The moment Du Yucheng’s hand rested on him, Jiang Han felt the pressure on his body vanish instantly. The violent aura coming from Mo Qiushuang seemed to be completely blocked off by Du Yucheng.
He glanced at Du Yucheng gratefully, only to find that she was not looking at him at all. Her expression remained cold as she stared at Mo Qiushuang.
“Du Yucheng, move aside!” Mo Qiushuang said icily.
“I’m taking my junior brother back. What does it have to do with you?”
“He’s nothing more than a menial disciple here. Only in the Heavenly Dominion Sect can he have better development.”
“Direct disciple,” Du Yucheng replied. Her voice was pleasant and concise.
“Yes, he is a direct disciple of our Heavenly Dominion Sect. You should understand the weight of that title. So move aside now!”
Mo Qiushuang’s grip gradually tightened as she tried to pull Jiang Han over.
But Du Yucheng did not yield in the slightest. Spiritual power wrapped around Jiang Han protectively as she uttered the longest sentence she had spoken in nearly a hundred years.
“Jiang Han is a direct disciple of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect.”
“What did you say?” Mo Qiushuang froze, then her face changed dramatically.
“Impossible!” she shouted, her eyes widening.
“Jiang Han’s aptitude is extremely poor. How could your sect master fail to see that? He would never accept Jiang Han as a direct disciple!”
“Du Yucheng, are you deliberately opposing me?” Mo Qiushuang’s anger surged.
“If you don’t let go, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“You want to fight?” Du Yucheng grinned, revealing two sharp little canine teeth. She looked delighted.
But her eyes gradually turned bloodthirsty and frenzied.
“Finally, I get to fight.”
Her smile widened crazily. Blue lightning crackled across her body as she stared fixedly at Mo Qiushuang.
“Come.”
Boom!
The clear sky suddenly darkened. Vast black clouds gathered overhead, stretching endlessly.
Countless strands of blue lightning collided and flashed within them, producing deafening thunderclaps.
A small flying sword glowing with blue light shot out from her dantian. Lightning upon it turned into mist that coiled and rotated, its tip pointed directly at Mo Qiushuang.
Boom!
An overwhelming pressure instantly enveloped the entire city. Countless cultivators and ordinary people were knocked unconscious by the thunder. Only a few Golden Core Realm cultivators and above managed to escape.
Mo Qiushuang felt herself locked onto by an extremely sharp killing intent. Her eyes filled with fear, and her scalp tingled. The moment those words had left her mouth, she had already regretted them.
Who in the cultivation world did not know that Du Yucheng of the Purple Firmament Sword Sect was a madwoman? Normally she kept a cold face and spoke little. But if anyone dared to provoke her, she would chase them like a lunatic, hacking relentlessly with her flying sword, ignoring all defense, trading injury for injury with utter madness. Get faster updates on g.com.
She was a sword cultivator. Once her invincible attack power at the same realm was unleashed, who could withstand it?
If struck by her sword, unless one possessed a top-grade spirit treasure for protection, death was certain. And if somehow one survived the first strike, the second would still mean death.
Moreover, Du Yucheng had exceptional talent. She possessed a top-grade Water Spiritual Root. If not for flaws in her state of mind, she might have already undergone Tribulation Ascension and entered the Divine Transformation Realm.
Thus, whenever people encountered Du Yucheng, they avoided her whenever possible. No one wanted entanglement with her.
But Mo Qiushuang had never imagined that Du Yucheng would dare to make a move in such a densely populated city. Did she truly not fear harming innocents and being punished by the Enforcement Hall?
“Du Yucheng, are you insane?!” Mo Qiushuang gritted her teeth. It was her first time facing this lunatic. She had not expected her to be just as troublesome as the rumors said.
Spiritual power surged wildly within Mo Qiushuang. Though she did not wish to risk her life in battle, if it truly came to it, she would not be afraid.
Just as the two confronted each other, a tearing sound suddenly rang out.
Rip—
The clothes on Jiang Han’s body could no longer withstand the pressure and exploded apart.
“Ah!” Mo Qiushuang’s pupils contracted. Her hand gripping Jiang Han began to tremble.
Only a few torn strips of cloth remained to cover Jiang Han’s vital areas. His exposed skin was covered in grotesque scars.
Moreover, Jiang Han was alarmingly thin, like skin stretched over bones. There was not a trace of full muscle on his body.
The sight stabbed Mo Qiushuang’s heart. She immediately used her divine sense to examine his condition.
“Weak blood and vitality, disordered internal organs, excessive exhaustion, unstable foundation, and so many hidden injuries…”
Her eyes reddened. Her nose stung with sourness. She had never imagined that Jiang Han’s body bore so many wounds.
Many of the scars were clearly torn open again before they had even healed, crisscrossing his entire body.
She could not imagine what suffering Jiang Han had endured. An ordinary person would have long collapsed.
But Jiang Han? With so many injuries, he had endured without saying a word.
“What happened? How did you get so severely injured?”
“Do you even know the state of your body? You’re this weak. Haven’t you been eating properly? And with so many wounds, why didn’t you use healing medicine? You left so many scars. Are you deliberately trying to make me heartbroken?!”
As Mo Qiushuang spoke, tears nearly fell.
“You need to rest properly now. Look at your body. In this condition, you’re still running around, and you even ran this far!”
“Come back with me. I’ll help you recover.”
Seeing his indifferent expression only made her heart ache more.
In the past, Jiang Han had never looked at her like this. Now, it was as though he had no emotions left, only numbness.
Before, whenever he saw her, he would light up with joy, smiling brightly every day, brimming with vitality, always finding ways to talk to her. Even if she merely responded slightly, even if she scolded him, he would be happy for a long time.
He would wander near her cave dwelling all day just to catch a glimpse of her or exchange a few words.
The moment he saw her appear, no matter what he had been doing, he would run to her side immediately, presenting the low-grade spirit fruits he had painstakingly gathered, offering them like treasures in hopes of pleasing her…
It had not been long ago.
Why had Jiang Han changed so much?
There was even a trace of disgust in his eyes.
“Go back? Go back for what? To keep being your dog?” Jiang Han sneered, utterly unconcerned that she had seen his scars.
“No, Junior Brother, absolutely not. I will treat you well. No one will bully you again!” Mo Qiushuang spoke urgently, but Jiang Han remained unmoved.
“Heh, here we go again.” Jiang Han struggled forcefully, but still could not break free.
“When I was in the Heavenly Dominion Sect, none of you treated me like a human being. I was just a toy you could bully at will. You say it nicely now, but if I really go back, I’ll probably be beaten again, my legs broken, and thrown at the foot of the mountain to crawl back on my own.”
“No! That won’t happen! I promise, it won’t!” Mo Qiushuang shook her head frantically.
“Ha! You think I would still believe you?” Jiang Han’s gaze turned icy.
“Move aside! This is the Purple Firmament Sword Sect, not your Heavenly Dominion Sect. If you dare touch me here, are you trying to start a war between the two sects?”
The coldness in his eyes chilled Mo Qiushuang’s heart more than death itself.
How could Jiang Han speak to her like this? She had watched him grow up. How could he be so merciless?
Jiang Han struggled fiercely. This time, Mo Qiushuang did not exert force, and he easily broke free.
She wanted to grab him again, but she did not dare. She was afraid of making him even more displeased.
“I truly want to take you back, Jiang Han. Give me a chance. I will prove it to you. I will take good care of you. I will never beat you again.”
“Don’t think I don’t know!” Jiang Han shouted coldly.
“Not beating me now doesn’t mean you won’t in the future. Even if you don’t, it doesn’t mean others won’t!”
“Mo Qiushuang, the same trick only works once. How many more times do you think you can fool me?”
“When you joined them in framing me, did you feel even a trace of guilt? When I helped you clear distracting thoughts and stabilize your Dao heart, did you feel even a shred of gratitude?”
“Mo Qiushuang, stop deceiving yourself.” His voice was cold.
“You are someone without emotion, selfish and self-serving. Stop pretending you’re doing this for my good.”
Jiang Han looked at her tearful face and said softly, “To be honest, seeing you like this makes me feel disgusted.”