Ch 139: Sealed Fate, Martial Heart, Reversed Roles
Du Yue stood calmly with the White Snow Sword in her right hand. Sharp, chilling Sword Qi radiated from the blade, sending a chill down everyone's spines.
Facing her were five Peak Golden Core cultivators.
Mo Kuan held a sword in his hand, while Li Zhang's palm was covered in sinister Evil Qi. Rin Saito gripped a black katana, Ning Choi held a heavy axe, and James Rossi carried a slender rapier.
At the back, Zhu Jia lay motionless on the ground. Her condition was unknown, but she appeared to have completely lost consciousness.
Mo Kuan stared coldly at Du Yue. "Even if we have to cut off her limbs, don't hold back."
The others nodded.
The next instant, all five attacked at the same time.
Mo Kuan's sword radiated a powerful Grade 3 Sword Intent as he slashed towards Du Yue. Li Zhang thrust his palm forward, his Grade 2 Palm Intent merging with the Evil Qi around his hand as though it could annihilate everything in its path.
Rin Saito's katana and James Rossi's rapier both carried sharp Grade 2 Sword Intent, while Ning Choi's axe descended heavily with a fierce Grade 2 Axe Intent.
Facing the combined attacks of five Peak Golden Core cultivators, Du Yue remained completely calm. The White Snow Sword slowly rose in her hand, and Grade 4 Sword Intent silently radiated from the blade.
Rather than retreating, she stepped forward and met all five attacks head-on.
Boom!!
All six attacks collided at the same time.
The five black-robed cultivators felt their arms tremble as they were forced backwards.
Mo Kuan's eyes narrowed. "So powerful..."
"Don't retreat!" He shouted. "Keep pressing her! Don't give her any chance to breathe. Even a genius won't be able to hold out for long."
The four cultivators quickly regained their footing.
Du Yue had also been forced back a single step, but there wasn't even the slightest trace of panic in her beautiful blue eyes. Cold Sword Qi surged through the White Snow Sword as she suddenly moved.
Her figure flashed forward, and the sword in her hand slashed towards Ning Choi.
Ning Choi immediately raised his axe to block.
Clang!
The moment the two weapons collided, a terrifying Sword Intent erupted from Du Yue's blade.
In front of Grade 4 Sword Intent, Ning Choi’s Grade 2 Axe Intent was like a child facing an adult. Du Yue’s sword continued through his wrist as easily as slicing through butter, and the force of the collision sent Ning Choi flying backward.
His axe flew into the distance while his body crashed heavily against the black ground.
Ning Choi struggled to raise his head. A sharp pain shot through his arm, and when he looked down, he saw his severed wrist already frozen in ice.
"Monster..."
He spat out a mouthful of blood, horror filling his eyes.
Du Yue had already moved on.
Li Zhang had seized the opening and attacked from the side. His palm, covered in black Evil Qi and Grade 2 Palm Intent, slammed towards her.
Du Yue raised her sword.
Grade 4 Sword Intent surged from the blade, and with a casual swing, the terrifying black palm was cut apart. The sinister aura shattered instantly, dispersing like broken glass.
"ARGHH!"
Li Zhang's scream echoed through the formation.
The White Snow Sword sliced through his palm and continued towards his shoulder, nearly severing the entire arm.
Blood sprayed across the ground.
Li Zhang staggered backwards, clutching his mangled arm as pain twisted his face. Before Du Yue could pursue Li Zhang, Rin Saito and James Rossi attacked from both sides.
She shifted her body slightly, allowing the black katana to pass inches from her side while the rapier swept past her waist. Neither weapon managed to touch even a corner of her clothes.
Du Yue moved with light, precise steps as Icy Sword Intent surged from her sword and struck both cultivators at once, sending them flying backwards. Their internal organs trembled from the impact, and they barely managed to protect themselves from being cut in half.
At the same time, Mo Kuan attacked from above, his sword aimed directly at Du Yue's head.
She simply bent down, allowing the blade to pass over her, then punched upwards before Mo Kuan could recover.
Mo Kuan hurriedly formed a Spiritual Qi barrier in front of himself.
Bang!
The barrier cracked under the force of the punch, and Mo Kuan was sent flying backwards with blood spraying from his mouth.
Du Yue stood in the centre of the formation and looked at the five cultivators.
There was no anger in her eyes, no fear, and not even the slightest trace of excitement. She simply looked at them with an indifferent gaze, as though they were insignificant creatures standing in her way.
Only then did the black-robed cultivators understand why she had called them ants.
It wasn't arrogance.
In her eyes, they truly were nothing more than ants.
Their hearts sank.
They had thought that by sealing Du Yue inside the formation, they could prevent her from escaping. Now, they finally understood the truth.
They hadn't sealed her inside the formation.
They had sealed their own fate.
Su Wen looked at the bandits surrounding him, his eyes filled with killing intent.
The five Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators attacked at the same time. Thane was the first to move, raising his weapon as Spiritual Qi surged violently through his body. The other four followed closely behind, their attacks coming from different directions and completely surrounding Su Wen, leaving him no obvious path of escape.
Su Wen's expression remained calm. He took a single step forward.
Instead of retreating... he met their attacks head-on.
Boom!!
All six attacks collided at the same time. A deafening explosion echoed across the mountainside as a powerful shockwave spread in every direction, violently scattering the snow beneath their feet.
The five Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators felt their arms tremble violently as their bodies were forced backwards, each of them taking several steps before managing to steady themselves.
Their expressions immediately became solemn.
"So powerful..."
Thane's eyes narrowed. "Don't hold back! Keep pressing him! We only need to hold him back until the seniors return!"
The other four immediately steadied themselves and prepared to attack again.
Su Wen remained calm. His gaze swept across the five Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators before shifting towards the weaker bandits surrounding them.
Then, countless attacks came towards him from every direction.
The remaining low-level bandits had seized the opportunity to attack together.
"Kill him!"
"Don't let him escape!"
Su Wen's eyes narrowed.
Celestial Void Steps!
His figure disappeared.
The attacks passed through the place where he had been standing a moment ago. Before anyone could react, Su Wen had already appeared among the lower-level cultivators.
His sword flashed as he moved through the crowd like a phantom. One sword after another, every swing was precise and deadly.
The surrounding bandits couldn't even see his figure clearly.
They only saw flashes of sword light...
Then blood.
Puchi!
Puchi!
Puchi!
One body after another collapsed into the snow.
Su Wen didn't slow down. His figure continued moving through the crowd, cutting down anyone who stood in his path.
Within only a few breaths, more than half of the lower-level bandits had already fallen.
Thane and the other four Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators stood there dumbfounded. Before they could even recover from the shock, Su Wen had already killed more than half of the people surrounding him.
A deep fear spread through everyone's hearts. They stared at Su Wen as though they were looking at a monster.
Su Wen finally stopped.
His gaze slowly swept across the surroundings. Blood stained the snow, and bodies lay scattered across the ground.
His gaze lowered towards his own sword.
Blood was dripping from the blade.
A strange feeling stirred in his heart.
As a doctor from a peaceful world like Blue Star, he had seen countless corpses throughout his life. His job had been to save lives, and he had never personally killed another human being in his previous life.
Even after transmigrating into this world, the number of people he had killed could still be counted on one hand.
Yet now...
In only a few breaths, he had killed more people than all the humans he had personally killed before combined.
An uncomfortable feeling slowly rose within his heart, and his fingers tightened slightly around the sword.
But then his gaze shifted upwards.
The huge black circular formation still hovered above the mountain. Du Yue was trapped inside.
His wife was facing six Peak Golden Core cultivators alone.
Su Wen then looked at the corpses scattered around him.
These people were bandits. They had committed countless crimes. They had not only insulted his wife... they had also deliberately stood in his way when he was trying to reach her.
Thinking about his wife, the hesitation in his heart slowly disappeared.
His breathing gradually became steady. His heart returned to complete calm, and his eyes slowly turned cold.
'This is a different world. There are no police here. No one will come to save us. If you don't kill... then be prepared to be killed. I will no longer hesitate...'
The moment these thoughts settled in his heart, something within him seemed to break free.
His Dao Heart trembled, and a powerful, unwavering determination emerged from its depths.
His Martial Heart...
Finally took shape.
At that moment, Su Wen's entire aura changed.
He hadn't comprehended a higher level of Intent.
Yet his Will had become stronger.
His existing Intents seemed to undergo a subtle transformation, becoming sharper, stronger and more resolute.
His Will had changed... or rather, it had evolved.
And the Intents born from that Will evolved with it, finally becoming his True Intents.
A terrifying pressure spread from Su Wen as he unleashed the power of all three cultivation paths.
The Qi Refinement cultivators and Early Foundation Establishment cultivators immediately collapsed to their knees. They couldn't even lift their heads.
The Mid and Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators also stood frozen.
Now they truly understood what kind of monster they had provoked.
Su Wen's gaze slowly swept across them before finally landing on the Mid Foundation Establishment cultivators and the remaining weaker bandits.
He didn't attack Thane and the other four Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Instead, he moved towards the weaker cultivators.
His intention was clear.
The weaker cultivators were the easiest to eliminate, and leaving them alive would only create unnecessary trouble.
"Brother, we're sorry!"
"Senior, we surrender!"
"Brother, we were forced!"
"I'll become your slave! Please spare me!"
"Please!"
Their voices overlapped.
Some begged, some surrendered and some tried to explain themselves.
But Su Wen didn't stop.
His expression remained cold as he continued forward, his sword cutting through those who stood in his path.
Within seconds, all the remaining weaker bandits were dead.
The surroundings finally became quiet.
Su Wen stood among the corpses, blood staining the ground around him.
"I already told you... if you interfere with me... you won't leave alive."
He slowly raised his sword.
"Why didn't you listen in the beginning?"
A chilling silence filled the mountainside.
Su Wen slowly raised his head, his gaze landing on Thane and the remaining four Peak Foundation Establishment cultivators.
"Now..."
He spoke slowly.
"It's your turn."
On the second floor of the dungeon...
Rush jumped from one frozen pillar to another as he desperately dodged the spear attacks coming from behind.
Boom!
Gush's spear struck the icy ground where Rush had been standing a moment earlier, sending chunks of ice flying in every direction. Rush twisted his body in mid-air before landing on another raised section of frozen ground.
"Too slow, bastard!"
He glanced back with a grin before turning around and continuing to run.
Several Mid and Peak Grade 2 monsters suddenly rushed towards them, but they weren't attacking Rush. They charged directly towards Gush.
Gush's face darkened.
"Get lost!"
He waved his hand, sending a powerful wave of Spiritual Qi sweeping forward. The monsters were blasted away, their bodies crashing into the frozen walls.
Gush didn't spare them another glance and continued chasing Rush.
Rush looked back again, and seeing Gush still following him, a smile appeared on his face. Soon, the stairs leading to the third floor came into view.
Rush increased his speed and reached the stairs first. Just before disappearing onto the third floor, he turned around and gave Gush one last charming smile.
"Bastard."
With that, he disappeared down the stairs.
Gush's face twitched violently. "You..."
He hurriedly rushed towards the stairs. "Just wait until I catch you!"
On the third floor, Gush had barely gone a few steps before he found himself surrounded by a dozen Peak Grade 2 monsters. Their eyes were strangely bloodshot as they stared directly at him.
"More monsters?"
The creatures suddenly charged.
Gush didn't even bother using his spear. He raised his palm and slapped forward, sending a terrifying wave of Spiritual Qi sweeping through the area.
The dozen Peak Grade 2 monsters were blasted backwards. Several crashed into the icy walls and died on the spot.
Gush lowered his hand and looked towards the direction Rush had disappeared. Something still felt wrong. The monsters hadn't attacked Rush... every single one had targeted him. Their behaviour was strange, but what bothered him even more was the look in their eyes. They weren't simply hostile. There was something crazed about them.
Before Gush could think any further...
Whoosh!
An icicle suddenly fell from the ceiling.
He sidestepped, and the icicle smashed into the ground beside him.
Gush didn't waste any time.
"That coward..."
He rushed towards the stairs leading to the fourth floor.
On the fourth floor, thick white mist covered the entire area, reducing visibility to only a few metres and muffling even the slightest sounds.
Rush quietly disappeared into it.
Gush entered moments later and immediately frowned.
"This damn mist..."
Unknown to Gush, a strange scent was slowly emanating from his body and spreading through the mist.
His brows furrowed. 'Damn it... How am I supposed to find him in this?'
He carefully spread his Spiritual Sense. But the dense mist made it difficult to determine Rush's exact location.
A few moments later, Gush's instincts suddenly screamed. His body moved before his mind could react. He dodged to the side and thrust his spear forward.
Puchi!
The spear pierced through the shoulder of an Early Grade 3 Ice Goblin, yet the goblin didn't retreat. Its bloodshot eyes locked onto Gush before it suddenly leapt towards him.
Gush's pupils contracted.
"What the..."
He pulled his spear free and kicked the goblin away, only for another Early Grade 3 Ice Goblin to suddenly appear behind him.
It didn't attack normally either. Instead, it threw itself directly at Gush as though it wanted to tear him apart with its bare hands.
Gush finally realised that something was seriously wrong. He wasn't afraid of them as their cultivation was far too weak to threaten him, but their blood-red, crazed eyes unsettled him.
Then, he noticed something unusual between their legs, and his expression instantly darkened.
"That bastard..." He finally understood. "Rush! You fucking coward!"
A short distance away, Rush stood completely covered by a black robe, his hood concealing most of his face. The thick mist and black robe concealed his presence so completely that even Gush couldn't sense him.
Rush quietly watched the scene with an amused smile. "These monsters still aren't enough..."
His smile faded as his gaze turned cold. "Soon... the needle poison will also start taking effect."
He snorted. “Did you really think I was just fooling around when I kept provoking you and leading you into this dungeon?”
Gush continued fighting through the crazed monsters. His Spiritual Qi surged as he sent them flying one after another, but his movements had already become slightly heavier.
He frowned at the strange sluggishness but didn't have time to think about it. The poison was slowly spreading through his body.
Eventually, Gush reached the stairs leading to the fifth floor. Rush was already waiting at the entrance.
Before Gush could react, Rush disappeared into the mist, leaving only one word behind. "Bastard!"
Gush's face turned completely dark. "Fuck you!"
He hurried after him.
On the fifth floor, the temperature became noticeably colder, but Gush ignored it and continued chasing Rush. After only a few moments, however, his steps became unsteady. Something was wrong. His Spiritual Qi had become increasingly difficult to control, while his eyelids felt unusually heavy. At the same time, an intense heat began spreading through his body.
"What...?"
Gush's face darkened. "I've been poisoned?"
He immediately examined his body internally. "It's Rush! Damn it... Where are you?! Come out and face me!"
His voice echoed through the freezing dungeon. "Do you really think this low-level dungeon and a few cheap tricks can save you? If you don't come out now... I'll capture your soul and torment you for the rest of your life!"
Silence.
His voice seemed to be swallowed by the thick mist. Not even an echo returned.
Gush's anger grew. Just as he was about to speak again, Rush's voice suddenly came from somewhere within the mist.
"Bastard!"
Gush's face twitched. "You... You..."
His face slowly turned red with fury as killing intent erupted from his body. "Rush!"
He charged towards the direction of the voice, but when he reached the area, he immediately frowned.
A group of goblins emerged from the mist.
One Mid Grade 3 Ice Goblin, three Early Grade 3 Ice Goblins, and several lower-grade goblins.
All of them had the same crazed look in their eyes, and they charged towards Gush without hesitation.
"Get away from me!"
Gush swung his spear violently.
Boom!
Several goblins were blasted backwards, but the others immediately rushed forward again.
Nearby, Rush remained hidden in the mist. A sly smile appeared beneath his hood as he took a yellow talisman paper from his storage ring. His eyes remained fixed on Gush.
'I heard you are most afraid of lightning...'
Rush poured Spiritual Qi into the talisman, and the yellow paper immediately began crackling.
He quietly moved closer while Gush desperately fought the surrounding monsters. The poison had already begun affecting Gush's body. His movements were becoming heavier, and his concentration was gradually weakening.
Rush waited patiently before finally throwing the talisman.
It flew silently through the mist.
Gush suddenly sensed danger.
His pupils shrank.
"What?!"
The talisman erupted.
Crack!
A terrifying bolt of lightning burst from it.
BOOM!!
The lightning struck Gush directly in the back.
The distance was too short. Gush had no time to dodge.
His body was sent flying, and blood sprayed from his mouth as he crashed heavily onto the icy ground.
"That fucking bastard..." Gush struggled to raise himself, but before he could stand, the surrounding goblins pounced on him again.
Gush gritted his teeth. 'This won't work. I can't stay here any longer. Everything is working against me. The monsters, the poison... and that bastard hiding in the mist. I need to leave. I can always kill Rush after I get out and recover.'
Spiritual Qi surged through his legs and his body suddenly exploded forward. He broke through the surrounding monsters and rushed towards the stairs leading to the sixth floor.
Rush watched his retreating figure from within the mist, a cold smile appearing beneath his hood.
"Planning to run? Not a chance. This dungeon... will be your graveyard."
With that, Rush followed without hesitation.
The hunt continued deeper into the dungeon, but somewhere along the way, the roles of hunter and hunted had been reversed.