CHAPTER 238: ONLY ONE REMAINS [1]

Wu Tianjian’s gaze hardened as he looked toward his wounded brother. For an instant, a flicker of anger crossed his eyes, but he quickly suppressed it.

This was not the time for sentiment.

He turned his attention toward the battlefield, his instincts sharpening like his blade.

The greatest dangers were clear to him: Yu Xuan, Long Anming, Li Shen and that unassuming, "ordinary" disciple, Jun Zha, whose silence made him more unnerving than the rest.

Without hesitation, Tianjian moved.

Golden light flared beneath his feet as he launched himself toward Jun Zha, who stood motionless, watching him with unreadable calm.

Meanwhile, Luo Xianyin and Kong Xuanyi split from the group, both directing their killing intent toward Yu Xuan.

Across the field, Li Shen clashed with Piao Ling, the air around them twisting as black and white Qi collided — death essence against ethereal soul force. Each strike carried a pressure that made the surrounding peaks tremble.

After striking down Wu Jianxiao with [Immortal’s Gaze] – Annihilation, Yu Xuan exhaled slowly, as though dusting off a chore rather than ending a battle.

Then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of two figures rushing toward him — fast, fierce, determined.

Luo Xianyin and Kong Xuanyi.

His lips curved slightly.

"So," he said, tone calm and almost indulgent, "among all those I spared, only you two remain. I suppose I expected as much."

"This will be your grave, demon!" Luo Xianyin shouted, her zither materializing in her hands.

Each pluck of its strings sent razor-sharp sound blades through the air.

Her expression was taut, her eyes blazing with righteous fury. She had never forgotten the humiliation of being spared, not out of mercy, but amusement

Beside her, Kong Xuanyi’s lean frame blurred as he moved, his spiritual energy flowing with deceptive gentleness.

Yu Xuan ignored their murderous intent for the moment and turned to the one still frozen before him, Long Anming.

"So, my pet," he murmured, almost fondly, "what will you do now?"

Long Anming’s teeth ground audibly, the draconic light in her eyes flaring with hatred.

Her body trembled under the invisible command that restrained her every move.

Yu Xuan sighed dramatically, clutching his chest.

"Ah, I see. My little pet chooses resistance. Heartbreaking, truly."

He leaned close, his voice a whisper.

"But don’t worry."

Then, through spirit sense, his words echoed directly in her mind — cold and resonant like a brand searing itself into her soul.

[I have already marked you as my summon. So... see you soon, my first real pet.]

Long Anming’s eyes widened in shock.

"You—!"

But before she could finish, shadows exploded from beneath Yu Xuan’s feet, swallowing the ground like liquid night.

Darkness surged.

It spread outward in a spiral, wrapping around Long Anming before she could resist. The domain devoured her completely, her roar of defiance fading into silence as the darkness consumed her presence.

And then she was gone.

Not a trace of her aura remained.

The three approaching disciples — Luo Xianyin, Kong Xuanyi, and the battered Wu Jianxiao, froze mid-step, disbelief flickering across their faces.

"She... she’s gone?" Luo Xianyin whispered, her voice unsteady.

Even if they had wanted to help, they couldn’t.

A cold shiver passed through the group.

Then, Luo Xianyin’s zither hummed softly. She lifted her gaze, meeting Wu Jianxiao’s eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Wu," she said, her tone steady but her knuckles white upon the strings, "why don’t we form a temporary alliance?"

Wu Jianxiao, pale and slightly recovered from his injury, glanced at her.

After a pause, he nodded grimly.

"Alright."

Kong Xuanyi’s expression hardened in silent agreement as Qi flared around him.

And thus, the three formed a fragile alliance born of necessity.

Their shared goal: to bring down Yu Xuan.

***

Li Shen and Piao Ling clashed fiercely, their movements blurring within the spiritual field that surrounded them.

Every strike distorted the air with heavy spiritual pressure — Qi meeting soul energy, dagger meeting phantom light.

Yet every time Li Shen’s dagger, coated with dense, black Qi, cut through her form, it found no resistance. His attacks passed through her body as though slicing mist.

’So that’s it,’ he thought coldly, eyes narrowing.

’She can shift into her soul form at will. A half-corporeal existence... truly troublesome. Soul-based attacks will be her strength and also her weakness.’

He adjusted his stance slightly, watching the way her form flickered in and out of visibility. She was graceful, each motion fluid, soundless, and perfectly timed.

If not for his Death Qi tracking her faint life signature, she would’ve been impossible to follow.

Piao Ling’s expression, meanwhile, remained eerily calm. Her eyes — silver and faintly luminescent, reflected none of the tension in her body. But inside, her annoyance was growing.

’He’s not even taking me seriously,’ she thought, her soul energy rippling faintly around her.

The next moment, she raised her hand. The world distorted.

Li Shen’s surroundings wavered, colors bleeding into one another. In an instant, he was pulled into a soul illusion — a shifting mirage designed to drown his perception.

For most, this would have been fatal.

But Li Shen was not most.

A faint smirk curved on his lips as his Death Qi flared. The oppressive energy radiated outward, shattering the illusory veil like glass.

When his vision cleared, his dagger gleamed darkly in his hand, black mist coiling around the blade like serpents.

"It’s about time," he said softly.

The Death Qi pulsed, becoming thicker, denser, more refined.

Piao Ling’s instincts screamed. She immediately retreated, her figure phasing out into her soul form, wary now.

Her earlier confidence evaporated. For the first time, she sensed genuine danger from him.

Li Shen moved.

With a flick of his wrist, the dagger left his hand, spinning through the air, cutting an arc of black light toward her.

Piao Ling smirked faintly.

"Foolish."

She didn’t even dodge.

The Death Qi wasn’t potent enough to harm her soul, so as the weapon closed in, she simply phased through it, her translucent form allowing the dagger to pass harmlessly.

Or so she thought.