Chapter Seventy-Five: Crisis and Opportunity

“Stop thinking about useless things and hurry up, take the little fool and run inside. If someone else gets the item, your trip will be for nothing,” the Crimson Flame Sword Spirit snapped impatiently.

Looking around, she realized everyone else had vanished, leaving only Ning Mofei close by, his eyes fixed intently on the depths of the gray space. Yu Youwei quickly pushed away all distracting thoughts, took out her flying shuttle, but found it wouldn’t start. Left with no choice, she put her arm around Ning Mofei and ran forward.

“Look over there, Youwei!” Ning Mofei suddenly shouted. But there was no need for his warning—Yu Youwei had already seen the beam of light snaking out from deep within the gray mist, swaying boldly and arrogantly against the gray curtain above.

In this eerie space, their magical powers were suppressed, so it took Yu Youwei nearly half an hour to bring Ning Mofei to the side of the bamboo shoot-shaped peak, where the beam of light met the mountainside. All those who had entered the Nether Emperor’s fortress had gathered here, and the place was silent as death.

On the gray curtain, the bamboo-shaped peak carried the beam of light like a blazing torch. The magical power within everyone’s bodies was unknowingly drawn toward that torch.

“Tell the little fool to grab that torch—that’s the hilt of the Soul Devourer Sword! With the hilt, it’ll be much easier for him to control the sword!” The Crimson Flame Sword Spirit, an ancient monster of unknown age, immediately recognized the giant torch for what it was and sighed, “Truly, fortune favors the foolish.”

With all these powerful people lurking, for her and Ning Mofei alone to seize the torch seemed like utter folly. Yu Youwei meant to say it was impossible, but when she opened her mouth, the words that came out were, “Mofei, go seize that torch.”

“Oh!” Simple as ever, Ning Mofei rolled up his sleeves and dashed ahead.

Everyone seemed dazed, so the two of them squeezed to the very front. The moment they broke free of the crowd and charged up the mountain, the previously quiet masses erupted into chaos, surging madly up the slope.

Those closest to the mountain were split into two camps—orthodox and demonic—each further divided into a dozen smaller factions, all made up of elite disciples. As chaos broke out, both sides sent half their people to block off the waves of newcomers behind them.

The faster people rushed from the rear, the faster they died; blood flowed in rivers, only to be instantly evaporated by the gray mist, leaving bodies shriveled and dry. Yet this horrifying sight did not deter those behind—they pressed forward relentlessly, desperate to reach the peak.

While the rear fell into chaos, the front was a brutal melee. The two main camps attacked each other to prevent anyone from reaching the summit first; mutually restraining each other, neither managed to surge ahead, giving Ning Mofei the chance to climb ever higher. Yu Youwei followed at his heels, vigilant, until they reached halfway up the mountain and encountered their first attacker.

From the demonic camp, a short, stout man suddenly leapt up, darted forward in a flash, and swung his axe straight at Yu Youwei. The axe whistled through the air with terrifying force, but Yu Youwei evaded with a graceful “phoenix nod,” her Crimson Flame Sword erupting in a scarlet blaze. A shriek followed—the man’s head flew off, and a fountain of blood spurted from his neck, only to be instantly dried up.

Yu Youwei was briefly stunned, but the Crimson Flame Sword Spirit barked gruffly, “Snap out of it! My soul is damaged; I can’t keep fighting for long. Do you have any soul-replenishing pills? If you do, hurry up and take some, and pass the energy to me.” She grimaced, took out a bottle of third-grade Soul Nourishing Pills, and swallowed three in one go.

“That’s not nearly enough! They’re like candy beans!” the sword spirit complained.

Gritting her teeth, she swallowed the remaining six pills, then dumped a whole bottle of fifth-grade Soul Restoration Pills into her mouth. “That’s all the soul-replenishing medicine I have. Hold on as best you can,” she said mentally.

“You’re really down on your luck. How did Qingshuang and that little bear cub end up with someone like you?” the sword spirit grumbled, but still did its work. Four or five people from both camps simultaneously charged up the mountain—two pairs fell into fierce combat, while the rest pressed on, only for the two at the front to be killed or wounded by the Crimson Flame Sword’s flare.

Under the magical suppression of the gray space, only Yu Youwei and Ning Mofei, plus a handful of other high-level cultivators, could even make it up the slope. That such experts were struck down by a single blow from the Crimson Flame Sword was astonishing. To avoid drawing attention to the sword, Yu Youwei tossed out formation-engraved spirit stones, then turned and sprinted for the summit.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of explosions ripped through the gray mist, dazzling light tearing open the space, sending black ripples shuddering through the air. Two unlucky combatants were swallowed by the shockwaves.

“At the very top—that’s Senior Brother Ning!” a shout of wild joy rose from the orthodox camp at the foot of the mountain.

Elder Ma from the Immortal Dawn Sect, who had spoken on the plaza before and was now intercepted by a Killer Alliance expert halfway up the slope, heard the shout and immediately ordered his disciples to assist Hero Ning.

By this point, Ning Mofei was only a few steps from the summit. Suddenly, a shadow burst forth below, bypassing Elder Ma and the two masters above, and raced toward the peak.

Yu Youwei saw it just as the shadow reached her, flinging a palm strike that radiated deadly intent. The Crimson Flame Sword’s glow instantly dimmed within the palm’s shadow; the sword spirit grunted and fell silent. Qingshuang’s green light flashed up to form a shield, but it, too, vanished in an instant. Is this the end? she thought, unwilling.

“Then let’s perish together!” Yu Youwei’s thought summoned a formation-engraved spirit stone to her hand, which she detonated without hesitation.

“What a fierce little girl!” the shadow laughed, changing the force of its palm to sweep up the explosion and toss it off the peak. The mountainside shook with thunderous blasts.

By now, Elder Ma had dispatched his opponent and charged forward, his sword slashing at the shadow. Where sword light and palm shadow met, his gentle voice rang out amid the thunder, “I’ve long heard the elusive leader of the Killer Alliance is a figure of creation itself. Today I am fortunate indeed to witness your true face.”

“If I truly wielded the power of creation, your Immortal Dawn Sect would be the first to fall,” the shadow replied with casual laughter.

While the two titans clashed, Yu Youwei, lucky to have survived, dashed low to the ground and quickly reached the summit.

Ning Mofei had seized the torch, his expression strangely rigid, frozen in place. When Yu Youwei came within ten paces, she sensed a warm energy pulsing around him. Her own stagnant magical power was stirred, flowing smoothly again, drawing that warmth inside without resistance, merging effortlessly with her own power.

All at once, her cultivation surged—mid Foundation Establishment, late Foundation Establishment, then peak Foundation, and breaking into Core Formation and beyond... The power kept rising, giving her a dizzying, almost intoxicating sense of strength.

Suddenly, the little white bear in her Beast Command Token awoke, shouting in panic, “Suppress your cultivation! The lower you suppress it, the higher you’ll reach!”