Chapter 761: One Move, Two Strikes |
Ming Yue looked at it before channeling more power into it but the Ascetic was quick to act, pushing her off with his other hand. This invisible force practically smashed her back, tossing her several meters back.
She stabbed Blood Moon into the ground, slowing her fall.
Once recovered, the young cultivator stood up and faced the Ascetic, waving her swords to the side.
"Close but that wasn't enough to get past my Heavenly Domain", he told her.
Standing face to face, Ming Yue just stared in silence, thinking of her next move.
"I'm already using Pale Moon and I'm practically burning through all of my energy. What should I do?" she thought.
Frankly speaking, she was already in her strongest state and there wasn't much else she could use.
"I can feel my progression towards the Lunar Storm Sword Art moving along but that won't be enough. The gap between us is far too wide but if I can overcome his Heavenly Domain, even for a second. If that strike wasn't enough, the next one just needs to be stronger."
"Belief, Mindset, the Dao... The next strike, I will cut through his Heavenly Domain."
She muttered this to herself, believing in those words.
Taking in a deep breath, the young cultivator focused on the battle at hand. She thought of only one thing, cutting through the Ascetic's defense.
But was such a thing possible? Could someone like her cut down an expert of the Heaven Realm? Could it be the miracle that Elder Huang mentioned before?
The Ascetic seemed to react, his expression grew wary as he clearly felt a change within her.
"Hmph I should end this."
He moved forward but stopped almost immediately, struggling to lift his hand up.
"This... what is this? A formation?!"
The ground beneath him suddenly glowed as his arms and legs were shackled down by ethereal white chains. If that weren't enough, Eight beams of light suddenly shot down from the sky to the ground, transforming into an octagonal ring that caged him in.
Both Elder Xiang and Elder Hua had a look of surprise before smiling as they realized what had happened.
"The Heaven's Skyguard! They must've finished setting up the formation!"
They looked up at the sky, seeing that Zhu Xie's ship was long gone. The Skyguard left as quickly as they came, doing what they needed to do and not wasting a second.
"Quick, let's finish this!"
The two elders nodded to each other before charging at the Ascetic. But rather than attack, they restrained him even further, forcing him to touch the ground.
"No! Why would you do this?! Do you not seek the path of the Immortal?! You would dare rob humanity of a chance to reach the Immortal Realm once again? When was the last time someone has reached that level of power?! And do you think a thousand years is enough for people of our caliber? Only immortality can satisfy that!"
He started barking words at them, no longer was he able to keep himself calm and collected.
Only then did Elder Shen's words ring true.
The Ascetic didn't seem like the same person as he was, perhaps this was his true personality. With his desire for power, for longevity, it was easy to see that he was not as detached from the world as he seemed.
He glanced up at the two elders before looking at Ming Yue, who had already taken a stance. Her legs were ever so slightly bent as she wielded both Blood Moon and the Black Blade together.*
They were both pointed forward while she looked straight into his eyes. She seemed like an executioner at this very moment, raising her swords a bit high.
"You! It's useless. Even with this formation, it has not crippled me yet! It only binds me down. Your swords won't get through to me, not through my Heavenly Domain!" he shouted, trying to break her concentration and break free from this trap.
Both weapons of hers started to glow, the howling was replaced by the quiet hum of power.
"Cutting everything in one strike."
She breathed out and took a step forward, vanishing right as her foot touched the ground.
Everyone could hear the ringing of her swords. It was harmonious, different from the howling and shrieking from before.
It was one move but two strikes. The first was the Black Blade, cutting through the physical plane. The Ascetic's Heavenly Domain could not hold against such an attack, splitting apart and revealing a dark void. His body was sliced down the waist, split into two pieces. The second was Waning Moon but it was slightly different.
This iridescent arc of energy took on a silvery red hue. And though the Ascetic's body had already been sliced, this strike seemed to target his very core, severing it.
Both swords spun and the black and silvery, red light produced a beautiful image. The contrast in color was striking.
The next moment, Ming Yue appeared behind the Ascetic, turning around to look at him. She saw the result of her attack, staring at her enemy's frozen body.
As the light slowly dissipated and the energy dispersed, all that was left was the Ascetic and the formation that tied him down.
Elder Xiang and Elder Hua still had their weapons on him but they lifted them, taking several steps back and joining Ming Yue's side.
Suddenly, the Ascetic's body trembled and shook before coughing blood. Despite such a devastating strike, a Heaven Realm Cultivator's vitality was not to be underestimated.
He was still alive.
His breathing was weak and his body was beginning to crumble away. As he looked over his shoulder, staring at the trio with a pair of dead eyes.
"Heh, this is the end, is it?" he muttered, coughing several more times.
Trying to turn around, the Ascetic just fell instead, but his eyes were glued to Ming Yue.
"Over a thousand years of searching and this is where my journey ends. Heh, was he right? Was my desire of reaching the Immortal Realm the very thing that stopped me? How ironic."
He chuckled as the color drained from his face.
"You, do you know what sort of girl you have in your possession? Is her origin Heavenly or Demonic? I could understand how you were able to break through my Heavenly Domain. But for the Mountain of Clouds to be completely ignored by her. How is it even possible for a child whose barely even cultivated?" he asked.
Despite his questioning, Ming Yue ignored it. She only looked at him coldly, watching as his body disintegrated into dust.
"Hah, I wonder if someone will be able to reach the Immortal Realm once more. If not, perhaps we are doomed."
Those were his last words before he was completely gone.
The young woman furrowed her brows after hearing those last words.
"What did he mean by that?" she wondered.
"With this, Redmist Sanctuary truly is no more", said Elder Xiang.
Ming Yue nodded.
There was a strange well of emotions within her. One part of her felt relief, after all, she was finally done with this. But at the same time, there was a sense of dread. Not just for the words that the Ascetic said but for the consequences of her actions.
"Hm, I may have gained all this power but... I only have a hundred years to live. Is that enough to reach the Heaven Realm?"
Ultimately, she was worried.
Only when she felt a hand on her shoulder did she stop thinking of such things.
Elder Hua was by her side with a warm smile.
"Let's go back to the Reticent Fortress. The others should be there safe and sound!"
Ming Yue nodded and smiled.
"Right, let's go."
