recognition. One of his
arms had been obliterated by the explosion, but he still stood tall, unyielding.
The ferocity in his eyes hadn’t diminished. His mouth still murmured the words “Blood… food…”
as he radiated a chilling, deathly aura.
“He… he’s still alive!”
The sight of the elder left Master Mu and the others in stunned disbelief.
Even such a devastating explosion hadn’t been enough to kill the monster. The sheer power of
a Foundation Establishment cultivator was enough to crush their spirits.
“There’s no escape,” Master Mu muttered with a bitter smile after a long silence.
“If there’s no escape, I’d rather go out fighting. I refuse to become that thing’s food!”
One of the Qi Refinement Third Stage cultivators struggled to his feet, gritting his teeth through
the pain. His eyes blazed with madness as he charged at the elder.
Spiritual energy surged wildly through his body, inflating it like a balloon. Just as the
middle-aged swordsman had done earlier, he prepared for self-detonation.
Boom!
Another explosion rocked the battlefield as he detonated right in front of the elder.
Following his lead, the remaining two Qi Refinement cultivators, unwilling to die as prey, let out
furious roars and hurled themselves at the elder. Spiritual energy coursed through their bodies,
swelling them to the point of bursting.
Boom! Boom!
Three consecutive self-detonations tore through the area.
The already heavily injured elder was engulfed in a series of devastating blasts. When the dust
settled, he was reduced to a horrifying state.
Both his arms were gone, and his torso was partially obliterated, leaving his mangled flesh
hanging in strips like tattered cloth.
But still, the elder refused to fall.
“Blood… food…”
Despite suffering what should have been fatal injuries, he moved forward, dragging his
shattered body step by step toward Master Mu. His voice was a low growl, his eyes still alight
with ravenous hunger.
“Prince Beiyuan… I hope you survive,” Master Mu whispered, a faint, bitter smile on his lips.
As the elder loomed over him, mouth open wide and reeking of blood, Master Mu steeled
himself. He drew upon the last reserves of his spiritual energy, ready to self-detonate like the
others.
Boom!
The explosion that followed was even more cataclysmic than the middle-aged swordsman’s
earlier detonation. A scorching wave of heat erupted outward, engulfing everything within its
reach and reducing the surrounding area to ash.
Far away, Li Qing and the Wu Kingdom cultivators who were still locked in battle were flung into
the air by the sudden explosion. They crashed to the ground in a tangle of limbs, coughing up
blood as they landed.
The leader of the Wu Kingdom cultivators struggled to his feet, brushing ashes and debris from
his robes. He cast a wary glance at the explosion’s epicenter.
“A string of self-detonations from Qi Refinement cultivators…”
“Surely, the elder must be dead by now. If so, the emperor’s plan is halfway complete. Now we
just need to regroup with the Third Prince and leave this cursed place.”
With that thought, the leader wasted no time. Gesturing to his three remaining comrades, he
abandoned the fight with Li Qing’s group and retreated into the forest to locate the Third Prince.
Elsewhere, in a dark cave, Yun Yanshui stood surrounded by the remnants of slain demonic
creatures. With a flick of his hand, he summoned a flag from deep within the cave.
“Hand over the banner!”
Yun Wenyu’s voice rang out, her sword drawn and her expression steely. Her sister, Yun
Wenrun, stood beside her, clutching her blade with equal determination, their gazes fixed on
Yun Yanshui, who was still disguised as the Wu Kingdom’s Third Prince.
“Wenyu, Wenrun, stand down!” Yun Yanshuang called out urgently, fearing a conflict.
“Why, Aunt Yanshuang?”
The two sisters turned to their aunt in confusion, unable to understand why she would align
herself with the enemy.
Now that the banner was in Yun Yanshui’s possession, Yun Yanshuang forbade her nieces from
attempting to seize it back.
“Don’t ask so many questions. Just follow my lead,” Yun Yanshuang said firmly, her tone leaving
no room for argument.
Hearing this, Yun Wenyu and Yun Wenrun reluctantly sheathed their weapons, falling into step
beside their aunt in silence.
“Let’s go,” Yun Yanshui ordered. “Judging by the commotion outside, most of the Spirit Root
cultivators are likely dead by now.
“That monster might finally be dead as well. With the banner in hand, it’s time to leave this
place.”
With that, he led his sister and nieces out of the cave.
As they exited, three figures appeared—Ye Xiaolin, Lu Shanglin, and Lin Yifeng.
“So, this is where you’ve been hiding, Yun Yanshuang,” Lu Shanglin snarled, his eyes blazing
with fury as he noticed the Wu Kingdom’s Third Prince standing beside her.
While they and the other Spirit Root cultivators had been risking their lives fighting the elder,
losing countless comrades in the process, Yun Yanshuang had taken her nieces and quietly
retreated. Worse, she had apparently allied herself with the Third Prince to steal the banner.
“An alliance?!” Lu Shanglin shouted. “You were working with the Wu Kingdom’s Third Prince
behind our backs? While we fought that monster to the death, you took this chance to steal the
banner?
“What is this? Were we just pawns in your game?!”
Lu Shanglin’s voice was raw with anger as he glared at Yun Yanshuang, his grip tightening
around his spirit staff.
“Yun Yanshuang, we need an explanation!” Ye Xiaolin added, his expression dark and
threatening as he and Lin Yifeng stared her down.
“Explanation? For what?”
Before Yun Yanshuang could respond, Yun Yanshui smirked coldly and interjected, “You’re just
mad because she’s smarter than you. Blame yourselves for being fools.”
“And who are you to talk?!”
Lu Shanglin’s rage boiled over as he pointed his staff at Yun Yanshui. “Your Wu Kingdom lured
us into this death trap, setting us up to be slaughtered by that monster! My comrades—several
of my kingdom’s Spirit Root cultivators—are dead because of you! Now I’ll kill you to avenge
them!”
With a roar, Lu Shanglin charged at Yun Yanshui, his weapon glowing with spiritual energy.
But before he could reach him, a figure appeared out of nowhere and sent Lu Shanglin flying
with a single kick.
The sudden attack startled Ye Xiaolin and Lin Yifeng. They barely had time to react before three
more figures appeared, pinning them down with ease.
“Your Highness, forgive us for being late,” said the leader of the group, bowing respectfully to
Yun Yanshui.
“It’s fine. You arrived just in time,” Yun Yanshui replied, his expression calm.
“What about the other two guards? Why aren’t they with you?”
“They died protecting me from the demonic beasts in the mountains,” Yun Yanshui lied
smoothly.
“An honorable death, then,” the guard said, showing no emotion at the loss of his comrades.
After a brief pause, the guard turned his gaze to Lu Shanglin, who lay immobilized on the
ground.
“What should we do with them, Your Highness?”
“Do I really need to spell it out for you?” Yun Yanshui asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Understood,” the guard replied, his tone chillingly calm.
He turned and approached Lu Shanglin, who looked up in terror.
“You Wu Kingdom scum dare slaughter Yue Kingdom’s Spirit Root cultivators like this? When
my king finds out, he’ll make sure your kingdom pays dearly!”
His voice was desperate, his face pale as death loomed closer. He tried to back away, but his
body had no strength left. All he could do was watch as the guard raised his foot.
Crack!
The sound of Lu Shanglin’s skull shattering echoed through the air as his head burst like a
melon, splattering blood and brain matter across the ground.
Nearby, Ye Xiaolin and Lin Yifeng struggled desperately against their captors, but it was futile.
Their fate was sealed.
Soon, their anguished cries were silenced, leaving only the chilling calm of the forest in their
wake.