Liu Shaoyu's eyes nearly split open with the strain, but with her current exhausted condition and the distance involved, she simply couldn't make it in time. She could only watch with a heart full of dread as that vicious, gray-white water blade slashed straight toward the female disciple's defenseless back.
At that split second between life and death.
Clang!
A clear, ringing clash of metal against metal echoed across the pool's edge, vibrating through the heavy mist.
A streak of pale pink light arrived after yet somehow struck first, hitting the side of the water blade with pinpoint precision and knocking its trajectory just off course. The blade skimmed past the disciple's clothes and smashed into the black rock beside her, carving out a deep, jagged gouge.
"Who?" The green flames in the Water Grudge Corpse commander's eye sockets jumped violently, the ghostly fire flaring as it was clearly caught off guard.
A figure drifted down lightly between the disciples and the Water Grudge Corpse commander, her robes fluttering as she landed. It was Young Sect Master Yu Xiaotang, arriving just in time to prevent the slaughter. Her face was a little pale and her breathing was slightly hurried, obvious signs that the desperate rush here had cost her dearly in terms of spiritual energy. She held an ancient-looking jade ruyi in her hand and stared coldly at the commander. That deadly strike just now had been blocked by this very Heavenly Fragrance Ruyi, which still hummed with a lingering light.
"Young Sect Master!" Liu Shaoyu, Hua Wuying, and the remaining disciples were overjoyed when they saw her. They were so relieved that tears nearly pricked at their eyes. There was no better feeling than escaping certain death at the final moment.
Yu Xiaotang didn't even look at them. Her cold gaze swept over the powerful Water Grudge Corpse commander, then flicked to the miserable state of the bleeding group behind her. The anger in her chest nearly burst through the top of her head.
If the system hadn't warned her that the auras of these disciples were weakening fast and that they were on the verge of total collapse, she wouldn't have activated the system's directional short-range teleport function on the way here just to reach White Water Pool as fast as possible. That function burned through points like crazy. Every single teleport consumed a massive amount of points based on the distance covered.
From her hiding place to this danger-soaked White Water Pool, she had grit her teeth and used it three times in a row. The points she had earned from Granny Hua's situation had been slashed by nearly half in a single instant. Points. Those were her precious points. They were the foundation that let her survive dangerous secret realms, grow quickly, handle unforeseen crises, and even save her life at critical moments. And now they had been spent putting out fires—fires caused by these idiots playing with danger until they nearly burned themselves to death and had to be rescued.
How could she not be furious?
Especially when she saw from afar that this bunch of fools had been driven into such a sorry state by a pack of Water Grudge Corpses and had almost been killed by a late-stage Golden Core commander. Yu Xiaotang really had the urge to turn around and leave them to their fate. But reason stopped her. These people, especially Liu Shaoyu, were still useful to her. They were an important part of the power base she was building within the Hehuan Sect. She couldn't let them die here for such a stifling reason.
"Useless trash," Yu Xiaotang finally spat through clenched teeth. Her icy voice froze the joy that had just risen on the faces of those around her. "What are you standing around for? Get into the fissure now. Are you waiting to be torn apart by these ghost things?"
She shouted the command sharply. At the same time, she flipped her wrist and took out several pills brimming with vitality, tossing them to the most seriously injured disciples. As her words fell, the jade ruyi in her hand flashed again with a soft light, blocking another furious water blade from the commander. Even so, the sheer force of the impact made her body sway slightly on the damp rock.
"Young Sect Master, be careful! This Water Grudge Corpse commander's strength is terrifying, and the yin qi here is extremely dense. It boosts its power and weakens our spells!" Liu Shaoyu warned urgently.
"As if you need to tell me," Yu Xiaotang snapped back, though her mind was already racing to find a solution.
A head-on clash wasn't a viable option. With its home-field advantage, this commander was nearly at peak Core Formation, and there were still endless ordinary corpses harassing them from the periphery. She had to figure out how to retreat safely while dragging along a group of wounded.
As she watched the Water Grudge Corpse commander press closer step by step and more pale figures surge up from the water around them, a suffocating mix of frustration and resentment surged in her chest again. Why? Why was she always so passive? Why did the system, which gave her so much convenience and so much foreknowledge, still let her fall into danger again and again? Why did she always have to clean up these messes and burn precious points doing it?
If she were strong enough—strong enough to ignore Golden Core evil creatures, strong enough to easily suppress Yun Qingyue and Ling Chuan, strong enough to do whatever she wanted—why would she need to scheme like this or end up this battered?
No. Her strength still wasn't enough. Her points still wasn't enough. And her methods still wasn't enough. She had to be faster and stronger.
But now wasn't the time to wallow in those thoughts. Yu Xiaotang bit down hard on the tip of her tongue, the sharp pain snapping her back to a cold clarity.
"Hua Wuying, Senior Sister Liu Shaoyu!" She barked the orders without turning her head. "You take everyone and retreat into the fissure first. I will cover the rear."
"Young Sect Master!" Senior Sister Liu Shaoyu cried out anxiously. "You—"
"Shut up. Follow orders," Yu Xiaotang said coldly, her voice cutting through the other woman's protest. "If you don't want to drag me down, then get moving."
"Yes."
The two of them didn't hesitate any longer. They immediately gathered the disciples who could still move, helped up Ah Ling and the other severely wounded members, and charged toward the narrow fissure without looking back.
Roar!
The Water Grudge Corpse commander clearly didn't want its meal to escape into the dark. It let out a furious bellow and swept its long halberd sideways in a massive arc. The attack covered Yu Xiaotang and the retreating group behind her with a wall of crushing pressure.
"Freeze for me!" Yu Xiaotang raised the Heavenly Fragrance Ruyi high. Its light flared as a gentle, pinkish glow spread outward, forming a half-circle barrier that temporarily blocked the strike. Even so, the immense force inside the attack sent her blood and qi churning, forcing her to stagger back several steps.
Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!
Taking advantage of the opening, several talismans shot out from her sleeves, turning into streaks of earthy yellow light that smashed hard into the rock wall above the fissure entrance. Rocks crashed down with a thunderous sound. Several massive boulders fell, narrowing the entrance and slowing the rush of the ordinary corpses.
After doing all that, Yu Xiaotang's face turned even paler. Her body suddenly became a streak of pink light, slipping into the fissure that was now mostly blocked by fallen rocks. She used the chaos created by the falling debris to disappear. The instant she entered, she slapped several more talismans onto the damp rock walls on both sides of the entrance.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Violent explosions rang out, shaking the mountain. The Water Grudge Corpses that had just rushed to the fissure mouth were forced back again by the smoke, dust, and flying debris. The commander's furious roar was muffled by the thick rock wall, turning into a dull and distant sound.
Once inside the fissure, Yu Xiaotang immediately sprinted forward along the narrow, damp passage. The fissure ran deeper and twisted more than she had expected. She didn't know how long she ran before the sounds of the battle behind her gradually faded away, until they vanished completely. After moving forward a bit more, the space ahead suddenly opened up.
A massive natural cavern appeared before her eyes. Countless oddly shaped stalactites hung from the high ceiling, and the steady, rhythmic drip of water echoed through the empty cave. In the center was a small pool. On the far side, Senior Sister Liu Shaoyu and the others were gathered together, some sitting on the ground, some leaning against the rock walls.
When they saw Yu Xiaotang appear, they were startled at first. Once they realized it was her, relief flooded their faces.
"Young Sect Master."