Chapter Twenty-Two: Facing the Zhu Clan—Azure Shadowfall Unleashed

The moment Qinglan came to a standstill, a burst of flames erupted exactly where she had been standing, the scorching heat instantly spreading outward.

Qinglan turned back to see Zhu Yue and Zhu Ning reappearing before them, Zhu Ning’s face twisted with a mix of smugness and resentment.

"You stole my property," Zhu Ning sneered, "and you really thought you could just walk away?"

A cold glint flashed in Qinglan’s eyes. "Your Zhu family is truly overbearing."

Yuedong added coldly, "It seems you don't yet understand us. Ambushing us... comes with a price."

"Boom!"

A nine-seal spirit-binding formation unfolded instantly. A brilliant golden light shone forth like a descending sun, rapidly sealing off the space surrounding Zhu Yue.

Zhu Yue let out a cold laugh. The flames on her body surged violently, coalescing into a suit of searing fire armor that wrapped tightly around her, making her appear like a warrior born from the blaze.

"Is this the piece of junk you're using to embarrass yourself?" she mocked.

Her spiritual energy faced only minimal suppression, and she immediately launched a counterattack. With a flick of her wrist, a scarlet spirit sword appeared in her hand, its blade shimmering with scorching light. With a sharp cry, Zhu Yue unleashed a wave of sword energy that transformed into a downpour of fire, crashing against the golden light of the binding formation like a meteor shower.

As the golden light splashed and began to fade, signaling that the formation was on the verge of breaking, Yuedong remained calm. This formation was merely a distraction.

With a wave of his hand, the ground around Zhu Yue began to soften. Under his control, sand particles rose and danced like a flowing sea, instantly covering the entire area and engulfing her.

"Sandstorm Formation!"

Zhu Yue was startled by the sudden change in environment. Her brow furrowed as she felt the erosion of the quicksand beneath her, and a flicker of fury ignited in her eyes. "Hmph! You think a formation like this can trap me?"

Zhu Yue let out a low roar. Her fire armor flared with even more dazzling intensity, her spiritual energy manifesting to cover her entire body, creating a barrier between her true form and the encroaching sand.

She glared coldly at Yuedong. "Do you really think a bit of sand can hold me? You are far too naive."

Yuedong remained silent, his gaze burning as he focused intently on the scene. After all, this was his first direct confrontation with a seasoned practitioner at the Zhiview Realm.

"Burn to nothingness!" Zhu Yue commanded. The flames in her hand expanded suddenly, a heatwave sweeping across the sand-covered ground and kicking up a sky full of yellow dust.

Fire and sand danced wildly in the storm, but Yuedong remained unhurried. Under his manipulation, the quicksand layered itself, its eroding force increasing rather than waning, gradually forming an indestructible wall of sand.

"Bang!"

The two elemental energies clashed continuously, turning the air scorching hot. The spreading flames and the surging quicksand became two opposing torrents of immense power; the fire could not fully spread under the suppression of the sand, and the sand could not expand beneath the searing heat of the fire.

The mutual depletion of these two forces brought the entire battlefield into a delicate equilibrium.

...

Zhu Yue felt a sense of misfortune. This formation was actually capable of trapping her.

In the cultivation world, the consensus on formation masters was that while they might not be invincible among their peers, they were undoubtedly the most difficult to kill and the most troublesome to deal with. For now, Yuedong could not kill her, but she also found it hard to break through the formation.

However, she remained confident in Zhu Ning. "Ning'er will kill the girl by your side soon enough. When that happens, you will still be defeated."

Yuedong’s expression was subtle. "I truly hope your confidence is as genuine as your strength."

Zhu Yue was incensed. "How insolent!"

Yuedong ignored her and sat down. Yes, he was being insolent.

...

On the other side, Zhu Ning stared at Qinglan with triumph. Her long spear lunged like a dragon emerging from the sea, the tip flickering with a cold glint and accompanied by a thunderous roar as it struck directly at Qinglan.

Qinglan met the attack with her thorn-wood sword. The tip of the blade met the spear with a crisp ringing sound.

Zhu Ning’s assault was like a tidal wave, her spear dancing and stirring up gusts of wind. Although Qinglan’s wooden sword was light and agile, it was ultimately just polished spirit wood. Under Zhu Ning’s fierce onslaught, every collision left her arm slightly numb, and the thorns on the wooden sword were shaken loose.

During the fight, Qinglan realized that Zhu Ning’s spear was a genuine spirit weapon, far superior to the sword of Mu Feng.

It was time to change tactics. Her gaze fell upon the wooden whip at her waist.

Seeing Qinglan’s move, Zhu Ning shouted urgently, "That whip is mine!"

Qinglan ignored her, and the *Qingying Luo* fell into her hand.

In an instant, a power that resonated perfectly and deeply with her own spiritual energy began to surge within her.

The *Qingying Luo* danced in the air, tracing elegant arcs. The light flowing along the whip made Zhu Ning wary; she did not understand the weapon's capabilities, and her offense became cautious. This conservatism, however, gave Qinglan the time she needed to familiarize herself with the spirit weapon.

A look of novelty shone in Qinglan’s eyes. Only she could see that every swing of the *Qingying Luo* left behind a faint, glowing curve—the illusory trajectory of the whip. As she watched these paths, she felt inspired; the curves of the whip’s shadow became increasingly fluid, her movements more graceful, and her synchronization with the spirit weapon deepened.

Only now did Zhu Ning realize her mistake. As her spear lunged forward again, a flash of green light appeared in Qinglan’s eyes, and she clearly saw the opening in the spear’s defense.

She stepped to the side, and the wooden whip moved like a spirit snake, precisely evading Zhu Ning’s attack. At the same time, the whip twisted, lashing out rapidly toward Zhu Ning’s spear.

The momentum of offense and defense reversed in an instant!

"This... how is this possible?" Zhu Ning was shocked. She had not expected Qinglan’s learning speed in battle to be so terrifying; within moments, she had been suppressed.

Qinglan sneered—the last person who hadn't expected such a thing was already buried six feet under.

Surprised and unwilling to accept defeat, Zhu Ning forced herself to shift her strategy, turning her spear technique from offense to defense. She was stalling for time, waiting for her aunt to break out of the formation.

Qinglan saw through her intentions, raised a brow, and inwardly sighed: "Giving up the offense? Your spear skills truly have been learned to no avail."

How could a single spear defend against a wooden whip? In Qinglan’s eyes, Zhu Ning was full of flaws.

"Snap!"

A whip shadow struck out like a snake from its hole, hitting Zhu Ning’s chest with lightning speed.

"Snap!"

Another whip shadow instantly coiled around the fingers gripping the spear, and with a slight twist, the weapon was torn from her grasp.

Zhu Ning’s body shuddered as she stumbled back several steps, her eyes filled with astonishment and resentment. She never imagined she would lose, let alone lose so quickly.

"You have lost," Qinglan said calmly.

Zhu Ning couldn't believe it for a moment. She could accept victory, or even a drawn-out stalemate, but, "How could I lose to a rogue cultivator... I am... I am from the Zhu family..."

Qinglan watched her quietly, thoughtful and pointed. "Is being from a noble family really so impressive? You already possess the best cultivation resources, yet you are still insatiable, constantly plundering, and resorting to revenge and slaughter the moment something doesn't go your way."

Her eyes were indifferent. Her words seemed aimed at Zhu Ning, yet they also seemed to point toward somewhere far away.

"People like you... what qualifications do you have to enjoy the offerings of the human race?"