Volume 1, Chapter 102 – The End

You Hong looked around. In response to his command, only four Innate Realm martial artists had come; they were the last of his trusted men.

Earlier, when Shi Lan drew her bow, she had killed six Innate Realm martial artists, half of whom were escort experts under his command. The loss was devastating.

A streak of halberd light swept across the sky as Shi Lan struck again. The gust of wind that rushed toward him made You Hong’s temples whip wildly.

You Hong’s expression was icy. The flush that had just faded from his face came back again, his arms suddenly swelling thicker by a full ring. He threw his head back and let out a long howl:

“Cut her down!”

Rip!

His sleeves were torn apart at once by the swelling of his arms, bursting into fragments. The veins on his exposed forearms bulged, every blood vessel clearly visible.

“Haah!”

He sent out a series of palm imprints, each over ten zhang across. Bloodshot veins crawled through You Hong’s eyes, his face was scarlet, and thick white steam rose from the top of his head. His whole person had driven himself into an extreme state.

Whoosh!

From all directions, several arcs of astral qi slashed toward Shi Lan at once, sealing off every path of retreat around her, above and below.

Crack!

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Shi Lan tightened her grip on the halberd shaft and shifted to a defensive form. The war halberd swept out like an autumn wind stripping leaves from trees, shattering the incoming arcs of astral qi in an instant and bursting into a rapid chain of sharp cracks.

The surge of her blood and qi grew even more intense. Yet as it rose, Shi Lan’s face did not flush; instead, it turned paler, and a clear, jade-like luster spread across the surface of her skin.

Staring at the giant palm imprint already descending above her head and feeling the cutting edge of the fierce palm wind, Shi Lan’s eyes narrowed slightly. The war halberd in her hands sprang up, her bones and tendons stretching open. She neither dodged nor retreated, but met it head-on.

Whoosh!

The halberd shaft split the air, raising a shrill tearing sound. Like a steel whip carrying endless force, it lashed heavily onto the palm imprint.

Boom!

The first palm imprint was smashed apart in an instant by the halberd shaft. The second followed right behind and was also beaten away for the most part, barely managing to hold its shape. The force on the halberd shaft was spent, and the third palm imprint came slapping down right after.

The halberd shaft was driven back. Shi Lan braced it with both hands and was just about to change forms when the fourth palm imprint came crashing down without mercy.

A massive force descended from above. Shi Lan’s body trembled slightly, Innate true qi surging chaotically inside her. The spiritual energy pouring from the spirit marrow at her chest became even more violent.

The barrier of the seventh stage of the Innate Realm grew clearer and clearer under this high-intensity impact.

“Do not let her get close. Attack from range and drain her true qi!” At You Hong’s shout, two more palm imprints pressed down.

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Having tasted Shi Lan’s strength, You Hong naturally would not give her another chance to use that advantage.

Shi Lan’s expression did not change. When it came to a battle of attrition, leaving aside the spirit marrow in her chest, just the recovery speed of her Innate spiritual body alone was something these people could never hope to match.

Whoosh!

The Innate Realm martial artists pulled back, opening up distance from Shi Lan. Arcs of astral qi poured down on her like a raging storm.

Boom!

Explosions rang out in a chain. Shi Lan did not dodge or evade. Facing the combined attacks of a group of Innate Realm martial artists and that impenetrable barrage, she actually chose to take it head-on. The war halberd in her hands flashed again and again, weaving a curtain of violet light that blocked every arc of astral qi in front of her.

“Arrogant!”

Seeing Shi Lan act with such presumptuous confidence, You Hong gave a cold snort. The bloodshot in his eyes deepened. He pressed his palms together, wrists turning, and sent out a red palm imprint about five zhang across that pressed down toward Shi Lan.

That red palm imprint carried a scorching heat. Even before the force reached her, the snow around Shi Lan began to melt at high speed. The water it turned into did not even have time to pool before it was cooked dry.

Seeing the power of this palm, Shi Lan felt no fear, only delight. She stomped hard on the ground, cracking it into a web beneath her feet. Her figure shot upward, and she swung her halberd in a slash toward the palm imprint.

Boom!

The palm imprint scattered into drifting points of spiritual light. Shi Lan’s body jolted and flew back more than ten zhang. The surging Innate true qi inside her roared, and the barrier of the seventh stage of the Innate Realm shattered in an instant.

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It was as if her Innate true qi had broken free of a shackle, swelling by several tenths at once. At the same time, a series of sharp popping sounds rang through all of Shi Lan’s bones.

As her cultivation rose, the Jade Tempering Art also stepped into the sixth stage, and her brute force grew sharply. Shi Lan steadied herself, looked at You Hong and the others in the distance, and a faint, cold smile curved her lips. The wheel of fortune had turned; it was finally her turn.

Sensing the sudden spike in Shi Lan’s aura, You Hong’s expression turned gloomy. The veins on his forehead throbbed, and the irritation in his heart showed plainly on his face.

Before he could act, Shi Lan had already lifted her war halberd. Like a bolt of lightning, she flashed and appeared before him in the blink of an eye. The war halberd hung down like an inverted mountain, carrying the power of collapsing mountains and overturning seas as it chopped toward his neck.

You Hong’s expression changed drastically, and he flung himself backward.

Shi Lan stayed right on him, halberd light flickering as she continued to press in toward his throat.

With a roar, You Hong drove his true qi frantically into the artifact on his hand. The gloves, thin as cicada wings, lit up with a red glow as he sent out two palm imprints to meet the halberd light lunging for his throat.

The other Innate Realm martial artists were just about to come to his aid when a streak of cold light flashed from the side. Arcs of white spear qi burst forth, tangling up their movements.

Wu Lingkong, having gotten the Demon-Suppressing Army men safely out of the battlefield, had charged over to reinforce them.

Because of Wu Lingkong’s arrival, You Hong suddenly found himself forced into a one-on-one against Shi Lan.

The two palm imprints were pierced through in an instant by the halberd light. Although the halberd light was weakened somewhat, it still continued to stab toward You Hong’s throat.

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With the halberd light less than three feet from his neck, a vicious light flashed in You Hong’s eyes. He let out a roar and actually reached out to grab it.

Boom!

You Hong felt a terrifying force surge from the halberd light into his arm. His mind went blank, and blood poured from his seven orifices.

With several soft cracking sounds, the gloves on his hands shattered. The bones in his arm twisted and warped, and his body was knocked sideways for dozens of zhang. Even so, that blow still managed to knock the halberd light off its line, letting it scrape past his side and barely saving his life.

Shi Lan took a single step and caught up. She reversed the war halberd in her hands and whipped the shaft across You Hong’s body. The force burrowed into him, grinding every bone in his body to powder in an instant.

Shi Lan controlled her strength with exquisite precision, destroying all the bones and tendons in You Hong’s body but leaving him with one last breath.

With You Hong dealt with, Shi Lan threw herself at the four Innate Realm martial artists still entangled with Wu Lingkong. Their strength varied, but the strongest was only at the eighth stage of the Innate Realm. In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, all four had been cut down under Shi Lan’s halberd.

The spirit crystals in the distance had already been plundered clean. Even the flood-dragon horses had been taken away by more than half, leaving fewer than twenty behind.

The Demon-Suppressing Army men had been sent out of the battlefield earlier by Wu Lingkong, so there had not been heavy casualties. Among Wang Ning and the other men, two were seriously injured and five or six lightly wounded, all hurt while fighting those Body Tempering Realm martial artists.

The whole women’s troop had come through without a scratch. According to them, that group of martial artists had seemed to be holding back at first when fighting them, constrained in every move, as if they were afraid of hurting them.