Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 393 380: Trial of Heart Tribulation 14: Shang Miaoyan's Clutches, Pei Yuhang's Choice

High in the sky, a black-and-white Tai Chi Diagram of the Two Principles swam through the Cloud Sea like a pair of fish.

Pei Yuhang watched the phenomenon that covered nearly half the sky above the Yin Yang Sacred Land, his fists clenching unconsciously.

"Damn it, that's the Sect's ultimate treasure, the Yin Yang Mirror! Quick, conceal all our auras and get into the water!"

Inside the cabin, Fan Ya saw the Yin Yang Jade in the sky through a window. Her face went deathly pale, and she cried out in alarm.

The instant Fan Ya spoke, Pei Yuhang deployed over a dozen Concealing Breath Arrays.

The entire Spiritual Ship immediately came to a halt and began to sink slowly into the river.

But it was pointless.

The two yin-and-yang fish began to spin rapidly, merging into one.

The surrounding Cloud Sea converged around the Yin Yang Jade, forming an eye socket.

Within the Cloud Sea, the Yin Yang Taiyi Pupil darted in all directions.

Then, it locked onto Pei Yuhang!

In that instant, Pei Yuhang felt an intense, prying gaze. He knew he had been exposed.

"Run!"

The moment the Yin Yang Mirror found them, hiding was meaningless.

Pei Yuhang immediately took control of the Spiritual Ship, pushing it to its maximum speed to escape.

"Pei Yuhang! Where do you think you're going—!!"

A scarlet arc of lightning flashed across the sky. The next moment, a crimson Red Silk descended from above, slashing straight down upon the fleeing Spiritual Ship.

Pei Yuhang hastily used Sword Control to block, but the time he'd had to secretly build his strength had been far too short. The six Spirit Swords under his command were only Mortal Grade; before a true Magical Treasure, they cracked inch by inch before finally disintegrating into dust.

BOOM—!!

The crimson Red Silk tore through the Spirit Swords, then unstoppably cleaved the entire Spiritual Ship in two.

The wreckage of the Spiritual Ship crashed into the water, sending a massive plume of river water into the air that fell back down like rain.

Pei Yuhang blasted the water vapor away. He looked toward the horizon at the sickly Saintess in the Red Lotus Dress, who had just arrived via a Teleportation Array. Brimming with Killing Intent, she was a terrifying sight. He knew the most difficult moment had finally come.

"We have to abandon the ship."

A stream of Sword Qi shot from Pei Yuhang's fingertip, severing the Spirit Rope that bound Fan Ya. He then moved to help the still-dazed Fan Xuan to her feet so they could leave.

"Wait! My sister was just freed. She's too weak to escape on her own! I have to carry her!"

Gritting her teeth, Fan Xuan ran over and hoisted her pale-faced sister onto her back.

Pei Yuhang looked at the two sisters, his brow deeply furrowed as a flicker of conflict crossed his eyes.

'This is no good. If this keeps up, none of us will escape!'

His Sword Control speed was high, but he had recovered too little Spiritual Qi to sustain that top speed for long.

Escaping with Fan Xuan was already going to be difficult. If he tried to bring Fan Ya as well, Shang Miaoyan would certainly catch all three of them!

"You two go on ahead!"

Pei Yuhang's head snapped up, his voice sharp and serious.

"She's after me. I'll lead Shang Miaoyan away!

We're very close to the edge of the Sect's territory. Once you're in the Lanjiang River, she won't be able to find you!"

Pei Yuhang shouted to the battered Fan Sisters.

"No! Pei Yuhang, if you get caught, what's the point of my sister and I escaping the Yin Yang Sacred Land? I chose to leave because I want to be with you!"

Fan Xuan stared at Pei Yuhang, her voice thick with suppressed sobs.

Pei Yuhang looked at her red-rimmed eyes, and his heart felt as if it were being squeezed in a vise. For a moment, it was as if he had returned to his past life.

He took a deep breath, forcing down the surge of emotion, and managed a strained, casual smile.

"Who says I can't get away?"

"I'm a Sword Immortal, Xiaoxuan. Trust me one last time... There's no time to hesitate. Go, now!"

Before the words had even faded, he spun around. With his robes whipping in the wind, he shot off like an arrow from a bow, racing toward the distant scarlet cloud.

Fan Xuan watched his retreating figure, tears finally streaming from her eyes.

She bit her lip so hard she tasted blood. Then, wiping her tears away fiercely, she hefted her sister onto her back and charged toward the Lanjiang River without a backward glance.

'Pei Yuhang, we have to see each other again, safe and sound!'

...

...

Shang Miaoyan watched the distant white-robed figure fly off in the other direction, her red lips curling into a cold, mocking smile.

"Xiaohan, trying to split up? Lure me away so that thieving cat can escape? Do you take me for a fool?"

"Everyone! With me! We're capturing the traitorous Fan Sisters first! And Fan Xuan especially—I want her alive!"

A guard at her side heard Shang Miaoyan's command and hesitated before speaking up. "Holy Daughter, the Sect Leader said that Pei Yuhang is very likely a spy from an enemy sect.

He's probably using the Fan Sisters as a smokescreen to distract us.

Compared to two mere maids with low Cultivation, capturing Pei Yuhang should be our priority..."

"Shut up!"

Shang Miaoyan's furious roar cut the guard off mid-sentence.

"Do you think you know Xiaohan better than I do?!"

"Do you know him better than me?!"

"..."

Faced with a glare like that of a bloodthirsty lioness, the guard knew better than to say another word.

Of course, in her heart, the guard couldn't help but scoff:

'If you really knew Pei Yuhang, how could you sleep with him for months and still not win his heart, only to have some common maid steal him right from under your nose?'

Meanwhile, Pei Yuhang was speeding through the clouds using Sword Control, his robes fluttering, when he suddenly noticed an unnatural silence behind him.

There was no roar of Magic as he'd expected, nor any of Shang Miaoyan's mocking threats. The unnatural calm made his knuckles turn white as he gripped his sword hilt.

He whipped around, his pupils contracting sharply.

The vast sky was perfectly clear. There wasn't a single sign of a pursuer.

"Shang Miaoyan..."

Pei Yuhang ground out those two words between his teeth. He suddenly understood, a vein throbbing on his temple. "She went after Xiaoxuan and her sister!"

That woman hadn't even bothered with the pretense of a chase. She had just brazenly turned all her forces to intercept Fan Xuan!

The wind whipped his disheveled hair back, revealing eyes that burned with a ghostly fire.

The distant Cloud Sea churned, and in his mind's eye, it seemed to morph into the shape of Shang Miaoyan's mocking lips, her words hammering at his sanity:

"Pei Yuhang, you listen to me—"

"Don't you crave freedom? I'm giving you a chance to have it. All you have to do is abandon that woman, and you'll get the freedom you so desire!"

"This is the last bit of mercy I'll show you~"

"Bastard!!"

An explosion of Sword Qi shattered the flowing clouds around him.

Pei Yuhang finally understood. Shang Miaoyan wasn't trying to corner him at all. She was using the most arrogant posture imaginable to offer him a deal—

Fan Xuan's life in exchange for the freedom that was now within his grasp!

It was an insult to him, and it was torture for Fan Xuan...

Pei Yuhang's gaze grew distant. He looked toward the shimmering surface of the Lanjiang River, his fingertips trembling slightly.

If he just dove in, he would be free, no longer shackled to that vile woman.

He would leave this illusory world for good.

Qianqian, Yueqiu, Liyuan...

His good wife, his good Dao Companion, his good disciple... they were all waiting for him on the outside.

All he had to do was press on, cross the Lanjiang River, and he could return to them. The only cost would be a "fake" Fan Xuan.

The real Fan Xuan was already dead.

She died a hundred years ago.

'She doesn't exist in this false world. What's the point in saving her?'

'Should I go? Just go! Go!'

Pei Yuhang chanted 'Go, just go,' over and over in his mind, but his body felt as if it were nailed to the spot, unable to move an inch.

Because he knew...

Even if this Xiaoxuan was fake, her love for him... was real.

He couldn't leave. Not anymore.