Chapter 305: The Final Battle (Part One)
Sometimes fate really loves to play tricks on people.
Upon learning that Qiao Wan had "died" in the secret realm, Gan Nan cried for her and for the first time, he stood up with true determination.
His few shining moments in life were almost all related to Qiao Wan, his growth revolved around her.
He liked her, admired her, and looked forward to her. For her, for this precious friend, he was willing to try his best to stand up shakily. But by the time he grew strong enough, he had to give her up.
After the Souvenir Jade Ball went out, Qiao Wan happened to come.
Standing in front of the tent, she bowed politely and waited outside for the discussion between the two inside to end.
"Sir?"
The girl's voice came.
Ma Huaizhen glanced slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed.
Venerable One Miaofa's reaction was calmer, furrowing his brows as if thinking about something, and quickly regaining his usual composure.
The tent was opened, revealing Venerable One Miaofa's beautifully enchanting and sharp face.
"Qiao Wan , come with me." The voice of the holy one was calm and undisturbed, speaking solemnly.
Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment, bid farewell to Ma Huaizhen , and hurriedly followed Venerable One Miaofa's footsteps.
She gazed at the slim figure of the holy one ahead and the robe fluttering in the night wind.
Qiao Wan was feeling uneasy and nervous. Many thoughts crossed her mind, all related to the last conversation she had. But Venerable One Miaofa asked her to follow along, just to see if she was ready.
The preparations for going to the demon realm were being made for tomorrow.
Qiao Wan paused for a moment, suddenly remembering the blood oath they had taken on the icy plain a couple of days ago. She clenched her palm tightly.
The scar on her palm had faded almost to the point of being invisible. Gathering her words, Qiao Wan softly said, "I am prepared to face death."
"If anything unexpected happens, I will immediately take my own life to prevent causing harm to others."
"But..." Qiao Wan hesitated for half a second, "if I were to die, the responsibility of avenging..." Qiao Wan paused, "the responsibility of avenging falls on someone else's shoulders."
Venerable One Miaofa was not asking her about that, and he was taken aback.
The girl's eyes were clear.
Feeling somewhat uneasy, the venerable turned his gaze away, lowered his eyelashes, and the words that remained unspoken got caught in his throat.
How many times, when facing the clear and calm gaze of the young girl, he felt a slight unease.
The wind howled through the wilderness, causing Venerable One Miaofa to momentarily freeze, then as if awakened, he looked back at the girl in front of him.
Venerable One Miaofa was stunned for a moment, unconsciously pursed his lips, and said, "Please continue."
However, he slowed his pace and listened quietly as Qiao Wan began to speak in detail about each matter.
Even Miaofa felt somewhat surprised. In the past, when facing Qiao Wan, it felt natural to teach her sternly, and he didn't feel anything was amiss. But now, even expressing concern feels uncomfortable.
This feeling of uncertainty involuntarily made his brow twitch, and he quickly pressed it down.
The comforting words he intended to say turned into simple and polite but distant advice in an instant.
Without any surprises, this may be the last time they have a calm conversation.
These days, everyone is paying attention to Qiao Wan, treating her cautiously, as if holding her in the palms of their hands, afraid that she might break.
In these past few days, the girl received love and care from the entire alliance of cultivators. Some cultivators would invite her to drink together, and every day she would find beautiful bows or flowers in front of her tent.
Bows and flowers like these are very hard to come by in this war-torn northern region. It's clear that someone went through a lot of trouble to get them and placed them there specifically for her.
Every male and female cultivator wanted to protect her like their own sister, nurturing and caring for her. Everyone paid attention to Qiao Wan's emotional state, especially after hearing that the little white dragon, who had a good relationship with her, chose not to join the battle. Everyone was worried, would Qiao Wan break down? Would she change her mind?
But she didn't.
Qiao Wan remained the same Qiao Wan as before - humble, polite, and silently resilient.
Venerable One Miaofa, rarely showing a tinge of anxiety, pondered, "You don't have to worry. Even if you give it your all and fail to stop that seal, there's no need to blame yourself."
"I am different from Ma Huaizhen , I don't need you to make this blood oath."
"If things really go beyond repair, I will take care of it myself."
In fact, Miaofa also knew deep down that Qiao Wan would not do such a thing given her character.
But he still said it without thinking.
For a high monk of the Buddhist tradition, who was filled with a sense of justice for all living beings, this was quite rare. After saying it, perhaps realizing that he had lost his composure, the monk furrowed his brows.
This care and concern from a senior who was not very familiar made Qiao Wan freeze for a moment. She was both surprised and grateful, and immediately expressed her thanks politely, "Thank you, senior."
However, before she had taken two steps, Venerable One Miaofa paused and furrowed his brows a bit more.
Qiao Wan immediately noticed something was amiss and stepped forward to support him, saying, "Is the inner demon troubling you again, senior?"
The monk was much taller than her, with a towering stature, but now, even through his thin kasaya robes, it seemed like one could feel his skinny bones.
Venerable One Miaofa remained silent.
The cold scent on the other person's body entered Qiao Wan's nose, and she suddenly realized that they were getting a bit too close. She felt immediately embarrassed, her face starting to burn uncontrollably. But if she were to withdraw her hand now, it would seem even more guilty, so she bravely continued to hold on.
"Elder?"
The other person still didn't move.
This time, Qiao Wan finally sensed a cold and cruel malice coming at her.
She turned her head and met a pair of icy blue eyes. The person had black skin, and the third eye on their forehead was outlined with a dark golden color, shining brightly.
Realizing that this elder might once again enter a state of uncontrollable rage, Qiao Wan's heart started to race.
In that moment, it felt like her cultivation was being drained, and her consciousness was in a state of turmoil. Under the overwhelming cold and sternness, Qiao Wan quickly stabilized herself and hurriedly moved back!
But suddenly, a cold hand unexpectedly grabbed her neck!
The other hand pressed against her waist, lifting her up and slamming her onto the tent!
The icy touch of those cold fingers on her neck made Qiao Wan shudder. The force of the impact caused her to grimace in pain, without any sign of mercy or sympathy.
"E-e-elder..."
The sight of the bloodstained skull with a sinister grin entered her eyes.
Just as Qiao Wan felt like she was being strangled to death, suddenly, the enchanting Buddhist monk in front of her, with a clear gaze, raised his hand without hesitation and struck himself on the top of his head!
Qiao Wan was stunned.
What a courageous act of self-sacrifice this was!
With great strength, Venerable One Miaofa didn’t change his expression or even furrow his brows, as blood immediately trickled down from his hairline and slid down his face.
On the other side, there was a beautiful person, shining like the light on a pink blade. Blood was flowing down their cheeks, creating a shocking and vibrant scene.
Through the pink veil, Miaofa caught a glimpse of Qiao Wan's astonished look and the redness on her face due to lack of oxygen.
When Miaofa's gaze landed on the red fingerprint on her neck, he paused and let go. Qiao Wan broke free from her restraints and slipped down from the wall. She touched her neck, still dazed.
No wonder this senior wanted her to kill herself. What a damn indiscriminate attack!
Thinking about their recent encounter, Qiao Wan felt a chill in her heart.
"Sorry about what happened earlier," Miaofa quickly said, his eyebrows furrowed. He spoke faster than before, hardly giving her a chance to speak. "It's getting late and the dew is heavier. You should go back and rest."
Knowing that the other person was struggling with inner demons at this moment, Qiao Wan hesitated for a moment before bowing and bidding farewell.
Before leaving, feeling a bit uneasy, she turned her body and bowed, saying, "Take care, elder."
Watching the figure of the girl in the pink dress as she left, Venerable One Miaofa stood silently in the wilderness for a while.
The night wind poured into his fingertips, and it felt like there were warm and delicate touches lingering on his five fingers.
This unfamiliar sensation made Venerable One Miaofa uncomfortably open and close his hand.
With distinct knuckles, she opened her hand, revealing beautiful and fair bones and veins, and then closed it again, tucking it into her sleeve. She walked into the tent, not looking back.
The next day, Qiao Wan followed Zhou Yan, Li Pan, and the others as they set off.
Since they had all met before, Qiao Wan wasn't surprised to see several familiar faces.
From afar, among the thousands of cultivators, Cen Zicheng spotted Qiao Wan and walked up to greet her, comforting the young girl in front of him.
Today, Qiao Wan looked so neat and clean. She washed her face and looked bright and lively. She wore a pretty pink dress and had a butterfly clip on her head.
Gongsun Bingzi noticed how beautiful Qiao Wan looked, but didn't know how to comfort her.
The group of cultivators going to the demon realm all volunteered. There were different types of cultivators, such as formation cultivators, magic cultivators, and sword cultivators. But there was only one team of brave warriors, the rest were just for deception.
Ma Huaizhen sat in a wheelchair and gave instructions to Zhou Yan and the other sword cultivators. He looked up at the sky.
It was still dark outside when they set off from a high cliff covered in hanging icicles. The ice columns were clear and sparkling.
The sky above the ice field had more stars than anywhere else. They sprinkled across the vast and dark night sky, like the fingertips could touch them.
The wind made Qiao Wan's nose turn red. When she touched it, it felt like ice.
Fang Lingqing sighed, "It's really cold."
Xiao Boyang extended his hand reluctantly, "Here, wipe it off, it's running nose."
At first, Ma Huaizhen didn't want Xiao Boyang to go. The Xiao family, who was left to guard the cultivation realm, was basically empty. At this critical moment, it seemed like Ma Huaizhen, as a branch member of the Xiao family, was being groomed as a successor.
But the young master of the Xiao family pressed his lips together and insisted on going. Ma Huaizhen quietly glanced at him and finally agreed.
The array cultivator who stayed on the ice field yesterday didn't sleep all night. He laid on the ice field and drew a brilliant array that could accommodate a thousand people. He checked it over a hundred times, afraid of any mistakes. The next day, unsurprisingly, a large number of people proudly caught a cold.
After all, the environment on the ice field was extremely harsh, so Qiao Wan having a runny nose was considered exceptional.
Among the familiar faces, besides Xiao Boyang, there were Fang Lingqing and Lu Pihan. Bai Shanhu and Meng Canglang couldn't make it in time, they said.
Xie Xingzhi surprisingly stopped the battle in the south and immediately rushed over after dealing with the mess at the Ao family. He looked exhausted and tired.
Besides some of the elders leading the group, Qiao Wan only recognized Cen Zicheng and Li Pan, who had a green belt.
Yu Xingzhi, the only child of Sun Tao College, strictly protected rare animals as if they were treasures, but Wang Ruyi and Li Pan did not agree to let her go.
Among the group, there was a girl named Chu Tongzheng who had an innocent and enticing smile. She lowered her eyes and blinked, calling Qiao Wan "Brother Cixian." It was said that she came from the Miezong and even put a big red cape on her to keep warm.
Just as they surrounded her, Lu Pihan called Qiao Wan away, asking her to stand by his side when they entered the formation later.
Before they set off, Ma Huaizhen and others came out with solemn expressions and gave a speech.
It was mainly to fulfill what they believed in.
In the world of cultivation, they said that their sacrifice would be remembered, and they mentioned that the delicious wine was already prepared, to be enjoyed when they came back victorious.
Many people, including Xiaoxiao, understood that these were just empty words to make things seem good, but at least it provided some comfort.
Lastly, Kunshan, who was disabled, leaned on his wheelchair and used one foot to support himself as he stood up. He respectfully bowed to the young disciples, whose average age was only in their twenties. His eyes shimmered with unspoken respect.
In the end, more than a thousand disciples gradually stood in formation, with Xiaoxiao still chattering away.
"Hurry up, hurry up! Move faster!"
One senior brother rolled his eyes.
"You can't change your mind once you've signed up. Hurry up and get in formation, come on, stand next to me."
"Why are you in such a rush? I haven't even said goodbye to my loved one!"
"Damn! We have a non-single person here. Brothers, teach him a lesson and kick him out!"
Once these words were spoken, everyone responded.
"Kick him out!!"
"Kick him out!!"
"He's just a worthless companion!"
One of the companions said, "Enough already = ="
Clearly seeking death, amidst the bustling noise around, in the midst of the mournful and tragic atmosphere, there was an added touch of comedic effect, like a springtime outing.
Qiao Wan stood by Xie Xingzhi's side.
The young man glanced at her.
In fact, not only Xie Xingzhi, but others also glanced at her, to varying degrees.
Venerable One Miaofa called her forward, with everyone's eyes on her. He softened his usual demeanor, with words of concern and advice.
This advice was unrelated to love or romance.
When they set off, the young man transformed into a white dragon and silently observed the magnificent yet desolate Dragon Palace. He gazed at the fist-sized night pearls, the vibrant corals, the pearls and seashells, and all the dazzling treasures as he sat motionless throughout the night.
A message reached the demon clan, and Xiu Quan wanted to smile, but his eyelashes drooped and he couldn't force himself to smile easily.
"Your Majesty, they have already set off."
In front of him stood Demon Emperor Jia Yin in a mysterious black robe, with a proud and cold gaze.
He had been absent from the battle between the cultivation alliance and the demon realm for many years.
"Hmm." The man responded calmly.
He pretended that he already knew, and then had no other reaction.
What other reaction could there be? He certainly admired Qiao Wan , but Jia Yin calmly thought, shifting his gaze from one side to another.
But a young girl from the human clan was not enough to support his decision to go to war.
Xiu Quan sighed.
He was different from Jia Yin , he was a dog, and dogs naturally love humans. Although he wanted to rush over with all his heart, he couldn't move.
This was not like those stories in the cultivation world, where you slaughter the world, have no regrets, and stand against the whole world.
Besides, Your Majesty doesn't even like this girl.
It was time to depart.
Qiao Wan looked slightly to the side and then glanced backward.
The girl had a determined look in her eyes, shimmering with a faint brightness like the cold light of the moon. She had become thinner during this period, with a pointed chin.
Having spent a long time in the northern region, her skin was fair and as clear as jade. A bright red cloak surrounded by a shiny fox fur, with soft white hair, hugged her small face, making her look very warm.
With one turn of her head, the cold wind lifted the red cloak, making it look like a dazzling red plum in the snow.
Before setting off, even though they knew that Ma Huaizhen's words of "awaiting their triumphant return" were just beautiful words, deep down, everyone held a faint and unspoken hope.
But no one expected that these over a thousand cultivators would leave in such a tragic way, their figures of different shapes and sizes seemingly etched in the sky. Over a thousand figures spread out, resolutely treading on the path to the underworld, wordless and astonishing.
Including Venerable One Miaofa, Ma Huaizhen , Gan Nan and Jia Yin , none of them imagined that among them, Qiao Wan had the most violent death.
When everyone stood still, a command was given, and the tens of thousands of cultivators on the ice field fell silent.
Zhou Yan unleashed the first strike, his sword intent soaring like a rainbow, piercing the sky, as if wanting to poke a hole in the heavens.
Immediately after, thousands of sword cultivators all brandished their long swords, their sword intent flickering and converging into a line, then spreading out like shooting stars, aiming towards the sky.
More than 1,600 sword energies merged into a fierce and roaring snow dragon, causing the surrounding ice to crack, and the stars in the sky seemed to be pushed westward by an unknown force.
The snow dragon let out a long roar, tearing open a deep dark crack in the abyss of the night.
At this moment, a strong wind blew, making it difficult for people to stand steady.
Amidst the confusion, someone cursed.
"Oh no, someone stepped on my foot!"
Qiao Wan and the others knew in their hearts that this was a strong gust of wind blowing from the turbulent space. If the foundation of their sword cultivation was not strong enough, and if the spatial cracks were unstable, then the over a thousand cultivators heading to the demon realm were likely to be swept into the cracks and never come out.
It was said that inside the demon realm, everything was still, with no time or space, just emptiness and nothingness.
That's why Ma Huaizhen and the others were extremely cautious when it came to the matter of "breaking the void".
The spatial cracks in the distance kept growing larger and larger. Finally, no one had the mood for laughter anymore. They all solemnly summoned their treasures.
The massive array on the ground started to light up, gradually illuminating from a single point. It seemed as if the stars on the ground were responding to the stars in the sky.
The enormous array, capable of accommodating over a thousand people, began to rise, higher and higher.
Someone exclaimed in astonishment, "Am I fucking flying?!"
Following closely, their figures were surrounded by a dazzling light, crossing through a tear in space and sliding towards the distant demon realm.
The place they landed belonged to the outer circle of the demon realm, a blood-red desert. Hundreds of years ago, the Immortal Emperor Shi Yuan was sealed here by the cultivation alliance.
This blood-red desert was the remains of an ancient city in the demon realm. The sand dunes were ever-changing, and sandstorms occurred all year round. The sky and the ground were a blood-red color, making it almost impossible to distinguish the horizon. A huge, fiery red sun hung in the distance, on top of the sand dunes.
Together with the icy tundra of the northern region, they formed two extreme climates.
As Qiao Wan and her group were transported to the sky above the demon realm using a large formation, it immediately separated into more than ten smaller formations. Each containing a small team, including Qiao Wan, dispersed in all directions, descending fiercely like meteors in broad daylight!
In the demon realm, there were guards and soldiers scattered on the ground. They held weapons and stood in formation like a chessboard grid, unmoving and organized.
Qiao Wan, standing high and looking far, could see faint lights in all directions. There were more lights than they had imagined. Qiao Wan felt a sense of unease.
The "split" design of the formation was meant to disrupt the view of the demon realm. The demon realm didn't know where they would land, so they deployed their forces in several possible landing spots. The cultivation alliance had no knowledge of their deployment either, so they could only speculate and send down multiple teams to confuse their view.
Out of the several teams, Qiao Wan's team was the main force.
On the other side, Ma Huaizhen and the others breathed a slight sigh of relief when they witnessed Qiao Wan and her team successfully teleporting. However, they remained alert and focused.
The thousands of sword cultivators still released their powerful sword intent with serious expressions, maintaining the spatial crack in the sky to prevent it from collapsing.
Instead of calling it a crack, it was more like the sky became a massive Souvenir Image, reflecting the movements of the demon realm on the other side.
Ma Huaizhen , Gongsun Bingzi, Venerable One Miaofa, along with many other cultivators, stood on the icy plain and looked up to see the projection in the sky.
Among them, the cultivators from the Mathematics Department had the best view and quickly integrated and organized the information sent by Qiao Wan and the others.
The information mainly came from the jade bracelets they wore on their hands, powered by their own spiritual energy. If a person couldn't sustain enough spiritual energy to support the transmission of information, the bracelet would become useless. This information would then be reflected back to the Mathematics Department, serving as a kind of "soul lamp."
"Are you ready?" Li Pan asked Qiao Wan and the others, glancing sideways.
Xie Xingzhi and the others nodded.
"Alright." Li Pan drew his sword. "Let's go."
After landing, the most important thing is to withstand this first wave of attacks!
Just as Qiao Wan stood firmly on the ground, her feet stepping on the fiery red gravel, she saw beams of light shooting up from all directions, accompanied by the sounds of intense battle.
The other teams have already encountered demons head-on, the battle has begun!
Startled, a disciple from the Mathematics Department, who was recording changes in information, looked up in dismay. He moved his lips and exchanged glances with Ma Huaizhen and the others, his expression grim. "One bracelet, destroyed."
Pointing his finger, among the small characters written in the name, the one that displayed "Yan Dang" was already uncertain.
Without delay, Qiao Wan and the others immediately followed the directions marked on the map they had memorized by heart. As soon as they landed, they sprinted towards the designated altar together with the rest.
We can't use artifacts here in the demon realm, as it can detect fluctuations in spiritual power. The more discreet we are, the better.
This is a battle between reconnaissance and counter-surveillance!
