Chapter 592 - Bluff

Meng Wanshu slumped onto the void, watching the man vaporize under the spear. His entire being, divine soul and all, was annihilated by a power unfathomable even to her.

The mysterious man in a black cloak had already been far beyond her as a true Combined Body Realm cultivator. His attack had shattered even her strongest defensive artifacts. Overwhelmed by despair, she’d been ready to use the last of her strength to get Peng Luo and Nine Heavens to safety.

Still slumped in the void, she panted heavily. Her heart hammered. The sheer pressure of facing a cultivator far above her had been suffocating.

Long Hou had planted an attack inside her while imparting insights. Without that safeguard, she would have died.

Nine Heavens dragged its injured body to her side and nudged her with its massive head. She suppressed the terror in her heart and took a deep breath. “Nine Heavens, I’m fine. How are you doing?”

Nine Heavens looked at her wistfully. Meng Wanshu seemed to understand. “You’re saying that... you need some time to recover?”

It nodded, then turned to look worriedly at the unconscious radish.

Meng Wanshu smiled and patted Nine Heavens on the head. “Don’t worry. I’ll take good care of him.”

Nine Heavens transformed back into a bracelet with a flash of lightning, wrapping around her wrist.

Meng Wanshu’s eyes flashed with resolve. She stored the Crimson Lightning Lion’s carcass. It was a tier-seven demon, after all.

She picked up the red mask that had fallen. A quick inspection revealed nothing unusual about it besides its ability to conceal one’s aura.

She placed Peng Luo on her shoulder and looked behind her.

The Heavenly Massacre Sea was unrecognizable. Broken mountains littered the landscape, and the land was pocked with craters and scorched black soil. Massive chunks of ice lay scattered everywhere, refusing to melt, many of them still crackling with sealed lightning.

Meng Wanshu gazed into the distance. Many powerful cultivators were rushing her way. Long Hou’s attack had caused a tremendous commotion. His spear strike had killed a Combined Body Realm cultivator. They had never encountered anything so powerful before.

Everyone knew a powerful demon king lived in the Heavenly Massacre Sea, so no one had dared venture there. Despite the countless precious spirit herbs inside, it remained a forbidden area.

An ice-blue halo of light spread across space, turning into a gigantic transport array. As its patterns materialized, the observers concealed in the shadows grew restless. The severely injured Meng Wanshu merely glanced up, and her aura spread across the space, crushing their greedy thoughts where they stood.

Sharp sword qi cut through the space around her. She looked at the array, still not fully formed, and turned slowly.

“Anyone who wants to attack, do it now.”

She swallowed a pill, and the space within a hundred li of her trembled. Violent energy tore through the skies, and all the spirit qi in the vicinity vanished. Snowflakes drifted down, carrying killing intent.

The world fell silent. Not a single person dared move recklessly.

Peng Luo, lying face-down on her shoulder, regained consciousness. Taking in the situation, he kept his expression calm and transmitted, “Mistress, you’re too heavily injured! Don’t put yourself in danger!”

Meng Wanshu didn’t respond. She knew how dangerous the situation was. At least seven or eight Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators lurked in hiding.

She was already at her mental limit. Her primordial soul was devoid of vital force, though the pill was quickly replenishing it. All she could do was bluff. If she showed even a single flaw, they would all attack at once.

The ancient monsters lurking in the shadows were cautious, having all witnessed Long Hou’s earth-shattering attack. They didn’t know if she had more cards up her sleeve.

They exchanged glances. The array was now fully formed, yet no one struck.

Meng Wanshu stepped into the transport array and snorted. “Trash.”

She had to maintain her arrogance. Any sign of weakness would make her a target.

She sensed one of the hidden auras grow agitated, teetering on the edge of attacking. It was a bald old man, staring at her from behind, eyes gleaming with greed. He was at the mid Illusory Refinement Realm.

The bald man chuckled. “Guys, are you really not tempted by that tier-seven demon carcass and demon core?”

No one responded. None of them wanted to take the initiative.

“The girl is clearly at her breaking point. Since none of you are stepping up... I’ll be the one to try.”

The moment his killing intent flared, Meng Wanshu, one foot already in the transport array, whipped around.

Clang!

She drew her sword. The ice-blue blade erupted with power, and a burst of blinding sword light shot forth.

“Cosmic Frost Slash!”

Space froze and shattered along the path of the ice-blue light. The old man in navy-blue robes went pale as the strike shot toward him. He drew his sword and swung.

Boom!

He shielded himself with everything he had. Several bronze bells, his protective artifacts, exploded one after another.

But the sword light didn’t slow down, driving straight for his neck.

Terror filled his eyes as the strike met his blade. He gripped his sword with both hands, but the blade bent backward into an arc, folding under the immense force.

His sword snapped. The sword light burst through, shearing half his shoulder clean off. Eerie frost spread across the wound, devouring his flesh, vital force, and divine soul, trying to turn everything to ice. He retreated in a panic, crushing a scroll and slapping a talisman onto himself before fleeing. His wails of agony echoed across the void. No matter how he struggled, the frost continued to gnaw at him like a parasite.

The man struggled helplessly as the frost ate through everything he had ever worked for.

Meng Wanshu chuckled coldly. She stood in place for a few seconds longer. No one else attacked. She turned and stepped into the transport array. It blazed with light, tore through space, and vanished, taking Meng Wanshu with it.

Meng Wanshu’s back was drenched in sweat. The moment she left the Heavenly Massacre Sea, her legs buckled and she fainted.

She fell and squashed Peng Luo. He wriggled for a long time before managing to crawl out.

He looked at the blood trickling from Meng Wanshu’s mouth, then down at his own shriveled body. With a sorrowful expression, he broke off a section of his arm, crushed it, and stuffed it into her mouth.

Peng Luo’s cheeks were sunken. He looked like a dried-out radish.

“There’s nothing left...” he said, his voice hoarse. “Not a single drop...”

He face-planted next to her and fainted.