Chapter 155: The Moth That Chased the Fire

A girl's life is full of changes.

She was once a Da Qian Commandery Princess who enjoyed endless wealth and honor.

Yet in her sixteenth year, she abruptly became a wanted fugitive and lost both her parents.

The root of everything.

The beginning and end of everything.

Were all closely linked to the Emperor of Da Qian.

He was the mastermind behind all the tragedies, a demon in human skin who sat back and watched the common people die with a cold gaze.

Wu Yingxue gnashed her teeth, staring furiously at that dragon-robed demon.

“You! Dog! Emperor!”

In this pitch-black night, the Hundred Thousand Mountains was like a giant mouth with bared teeth, swallowing all sound and color, but the girl's hoarse cry filled with rage broke the silence.

The demon remained unmoved.

He still maintained that high and mighty, majestic appearance.

In every gesture, a dangerous aura naturally leaked out, causing the girl's body to tremble continuously in warning.

“Interesting…”

“To think there was a fish that slipped through the net from Dingyuan.”

A moment later.

The demon clapped his hands in delight; it was the joy of seeing a change in a game.

“The last one who stood before Us did so because he ate his food. So, what about you?”

The demon lightly clenched his palm. Carelessly, a terrifying aura sealed the heavens and locked the earth, completely cutting off all possible paths of retreat.

But the girl hadn't planned on running away in the first place.

She held a long spear with a sharp tip and answered, “A dream.”

“A dream?”

“He gave me a dream where everyone can eat their fill, and everyone can survive.”

Wu Yingxue's answer was so beyond common sense.

That even the demon was stunned.

Gradually, a look of ridicule appeared on his face.

“Us thought it was something else, but it turns out to be such unrealistic words. Do you know that the demons in this world are endless?”

“Once upon a time, Us also thought of resisting.”

“But human strength is weak while demons are infinite. How many Demon Gods and Demon Saints are there above?”

“Thus, Us realized one thing: human strength eventually has its limits. Rather than hoping for man to triumph over heaven, it is better to become a member of the demons.”

It seemed he hadn't spoken to anyone for too long.

The Emperor of Da Qian was in no hurry to attack; instead, he spoke of past events.

It was a distant story from a thousand years ago.

The demons, led by the Azure Dragon, had captured a large number of the Human Race, including the Emperor of Da Qian, and kept them in the Hundred Thousand Mountains like livestock.

During this time, some resisted, and some struggled.

But all met with failure.

Thus, the Emperor of Da Qian at that time collapsed. Feeling that Blood-Qi Martial Arts was useless, he took the initiative to defect to the Azure Dragon, drinking Dragon Blood to achieve a Half-Dragon Body.

By establishing Da Qian, he raised more delicious food for the demons.

Namely, human Martial Artists.

“How about it? Are you willing to submit to Us? Us can ensure you do not die.”

“Get lost, you beast that's worse than a dog!”

Wu Yingxue's expression was grim. Without hesitation, she swung her long spear like a dancing storm or a lashing rain, forming a dense, airtight barrage of fiery spear strikes.

Pa! Pa!

Pa! Pa!

The long spear crackled as it stabbed into the demon's body.

It did not tear open any wounds.

On the contrary, the girl's hands were shaken violently, almost causing her weapon to fly out of her grip.

“Is that so…”

“Truly the same brand of stupidity. You are just as foolish as your father.”

The demon snorted coldly.

His human hand transformed into a Dragon claw.

Covered in green scales, he swept it casually. That surging, colossal force sent the girl flying.

That was a power that transcended the Innate realm, a Demon King realm comparable to a Martial Dao Human Immortal.

A terrifying Physical Body and pure strength could easily crush everything.

It was impossible for a Xiantian Martial Artist to win.

Even a Prodigy from the outside world could not complete this nightmare of a battle.

After one strike, Wu Yingxue was blown far away, rolling many times on the ground and knocking down several trees.

By the time she stood up again,

her head was broken and bleeding. Blood flowed continuously from her forehead, soaking her eyes red and dripping onto the ground along her cheeks.

“I can't fall. I can't fall yet.”

“I want to win, I want to win, I must win…”

Wu Yingxue leaned on her long spear, gritting her teeth as she struggled to stand.

Though she was teetering,

though her clothes were tattered and she was in a wretched state,

she still stood.

Not much time had passed. Even if the Qiuhuo Army and Xu Xi had left, they wouldn't have traveled very far.

Wu Yingxue wanted to hold on, to buy more time for everyone.

At the same time,

in the girl's heart, there was a very bold idea—so bold it was like a daydream.

She wanted to defeat the Emperor of Da Qian, to slay a Demon King with an Innate body, to leave alive, and to reunite with Grand Master Xu once again.

She wanted it so much, so very much.

To see Xu Xi's face again.

To say to him personally: “Master, I'm back.”

Only, this dream seemed too distant, so distant that no possibility of realization could be seen.

“Master…”

“I, I…”

“Might never see… you again…”

The girl's voice was intermittent. The blood welling up in her throat constantly interfered with her movements and thoughts.

Every step forward, every attack,

meant one step closer to death.

Yet every time she reached her limit, that surging Battle Intent would transform into power, continuously nourishing Wu Yingxue's body and bringing her a bit of healing.

Like a fire that never goes out.

“Noisy,” the demon frowned.

He extended a single finger and made a light flick. A crackling airwave, combined with the crushing force of the world, slashed toward Wu Yingxue in a destructive manner.

The momentum was terrifying.

The night sky seemed to shatter.

That attack, condensed with Dragon power, seemed intent on erasing the sky and the earth together.

She couldn't dodge it; the girl couldn't dodge it at all.

Nor had she ever thought of dodging.

“I must, I must persist, to let Master leave…”

Blood flowed from the corners of her mouth.

Covered in scars.

She wore a smile that looked worse than crying.

Wu Yingxue held her long spear with both hands, pouring out all her Blood-Qi, and swung a brilliant fire in the pitch-black night.

That fire was not as bright as the sun, nor as miraculous as those in myths and legends.

It was a moth flying into a flame.

A humble fire that plunged in despite knowing death was certain.

Rip—

Like a heart-shaking scroll of a painting being torn apart.

That streak of orange-red danced in the dark night, like a silent ray of sunlight tearing through the silence of the night. Her determination, her love, were all poured into this single spear strike.

…

“Yingxue, are these the only things you're bringing?”

“That's right, Master. Aren't we going to the Hundred Thousand Mountains? Bringing too much stuff makes it inconvenient to move.”

“That's true. Given your personality, you really don't like things to be too complicated.”

…

The day before the official breakout from the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

Xu Xi and Wu Yingxue had a brief conversation.

Xu Xi sighed with emotion at how little luggage the girl had; it was as if she had nothing at all.

“Master…”

“He never, ever… noticed…”

Her arms hung down weakly.

The moth that chased the fire had exhausted everything.

Wu Yingxue lost all her strength and fell heavily to the ground. A carefully hidden Paper Flower fell out of the sachet at her waist, soaked into an eerie red by the blood. The girl wanted to reach out and grab it, but she couldn't reach it no matter what.

A new hand appeared.

It picked it up for Wu Yingxue.