Chapter 349: One Sword Breaks the Infant
The ice melted, and martial artists who had reached the Heavenly Extreme Realm slowly regained consciousness.
They leaped up from the water, standing on floating ice floes.
Their bodies were still somewhat stiff, their blood and qi flowing unevenly, with only true qi recovering bit by bit, gradually warming their bodies.
The earlier burst of cold energy had been terrifying, freezing their blood and every muscle tissue in their bodies. If not for a surge of sacred power that dissolved the cold, they would likely have frozen to death.
As for those martial artists below the Heavenly Extreme Realm, though they had also been freed from the ice, the cold had injured their physical bodies, and they remained unconscious.
Seeing the suddenly arriving palace-dressed beautiful woman, Infant Elder’s pupils contracted, revealing a hint of surprise. He acted decisively, forming his five fingers into a claw shape and reaching toward Zhang Ruochen’s heart.
Sharp white claws grew from his fingertips, incredibly sharp, exuding a chilling cold.
Infant Elder was fast, but the palace-dressed beautiful woman was even faster.
Standing a hundred zhang away, a cold, mocking look flashed in her eyes. She pointed her right index finger forward, and with a *shua* sound, the sacred sword on her back flew out of its sheath, turning into a streak of light flying toward Infant Elder.
“Hua!”
The light radiating from the sacred sword was like a flash of lightning, producing a piercing sound as it tore through the air, violently shaking the world’s spiritual energy.
Even Infant Elder dared not face that sword head-on. He had to withdraw his claw, abandon his attack on Zhang Ruochen, and shift to the side to dodge the sacred sword’s strike.
Though Infant Elder dodged, Di Yi was not so fortunate.
“Pu!”
The sacred sword pierced through Di Yi’s heart, digging out the half-saint heart that had just been implanted into his body. The half-saint heart, along with the sacred sword’s sword qi, flew up together.
Di Yi felt a cold sensation at his chest, followed by excruciating pain. Looking down, he saw only a shocking blood hole where his heart should be.
His body trembled as he reached out toward the half-saint heart, saying, “My… my… half-saint heart…”
That half-saint heart, shimmering with sacred light, flew in an arc and landed in the palace-dressed beautiful woman’s hand, hovering above her left palm like a pulsating blood jade.
The sacred sword floated above her head, scattering specks of light, making her appear especially sacred and dignified.
Di Yi’s face turned deathly pale. Trembling, he grabbed Infant Elder’s arm, his lips quivering uncontrollably, “Elder… old one, help me… take back the half-saint heart…”
Infant Elder’s face was as heavy as iron, facing the palace-dressed beautiful woman opposite him as if facing a great enemy. He shook his head, then suddenly roared, “Let’s go!”
The opponent’s strength was formidable, and even Infant Elder felt fear.
With a sweep of his sleeve, he wrapped Di Yi and the Seven Evil Star Envoys in a layer of sacred light, soaring up into the black clouds in the sky.
“Still trying to escape?”
The palace-dressed beautiful woman’s brows furrowed, a hint of disdain flashing in her eyes. She struck again with the sacred sword.
“Hua——”
The sacred sword turned into a white radiance, like a white rainbow piercing the sun, shooting into the sky to strike at the fleeing Infant Elder.
Standing atop the black clouds, Infant Elder spun around abruptly. The purple crescent moon mark on his brow emerged, transforming into a massive purple moon that slashed toward the sacred sword.
“Boom!”
A thunderous sound.
The sacred sword, with irresistible force, pierced through that purple moon mark, as if it could penetrate everything in the world, continuing forward and passing through Infant Elder’s abdomen.
“Pu!”
Infant Elder’s body was sent flying by the sacred sword’s impact. The black robe on him was shredded into pieces by the sword qi, revealing a form-fitting silver armor.
Now, that silver armor was also pierced by the sacred sword, leaving a bloody hole.
Drops of sacred blood flowed from the wound.
Infant Elder immediately used sacred qi to seal the wound on his abdomen, then employed a secret technique to carry Di Yi and the Seven Evil Star Envoys away at great speed, disappearing beyond the horizon.
The black clouds in the sky dispersed, revealing a clear, washed sky and a blazing sun like a furnace.
“Hua!”
That sacred sword, carrying a trace of blood light, flew back from the sky and re-entered its sheath.
On the Tongming River, all the martial artists were deeply shaken, looking at the palace-dressed beautiful woman with both reverence and awe.
“Greetings, Half-Saint.”
A silver-robed elder from the Martial Market Academy was the first to kneel on one knee, paying respects to the palace-dressed beautiful woman.
Kneeling to a half-saint was not a disgraceful act.
Moreover, that palace-dressed beautiful woman was so powerful—she had wounded Infant Elder with a single sword and saved their lives.
She was even more worthy of their bowing.
Then, the other martial artists rushed over, all kneeling to the ground, saying in unison, “Thank you, Half-Saint, for saving our lives.”
“Rise.”
The palace-dressed beautiful woman appeared extremely cold and proud, her voice carrying a chill.
Chen Ying, the master of the Martial Market Academy, walked across the water to stand before the palace-dressed beautiful woman, a look of surprise on his face. “Liuli, weren’t you… trapped in the Nether Saint Ruins? The family sent many people to rescue you, but all returned without success. I thought you had…”
That palace-dressed beautiful woman, named Chen Liuli, was Chen Ying’s younger sister and also Huang Yanchen’s biological mother.
Seven years ago, Chen Liuli had gone with others to the Nether Saint Ruins to search for the legendary Nether King Bell, but she had lost contact. The Chen family and the Thousand Water Commandery Prince had both sent numerous experts into the Nether Saint Ruins to search for her, but without any results. Instead, many experts had died there.
Everyone thought she had perished. Half a year later, the search was called off.
No one expected that seven years later, she would return.
Huang Yanchen stood beside Chen Liuli, staring at the palace-dressed beautiful woman before her. Tears involuntarily streamed from her eyes, and she threw herself into Chen Liuli’s arms, sobbing, “Mother, you… you’re finally back… all these years… you weren’t here… I…”
Her voice choked, unable to form words.
A hint of tenderness appeared in Chen Liuli’s cold eyes. She gently embraced Huang Yanchen, patting her shoulder, and said bitterly, “Yanchen, I remember when I left, you were just a little girl of over ten. I didn’t expect that seven years later, you’ve grown so tall. All these years, you’ve been with your uncle, causing him no small trouble. Now that I’m back, come with me to the Chen family.”
Huang Yanchen nodded, lowering her voice, “Before going to the Chen family, I want Mother to meet someone first.”
“Who?” Chen Liuli asked.
A hint of shyness stirred in Huang Yanchen’s heart. Her sapphire-blue eyes scanned the crowd, as if searching for someone.
But after searching for a long time, she couldn’t find the person she was looking for.
How could this be?
“Where did Zhang Ruochen go?” Huang Yanchen asked.
Only then did everyone notice that Zhang Ruochen had disappeared without a trace.
Huang Yanchen’s face changed, a note of panic in her voice, “Was he captured by Infant Elder?”
Chen Ying shook his head, “No, I saw clearly. Infant Elder only took Di Yi and the Seven Evil Star Envoys, and he escaped wounded. There’s no way he could have come back.”
Chen Xier said, “Cousin, after Infant Elder fled, I saw Zhang Ruochen leave, looking very urgent.”
“He left?”
Huang Yanchen’s brows furrowed, a hint of anger rising in her heart.
Her future mother-in-law had just saved him, and he didn’t even say a word of thanks before leaving without a sound—how rude. Wasn’t he afraid of leaving a bad impression on his mother-in-law?
Why was Zhang Ruochen in such a hurry to leave? Where had he gone?
…
Yunwu Commandery, Royal Palace.
The Yunwu Commandery Prince sat on a gilded throne, reviewing memorials.
On the golden desk sat a small purple-gold cauldron, from which wisps of purple smoke rose, carrying a refreshing, mind-clearing fragrance.
“Da da.”
The Queen Consort walked in gracefully, approaching the Yunwu Commandery Prince, and said with a smile, “Your Majesty, Gui’er has returned. Would you like to see him?”
As she spoke, the Queen Consort extended a delicate jade hand, opened the small purple-gold cauldron, and added a piece of fragrant bone into it.
In ordinary households, incense cauldrons burned the bones of savage beasts; only royalty had the privilege of using fragrant fox bones as fuel. The bones of fragrant foxes not only contained a captivating fragrance but also, when inhaled by martial artists over time, could enhance their spiritual power.
The Yunwu Commandery Prince sniffed lightly, looked at the purple-gold incense cauldron, and smiled, “Such a strong fragrance—at least a third-grade fragrant bone. Queen Consort, where did you buy such fine goods?”
A flicker of strangeness passed through the Queen Consort’s eyes, but she smiled, “Your servant stays deep in the palace—how could I get my hands on fragrant bones of this quality? It was Gui’er who brought it back from the Yuntai Sect Mansion to honor you.”
The Yunwu Commandery Prince nodded slightly, “You said Gui’er has returned. Why not call him in? It’s been some time since I last saw him. I wonder if his cultivation has reached the Heavenly Extreme… realm…”
Suddenly, the Yunwu Commandery Prince felt a slight dizziness, his vision blurring. He shook his head with effort, “What’s wrong? Why do I suddenly feel so tired today?”
Footsteps sounded.
Zhang Tiangui walked in from outside, leaving a long shadow on the floor. He said coldly, “That’s because the fragrant bone just added to the cauldron was soaked in poison water for half a year. Father, you’ve already been poisoned by the Blood Shadow’s poison.”
“Father, you’ve already been poisoned by the Blood Shadow’s poison.”
“Father, you’ve already been poisoned by the Blood Shadow’s poison.”
…
The Yunwu Commandery Prince’s mind went blank, Zhang Tiangui’s voice echoing endlessly in his ears, his vision growing darker and darker.
Standing beside the Yunwu Commandery Prince, the Queen Consort’s gentle expression vanished instantly, replaced by a cold look.
She suddenly struck out, a palm aimed at the Yunwu Commandery Prince’s head.
“Peng!”
Blood slowly trickled from the top of the Yunwu Commandery Prince’s head, flowing past his eyes and lips, dripping to the ground.
The Yunwu Commandery Prince jolted awake, his eyes wide open, an expression of disbelief on his face. He stared intently at the Queen Consort opposite him, gritting his teeth, “Queen Consort, you… why?”