Chapter 110: A Desperate Gamble

“Yuan Jiuzhou, your opponent is me!” the Water Ancestor exclaimed coquettishly, her almond-shaped eyes blazing with resolute battle intent and a determination to face death.

“You are not worthy,” Yuan Jiuzhou replied tersely, his voice rolling like distant thunder.

The maple leaves on Mount Feng were bound by an invisible force. A single leaf, dancing in the wind, froze before Yu Youwei’s eyes. Through the veins of the leaf, she saw the blue frost sword light that shielded Ning Mofei suddenly dim. Yet in his starry eyes, close enough to touch, a flash of sword light erupted. Alarmed, she feared he had fallen under the control of the lingering soul of Ye Jiuyou and shouted, “Mofei!”

“Youwei, I’m scared,” Ning Mofei said in panic. Even his dull senses detected the deadly crisis as faint black energy coalesced into a sword shadow swirling around him.

A trace of tenderness appeared in Yu Youwei’s gaze as she whispered, “Don’t be afraid.” Under the immense pressure, her skin, fair as snow, glowed with a seductive blush like peach blossoms.

“Flaming Whirlwind!”

With a graceful lift of her jade-white wrist, the crimson flame sword shot upward, spiraling above her head. Fire elemental energy drifting in the air surged forth, forming a rotating ring of flames. The intense heat whipped the air into dazzling waves of fire; the compressed air began to stir with turbulence.

She threw the little white bear from the Beast Taming talisman and commanded, “Take Mofei away, quickly!”

“What are you trying to prove again?” the little white bear asked nervously.

Its aura as a juvenile divine beast exerted a stronger oppressive effect on beast tribes than on human warriors. Yuan Jiuzhou’s strength was at least equal to that of the Red Cloud Deer King. Even ignoring the heavenly laws punishing divine beast aura leakage, it dared not clash head-on with Yuan Jiuzhou. To it, Yu Youwei’s attempt to fight Yuan Jiuzhou wielding the twin Red and Azure swords, unable to unleash their full power, was like a moth flinging itself into the flame.

“Enough talk, go now!” Yu Youwei shouted.

In the air, the Water Ancestor and Yuan Jiuzhou continued their confrontation. From their aura alone, the Water Ancestor was at a disadvantage. Unless something unexpected happened, she would either die or be grievously wounded, and then neither she nor Ning Mofei would escape.

The little white bear gritted its teeth and leapt onto Ning Mofei’s shoulder. “Idiot, run!” Its chubby bear paws slapped firmly on the back of his head. The little thunder eagle flew from Yu Youwei’s shoulder to perch on the bear’s back.

Under the influence of an invisible force, Ning Mofei could not help but start running, jogging over the uneven rocky ground, leaving behind two rows of horrifying bloodied footprints. He frantically looked back, trying to grab Yu Youwei. His fingertips brushed her clothes before he moved on. “Youwei, run!” he cried in panic.

With the little white bear gone, the pressure on Yu Youwei surged dramatically, her complexion darkening to a rose-red flush. With no time to answer Ning Mofei, she focused intently on the crimson flame sword, guiding the spinning ring of fire with her mind as it flew off at an angle.

The blazing waves scattered with the fiery ring, like a fierce dragon soaring into the sky, tearing a rift through the powerful aura centered on Yuan Jiuzhou. The ring halted ten meters away from him, creating a brief, eerie calm.

The Water Ancestor felt the pressure sharply lessen and unleashed her fully charged Water Dragon Technique. A hundred-meter-long water dragon suddenly appeared in the air, charging at the fiery dragon’s breach.

Water and fire opposed each other; when the two dragons collided and exploded, the power was far beyond a simple sum. A dazzling radiance illuminated the land. The massive phantom of a raging ape that hovered above Yuan Jiuzhou’s head was effortlessly erased. The force of the blast sent his body flying backward, crashing into a mountain peak a kilometer away, shattering it with a thunderous roar.

Ignoring the aerial battle, Yu Youwei ran desperately toward the direction Ning Mofei had fled. After barely a hundred meters, a massive explosion wave surged like a tidal wave. She was thrown into the air and struck a terrified, fleeing rabbit, killing it instantly. She glanced once at the distorted sun before losing consciousness. The crimson flame sword recoiled, circling her wrist once more.

Seeing her fall, Ning Mofei was horrified. “Youwei!” he shouted.

Unconscious, Yu Youwei did not respond. A white fox stepped over her back; she remained motionless.

The little thunder eagle streaked back like lightning, circling above her with sharp, mournful cries. The little white bear on Ning Mofei’s shoulder panicked and transformed into a white streak of light, rushing back to her side, biting her clothes and tugging hard. The thunder eagle mimicked the bear, clutching her garments and pulling. But their strength was insufficient to move her.

Yuan Jiuzhou, battered and furious, roared and soared into the air to engage the Water Ancestor. He had taken a heavy blow moments ago. The Water Ancestor fought with reckless abandon, and the two were evenly matched.

The skies churned with storm clouds, and the mountains trembled. Bewildered beasts fled in panic. Ancient towering trees and massive boulders were torn loose, hurled, and smashed into the distance.

Far away, a scar-faced old man watched the battle between the raging ape phantom and the water dragon overhead with terror. Swallowing hard, he said, “Such overwhelming pressure… why are the strongest cultivators in the cultivation world fighting in the mortal realm?”

“Should we still go in and search?”

“That girl from the Yu family is either dead or close to it. Let’s leave!”

The group quickly retreated, and nearby humans and beasts fled desperately.

Usually timid, Ning Mofei suddenly turned and sprinted toward Yu Youwei. After running a hundred steps and picking her up, a thick maple tree trunk crashed into his back. He sprayed a fountain of blood, collapsing along with the person in his arms, unconscious.

The fierce battle in the air raged on. A massive crevice stretched from deep within the mountain range, less than a hundred meters from their location.

“Master Bear, please don’t play dead!” the little white bear shouted frantically, but its cry was soon drowned out by the earth-shaking roar.

As consciousness slipped into darkness, on the brink of extinction, a bear’s roar echoed in Yu Youwei’s mind. Awakening, her beautiful eyes opened weakly. She complained faintly, “Could you keep it down?”

“If I weren’t afraid you idiot would really die, I wouldn’t bother with you!” the little white bear said cheekily.

Noticing the bloodied Ning Mofei pressing down on her, Yu Youwei’s heart clenched. Trembling, she called, “Mofei!”

“Youwei,” Ning Mofei said, struggling to lift his eyelids. His moist, large eyes gleamed with ecstatic joy. Without words, he conveyed his happiness with a passionate kiss. From her forehead sliding down to her nose and finally to her lips, he pressed fervent kisses like a violent storm, as if trying to devour her whole.

Momentarily overwhelmed by his ardor, Yu Youwei was dazed. Letting out a soft groan, she barely managed to draw a breath, attempting to push him away, but he clung tighter.

His heavy, labored breaths seeped into her skin like the most potent poison, igniting her blood, leaving her body weak and limp. Her resistance was feeble, only causing him to grasp her body more forcefully.

Though his intelligence was no greater than a five-year-old’s, his body’s instincts were undeniable. His clumsy but strong hands slipped beneath her collar, tracing down her collarbone to her chest, kneading her as if dough. His awkward touch, surprisingly, stirred deep confusion and desire within her, even with memories from a past life intact, making her forget the peril around them and feel a reckless urge to surrender.

“Damn it! You really don’t know the meaning of death!” the little white bear roared, slapping the back of Ning Mofei’s head with a heavy paw, knocking him unconscious.