Chapter 266: Chapter 266: Detached Radiant Sword, Jian Ruyi (6)

Everywhere she went, all she saw was battle and blood.

Right now, the night in the Heavenly Sword Sect seemed to burn bright… red, as screams and shouts lingered everywhere.

But as expected of the battle-hardened Heavenly Sword Sect disciples, they retaliated fearlessly.

….However, fearlessness and bravery alone weren’t enough.

The gruesome sight of disciples and elders being devoured bloodily, one after another, continued without pause.

Jian Ruyi’s mother’s face darkened as she tightly held Jian Ruyi’s head against her chest, trying to muffle her ears from the horrifying sounds.

Suddenly, she saw a familiar face….one of her fellow disciples.

The woman’s legs were crushed as that mass of black flesh leaped onto her and bit down on her head.

Seeing a familiar face defeated and eaten so gruesomely, she gritted her teeth and pushed her movement technique to its limit.

But then—

Whoosh.

BAM!

Something extremely long and fast struck her.

Instinctively, she hugged Jian Ruyi tightly, trying to shield her from the impact.

BAM!

BAM!

Her body flew like a ragdoll, smashing through several quarters before finally landing in a blood-soaked courtyard.

“Cough! Cough!”

“Mother!”

Seeing her mother coughing up blood, Jian Ruyi’s eyes turned teary with worry.

“I’m… okay…”

She tried to smile and reassure her daughter.

But then, a familiar voice echoed from the distance.

“Mother? As expected…so you are his wife. Haha, I thought I had failed my task. But it seems I was quite lucky after all. At least, I’ll get a family combo tonight.”

That huge mass of black flesh lumbered toward them as it continued to laugh.

“What do you want…?”

Jian Ruyi’s mother pushed her daughter behind her and stood tall, shielding her from the monster.

“What do I want? Hmm… now that you ask, I can’t help but feel disappointed…”

The Devourer seemed to sigh as it shook its small hand.

Seeing such an awfully human gesture from this monster made her feel deeply uncomfortable, but…

’It seems this thing really loves to talk… maybe I can buy some time.’

She was already close to where the Grand Elder resided.

If she could buy enough time, maybe the Grand Elder would notice something was wrong.

But her body froze at the next words.

“Ah… if you’re planning to buy time and wait for your Grand Elder to come, then I apologize for that.”

The Devourer saw right through her thoughts and grinned.

“He is currently… busy with my ’Bigger Mouth,’ so he won’t be coming anytime soon.”

Jian Ruyi gripped her mother’s sleeve tightly when she heard this.

Her mother’s heart also sank, but she forced herself to remain composed.

No matter what, buying time was far better than fighting this thing head-on.

“…Is your goal to attack our sect?” she asked steadily.

“Hmm… attack, huh.”

For some reason, the monster, who had been slowly walking toward her, stopped in its tracks as if genuinely pondering the question.

Then, for the first time—

It let out an angry shout.

“Yes! Since you have asked! That is exactly what I’m disappointed about!”

It tried to grip its massive head with its tiny hands as it complained.

“This is the second strongest righteous sect? What a joke! Without the Divine Sword, your sect is nothing but food to me!”

It gritted its teeth.

“That isn’t even what frustrates me. I came expecting to eat a Scion… but this sect doesn’t even have one! Can you imagine that?! A righteous sect whose purpose is to slaughter the demonic path, yet it doesn’t even have a Scion?! I wasted my time here for nothing!”

Then it murmured softly, almost to itself.

“Still… this trip wasn’t a complete waste. I always wondered why the ’Old Divinity’ were cautious of these righteous sects. So it wasn’t the sect itself they feared. It seems… it really is those Divine Weapons, huh.”

Jian Ruyi stared at the monster, listening to things she didn’t fully understand.

But seeing it fall into momentary silence at least bought them a little more time.

Her eyes quickly scanned the surroundings, desperately searching for any possible escape route.

Just as she was racking her brain, a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Ah… I’ve complained enough. Can’t let the food get too cold.”

With those words, the monster’s head slithered like a serpent, extending toward them at an extremely fast speed.

“!!!”

BAM!

A resounding impact echoed outward as the surrounding ground exploded from the strike.

Jian Ruyi shut her eyes tightly, bracing for the inevitable attack.

But after feeling nothing…

She slowly opened her eyes.

Only to find that her mother had already swiftly dodged the attack, and they were now some distance away from where they had stood before.

A sigh of relief escaped her.

“Mother—”

Drip…

A wet dripping sound echoed softly.

Jian Ruyi’s eyes trembled as she followed the sound and saw..

One of her mother’s arms was completely gone.

“…!”

“…It’s okay, Jian’er.”

Her mother tried to smile, but it only made her look more wretched as blood slowly spilled from the corner of her mouth.

Crunch…

Crunch…

“Mmm… this taste… fresh… still warm… delightful…”

The monster retracted its elongated head and continued munching on her mother’s arm as if it were savoring a rare delicacy.

Jian Ruyi began to cry at the horrifying sight.

But then she felt herself being gently lowered to the ground.

“M-Mother?”

“Hehe… don’t cry. This is nothing~ Your mother is pretty strong, you know~”

After setting her daughter down and wiping away her tears with her remaining hand, she finally turned toward the Third Emissary.

Her eyes sharpened.

She understood now… prolonging this fight would only guarantee death.

Slowly, with one arm, she took her stance and…preparing her strongest attack.

“Mm? Mhm?”

The Third Emissary noticed her rising aura and looked at her curiously, like someone watching an ant struggle despite its missing limbs.

Blood soaked into the broken courtyard stones beneath her feet.

Yet her back remained straight as wind began to gather and dance around her.

At first, it was faint…just a trembling current swirling around her robes.

Then it sharpened.

Pale strands of sword-light began circling her like crescent moons.

The night air itself seemed to burn.

Jian Ruyi had never seen her mother like this.

The gentle and caring mother she knew was gone.

What stood before the monster now…

….Was a true disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Her mother lifted her remaining hand.

Sword intent burst from her body like a pillar piercing the heavens.

Broken courtyard tiles began to float.

Shattered blades, weapon fragments and even droplets of blood…

Everything trembled beneath the overwhelming pressure.

The Third Emissary tilted its head.

“Ah… that looks edible.”

Her mother stepped forward.

One step—

The ground cracked beneath her feet.

Second step—

Her silhouette blurred.

Third step—

She vanished.

BOOOOOOM—

Then the sky split apart as a river of white sword-light carved across the courtyard like a falling star.

“—Heaven-Severing Radiant Slash!”

With her shout, the entire night turned white as a blinding arc of condensed sword qi, dozens of meters long, descended with the force of a collapsing mountain.

It wasn’t merely sharp…

It erased everything in its path.

The air tore apart as space itself rippled violently.

But the Third Emissary shrieked in excitement.

Its body swelled grotesquely as black flesh ballooned outward like an inflating corpse.

Mouths opened across its surface…dozens, then hundreds as all of them layered with jagged teeth.

“HAHAHAHA! YES! THIS IS WHAT I WANTED!”

The sword-light struck the target.

For a fraction of a second—

Silence.

Then—

BOOOOOM!

The courtyard exploded.

Shockwaves flattened nearby buildings.

And a pillar of white light pierced the sky, dispersing the red haze over the sect grounds.

Jian Ruyi was thrown backward by the violent gust, her small body tumbling across rubble.

Through dust and fading brilliance, she searched desperately for her mother.

When the light dimmed….

She finally saw her mother’s silhouette and relief flooded her chest.

But as the haze cleared—

She realized something was wrong.

…Her mother wasn’t standing.

She was suspended in the air.

One grotesquely elongated arm held her by the neck, her body dangling limply.

“Mmm… sword intent, huh? I must say, it has quite an intense flavor.”

Jian Ruyi’s blood ran cold.

The Third Emissary’s tiny arm had stretched into a horrifying, twisted limb, gripping her mother tightly.

“Ach—!”

Her mother cried out as the pressure around her tightened.

“Mother…!”

“Hm… what should I do with you?”

The Third Emissary pondered thoughtfully as it looks at this women.

Kill her?

Eat her?

For some reason, those simple outcomes did not satisfy it.

It knew that someone like that man would not fall into despair from the mere death of his beloved.

In fact, it might only fuel his hatred and make him stronger.

That…. it did not want.

Then—

An idea formed as the mouth on its abdomen curled into a wide grin.

“Ah… I know what to do.”

It looked at the struggling woman.

“You will make a perfect congratulatory gift for your husband when he returns.”

The Third Emissary opened the massive mouth on its head—

And bit down.

Crunch.

“Ahhh!!”

“First…your happiness.”

Crunch.

“Second… your love.”

Crunch.

“Third…your most precious treasure.”

“S-Stop!”

“And finally…”

Crunch.

“…your name.”

Suddenly—

Her mother’s body went still as blood dripped steadily from her limp figure.

Jian Ruyi cried helplessly, her voice breaking into sobs.

Slowly, the Third Emissary turned its head toward her.

“So, child… tell me.”

Its smile widened unnaturally.

“…what was your mother’s name again?”

—

—

—

—

—

“Mother!!”

Jian Ruyi shot upright, her eyes snapping open as cold sweat ran down her temple.

She stared at the familiar rocky ceiling above her, breathing heavily in confusion.

Then a gentle voice sounded from beside her.

“Oh? You’re awake?”

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