The moment Murong Jin's words faded, lightning struck the cliff, sending a shower of rock and fire cascading down.
Sayatu started. He wiped the rain from his brow, disbelief flickering across his face, and stared back at her.
"The five elements give birth to one another, and they destroy one another. That, Sayatu, is the law of heaven," she said, leveling her spear with a cold smile. "This rain will destroy your formation. What now? Isn't it time for you to die?"
"Don't get ahead of yourself," he snarled, and vanished from the clifftop.
Before her surprise could fade, she sensed two figures approaching. One impossibly fast, the other slow and heavy. From the swirling mist to her right, a colossal shape emerged—a moving mountain of muscle and fury, his shadow falling over her.
Her warhorse shrieked, rearing so violently it nearly threw her. She pulled hard on the reins, but the horse was mad with fear.
Letting go, she launched herself from the stirrups. Spear in hand, she landed on a rocky outcrop.
A flash of cold light. Pain lanced through her arm, and her spear clattered to the ground. She fell.
Clutching her wound, she looked up. On the outcrop, on a space no bigger than her hand, stood a woman in violet robes, a cold smile on her face.
One impossibly light, the other impossibly heavy. Who taught the Yanyun these secrets? This formation… it belongs to Chengyan Valley. She gritted her teeth, stood, and drew the soft sword from her belt.
The giant looked at the woman. The woman looked back.
The rain fell harder, kicking up mist. Murong Jin stood motionless, her hand clamped around her hilt, rain plastering her hair to her face.
The giant lumbered forward and swung a massive iron hammer at her head.
Not good. She leaped, flipping in mid-air. But as she landed, the woman's blade found her shoulder. She was driven back, pinned against the rock face.
Blood ran down her arm, staining her sword. Even the rain dripping from its tip was red.
"The Yin-Yang Harmony," Murong Jin bit out. One of the four forbidden arts of Chengyan Valley. How had it ended up here?
No time to think. She swung her sword. Steel met steel with a shower of sparks. With a sharp crack, the woman's sword broke—one half still in her hand, the other embedded in Murong Jin's shoulder.
"Hmph. You thought the two of you could defend this? Sayatu miscalculated." She ripped the broken blade from her shoulder and pointed her sword at them. "The arts of the Central Plains are vast. You've only seen a glimpse, and yet you are so arrogant. Today, I'll show you true swordsmanship."
The soft blade in her hand was no longer yielding. It was a straight, hard line of steel, a silver snake striking, slicing even the raindrops in two.
She ignored the giant, focusing all her attacks on the woman. The giant was a distraction. The woman was the real threat.
The woman in violet sidestepped, her feet seeming to glide as she moved to the giant's side, impossibly still.
"Impressive," Murong Jin sneered. She took a breath, coiling for another attack, but a sharp pain lanced through her stomach. A warm rush surged up her throat. Before she could cover her mouth. A spray of dark, fragrant blood erupted from her lips.
"You've been poisoned," the woman said, her voice a low whisper. "And exerting your energy has only quickened it. Today, Murong Jin, you will die."
Murong Jin wiped the blood from her mouth and forced herself to stand. "Is that so? Chengyan Valley is a righteous sect. I never thought they'd produce scum like you."
"Scum?" the woman shrieked with laughter. "Compared to your dynasty, the Yanyun have much more to offer."
The giant let out a few dull chuckles.
Murong Jin bit her lip. It was almost noon. If she could kill these two, the formation would break. But she was poisoned. Her chances were no better than fifty-fifty.
Suddenly, war drums thundered from outside the formation. The din of battle. Li has ordered the attack?
"Then today, I'll clean house for Chengyan Valley," she said, her voice filled with a grim resolve. If she couldn't win, she would take them down with her.
In the mist, she sensed a presence—calm, deliberate, unlike the rest.
"I think that's a favor they can do without," a lazy voice said from behind them. Murong Jin froze. Another one?
The woman and the giant stared in shock as a figure walked out of the mist. Dressed in black, a three-foot sword in his hand, its blade drinking the light.
But Murong Jin couldn't see his face. He moved too fast, using the legendary skill of Chengyan Valley—Walking on Snow without a Trace.
"S-Senior Brother?" The look on the woman's face was no longer shock. It was pure, primal fear.
"You've caused me quite a bit of trouble. It's time I fulfilled our master's wish." The man's voice wasn't cold, but it sent a chill down her spine.
Murong Jin clutched her shoulder. The voice was familiar. She took a few steps forward, and when she saw his face, she gasped.
It was Staff Officer Li.
"You're a disciple of Chengyan Valley?" she blurted out.
"Staff Officer Li?" the woman shrieked with laughter. "Senior Brother, you won't even show her your real face? How interesting."
Murong Jin's eyes darted from the woman back to Li.
"You betrayed our sect. You stole our forbidden arts. Today, you die." He didn't look at Murong Jin. His sword was pointed at the woman. "For the sake of our past, I'll allow you to take your own life."
"Take my own life? You were born a noble. How could you ever understand? Everything you have, you were born with. No matter how hard we try, we are nothing but dust beneath your feet. You have no right to tell us to die." She sneered. "Since you won't let us live, then you'll have to face us."
He just laughed softly. "You're no match for me. And I know how to break the Yin-Yang Harmony. Why bother?"
"Even if I die, I will not be looked down upon by you," she hissed, and lunged, her blade aimed for Murong Jin.
"Careful." Li pulled Murong Jin back, shielding her with his body as he parried the blade aimed for his own chest.
The woman hesitated for a fraction of a second. It was all he needed. He pressed his advantage, his internal energy shattering her guard. With a flick of his wrist, his blade grazed her cheek, severing a lock of her hair.
The black silk drifted to the ground. She stared at him, her eyes full of a strange desolation.
"If she hadn't appeared, I would have thought you were incapable of love. So, you aren't heartless, Senior Brother. Your heart just had nowhere to go." Tears streamed down her face. The giant walked to her side, his hand hovering.
Li looked away. "It has come to this. There is nothing more to say."
"If I die," she asked, standing tall, "will you remember me?"
"No," he answered, clean and sharp, turning his blade toward her once more.
Murong Jin watched, and in a flash, she understood. So this is love.
The woman threw herself onto his sword. The cold steel pierced her chest. And as the giant let out a heart-wrenching roar, Murong Jin heard her final, venomous curse.
"Xue Liulan, even if the heavens favor you, they will not let you end in peace."