Chapter 265. Fighting the Inevitable

Linyue couldn’t even raise her sword. The force slashed through her spiritual energy, pierced straight into her chest and her soul. It felt like her whole being was being torn from the inside out. Air vanished from her lungs. Her vision went white.

Then—boom.

She and the others were flung away, slammed into the dirt with thunderous impact.

Five of them. No exception. All down.

Linyue’s back hit the ground so hard the air shot out of her lungs. Pain bloomed sharp in her shoulder and side, but that wasn’t the worst of it. It was the hollow, sinking feeling inside her chest. Her spiritual energy. Gone. Scattered like dust. Like it didn’t even matter in front of that overwhelming darkness. She tried to breathe, but it came out shaky and uneven. Dust clung to her lips, and her hands trembled as she pushed herself up. Her palms burned with scrapes. Her legs heavy. Her fingers sparked faintly with broken lightning, but it flickered out as fast as it came. Her heart pounded hard against the emptiness in her chest. Gritting her teeth, she forced her head to turn. Her vision blurred for a moment before shapes began to form.

Song Meiyu lay face-down in the dirt, completely motionless. For one horrible second, Linyue’s heart froze.

Then came a muffled groan.

“…Ow! Stupid cabbage demon!” Song Meiyu spat out a mouthful of soil and flailed an arm weakly against the ground.

Not dead. Just dramatic.

A rough cough came from the other side. He Yuying sat up, or tried to, half-buried in a pile of dirt. His hair stuck out in every direction, fried into a wild bird’s nest. “Did… someone just shove a mountain up my nose?” he croaked. He blinked, disoriented, and picked a pebble out of his sleeve.

Even through the ache in her body, Linyue felt her lips twitch. The world was falling apart, and somehow, they still managed to sound bored and mildly offended.

Shen Zhenyu was already on one knee. He moved stiffly, his usual calm face set in a rare deep frown. One hand pressed to his ribs. His breaths came shallow and strained.

Then warmth. A strong hand grabbed her arm firmly.

Linyue turned her head and found Shu Mingye kneeling beside her. His robes were torn and scorched, streaked with ash and blood. His fire spiritual energy still flickered faintly around him, dim but stubborn, like embers refusing to die.

“Pie.” His voice was low and hoarse, almost cracking. His eyes searched hers frantically. No teasing smile. No smugness. Only a raw mix of anger and worry tightening every line of his face. His lips pressed tight into a hard line. His jaw flexed like he was holding back all the words he wanted to shout.

“Are you hurt?” His voice was quiet but sharp, trembling at the edges.

Linyue blinked, trying to find her breath. Her lips parted and a thin sound escaped. “I’m fine.”

Shu Mingye clearly didn’t believe that. His gaze swept over her from head to toe, his hand tightening around hers. He said nothing, but the look in his eyes was fierce enough to burn. He pulled her carefully to her feet. Her knees wobbled, refusing to listen. The world tilted for a moment, and she would have fallen if he hadn’t caught her again. Her spiritual weapon was gone. The faint crackle of lightning around her fingers had vanished completely. The emptiness where her energy used to be made her chest ache.

Around them, the battlefield was ruined. Deep cracks split the ground in all directions. Dust swirled thick in the air. The sharp tang of blood mixed with the heavy scent of burnt earth. And in the middle of it all, the masked man stood where he had been from the start. Perfectly still. Perfectly calm. Not a scratch on him.

Unmoving. Untouched. Unbothered.

Meanwhile, they were already broken. Trembling. Weak. Every breath scraped their lungs like metal. Their spiritual energy—useless.

Linyue’s voice came out low and flat. “Was it… the result of the sacrificing?”

Shu Mingye didn’t take his eyes off the masked man. “Highly likely.”

Her brows drew together as she forced her mind to focus through the sharp ringing in her head. The master she had once trusted was already inhumanely strong. But this? This wasn’t just strength. It felt wrong. Heavy. Like it didn’t belong in this world. Was all this really necessary? Was it power he still chased? Why? What was it for?

Behind them, Shen Zhenyu managed to lift He Yuying and Song Meiyu back to their feet. Both were swaying, bruised and battered but still alive.

Shu Mingye’s mind had only one focus. His heart pounded. He had to get his Pie out safely.

And then the masked man tilted his head slightly. As if bored. As if tired of watching bugs squirm. The dark red aura around him thickened, red mist rising, swirling faster and faster until it burst outward. The earth cracked beneath his feet. Jagged lines of red light spread like veins, crawling across the ground, splitting rock and stone.

It wasn’t just mist. It felt like grief. Like madness. Like death. The sky seemed to turn even dimmer. The faint light above strained to break through but couldn’t. The air tasted sharp and bitter on their tongues.

Song Meiyu’s voice broke through the silence, thin and trembling. “W-What is that?”

He Yuying’s reply was barely a whisper. “Nightmare.”

He was right. That was what it felt like. A nightmare bleeding into reality. Curling under skin, making heart heavy, mind slow, and courage melt.

Shu Mingye moved without hesitation. He stepped directly in front of Linyue, his body tense, his fire spiritual energy flaring weakly against the oppressive mist. He didn’t look back at her. His silent promise was loud enough. Even if it cost everything, he would protect her.

Linyue gritted her teeth so hard her jaw hurt. She forced her trembling hands to rise. She called on her lightning. On strength. On clarity.

Nothing.

Her core was fine, but it was like the connection between her spirit and the world had been blocked. Sparks flickered weakly at her fingertips before vanishing, swallowed by the crawling red mist. The mist curled higher. Around her hands. Around her arms. It reached her throat like invisible claws. The spiritual world had gone silent. This was helplessness that dug deep into bone, into soul.

And then the red wave came again.

No warning. Only pressure. Darker and heavier.

Shu Mingye turned around fast and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her tightly into his embrace. Beside them, Shen Zhenyu threw himself in front of Song Meiyu and He Yuying again, shielding them with his body without a word.

The world spun. They were all thrown back. Linyue’s back slammed into the ground hard. Her breath caught, her vision blackened at the edge. She hadn’t even been struck directly, but the force still tore through her body.

Shu Mingye didn’t let go. He was still holding her, still shielding her, even as he trembled. Even as blood spilled from his mouth.

Linyue’s eyes widened. His coughs were wet. His breath staggered and fast, then shallow. She gripped him tightly. Her arms around him shook. She wanted to say something, but what?

She looked up, saw the red mist still thick in the air.

No spiritual energy answered her call.

She was a cultivator without cultivation.

A warrior without a sword.

A protector with nothing to protect anyone with.

Linyue turned her head to the side.

The others—

Song Meiyu was crying quietly, hopelessly. Not even her usual dramatic sobs. Just soft, scared weeping. He Yuying, for once, had no snark, no chewing, no words at all. He just sat there beside her, staring at the ground. Shen Zhenyu was coughing, blood painting his chin. Even he couldn’t stand up straight anymore.

It was hopeless.