Chapter 392 - The Battle Between Sister Disciples

Chapter 392: Chapter 391: The Battle Between Sister Disciples"You..."

Ye Tianchen looked at Dongfang Meng in surprise; he had thought he was surely going to die. With his current combat strength, he was absolutely incapable of blocking another strike from Li Qiushui. That woman was simply too formidable. The Taie Sword, as the Power Sword, was one of the ten ancient Divine Swords. The Sword Qi it unleashed carried an unstoppable might, yet it still failed to kill Li Qiushui. The strength of that woman truly was extraordinary. According to Ye Tianchen’s estimation, Li Qiushui’s cultivation realm had at least reached that of a Martial Venerate, a full realm higher than both himself and Dongfang Meng. If it were during Ye Tianchen’s prime, he might have been able to reach that state of fighting across levels and hold his own against Li Qiushui, but now, he had lost all combat strength and could only brace himself for certain death to meet her attack.

When a person is powerful and ruthless, she will inevitably become a demon. Like Li Qiushui, who pursued the greatest strength at all costs, even if it meant cultivating the most venomous Bone Melting Palm, betraying her sect, committing treachery against her master, even personally killing her own junior sister, she would stop at nothing.

"You’re rather useless, aren’t you? I didn’t think I would have to take action myself!" Dongfang Meng interrupted Ye Tianchen and gave him a fierce glare, saying bluntly.

"I can’t help it, I just can’t bring myself to be ruthless towards women. Maybe it’s my nature to pity and cherish the fairer sex!" Ye Tianchen was taken aback, then shrugged his shoulders in resignation and said.

Upon hearing Ye Tianchen’s words, Dongfang Meng really wanted to slap this guy to death. To hear "pity and cherish the fairer sex" come out of Ye Tianchen’s mouth was simply as unlikely as the sun rising from the west.

"You... you’ve mastered the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture?" Li Qiushui looked at her right palm, where the layer of the Bone Melting Palm’s Evil Inner Strength had been dissipated, and asked Dongfang Meng in utter surprise.

"Senior sister, considering our same sect, I don’t wish to make a big deal out of today’s incident. I only hope that you’ll never step into the Ancient Tomb Sect again, otherwise I’ll have no choice but to purge the ranks on behalf of our master," Dongfang Meng said coldly to Li Qiushui.

Li Qiushui was stunned, her gaze filled with deep resentment as she glared fiercely at Dongfang Meng. She hadn’t expected her carelessness would let her junior sister, Dongfang Meng, master the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture at such a critical moment, significantly increasing her strength and realm, probably surpassing Li Qiushui herself. How could she kill these two now? And how could she obtain the cultivation technique of the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture?

"Hmph, do you really think the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture is so easily mastered? If you truly have, I would actually like to see if it’s as powerful as the legends say!"

"If you wish to court death, by all means, try!"

In an instant, the entire ice cellar was filled with the malicious energy of two women. Li Qiushui was so angry she felt her lungs might explode. She had gone to great lengths to obtain the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture; after waiting for her master to die and her own Bone Melting Palm reaching the Ninth Level, she dared to break into the Ancient Tomb Sect. Just when she could easily kill Dongfang Meng and Ye Tianchen upon entering the ice cellar, Li Qiushui hesitated, fearing she’d never get the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture. Now, with Dongfang Meng having delayed until her own Jade Maiden Heart Scripture was near Great Success, not only was all of Li Qiushui’s hard work for naught, but she might even be killed in turn. It was no wonder Li Qiushui was frustrated and angry.

And Dongfang Meng, at this moment, was overcome with a murderous aura. Even Ye Tianchen, who was close by, couldn’t help but frown. The typically aloof and cold Dongfang Meng now watched Li Qiushui with a grave expression. Ye Tianchen had a bad feeling, because he hadn’t sensed that Dongfang Meng’s Jade Maiden Heart Scripture had reached Great Success. Yet now, Dongfang Meng showed no issues at all. What was going on?

Slap!

Li Qiushui was not an easy target, cunning and ruthless. She found it hard to believe that her junior sister, Dongfang Meng, with high talent or not, could have mastered the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture to the point of Great Success in such a short time. There must be some trick to it.

Slap!

Faced with a strike from her senior sister Li Qiushui, the Bone Melting Palm surged with immense Evil Energy. Anything that slightly touched it would instantly dissolve into a puddle of water. Li Qiushui had now brought her Bone Melting Palm to the Ninth Level. She was enraged, casting aside all reservations and intending to kill Dongfang Meng with a single palm strike. Because if Dongfang Meng had mastered the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture, it was Li Qiushui’s life that would be in danger.

It was the same palm technique—when Li Qiushui’s palm surged with power, even before striking, the surrounding century-old unmelting ice all shattered. Yet, Dongfang Meng still stood her ground unmoved, her right hand formed a palm, and she quietly circulated the Inner Strength of the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture to confront the incoming attack.

Bang!

A muffled sound, and the delicate hands of the two women collided. There was no earth-shattering explosion, nor a scene where both were knocked flying. When the palms laced with potent Inner Strength struck each other, the sleeves of their robes fluttered, each withstood the force of the other’s palm, and they both watched each other with serious expressions.

Ye Tianchen felt a silent shock in his heart. While he was astonished by the strength of these two women, his concern for Dongfang Meng grew. On the surface, it seemed Dongfang Meng had an instantaneous surge in power, and nothing appeared amiss. However, Ye Tianchen couldn’t shake his worry, sensing that something was wrong.

Li Qiushui frowned deeply, finding it hard to believe what had happened. She had used her full strength in that palm strike—the ninth-level of Bone Melting Palm, which was nearly unblockable and irresistible. Moreover, she was a full stage plus a little more advanced in her cultivation realm compared to her younger martial sister Dongfang Meng. The gap between their realms was like the difference between heaven and earth. Unless one was like Ye Tianchen, blessed with exceptional talent capable of crossing levels in combat, it would have been impossible to fight someone of a higher cultivation realm. The ability to cross levels in combat was extremely difficult to come across and even harder to master. Ye Tianchen, back in the time of the apocalypse, had accidentally triggered this ability, slaying an opponent one realm higher than himself. But no matter how he cultivated afterward, he could never fully control it. To be able to trigger this ability to cross levels in combat at will was practically impossible. It could only happen in certain specific environments, in a dire life-or-death crisis, where one could potentially trigger it, instantly enhancing one’s strength and fighting against a stronger opponent.

"Could it be that my younger martial sister has truly perfected the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture to Great Perfection? Otherwise, how could she possibly block a palm strike from someone an entire realm above her?" Li Qiushui showed no reaction on the surface, but inside she was utterly astonished.

Bang! The next moment, within the entire ice cellar, all the ice walls and blocks completely shattered, causing Ye Tianchen to frown. These two women were too formidable. When their palms met, there seemed to be no major fluctuations of Inner Strength or energy, yet it had already filled the ice cellar. It was only because both women were so powerful, with their forces canceling each other out and withstanding one another, that the energy had now burst forth, shattering all the ice within the cellar, except for the ice coffin in the center that entombed the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect and the second-generation Sect Leader of the Quanzhen Sect.

The ice coffin was incredibly sturdy. Even the ice in the cellar, which would not melt for thousands of years and could not be penetrated by bullets, had been shattered by the tremendous force of Inner Strength, yet the ice coffin remained undamaged, without so much as a ripple. Perhaps the founder of the Ancient Tomb Sect, a remarkable woman deserving of admiration, had foreseen this possibility. She might have hidden the final cultivation skill of the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture in a mechanism below the ice coffin, considering that one day, whether it was disciples from her own sect or outsiders coveting the scripture, there would be attempts to seize it. Thus, the ice coffin had already been reinforced with the most refined Inner Strength, making it exceedingly difficult to destroy.

From then on, Ye Tianchen became a mere spectator, as the two women battled fiercely to the death, each exerting their full strength. Especially the combat power that Dongfang Meng erupted with at that moment—it was simply unimaginable to Ye Tianchen. In just a few days, Dongfang Meng’s combat ability had leaped multiple levels, and it had all happened without any warning. The Jade Maiden Heart Scripture was indeed unfathomable.

Swish! Clang!

From the initial hand-to-hand combat to the subsequent flashes of swordlight, both Li Qiushui and Dongfang Meng wielded a jade sword in their hands. The two fought like celestial fairies who had descended from heaven, with swordsmanship that was exceptionally graceful. Yet within this grace lurked immense lethal intent—each thrust could tear through the air.

At present, with Li Qiushui and Dongfang Meng on par in strength and both from the same martial lineage, it was extremely challenging to determine the victor in a short time. Ye Tianchen was already wounded all over and his Inner Strength was greatly depleted. Engaging in the battle was out of the question. Surviving was already fortunate enough. He could only continue to observe.

Thwack! Dongfang Meng’s left shoulder was struck by a sword.

Smack! Li Qiushui’s chest received a palm strike.

When the two women paused, both were drenched in sweat, gripping their jade swords tightly and staring fiercely at each other. They had battled for over an hour, raging to the point of exhaustion, leaving the ice cellar, except for the ice coffin, completely devoid of any intact ice. The cellar was destroyed.

"The Jade Maiden Heart Scripture is indeed powerful. However, younger martial sister, you’ve only recently begun to master it and have not yet reached Perfection. I have enough power to kill you!" Li Qiushui spoke and then suddenly thrust her jade sword into the ground.

"Today I must purge the Sect for our master and fulfill her dying wish!" Dongfang Meng similarly placed her jade sword to the side and slowly started to gather the most quintessential Inner Strength of the Jade Maiden Heart Scripture, preparing for the final strike.

"Bone Melting Palm, Nine Layers Heaven!"

"Jade Maiden Flying Immortal!"

With two cries, Dongfang Meng and Li Qiushui both unleashed their final attacks, determined to decide the outcome. But just at that moment, Ye Tianchen, who was seated cross-legged behind Dongfang Meng, widened his eyes and shouted at Dongfang Meng, "Don’t do something foolish..." (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it at Qidian.com. Your support is my greatest motivation.)