Chapter Nineteen: Death or Injury (Highly Recommended, Please Add to Your Collection)

"Of course!" Silver Bell had already sensed a murderous intent: So, you want to kill me to silence me? Well, let’s see if you’re qualified to try!

"Leave, now!" Silver Yao shouted angrily at the elder in the courtyard. She soared into the air, and her long whip lashed fiercely toward Silver Bell, seeking to seize the initiative.

A faint, cold smile played at her lips. She didn’t bother to dodge, merely flicked her silver whip upward. Black and white intertwined, tangled so tightly that escape was impossible. Only then did Silver Yao realize she had underestimated her opponent.

Both women tugged hard with their right hands, their whips tightly entwined. The friction of the silver plates sent out dazzling flashes of light and a faint, sizzling sound.

"Go!" Silver Yao called again, but the people in the courtyard remained unmoving. Danger pressed in on her. She watched as the black lacquer on her whip was being scraped away bit by bit. She needed to get everyone out, both for their safety and to hide her own identity from exposure.

The people in the courtyard hesitated for a moment, glanced at Silver Yao, nodded gratefully—almost as if promising to return with help soon, urging her to hold on. With a gust of wind, the courtyard was suddenly empty. Silver Yao breathed a sigh of relief, turned to face Silver Bell, her aura cold and distant, her arm strength increasing.

"Is it time you revealed who you are?" With a slight twist, Silver Bell extricated her whip, her face calm and her eyes locked onto Silver Yao.

"Daughter of the Silver Fox."

She knew the other merely wished for confirmation; there was no need to conceal the truth further.

"And who are you?"

"Yin Su." She replied without hesitation. Since you’ve admitted your identity, I needn’t lie either. Besides, when one faces off, it’s only right to reveal oneself.

"So that’s it. Where is Silver Bell, then?" Silver Yao’s worry was evident. Silver Bell’s innocence and purity made her want to protect her, as if she were a younger sister.

"Silver Bell? Defeat me, and I’ll tell you!" Without another word, Yin Su leapt into the air. She hovered at the same height as Silver Yao, her whip lashing rapidly, each strike aimed at Silver Yao.

A muffled groan escaped as Silver Yao endured the pain, swiftly dodging while planning her counterattack.

Finding an opening, Silver Yao dived downward and whipped from above. Yin Su met her attack head-on, not retreating an inch. Her whip, wielded with spirit and precision, made even Silver Yao—the descendant of the Silver Fox—feel outmatched. The ease in her brow was gone.

She watched her opponent closely, waiting for the right moment.

Yin Su made no unnecessary moves, each attack ruthless and precise, leaving Silver Yao weakened.

Still, Silver Yao held herself upright, soaring once more. Her right hand clenched, and the previously supple whip became as hard as steel. With a crack like thunder, it regained its original silver hue, the tip glowing faintly red. Holding the whip, she thrust it straight at Yin Su’s throat.

She felt the aura of a celestial illusionist, danger enveloping her, yet Yin Su’s eyes remained indifferent. Suddenly, a strange murderous energy surged from her whole being.

"Ah!" Yin Su spread her arms wide and let out a cry to the heavens.

Silver Yao’s whip struck an invisible wall and rebounded. She felt the powerful oppression, staggered back several steps, and blood seeped from her lips.

Yin Su laughed, a joyous, carefree sound. In the next instant, her whip transformed into a blade resembling a feathered sword. She moved swiftly through the air, and soon her figure loomed before Silver Yao.

Silver Yao stared at her in astonishment. Such speed—quick as lightning—was incredible. She no longer hesitated, wiped the blood from her mouth with her right hand, and behind her appeared a fox, pure white, its bushy tail swaying. She retreated rapidly; the distance was dangerously close.

"So, a spirit fox! Worthy descendant of the Silver Fox!"

Yin Su didn’t pursue, merely commented carelessly. The next moment, Silver Yao saw Yin Su’s divine companion: the king of birds—a phoenix. Yet this phoenix was also white, ethereal, not the golden hue Silver Yao had imagined. Why was that?

The phoenix let out a long cry to the sky. In a blink, Yin Su, wielding her feather blade—a phantom artifact—appeared before Silver Yao. Along the way, feathers fell but did not drift down; instead, they followed the blade toward Silver Yao.

Silver Yao whipped her spirit whip, creating a wall of protection, tumbling backward and leaping swiftly into the air. Her hands spread wide, the fox’s tail behind her growing larger and larger. She bent low, and the tail lashed forward, striking at the ascending Yin Su. But never forget: Yin Su was a phoenix—the king of birds. With a few quick dodges, she evaded Silver Yao’s attack, then flapped her wings, sending a torrent of feathered blades toward Silver Yao in a sweeping assault.

No matter how she defended, Silver Yao was wounded by the endless barrage of feathers. Yet the blades merely grazed her skin and vanished, strangely. Silver Yao realized she was outmatched, but she too possessed her own arsenal of mass destruction.

It was hard to see exactly what was happening, but Silver Yao’s spirit whip swung so quickly and irregularly that its trajectory was visible in the air. Instinct told Yin Su the opponent could not be underestimated, prompting her to swiftly release her poison.

Suddenly, Silver Yao’s hand stopped mid-swing. The places where she’d been grazed now throbbed with intense pain, almost numbing her. Her body stiffened, sweat beaded densely on her forehead.

"Ah!"

Silver Yao cried out in agony as several feathers burst from her back wounds, bloody and gradually turning black before disappearing.

"Despicable!" Silver Yao glared contemptuously at Yin Su. No wonder the feathers vanished so mysteriously—they’d burrowed silently into her body, their poison potent.

The whip’s trajectory, once clear, now faded into mist. Ignoring the pain and toxins, Silver Yao clenched her teeth, swung her spirit whip once more, restoring the clarity of its path. Black blood trickled from her lips, her energy growing increasingly unstable.

Behind her, the fox’s form grew faint. Silver Yao let out a wild laugh, "Ha ha!" With a flick of her whip, the trajectory solidified into reality, scattering into countless silver shards encased in a faint red flame. This was her final stand—failure was not an option.

Silver Yao launched a fierce attack, surging toward Yin Su like a tidal wave. Yin Su grunted, rapidly beating her wings to send feathers against the assault and using her feather blade to block.

The onslaught was overwhelming. Yin Su was forced back, but the silver shards were finite while her feathers were inexhaustible. Soon, most of the silver shards were knocked away, only a few reaching Yin Su.

Once the attack was repelled, defense could cease. Yet her wings continued to beat, sending a relentless barrage of feathers at Silver Yao.

By now, Silver Yao had no strength left to resist; her body was pierced repeatedly, the toxins accumulating ever more. In that moment, she understood the meaning of anguish that tore the heart and soul.

Her body pitched forward, a mouthful of black blood sprayed out. Her clothes, soaked red, and her vision fading to black, consciousness slipping away as she fell. In her last moments, the corner of her lips lifted in a tragic smile.

Whether she had hit the ground or not, Silver Yao only knew her body was held upright before collapsing again, utterly spent.

As help arrived, Yin Su, who had vanished from the courtyard, was now leaning against a tree, struggling to compose herself. Blood oozed from her lips like a slender serpent.

She hadn’t expected her opponent to be so formidable. Yet pierced by a single silver shard, she was grievously wounded. She had clearly underestimated Silver Yao’s explosive power—

Silver Yao, it’s hard to imagine the destructive force of the silver shards you forged with your life’s energy. Luckily, it was only one. If it had been all of them—

I suppose then, the one to fall would have been me…

------ Author’s Note ------

Dear readers, how do you feel about the story written by Mili? Do you like it? Today is the first recommendation for Mili's novel! Mili timidly asks for a collection *^_^* Please take it away~ About the chapter title, Mili got excited and wrote it wrong, apologies t^t This is Chapter Nineteen t^t