Chapter Thirty-One: Awakening

"Come back! Useless rabble!" Yin Su's voice was filled with displeasure, as cold as ice. Though the group of men in black were clearly reluctant, the moment the order was given, they all returned to Yin Su’s side, standing in formation beside her.

Ji Xuanyu, Mu Ye, Ai Shuo, and Guo Xinyu gathered together, facing their opponents.

"Are you alright?" Guo Xinyu looked at the three, who were all gasping for breath, worry clouding his face. Especially Ji Xuanyu—his face was pale, and upon closer inspection, blood was pouring from a wound on his lower abdomen.

"Xuanyu, your injury—"

"I'm fine," Ji Xuanyu waved his hand, signaling that it was nothing. Mu Ye glanced at him, took out a pill for Ji Xuanyu to swallow, then tore a corner from his own robe to bind the wound after applying medicine.

Ai Shuo watched, knowing full well that Xuanyu had torn open his wound during his rapid descent just now. Yet at this moment, she could say nothing.

With the aid of her wings, Yin Su soared skyward in an instant, far above the crowd. Her wings beat faster and faster, stirring up a biting wind.

The wind, laced with lethal force, swept toward Ji Xuanyu's group of four. Guo Xinyu instantly sensed Yin Su’s power and understood her intent.

"Wind... wind blades!" Guo Xinyu cried out. This was the higher realm of feathered weaponry—transforming wind itself into deadly blades.

He shot upward, rising even higher than Yin Su. The only flaw in her attack: it could only strike those below. Anyone above the caster would escape unscathed.

But by the time Ji Xuanyu heard the warning, his clothes had already been shredded, arms marked with glaring wounds. A razor-like wind blade was about to slash across Ai Shuo’s face when Mu Ye, without hesitation, shielded half her face with his hand and pulled her into his arms, turning his back to the oncoming blade.

Wave after wave of wind blades, sharp as knives—Mu Ye’s back was quickly reduced to a bloody mess. Ai Shuo, realizing this, howled at the sky in anguish. Her red robe billowed, tears streaming as she unleashed a flurry of plum blossom-shaped blades from her hands.

"No—!"

Guo Xinyu knew this was futile, like striking a stone with an egg—it would have no effect at all. He bitterly regretted that his warning had come too late.

Ji Xuanyu’s vision went black and he plummeted. Ai Shuo and Mu Ye were close to collapse as well. Mu Ye could only nod slightly to Guo Xinyu in silent understanding.

"Xuanyu!"

"No!"

Guo Xinyu erupted with phantasmal power, forcing Yin Su’s assault to halt.

But—

Aside from his cry of "Xuanyu," there came another desperate "No!" from the depths of the valley—a scream of absolute heartbreak.

The life barrier Ji Xuanyu had set up for Silver Yao shattered! In a flash of silver light, a woman in white suddenly opened her eyes, soared upward, caught Ji Xuanyu's falling body, and landed on the white jade stone.

Tears streamed unchecked down Silver Yao's cheeks. She understood now.

She knew that Chu Su Yi was Ji Xuanyu! Ji Xuanyu was Chu Su Yi!

She recognized his voice!

"Xu... Xu," she called out again and again.

"Yao, Yao’er, is it you?" The feeling was so familiar, achingly familiar!

Could it be Yao’er? Was he dreaming again? Or was it because he was close to death, hallucinating—otherwise, how could he hear her voice... Ji Xuanyu’s mind drifted in and out of consciousness.

"Ghost Doctor! Venomous Enchantress! Get down here at once! Guo Xinyu, you too! The past between me and Yin Su—I want to settle it with my own hands!" Silver Yao roared.

Mu Ye and Ai Shuo immediately descended, but Guo Xinyu hesitated.

"Guo—Xin—Yu!" Silver Yao gritted out each syllable. Guo Xinyu had no choice but to come down.

Silver Yao entrusted Ji Xuanyu to Mu Ye and Ai Shuo.

"Xuanyu, you protected me with a life barrier—now I will use mine to keep you safe," she whispered in his ear.

Then she rose into the air, the barrier on the white jade stone reforming.

Behind Silver Yao, the ethereal outline of a fox appeared; on her forehead, a faint divine mark emerged.

During her six days atop the white jade stone, she had broken through the bottleneck at the phantasmal level and ascended successfully! A savage aura radiated from her as she glared furiously at Yin Su.

"Now it’s time for us to settle the score!"

"Haha! For you to awaken under such circumstances… Truly a miracle! But—if you think you alone can take revenge, you’re dreaming!" Yin Su’s tone was unyielding. Last time she had failed; this time, she would accept nothing but victory.

Wind blades erupted with their greatest force. The men in black scrambled for safety—they had never before seen Yin Su wield such immense power. After all, wind blades consumed a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. That was why Yin Su had to conserve her strength, acting only after losing several comrades.

"Wind blades, is it?" Silver Yao’s voice was both questioning and mocking. "Don’t forget whose domain this is—this is Cold Spirit Valley!"

In that instant, her voice grew imperious.

With a thunderous boom, every wind blade froze in midair, solidifying into ice. In the crystalline ice, one could see the density and sharpness of the wind blades.

A whip the color of white jade appeared in Silver Yao’s hand. Gripping it tightly, she lashed out hard—wrapping and yanking, she shattered the wind blades encased in ice in an instant.

"Ice Spirit?" Yin Su stared in shock at the nearly transparent whip. In their last battle, Silver Yao hadn’t yet possessed a phantasmal weapon. In a mere ten days, she had broken through and wielded a weapon with the highest spiritual energy among the four—the Ice Spirit. It was unbelievable!

Yin Su scanned the surroundings, ceased her attack, and flew to the summit of the gorge. Silver Yao followed close behind, Ice Spirit whip in hand, striking mercilessly toward her foe before swiftly pulling back.

The black cloth shielding Yin Su’s face fluttered away, revealing a face of breathtaking beauty—yet her expression was cold and ruthless.

Yin Su stared Silver Yao down, suddenly leaping back, wings spread, blade of feathers gripped tightly as she dove straight for Silver Yao.

Silver Yao flicked her whip, ensnaring Yin Su’s feather blade. With another forceful tug, she pulled hard at the blade. Behind her, the fox’s great tail swayed, the tip sharpening and hardening. Bending low, she struck Yin Su’s hand with a vicious, unflinching blow. Yin Su instinctively released her grip.

Silver Yao hurled the feather blade toward the rear cliffs, where an abyss yawned, bottomless and unfathomable. The cliff face was terrifyingly sheer and smooth as a blade, with only a narrow, winding path for herbalists to gather plants.

Seeing Silver Yao about to throw her blade into the abyss, Yin Su chanted softly, and the feather blade, as if sprouting wings, returned to her hand. With a look of disdain, she glared at Silver Yao, then unleashed a storm of feathers—she no longer had the spiritual energy to wield wind blades.

Silver Yao met her gaze with calm indifference, drawing on the valley’s spirit energy to raise an ice wall before her.

Yin Su stabbed through the ice wall with her feather blade, driving straight at Silver Yao. Silver Yao crouched and spun away, but Yin Su seized the chance to grab the Ice Spirit with one hand, pressing the feather blade to Silver Yao’s throat with the other.

Silver Yao bent backward, pulling hard on the Ice Spirit. Yin Su staggered forward, then beat her wings, feathers enclosing Silver Yao from all sides in a deadly volley.

Silver Yao leapt off the cliff.

Yin Su, clutching the Ice Spirit, was dragged down as well. She released her grip at once, but Silver Yao lashed the whip around Yin Su's waist.

"If we die, we die together!"

"No!" Yin Su howled in fury, unleashing a final burst of power. Wind blades flashed once more.

Silver Yao plummeted, while Yin Su, using her wings, managed to land on the winding path and save herself from certain death. Yet she could not understand why, at the final moment, Silver Yao had let go...

In Cold Spirit Valley, only four remained atop the white jade stone; the men in black had long since fled.

Suddenly, the barrier shattered on its own. The chill vanished, replaced by the sound of flowing water, the return of verdant green, and the stones once more their original black marble...

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Author’s Note:

Apologies for the confusion—caught up in the excitement of the Dragon Boat Festival, I accidentally selected the wrong chapter division. Sorry! This is Chapter 31 of "The Desolate Continent" volume.
Flowers, votes, and bookmarks gratefully requested~