Mortal: Junior Sister Song Yu

Within the secret realm of Yunmeng, lies the hemlock forest.

As dusk settles, the last rays of the setting sun are dappled with light and shadow by the towering ancient trees, falling on the humus-covered soil covered with hemlock needles.

This hemlock forest, located in the southeast corner of the secret realm, is shrouded in thick fog all year round. The spiritual energy is so rich that it is almost viscous, and every breath carries a faint scent of pine.

However, at this moment, the air was filled with a pungent smell and violent demonic energy, shattering the original tranquility.

The three-zhang-tall demonic ape stood in the forest, casting a shadow as large as a small mountain over Li Xiao and Song Yu.

This second-tier demonic beast was covered in dark golden fur, each hair standing upright like a steel needle, gleaming with a metallic luster in the setting sun.

Its eyes were as red as a blood moon, and its exposed fangs exhaled spiritual pressure that only a Foundation Establishment cultivator could possess. With each breath, it formed a tangible vortex of air.

It pounded its chest with both fists, producing a thunderous roar like a drumbeat. The sound waves vibrated so much that the hemlock trees within a radius of a hundred feet rustled their leaves, and even fine cracks appeared on their thick trunks.

"Senior brother, this demonic ape's defense is astonishing; my attacks can't harm her."

Song Yu's voice was solemn as she leaped onto a book beside her. She had just attacked the demonic ape from behind with the Ice Soul Needle, but it hadn't done any damage.

"This demonic ape is equivalent to a cultivator at the peak of the early Foundation Establishment stage. It is incredibly strong, with skin of copper and bones of iron, and can also use the Vajra Indestructible Divine Power. According to records, an adult demonic ape can even tear apart a level two demonic beast, the Ink Dragon."

Li Xiao pointed his Tang sword diagonally, the golden light at the tip flickering like a venomous snake's tongue: "I sensed it. This beast's spiritual pressure is more than ten times stronger than that of the Tribulation Cultivator leader of Black Wind Ridge."

He took a deep breath, and his internal magical power spun wildly. Thirteen drops of liquid magical power boiled in his dantian, surging through his meridians like magma.

"Junior sister, proceed according to plan. I'll keep it occupied for now, and you find an opportunity to set up the formation. Remember, this beast is very alert; you mustn't let it detect any fluctuations in your formation."

"Senior brother, be careful!"

Song Yu gave a word of advice, then floated back another thirty feet. With a flick of her jade fingers, the eight array flags silently disappeared into the surrounding void, leaving not even a ripple of spiritual energy.

Her mastery of formations has reached a state of perfection, and her formation-setting technique is several times faster than it was three years ago.

The demonic ape seemed to sense the threat, roared, and its mountain-sized body shot forward like an arrow.

With each step it took, the ground blasted open a crater several feet deep, and rubble flew like cannonballs.

The giant palm, as big as a fan, was accompanied by a blue gale and slammed down. Before the palm wind even arrived, the hemlock trees around Li Xiao were already bent over!

The Legend of the Wild Geese!

Li Xiao touched the ground with his toes, and his figure instantly turned into a wisp of green smoke.

Instead of retreating, he glided along the edge of the palm strike like a wild goose skimming the water, and his Tang sword slashed at the demon ape's wrist joint at the last second.

The blade struck the hair, producing a metallic clang and sparks that burst forth like fireworks in the twilight.

"Such hard hair!" Li Xiao was secretly shocked. This casual slash was enough to cut through ordinary steel, but it only left a white mark on the demon ape's wrist, without even breaking the skin.

The demonic ape, in pain, became even more enraged.

Its other arm swept across, like an iron pillar in the air, and the strong wind it generated snapped three hemlocks, each as thick as a person's embrace, in half, sending wood chips flying everywhere.

The attack covered too wide an area, leaving Li Xiao with no way to dodge it and forcing him to take it head-on.

A whirlwind cleaves through the golden blade, a whirlwind sweeps away the remaining clouds!

He let out a low shout, and his spiritual power surged violently, with 30% of his liquid mana burning away at the same time.

The golden-red light of the Tang sword surged, transforming into a dense curtain of blades that collided violently with the demonic ape's arm.

Boom!

The air surged and swept outwards like a raging tide.

Li Xiao flew backwards like a kite with a broken string, his tiger's mouth split open, and blood dripped down the hilt of the knife.

He barely managed to steady himself after crashing through two hemlock trees. His blood surged, and a sweet taste rose in his throat. He forced the blood back down.

"Senior brother!" Song Yu exclaimed, his magic sword trembling as he unleashed a sword aura towards the back of the demonic ape's neck, attempting to relieve the siege by attacking from the rear.

Don't get distracted!

Li Xiao shouted sharply, "Continue setting up the formation! I can hold out!"

He forcefully suppressed his injuries, pushed the Wild Goose Technique to its limit, and his figure created several afterimages in the forest that were difficult to distinguish from reality.

The demonic ape roared repeatedly, its fists raining down like a storm, but each time it only struck afterimages, creating deep craters in the ground.

Li Xiao moved like a ghost among the fist shadows, his Tang sword occasionally unleashing a blade of light, specifically targeting the demonic ape's relatively weak points such as its eyes, throat, and armpits.

Each strike embodied his twenty-five years of swordsmanship cultivation; the sword light was so solid that it even left a lingering trace in the air.

This entanglement may seem simple, but it is actually extremely dangerous.

Although the demonic ape was not as fast as Li Xiao, its attack range was too large, with each strike covering an area of ​​several feet in radius.

Li Xiao had to push his divine sense to its limit to anticipate the demonic ape's movements; the slightest mistake would result in his being shattered to pieces.

His clothes were torn in the wind by the punches, and his cheeks were scratched by flying stone fragments.

"The first one, due east." Song Yu's voice came, calm as ice, as if the fierce battle before her had nothing to do with her.

Li Xiao's eyes narrowed, and his swordplay suddenly changed, shifting from a light and agile approach to a violent and forceful attack.

The Gale-Splitting Golden Blade - Howling Gale! He held nothing back, burning more than half of his mana. The blade's light cleaved out like a tangible force, leaving a foot-long bloodstain on the demonic ape's chest. Dark golden blood seeped out, carrying a faint bloody smell.

They finally broke through!

The demonic ape roared in pain, its body radiating a brilliant golden light that blinded people.

It unleashed its innate supernatural power—indestructibility!

Its fur stood upright like steel needles, and its skin shone with a metallic luster, instantly tripling its defensive capabilities. Even blades could only leave shallow marks when they struck it.

"The second one, from the southwest," Song Yu said again, his voice still steady, but fine beads of sweat had already seeped from his forehead.

Setting up such a trap requires a lot of spiritual energy, and maintaining the positions of the eight array flags is also a huge burden for her.

Li Xiao gritted his teeth, retreated rapidly, and at the same time threw out ten purchased Blazing Flame Talismans from his storage bag.

Boom boom boom!

Ten fireballs exploded on the demon ape's face, sending flames soaring into the sky.

Although it couldn't actually hurt it, it successfully enraged it, causing its eyes to be temporarily blinded by the firelight.

It rampaged wildly in the direction of Li Xiao, smashing through seven or eight hemlock trees and sending wood chips flying everywhere.

"The third one, from the Northwest."

"The fourth one, Southeast."

Song Yu's voice grew faster and faster as her hands moved like butterflies flitting among flowers, precisely inserting each array flag into a specific location in the void.

With each drop, the surrounding spiritual energy surged, and an invisible array slowly took shape, resonating with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth.

The demonic ape seemed to sense something was wrong, and suddenly stopped its pursuit, looking around warily.

Its instincts as a level-two demon beast made it sense a deadly danger, and its crude intelligence told it that it had to interrupt the human female cultivator's actions.

"Roar!" It suddenly turned around, abandoning Li Xiao and heading straight for Song Yu!

"You beast, your opponent is me!" Li Xiao roared, instantly releasing the aura of his perfected thirteenth level Qi Refining stage, like a torch in the night, attracting the attention of the demonic ape.

His entire body was burning with magical power, and the golden-red light almost pierced through his body.

Golden Flame Blade Formation, activate!

This is a trapping formation he created based on his own swordsmanship. It uses the sword as the core of the formation and the burning golden fire magic power as the guide, which can trap the enemy for three breaths.

The ground cracked, and countless golden-red sword energies burst forth from the earth, trapping the demonic ape in place like a cage.

Although these sword energies could not break through the Vajra Indestructible Divine Power, they could temporarily immobilize it, as if it were stuck in a quagmire.

"Senior brother, retreat quickly!" Song Yujiao shouted.

Li Xiao drew his sword and retreated swiftly, his figure soaring into the sky like a wild goose, performing three somersaults in the air before landing steadily ten feet away.

He knelt on one knee, panting heavily; this attack had almost drained thirty percent of his magical power.

"The fifth one, due north!"

"The sixth one, due south!"

"The seventh one, from Northeast China!"

"The eighth one, from the southwest!"

All eight array flags fell, and Song Yuyu pinched her fingers together, shouting sharply, "Illusory Water and Sky Array, activate!"

hum-

The void trembled, the eight array flags glowed simultaneously, and endless water vapor rose from the ground, instantly turning the area within a hundred feet into a misty world.

This formation was created by Song Yu based on the Ruoshui Divine Scripture and his self-taught trapping formations. It contains thirteen layers of illusions, each linked to the next, and can trap a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator for the time it takes for three incense sticks to burn.

The demonic ape roared as it charged out of the golden flame blade formation, only to find itself in a vast ocean.

The seawater was icy cold, and countless water dragons attacked from all directions, tearing at its body.

It punched wildly, shattering one water dragon after another, but the water dragons were endless, causing it to gradually lose its way and its sense of time.

This is of course an illusion, but its consciousness has been misled by the formation and it cannot perceive the real world.

"Senior brother, enter the formation!" Song Yu transmitted his voice.

Li Xiao nodded, and his figure flashed into the mist.

Wearing the Ice Heart Pendant, he was unaffected by the illusion and could clearly see the location of the demonic ape, even the flow of spiritual energy within its body.

The demonic ape, however, looked around blankly like a blind man, swinging its fists wildly in place, smashing only illusions.

"Junior sister, prepare the talisman." Li Xiao transmitted his voice.

"Senior brother, everything is ready."

A crystal-clear jade talisman appeared in Song Yu's hand; it was the talisman Elder Zhao had given Song Yu for self-defense—the Xuan Shui Zhen Long Sword.

There is a tiny crack on the surface of the talisman, indicating that it has been used once and can be used twice more.

This talisman can unleash a Xuan Shui Zhen Long attack comparable to a full-force strike from a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, but activation takes time and consumes a great deal of resources.

Li Xiao took a deep breath and burned the liquid magic power in his body to its limit, even producing a boiling effect, forming a golden-red storm in his dantian.

He gripped the sword with both hands, the tips pointing diagonally to the sky, his aura rising steadily, his robes fluttering even without wind.

The ultimate technique of the Gale-Splitting Golden Blade—Golden Flame Slash!

This strike embodies twenty-five years of swordsmanship cultivation, three hundred and sixty-five days of arduous practice with a thousand swings of the sword each day, and the ultimate burst of power combining the attributes of metal and fire.

Before the knife was even drawn, the surrounding air seemed to be torn apart, emitting a sharp whistling sound.

The blade was covered in a tapestry of golden and red light, forming a miniature golden-red dragon that coiled and roared.

As if sensing something, the demonic ape suddenly turned its head, its crimson eyes fixed on where Li Xiao was.

It roared and forcibly broke free from part of the illusion's restraints, bringing its fists together to attack Li Xiao!

His fists slammed into the ground like Thor's hammers, and the azure energy spread like ripples, causing the earth to crack and the illusions to shatter layer by layer, even making the formation slightly unstable.

"Now!" Li Xiao and Song Yu shouted at the same time.

Li Xiao unleashed a slash!

A golden-red blade of light shot into the sky, transforming into a giant blade ten feet long, which cleaved down like divine punishment.

With this strike, he burned ninety percent of his mana, and its power was enough to threaten a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator!

The demonic ape roared and raised its arms to block, but the golden-red blade light struck the Vajra Indestructible Divine Power, producing a deafening roar and sparks flying everywhere.

The two sides were locked in a stalemate. Although the blade was sharp, it could not completely break through the defense and was gradually worn down.

"Fu Bao, go!"

Song Yujiao shouted, and the jade talisman exploded, transforming into a thirty-zhang-long Xuan Shui True Dragon.

The dragon's roar shook the heavens, and the true dragon circled once, actually merging with Li Xiao's Golden Flame Slash!

The Golden Flame Slash belongs to fire, while the Mysterious Water True Dragon belongs to water; the two are inherently incompatible.

However, Li Xiao and Song Yu had spent eighteen years together, and their magical powers were already familiar with each other's aura and fluctuations.

The ferocity of the Golden Flame Slash was calmed by the Xuan Shui, and the gentleness of the Xuan Shui True Dragon was stimulated by the Golden Flame. The water and fire complemented each other, producing an incredible chemical reaction.

"Water and fire share the same origin; yin and yang complement each other!"

The golden-red blade light instantly transformed into white-gold, and the temperature changed from extremely hot to extremely cold, and then from extremely cold to extremely hot, repeating this cycle nine times.

With each cycle, the power doubles!

This is the way of Yin and Yang, the ultimate principle of heaven and earth, and the sublimation of the tacit understanding between two people!

The demonic ape finally showed fear, but it was too late.

The platinum-gold blade light sliced ​​through the Vajra Indestructible Divine Power as easily as cutting tofu, severing its blocking arms, and finally cleaved it in two from the top of its head!

"boom!"

The blade's momentum had not yet dissipated, leaving a crack on the ground that was tens of feet long and bottomless.

At the edge of the crack, frost and charred blackness coexisted, half frozen and half burned, showing the terror and mystery of this attack.

The massive body of the demon ape split in two and fell, its blood gushing out like a fountain, staining the hemlock forest red.

Li Xiao staggered to the ground, his face as pale as paper. He knelt on one knee and used his knife to support himself so that he could barely stand.

This attack almost drained all his magical power, leaving him with only a trace of it, which would take several days to fully recover.

Song Yu hurriedly stepped forward to support him, channeling his magical power into his body as if it were free, to calm his disordered breathing.

Her hands were cold, but her eyes were burning.

"Senior brother, how are you?" Her voice trembled, full of worry.

"I'm fine!" Li Xiao grinned, blood still lingering at the corner of his mouth. "I'm just a little exhausted. Your talisman is so powerful, you should have used it sooner. You made me work so hard for nothing."

"Idiot!"

Song Yu was both angry and anxious. "This talisman can only be used three times, and each use reduces its lifespan. If the demonic ape weren't so powerful, I wouldn't be willing to part with it, hmph!"

She took out healing pills and fed them to Li Xiao, then tore off a piece of white silk from the hem of her skirt to bandage the ruptured wound on his hand.

The movements were gentle, the gaze focused, as if they were bandaging the most precious treasure in the world.

Looking at her face so close to his, with fine beads of sweat still clinging to her long eyelashes, Li Xiao felt a warmth in his heart.

He gently wiped away a drop of blood that had splattered on her cheek and said softly, "Junior Sister, we won."

"Um!"

Song Yu smiled broadly, like ice and snow melting, "We won."

At this moment, in the gentle twilight of the hemlock forest, the two looked at each other and smiled.