Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 412 398: History's Strongest Saintess Catfight (Part 1)

"Shang Miaoyan, I trust you've been well. Do you finally have the guts to stop hiding from me?"

A voice as cold as frost suddenly rang out.

The muscles of every Red Lotus Guard present tensed instantly. A chorus of ringing steel erupted as they drew their blades, all eyes turning toward the source of the voice as if facing a formidable foe.

As for Shang Miaoyan, she gritted her teeth, and the Spiritual Qi around her body erupted in the shape of a blooming lotus.

"You lowly village girl! I told you, I wasn't afraid of you! I was just biding my time!"

WHOOSH—

A biting gale tore through the scattered clouds, whipping their robes about them.

After the dark clouds were blasted away by Shang Miaoyan, two figures standing upon the clouds were finally revealed against the sky.

The woman on the left wore an aqua-blue dress, her wide sleeves fluttering in the wind like rippling waves, accentuating her snow-white skin and ethereal temperament.

The man on the right was dressed in a spotless, plain white sword robe. His long hair, held by a jade crown, swept up in a sharp arc in the wind.

The two were none other than Lin Qianyan and Pei Yuhang.

When Shang Miaoyan saw their intertwined hands, the sight was exceptionally jarring. She clenched her fists so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"Let go."

She spoke word by word, her voice low, like ice ground from the depths of Hell.

Before her words had even faded, the Spiritual Qi around her body went berserk. Crimson flames erupted from beneath her feet, instantly devouring the Cloud Sea behind her.

The sky was scorched a bloody crimson, casting a light on her stunning face that made her look both demonic and divine.

Hearing this, Lin Qianyan let out a soft laugh. She didn't answer Shang Miaoyan, but instead looked at Pei Yuhang.

"Brother Pei, this woman doesn't want me to hold your hand."

Pei Yuhang lowered his gaze to look at her, a gentleness in his eyes that Shang Miaoyan had never seen before.

"Do you want to let go?"

"No."

Lin Qianyan tilted her head and nuzzled his shoulder like a pampered cat.

"Then let's keep holding hands."

As Pei Yuhang spoke, he tightened his grip on Lin Qianyan's hand right in front of Shang Miaoyan.

Lin Qianyan even deliberately raised their joined hands and wiggled them before Shang Miaoyan's eyes, as if trying to shatter her last shred of sanity.

Shang Miaoyan's pupils constricted. Rage flooded her heart... and she couldn't help but laugh in fury.

"Pei Yuhang, you're doing this on purpose to anger me, aren't you?"

Her voice was terrifyingly hoarse, but Pei Yuhang's expression remained unchanged.

"I never intended to deliberately make you angry. It's just that you fly into a powerless rage whenever you see someone not submitting to your will."

"When it comes down to it, Shang Miaoyan—you're just a giant, self-centered baby. You can't allow anyone to go against you. You're only happy when everyone obeys you."

Pei Yuhang's words stunned Shang Miaoyan for a moment. Her eyes dimmed, and her body swayed almost imperceptibly.

"Pei Yuhang, after knowing each other for over a hundred years, is this your final judgment of me?"

"Yes."

WHOOSH—

The gale whipped up Shang Miaoyan's loose black hair, hiding half her face. When she looked up again, all emotion in her eyes had frozen into a deathly still Cold Pool.

"Xiaohan, I've given up on changing you."

"Instead, why don't I just make you lose all will to resist and turn you into a puppet that can only ever smile gently at me!"

Lin Qianyan sensed Shang Miaoyan's madness. Her gaze sharpened, and she moved to stand in front of Pei Yuhang.

"Brother Pei, you should stand back. This is a grudge between her and me... and it's also the greatest menace I want to eliminate for you before I return to the Jade Pool Sacred Land."

"How shameless! If you're going to steal a man, then just do it! Why dress it up in such sanctimonious words?!"

Shang Miaoyan took a step forward, the void-searing Red Lotus Karma Fire surging around her as she charged straight ahead.

Lin Qianyan felt the oppressive power of the Red Lotus Fire assaulting her Divine Soul, and her beautiful eyes narrowed.

'With such a dangerous Divine Technique, no wonder Shang Miaoyan dared to accept my challenge right after breaking through to the Void Refining realm!'

'But as the Saintess of the Jade Pool Sacred Land, how could she not possess High Tier Divine Techniques and Magic Arts of her own?'

VMMMM—

The phantom image of a simple, ancient Yellow and Green Grand Bell, something she had never shown Pei Yuhang before, spread out from within Lin Qianyan's body and collided head-on with the lotus-shaped Red Lotus Fire Tide.

The clash between the two Void Refining Saintesses caused the entire sky to flicker between light and dark.

Spiritual Qi churned the void, stirring up roiling air currents into a sky-high vortex that spanned a hundred li. It moved like a roving cataclysm, following the battlefield of the two Void Refining Saintesses.

"Quick, protect Her Highness, the Holy Daughter!"

A Red Lotus Guard shouted, and then all of them erupted with the aura of the Divinity Transformation realm, about to rush over and defend their Saintess.

"Hold!"

Pei Yuhang blocked their path with a single motion of his sword. Immense Sword Qi surged from his body, pressing down on the Red Lotus Guard so intensely that none of them could even lift their heads.

The cold light of the blade in the White-clothed Sword Immortal's hand glinted. He said coolly, "The Saintesses of two sects are merely sparring. This isn't a battle to the death. This is their personal grudge; it does not involve the Yin Yang Sacred Land or the Jade Pool Sacred Land."

"If you go up there now, are you trying to escalate this into a war between the two Sacred Lands?"

"Countless of your fellow disciples will die because of your recklessness today. Can you bear that responsibility?"

Pei Yuhang immediately saddled the Red Lotus Guard with this immense accusation, making them all hesitate to act rashly.

After all, they recognized Pei Yuhang...

He was the Holy Daughter's private possession. The only man she had ever "favored."

'Looking at the relationship between Pei Yuhang and the Jade Pool Saintess, Lin Qianyan, now, it seemed the latter was the original partner, here today to get "revenge" on their Holy Daughter.'

'From that perspective, this earth-shattering battle between Saintesses might really be a duel over a man.'

'If that's the case, then as subordinates, they really had no right to interfere in their mistress's catfight.'

In the crowd, Jiu watched the White-clothed Sword Immortal as he stood before everyone, ensuring Lin Qianyan's safety. The expression in Jiu's eyes, hidden beneath a mask, was complex.

Meanwhile, Fan Ya looked up at the increasingly fierce exchange of Magic between the two Saintesses and sighed softly.

'Two Void Refining Fairies, Saintesses of their Sacred Lands, renowned throughout the Cultivation Realm, were actually fighting so fiercely over a man.'

'If word of this got out, they'd become a laughingstock.'

'Pei Yuhang, you truly are a disaster that drives Fairies to madness.'

...

...

BOOM—

A massive fire lotus that covered half the sky exploded violently.

Even Shang Miaoyan, the caster herself, was sent flying by the immense shockwave.

After the fiery tide receded slightly.

A somewhat shattered Honglu Grand Bell appeared before Shang Miaoyan.

Both of their expressions were grave.

Shang Miaoyan was unnerved that even a trump card of that magnitude hadn't been able to shatter this damn turtle shell.

Lin Qianyan, on the other hand, was surprised that Shang Miaoyan, having only just broken through to the Void Refining realm, could inflict such damage on her strongest defense, the [Jade Terrace Divine Bell].

Without being able to use lethal force, neither could do anything to the other for the moment.

This was especially true for Shang Miaoyan. She had thought that after breaking through to the Void Refining realm, she would be invincible among her peers. She'd expected to sweep aside that wench Lin Qianyan and domineeringly, unstoppably take back everything that belonged to her.

'Who would have thought that after fighting for so long, she hadn't even managed to tear the hem of Lin Qianyan's robes!'

Shang Miaoyan's expression darkened. 'Since a battle of techniques can't decide a winner right now, then I'll just have to crush her in terms of presence.'

'After fighting for this long, she already had her suspicions.'

'If I'm not mistaken, hehehe~'

'No matter how this battle goes, I've already won Xiaohan.'

"Lin Qianyan, I truly never expected that someone as composed as you would actually take the initiative to challenge me."

Shang Miaoyan's red lips curved into a slight smile, the small beauty mark at the corner of her eye glinting with a bewitching, blood-red light under the sun.

"You seem to be in such a hurry. You must have something you need to take care of... For example, are you returning to the Jade Pool Sacred Land?"

Upon hearing Shang Miaoyan's words, Lin Qianyan's clear eyes narrowed.

'So she figured it out.'

'Lin Qianyan had wanted to defeat Shang Miaoyan with overwhelming force to create a deterrent, so that Shang Miaoyan wouldn't dare to harass Brother Pei anymore after she left.'

'But now, things had become troublesome.'

'This wicked woman knew she was leaving... Even if she won this battle, the other would continue to run rampant.'

'Such perception... As expected of the evil woman who could imprison Brother Pei for decades and leave him with such trauma.'

Lin Qianyan's fists tightened, and she actually took the initiative to attack Shang Miaoyan!

"Hahaha~ You're flustered! You're getting flustered~!"

"Did I hit the nail on the head? You annoying village girl, you're finally going to get lost and leave Xiaohan's side!"

Shang Miaoyan retreated while letting out a mocking laugh. The golden bracelet on her wrist jingled with her movements. She laughed so hard she was doubled over, tears even welling up in the corners of her eyes.

"Hurry up and scram! Get far, far away!"

"After you're gone, Xiaohan will be all mine! Guess how I'm going to play with him~?"

"I'm going to turn him completely into my possession, make him remember only my name, and make him completely forget about an annoying village girl like you!"

Lin Qianyan's face was ice-cold. With a flick of her fingers, she condensed shafts of divine light and shot them at Shang Miaoyan. Going all out, she quickly put Shang Miaoyan at a disadvantage.

But even so, Shang Miaoyan wasn't angry. On the contrary, she was exceptionally excited. Her charming face was covered in a feverish, unhealthy flush, as if she were already the victor.

"Hahahaha~~!!"

"Don't be flustered, now~ Though Xiaohan will completely forget you, this Holy Daughter is a merciful Fairy. Every year, at the end of autumn, I'll send you a special album of Xiaohan's portraits, you know~"

Shang Miaoyan's voice suddenly became gentle, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue as she hissed the most vicious words.

"You can use that album... to relieve your loneliness~"

Lin Qianyan's pupils constricted. Then, suppressed Spiritual Qi erupted from her like a mountain-collapsing tsunami, so immense that it changed the color of the sky and the earth.

"You bitch—"

The end of autumn was the time of year when Pei Yuhang had been tricked and abducted into the Yin Yang Sacred Land.

Every year on that day, Lin Qianyan would spend it in tears.