The Ethereal Domains

Chapter 189: All Of A Sudden

All Of A Sudden . . .

As the tumultuous battle raged around them, Su Ye-Yue clung tightly to Cha-Eun Xiao, her heart awash with emotions. She longed to express the overwhelming love she felt in this dire moment. In a hushed voice, she whispered, "It turns out to be such a wonderful feeling being held by the one I love! I would have no regret in my life if I can die in your arms like this."

With her arms outstretched and her body pressed closely against Cha-Eun Xiao's, she bared her heart and soul to the man who shielded her from harm. It was a poignant moment, a confession of love amidst the chaos and danger.

Yet, amidst this heartfelt declaration, Cha-Eun Xiao remained wholly focused on fending off the relentless onslaught of their adversaries. His martial prowess was a sight to behold, his body bathed in a soft, ethereal blue glow that concealed the unyielding power that surged within him.

One of their enemies couldn't help but comment on Cha-Eun Xiao's remarkable strength. "Ah, he turns out to be close to the Grade of Tianyuan. No wonder he is hard to deal with!" he grumbled. "But you are still in the Grade of Diyuan after all. You are still too weak to stop us!"

In an ominous turn of events, a brilliant sky blue sword light manifested and bore down upon Cha-Eun Xiao, unleashing a devastating shockwave of blue energy. It was an area-of-effect attack, the culmination of their enemies' efforts to claim victory.

This deadly strike signaled the imminent end of Cha-Eun Xiao's escape plan. He descended from the mountainside with breakneck speed, the force of his descent making it impossible to come to an abrupt halt.

However, when the area-of-effect attack loomed dangerously close, Cha-Eun Xiao made a split-second decision. With a powerful strike of his right hand, he forcefully pushed Su Ye-Yue away from him. She was sent hurtling down to the foot of the mountain at a remarkable pace, narrowly escaping the grasp of their relentless pursuers.

Su Ye-Yue had been tightly clutching Cha-Eun Xiao, and the sudden separation caught her off guard. As she was propelled away from him, a small piece of Cha-Eun Xiao's clothing was torn loose by the force of their parting, the fabric fluttering through the wind.

"Go!" Cha-Eun Xiao's voice pierced through the chaos, his words an urgent command to Su Ye-Yue. He didn't spare a moment to look back, his sole focus on evading the impending attack. With a swift twist of his body, he skillfully dodged the strike aimed at him.

As Su Ye-Yue plummeted from the mountain, her heart filled with a profound sense of longing and desperation. Her cry of "No!" echoed with anguish, but she knew that Cha-Eun Xiao had acted to ensure her survival.

In the midst of her despair, she understood the magnitude of his sacrifice. [Cha-Eun Xiao is risking his life to ensure I survive! My cry has only distracted him, achieving nothing but hindrance.]

Su Ye-Yue, displaying her intelligence, fell silent after that initial cry. She used her body to propel herself faster toward the ground below. As she reached the pinnacle of her descent, her heart ached at the thought of Cha-Eun Xiao.

[Can I see him again? Under the encirclement of all those enemies, can he survive? No! I want to see him!] Her internal scream reverberated in her heart, and tears welled up in her eyes.

As Cha-Eun Xiao unleashed the full extent of his formidable strength, a strange, mist-like substance erupted from his body, obscuring him from the sight of his encroaching enemies. It was an otherworldly display that left the assailants bewildered and anxious.

In a burst of dazzling illumination, dozens of lights flickered simultaneously, and a biting, frigid energy enveloped the surroundings. The pristine white ice mountain was suddenly infused with a radiant golden hue, a stark contrast to the chilling, gelid qi that now filled the air.

Without hesitation, Cha-Eun Xiao drew his Demonic Weapons with astonishing swiftness, wielding them alongside his chilling palm technique and the formidable golden palm strike. Simultaneously, he seamlessly executed the One Laughter in Skyline flying martial art, a technique that defied the laws of physics and left afterimages in its wake.

As Cha-Eun Xiao artfully swayed his body during the execution of the One Laughter in Skyline, a multitude of his figures materialized in various locations, creating a deafening symphony of rushing wind. The adversaries were left perplexed, unable to discern his true location amidst the chaotic flurry of images. Cha-Eun Xiao had effectively vanished from their line of sight.

With an unwavering resolve, Cha-Eun Xiao launched a fierce counterattack, causing his foes to fall like dominos. Their anguished screams resonated throughout the icy mountain, and the once-pristine surface became marred by countless bloodstains.

Among the assailants, at least twenty writhed on the ground, their lives hanging by a thread, while over a dozen lay motionless, their fates sealed. Others, including the Tianyuan cultivators, watched in fearful concealment, deeply shaken by the overwhelming display of power.

A sibilant "Puff!" marked Cha-Eun Xiao's descent back to the ground after his rapid aerial maneuvers. He staggered and involuntarily spat out blood, a testament to the immense strain his body had endured. The intensity of his earlier exertions had pushed his Jing and Mai, the very essence of his life force, to their limits. An ordinary individual would have succumbed to such extremes.

Yet Cha-Eun Xiao's actions went beyond mere evasion; he fought back relentlessly with devastatingly potent attacks. His vigor seemed boundless as he executed powerful strikes while hurtling through the air.

His incredible feat of taking on a group of enemies, causing chaos and destruction, was nothing short of miraculous. It was a legendary performance, a myth brought to life. All the more astonishing was that Cha-Eun Xiao had achieved this astounding feat at the ninth level of the Grade of Diyuan, a realm that exceeded the capabilities of the five pursuing Tianyuan cultivators.

However, the price for such heroics was steep. As he recovered on the ground, Cha-Eun Xiao continued to cough and tremble, bloodstains marring his attire. His injuries were severe, a testament to the toll his actions had taken on his body.

Amidst the eerie silence that followed, approximately sixty adversaries descended to the ground, forming a tight circle around Cha-Eun Xiao. Their eyes bore the marks of hatred and vengeance, for he had decimated a significant portion of their comrades in an instant.

"This bastard actually killed twenty of our brothers within an instant!" their furious whispers resounded.

Meanwhile, only a dozen foes remained steadfast in their pursuit of Su Ye-Yue, their eyes alight with cruel determination. The hatred directed at Cha-Eun Xiao was palpable.

Grimacing with pain, Cha-Eun Xiao coughed, his body shivering from the strain. In a defiant tone, he spoke, "Who are you?"

Cha-Eun Xiao's gaze remained steady and enigmatic, devoid of any discernible emotion—no fear, joy, anger, or surprise.

"We are here to take your life!" asserted an elderly figure in white, who appeared to be their leader. His words were delivered with an icy resolve. "I didn't expect Su Ding-Guo would arrange such a Tianyuan cultivator on his daughter's side... He truly is wise. He is a war god indeed. However... I am afraid it is far from enough to only arrange one, though..."

Without so much as a glance in the old man's direction, Cha-Eun Xiao replied with nonchalance, "Although there is only me alone, it is still more than enough to deal with you bunch of individuals who only know how to conspire against others."

"Hahahaha..." The enemy leader sneered, his laughter tinged with mockery. "Do you truly believe that is enough?"

As a smile graced Cha-Eun Xiao's lips, blood seeped from his mouth, but his tone remained composed. "Talking will never prove it, will it?"

In that moment, a white-clad man behind the leader, who had been inspecting his own injuries, strode forward indignantly and exclaimed, "You... You vile scoundrel! What sort of sinister martial art are you practicing? You... You contemptible wretch! You actually employed poison!"

The others, overhearing this, felt a chill run down their spines. Their gazes fell upon those who had sustained the most grievous injuries, only to find that they were lifeless. Their once-greenish complexions had taken on a sickly purple hue.

Their demise was evident, yet their skin continued to change color, shifting gradually to a dark cyan hue.

Among those still drawing breath, an ominous foreboding began to take hold. They exchanged fearful glances.

"What kind of weapon is this? What manner of poison?" they silently pondered, grappling with the shock of the situation.

Cha Eun Xiao's sneer broke the silence as he retorted, "You ignorant fools. That is no poison."

He spoke with casual disdain, "Moreover, even if it were poison, so what? This battle is a life-or-death struggle. You orchestrated an elaborate trap, marshaling your forces to hunt the two of us with utmost determination. Now, you have the audacity to accuse me of employing unscrupulous tactics. I must say, you are an incredulous lot. I wonder from what standpoint you uttered those remarks that verge on the comical. In reverse, the charge of poison holds no merit. However, if you insist otherwise, I shall oblige."

His sneer persisted, accompanied by a scathing rebuke. "Truly, you lack both experience and knowledge, yet you dare to tread the martial world. Shameless! Who is your master? I intend to have a word with him. Clearly, he has not instilled in you the values of proper conduct."

Even as he berated his adversaries, Cha-Eun Xiao couldn't help but marvel inwardly at the potency of his Demonic Weapons. It was the first time he had witnessed them deliver such devastating results, especially when infused with his gelid power.