# Chapter 1486: Desperate Battle
Mu Lingxi was able to become the Holy Maiden of the Demon Sect and infiltrate the Martial Market Academy for so long without being discovered, which was enough to prove that her wisdom and strategic thinking were definitely top-notch.
Therefore, she could naturally see that Qiu Yu was deliberately using "favor" to coerce her.
If she really softened her heart and released Qiu Yu out of momentary sympathy, then today would probably be the day Zhang Ruochen and A Le died.
Qiu Yu clearly saw the concern in Mu Lingxi's heart and quickly added, "Lingxi, rest assured, I swear to the heavens that as long as you release me, I will absolutely not retaliate against Zhang Ruochen. You should know that for top-level cultivators, breaking an oath creates a huge flaw in their state of mind."
Mu Lingxi walked over with the iron sword in hand, pointing it at Qiu Yu's brow, and said, "You don't need to say more. Since I said I would plead with Zhang Ruochen on your behalf, I will do my utmost to spare your life."
"How hateful. Even after I've humbled myself like this, she still sides with Zhang Ruochen. If I had known, I wouldn't have saved her back in the Azure Dragon Ruins Realm. If she falls into my hands, I'll make her wish she were dead." Deep in Qiu Yu's pupils, a flash of viciousness flickered and vanished.
From a patch of dark poisonous mist not far away, a laugh rang out: "Unexpected, truly unexpected, to witness such a brilliant scene."
Hearing the laughter, Mu Lingxi was slightly startled. "Who's there?"
Zhentian Hu, carrying his thick arms behind his back, walked out from the poisonous mist. He looked at Zhang Ruochen, who was sitting cross-legged, and said, "I was originally ordered by the Realm Son to probe Zhang Ruochen's true situation, but it seems I won't need to make a move myself."
Yuan Hun had lured away the Rakshasa Princess, precisely to secretly send someone back to test whether Zhang Ruochen was truly severely injured. If Zhang Ruochen was indeed gravely wounded, even if Zhentian Hu couldn't kill him, he could at least force Zhang Ruochen to use a Divine Artifact War Weapon.
Once the Divine Artifact War Weapon lost its power, wouldn't Zhang Ruochen be at their mercy?
Facing Zhentian Hu, Mu Lingxi felt immense pressure, as if a mountain-sized fierce tiger was walking toward her step by step.
Every word Zhentian Hu spoke was like a deafening tiger roar, shaking Mu Lingxi's delicate body as if it might be sent flying.
Yet Mu Lingxi struggled to withstand the pressure, activating her Ice Phoenix bloodline, condensing a massive phoenix shadow to shield Zhang Ruochen and A Le.
Zhentian Hu glanced mockingly at Mu Lingxi. "An Ice Phoenix body is not bad, but you're only at the mid-stage True Saint realm. In my eyes, you're no different from an ant."
Mu Lingxi's gaze sharpened. "That's not necessarily true. A True Saint self-destructing their Sacred Source could probably still kill you."
"You think threatening me with your life will intimidate me?"
Zhentian Hu sneered disdainfully, glancing at Qiu Yu lying on the ground. "I'll help you break the Saint-Binding Lock, and you kill Zhang Ruochen for me. How about that?"
Qiu Yu had already been in despair, but upon hearing Zhentian Hu's words, it was as if he saw a glimmer of hope.
Finally, there was a chance for a counterattack.
Qiu Yu quickly said, "I already have an irreconcilable enmity with Zhang Ruochen. As long as you, sir, break the Saint-Binding Lock, today will be his death day."
Zhentian Hu said, "I want all the treasures on Zhang Ruochen's body."
"I only want to kill Zhang Ruochen and wash away my shame. As for the treasures on his body... with my cultivation level, how would I dare to compete with you, sir?"
In truth, Qiu Yu didn't think much of Zhentian Hu. As long as he killed Zhang Ruochen, the next step would be to eliminate Zhentian Hu.
The treasures on Zhang Ruochen's body would make even a Great Saint's heart race. How could Qiu Yu not want them?
Besides, Zhentian Hu had stepped on his head and spat on his face earlier. Qiu Yu was already burning with rage; it would be strange if he didn't kill him.
However, since he was currently restrained, he naturally had to appear weak.
Zhentian Hu nodded in satisfaction, then struck out a crescent-shaped blade ring, turning it into an arc of light that struck the Saint-Binding Lock.
Mu Lingxi couldn't block this strike. The destructive force surging from the crescent blade ring alone sent her stumbling backward.
With a "bang," the Saint-Binding Lock was severed.
Immediately, the suppression of the Saint Qi within Qiu Yu's body vanished without a trace.
Qiu Yu let out a long roar, shattering the remaining Saint-Binding Lock into dozens of pieces. He pressed a palm to the ground, spun his body into the air, and directly attacked Zhang Ruochen.
Zhentian Hu retreated to a farther position, arms crossed over his chest, looking like he was enjoying the show.
The reason he hadn't made a move himself was that he couldn't be sure whether Zhang Ruochen still had the strength to use a Divine Artifact War Weapon. Besides, he was also somewhat wary of Mu Lingxi actually self-destructing her Sacred Source.
Now that someone else was doing the work for him, it couldn't be better.
"Zhang Ruochen, I will extract your Sacred Soul, refine you into a ghost slave, and make you my servant for eternity."
Qiu Yu's eyes were bloodshot, his killing intent overwhelming. Seeing Mu Lingxi blocking Zhang Ruochen, he said coldly, "If you don't want to die, get out of my way immediately."
"If you want to kill Zhang Ruochen, you'll have to step over my corpse," Mu Lingxi said.
"You want to die? It won't be that easy. Zhang Ruochen will be refined into a ghost slave, but you are destined to be my cauldron."
Although Qiu Yu was quite injured, he still didn't take Mu Lingxi seriously. He reached out with five fingers and grabbed through the air, conjuring a fiery hand dozens of meters long, trying to seize Mu Lingxi directly.
Between Mu Lingxi's two slender jade fingers, a talisman appeared. She channeled a wisp of Saint Qi into it.
"Nine Heavens Tribulation Talisman."
The talisman flew out and disintegrated, and immediately, nine bolts of tribulation lightning descended from the sky, shattering the fiery hand Qiu Yu had conjured, turning it into wisps of blood energy.
Then, Mu Lingxi took out a thick stack of attack and defense talismans, continuously unleashing them.
In an instant, dozens of layers of talisman light shields appeared around Mu Lingxi, Zhang Ruochen, and A Le. At the same time, attack talismans rained down on Qiu Yu, making him quite disheveled—charred marks on his head, electric patterns flowing over his body, and occasionally his body freezing over with ice.
All those talismans had been seized by Zhang Ruochen from other Saints, but since he didn't like relying on external forces, he had given almost all of them to Mu Lingxi.
However, Qiu Yu's physique was strong, and his cultivation was profound. Those talismans could only delay him, not harm him.
On the side, Zhentian Hu was growing anxious because Yuan Hun couldn't hold off "Ling Yan Mo Fei" for long. She could return at any moment. Given the undisclosed relationship between "Ling Yan Mo Fei" and Zhang Ruochen, she would definitely help him.
"You can't even handle a little girl. No wonder you couldn't defeat Zhang Ruochen," Zhentian Hu said in a deep voice.
Qiu Yu also felt humiliated. He activated a wisp of Tree God Qi within his body and infused it into the Fire God Fist Gloves.
"Swoosh—"
The Fire God Armor continuously surged with flames, turning into a sea of fire.
"Break for me."
Qiu Yu punched out, and a force like a mountain collapsing and the sea overturning shattered all the layers of talisman light shields. Even Mu Lingxi was sent flying, spitting blood.
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot."
Qiu Yu ignored the injured Mu Lingxi and strode toward Zhang Ruochen, his killing intent growing stronger.
Zhang Ruochen, who was focusing all his energy on healing, naturally sensed Qiu Yu getting closer. But at this critical moment of healing, he could barely move a finger, let alone counterattack.
Just as Qiu Yu was seven zhang away from Zhang Ruochen, a bone-chilling cold surged from afar, freezing the ground with a thick layer of ice.
Mu Lingxi's entire body burned with cold flames as she flew back again, sword in hand, blocking Zhang Ruochen. She stared at Qiu Yu opposite her and said, "I told you, if you want to kill him, you'll have to step over my corpse first."
Qiu Yu said, "To protect him, you're actually burning your Sacred Blood."
"For him, what does it matter if I burn every last drop of blood in my body?"
The flames surging from Mu Lingxi's body were extremely cold, causing the temperature of the surrounding space to plummet sharply. The area beneath the cliff turned into a frozen wasteland.
"Fine, I'll grant your wish."
Qiu Yu mobilized the power of the Fire God Fist Gloves and attacked, preparing to finish this quickly.
After burning her Sacred Blood, Mu Lingxi's combat power skyrocketed, allowing her to block Qiu Yu's attacks.
However, Mu Lingxi's goal was to protect Zhang Ruochen and A Le, so she was naturally constrained in battle. After about thirty moves, Qiu Yu seized an opportunity and punched Mu Lingxi in the abdomen, sending her flying backward again, spitting Sacred Blood.
Yet Mu Lingxi fought tenaciously, immediately getting back up and swinging her sword horizontally at Qiu Yu.
Qiu Yu completely lost patience. With killing intent blazing in his eyes, he threw a full-power punch, forming a massive fist imprint that shattered most of the bones in Mu Lingxi's body, causing her to collapse to the ground, unable to stand again.
Mu Lingxi lay in a pool of blood, her whole body aching to the point of numbness. Only her eyes still moved, turning toward Zhang Ruochen's direction, revealing a helpless and sorrowful gaze.
Her fingers, stained with blood, twitched slightly but ultimately failed to lift the war sword again.
Mu Lingxi felt her eyelids growing heavier and heavier, the darkness before her eyes deepening. Just before she lost consciousness, she vaguely saw a figure in white standing before Zhang Ruochen.
It was a woman in white, her entire body shrouded in a rain of light. Her jet-black hair fell to her waist, and every inch of her skin emitted a radiant glow, like a celestial maiden untouched by worldly dust.
Beneath her pert jade buttocks was a snow-white tail.
"Fortunately, I arrived in time," the woman in white said, as if talking to herself.
Qiu Yu looked at the woman in white standing beside Zhang Ruochen and furrowed his brow. Then, he said coldly, "Baili Princess, do you dare to meddle in my affairs?"