CHAPTER 243: CHAPTER 212 SHE IS MINE NOW

The vast sea of clouds surged like tumultuous waves; the towering woman who had always held an air of superiority was consumed by uncontrollable rage.

Chen Yi faced her calmly.

Qin Qingluo was no ordinary person—at the brink of life and death, she comprehended her own "intent." Not only was this unsurprising, but it had been part of Chen Yi’s calculations all along.

If she hadn’t discovered her intent, now that would have been unexpected.

And if she truly hadn’t grasped her intent,

then Chen Yi wouldn’t even have a thirty percent chance of winning.

The Prince of Annan, possessed of the immortal glow of glass that granted eternal life—even slow-moving persistence like water wearing down stone could eventually erode Chen Yi to death.

Among the clouds, the towering royal woman had already risen; her golden snake-like pupils seemed to overlook all creation. Her imposing figure, radiating the luminescence of eternal glass, exuded an air of divine majesty.

"You truly are the demon queen’s fine blade, serving with slavish devotion. However..."

As she spoke, she slightly raised her hand and gestured downward.

"I’ll break this blade."

The sea of clouds suddenly scattered, as if collapsing under Qin Qingluo’s wrath.

The scene shifted rapidly. Their souls descended amidst the glaze-like light, and when Chen Yi gained clarity, he saw Qin Qingluo already wielding her spear.

The broken Purple Electric Gun, now two short spears in her grip, appeared even mightier than before.

The towering woman’s wounds were healed, her aura starkly transformed!

Meanwhile, Chen Yi, whose arm had been severed, felt a numbing ache. His body was heavily injured, like one foot already stepped into the grave.

Manipulating energy to sheathe the blade, Chen Yi used his only remaining hand to grasp his sword.

The sword tip pointed straight at Qin Qingluo.

He had to endure, just for a little longer.

As thoughts raced, the towering figure suddenly exploded into motion. The spear tip tore through the air, shrieking like thunder, resembling a stroke of violet lightning.

Qin Qingluo’s spear was unleashed.

She wielded a spear in hand, and a spear in her heart.

The right-hand spear light stretched over ten feet, cleaving the void with unstoppable power; Chen Yi’s body tilted to the side, raising his sword to slash at the shaft. Yet Qin Qingluo twisted in response; her left hand swung the spear shaft as if a great whale slapping the shore.

Qin Qingluo advanced with fierce momentum—the sweeping motion of the spear shaft transformed into countless afterimages, a sight truly terrifying.

But before Chen Yi, who bore the Shangqing Heart Method, the shaft seemed a second slower.

He promptly shifted tactics, transforming the slash into a thrust aimed straight at Qin Qingluo’s arm!

If his opponent were an ordinary martial artist, Chen Yi would have aimed the sword at the chest.

However, Qin Qingluo was protected by an inch of glass-like glow. If he still went for the chest, the spear shaft’s momentum wouldn’t abate, and his head would certainly be smashed to a pulp.

The sword light came close to her eyes, and Qin Qingluo sneered darkly.

Her sweeping spear suddenly changed course; with a downward flick of her wrist, the movement transformed into a smash.

Chen Yi’s pupils contracted—though the move appeared slowed by a second in his perception, this sudden shift occurred within an instant. The spear shaft struck directly against Hou Kang Sword.

The sword shuddered, tearing apart like a descending dragon.

Chen Yi’s body bent under the force, while Qin Qingluo pulled back her right-hand spear. Its cold glitter wavered, the spear lunging like a giant python swallowing an elephant!

That strike, its unparalleled might, flashed like thunder and lightning.

Chen Yi had no chance of evasion; he was forced to lower his body abruptly, using his already ruined left arm and shoulder to face the incoming spear head-on.

Crash!

Blood and flesh splattered across Medicine Temple.

Chen Yi gritted his teeth against the pain, stomping the ground fiercely as his figure retreated backward.

Staggering as he landed, he coughed up fresh blood, his shoulder torn to shreds; his left arm seemed irreparably destroyed.

His gaze locked on the towering woman, whose spear-filled heart resembled a raging dragon.

Sitting in the An Nan Royal Mansion, commanding the Southern Border—Qin Qingluo, during the exchange moments earlier, initially attacked with the right spear. The move seemed genuine but was actually a feint to provoke Chen Yi into raising his sword to intercept. Chen Yi saw through it and mimicked a slashing motion toward her right spear, but his true focus was on her left spear, timing to counterattack as it swept toward him.

However, within the blink of an eye, Qin Qingluo abruptly turned her sweep into a smash—this move combined both illusion and reality, her mental calculations rendered unpredictable. The smash landed against Hou Kang Sword, halting his offensive momentum, before she resumed her right spear assault!

Her maneuvers, perfectly measured, seamlessly transitioning between reality and illusion, had reached a level of mastery almost befitting a Grandmaster.

Qin Qingluo did not immediately approach further and still remained cautious of hidden threats.

Spearmanship is not the way of brute force. If she pressed her attack, Chen Yi’s energy manipulation skills might allow him to turn adversity into opportunity, leaving her at a disadvantage and possibly leading to her defeat.

"Prince, aren’t you wondering...what I prayed for from the Bodhisattva?"

Chen Yi took advantage of her guarded stance to speak slowly.

He needed to buy as much time as possible, even if it was just seconds.

He only needed Yin Tingxue to thoroughly convince Zhu E.

Qin Qingluo did not respond; her expression remained cold and solemn.

Chen Yi’s voice softened: "The deity accepted my wager. So I prayed to have our souls transported to the Hehua Zizaitian realm—not for long, just half a stick of incense’s time."

Qin Qingluo’s expression remained unchanged.

She now couldn’t allow herself to ponder why the Medicine Temple Bodhisattva had backed Chen Yi’s wager, or more critically what Chen Yi had offered as collateral, compelling the Bodhisattva to commit.

If she tried to think, her focus would waver, leading to catastrophic errors.

All she knew was this: she had to kill him here, ensuring he died with no peace.

Then, she would seek Aunt Zhu...

The intent within her, the spear within her heart.

Chen Yi chuckled lightly and remarked, "Your Princess... Zhu E will go too."

Qin Qingluo’s golden snake-like eyes burned with murderous intent: "You insolent brat!"

Her figure erupted forth, the spear light sweeping like thunderous lightning.

The ground where she had stood shattered into fragments.

She had to kill him before their souls ventured into the Hehua Zizaitian realm.

Chen Yi’s face turned ashen. Using energy manipulation devoid of thoughts, he unleashed his blade, suspended it midair like a flying knife.

Yet this rare, exceptional blade’s icy glow had no chance to flourish; it was instantly crushed by the onrushing spear light.

Like a raging flood, the overwhelming spear aura barreled forward!

Chen Yi had only one sword left to intercept the strike.

He was at his last reserves...

But he needed to stall—to delay until Zhu E reached Medicine Temple...

To wait until she arrived...

The sword wind whistled, its icy radiance colliding against the spear’s ferocity!

Qin Qingluo exerted power, her killing intent unrelenting,

Determined to kill him before the Hehua Zizaitian realm whisked him away...

The spear’s oppressive force bent the dark Hou Kang Sword into a near crescent. It emitted a sorrowful hum.

Bang!

Chen Yi could no longer hold out—Hou Kang Sword flew from his grasp, shattered by the invading spear aura.

Energy manipulation was dispersed; the knife previously knocked to the ground rose again, landing in his hand. His state was chaotic, yet he lifted the blade as if making a desperate final stand.

Qin Qingluo smirked cruelly; her spear tip lunged forward with explosive force, aiming to pin Chen Yi against the Great Hall’s periphery!

The spear radiated devastating power.

The man stumbled forward, knife extended in defiance. He was running out of options, his strength a flickering ember.

He must die before the Hehua Zizaitian realm!

The spear gleamed with murderous resolve; Qin Qingluo envisioned the aura piercing him to ruin.

"Prince, stop!"

With this sudden cry, a figure clothed in fiery red streaked over like the wind.

Then she stood between the spear’s path and its target.

The towering woman’s pupils shrank sharply. She gripped the spear shaft with all her might, pulling it back vehemently. The recoil shattered the sleeve of one arm, leaving it in tatters.

Yet her woven cloth shoes, crafted by the woman herself, remained intact.

Qin Qingluo saw her heart’s intent—a force protecting the man she had aimed to kill outright.

Zhu E panted heavily, her delicate body trembling.

And Qin Qingluo witnessed the man, shielded by Zhu E, flashing her a sly grin.

So smug...

"What did you... do to her?!"

Qin Qingluo roared furiously, her eyes bloodshot.

"He- He’s Bright Venerable... a yet-to-be-born Bright Venerable..."

The answer came not from Chen Yi but from her Princess, her cherished Zhu E—a trembling figure shielding him stubbornly.

"...You can’t kill him!"

The Saintess stood her ground, nearly bracing against Qin Qingluo’s spear.

Qin Qingluo gripped the shaft tightly. She had kept Zhu E alive partly because after Ye Ming’s death, there was no one else she could rely on, and partly because Zhu E was a fifth-grade martial artist and thus capable of self-preservation.

She had thought Chen Yi meant to harm Zhu E.

But she never imagined that the person she cared most about in this life would shield him against her spear.

"Fine... Fine... Fine... Can’t kill him!" Each word was practically spat out by Qin Qingluo.

Within her towering frame, rage erupted like a volcanic explosion. Qin Qingluo’s form flickered as she darted past Zhu E with lightning speed.

No more delays,

She had to kill him before the Hehua Zizaitian realm!

"Aunt Zhu, you’re a Saintess—I’m not!" Qin Qingluo, her words cold and cruel, thrust her spear forward.

Chen Yi’s face paled like paper.

His blade, devoid of thoughts, was knocked away with ease.

The spear aura, sharp as a blade, was near his face, ready to pulverize him.

Crash!

Blinding white light erupted from the Medicine Temple Bodhisattva statue at the critical moment.

It expanded from the Great Hall, engulfing the entire Medicine Temple.

It swallowed the Prince of Annan, the Princess, and the man who was meant to die.

When the bright light faded, only an endless sea of clouds remained. When one raised their head, celestial flowers adorned the heavens. The fragrance of divine purity filled the air. Countless luminous adornments danced, magnificent shining palaces towered, walls forged of seven treasures gleamed brilliantly, boundless radiance emanated. Amidst the light, lotus flowers burgeoned; within the lotuses appeared trees composed of seven treasures, their leaves cradled celestial maidens.

The realm described in the Buddhist Scriptures—the heavenly domain.

Qin Qingluo stood frozen.

The Hehua Zizaitian realm...

The towering woman’s golden snake-like pupils brimmed with bloodshot veins. Her hands now empty, though her heart held spears, her hand wielded none.

And near her ears, the man’s soft laughter reached:

"It’s my turn... to draw my spear now."

The man who should have been impaled slowly rose to his feet.

Chen Yi did not look at the royal woman who commanded the Southern Border.

Instead, his gaze gradually shifted to her Princess—the one she had cared about most in her life.

"No! Don’t look! Get away from her!"

The towering woman trembled violently, her voice nearly breaking.

Before her words could finish,

The man—seemingly an exhausted, dying flame, his desire flaming high—pierced through layers of barriers with his gaze that struck ferociously, shattering the target immediately and thoroughly—

The red-clad woman cried out in pain.

As though something within her had been ripped open, penetrated by Chen Yi’s stare.

A single glance—multiplied into countless echoes...

It sounded like a violent blast within Qin Qingluo’s mind.

Amid the chaos, Chen Yi’s sinister laughter echoed beside her ears once more:

"This is your intent,

Now, she belongs to me."