Chapter 123.2: You'll Never Kill Anyone Fighting Like That. Let Me Show You How.

Bloodfall Thousand Cities.

Inside a vast, dimly lit hall, twenty-three Supremes had gathered. Supreme Yang Hun stood in one inconspicuous corner, ignored and barely acknowledged by the others. At the highest seats sat five mid-stage Supremes, their auras oppressive.

Supreme Lan Mei's face was cold and sharp as a blade. "In three days, a Great Supreme will be passing through this region. You need not know who she is. All you need to know is that we’re here to make her stay."

"A Great Supreme? That's difficult," one of the Supremes muttered.

With so many Supremes joining forces, they understood they could perhaps detain a Great Supreme. However, killing one was another matter entirely. Even a wounded Great Supreme could easily take several of them down in one fell swoop.

Supreme Lan Mei said evenly, "Worry not. That Great Supreme is gravely injured, she won’t pose much threat. Besides, I have a treasure refined by two Great Supremes. It can merge our strength into one and form a unified defense."

The moment he finished speaking, over twenty array flags descended from the air, each falling neatly into a Supreme's hand. They examined the flags and exchanged astonished glances. The aura exuded by the array was far stronger than expected.

One of them said with a grin, "With this treasure, we can fight with peace of mind."

A Great Supreme was terrifying indeed. Still, if twenty-odd Supremes wielded a weapon forged by two Great Supremes, they could hold their ground, perhaps even prevail. Besides, their target was injured.

Then, Supreme Lan Mei went on, turning serious. "From now on, we will remain here and refine the array. No one leaves. I will not have our plan leaked."

A Supreme chuckled. "Even if the news leaks, what of it? Who would dare to come rescue her?"

Another said, "Don't be so sure. Three years ago, upon emerging from seclusion, I heard rumors of a Blood Palace in the City of No Return. Word was, their so-called Blood Master can help others reach the Supreme realm. They say several Supremes already dwell there."

The Flowing Wind World was vast, news often came distorted or delayed. The information he had was old.

"Help others reach the Supreme realm? No way!” A Supreme scoffed. "We've spent centuries clawing our way to this realm. If anyone could just help someone else ascend, wouldn't that make the Supreme realm a joke?"

Every Supreme here was a heaven-defying genius who had endured countless trials to reach their standing. The idea of a shortcut almost made them laugh.

Supreme Lan Mei's cold gaze shifted toward Supreme Yang Hun in the corner. "You've been stationed here the longest. You know this territory best. Tell me, is there truly anything extraordinary about this City of No Return?"

Supreme Yang Hun sneered. "Nothing but wild rumors. Helping others reach Supreme is fake nonsense, of course. That city only has six Supremes, all early-stage, barely worth mentioning at all. The only reason they’ve managed to gather a few stragglers is because their leader is said to be the White Supreme’s disciple."

His words drew nods all around. That explanation made sense.

Then, Supreme Lan Mei said coolly, "Once we've slain the Great Supreme, we'll strike the City of No Return next. Wipe them out and claim some military merit while we're at it."

He’d said those exact words before. Now that they were here, it was the perfect chance. Leaving such easy merit unclaimed would be a waste.

Supreme Yang Hun's face lit up with delight. "Many thanks, Supreme Lan Mei!"

Just then, a Supreme frowned slightly. "If I remember correctly, weren't there several Supremes stationed here before us? And one Great Supreme, the Purple Daoist. Why haven't we seen them?"

Supreme Yang Hun lied blatantly without so much as a blink. "The Purple Daoist came here for an important mission. Upon arriving, he took the others and left to handle it. I don't know the details."

The others accepted it readily enough. Having only been transferred here, they knew little of local affairs.

"Enough chatter," Supreme Lan Mei said coldly. "Refine the array flags. Once we slay the Great Supreme, we'll wipe out the City of No Return."

His eyes gleamed with ambition. The task carried risk but the rewards were more than worth it.

***

Nine days slipped by in a blink.

In a shattered canyon, Ning Tao wore a flowing black dress. Her skin was unnaturally white, almost as pale as a pear blossom after rain.[1] Her complexion had always been cool and porcelain-like, as if she'd never seen sunlight. Though, in this realm, there truly was no sun.

A trace of gloom crossed her face as she murmured, "You just can't let things go, can you?"

Five mid-stage Supremes were hot on her trails. She was already badly wounded. If she could avoid fighting, she would.

A Supreme snarled. "Leave the Blood Demon and we'll let you go!" a Supreme snarled.

Hunting a Great Supreme was an intoxicating thrill. In ordinary times, they wouldn't even dare to draw breath in a Great Supreme's presence.

"

Hmph

."

Ning Tao didn't bother to reply. She would never abandon that lump of flesh. If she’d ever harbored the intent, she would have done so long ago. The sphere was the tether through which her husband could find her.

Still, worry crept into her eyes. The scene before her was far too familiar. From childhood, she'd lived nearly a thousand years on the run. The five pursuing Supremes were herding her toward a specific place—the very place she had been trying to reach. Several times she tried to change course, only to be blocked and forced onward by them.

She knew she was being led into a trap, and there was nothing she could do. Even if her husband came, he likely wouldn’t be able to save her. Her situation was that dire.

After half an hour, Ning Tao, swift as a streak of light, came to a stop. She stood in a desert, her face composed and emotionless.

"Big gesture," she said quietly.

The five mid-stage Supremes grinned triumphantly. "Demoness, you’ve got nowhere to run."

From all around Ning Tao, twenty-three new figures emerged from the sands. All of them were Supremes, five of whom were mid-stage. With ten mid-stage Supremes, a dozen or so early-stage Supremes, and an array forged by Great Supremes, this force was more than enough to surround and finish off a grievously wounded Great Supreme.

Supreme Lan Mei contemptuously stared at Ning Tao. His expression grew complicated when he saw her blood sphere. "Demoness, this desert shall be your grave."

The other Supremes' faces twisted with revulsion. It was an involuntary reaction born from Ning Tao’s demon mark.

Ning Tao smiled slightly, tenderly glancing at the blood sphere. "My husband is not a Blood Demon, and I am not a demoness. But none of that matters now."

Ning Tao tightened her grip on the chain, unwilling to part from it. She was resigned to her fate. When she set out for the Ends of Earth, she had premonition she would never arrive. True enough, she endured endless pursuit on the road. Human strength had its limits, and she was no child of heaven. If anything, she was its opposite

"Enough talk, kill her!" Supreme Lan Mei barked.

The twenty-plus Supremes struck in unison, and the five behind Ning Tao joined in. A storm of Origin Divine Techniques rolled forth.

Ning Tao went pale, yet showed no fear. Like a black butterfly in torrential rain, she danced through the barrage, evading blast after blast.

"As expected of a Great Supreme! Even wounded, she's still this powerful! Keep wearing her down!" Supreme Lan Mei shouted.

He knew full well a Great Supreme wasn’t easy to kill. They had to be exhausted bit by bit. Once the Great Supreme's Origin was fully depleted, their perfected Origin Divine Techniques would begin to show flaws. Then she would be nothing more than a powerful mid-stage Supreme, easy to annihilate.

Supreme Yang Hun drifted in the crowd. He did the minimum, moving without striking.

Ning Tao was forced to dodge repeatedly. Even as wounds marred her, her grip on the chain never faltered, refusing to let the blood sphere suffer even a scratch.

"Don’t hold back! Don’t give her any room to recover!" Supreme Lan Mei roared.

The Supremes redoubled their attacks, yet Ning Tao parried them all with unnerving grace. The attackers remained composed, treating it as nothing more than a cornered beast thrashing.

Just then, someone’s voice cut across the field. "With the way you fight, you'll never kill anyone. Let me show you."

A red-robed man emerged, his face half concealed by a mask, rendering his expression unreadable. An inscrutable, terrifying aura clung to him.

Supreme Lan Mei's expression shifted.

"The Blood Master of the City of No Return? We haven't come for you, and yet you dare to interfere. You must be courting death!" he shouted, surprised but not alarmed. If anything, he was brimming with confidence. "You didn't come alone, I suppose. Where are your Supremes? Call them forth! We'll kill the Great Supreme and take the City of No Return too!"

Ning Tao glanced at the red-robed figure. Her veiled left eye wavered slightly, while the right remained steady.

The other Supremes eyed the red-robed man warily, albeit many were visibly relaxed. According to Supreme Yang Hun, the City of No Return only had a handful of early-stage Supremes. There was nothing to fear.

"You really want me to call them? You might be in for a shock," Qi Yuan said softly. He'd been watching the fight, studying every Origin Divine Technique. That knowledge made his Inner Demon Lure even more terrifying. Ten mid-stage Supremes had weight.

"

Hmph

, Blood Master." Supreme Lan Mei sneered, refusing to take him seriously, though he remained guarded.

The other Supremes mirrored his stance. A few Supremes wouldn’t change the outcome.

“Since you’re so eager to see them, I’ll oblige.” Qi Yuan smiled faintly, raising his voice. "Come out, my enforcers!”

The void rippled, while the sky seemed to shudder. From the heavens descended a dense formation. One hundred figures in blood-red robes emerged, expressions cold and unreadable, their auras towering in power. Each one was a Supreme.

Shock spread through the opposing Supremes.

"All of them are Supremes?!"

"This many?!"

Compared to the group of twenty-three Supremes, a hundred Supremes in uniform, lined up like rank-and-file soldiers, was an entirely different spectacle. The impact was huge, rendering the enemy speechless. Supreme Yang Hun's earlier claim now sounded ludicrous.

Qi Yuan stood before them, not hiding those Supremes behind him. He said casually, "I shouldn't have let them come out. Look, you’re all startled now, breathing so heavily. It’s your fault that global warming happened."

Paying no heed to their astonishment, Qi Yuan stepped forward. "You won’t kill anyone like that. Watch me."

The Supremes on Qi Yuan’s side watched with surprise. Blood Master was going to face nearly thirty Supremes on his own? How could he dare, after seeing how the Great Supreme had fared? Yet they were commanded to remain still and watch. They could not act without defying the Blood Master.

Qi Yuan advanced, his red robes fluttering behind him, growing even more striking. In the next moment, he transformed into a towering, crimson-armored colossus, hundreds of feet high. Within his hand was a blood-red broken sword.

"This is how you kill!" he declared.

1. When I first googled 梨花, it came out as pear blossom. I was like a pear has flowers?

Of course it does!

I am a fool. Anyway, its such a pretty flower, I thought it looked like a sakura. ☜