Chapter Seventeen: Invincible—One Man, One Halberd

Wu Qing stared blankly at the bracelet in her hand. Her father had paid a tremendous price to obtain it from the ancestral hall; it could protect her from harm three times, and now only one use remained.

Qiao Xinran and her sister stayed at the very center of the group, so for the moment, no demon beast could reach them. Still, they had never witnessed such carnage before—their faces were drained of all color by fear.

A muffled thud echoed—one disciple failed to defend himself and was struck in the chest by the claw of a bear-like demon. He was sent flying, who knows how many ribs shattered.

"Retreat! Quick, retreat!" someone shouted in panic, attempting to flee down the mountain. Yet, beasts surrounded them on all sides—there was no path of escape.

Suddenly, a billowing black smoke swept toward them. The disciples, who had been huddled together, instantly scattered into chaos.

An eerie, piercing voice drifted from within the smoke. "Heh heh heh... I've waited so long, and finally, a few worthy morsels have arrived!"

With the emergence of that voice, the previously roaring demon beasts fell silent.

"Who are you, fiend?" Fang Qiyang gritted his teeth and glared at the black smoke. "We are disciples of the Azure Cloud Sect! If you dare harm us, you will find no place for yourself in the entire Tianlan Dynasty!"

He hoped to use the weight of his identity to drive this unknown demon back.

But the voice in the smoke only cackled with delight. "I care not which sect you hail from. Once your flesh and blood have forged my demonic body, I’ll vanish. When I am complete, what is the Tianlan Dynasty to me?"

To this demon, Fang Qiyang and his companions were trapped rats, ready to be refined at any moment.

"What is this creature? It really dares to kill us!" The disciples atop the mountain were thrown into terror, at a loss for what to do.

"Let’s break through together!" Fang Qiyang’s expression was grave. "There’s no other way!"

"Impossible! We’re trapped by a formation. If we try to force our way out without breaking it, we’ll just die faster!" Zhou Weiqing’s face was grim. "Besides, we still have to protect the others!"

Everyone understood the meaning behind those words—among their nine, two were burdens. Without them, a desperate charge might stand a chance.

Fang Qiyang made his decision in an instant. "Every man for himself—our fates are our own. Pick a direction and run!"

At this point, survival was paramount.

No sooner had he spoken than the Azure Cloud Sect disciples acted. The Qiao sisters, previously shielded at the group’s center, were left exposed to the beasts.

"Heh heh... You think you can escape, trapped ants in my jar?"

In an instant, wave upon wave of demon beasts surged toward them. The Qiao sisters clung tightly to each other. Everything that had happened, including Fang Qiyang’s reaction, had been within their expectations.

Their master had warned them—never trust anyone in the cultivation world, not even those who suffer alongside you. For you can never be certain when they will abandon you.

And now, those words were proven true.

But to say they weren't afraid would be a lie.

"Sister, I miss Brother Qingyun," Qiao Xinyu whispered, her voice trembling as she held her elder sister.

In Qiao Xinran’s mind, the blurred figure she remembered became all the clearer. She said nothing, only hugged her sister tighter.

For now, the demon beasts’ attacks were not aimed at them, so they were relatively safe. But the pressure crushing Fang Qiyang and the others only grew.

Wu Qing, who had been a few steps away from Fang Qiyang, inched closer to him amidst the melee with the beasts. Her subtle movements did not escape his notice. His heart remained clear—he knew exactly what she intended. But at such a moment, who could afford to care?

He sneered inwardly. If he could handle the situation, protecting her would be easy enough. But now, did she not see their predicament?

Suddenly, Wu Qing cried out. In the corner of Fang Qiyang’s eye, he saw four demon wolves had encircled her, her desperate gaze turning to him for help.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he rushed toward Wu Qing.

She thought he was coming to save her, hope lighting her eyes.

But reality was cruel. A demon bear and a demon boar chased after Fang Qiyang. As he neared the wolves, he deftly spun aside, diverting the beasts' attention onto Wu Qing.

Her body trembled, despair filling her eyes—she gave up on Fang Qiyang entirely. He had promised, yet broke his word; were his vows empty after all?

The thought left her numb. She ceased resisting, resigning herself to being torn apart by the wolves.

A sudden whistle split the air. The wolf poised to lunge at Wu Qing froze.

A heartbeat later, the wolves were cleaved in two at the waist, blood spraying over Wu Qing.

She stared in shock as a figure ascended the mountain, casual as if strolling through a garden. In his hand, he wielded a long halberd. Any beast that neared him fell wordlessly into a bloodless corpse. Even the splattering blood seemed to avoid him, leaving his form immaculate.

"You... you..." Wu Qing gaped at Shen Qingyun as though seeing him for the first time.

"Step aside. Don’t block my path," Shen Qingyun said, holding the Heavenstide Halberd like a deity descended, exuding an aura of invincibility.

At that moment, Wu Qing was utterly captivated.

She stared, spellbound, as he walked past her, a gleam in her eyes, and, without thinking, followed after him.

The others had noticed as well, disbelief written on their faces. His aura was faint, only third stage of Qi Refinement, yet no beast dared approach him.

Seeing Wu Qing follow him, they hesitated only briefly before trailing behind as well.

Zhou Weiqing gritted his teeth in envy—why was it always him who stole the spotlight? The princess’s favor, and now, this miraculous rescue—why should it be Shen Qingyun and not himself?

Fang Qiyang, on the other hand, accepted it as natural and followed without hesitation.

The demon beasts, unable to approach Shen Qingyun, turned their attention to Zhou Weiqing, who struggled on alone. Overwhelmed, he too finally bowed his head and joined the group.

Shen Qingyun’s face remained impassive. He had not come to save them, only the two sisters. If the others followed, he neither agreed nor objected.

He leveled the Heavenstide Halberd, and any beast in his way exploded into fragments.

The sisters, still clinging to each other, finally emerged into view.

At last, a small smile softened Shen Qingyun’s stoic face. He spoke gently, "Are you two all right?"