The ceiling collapsed, walls and columns were obliterated, and the entire cavern shook violently as the sounds of destruction echoed throughout the cavern. The Crimson Copy of Chen Linlin flew at blinding speed, whistling through the air and leaving a streak of crimson light as it repeatedly lunged toward Xue Hui and Ye Ziyun.
It was a grueling task. As soon as the Crimson Copy entered Yuanshou's reach, it was immediately struck by a massive palm, heavily smashing it away from the two like swatting a mosquito.
It relentlessly tried to force its way through, only to be crushed by Yuanshou's mountain-like force of attacks, sending it flying uncontrollably through the air like a kite with its string cut before crashing heavily onto the ground.
Yuanshou was not merely a manifestation of Xue Hui's origin power.
She had her own will, her own strength, and her own combat experience. So despite how grave Xue Hui's condition was, Yuanshou was able to hold her own against the Crimson Copy.
And it showed. Unlike before, the Crimson Copy was now showing signs of injury. Its entire body was littered with cracks, evidence that its strength had significantly diminished thanks to Ye Ziyun's efforts.
As the Crimson Copy rose from beneath the rubble, its empty eyes bored into Yuanshou. Deathly silence permeated the air as the tense atmosphere lingered.
The Crimson Copy lowered its stance. This was mirrored by Yuanshou, whose arms spread like a peacock's tail as she waited for her opponent's next move.
With the crisp sound of rubble hitting the floor, the Crimson Copy kicked off the ground, denting it as it shot through the air at breakneck speed.
Woosh!
"Yuanshou!"
"Boom!"
At Xue Hui call Yuanshou moved.
The two powers clashed. Yuanshou met the Crimson Copy's attack head-on, creating a massive shockwave that swept everything around them.
The Crimson Copy moved like a sword of light as it flew in every direction, trying to break through its opponent's defense, only to be swatted away by Yuanshou every single time.
While all of this was happening, Ye Ziyun, who had just received an elixir from Xue Hui to replenish her soul force, sat cross-legged on the floor and cultivated.
Earlier, Xue Hui had told her that she still had one important thing she needed to do, and she could only do it if she had enough spiritual energy in her body.
The Crimson Copy's attacks intensified. It moved faster than ever, lunging toward Xue Hui while swiftly dodging the gigantic palms sent after it.
"Not good!"
Witnessing this, Xue Hui hastily summoned Julin, brandishing the weapon in front of him.
Clang!
A deafening sound reverberated throughout the cavern as Xue Hui's halberd and the Crimson Copy's gauntlet clashed against each other.
Xue Hui's teeth rattled, and his ears rang.
He spat out a mouthful of blood as his body shook violently from the massive recoil.
Before the Copy could follow up its attack, Yuanshou struck it, sending it soaring through the air before crashing to the ground.
Xue Hui's body collapsed. His knees slammed against the ground as he coughed up blood. He looked more miserable than ever, yet despite that, the spark of hope still shone within his clear eyes.
Ye Ziyun opened her eyes, and her face became deathly pale as she saw Xue Hui's grave condition.
"Xue Hui!"
Ye Ziyun cried out in horror. She quickly jumped to her feet and rushed to his side.
All the color drained from her face as she saw how serious his injuries were. She was about to use her spiritual energy to stabilize his wounds when Xue Hui stopped her.
"No! Don't waste your soul force on me. We need every single bit of it."
His shaky finger pointed toward the crimson sphere hanging in the middle of the cavern.
"Go and use Freeze the World on it. By now, this entire tree has weakened by a great margin, so your domain attack should work against it. Go freeze it. I'll watch your back and stop that mimic from attacking you."
Ye Ziyun looked hesitant at first. She didn't want to leave Xue Hui's side, especially in his current condition.
But after seeing the determination in his eyes, she made up her mind and nodded.
Seeing this, Xue Hui gave her a toothy grin. Grunting in pain, he slowly pushed himself to his feet.
"Go. Don't worry. I won't let anything bad happen to you. I promise, Ziyun."
"Mhm... I believe you, Xue Hui. Please be careful as well."
The two exchanged a knowing glance.
Ye Ziyun's beautiful eyes fluttered as the image of Xue Hui overlapped with the younger boy she had first met.
For a brief moment, she felt as though they were back in her parents' room, meeting each other for the very first time.
Back then, it was him who had helped her.
Now, it was her turn to return the favor.
With a resolute heart, Ye Ziyun turned her back to him and ran as fast as she could.
She could feel her heart pounding loudly as the sounds of battle behind her became even more chaotic.
Shockwave after shockwave battered her exhausted body. She nearly tripped several times as violent gusts of wind slammed into her.
She didn't dare transform into her demon spirit, as doing so would only further exhaust her already dwindling soul force.
It didn't take long before Ye Ziyun reached the Blood Sphere.
Standing directly beneath it, she felt the Blood Sphere release a thunderous heartbeat that shook her entire body, making her cough up blood. Even so, she endured it.
"XUE HUI!"
She cried at the top of her lungs as she prepared to unleash her technique.
"Do it, Ziyun!"
Xue Hui yelled back, gritting his teeth as he and Yuanshou worked together to stop the Crimson Copy from reaching her.
A cold aura swirled around Ye Ziyun as her body released all of her spiritual energy, condensing it into a single devastating attack.
She staggered slightly as her head became lightheaded, but she steeled herself and continued pouring every last bit of spiritual energy into the technique.
"STAY DOWN!"
Xue Hui roared through gritted teeth as the Crimson Copy struggled against the combined restraint of him and Yuanshou.
"FREEZE THE WORLD!"
Ye Ziyun shouted, her voice echoing throughout the cavern.
Khzch... Krzch!
Her entire body became enveloped in white, freezing mist.
Everything around her was encased in a frozen prison as towering icy trees sprouted from the ground, illuminating the entire cavern with a brilliant blue glow.
"Not good!"
She exclaimed in horror as she realized that Freeze the World had failed to completely encase the Crimson Sphere.
Unwilling to give up, Ye Ziyun pushed herself even further, strengthening her blizzard domain.
Even so, she was unable to overpower the Crimson Sphere.
Worse still, she could see cracks beginning to spread across the ice encasing it.
Looking at the sight before her, Ye Ziyun's heart was consumed by despair.
She lowered her head in defeat as tears streamed down her delicate cheeks.
They had come so close...
Yet she still failed.
"Ziyun!"
Her head snapped up, and her tear-filled eyes widened.
Out of nowhere, she heard the overlapping voices of everyone she held dear.
Xue Hui.
Xiao Ning'er.
Her friends.
Her family.
They were all calling out to her, telling her not to lose hope.
She turned around and saw Xue Hui still struggling against the Crimson Copy.
Despite everything...
He still hadn't given up.
She clenched her fists so tightly that her nails dug into her palms.
'I can't give up... not while Xue Hui is still giving everything he has.'
'The fight isn't over yet. I can still stand, which means I still have a little strength left.'
With that thought, determination blazed within Ye Ziyun's eyes.
She screamed at the top of her lungs as she pushed Freeze the World beyond its limits.
The cracks covering the Blood Sphere disappeared, and more than half of its massive body became frozen solid.
She bit down on her lower lip.
Almost...
She only needed a little more power.
Throwing all caution to the wind, she poured every last ounce of strength she had left into her technique.
The world around her became hazy as consciousness slowly slipped away.
But at that very moment...
Ye Ziyun's entire body erupted with a deep violet light.
BOOM!
A sharp gasp escaped her trembling lips as her eyes widened in shock.
A powerful explosion echoed within her mind.
An enormous surge of spiritual energy flooded through her body, rapidly replenishing her completely exhausted soul realm.
Then realization struck.
"I... I broke through! I actually broke through to Gold Rank Demon Spiritualist!"
With that unexpected yet welcome breakthrough, newfound power ignited within her.
Without wasting a single moment, she let out a defiant cry and pushed Freeze the World beyond its previous limits.
The frozen trees around her grew taller and more luxuriant, their vibrant appearance standing in stark contrast to the devastated battlefield.
Fist-sized fruits bloomed upon their branches, radiating an intense aura of frost before blossoming into crystalline flowers.
Moments later, they released clouds of deep-blue pollen that froze everything they touched, plunging the entire cavern into a frozen hell.
Krrrk... Krrrk...
The world fell deathly silent as everything became encased in ice.
Even the sounds of destruction behind her vanished.
Thud.
Shatter.
"Eek!"
Hearing a faint cracking sound, Ye Ziyun's gaze shot upward.
Her eyes widened in alarm as she quickly leaped aside, barely avoiding the giant Crimson Sphere as it came crashing down.
With an ear-piercing crash, the sphere shattered into hundreds of icy fragments.
Ye Ziyun breathed a sigh of relief.
The sphere was finally gone.
Then panic overtook her.
Their objective had been the soul core.
Without hesitation, she began kicking aside chunks of ice in search of it. Her current demeanor was far removed from the graceful image she usually carried.
But none of that mattered.
She was far too occupied searching for the soul core.
Ye Ziyun grimaced at the thought of losing it.
It would be incredibly awkward if, after everything they had gone through, she had accidentally frozen and shattered the very thing they came here for.
Eventually, her search bore fruit.
"Oh! Thank heavens, there you are!"
She muttered under her breath upon finding the soul core completely intact.
Relief washed over her.
Only then did she remember Xue Hui.
Dread immediately filled her heart.
Quickly wrapping the soul core in a piece of cloth, she hurried off to find him.
Her heart pounded loudly as her worried eyes searched everywhere.
Fear seized her when she spotted him lying motionless on the ground.
"Xue Hui!"
A horrified scream escaped her lips as she rushed over and knelt beside him.
He was lying on his stomach, so Ye Ziyun gently turned him onto his back.
Looking at him, the dreadful feeling inside her gradually disappeared.
Despite all his injuries, his eyes were as bright as ever.
He looked at her and gave her a triumphant smile.
"We actually did it! That was pretty rough in the end, huh, Ziyun?"
With all the tension leaving her body and an overwhelming wave of relief washing over her, she collapsed onto the ground beside him, completely exhausted.
Her chest rose and fell slowly as her eyes fluttered in disbelief.
"That was something, Xue Hui."
Those simple words carried profound meaning between the two of them.
Not only had they survived an encounter against a Legend Rank Crimson Copy of Chen Linlin...
They had actually defeated it.
Ye Ziyun pursed her lips.
The first thing that came to her mind was that her father and mother would definitely ground her if they ever found out everything that had happened.
Then she imagined the shocked expression on her grandfather's face after hearing about her adventures outside Glory City.
She even pictured the bewildered look on Nie Li's face when she finally returned.
Overall...
She couldn't wait to go home.
"Oh, by the way, Xue Hui, I got your soul core over he—"
Her words were interrupted by Xue Hui's quiet snoring.
He had fallen asleep.
It made sense.
He was exhausted.
They had both gone through so much, so it wasn't surprising that Xue Hui had finally succumbed to sleep.
Ye Ziyun turned her head to look at him.
Despite the dirt, soot, and dried blood covering his body, his peaceful sleeping face brought her an unexpected sense of comfort.
"Perhaps... a rest is needed."
Ye Ziyun slowly closed her eyes.
Despite lying on the hard ground, she found herself strangely comfortable as exhaustion finally claimed her.
It didn't take long before her breathing became slow and even as she fell asleep beside Xue Hui.
End of Chapter 93
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