193: Chapter 193 Bamboo Heart Asks the Heavens

Seeing this, Lady Hua stared fixedly at Shangguan Hong.

Her bamboo sword was held horizontally before her. The emerald-green sword light intertwined with her pale-green Demon Power, and the bamboo node patterns on the sword began to light up one by one, like pulsating blood vessels.

In a daze...

"Madam Hua... be careful..." The blue-robed phantom behind her spoke.

The voice was light and faint, like the rustling of wind through bamboo leaves.

"Rest assured..." Her voice was calm.

She turned the bamboo sword in her hand, cut her finger, and let her essence blood drip onto the blade. The blood seeped into the bamboo node patterns, and the emerald-green sword light instantly turned blood-green—half emerald, half blood-red.

She gripped the sword with both hands, tip facing down, and thrust it fiercely into the ground.

"Flower Realm · Burying Flowers!!"

As the words fell, countless roots deep beneath Taiyue Mountain began to churn, spread, and intertwine.

On the surface, new shoots broke through the earth beneath every inch of soil, flower buds blooming and withering, only to wither and bloom again.

Petals drifted down, transforming into countless hair-thin green rays of light that converged from all directions onto the bamboo sword in Lady Hua's hand. The bamboo sword trembled, the blood-green light upon it growing brighter and heavier.

Both sides brewed their techniques and Divine Ability, but Shangguan Hong's Heaven-Suppressing Seal had already formed.

The sphere of light rose from his palm, hovering above his head as it slowly rotated.

The Nascent Soul phantom inside the sphere opened its eyes, and a gray-white beam of light shot out, piercing the sky and tearing open a massive rift.

From the rift, a massive handprint pressed down from the clouds, burning with Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and Shangguan Hong's Nascent Soul power.

As the handprint descended, Taiyue Mountain trembled, the mountain itself emitting an unbearable creaking sound. Cracks spread from the foot of the mountain to the peak, gravel tumbling from them as if the entire mountain were about to be shattered by this single palm strike.

Lady Hua looked up at the handprint descending from the sky and ripped the bamboo sword from the ground.

The blood-green light on the tip of the blade shot skyward, transforming into a massive green beam that met the handprint.

Within the beam of light, a massive flower bud bloomed.

Its petals were layered, unfolding one by one from the outside in. With each petal that unfurled, the beam of light brightened, and with each increase in brightness, the trembling of Taiyue Mountain intensified.

Deep within the bud, the tip of the bamboo sword pierced through the stamen, carrying the power of the entire mountain as it thrust toward the palm of the handprint.

"Burying Flowers · Bamboo Heart Asks the Heavens!"

The two forces collided, and terrifying ripples spread in all directions.

There was no sound, no light; the world went silent in that instant.

"Buzzing~" Lady Hua could hear nothing; her ears were ringing, and blood flowed from her ear canals, dripping down her chin.

She felt no pain, though every inch of her skin, every bone, and every Meridian in her body was burning.

Her eyes held only the handprint descending from the sky, the lines of its palm drawing closer and becoming clearer.

Her lips moved, her voice extremely light and faint, as if speaking to someone beside her.

"A-Feng, look, I did it."

The blue-robed phantom behind her did not speak. His hand rested on Lady Hua's shoulder, his illusory fingers tightening as if lending her his final strength, or perhaps bidding her a final farewell.

One breath, two breaths.

"Boom!!"

Amidst the deafening roar, the gray-white Spiritual Qi and the blood-green sword light intertwined, forming a pillar of light that shot into the sky and engulfed the entirety of Taiyue Mountain.

Wherever the pillar of light passed, rocks shattered and trees turned to ash. The soil from the ground was flung hundreds of zhang into the air before falling back down as dust.

The mountain split down the middle, cracks spreading from the base to the peak, and then from the peak deep into the earth. The entire Taiyue Mountain trembled, collapsed, and shattered within the pillar of light.

Shangguan Hong stood in the Void Realm, looking down at the collapsing peaks below, his gray-white robes snapping in the shockwaves.

The corners of his mouth curled slightly—not a smile, but a habitual, condescending expression.

"Did it?"

"You overestimate yourself! Do you think you can harm this venerable one with such petty tricks?"

Shangguan Hong's voice was not loud, but it pierced through the roar of the explosion, clearly reaching Lady Hua's ears.

Lady Hua did not answer; she only looked at him with a cold sneer.

Her hands still gripped the hilt of the bamboo sword, but her fingers had lost all sensation. It was the sword itself that remained upright, the blood-green light upon it dimming bit by bit, like an oil lamp about to burn out.

The blue-robed phantom stood behind her, his illusory hand pressed over hers to help her grip the hilt. His lips moved, but no sound emerged. Lady Hua could not hear him, yet she knew what he was saying.

A few breaths later, the dust settled.

Taiyue Mountain was gone.

The peak that had stood for who knows how many years had turned into a massive basin.

The edges of the basin were jagged rock walls covered in cracks, with gravel piled up like mountains.

The bottom of the basin was a scorched, flat expanse, the soil baked into a glass-like state by the intense heat, shimmering with a dark red luster.

The air was thick with the stench of burning and the scent of blood. The gray-white mist had been completely dispelled, revealing the overcast sky.

Lady Hua lay in the center of the basin. The bamboo sword was thrust into the ground beside her, the emerald-green light on its blade completely gone, its bamboo node patterns dull and lusterless.

Her pale-green dress was torn to shreds, and her exposed skin was covered in hideous wounds. Blood surged from them, seeping into the scorched earth.

Her long hair was scattered on the ground, matted with dust and blood. Her face was devoid of color, as white as paper, and her breathing was so faint that the rise and fall of her chest was barely visible.

Yet her eyes remained open, her pale-green pupils reflecting the overcast sky. There were no clouds in the sky—there was nothing at all.

Lady Hua watched the overcast sky, the corners of her mouth twitching slightly. She wanted to smile, but could not; her lips pulled, then fell still.

"A-Feng... I'm coming..." Her voice was extremely light and faint, as if it had traveled from a great distance.

The bamboo sword beside her trembled slightly, the bamboo node patterns on its blade flashing once before dimming again—like a response, or perhaps a sigh.

In the Void Realm, Shangguan Hong stood amidst the ruins, his gray-white robes largely torn to reveal the inner armor beneath, which was covered in cracks.

A trace of blood hung from the corner of his mouth, and his right hand hung by his side, his fingers trembling slightly. His presence was much weaker than before, yet he remained as steady as a mountain.

He looked down at the scorched basin below and at the figure lying in a pool of blood at its center. There was no pity or anger in his eyes—only a cold, scrutinizing gaze.

"To have just reached the fourth tier of cultivation and still survive a direct hit from this venerable one's Heaven-Suppressing Seal... you are indeed stronger than that bamboo demon."