# Chapter 751: I Only Hope... You Won't Abandon Me
Mu Lingxi activated the Eight Desolates Arcane Art to its extreme limit. Both her palms were completely wrapped in sacred qi, pressed together as she continuously formed seals. Each of her fingers manifested dozens of afterimages.
"Hua!"
Behind her, a giant rotating wheel materialized.
Along the wheel's edge, eight half-saint level beast souls emerged: Python Dragon, Winged Dragon, Heavenly Spider, Silver Wolf, Mystic Turtle, Great Kun, Snow Tiger, and Ancient Phoenix.
The eight beast souls simultaneously absorbed the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, pouring it into Mu Lingxi's slender delicate body, causing her aura to grow increasingly stronger.
Subsequently, a frigid cold energy emanated from the soles of Mu Lingxi's feet, freezing the entire scroll world and transforming it into an icy realm.
"Is the Demon Sect's Xiao Nu about to unleash the strongest strike of the Eight Desolates Seal?"
"The final seal of the Eight Desolates Seal—the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal?"
"The power of the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal is infinitely close to a sacred art. With her cultivation level, can she withstand the impact of such a powerful force?"
"This Demon Sect Xiao Nu's strength is truly terrifying. If she actually unleashes the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal, it would be enough to injure a first-order half-saint. Lin Yue definitely won't be able to block it."
Resisting a first-order half-saint and injuring a first-order half-saint were two completely different things.
As the power within Mu Lingxi grew stronger and stronger, everyone held their breath, staring unblinkingly at the scroll world, eager to know just how terrifying the power of the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal truly was.
At the top of the Book Mountain, the six people seated on the Realm Son thrones were also quite moved. Even they might not have absolute certainty in blocking the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal.
One had to know that Mu Lingxi's cultivation had only just reached the eighth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm.
If she broke through to the ninth transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, what then?
"Hua!"
Within the scroll world, a gust of cold wind arose, sweeping up patches of snowflakes that surged toward Zhang Ruochen.
Zhang Ruochen's feet slid backward, pushed more than twenty zhang away by the cold wind.
"Sword Two."
Zhang Ruochen tightened his grip on the Golden Snake Sacred Sword. Instantly, centered on the sword body, three thousand sword qi phantoms condensed, rapidly spinning and flying to form a massive Taiji diagram.
As the sword qi surged, Zhang Ruochen's momentum climbed step by step, growing stronger and stronger.
"Eight Desolates Arcane Art, Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal."
Mu Lingxi extended a slender hand and struck toward Zhang Ruochen's direction. The Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal was unleashed, and a vast sacred force, incomparably mighty, pressed toward him.
Zhang Ruochen's figure vanished from its original position, transforming into a beam of light that charged forward, stabbing his sword straight at Mu Lingxi ahead.
His body carried an unstoppable momentum, as if merging with the three thousand sword qi and the Taiji diagram.
"Bang, bang."
The moment it made contact with the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal, the three thousand sword qi exploded one after another, turning into wisps of green smoke.
Then, the massive seal collided with the Golden Snake Sacred Sword.
With a "crack," the saint-level sword actually shattered, breaking into seven fragments that flew backward. Three of the fragments struck Zhang Ruochen, hitting his shoulder, chest, and thigh respectively, leaving three bloody marks.
Although the sword was broken, by using the explosive force released when the Golden Snake Sacred Sword shattered, Zhang Ruochen managed to deflect the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal.
When Zhang Ruochen stopped, one finger was already pressed against Mu Lingxi's brow.
The finger appeared golden, with a small Taiji diagram spinning around it, emitting sharp sword qi. If it advanced another inch, it would pierce through Mu Lingxi's skull.
Yet Mu Lingxi showed no fear, standing motionless in place, as if she had long anticipated that Zhang Ruochen would rather injure himself than harm a single hair on her head.
"I have lost." Mu Lingxi blinked her eyes, a sense of relief washing over her.
Zhang Ruochen withdrew his finger, covering his chest with his palm as he coughed, a trace of blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.
The sword fragment that had struck his chest had pierced his lung, causing him to suffer considerable internal injuries.
The entire confrontation had happened in the blink of an eye. Many people hadn't even seen their techniques clearly before the battle had already ended.
Atop the Book Mountain, Xue Hongchen laughed: "Lin Yue shows such tenderness toward the Demon Sect's Xiao Nu. There must be a story between them. It seems Lin Yue and I are kindred spirits—both are romantic figures who cannot bear to harm beauties. If I have time, I should exchange notes with him."
Others might not have seen Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi's techniques clearly, but the few on the Realm Son thrones had observed them very clearly.
Lin Yue had been able to defeat Mu Lingxi because he used his own power, combined with the force of the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal, to shatter the Golden Snake Sacred Sword.
The power released by the exploding sacred sword had pierced through the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal.
However, those with keen insight could see that Lin Yue's strength surpassed Mu Lingxi's. With his sword dao realm, he had at least seventy percent certainty of piercing through the Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal, and even a decent chance of killing Mu Lingxi with that single strike.
If so, he wouldn't have needed to shatter the Golden Snake Sacred Sword, nor would he have been injured.
Why didn't he do that?
The only explanation was that Lin Yue didn't want to harm Mu Lingxi, or didn't want to kill her, so he could only choose the worst strategy—not only wasting a sacred sword but also injuring himself.
Xue Wuye laughed: "Ouyang Heng, did you send Xiao Nu to deal with Lin Yue because you already knew there was an unspeakable story between them?"
Ouyang Heng remained exceptionally calm, speaking lightly: "Whatever story Lin Yue has with her is their private matter. What does it have to do with me? Gratitude and grudges, affection, jealousy, hatred—these are all human nature. I am at most just a spectator."
Xue Wuye merely smiled and shook his head, saying no more.
As the saying goes, experts observe the craft, while amateurs watch the spectacle.
The few at the top of the Book Mountain merely chatted and laughed casually. But the cultivators at the foot of the Book Mountain, unaware of the subtleties of that battle, erupted once again.
"Lin Yue actually broke the Demon Sect Xiao Nu's Divine Desolate Heaven-Sealing Seal. Impressive! But he's also injured and has lost a sacred sword. He probably can't continue fighting."
"Didn't you notice? Lin Yue just used the third level of Sword Two—Yin-Yang Separation?"
"What?"
"The third level of Sword Two?"
Everyone present who used swords was utterly astonished, their hearts filled with shock.
In the Fish-Dragon Realm, many who prided themselves as sword dao geniuses might not even reach the first level of Sword One.
In the last thousand years, only twenty or thirty people had managed to cultivate Sword One to the tenth level of great perfection in the Fish-Dragon Realm. Moreover, most of these people later became sword saints, worshipped by countless sword cultivators.
Lin Yue was only at the seventh transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, yet he had already cultivated Sword Two to the third level. This was naturally quite shocking. Didn't this mean he had a certain chance of cultivating Sword Two to great perfection in the Fish-Dragon Realm?
"If this child doesn't die young, he will surely become another sword saint in the future, perhaps even surpassing the Burial Moon Sword Saint of the Liangyi Sect." In the Divine Throne City, a rather aged saint spoke.
The cultivators of the Four Symbols Sect, Eight Trigrams Sect, and Taiji Dao were even more horrified. Both the younger generation and the older half-saints and saints were greatly shaken.
The Four Symbols Sect's Xuanyi Saint revealed a cold expression: "I thought that in this Sword Discussion Conference, the Liangyi Sect would surely lose. I never expected a Lin Yue to suddenly appear. Shao Lin, what are your chances of defeating him?"
Beside Xuanyi Saint stood a young man in a Daoist robe, tall and lean, with two pale blue whiskers above his lips.
His gaze was exceptionally sharp, radiating heroic spirit: "If Lin Yue's strength is only at this level, then when he faces me, he will only have one path—death."
This man was named Shao Lin, the strongest under half-saint in the Four Symbols Sect.
Shao Lin had once been a sword dao prodigy of the Liangyi Sect. Together with Qi Feiyu and Gai Tianjiao, he had been selected to be trained within the Sword Pavilion.
In terms of sword dao talent alone, Shao Lin surpassed Qi Feiyu and Gai Tianjiao.
The Liangyi Sect had placed great hopes on Shao Lin, sparing no resources on him, preparing to make him the sect's representative for the Sword Discussion Conference.
Unfortunately, Shao Lin was a disciple of the Four Symbols Sect. His entry into the Liangyi Sect was solely to use the Sword Pavilion's resources to strengthen himself. He had never intended to contribute to the Liangyi Sect.
Perhaps in his eyes, everyone in the Liangyi Sect was a bunch of fools.
After Shao Lin's cultivation had matured, he betrayed the Liangyi Sect and returned to the Four Symbols Sect.
Over the years, with the full support of the Four Symbols Sect, Shao Lin's cultivation had reached an even more unfathomable level. He would represent the Four Symbols Sect in the Sword Discussion Conference to compete for the Sword Pavilion.
Shao Lin's eyes held a cold, proud expression: "Lin Yue's sword dao talent is quite good, but unfortunately, he was born a few years too late. Even at the third level of Sword Two, there are vast differences. I have already walked ahead of him, only one step away from the fourth level of Sword Two."
"After all, Lin Yue is only at the seventh transformation of the Fish-Dragon Realm, while I have already reached the peak of the ninth transformation. Whether in cultivation realm or sword dao realm, there is a considerable gap between us. If I were to lose to him, wouldn't that betray the sect's years of full support?"
Xuanyi Saint nodded: "The Four Symbols Sect's cultivation of you over these years has indeed been unprecedented. The resources spent would be enough to train ten half-saints. If you still lose under these circumstances, it would indeed be hard to justify."
"However, although Lin Yue's edge is sharp, compared to you, he lacks considerable foundation. When he faces you, he should have no chance of victory."
Clearly, Xuanyi Saint was also full of confidence in Shao Lin.
The scroll world beneath Zhang Ruochen and Mu Lingxi's feet had completely shattered in the previous battle, turning into a wisp of green smoke that merged into the Book Mountain.
The two of them, along with the heavily injured Ling Ji and Rakshasa, all appeared on the steps of the Book Mountain.
Huang Yanchen walked toward Lin Yue: "You seem quite injured. Do you still want to continue?"
Zhang Ruochen's face was rather pale, but he still smiled faintly: "Actually, I am very sorry. I shouldn't have dragged you into the conflict between the Liangyi Sect and the Demon Sect. But I must continue climbing upward, after all, I owe the Liangyi Sect the kindness of passing on skills and teachings. Today, I must fight."
After a pause, he added: "Do you dare to continue walking with me?"
Huang Yanchen's eyes were fixed tightly on Zhang Ruochen, her gaze incredibly complex—filled with doubt, affection, and deep questioning.
Huang Yanchen's left hand was behind her back, her five fingers tightly gripping a fragment of the Golden Snake Sacred Sword. Because she was gripping too hard, the fragment cut her hand, causing drops of blood to seep out.
The sword fragment—she had just picked it up from the ground.
Huang Yanchen possessed the Xuanwu Sacred Source and cultivated the Xuanwu Sacred Scripture. Even though the Golden Snake Sacred Sword had been reforged, changing its aura and form, a faint trace of Xuanwu aura still emanated from it, which she detected.
She said: "If you want to go, no matter how dangerous it is, I will follow. I only hope... you won't abandon me."
Tears welled up in Huang Yanchen's eyes.
But she struggled to restrain herself, trying not to let her emotions overflow, absolutely not letting outsiders see.