"My fists are hard again! How can these people from Lingxu Peak be so shameless? Just wait, Junior Sister—I'll beat them off!" Luo Mingyue clenched her fists.
Li Shuang had just won, and they were happily celebrating.
Then, just as the wine was opened, these annoying flies suddenly appeared!
Luo Mingyue stood up quickly.
"Big Sister," Li Shuang gently pulled her back.
Luo Mingyue said firmly, "Little Shuang, don't be afraid of them. All the people from Lingxu Peak combined aren't even enough for me to defeat alone."
Without Li Shuang, what were these people from Lingxu Peak? Ye Zhaozhao was the only one at the Nascent Soul stage, but she couldn't even wield a sword properly. Why should Luo Mingyue fear her?
Li Shuang's lips curved slightly, and she said calmly, "Big Sister, let me handle this myself."
Ye Zhaozhao had caused such a commotion, hoping to use public opinion to force her into surrender. If they knelt here begging for help, only to be beaten away by Wuqing Peak, it would only fuel gossip.
It was easy to spread rumors, but hard to stop them.
Li Shuang didn't mind ignoring them, but she cared about the impact this would have on Wuqing Peak's reputation. Luo Mingyue and the others might not care about appearances, but she did.
The Supreme Forgetfulness Art allowed her to clearly distinguish between truth and falsehood. And she never wanted to disappoint anyone's sincerity.
Li Shuang's expression was firm. Luo Mingyue froze for a moment, then reluctantly stepped aside. "Xiaoshuang, these people are shameless. Don't push yourself too hard. Just remember, we're all here."
Liu Juncheng nodded. "That's right. Right and wrong will always be revealed. But if you're forced to endure injustice, you absolutely must not bow to it!"
Even Jiang Yi, though nervous, nodded firmly.
Li Shuang's lips curved into a soft smile. "I understand. I won't let myself suffer."
She walked over and opened the door.
"Senior Sister Li—Senior Sister Li is out!" someone called.
Ye Zhaozhao's face lit up. Holding the Dragon Roar Sword, she looked at Li Shuang with tearful eyes. "Senior Sister Li, Long Yan is dying. Please, please save him. I know Long Yan was at fault—he shouldn't have resented you for abandoning him or burned his spirit body in the arena. But it was only because he cared for you too deeply that he acted so foolishly! Now his body is lost and he's on the brink of vanishing. Senior Sister, please save him!"
She summoned Long Yan.
The sword spirit space had some healing effect on sword spirits, but as soon as he appeared, Long Yan's spirit body trembled. His face paled further; he could hardly stand and collapsed on the spot.
"Senior Sister, look! Long Yan's condition is truly dire!" Ye Zhaozhao cried. "You've long known he was born contaminated. You've been the one helping him purge turbid energy. Now no one but you can save him. If the foul energy can be expelled in time, perhaps Long Yan can maintain his physical form. Otherwise, his vitality will be destroyed, and he'll fade into nothing—never to regain it again!"
Her pleas grew more desperate, and she kowtowed again and again, striking her forehead against the ground.
Everyone's eyes turned to Li Shuang.
Shen Yue's gaze was filled with hope. He knew they had disappointed her. That was why he hadn't dared to visit her since that day.
But no matter what—Senior Sister loved swords as much as he did. Surely she wouldn't let Long Yan dissolve into nothing.
Li Shuang stepped calmly outside. Her eyes fell briefly on Long Yan, limp on the ground.
Long Yan's lips trembled as he looked at her.
But Li Shuang said flatly, "I'm sorry. I can't help Long Yan."
Long Yan's face went ashen.
He vaguely recalled that day in the snowy mountains, when he wielded the Dragon Roar Sword and pierced Li Shuang's dantian. If he hadn't fainted before he could strike a second time, she would have died.
She must resent him.
Thirteen years of companionship, and he had betrayed her—not only betrayed, but nearly destroyed her.
How could she not?
Yet, when he looked at her now, her eyes held no hatred. No sadness. No love. No care.
Only the cold emptiness of snow that never melts.
Long Yan's body trembled. For some reason, he would have preferred hatred in her gaze—at least that would prove she still felt something for him.
But now… nothing.
Looking at him, at all of Lingxu Peak, her eyes were devoid of feeling.
"Senior Sister!" Shen Yue blurted, "I misunderstood you before, and I apologize. But now isn't the time for anger! Long Yan—he's your partner!"
Li Shuang looked at him coolly. "Shen Yue, I don't need your apology. And Long Yan is no longer my partner."
Shen Yue stared in disbelief. "Senior Sister, do you really hold such a grudge? This is Long Yan—the sword spirit you cultivated for so many years!"
"Senior Sister, you abandoned Long Yan once. Will you abandon him again?" Ye Zhaozhao's voice cracked, her eyes red.
Li Shuang turned her gaze on her and suddenly smiled. "Ye Zhaozhao, was it truly I who abandoned Long Yan?"
Ye Zhaozhao froze. Li Shuang's eyes seemed to pierce through everything, leaving her speechless.
Li Shuang's voice was calm but sharp as a blade. "The Dragon Roar Sword was with me for thirteen years. From Core Formation to Nascent Soul, I poured my heart into nurturing it. It was a useless sword spirit, unable to awaken. So I defied fate and sought the cleansing method. For forty-nine days, I cultivated without pause, transforming all my spiritual energy into sword energy. My meridians tore, my power nearly destroyed my dantian.
"But in those forty-nine days, I never let you suffer a single hazard. I used everything I had to awaken you."
Long Yan's body shook violently.
He remembered. The first face he saw upon awakening was Li Shuang's pale one, smiling gently.
"Are you my sword spirit? I'll be grateful for your guidance in the future," she had said.
She never mentioned what she had endured to bring him to life.
So all those times, when he stirred awake from his dormant state, she had been searching the libraries, the markets, the secret realms. All for manuals. All for techniques.
Not for herself.
For him.
A storm of emotions crashed through him. He opened his mouth to speak—but stopped.
It was too late.
From the moment he drove the Dragon Roar Sword through Li Shuang's dantian, the Li Shuang who once devoted everything to him… would never return.