Chapter 431: The Journey
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Su Cheng sat alone in the valley, quietly seated in its center. The Void Blueprint lay shattered.
Stone fragments resembling marble shards lay scattered across the valley floor.
However, the positioning anchor had survived unscathed, now lying beside the stone debris.
"Your Excellency? Why aren't you speaking? Are you unhappy to see me?"
[Xiao Ai, it's over.]
Xiao Ai didn't respond. Compared to Shen Rui, Xiao Ai was more concerned about He Guang and the warriors of the mansion.
The moment the barrier dissolved, Xiao Ai rushed to the scene immediately.
Thirteen minutes—that was the time Amber needed to traverse the outer barrier using spatial technology.
But now, it was no longer needed.
Xiao Ai, wielding spatial authority, personally brought Heguang back to the mansion immediately to arrange for his treatment.
Though she hadn't received word from her master, Xiao Ai had arrived without delay.
However, Xiao Ai wasn't actually concerned about Su Cheng's safety—she had come seeking revenge.
"Shen Rui, you killed thirteen of Xiao Ai's people."
"Xiao Ai, you know this—if I'd wanted to act, not a single one of them would have survived."
"Shen Rui, Xiao Ai is furious. You know the rules of the Executioner's Blade, right?"
Shen Rui sighed. Confronting Xiao Ai head-on wasn't part of his plan.
Xiao Ai had made it clear back then that she wouldn't help Su Cheng.
Now it seemed she was the one who had broken her word first.
"Xiao Ai, if you think I'm afraid of you, you're getting a bit too cocky. It's you who broke our agreement."
Xiao Ai slowly drew her long sword, cracked her neck, and said flatly.
"An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Since Lord Shen Rui has arrived, he won't be leaving just yet."
With Xiao Ai on Su Cheng's left, his right side naturally wouldn't be empty. As a king, having beauties on both sides was standard practice.
"Zero Two."
[This is Shattered Blade. I've taken over Channel 3. All units within range, immediately retreat to AF1-03 sector.]
[Yu Meng, proceed immediately to Sector C to suppress the target and cover our unit's retreat.]
[Repeating: All units receiving this transmission, immediately withdraw to AF1-03. Yu Meng, proceed to Sector C to suppress the target and cover our units' retreat.]
【Yu Meng copy. Estimated arrival at target coordinates in fifteen seconds…】
This was the last sound Dongfang Jue and Su Muchan could hear. After that, an eerie silence descended, as still as a long night.
How long had it been? It felt like the blink of an eye, yet also like a grand dream that had spanned an entire lifetime.
His body felt as if it had shattered into pieces. Before Dongfang Jue could open his eyes, he heard a female voice tinged with indifference.
"Hm? Jue'er, what are you doing here?"
"She seems to be dead."
"Really? Then can Shiyu take the Godslayer Spear? She's been wanting to switch weapons for ages!"
"Wait, Shiyu! Don't start digging the grave yet—she might still be alive!"
"Huh?"
"You seem really upset?"
"No, I'm happy my junior sister is still alive."
"Bring me the Godslayer Spear first…"
Dongfang Jue slowly opened her eyes. All she could see was a gray sky, illuminated by lightning-streaked clouds like ink wash paintings, as if some great being was undergoing a tribulation.
"What? Jue'er really isn't dead!"
"Sorry, Senior Sister. Jue'er has disappointed you~"
The first task was naturally to reclaim her signature weapon. As Dongfang Jue sat up, the Godslayer Spear was instantly drawn into her system space.
Ye Qinghan sat atop the collapsed rubble, bandaging her snow-white, long legs.
Li Shiyao sat beside Su Muchan, chatting with her.
Three hours later, the four-member team had each adjusted their states.
"Senior Sister, Jue'er has fully recovered."
"Where are we? Where did Master go?"
No one understood their current situation. In truth, even Su Cheng couldn't make sense of it. All they knew was that the space around them was extremely unstable, and the four of them had likely fallen into a spatial fissure.
The place where they landed seemed to be a sentry post, though it had now been reduced to ruins.
"There appears to be a village ahead. Let's go investigate."
All four were celestial maidens, moving with remarkable speed. In the blink of an eye, they reached the village not far ahead.
The village was equally deserted. While this outcome was far from ideal, it was within everyone's expectations.
"Senior Sister, with the situation unclear, perhaps Jue'er should scout the surroundings?"
Ye Qinghan nodded. Dongfang Jue possessed the swiftest speed among them, making her the most reliable choice for reconnaissance.
Whether by luck or coincidence, Dongfang Jue hadn't flown far. After crossing a few mountains, she found people.
"Senior Sister, there's a military encampment ahead!"
Ye Qinghan heard this and felt a pang of doubt. Troops stationed ahead?
That didn't add up! This godforsaken place was completely deserted—where the hell would an army come from?
Whose army? The four of them were essentially the top dogs of the Four Realms. If there were troops here, how could they not know?
"What do you mean?"
"Jue'er didn't get close. She only observed from a distance. There are roughly four hundred of them, all clad in Godslayer Armor…"
"You didn't probe with your divine sense, did you?"
Dongfang Jue nodded. Crane Light had warned her: divine sense could be detected in return. Activating it might yield more intelligence, but it would also expose her position to enemy divine sense.
"Jue'er did well. This time, Shiyu will go observe who they are."
Li Shiyu's face paled with shock upon hearing this!
Li Shiyu wasn't foolish anymore!
The senior sister wouldn't go, the junior sister wouldn't go—they were all afraid of being discovered!
What about her? Wasn't her second senior sister afraid?
Even if she, the second direct disciple, possessed the Chaos Bell, it wasn't made of iron!
Twirling her finger, Li Shiyao exclaimed in disbelief, "Shiyao? Shiyao dares not go! Shiyao won't go!"
Ye Qinghan chuckled upon hearing this: "Good girl, Shiyu. Senior Sister here has an extra immortal sword. It was a gift from Senior Sister's wife, and I was thinking of giving it to my brave junior sister…"
At the mention of treasure, Li Shiyu perked up instantly!
"Really?"
"Of course it is! Senior Sister has the Frost-Piercing Sword bestowed by our Grandmaster. I thought this extra sword should be given to the most obedient junior sister, just as Grandmaster's wife suggested…"
As she spoke, Ye Qinghan casually produced a sword from her sleeve. But the entire story about this sword was pure fabrication!
It was just an ordinary Godslayer Longsword, identical to the ones used by the soldiers behind the mountain—and even an obsolete model at that…
Ye Qinghan claimed she'd brought it back from the mansion for research purposes.
"Senior Sister knows best! Shiyu is the most well-behaved! Shiyu is the most obedient!"
Li Shiyu's expression was utterly serious, her gaze fixed upon the jet-black blade with a death-defying resolve!
She'd long since given up on that worthless bell! It wasn't cool at all!
She wanted to be like the senior sister, slaughtering enemies left and right!
But it was as if she were an adopted disciple—her senior and junior sisters both possessed magical treasures, while she had nothing.
Senior Sister and Junior Sister both wielded divine weapons—a Frost-Piercing Sword and a God-Slaying Spear—while she was stuck with a turtle shell, forced to hide inside whenever a fight broke out!
If only she had a weapon worthy of her skill, what would stop her from achieving greatness?
Then! What senior sisters or junior sisters?
Shiyao's rules would be the only rules!
"Then would Shiyu be willing to go ahead and scout for Senior Sister?"
"Willingly. Shiyuo will serve her senior sister faithfully!"
With that, Li Shiyu leapt forward, heading straight for the encampment beyond the mountains.
"Hehe, Shiyuo learned another four-character phrase~"
Dongfang Jue stared speechless: "Senior Sister, you're grinning like a villain who's done every evil deed under the sun…"
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