NOVEL WEB Volume 3 Chapter 94 / Chapter 261: Senior Brother, Destiny
The desolate mountain forest reeked of scorched flesh and earth.
Boom!
A bloodied arm burst through the charred ground, and Yun Kunwu gritted his teeth as he clawed his way out. Thinking back on the Earth Phoenix wielded by Elder Tian Xing, he couldn’t help but sigh inwardly:
“Truly worthy of being the most formidable elder of the Shadowmoon Sword Sect. That Earth Phoenix magical tool, combined with the heaven and earth spirit veins, is indeed terrifying. Tsk…”
He clicked his tongue and propped himself up with his pitch-black spiritual sword as a crutch. Gritting his teeth, he stood unsteadily and turned his gaze toward the fire-streaked sky.
White specks of light fell from above, landing on his charred arm and causing sharp bursts of pain.
“After the Earth Phoenix, it starts snowing? When did fire and water start mixing? Ha… rotten luck!”
He shook his right hand and struggled to move to the side. Elder Tian Xing had consumed a hundred years of his true essence to severely wound him; surely, he wouldn’t have the strength to pursue him now.
But there was another female elder following behind. If she caught up, Yun Kunwu would meet his end here in the northwest.
Only two hours of freedom after escaping the Thousand Sword Pool, and now he might die?
That wasn’t a trade he was willing to make.
“Tsk…”
Yun Kunwu hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground to gather spiritual energy and heal himself. However, he soon realized this Cursed body was beyond repair, and the Demonic pill in his dantian was already shattered into pieces.
“What kind of lousy body did Master give me? Just a little activity, and it’s already like this. Tsk… that old geezer. Back then, he was a renowned alchemist, yet he managed to refine a Cursed body into this mess… I’ll just refine another one myself later. Sigh—”
Rustle, rustle—
Hearing footsteps behind him, Yun Kunwu instantly tensed. Yet, his body, ravaged by Elder Tian Xing’s magical tool, hurt with even the slightest movement, forcing him to collapse back onto the ground.
He struggled to lift his head, staring in the direction of the approaching sound.
A young man dressed in white pushed aside charred branches, walking toward him with a sword in hand. His deep purple eyes seemed like empty voids, making it impossible to discern his thoughts.
“A mere Foundation Establishment cultivator, here of all places?”
Seeing Yun Kunwu in such a wretched state, Ye Anping seemed to relax slightly. He put his index finger and thumb to his lips, letting out a sharp whistle.
Whee!!—
Ye Anping stopped five steps away from Yun Kunwu, looking at him impassively.
“To be honest, you’re the most disobedient chess piece I’ve dealt with in over ten years.”
“Ten years? Chess piece?”
Yun Kunwu tried to prop himself up, but the next moment, Ye Anping threw his spiritual sword, pinning him to the ground through his back.
Cough—
He hadn’t expected a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator to wound him so effortlessly. He immediately suspected Ye Anping was concealing his cultivation.
“You—”
“I’m not hiding anything. As you can see, I’m a Dual Wood-Water Spirit Root Foundation Establishment cultivator.” Ye Anping glanced around, noticing his junior sister hadn’t arrived yet. With a sigh, he decided to say more. “Surprised? How can a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator hurt your Nascent Soul body so easily?”
Yun Kunwu’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed again.
“What do you mean?”
Ye Anping shrugged lightly.
“Credit goes to your master. When he was refining your Demonic pill, the furnace exploded. And now you’ve taken a direct hit from Elder Tian Xing’s magical tool… Honestly, I’m surprised you’re still intact. It seems I underestimated you.”
“You’re just a lowly Foundation Establishment cultivator—”
Thud!
Ye Anping kicked a rock from the ground, smashing it into Yun Kunwu’s mouth, scattering a row of teeth.
“You’re no different from a mortal now, so why argue about cultivation levels? How does it feel to fall from being favored by the heavens to this state? To once bask in heavenly glory, only to end up like this?”
“… …”
Hatred flared in Yun Kunwu’s eyes, but his current condition left him powerless, so he snarled,
“There was someone like you once. Do you know what happened to him?”
“Got blown apart by your sword?” Ye Anping shrugged. “Admittedly, that strike was impressive. Even the few Void Return Realm cultivators present couldn’t react in time before that young master of the Overclear Sect was torn apart, landing in pieces at his father’s feet.”
“… …”
“But times have changed. Now, even I, a mere mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, can kill you with ease.”
“Heh… try taking two steps closer if you dare.”
“No thanks, I’m a coward.”
“… …”
“I must admit, though, I never expected you to defy the heavens, seizing the Heavenly Dao Scriptures, and still face Elder Tian Xing with his earth veins head-on without losing outright.”
Ye Anping furrowed his brows, speaking in a tone that sounded almost like a complaint:
“I thought that earth veins surge, combined with Elder Tian Xing and the Earth Element Formation of the two young mistresses, would bury you directly. You were just this close to flipping my chessboard over.”
“You mean to say… I’m just your chess piece?! Ha…”
“After this incident, the three young mistresses of the Yun family will surely be united in purpose. Bonds forged through hardship can last for centuries.”
“The three young mistresses? Them…”
“They certainly don’t match your talent. I know some people whose talent far surpasses yours, but they are either dead, or yet to be born, as of right now, you are indeed the most talented cultivator in the world.” Ye Anping interrupted, “But you’ll soon die at the hands of a mid-stage Foundation Establishment girl. Do you believe me?”
“A little girl? Ha…” Yun Kunwu sneered coldly. “How could a Foundation Establishment cultivator possibly destroy my Nascent Soul? I’m curious to know.”
“Senior Brother!”
A bright, cheerful voice rang out from the nearby forest. Pei Lengxue, holding the Snow Qiong of the Myriad Spirits sword, quickly pushed through the charred branches. She glanced at the bloodied figure sprawled on the ground, her brows furrowing slightly.
“Senior Brother, is this Yun Kunwu?”
“Yes.” Ye Anping nodded. “Do it.”
“Understood.”
Hearing this, Yun Kunwu stared intently at the Snow Qiong of the Myriad Spirits sword in Pei Lengxue’s hand. It wasn’t until he saw her raising the blade that he truly grasped the situation.
“That sword… is…”
“Given by your grandfather. It’s excellent for sealing spirits and capturing souls. Perfect for annihilating your Nascent Soul.”
As Ye Anping spoke, the sword in Pei Lengxue’s hand released ten streaks of icy blue spiritual light, shooting toward Yun Kunwu’s forehead.
To Yun Kunwu, the streaks of light seemed torturously slow, like crawling turtles. Yet he was completely immobilized, forced to watch as the sword lights struck his face one by one.
“Tsk…”
At that moment, Yun Kunwu understood.
The destiny he had sensed earlier, far surpassing his own, belonged to this seemingly ordinary young man. Even so, he could not bring himself to believe it.
How could someone with dual spirit roots, without any special physique or spiritual veins, possess a destiny far greater than his own?
Such a waste of potential…
Swoosh—
Blood and flesh splattered.
What little remained of Yun Kunwu’s human form decayed rapidly, emitting thick black smoke as his body spontaneously combusted.
Even such a Heaven-defying talent met his end as unceremoniously as any common mortal, silent and returning to dust.
Pei Lengxue promptly followed up with several more sword strikes, slicing his corpse into pieces. She then asked:
“Senior Brother, what about Sister Yun? Weren’t we supposed to rescue her?”
“She was probably protected by Elder Tian Xing’s spiritual barrier from the beginning. She’s likely buried in that mountain, crying for help. Elder Hu and the others will dig her out soon enough. Let’s head back. If someone sees us here, it’ll be hard to explain later.”
“Alright…”
Pei Lengxue glanced back at Yun Kunwu’s remains one last time, said nothing further, and summoned her flying sword. She followed her senior brother, flying back the way they had come, heading toward Xiri Peak.