Chapter 116: Demon Realm Soul Seizure (Part 9)

The falling stars quietly streaked across the sky, but the warship suddenly began to rock.
You Yin and Lin Shuyue both tried to stand up, but the tilting deck caused them to tumble toward each other. You Yin grabbed Lin Shuyue, preventing her from crashing into the railing.
Ahead, white waves surged as ghostly blue shadows flickered in the mist. They were giant figures, holding three enormous hammers, appearing and disappearing in a haunting display.

Someone ran back and forth under the shattered deck, saying, “Don’t worry, it’s just the mirage of Daoist Jinxiu blocking the way. All seven Nascent Soul disciples, except Chu Linfeng, are requested to confront it. The remaining disciples, please return to your rooms for now.”

For the first time, You Yin was this close to a girl, and the scent of her hair drifted over him. He turned his head away, his heartbeat unsteady. “It’s a bit scary; that’s Jinxiu, the Daoist who fell a decade ago. But thankfully, it’s only his phantom mirage.”
He didn’t hear Lin Shuyue reply from within his embrace.

Looking down, he saw that Lin Shuyue had lifted part of his iron wrist guard. She leaned closer, studying his arm intently. “I heard that male disciples from Tianshan have a ‘peach blossom mark’ that they can give to someone they like.”

You Yin replied, “That’s true.”
“Your mark…” Lin Shuyue paused slightly, then suddenly broke away from his embrace. Her once gentle and affectionate expression turned cold and polite. “I just remembered; I have something to do. I’ll be going now.”

You Yin’s heart skipped a beat. “What? What do you mean?”
He looked at his now empty arm, feeling a chill down his spine. “Wait, there’s some misunderstanding here. I don’t have someone I like, and I’m not that kind of person. I…”
Lin Shuyue forced a smile, quickly backing away as if trying to escape. “I really have to go; let’s meet again another time.”

Lin Shuyue slipped away faster than a rabbit. So much for the supposedly innocent Tianshan male cultivator! Already had a dao partner yet still coming to flirt with her—judging by appearances can backfire; better to cut losses early.

Only You Yin was left standing alone on the swaying deck, weakly trying to explain, “This is really a misunderstanding.”

He stood still for a moment, expressionless, and fastened his mask.
Recalling Lin Shuyue’s gaze at him, once full of admiration and attachment, only to vanish in an instant, a complex mix of emotions surged in his heart. He felt deeply hurt—not just his pride, but something more.
No, he had to prove he wasn’t a frivolous person.
Gripping his sword, You Yin quickly made his way toward the Pavilion.
Where was Xu Qianyu?
Now, immediately, he was going to erase the ‘peach blossom mark.’

Where was Xu Qianyu?

Shen Suwei had gone to the front to deal with the mirage, and Xu Qianyu had just parted ways with her senior brother, yawning as she walked back to her quarters.

As she passed Chu Linfeng’s Pavilion, a tremendous force suddenly grabbed her and pulled her to the side. Xu Qianyu collided with the cold wall, snapping awake. The wall light illuminated Chu Linfeng’s blue hair brightly, casting a cold, sullen expression across his face.

“Let’s start.” Chu Linfeng crossed his arms and stared at her intently. “You’re the one carrying a ghost, aren’t you? My sense of smell shouldn’t be wrong. Why are you doing this?”
“What are you talking about? I don’t understand.” Xu Qianyu looked at him innocently while internally thinking of a way to escape.
Before Chu Linfeng could respond, he looked up to see another tall figure with a silver mask and sword approaching in the distance.

You Yin: “Move aside, I have something to discuss with Xu Qianyu.”
Chu Linfeng: “I have something to discuss with her too.”
You Yin: “My matter is more important; let me go first.”
Chu Linfeng: “My matter is more important, so I should go first.”
You Yin: “Can you stop copying me?”
Chu Linfeng: “I’m copying a dog.”
You Yin: ?

“…” Xu Qianyu’s dark eyes darted between the two, sensing the tension between them. She tried to quietly slip away by stepping lightly.
Chu Linfeng suddenly turned, releasing several orbs of condensed sword energy from his chest.

Sensing the heat approaching from behind, Xu Qianyu closed her eyes and used her “killing intent sense” to detect it. In the darkness, Chu Linfeng’s sword energy appeared incredibly destructive, a deep, fiery red like a meteor falling to earth.
Xu Qianyu dodged through a narrow gap as the searing wave brushed past her ear.

A loud crash resounded around them, shaking the ship. Xu Qianyu heard You Yin curse as he was thrown against the wall by the impact.
Xu Qianyu felt a moment of sympathy for You Yin but pretended it was unrelated to her and stood at a distance.
Chu Linfeng seemed a bit excited: “No matter how fast I am, you can still dodge?”
This man was a martial arts fanatic, and his chest emitted sword energy as dense as rain, turning the pavilion into a sieve.

Xu Qianyu wasn’t surprised; if she were struck, her skin and muscles would be torn. She weaved between the gaps in his attacks, but a column tripped her foot, and she fell. She quickly began drawing a rune on the ground, intending to escape below deck.
You Yin crawled over and grabbed her ankle. “Just give me a moment to retrieve my peach blossom marks, and I’ll help you deal with this lunatic.”

Focused on drawing, Xu Qianyu shivered as he grabbed her ankle and kicked him hard. “Is this how you ask for my help?”
You Yin held up his hands, feeling his mask crack in disbelief. “…”
This girl’s training was serious—she’d kicked him so hard his head rang.
Chu Linfeng’s boots creaked on the deck as he approached them, intending to grab both. Suddenly, a crack opened in the floor, blocking his way.
Seawater started seeping through, and a blue shadow swiftly rose from the fissure, growing like a towering tree to fill the pavilion.
A salty, briny wind blew with immense force, even pushing Chu Linfeng back a few steps. The bells under the wall lamps trembled uncontrollably.

In the pavilion stood a graceful figure in ghostly blue; she wore layers of ornate silk like blooming flowers, decorated with white shells, pearls, and crystals, and had two horn-like crystal antlers on her head. Her long hair floated around her like a river.

She looked like the dragon maidens Xu Qianyu had seen depicted in earthly paintings.
But her beautiful face radiated a chilling malice.
Her eyes were hollow, and she grinned, revealing rows of sharp, jagged teeth as if chewing something, emitting a stench of decay.
With a wave of her hand, a corner of the ship collapsed like a crushed food box, blood seeping from below.
Xu Qianyu and You Yin felt a chill on their backs and both pulled out their communication tokens to alert their fellow disciples of the monster on board.

Chu Linfeng launched a blast of sword energy at her, but it passed through her misty form without any effect, only drawing a sharp, eerie laugh from her.
The sound of bells grew louder as disciples poured out from the quarters to surround the dragon maiden. The lead disciple began forming a seven-kill array. “Hurry and help!”
Xu Qianyu and You Yin quickly took their positions in the array. In the center, one disciple drew a radiant longbow, its tip aflame, aiming directly at the dragon maiden’s eyes.

Sensing something, she turned her face, her hollow eyes glaring at him maliciously.
In that moment, the air became strange. The disciple and his arrow suddenly turned transparent and then vanished like dust in the wind.

Xu Qianyu’s heart skipped as she searched for the disciple’s whereabouts.
Then she noticed shadows shifting on the wall. Others saw it too: under the wall lamps, there was the shadow of someone holding a bow, desperately struggling as though trapped within the wall. After a while, the struggling stopped, leaving only silence.

A bloodstained imprint in the shape of an archer slowly appeared on the wall, like a totem.
The dragon maiden laughed again and turned her gaze toward the disciples, who were setting up the array. The frightened face of another disciple grew translucent.

With the same method, she trapped him inside a plank underfoot. The helpless disciple pounded the floor, echoing like a death knell, but no one knew how to save him.
The dragon maiden’s gaze swept over the remaining disciples, seeming to choose her next target.

One of the younger disciples couldn’t handle the pressure and screamed, scrambling away. With one person missing, a section of the array collapsed, and the spiritual energy dissipated into the air.

The others paled. His retreat had increased everyone else’s danger.
No one could predict if others would flee or if the next one killed would be them.
Xu Qianyu finally understood why her senior brother had tried to stop her from attending the Flower Festival. The real danger was not Chu Linfeng but the enigmatic demon realm.

As the dragon maiden’s gaze swept over her, Xu Qianyu felt her legs weaken, a chill rising in her stomach and fear pressing against her throat. She steadied herself, quickly drawing out her flaming divine whip.

Two flames rose from the whip, illuminating her pale face. The sea demon, born of ocean vapors, was most vulnerable to fire. Chu Linfeng’s metal-based sword energy was useless against the dragon maiden.
The dragon maiden’s pitch-black eyes clicked as she turned toward the light, her cold, deadly gaze falling on Xu Qianyu.

The one who attacks the most aggressively will attract the dragon woman’s attention.
But everyone in the formation must give their all to quickly kill her together; if they hesitate, it will only drag on, leading to collapse and defeat.
Suddenly, a shadow flashed in front, blocking Xu Qianyu’s firelight with its back and cutting off that icy gaze.

A buzzing voice sounded: “With this little fire, do you think she’ll just steam herself like in a sauna?”
As he spoke, he drew his sword. “Ladies and gentlemen, you’re all at the Golden Core stage, yet you’re letting a Foundation girl lead the charge. Isn’t that shameful?”
His sword was a soft blade imbued with violet Samadhi True Fire. It was said that only someone with a pure and righteous inner core could produce such a fierce true flame.
The fire gleamed like lightning, lighting up the pavilion. The dragon woman flinched as if her hair were singed, shrinking back with a dark expression.
Her silver mask split in half, crashing to the ground.

The young man’s face was solemn. Pointing his sword at the dragon woman, his eyes were sharp like shooting stars: “Demon, vanish!”
He gritted his teeth, resisting the dragon woman’s gaze. His hair was blown back as if by gale, the tips turning transparent, and his eyes began to fill with blood.
His actions greatly inspired the disciples holding the formation. Instantly, everyone unleashed their best skills, blinding flames flashing as they attacked the dragon woman together.
“Qianyu!” Xu Qianyu heard hurried footsteps. She turned to see Yu Chu rushing over, lifting her dress as she ran, followed by Su Mingyu and Yun Chu.

Xu Qianyu was surprised. She’d sent them a message through her communication token to stay safely inside, not expecting they’d risk themselves by coming. Since they were here, Xu Qianyu signaled to Yu Chu with her eyes to fill in the empty spot in the formation.

Yu Chu took out her familiar alchemy furnace from her storage pouch, placing it on the ground. With a powerful wave of her Eight-Immortals Fan, an orange-red fire phoenix flew from the furnace, diving straight at the dragon woman’s neck.
The fire phoenix cried out, wings spread wide. The dragon woman shielded her face in panic, but one of her arms was seized and torn away by the phoenix, making her scream in agony.
Barely escaping with his life, You Yin knelt on the ground, gasping for air, sweat pouring down like rain.

At the same time, Chu Linfeng groaned, pain etched on his face, clutching his arm as he collapsed.
Yu Chu stepped back in fright. “Did I miss? What’s wrong with him?”
Su Mingyu darted into the formation, moved Chu Linfeng aside, and took his place. “Don’t worry, Junior Sister Yu. Keep going. He’s a dragon; they share a kind of sympathetic bond.”
The dragon woman’s face twisted in rage, glaring at Yu Chu.

Having arrived late, Yu Chu hadn’t seen the deadly powers of this creature. She only felt the air growing thin, her cheeks flushing, her eyes bewildered.
Xu Qianyu noticed Yu Chu’s hair also beginning to turn transparent and was glad Yu Chu hadn’t seen what happened before. Otherwise, she might faint from fear, which would ruin everything.

In that crucial moment, a blood-red single eye erupted from Yu Chu’s Eight-Immortals Fan, shielding her.
The dragon woman, seeing the Eye of Asura, recoiled in fear, sparing Yu Chu and turning her gaze toward the others.
As she turned, she paused in surprise.
A sea of blazing fire stretched before her.
The flames reflected in her eyes, showing a trace of fear.
The intense heat evaporated the moisture in the air, and the hem of the dragon woman’s skirt began to melt.
The disciples around stared in amazement at Xu Qianyu. “Leave the fire Realm!”
A sea of fire spread behind Xu Qianyu, illuminating her hair with orange-red light and tinting her cheeks with a faint blush. She continued to focus, gradually expanding the boundary of her fiery realm until it encompassed the entire formation.
Of those present, none of the Golden Core cultivators had achieved a “realm,” yet here was a Foundation disciple who possessed one. But it was unclear how long her small spiritual pool could sustain the blazing Realm of Fiery Wrath.
Xu Qianyu’s consciousness sat at the window of her realm, watching the fire-colored ocean outside.

She felt the dragon woman’s cold gaze lock onto her, and in moments, like a venomous curse, it began draining her life.
She could almost smell the cold, rotting scent closing in.

Opening her eyes, she couldn’t hear the other disciples, but she saw their attacks landing unceasingly on the dragon woman. The dragon woman grinned grimly, watching her, melting far slower than Xu Qianyu had expected.
Something felt wrong in Xu Qianyu’s heart.
Why didn’t this creature seem as afraid of fire as it should?
Su Mingyu called out, “Yun Chu, give me some fire talismans.”
Yun Chu handed over two fire talismans with a conflicted look.

Su Mingyu glanced at Xu Qianyu with some concern. “Not enough. How many did you bring? Give them all to me.”
After a pause, Yun Chu handed over a handful of fire talismans. Su Mingyu formed a seal with his hands and used his “Wind Fanning Fire” ability, sending a blinding flame shooting from the hole above to the sky like a fire dragon.

He hoped to draw the dragon woman’s attention; otherwise, once Xu Qianyu’s realm collapsed, she’d be in grave danger. But the dragon woman seemed locked onto Xu Qianyu, ignoring everyone else.

What you fear most often comes true. Xu Qianyu’s spiritual energy was nearly depleted, and her Realm of Fiery Wrath dimmed. In that instant, she heard a scream from below. When she opened her eyes, she saw that everyone in the Seven Kill Formation was looking up, their faces pale with fear, staring at her.
She was no longer in her position in the formation, but at some point, she’d been moved to the top of the ship’s pillar.

It seemed the dragon woman intended to seal her into the pillar, though she hadn’t succeeded yet.
Closing her eyes, Xu Qianyu maintained her “realm” while using her “Gathering Spirit” ability. Spiritual energy from the sky formed a vortex, rapidly infusing her shoulders and back. The flames in Leave the fire Realm dimmed briefly, then grew bright again, expanding to fill the entire pavilion.

The dragon woman was caught within, her arms and legs already gone, yet her eyes still fixed on Xu Qianyu.

Yu Chu’s fire phoenix kept attacking from behind, striking the dragon woman. Xu Qianyu felt the pillar she was pressed against softening like a swamp, slowly pulling her in. A misty white fog appeared before her eyes.
Could it be that she’d already been drawn in? A wave of terror filled her heart.

No, she could still breathe in the damp sea breeze.
The sea breeze was incredibly fresh. The sea mist from outside had flowed in.
Xu Qianyu seemed to hear the faint sound of a dragon’s chant near her ear, like some ethereal, sorrowful song.
As a massive amount of spiritual energy and sea mist gathered, the disciples saw another shadow slowly take form above Xu Qianyu’s shoulders!

This shadow wore a long dress adorned with shell and pearl ornaments, a white veil draped over her shoulders, and crystalline horns rose from her head like jade trees. Her long hair floated with the wind.

This shadow looked exactly like the dragon maiden, only much fainter and weaker, as if a gust of wind could dissipate her.

Yet her face was so dignified and serene, beautiful and gentle; her eyes like flowing waves, her lips like a red gem. In her presence, the previous dragon maiden seemed like a crude, lackluster imitation.

“Impersonating me,” she said amidst the dragon chant, addressing the false dragon maiden, “go die.”

Floating in the air, she gazed down at the false dragon maiden with an icy dignity. The creature showed a terrified expression, and in an instant, it let out a scream and evaporated into thin air.
Everyone’s gaze fell upon the wall.
On the wall, the shadow of the false dragon maiden appeared, struggling.
With just one glance, she sealed the false dragon maiden into the wall!

The false dragon maiden trapped within the wall struggled desperately, its form slowly changing: the human shape faded, a long tail appeared, transforming into a silver dragon with half of its body rotted, twisted, and coiled within the wall, its tail thrashing. Its eye sockets were empty, emitting black mist—it was clearly already a demon.

Su Mingyu suddenly understood, “It’s said that there are five demon dragons in the Western Sea, wreaking havoc on the world; this must be one of them, merely posing as the dragon maiden to cause trouble and take lives.”
“No wonder it wasn’t afraid of fire; it wasn’t a mirage creature but a demon.”

But when they looked back at the dragon maiden formed of sea mist, the mist had dispersed, and she was gone.
Xu Qianyu leaped down from the air, drew her wooden sword, and struck at the demon dragon within the wall, splitting the wall and the dragon’s skeleton in two. She caught the red demon core that fell out and put it into her mustard seed gold elixir.

You Yin looked at the deep sword mark left on the wall and couldn’t help but remark, “What a crude sword intent.”

He had seen sword intent as graceful as a swimming dragon, as turbulent as waves, as soft as boneless flesh, but this was his first time seeing such a short and wild sword intent, fierce and rough.

Xu Qianyu sheathed her sword and said, “I just wanted to spare him some suffering, didn’t I?”
With this swift strike, Chu Linfeng, who had been curled up on the ground, stopped groaning and passed out directly.
The scene was chaotic, filled with fragments of warships and bloodstains. The disciples were busy counting the survivors and tending to their injured companions.

Fortunately, a few disciples from Penglai were unharmed, and they all gathered in one place except for Lin Shuyue, who had fainted on the stairs. Xu Qianyu didn’t have time to say much and hurriedly dove into the spiritual pool, where she found Hua Liangyu lying on the ground, unconscious and frighteningly weak.

It turned out that the shadow that had appeared just now was indeed her remaining consciousness.
Xu Qianyu quickly turned her over and fed the demon core into Hua Liangyu’s mouth.

After a while, Hua Liangyu opened her eyes. The demon core briefly restored her color, and her appearance was identical to the dragon maiden in the mist just now. But she said weakly, “The demon core alone isn’t enough; I need to retrieve my consciousness. Without consciousness, the demon core will be quickly digested by me.”

Xu Qianyu asked, “Where is your consciousness?”
Hua Liangyu looked at her and weakly pointed downward, saying, “Down below, at the very bottom.”
“Below?”
Sailing on the sea below would mean the sea itself.
Hua Liangyu continued, “You must go; something has happened.” With that, she closed her eyes and passed out, returning to her ghostly form.

Xu Qianyu opened her eyes without revealing her emotions. Yu Chu clung to her arm, leaning close. The other disciples stood nearby, with Yin Xiangjun and Luo Shui at the front.

Luo Shuiyuan Jun was holding a lantern, treating You Yin’s neck wound, while Chu Linfeng stood nearby, rubbing his head, seemingly recovered.
“What were they saying just now?” Xu Qianyu quietly asked Yu Chu.

Yu Chu replied, “They just returned from the front line, and the attack on the warships was also done by a few demon dragons disguised as mirage creatures. Four of the five demon dragons have been slain.”
“Oh. Any Nascent Soul disciples injured?”
“They didn’t mention it yet.”
Yin Xiangjun’s gaze, soft yet filled with wariness, swept over them and settled on Xu Qianyu’s face. The two were on edge, stopping their conversation.

Those beautiful yet cold peach blossom eyes lingered, looking directly into her eyes, and said, “The disciples of Jietian Mountain reported that among you, there is someone carrying another person’s soul. According to the rules of the Flower Ornament Gathering, that counts as cheating. Please step forward to cooperate with the investigation.”

Xu Qianyu felt a surge of anxiety. Everyone present had seen the dragon maiden emerge from her, but all remained silent, no one speaking up.
Yin Xiangjun asked, “Did anyone see?”
Su Mingyu raised his gaze and said, “One mirage creature killed another mirage creature.”

Others nodded in agreement, “That’s exactly right.”
Yin Xiangjun smiled faintly. “It doesn’t seem to be as you say, Young Friend Xu—”
Xu Qianyu’s heart skipped a beat. You Yin glanced at her sideways and said, “In response to the ruling, it’s me.”
Xu Qianyu:?
You Yin thought to himself, whether it’s him or not will be revealed in the investigation anyway. Regardless, Xu Qianyu shouldn’t run away; he first had to remove the peach blossom mark and clear his name.

Chu Linfeng said, “No, it’s me.”
Xu Qianyu:?
He would also have to ask why this senior kept scaring him with ghosts.
Yin Xiangjun’s lips curled slightly, a hint of a smile showing, “Then, the three of you, come along.”