Chapter 2376 - Backup Plans

Yi Chen lay sprawled out on the ground.

In his eyes, his mother was like a mountain shielding him with her body and blocking that dazzlingly bright, blood-red sword.

Her body was covered in startling wounds, but she didn’t retreat even an inch!

Fresh blood splattered from her injuries, splashing his face. It was piping hot, and each droplet felt like a knife to the heart.

“Mother...” Yi Chen roared, seemingly with the last of his strength. “Dodge! Hurry up and dodge!”

Lu Qingmei was bathed in blood, her wounds rapidly worsening, but when she heard that, she broke into a gratified smile.

“Chen’er, he cannot defeat me,” said Lu Qingmei firmly.

The black jade quivered in her grip, and the humming of a sword rang out without end. She was controlling the power of the entire forbidden realm to resist the blood-red swords with all its might.

“Senior Apprentice Sister, is this really necessary?” Yu Xun sighed. “This Red Star Sword Formation is a supreme killer weapon given to me by our master. It contains a portion of her source power. You cannot withstand it.”

The straw hut had long since collapsed and split into pieces. The terrifying aftershock of the battle swept outward, making the entire hidden realm shake violently.

The blood-red swords’ dense, bloody sword light seemed powerful beyond measure. It ripped open new wounds all over Lu Qingmei’s body; she obviously wouldn’t last much longer.

But Lu Qingmei seemed to have gone all out. She didn’t care at all.

She said softly, “Chen’er, do you know where this place is?”

Yi Chen was visibly frantic.

Why is mother in the mood to ask about something like that at a time like this?

Before Yi Chen could respond, Lu Qingmei said softly, “This is the Bamboo Mountain Hidden realm. Your father created it himself. Only he and I know about it.

“It was here that I got pregnant with you.”

Again and again, the blood red swords cleaved into Lu Qingmei, splashing blood.

Yet gentleness appeared in her expression. “But at the time, I’d yet to decide whether or not to have you. Thus, I used a secret method to seal you. Even your father had no idea; I did it without his knowledge.”

Kaboom!

The battle raged with greater intensity.

The power of the Red Star Sword Formation swept over heaven and earth, relentlessly descending upon Lu Qingmei. Her body was on the brink of falling apart; she was incomparably wretched.

But she seemed to have no concept of pain. She was totally immersed in memories of the distant past. She murmured, “I thought I’d be happy when your father died...

“But little did I know, fate plays tricks on us all. I’ve been plagued by a heart devil ever since, and my heart is full of lingering regret, agony, guilt, and unease...

“Time has done nothing to mute the pain. It was I who hurt your father, and that’s why I am suffering such brutal punishment, agony enough to make one long for death...”

Lu Qingmei’s expression was full of grief and bitterness.

“Mother! Don’t talk anymore. Just run!” Yi Chen’s eyes were bloodshot and bulging as if about to pop.

“Run? Hah! As if! I’m going to capture that mother of yours today!” said Yu Xun, a hideous look on his handsome face.

“Child, can you stand?” Lu Qingmei asked suddenly.

“I can!” said Yi Chen.

“Good,” said Lu Qingmei. “Do you see that stele? Place your hand on it.”

A stone stele stood before the ruined straw hut. It read, “the Heart-Inquiring Sword Hut.”

Yi Chen gnashed his teeth, rose slowly and with great difficulty, then staggered over to the stele.

Off in the distance, Yu Xun frowned. He realized that something was amiss, so he directed the full extent of the Red Star Sword Formation’s power to attack Yi Chen.

But Lu Qingmei blocked it all!

“Hmph!” Yu Xun gnashed his teeth, shifted through the air, and attacked Yi Chen personally.

But then, Lu Qingmei suddenly laughed. “Junior Apprentice Brother, you fell for it!”

Boom!

She suddenly waved her sleeves, and a streak of fiery chains formed out of the Laws and descended.

Heaven and earth burned, and all Daos seemed to melt. Apocalyptic destructive power swept outward.

“Pure Yang flames!?” Yu Xun’s expression shifted dramatically. He turned to flee.

But he was one step too late.

The chain of divine flames was far too tyrannical. It swept across Yu Xun.

His body instantly burned. Chunks of flesh crumbled into ash and sloughed off, inch by inch.

“No——!” Yu Xun shrieked in terror.

Boom!

His body exploded, the remnants burnt to cinders, but his soul managed to escape just in time.

“Impressive, you poisonous bitch! So, you had a hidden backup plan this entire time!”

He’d brutalized her so badly that he could never have imagined that she’d been enduring all this time; only now did she reveal her true killer weapon!

“Junior Apprentice Brother, there’s no other way to kill an insidious, contemptible bastard like you,” said Lu Qingmei with a swoosh of her sleeves.

Boom!

The Red Star Sword Formation wailed, then collapsed.

“Now that your body’s been destroyed, you’re no longer a match for me!” Lu Qingmei said icily, her gaze full of hatred. She took a step forward and attacked Yu Xun.

Her slender figure was badly damaged and bleeding from countless wounds. Her hair was disheveled, and her face was translucent.

Nonetheless, her aura was terrifying beyond measure.

All of this left Yu Xun startled and frantic. He turned to flee. “Fuck you, you bitch! Just you wait! There’s no way Master will let you go!"

“And then there’s that bastard of yours. He won’t die a good death either!” he roared with the utmost resentment.

Lu Qingmei swung her arm, and the power of the Bamboo Mountain Hidden Realm surged forth, repeatedly suppressing Yu Xun.

Within just a few blinks of an eye, Yu Xun’s soul was badly damaged and utterly wretched.

“Just you wait——!!!” Yu Xun roared in fury, his soul suddenly erupting with dazzling, Undying golden light. Shockingly, it tore through the Laws of the Bamboo Mountain Hidden Realm, giving him a chance to escape.

“The Void Evasion Realm-Breaking Talisman? Master, you sure are biased. You actually gave a life-saving treasure of that level to Junior Apprentice Brother...”

Hatred appeared on her brow, but she didn’t give chase.

She knew there was no way she could catch up to Yu Xun now.

“Activate!” She poured her strength into the black jade, and the rift in the Bamboo Mountain Hidden Realm instantly knit back together.

Now, no one, no matter who they were, could even think of entering this hidden realm!

Lu Qingmei fully relaxed, but as soon as she did, her legs gave out and she tumbled to the ground. In the blink of an eye, her aura waned. She was now as weak as could be, barely even breathing.

Her wounds were far too heavy.

The three-month confrontation, followed by the wounds inflicted on her by the Red Star Sword Formation, had almost crippled her.

However, she’d successfully saved Yi Chen, so Lu Qingmei was nonetheless delighted; she felt that even if she died now, she could do so without regrets.

“Mother!” Yi Chen walked over with great difficulty, staggering with every step he took.

In the end, he couldn’t remain upright either. He toppled onto the ground.

Even so, he gnashed his teeth, dug his fingers into the dirt, and slowly dragged himself toward Lu Qingmei. Deep concern was written all over his handsome, blood-smeared face.

When Lu Qingmei saw this, her heart ached. “Chen’er, don’t waste your strength! Take this pill first!”

Hands trembling, she took out the pill she’d prepared for him and flicked her finger. The pill landed directly in front of Yi Chen.

But Yi Chen didn’t take it. Instead, he said, “Mother, your wounds are worse than mine, so why give this medicine to me?”

Then, he threw the pill back with all his might. Rather, he tried to. He was so depleted that the pill only made it halfway to Lu Qingmei before hitting the ground.

Yi Chen gnashed his teeth with frustration.

Lu Qingmei couldn’t help but find this both moving and amusing. She said gently, “I naturally have means of treating my wounds. You needn’t worry about me.”

But she’d only just said this when she broke into hacking coughs. Her body looked like it was on the verge of falling apart.

Nonetheless, she rose, picked the pill up, and stuffed it into Yi Chen’s mouth before he could argue any further.

Then, she sat back down and looked at the incomparably wretched Yi Chen before glancing down at her own injuries. She couldn’t help but laugh. “I never thought we’d wind up in such a state.”

Yi Chen’s brow furrowed. He didn’t understand how his mother could laugh while their lives hung in the balance.

Still, he could tell that after taking that pill, his wounds were recovering at a startling rate!

“I’m going to talk now. You just listen.” Lu Qingmei took a deep breath, then said solemnly, “When your wounds heal, leave the Bamboo Mountain Hidden Realm immediately, then find the nearest Qilin Trading Company.

“I’ve already made contact with them. When you get there, they’ll have someone take you to the Endless Ocean.”

The Endless Ocean?

Yi Chen’s brow furrowed in confusion.

He’d spent the past few years cultivating in the Bamboo Mountain Hidden Realm, seldom venturing out. At most he’d take the occasional trip through Pine Hut City. Thus, he knew little of what went on in the outside world.

But in the end, Yi Chen suppressed the urge to ask questions.

Lu Qingmei said gently, “When you reach the Endless Ocean, go to Sunset Perch Island. That’s where your father is.”

When Yi Chen heard that, an explosion went off in his mind. He finally understood. He couldn’t help but say, “Mother, I... I want to stay by your side. Even if I die, I want to die with you!”

Father? What father?

His mother had raised him single-handedly. He’d never had a dad before, and he found it hard to accept the fact that Yi Daoxuan was his father.

“You have to go!” Lu Qingmei’s expression was instantly fierce. “Your identity has already been discovered. Your father is now the only person in this world who can protect you. Understand?”

Yi Chen pursed his lips and said nothing.

No one knew a son like his mother. Lu Qingmei could tell at a glance that Yi Chen was opposed to the idea. He was even entirely unwilling to accept that Su Yi was his father!

She sighed to herself, then said, “I risked my life to save you this time. If you refuse to obey, won’t everything I sacrificed have been a waste?”

“Mother...” Yi Chen started to speak.

But before he could finish, Lu Qingmei said bitterly, “Chen’er, consider this me begging you, okay?”

Yi Chen’s heart shook. After a moment’s silence, he finally nodded. “What about you, Mother?”

“I cannot leave,” Lu Qingmei said casually. “My junior apprentice brother escaped, and he’s sure to alert our master. I have to stay behind to cover your retreat.”

Yi Chen’s heart clenched. “But... isn’t that even more dangerous?”

“Rest assured. Master won’t kill me lightly,” Lu Qingmei said softly. “You must bear this in mind: when you see your father, you are not to ask him to save me.”

Yi Chen’s expression shifted. He said nothing.

“He won’t save me. If you ask him, you’ll just be inviting a rebuff,” said Lu Qingmei with a self-deprecating smile. “After all, I’m the one who hurt him back then. There’s... absolutely no resolving this grudge.”

With that, her eyes filled with calm determination. “Now, I’m going to send you to his site, both to protect you, and... as a sort of compensation.”

Yi Chen opened his mouth to speak, then trailed off. In the end, he just sighed.