"I... I feel tired... like... like…" Wu Yi panted drearily as she perspired profusely and fought to remain awake.
"It's no ordinary poison," said Mo Xuecheng. "It can kill in the strangest ways. I've heard that some have even died for almost no reason in their sleep. Funny stories they were, ha, ha!"
"My... my head hurts... and feels... feels dizzy..."
"Wu Yi, master will be here soon," Meng Qi tried to assure her. "Hang on, ok? Hang on until master gets here."
"I... I'm sorry... I..."
Meng Qi held Wu Yi in his arms as she blacked out and gently placed her down on the ground before wiping away as much sweat from her forehead as he could with the cuffs of his sleeves. "Seems like the poison has already spread throughout most of your body."
'This is bad,' he thought anxiously. 'The Colourless Poison is invisible to the human eyes, nose and tongue, and it is supposedly the only poison the Golden Antlered Deer cannot detect. Will master be able to cure her?'
"Only I can save her life," boasted Mo Xuecheng, as though he had read Meng Qi's mind. "Your master may know a thing or two about medical practices, but he doesn't know shit about this poison of mine. Your precious martial sister's life is now in my hands. What will you do?"
"You think you can get me to do something for you by using Wu Yi's life against me?"
"You and your martial sister have already forfeited your chance to become join the Killing Immortals Sect as my disciples."
"You dream on! Wu Yi and I would never do such thing!"
"How about this then? Either you give yourself up to me right now and join my little harem, or you go kill your master and bring me his head, then I'll give you the antidote."
Meng Qi's fist tightened. "Mo Xuecheng, you really think I would agree to that? You inhuman bastard!"
"You call me inhuman? Ha! Didn't your martial sister also say that I'm inhuman as well? I haven't shown you what's truly inhuman yet!"
Hoisting his sabre, he left Meng Qi to go for the scattered, incapacitated survivors of the tornados, descending into hysterics as he began hacking wantonly and arbitrarily. Drunk by his bloodlust and sporting a pair of bloodshot eyes, Mo Xuecheng's image was distorted into something so fearsome and demonic it was ingrained deeply into Meng Qi subconscious. Blood, bones, limbs, heads and body pieces flew everywhere in this barbaric onslaught.
"NO STOP!" he screamed, breaking out of his fear-induced paralysis. "Mo Xuecheng, you crazy bastard! Stop this already!"
"What? Are you asking me to stop? Ha! I'm only getting started!"
Seizing the Crystal Sword, Meng Qi rushed forward and stood in front of the last survivor, blocking the sabre with all his strength.
"You think you can stop me on your own? You arrogant, little brat!" Mo Xuecheng pushed down harder, forcing Meng Qi onto his knees and the edge of his sabre, though not breaking the Crystal Sword, was extremely close to his head.
"Run away! Quickly!" he ordered the man behind him.
"Oh, r-r-right," stuttered the man as he fearfully scampered off, his twisted ankles making his escape sluggish and maladroit.
"You're not as weak as I thought, but you're definitely not strong enough to stop me from cleaving you into two!"
Had he exerted just a bit more strength, Meng Qi would no longer be able hold it up. Thinking quickly, he instead allowed it to slide to his left while he fell towards his right and rolled away, escaping with a graze on his forehead. Blood trickled over his left eye, distracting him briefly, but long enough for Mo Xuecheng to immediately shadow over him.
"Play time is over. Pray that your master will come find me to avenge you," he raised his sabre high into the air and brought down the killing blow.
Meng Qi closed his eyes, bracing for death. The sound of a violent clank dashed away his gripping anticipation. He opened his eyes to see a large bird with, blazing sunburnt plumage and dagger-like talons that clutched onto the sabre as it flapped its fiery, radiant wings and screeched furiously. Mo Xuecheng yanked his weapon out of its grasp.
"Wu Xingyu's eagle!" he immediately recognised. "But it's no ordinary eagle."
"It's a Fire Feathered Eagle," said Meng Qi in awe.
The eagle swooped down and attacked. Bright, orange sparks spewed from its feathers and exploded like small fireworks around Mo Xuecheng, charring parts of his regal attire.
"Fucking bird!" Mo Xuecheng swung his sabre but the eagle nimbly dodged every strike. With a sweep of its wings a volley of small fireballs was flung at him. Mo Xuecheng deflected them with a few rapid swings of his broad blade. "Is that all you've got?"
Meng Qi lifted the old man over his shoulder and rushed to Wu Yi. He turned and watched the eagle hold off Mo Xuecheng.
"Alright then, let's see if you can handle the Colourless Poison!" Mo Xuecheng fired a needle coated with the poison at the eagle but only managed to hit a feather that molted from its wing and instantly combusted.
"The heat from its flames can evaporate the Colourless Poison," noted Meng Qi. "Its fire is certainly no ordinary fire."
"What a troublesome bird," snarked Mo Xuecheng.
"Young master, let's get out of here!" urged the shaken man to Meng Qi.
"Sir, I can't," said Meng Qi as he fell on his knees next Wu Yi, his legs completely sapped and his body barely holding up.
"Then what do we do?"
"Wait."
"Wait? Are you out of your mind? If we wait, we'll get killed."
"Master will be here soon. And so will the Snow Phoenix Grandmaster since his eagle's here," Meng Qi said with a hint of relief and eagerness.
The fight dragged on until the eagle, sensing it has expended nearly all of its energy, squawked aggressively before flying off. Mo Xuecheng took half a step forward, stopped and then stepped back, retracting his intent to chase after it. "That annoying eagle! Next time I see it I'll chop it into pieces and have it cooked into a chicken for my dinner!"
The Golden Antlered Deer has already gone to fetch the Song Yehai, he thought. And now the Fire Feathered Eagle's going to get Wu Xingyu here as well.
Turning to Meng Qi and Wu Yi he walked up to them. Meng Qi plunged the Crystal Sword into the earth. A small dome of ice with the sword as its centre encased them.
"Young master," said the man softly.
"This barrier is from the innate holy powers of the sword," said Meng Qi. "It'll keep us safe for a bit..."
The dome was smashed from a single strike of Mo Xuecheng's sabre, the "bit" lasting less than five meagre seconds. Meng Qi's jaw dropped at the ice particles that sprinkled over him, Wu Yi and the man, his last ace so effortlessly dismantled by the Demon Lord. He raised his trembling arms above Wu Yi and the man to shield them.
"Nice try but it's not enough to stop me from killing you and the man behind you, and taking your martial sister away," he taunted, pointing his sabre at Meng Qi, who began to tremble, having exhausted all that he had.
"Now die!"
A sharp, deafening crack intercepted the blade. Mo Xuecheng jumped back in a fright just as a silver whip ensnared the sabre and pulled it to the side.
"What's this?"
He tried to grab the ends of the whip when it unwrapped itself and escaped his grasp. Like a vicious snake it struck at him several times before slithering back to its wielder. Mo Xuecheng cast an anticipating gaze at him.
"So you're finally here!"
Arriving to confront the Demonic Grandmaster was a refined, tall man in dark blue inner robes and a black outer robe. Its drifting hems that reached his ankles and long sleeves resembled the night sky overlooking the sapphire waves of the ocean. He was fair-skinned with sharp, dark eyes and waist-length, raven hair that almost camouflaged with his outer robe. Though he seemed to be in his late twenties, the man carried an extremely upright and stern disposition that, along with his height and air of dignity, made him appear a lot older than his handsome features may suggest. When he turned to his struggling disciple, this aloof demeanour softened.
"Master, you're here," said Meng Qi, smiling in relief.
"Meng Qi, are you alright?" Song Yehai had deep voice that spoke warmly. He kneeled down and, after taking out a strip of gauze from his sleeve, wiped the blood from Meng Qi's forehead.
"I'm alright," Meng Qi took the gauze and pressed it against the scraped area. "But Wu Yi is..."
Han Lu went to stand beside the unconscious Wu Yi and nuzzled her cheek. The stag let out a slight, grief-stricken bawl when she did not react. The old man with the twisted ankles flinched from the great beast in fear that it may suddenly raise its hooves and kick him.
Song Yehai pressed two fingers on Wu Yi's neck. "She's been poisoned?"
Meng Qi nodded. "Mo Xuecheng said it's the Colourless Poison."
"The Colourless Poison?"
Though the name of the poison alarmed him, Song Yehai refrained from showing any distress. Being a man of little words he was adept at concealing his emotions behind a mask of serene and unyielding stoicism.
"I see. I'm sorry, I came late."
"You are the Moon Dragon Grandmaster?" the old, injured man asked.
"I am. Sir, are you alright?"
"Ah, I'm fine. Just two sprained ankles."
Seeing the surrounding rubble and carnage Song Yehai faced Mo Xuecheng with a dark expression. "Mo Xuecheng, you inhumane bastard."
"Oh please, surely you're not here just to tell me what I already know," laughed Mo Xuecheng smugly.
"What were you trying to achieve by massacring a town of innocent people?"
"Achieve? Oh no, I wasn't trying to achieve anything, really. It's just that this town of idiots think just because I've lost to you and the Snow Phoenix once before, they have no reason to fear me anymore. I'm just proving them otherwise, and sending a message to the world what the outcome of having hope is."
Song Yehai lashed forth his whip. Mo Xuecheng deflected it with his sabre.
"Moon Dragon, no need to be so agitated now."
Without warning Song Yehai lunged forth, his whip slashing wildly through the air. Mo Xuecheng evaded the attack but could not keep his wrist from receiving a gash. He flexed it to mitigate the stinging pain before preparing to face the upcoming barrage from his opponent.
"I never expected you'd be this good when you're angry, Moon Dragon. Why so mad? I was going to leave a few pretty girls alive to add to my harem. If you didn't show, I would've definitely killed off your little boy there and taken your little girl for myself. You've taught your own students well, but they're still such disappointments. As disciples of the Sea Dragon Sect, not only did they fail to land a scratch on me with their best move, they couldn't even prevent me from killing the entire town."
Meng Qi wanted to argue back when the sight of the surrounding carnage and rubble caught his tongue. He bowed his head a little at Song Yehai, his eyes half-closed in shame as he choked, "We were too useless, Master. We've let you down."
"Young master, don't listen to that demon," comforted the old man. "The entire town is not dead yet. Aren't I still alive?"
"You and Wu Yi did manage to hurt him," said Song Yehai, having caught a glimpse of an icicle stuck in Mo Xuecheng's purlicue when he was opening and closing his fingers after getting whipped on the wrist. He kept the cut concealed by gripping his sabre tightly.
Surprised, Meng Qi turned to Song Yehai. "We did?"
"Yes."
"Bullshit!" Mo Xuecheng swung his sabre, sending a current of overwhelmingly destructive energy. Song Yehai held the Crystal Sword still in the ground and, pouring spiritual energy into the weapon, created an ice dome that withstood the entirety of the blast without a scratch.
"You two did your best. Now leave the rest to me," Song Yehai carried Wu Yi and placed her the back of Han Lu. "Sir, you get on as well."
"Wha... oh, right," the man awkwardly got on Han Lu with Song Yehai's help.
"Meng Qi, quickly take this gentleman and Wu Yi back to the Eastern Sea to get treated."
"Yes master," Meng Qi mounted the stead.
Song Yehai pulled out the Crystal Sword from the earth and returned it to Meng Qi. The ice dome shattered, its particles instantly dispersing into steam. Meng Qi rode off while holding onto Wu Yi in front of him to keep her from falling off and the man behind him clung tightly around his waist.
"Well, wasn't that just touching?" laughed Mo Xuecheng. "Who would have thought that the cold and indifferent Moon Dragon is actually this caring to his disciples. Such a cheesy show of love I feel like I can even cry, ha, ha!"
"Mo Xuecheng, hand over the antidote!"
"Try getting yourself if you can!"
The battle raged on but remained stalemate even as Song Yehai's attacks intensified. His disciple had been poisoned and it was up to him to get the antidote. The thought weighed heavily on him as he fought the Demon Lord.
"Ha, ha! Isn't this fun!" cackled Mo Xuecheng. "Moon Dragon, you are indeed a much greater match than your disciples were. Have a taste of this then!"
Black spiritual energy seeped out of Mo Xuecheng's sabre in wisps of dark matter. With a swing of his arm he unleashed another wave of destructive energy.
Song Yehai kept his composure as his whip seemed to lengthen and take the shape of a spring, spiralling around the wave to capture it. With a few pulls and twists he redirected the flow of the energy and released it right back at the Demon Lord. Mo Xuecheng leapt into the air to dodge it. He went for Song Yehai from above, intending to cleave him in half. Just as Song Yehai was about to bring up his whip another weapon intervened to his favour.
It was a rapidly spinning object of immense power that clashed against Mo Xuecheng's sabre, pushing him back before hitting back again and again. As Mo Xuecheng fought against its aggressive rebounds Song Yehai's whip wasted no time in landing a few lashes on him.
"Striking while the iron's hot, eh?" grunted Mo Xuecheng. "A sly dragon you are!"
Eventually, as though running low on momentum, the flying weapon ceased its attacks and glided its way into the hands of a young man clad in a neat set of robes as white as snow. The long sleeves resembled swan wings as they fluttered elegantly in the wind whenever he held out his arms. He was tall and lean with a beautiful face that wore a gentle yet determined expression, standing poised atop the pile of rubble left from Mo Xuecheng's tornado. Like Song Yehai, his raven hair reached his waist.
"Would you look at that pretty boy over there," snarked Mo Xuecheng.
In the clutches of his thin, long fingers, the object turned out to be a fan made of long, peacock feathers, but rather than green and brown it was of varying shades of purple in colour while the eyes retained their blue hues. With a sweep across the air, the man created a smooth, gentle current he used to skate over the distance before landing gracefully beside Song Yehai's side.
"Xingyu," greeted Song Yehai respectfully.
"Yehai," Wu Xingyu returned the greeting.
"Now my worst enemies are both here!" Mo Xuecheng's lips twisted into a deranged and psychotic grin.