Chapter 83: Bloodline of the nine phoenixes
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
"Quick, run!" Su Yu shouted at Long Xiaoyue as he desperately ran toward the foot of the cliff. Two ropes made of vines had already been prepared.
By climbing the ropes, one could reach the top of the valley and escape. One of the ropes had been originally prepared for Xia Jingyu, but now it could be used to save Long Xiaoyue's life.
Long Xiaoyue was immensely happy as she grabbed onto a rope. Utilising her light-body cultivation technique, she quickly climbed up the stone walls.
The shock she contained within her heart could not be described.
Not only had Su Yu set up a triple consecutive trap, he had even prepared a means of escape!
Su Yu's meticulous thinking and ability to remain calm was incredible!
Su Yu quickly climbed up the vine—he was not calm.
That immensely toxic rain was the blood of Nine Deadly Poison Devil.
Su Yu had buried the Nine Deadly Poison Devil's corpse underground, wrapped tightly in the entwined dragon silk. Once the mechanism was triggered, the entwined dragon silk would violently tighten. The corpse, unable to withstand the pressure, would then explode—spraying out its poisonous blood.
As the ground preserved the body, Su Yu did not have to worry about the trap losing effectiveness.
But Su Yu was not confident that the blood would kill the Slayer King.
After all, these three traps were originally designed to deal with Level Eight Upper Tier or Peak Tier opponents. Su Yu hadn't prepared for a Level Nine enemy!
"Su Yu, I'll kill you!" The Slayer King's angry voice reverberated throughout the valley!
As expected, he had not died!
Swish—
A badly disfigured body scaled the cliff walls behind Su Yu, smelling of death and rot.
His hands had completely decayed, leaving only bloody, bony fingers.
The bony fingers were like steel, cutting into the stone like it was butter. Stabbing into the stone walls, the Slayer King climbed naturally and quickly.
His pair of decaying eyes gave Su Yu a death stare, full of boundless fury!
Su Yu felt lighter as he pushed Floating Light Shadow to its maximum power!
Although the Slayer King would soon die from the lethal toxins, his abilities were still strong!
Su Yu still could not compare to the Slayer King's speed!
Snap—
Boom—
The Slayer King caught up to Su Yu and grabbed Su Yu's ankle with his immensely toxic, bony claws. "I might die, but I won't let you off! And that female companion of yours, I will also find her, and kill her!" the Slayer King shouted with an immense hostility as he spewed blood from his mouth.
How could Su Yu possibly dodge a grab from a Level Nine Upper Tier?
Ah—
The poisonous blood upon came into contact with Su Yu's ankle and instantly caused his skin to decay, releasing a pungent white smoke!
The bony claws gave one immensely strong tug, and the vine in Su Yu's hands instantly snapped.
Su Yu dropped down from the three-hundred feet tall cliff like a stone.
Gazing at the increasingly distant sky, the sky was vast and the clouds were peaceful. Time and space seemed to slow.
Su Yu felt bitter. Had death finally caught up with him?
Thinking back, he had started off as a lowly silver student and had ended as a Sanctuary Heavenly Disciple. It had only been a mere few months, but it was enough.
He had his father-in-law, Duke Xian Yu (whom he was indebted to), and a loyal friend, the Third Prince. He even had two women in his life who he would never forget; his fiancé, Qin Xianer, and his soul mate, Xia Jingyu.
This life had been more than fulfilling… but Su Yu still had many regrets.
He would not see Xianer with his own two eyes, and could only task Jingyu to meet her on his behalf.
As Su Yu fell off the cliff, Long Xiaoyue looked on in shock. The Slayer King laughed, "I will find your female companion and kill her now, to accompany you!"
Jingyu!
Should the Slayer King retrace Su Yu's footsteps, finding the unconscious Jingyu would be an easy task!
"Don't you dare!" Su Yu's eyes sparked with fury.
Rustle—
A streak of madness enveloped his mind; if he had to die, he was taking the Slayer King with him!
Gathering vital energy in his hands, Su Yu suddenly shot toward the top of the valley.
On top of the valley ten boulders tettered on the cliff edge.
Their position was especially precarious—they could have fallen at any moment. However, they were all stopped in their tracks by a transparent, entwined dragon silk.
Once the entwined dragon silk snapped, the entire valley would be completely destroyed.
Each boulder had an average diameter of thirty feet. Once they dropped, it would cause massive destruction!
This was what Su Yu had spent two days two nights working on. The boulders, which had been incredibly hard to set up, were meant as a latch-ditch backup plan, should Su Yu need to destroy the valley.
That was also Su Yu's only chance to kill the Slayer King!
He shot a stream straight at the entwined dragon silk
Rustle—
As the entwined dragon silk loosened, ten gigantic boulders finally crashed downward.
Long Xiaoyue gasped in astonishment. Luckily, she had already reached the boundaries of the cliff. By precariously avoiding the gigantic boulders, she managed to reach the peak of the cliff.
On the other hand, as the Slayer King was busy dealing with Su Yu, he was not able to escape in time. As the gigantic boulders fell toward him, he screamed in agony!
Ah—
"I won't let you go, even if I become a ghost... Ah..."
Even though he was the Slayer King, he unable to withstand the tremendous impact. The Slayer King was crushed by a gigantic boulder instantly, and his body flew off the cliff.
Boom—
Ten gigantic boulders crashed down in a monstrous thunder!
The entire small valley shook vigorously, as the high mountain crumbled with a bang!
Gravel rolled down the cliff face. With a quick glance, the surrounding mountain peaks were all destroyed as well—the entire valley was filled with gravel!
Dust filled the air, Long Xiaoyue was not able to open her eyes until several moments later. As she squinted, Long Xiaoyue gasped in astonishment. Her heart quaked with the horror of observing a massive tragedy.
The valley was filled with gravel. The possibility of survival was near zero-percent! As her knees weakened, Long Xiaoyue knelt on the valley floor and moaned, "Su Yu..."
With a low bow of respect, Long Xiaoyue's chest was filled with several feelings. There was apologetic sentiments, gratitude, and respect.
Suddenly, Long Xiaoyue focused her eyes on the distance and saw a stumbling figure running towards the entrance of the valley.
Looking up at the deep gravel pit, the beautiful eyes of the approaching woman surveyed their surroundings anxiously, as if looking for something.
Swoosh—
The guilt-ridden Long Xiaoyue flew forward and stopped beside the woman.
"He is already dead. In order to stop the Slayer King from finding you, Su Yu decided to sacrifice himself and bring the Slayer King down with him. They were buried and killed amidst the collapsing mountains," Long Xiaoyue said in a low voice, desperate and lonely without any semblance of joy from surviving.
Su Yu's death caused her to feel a deep sense of guilt that was difficult to quell.
Boom—
The eyes of the woman blacked out. Having lost all strength in her body, she knelt on the ground with a pair of lifeless eyes.
It was the newly awakened Xia Jingyu. She had immediately realized what Su Yu had done, and had rushed immediately to the valley after regaining consciousness.
What she saw once she arrived was the aftermath of a catastrophe. Worst of all was what she was told once she arrived; Su Yu had died, buried underneath the collapsed mountains!
As Xia Jing Yu stared in a daze at the deep pit, her mind was blank.
Countless memories surged forward, one after the other in a sunset tide.
Their initial meeting at the martial arts training institute, when he was just the young man with extraordinary archery skills.
When they explored the dusk mountains and faced the mysterious shadow in the underground ruins.
Their time at the Duke's palace, the warm hug under the moonlight.
That time at the outskirts of the imperial capital—an embarrassing and unforgettable experience, when they faced each other with bare bodies.
Finally, when they entered the Sanctuary together. They had shared the same fate between various ordeals and obstacles.
Scene by scene, memories surged forth in her mind, tearing apart her soul.
Excruciating pain assaulted her heart.
She had lost the most important thing in her life. She had lost the light in her life which she dared not forget, nor hope for.
"No!" At last, Xia Jingyu slowly returned to her senses, her eyes filled with tears.
"Brother Su Yu would not die! He would not die!" Xia Jingyu got back on her feet and ran into the middle of the valley. Using her slim, jade-like hands, she moved the rocks piece by piece.
The rough, sharp rocks wore her skin out, cutting her fingers and destroying her clothes.
However, in her eyes, only Su Yu mattered.
Mechanically, piece by piece, she moved the gravel away.
It was as if she was a soulless puppet that had used up its life force, salvaging the final glimmer of life in order to find Su Yu.
Long Xiaoyue could not bear to watch any more. "Junior Xia... Please, take it easy!" she said, bitterness in her heart
"He did not die!" Xia Jingyu turned her head. Xia Jingyu was known for staying calm in any circumstance. But now, it was as if she was a completely different person; her eyes were cold and sharp as she sharp shrieked at Long Xiaoyue.
Startled, Long Xiaoyue silently fixated her gaze at Xia Jingyu, who was laboriously moving the stone pieces.
One day turned into two days, which turned into three days...
Five days had passed and Xia Jingyu was frail beyond recognition.
Her looks, which were once comparable to a celestial beauty, were now haggard and frail. Her eyes were so dry they turned dark red. Her pair of jade-like hands had lost their former radiance and were now indistinguishable.
Most unrecognizable was her heart, which sat in shambles.
Throughout all five days Xia Jingyu did not rest, nor did she drink a single drop of water or eat a single grain of rice.
Perhaps, before Xia Jingyu would collapse on the rubble herself before they even had a chance to find Su Yu's body.
Finally, Xia Jingyu's stamina had been expended. She fainted on the ground.
Even though she was unconscious, a pair of hands covered in blisters and scabs continued to cling to the stones—refusing to let go, even in sleep.
Long Xiaoyue sighed sympathetically. She bowed deeply to the buried body of Su Yu before picking up Xia Jingyu and leaving the Evil Forest.
Surrounded by celestial clouds and misty haze, a pavilion within the massive Fenghuang Empire was faintly visible, as if it was a paradise in the human world.
It was the Fenghuang Empire's forbidden land—Fenghuang Valley! Its significance was akin to the Sanctuary of the Alliance of the Nine Empires. Within Fenghuang Valley, Xianer sat in a courtyard.
Drenched in an entire body of perspiration, Xianer was fully focused and serious in honing her cultivation techniques.
The Xianer of the past was willful and playful—unruly and mischievous.
The current Xianer now wore an expression of unfaltering persistence on her delicate face.
Rustle—
Two eighteen years old females silently approached the courtyard, their eyes revealed despise and disgust.
"The Bloodline of the Nine Phoenixes is nothing more than this? Is she really the Valley Master's granddaughter? Her potential is so bad, it's beyond comprehension!"
"Indeed, she is unlike the true Bloodline of the Nine Phoenixes! According to the rumors, the Bloodline of the Nine Phoenixes has an incredibly fast training speed. However, our Fenghuang Valley has given all the saint-grade spirit elixirs we have accumulated, to Qin Xianer for consumption. Yet, she has merely obtained one breakthrough to Level Three Upper Tier. Her potential is so bad, it's unbelievable!"
As the granddaughter of Fenghuang Valley's Master, Xianer's unique bloodline had allowed her to receive priority training.
The saint grade spirit elixirs, which were supposed to be distributed to only outstanding disciples, were all given to Xianer for her sole, prioritized consumption.
The only thing was... amidst the boost from all the saint grade spirit elixirs, she had merely managed to breakthrough from Level Three Lower Tier, to Level Three Upper Tier.
Fenghuang Valley, be they from outstanding disciples or elders, was full of complaints.
"What trash! If I had consumed that many saint grade spirit elixirs, I would have long ago achieved Level Eight!"
"I really don't understand, she should have just stayed behind in Fenglin Empire. Coming to our Fenghuang Valley and wasting all our precious saint grade spirit elixirs, those kinds of people may as well die!"
The two people's voices—although far away—managed to be heard by Xianer.
Xianer stopped training and lowered her head as she stood in front of the wooden stakes. Lightly biting her lips, her frail shoulders lightly rustled.
Her pair of big eyes swelled with tears, and her weak body and mind were assaulted by deep loneliness and hesitation.
"Qin Xianer, follow me. The clan is holding a meeting and you have to sit in," an indifferent voice said.
It was a stern beauty, but her gaze towards Qin Xianer was filled with abomination.
Xianer knew that this would be the meeting that decided her fate.