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Chapter 132 - 131: Your Name

The dazzling seven-colored glow burst forth, illuminating all the faces that gazed upon it.

Faced with the impending Sword Qi, the Flesh and Blood Tower also became aware of the danger. A large number of chitin shells emerged from within, attempting to cover its most vulnerable fissures.

Chen Xuan noticed that although Jiu’s opening move also had a semblance of form, the splendor of the glow was far less than that of the strike by Liu Shuyue. Not only was there a gap in the burning of life between the two, but there was also a difference in the levels of their Techniques. If he were to slash down with this strength, it was still uncertain whether he could truly sever the Flesh and Blood Tower.

But Jiu couldn’t hold on any longer.

He felt his Spiritual Qi and strength rapidly draining, as if they were being sucked away by the sword light above his head. If he persisted for just a little while longer, he feared he wouldn’t even have the energy to swing the sword.

So this is the move that the Immortal Master Lord executed twice in succession? And this was even while being attacked from both front and back by the roots...

Although Immortal Master Liu often praised his high talent and quick learning, in real combat, he still fell so short.

"You’ve already done well enough..." A gentle voice suddenly entered his mind. "Just swing it out like this. I’ll help you smash the enemy together."

It was the Immortal Master’s sound transmission technique.

He didn’t turn to look at Liu Shuyue’s expression, because in this critical moment, he didn’t dare to get distracted. However, he also knew that since she said so, she must have her reasons. In the two months he spent cultivating in the Only I am Venerable Sect, Jiu knew one thing best: the Immortal Master and Immortal Master Lord never disappoint!

Jiu slashed out with his fingertips toward the enemy’s wound covered in layers of chitin!

Liu Shuyue also unleashed her final fusion ability.

She chose to use all the Demon Fiend Spiritual Qi and flesh she had accumulated within her as the price for the new fusion, aiming at the Tower of Flesh and Blood in front of her. But this time, the object she wanted to fuse wasn’t herself but those falling intestines from the sky!

She originally thought that the intestines and the Flesh and Blood Tower were a whole. But when she tried to use the Decomposition and Re-Fusion towards the sky, the ability’s cost prompt became unknown. In contrast, the Tower of Flesh and Blood had a clear prompt; it was just over thirty of herself.

In other words, the two were not the same thing.

The Flesh and Blood Tower was a Demon Fiend whose energy far exceeded that of a Great Demon, whereas the bloody cloud, fetal membrane, and intestines above belonged to something else.

Or it transcended the scope of "something," approaching a kind of rule: someone set up an altar and performed a sacrificial ritual, and it responded.

When she performed Black Magic and stabbed the dragon heart with a dagger, was it also the one that responded?

Liu Shuyue pushed this chilling thought to the back of her mind.

Fortunately, these intestines couldn’t be chosen as the fusion target, but they could be selected as the fusion object. Previously, she kept fusing the roots, and now she had the capital to pay the price! As the ability was activated, those "curtains" surrounding the Flesh and Blood Tower suddenly floated toward the tower body and connected with it!

Everyone was astonished to see the Flesh and Blood Tower being voraciously sucked by the intestines. The intertwined muscles, organs, and vascular tissues on it were stripped away by the nearby intestines and quickly absorbed into the sky. At this moment, the tower body trembled violently, seemingly feeling immense pain!

The sparkling chitin shells were also unable to escape the fate of being drawn away. After being engulfed by nearby intestines in large swathes, the still-unhealed fissures were exposed once more.

This was the true fusion, and when Liu Shuyue unleashed this Technique, she felt a strange delight.

It was as if her ability was encouraging her to act in this way.

She couldn’t tell if this was her imagination or if her ability had momentarily gained self-awareness.

The rapid loss of flesh and blood accelerated the pace at which the "amniotic fluid" above was accumulating. With a tearing sound, that layer of flesh membrane pulled to its limit finally showed several rips!

The murky yellowish liquid inside immediately burst out, further tearing the fetal membrane!

It was as if a torrential downpour fell from the sky!

Jiu also saw this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity—the Flesh and Blood Tower inexplicably started an internal conflict with the intestines. The bloody wounds not only lost their protection but even many surrounding tissues were drawn away, exposing a bone resembling a spine at the central body of the tower, and that gigantic eye also had to reveal its true form.

How could he let this opportunity go?

Jiu pointed his finger at the most vulnerable part of the target, using all his strength to drive the sword light forward—the seven-colored glow transformed into a Sharp Sword, piercing through the Flesh and Blood Tower with a speed as swift as lightning!

For a moment, the world seemed to fall silent.

Not only Jiu and Liu Shuyue, but even the cultivators still fighting around the giant pit dared not breathe. They kept their eyes fixed on the high tower, awaiting the result of this sword strike.

And at this moment, the fetal membrane fully ruptured, and what had been gestating inside finally broke free and fell towards the ground!

"Boom!"

With a loud crash, the top of the tower began to tilt.

Like the collapse of a domino chain, this seemingly insignificant tilt triggered a series of reactions—the overstressed spine erupted in a series of crisp snaps, and the tower body forged of viscera collapsed like rotten flesh. The area struck by the Demon-Slaying True Sword withered, and it seemed about to completely break apart.

Then that grotesque heart with its entire body exuding weirdness slammed heavily onto the tray. Since the center was off, it wasn’t pierced through by the top of the tower but instead collided with the edge of the umbrella cover. It was like the last straw that broke the camel’s back, utterly causing the high tower to lose balance and break into two pieces at the wounded area!

The heart also slipped off the "tray" and fell into the pit.

At the moment of impact, it instantly ruptured and disintegrated, spewing out a massive amount of foul-smelling blood. The quantity was astonishing, transforming the pit into a crimson lake in no time.

"Look! Those intestines are retracting!" a cultivator shouted.

Just as he discovered, the tens of thousands of intestines spread across Chang’an City were retracting into the sky. The originally blood-red clouds were also gradually fading away.

"Is it really over?" someone still doubted incredulously.

"It’s over, we survived!"

"Lord Xu, the Immortal Alliance has won!"

Like a tightly strung string suddenly relaxing, the cultivators of the Immortal Alliance lost their usual pride and composure. They slumped to the ground and used their remaining strength to celebrate the victory.

"No, Master is still up there!" Jiu, who was lingering in the air on guard, suddenly came to his senses and accelerated towards the canopy landing on the Blood Lake.

Liu Shuyue followed suit.

However, she did not proceed forward further but stayed at the edge of the "sacrificial basin," allowing Jiu to have a space for a private farewell with the other person.

She had already sensed it. This person was still alive, but just barely hanging on. His entire body was in chaos with spiritual Qi, already completely assimilated by the Demon Fiend, with death looming close.

The dead Flesh and Blood Tower could no longer restrain Ji Yanshu. He slid down from the skeleton, kneeling helplessly on the ground, and was immediately supported by Jiu, who rushed over.

"You..."

Ji Yanshu stared blankly at Jiu, almost unable to believe his eyes.

Can they still be alive to see him again?

"Master, neither my sister nor I blame you." Jiu also saw the other’s weakness and quickly said, "So you shouldn’t have any psychological burden, just focus on healing."

"No... you know nothing about the things I kept from you..." Ji Yanshu coughed, shaking his head.

"Maybe I don’t know, but I am very sure that you never intended to harm my family and even led Hua and me on the path of cultivation. Without the knowledge you imparted, I wouldn’t have had the chance to join the Immortal Sect either." Jiu earnestly said, "Moreover... I cannot transfer the hatred of the extermination of my family from the enemy to you. If you think this is wrong, then the one who thinks this way was also taught by you!"

Ji Yanshu was speechless for a moment.

After a while, he couldn’t help but let out a low laugh, "Is that so... it was I who taught you this way... Having a disciple like you, I, Ji, am truly fortunate through three lifetimes! Cough... cough..."

He coughed up another mouthful of fresh blood.

"Master!"

"It’s okay, I know my situation." Ji Yanshu reached into his chest, fumbled for a moment, and then slowly took out a small blood-soaked pouch, "Ironically... those people searched me thoroughly, but they didn’t pay attention to this. Although it’s a bit late, and you have a new sect, I still want to hand it over to you personally..."

The moment Jiu received the pouch, his vision instantly blurred.

The pouch contained two palm-sized plaque-shaped objects. He didn’t even need to take them out to know what they were.

"Consider it... a memento. That night... I thought for a long time about your Dao names..." By this point, Ji Yanshu’s voice was as weak as a gossamer, "See... if they suit you?"

"They suit us; the names are great! Master, please stop talking and focus on recovering!"

But Ji Yanshu insisted on looking at him, seemingly wanting to see his disciple holding the jade plaques with his own eyes.

Jiu wiped away the tears about to fall and poured the jade plaques from the pouch into his hand.

They were not the official jade plaques commonly used by the Immortal Alliance. The jade quality was poor, and the color was not lustrous, likely replicas from a jade store in Chang’an City.

They also lacked the function to engrave names with spiritual Qi, with the strokes on them obviously carved with a chisel.

Due to the staining of blood, the grooves of these characters were completely dyed red, appearing particularly striking.

"I haven’t thought of... a sect name yet... so I didn’t write on the front. And you are the first generation disciples, naturally starting with Ji..." Ji Yanshu murmured, "The one with the golden tassel is yours, and the one with the red tassel is your sister’s..."

Jiu saw his and Hua’s Dao names.

His plaque was inscribed with "Ji Yun."

The other was inscribed with "Ji Lian."

"I saw them, Master. You can think of the sect name later..." When Jiu turned back to Ji Yanshu, he found that he had already closed his eyes.

It wasn’t meditation but a peaceful closing of eyes. Even though beneath him was rotting flesh, and around him was the ghastly, scarlet Blood Lake, he seemed to be lying in a worldly paradise, a serene smile appearing on his face.

.

End of Volume One