534: Unbearable Pain
There was a natural rapport in Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's coordination, but she hadn't expected the sneak attack to succeed so easily. She was momentarily stunned, then witnessed the stricken Celestial Demon Sect Leader falter for an instant—his completely black eyes seemed to flash with a hint of clarity—as if he had briefly regained consciousness, his thoughts struggling for a moment before quickly being controlled by the demonic patterns again.
The fierce blade edge again cleaved toward Jiang Mo, showing no effect from the heavy blow just received. Instead, it was Jiang Mo who was distracted by what she had glimpsed in that moment, nearly being struck by this attack.
"Watch out!" Yun Qingyue shouted, extending her hand to momentarily hinder the assault.
With Yun Qingyue's cultivation level, she naturally couldn't stop the Celestial Demon Sect Leader, but her attack was coated with ice flame, managing to delay him for an instant. This brief delay allowed Jiang Mo to regain her senses and react quickly, not only escaping the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's attack but also launching a counterattack. However, given the opponent's superior strength, this counterattack had little effect.
"Ah Yue, try attacking the back of his head," Jiang Mo suggested while circling and counterattacking. Though she wasn't entirely certain the back of the head was his weakness, earlier in their attacks, that was the only area where he showed a clear reaction when struck.
Yun Qingyue had been positioned to the side of the Celestial Demon Sect Leader and hadn't seen his momentary reaction, but she always trusted Jiang Mo's words. With a clear target, the two launched their attacks with perfect coordination. Their assault was so fierce that they temporarily suppressed the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's momentum. However, they knew this situation couldn't last long—their only hope was external assistance.
Jiang Mo didn't press the issue, gritting her teeth as she directly confronted the Celestial Demon Sect Leader, bearing the majority of the pressure. Even when occasionally struck and injured, she remained silent, enduring quietly—though it truly was painful, bringing tears to her eyes.
Meanwhile, Yun Qingyue grew increasingly anxious.
Even though Jiang Mo said nothing, because of the heart jades, she could sense when her partner was injured. Since Jiang Mo's injuries hadn't yet become life-threatening, the pain Yun Qingyue shared wasn't overwhelming—just a dull ache in her chest, as if she had suffered internal injuries, feeling like she might cough up blood at any moment.
If she felt this way, Jiang Mo must be suffering much more, and her little tiger hated pain the most...
Though worried and anxious, Yun Qingyue's movements remained perfectly controlled. With one hand wielding her sword and the other forming seals, her sword intent slightly deflected the falling blade energy, giving Jiang Mo time to dodge comfortably while her other hand sent ice flames flying toward the Celestial Demon Sect Leader.
The ice flame was particularly effective against demonic energy, reacting like oil poured on fire when they met—a major weapon in Yun Qingyue's arsenal against demons. However, even with such a powerful tool at her disposal, the difference in cultivation levels couldn't be bridged—no matter how formidable her ice flame, it was useless if it couldn't reach the target. Even when a tiny spark did land on the Celestial Demon Sect Leader, the thick demonic energy surrounding him would instantly extinguish it.
In short, Yun Qingyue's ice flame had little effect on him. Fortunately, the Celestial Demon Sect Leader instinctively feared the ice flame somewhat, so when Yun Qingyue unleashed it, he would try to avoid it if possible, or forcefully cleave through it if not—his approach was extremely domineering.
Jiang Mo coordinated with her Senior Sister's actions, occasionally achieving remarkable results, but later the opponent gradually adapted to this attack pattern.
Throughout their extended engagement, the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's momentum never diminished. But as time passed, Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue, with their inferior cultivation, gradually felt the fatigue, and the battle quickly shifted from engagement to desperate defense.
Another blade slashed down toward the White Tiger's head, dispersing the demonic energy permeating the air and creating a vacuum zone.
Jiang Mo sensed an extreme threat, and more fatally, due to her strained defense, her body was reaching its limits, her movements half a beat slower than usual. This time, she might not be able to dodge, even with her Senior Sister helping to delay the enemy... Just as this thought crossed her mind, a familiar figure appeared before her, shielding her.
Seeing that familiar silhouette, Jiang Mo's heart immediately lurched, and without time to think, she pulled the person into her space with her—perhaps she should be grateful that with her improved cultivation, she could enter and exit her space more quickly.
However, bringing her Senior Sister along, pushing her into the space first before escaping herself, still left her half a beat too slow.
Yun Qingyue, seeing that Jiang Mo couldn't evade this lethal attack, experienced a moment of mental blankness and instinctively shielded her. When she came to her senses, the blade shadow was gone, the overwhelming danger had vanished, and she found herself in the familiar space.
As the tension released, Yun Qingyue felt her body weaken slightly, then heard a "thud" behind her like a heavy object falling.
She hurriedly turned to look and indeed saw Jiang Mo collapsed on the ground. More terrifyingly, there was a deep blade mark on her back, nearly cleaving her in two. Within the gaping flesh, even the surging blood couldn't stop the black demonic energy from viciously invading the wound—having witnessed the potency of this demonic energy firsthand, Yun Qingyue had no doubt that if this energy entered Jiang Mo's body unchecked, she would instantly follow the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's fate.
Yun Qingyue immediately fell to Jiang Mo's side, her usually steady hands trembling uncontrollably. She quickly released spiritual energy to form ice crystals, attempting to freeze Jiang Mo's wound. However, this time the wound couldn't be frozen, nor could the demonic energy.
Jiang Mo took a breath in her embrace, her face pale with pain, yet still managing a smile: "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
The next moment, a teardrop landed on her face, still warm.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's persistence wasn't futile. At the very least, after realizing they were outmatched, those Fusion stage cultivators who couldn't help had all scattered. They each had their own escape methods, and given that Jiang Mo and the others had detained the Celestial Demon Sect Leader for a considerable time, even after the two retreated to their space, these people had already fled to a safe distance.
Whether they would be hunted down by the Celestial Demon Sect Leader afterward, or whether they could escape, was beyond Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue's control.
However, two Fusion cultivators were exceptionally fortunate. Originally a senior-junior pair, they fled together due to their tacit coordination. Shortly after escaping the battlefield, they encountered Zhu Baiyi rushing to their aid.
Sect Leader Zhu wasn't familiar with these people, but since they had met before, she naturally recognized them and immediately stopped them to ask: "You encountered the Celestial Demon Sect Leader? What's the situation now?"
Upon seeing Sect Leader Zhu, the two brightened and hurriedly replied: "Jianbing and Miss Yun have detained him, but the situation isn't good—they can't defeat him. Sect Leader Zhu, you've arrived just in time. Please hurry to their aid." They pointed in the direction.
Zhu Baiyi wasn't surprised by this news. She merely frowned before disappearing from their sight.
When she reached the battlefield, she arrived just one step too late—Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had already retreated to their space, and the blood on the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's blade hadn't yet fallen—the White Tiger divine beast's blood was quite distinctive, not only exceptionally rich in spiritual energy, but also displaying faint golden light within the deep red blood. This golden light was particularly noticeable on the demonic energy-wrapped blade edge, immediately catching Zhu Baiyi's eye.
Zhu Baiyi's heart sank instantly. From the blood, she knew Jiang Mo must be severely injured. Though Sect Leader Zhu outwardly resented her for taking away her daughter and would seize any opportunity to beat the tiger, at this moment she couldn't help but feel alarmed and anxious.
"Old demon, what have you done to them?!" As fellow demonic path sect leaders, Zhu Baiyi clearly knew the Celestial Demon Sect Leader.
However, the Celestial Demon Sect Leader, now controlled by demonic patterns and nearly a puppet, showed no reaction to Sect Leader Zhu's words. He merely raised his head, saw the opponent before him, and unhesitatingly swung his blade toward her.
They were both demonic path sect leaders with similar cultivation levels—why should either fear the other?
Zhu Baiyi was already anxious, and seeing the Celestial Demon Sect Leader's rudeness, how could she contain herself? After all, she was the Crimson Blood Sect Leader, and the Crimson Blood Sect had always been the most bellicose among the four demonic sects.
So without even exchanging words... no, without even having the chance to exchange words, the two immediately began fighting.
The combat between two Grand Achievement experts was naturally formidable, especially since neither intended to hold back, making their battle almost earth-shattering. One blade severed earth veins, one sword tore through space—if someone with slightly lower cultivation had entered the battlefield at this moment, they would likely have been instantly pulverized by the aftershocks of their confrontation.
Of course, with the two fighting until space itself seemed to distort, no one dared to interfere.
Zhu Baiyi began with a heart full of rage, but as the fight continued, she felt something was amiss—she had been giving her all without gaining the upper hand, but her opponent's strength wasn't as overwhelming as she had expected. She had heard that the Celestial Demon Sect Leader had broken through to late-stage Grand Achievement, and with the boost from demonization, she couldn't see any way to win. So how was she still managing to fight evenly?
This doubt flashed through her mind briefly, but in the midst of battle, she couldn't afford to let her thoughts wander. Then a sharp sword light cut in from the side, and a familiar white figure joined the battle, allowing Zhu Baiyi's tense spirit to relax slightly.
Peak Master Qingyu had arrived, presumably also having received Yun Qingyue's distress signal.
But now that reinforcements had arrived, where were those who had called for help?
Zhu Baiyi's heart sank again, and she instinctively sent her divine sense sweeping across the ground. She feared not finding them, yet also feared finding them in the ruins below—and if found, they would likely be corpses.
……
Jiang Mo and Yun Qingyue had certainly not fallen to such a state, though the situation of the two hiding in the space was far from ideal.
After returning to the space, Jiang Mo naturally reverted to human form. With her clothes torn, the wound on her back was exposed—so horrific that Yun Qingyue could hardly bear to look. However, Jiang Mo couldn't see it herself, so aside from grimacing in pain, she was relatively fine—divine beasts truly had remarkable vitality, and despite the almost unbearable pain, her spirit remained surprisingly strong.
"Ah Yue, don't worry, that demonic energy can't harm me. Listen to me, just apply some medicine and bandage it, and it will be fine," Jiang Mo reassured, her face pale with pain, while the system in her sea of consciousness unceasingly ran its virus removal program, yet she maintained a facade of nonchalance.
Yun Qingyue bit her lower lip hard, taking out medicine while somewhat regretting her earlier actions.
If she hadn't shielded Jiang Mo, and Jiang Mo had retreated to the space alone, she wouldn't have suffered such a severe injury.
Her Senior Sister's thoughts were sometimes easy to guess, sometimes difficult, but at this moment, Jiang Mo immediately understood what she was thinking. With a pale face, she smiled and said, "If I hadn't brought you along with me, I wouldn't have retreated to the space. If I had hidden, I would have left you alone outside to deal with him."
Yun Qingyue bit her lower lip even harder, almost drawing blood, before exhaling and saying, "I'm too weak."
Yun Qingyue had never been one to belittle herself, and this was the first time she had spoken this way, the first time she had thought so. Given her age and cultivation level, she was absolutely among the most outstanding geniuses in the cultivation world. Even with the great battle weighing on her shoulders, she had never berated herself for not being strong enough—she had only thought of improving herself as much as possible. But now, she truly felt some self-reproach, blaming herself for becoming a burden.
Jiang Mo certainly didn't see it that way and wouldn't let Yun Qingyue think that way either. She quickly grasped Yun Qingyue's hand, looking up at her from her embrace: "How could that be? Senior Sister has always been the one protecting me." Without giving her time to overthink, she added, "Ah Yue, please apply medicine for me."
In truth, Yun Qingyue hadn't been delayed by her self-reproach—by the time Jiang Mo finished speaking, she had already sprinkled medicine on her wound.
A moment later, the little tiger let out an "aow" of agony as the wound's healing process brought both pain and itching.
Knowing that feeling well, Yun Qingyue compassionately held the little tiger in her arms to comfort her.
The little tiger, teary-eyed, looked up at Yun Qingyue and said, "A hug isn't enough, I need Senior Sister's kiss to get better..."
Yun Qingyue didn't understand the "hugs and kisses" reference, but hearing these words, she didn't hesitate to place a gentle kiss on Jiang Mo's forehead.
The latter paused, her mind distracted enough to momentarily forget the pain and itching, her gaze wandering before settling on Yun Qingyue's lips.
How could Yun Qingyue not understand her little thoughts? Without even asking, another kiss gently landed on the corner of Jiang Mo's lips, then on her lips... Until the medicine took effect, with the wound on Jiang Mo's back rapidly healing and new flesh growing, the little tiger had no more attention to spare for her injury.