Reality didn't give Yu Xiaotang a moment to think.
Her protective talismans kept shattering under the relentless assault, each crack making her heart sink a little more. She'd thought that once she broke the enemy's invisibility, her mid-Foundation cultivation and numerous talismans would be enough to kill them—after all, who'd be strong enough to sneak attack with an invisibility talisman?
She never expected the unfamiliar male cultivator's strength to be far above hers!
And those four bizarre beast souls were even harder to handle. Their phasing ability made most of her attacks miss, while every strike from him aimed straight for her vital points!
"Hold on, Daoyou!" Yu Xiaotang shouted, retreating fast to try and ease the situation. "We don't have to fight to the death! How about splitting the Purple Cloud Ginseng? You get half, I get half. You're sneaking around too, so I'm sure you don't want anyone else to know, right?"
She forced calm into her voice and continued, "I'm the Hehuan Sect's young sect master. Killing me won't help you at all, it'll just bring trouble. Let's cooperate, share the spirit herb, and I can even give you some extra compensation…"
But the only response was an even more vicious onslaught!
The four beast souls lunged like they'd gone mad, giving her no chance to finish a single sentence. Yu Xiaotang's heart raced with shock and fury. This person was completely impervious to reason! She'd already lowered herself and offered generous terms, and he didn't even care!
Even worse, his attacks were growing fiercer, seemingly determined to kill her.
This made no sense—even a demon cultivator would hesitate when facing the Hehuan Sect's young sect master. In the cultivation world, unspoken rules existed. Even during all-out battles between humans and demons, the core heirs—like young sect leaders or direct disciples—were usually spared, to avoid full-scale war.
Killing a regular disciple might trigger a local conflict, but killing a sect heir could ignite a sect-wide bloodbath. Even the cruelest demons adhered to this line. No one wanted a full-scale war—it'd benefit no one. Yet this demon cultivator disregarded all rules, striking with lethal intent at every move. She was going insane!
"You… don't care about triggering a full-scale war between our clans?!" Yu Xiaotang gritted out as she fought to defend herself, trying one last gamble to intimidate him. "If you kill me, Hehuan Sect will never let it go! Even the demon clan won't be able to save you!"
The assault didn't let up, his icy eyes flashing with derision.
Yu Xiaotang finally realized the terrifying truth: he didn't care about clan wars or sect retaliation. He simply wanted her dead.
"Who… who are you?" she gasped, narrowly dodging a lethal strike. "Is this some kind of misunderstanding?"
Xie Zhaolin remained silent, her attacks growing even sharper. She sneered coldly in her mind. "Misunderstanding? From the moment you tried to take my life, it's been nothing but kill or be killed!"
Seeing that he ignored her, a spike of genuine fear hit Yu Xiaotang. If she died here, it'd all be over. Even if the sect avenged her, what would that change?
A dead person gains nothing. Living mattered most. Her eyes hardened. If he was determined to kill her, she wouldn't hold back either. She rapidly retreated, swiftly dismantling the soundproofing array she'd initially set up—this was why no one outside had noticed their fight until now.
But just as she tried to escape the battlefield for help, she slammed into an invisible barrier with a bang!
Her pupils shrank. She stared in disbelief at the shimmering shield. This… this was a barrier that man had set! When? She hadn't sensed it at all!
Before she could react, Xie Zhaolin struck again, shattering another protective talisman.
Mad rage flared in Yu Xiaotang's eyes. If he wouldn't let her escape, no one would get the Purple Cloud Ginseng!
She bit her finger, drawing a drop of blood. Forming a quick hand seal, her blood transformed into a flash of red energy, temporarily forcing back Xie Zhaolin and the four beast souls!
Seizing the fleeting moment, she didn't hesitate. She pulled out a crimson bead—a one-time explosive artifact called the Blazing Fire Orb. Not precious, but enough to destroy the Purple Cloud Ginseng.
"Die!"
She shouted, hurling the orb toward the herb. At the same time, she tore a precious escape talisman and blurred into motion, vanishing hundreds of miles away!
Boom!
The deafening explosion shook the valley violently. Smoke and dust filled the air, and a deep crater formed where the Purple Cloud Ginseng had been. Yet as the dust cleared, the herb stood intact, perfectly unharmed. Only a few shattered Shisha spider puppets lay scattered nearby. These puppets had formed a living wall, absorbing the blast's force.
Xie Zhaolin watched Yu Xiaotang's escape coldly, not pursuing. She'd anticipated this rash move and had pre-set the Shisha spider puppets to guard the Purple Cloud Ginseng.
In truth, she'd never planned to kill Yu Xiaotang. Not that she didn't want to—she simply couldn't. With that mysterious Xi Tong in play, Yu Xiaotang surely had a hidden life-saving measure. More importantly, Hua Qiluo likely left a contingency on her too—a Divine Transformation-level strike ready if cornered.
Back when Xie Zhaolin was a young sect master, she'd carried similar protections herself. If she forced Yu Xiaotang to a desperate strike, she might die—though Xie Zhaolin herself would certainly perish too. She had no chance to use the Soul Splitting Rebirth Art again. And she needed Yu Xiaotang alive as a scapegoat. Once others discovered the missing Purple Cloud Ginseng, Yu Xiaotang would be the first suspect.
A cold smile curved Xie Zhaolin's lips. "Good junior sister, you'll carry this blame perfectly."
She turned back to the nearly mature Purple Cloud Ginseng, her eyes burning with intensity. As for Yu Xiaotang… she could live a little longer. Once Xie Zhaolin was strong enough to withstand that mysterious Xi Tong and a Divine Transformation strike, she'd deal with her properly.
Carefully harvesting the Purple Cloud Ginseng, she suddenly heard the sounds of battle rushing closer.
Clearly, the explosion had alerted all the factions in the melee.