Chapter Fifty-Three: The Twin Swords of Crimson and Azure

In his urgency, Ning Bai Xia instinctively wrapped his arm around Yu Youwei’s slender waist, pulling her aside. With the warmth and softness of her body in his embrace, his heart, cold and still as a frozen lake, began to ripple anew.

That day, when he grasped the delicate hand extended from the crimson bridal sedan, he was seized by the notion of never letting go—a thought he had swiftly extinguished at the time, yet, like wildfire, it was never truly gone, reviving with the spring breeze. Now, that ignoble impulse broke through the ice again, and along with it, a fierce sense of guilt surged within him.

She was his fourth brother’s wife!

As if bitten by a serpent, a chill swept through Ning Bai Xia, and he abruptly released the boneless, supple figure in his arms.

Their strength differed greatly; though Yu Youwei reacted swiftly, she could not avoid her forehead colliding with the cave wall, and her Frost Sword slipped free, flying toward the altar. “What are you doing!” she shouted furiously, leaping toward the altar.

“Come back!” Ning Bai Xia reached out to catch her, but he was a step too late. Yu Youwei had already reached the altar’s edge, where a surge of black radiance from the altar imprisoned her.

The Frost Sword lodged itself into the northeast corner of the altar’s coiling dragon pillar, its blade quivering and emitting a rhythmic sword-song. Yu Youwei’s fingers rested on the sword’s hilt, the tremors from the blade coursing through her fingertips, stirring her blood and energy in harmony with the sword’s song, causing the black radiance confining her to tremble.

Ning Bai Xia and Ning Jiu Ye rushed toward the altar, but a translucent wall of light blocked them, repelling their attacks and rendering their efforts fruitless. In his desperation, Ning Bai Xia even abandoned formalities, calling out bluntly, “Youwei, hold on!”

Yu Youwei could not hear him at all. She felt the vibration from the sword intensifying, ancient characters flitting through her mind’s sea like a swarm of flying ants, bringing her pain so fierce it seemed even fainting or dying would be a luxury. “Damn these black sorcerers—how evil must one be to wield such vile arts?” she groaned hopelessly.

“Serves you right! Always so reckless.”

Suddenly, the face of the mischievous little white bear enlarged before her eyes. Yu Youwei couldn’t even blink; it performed acrobatics atop the Frost Sword, balancing like a golden rooster. As her beast companion, it could transmit thoughts to her, yet it harbored many secrets she could not fathom—not least how it had tracked her here and arrived at the altar unnoticed.

“Break this cursed prison now, or I’ll skin you and roast you alive!” Yu Youwei threatened with savage intent, but unable to speak, her mental threat seemed to have little effect. The little white bear merely rolled its eyes in contempt, then flopped onto the altar, feigning death and going on strike.

A piercing eagle cry rang out; the little Thunder Eagle, arriving a moment late, transformed into lightning and slammed into the black light barrier, only to be rebounded. Its feathers flared, violet light crackling, its form doubling in size. With another wild shriek, it unleashed a barrage of violet lightning, recklessly battling the black barrier as if its life depended on it.

Inspired by the Thunder Eagle, Ning Bai Xia launched his most powerful attack, forming intricate hand seals in an instant. Crimson clouds surged above his head, coalescing into the shadow of a phoenix.

“Destruction Fire Phoenix—go!”

With a shift of his gesture, the crimson phoenix above him seemed to come alive, wings spread in elegant yet destructive flight, striking the black barrier in utter silence, its power imperceptible. After a moment of stillness—a thunderous explosion erupted, black and red light illuminating the entire cavern. Rocks rained from the ceiling, and the ground trembled violently, opening cracks.

On the altar, the black sorcerer priest spat a jet of blood and snarled with venomous hate, “You dare disrupt my sacred ritual? Even if we perish together, none of you will leave alive—Devouring Darkness!” Black radiance poured from him, consuming the cave’s light, and within moments, the cavern plunged into absolute darkness.

The cultivators of Jiangning Prefecture and the black sorcerers fought desperately in the shadows.

With one strike, Ning Bai Xia sent the attacking black sorcerer flying, and as the black light barrier shattered, he rushed forward, heedless, to pull Yu Youwei into his arms. He held her tightly, a wild urge to merge her into himself.

The older he grew, the brighter the halo above his head, his allure irresistible to both young girls and mature women; to him, women often seemed little more than infatuated admirers. Yet Yu Youwei shattered this notion—he was, in her eyes, forever as he was at first sight: merely a passerby, temporarily enlisted as a human shield.

He dared not admit his secret jealousy of his fourth brother, for this extraordinary woman’s tenderness toward him was genuine, even if it was not love, but rather her maternal instinct to protect the weak.

Her inner strength was immense—so much so that she needed no man’s protection. Even now, though he had broken the barrier imprisoning her, her gaze remained cool and clear, as if she could have escaped just as well without his intervention.

Frustration!

Ning Bai Xia gritted his teeth, thinking: this woman doesn’t need to say a word to utterly crush my pride.

Sensing his anger, Yu Youwei attributed it to the black sorcerers, unaware that she had unwittingly wounded the pride of this halo-crowned prodigy. As the black barrier broke and its energy vanished, she seized the Frost Sword just before Ning Bai Xia embraced her.

Too occupied to worry about their ambiguous posture, Yu Youwei was drawn by the thought transmitted from the little white bear: “Don’t say Bear Lord doesn’t look out for you. Scarlet Flame and Frost are twin swords; this altar’s pillar is actually the Scarlet Flame Sword. Take it now—together, the twin swords will give you, rookie, an extra measure of self-preservation.”

“Frost Sword can become a bracelet; Scarlet Flame can become a pillar?” She wanted to express disbelief, but she knew the little white bear was not joking.

Typical of the little white bear—give it a little color and it’ll paint the whole room. Eight hundred times impatient, it snapped, “This formation is called the Four Spirits Locking Heaven Array. Explaining to a rookie like you is pointless; just know that all four pillars are magical treasures, and you can use Frost to coax Scarlet Flame into your hand.”

This cub was practically an encyclopedia of cultivation. Yu Youwei asked humbly, “Why coax, not collect?”

“The twin swords’ previous master perished, and both swords were damaged. Frost suffered greatly—its sword spirit nearly gone. Scarlet Flame’s spirit, though wounded, remained strong, so it can summon the acknowledged Frost Sword.” After its explanation, the little white bear couldn’t resist a jab: “With your rookie-level skills, collecting Scarlet Flame is a fool’s dream.”

Her battered pride grew all the more determined. Yu Youwei replied lightly, “The task of collecting Scarlet Flame is yours. Complete it and you’ll earn ten of my personally refined Essence Pills—no bargaining.”

“With your rookie-level pills, Bear Lord fears a bout of diarrhea.” Disdain aside, the little white bear didn’t dare shirk its duties and trotted to the pillar, using its spiritual sense to communicate with Scarlet Flame Sword.