Naked Sword Art

Chapter 526: Save Me

"Father... save me."

The moment Li Lian’s voice reached him, Li Huxin’s resolve crystallized. The crushing force pressing down on him suddenly halted, no longer able to push him back.

The Heavenly Realm cultivator froze in disbelief.

A mere mortal—blocking a Heavenly Realm attack?

Li Huxin’s aura exploded as he took a step forward, the ground cracking beneath his feet.

"How..." he whispered.

...

The Li clansmen watching from the hills were stunned.

"That’s General Hu’s personal technique..."

"I can’t believe it’s real."

"I heard he can only use it when a certain condition is met."

"What condition?"

"No one knows. But I’ve also heard that once it’s activated, he can single-handedly stop an entire beast wave."

The words spread in hushed disbelief as they watched the shield hold against the heavenly realm attack.

...

Li Huxin’s sleeves had been shredded away, his arms raised as though he were holding back an impossible force.

"Lian, can you still fight?" he called out. "Recover your strength—quickly. This battle isn’t over yet!"

What Li Huxin didn’t know was how severe Li Lian’s injuries truly were. Even so, she forced herself into a lotus position and struggled to draw in Qi.

Then—

A familiar voice echoed from within her soul sea.

"Lian. Lend me your body."

"...Ancestor?"

"Your soul is fractured," Li Xianyu said calmly. She produced a small, pagoda-shaped artifact from her sleeve. "Use this. It is an Immortal-Grade artifact—the same one I have relied on all these years to preserve my soul. It will repair yours. Let me finish this fight in your place."

"Ancestor... save them."

Li Xianyu nodded once. "I will. You have my word."

Without hesitation, Li Lian followed her instructions, withdrawing her consciousness into the Immortal Soul Pagoda. In the same instant, Li Xianyu’s will flowed outward, taking control of her body as naturally as if it had always been hers.

A different light ignited in Li Lian’s eyes as she slowly rose to her feet.

Her dantian was still badly damaged, her Qi reserves nearly depleted—but there was enough.

Enough to end this.

A subtle shift rippled through the air—and the Heavenly Realm cultivator felt it immediately. Something was coming, though he couldn’t tell what. Without hesitation, he withdrew his [ Giant Seal ], retreating its pressure as he hastily prepared himself.

What followed was beyond anything he had imagined.

Like a single drop of water falling into a still lake, the world around them rippled outward. Space itself seemed to twist, reality folding in on itself as the familiar landscape was overturned and replaced by something utterly alien.

Li Lian’s illusory Qi swept outward, engulfing everything within several hundred meters in an instant. Reality itself seemed to bend as an irresistible force seized everything caught within its reach.

"This—"

[ Illusory Domain ]

The Heavenly Realm cultivator froze.

Illusory Domain was a signature technique of the Black Paradise Sect, commonly used by Core disciples and elders. He had witnessed it more than once.

But this...

This was nothing like those.

The pressure was deeper. More absolute. It didn’t merely deceive the senses—it rewrote perception itself.

It felt closer to—

His pupils constricted when he realized the illusion didn’t fade even when he attempted to destroy it.

"Is this..." he whispered, disbelief creeping into his voice, "...her Daoist Conception?"

...

{ Daoist Conception }

A manifestation of one’s Dao, formed upon stepping into the Heavenly Scholar Realm. It is not a technique that can be learned, nor a skill that can be copied, but the embodiment of a cultivator’s understanding of the world itself.

Once awakened, Daoist Conception allows one’s will to shape reality within a limited domain, turning intent into law and perception into truth.

...

Even though her current strength had yet to reach the Heavenly Realm, Li Xianyu’s Daoist Conception was deeply ingrained in her soul. And now, the Heavenly Realm cultivator was being swallowed by it.

This was not an attack against the body, but against the spirit itself. Unless he could manifest a Daoist Conception of his own, there was no true defense.

"A mere Heavenly Origin Realm brat dares act so arrogantly," Li Xianyu’s voice echoed directly within his mind. "Allow me to show you the scale of your insignificance."

In that instant, he became certain of one thing.

He was no longer facing Li Lian.

What stood before him was something ancient—something terrifying beyond comprehension.

"I need to escape!"

But escape was impossible. Not from this illusion. And certainly not from her Daoist Conception.

Just as despair threatened to consume him completely, the illusion shattered without warning.

Reality snapped back into place.

Li Lian staggered and coughed up another mouthful of blood, her body swaying as the domain collapsed.

The Heavenly Realm cultivator froze, confusion flashing across his face.

Why did she stop?

Then he saw her condition.

Opportunity ignited in his eyes.

Attacking once again, the giant seal descended towards her with a terrifying might, but again, Li Huxin wouldn’t allow his attack to reach her.

The Heavenly Realm cultivator snarled angrily.

"Li Huxin!!!"

He pushed, but Li Huxin’s technique didn’t even move an inch.

"You will not touch my child!" Li Huxin barked back in fury.

The Heavenly realm cultivator was furious. Not just in his own ability to overpower Li Huxin, but in the uselessness of his clansmen.

"What are the rest of you doing? Attack!" he barked sharply. "Kill her!"

Even with their severe injuries, the Divine realm Song clansmen didn’t hesitate to closed in on Li Lian position, lunging toward her from every direction. They could not afford to allow her to regain her strength. She needed to be defeated now, no matter what.

However, in the next heartbeat, every one of them was pinned in place—blades driven cleanly through their hearts.

Li Lian’s brothers and sisters stood among the fallen, expressions cold as they finished the survivors with swift, merciless strikes.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

"That’s our little sister."

"If you want to get to her you have to go through us first!"

Even with the beast wave and Song clansmen quickly closing in on them, Li Lian’s brothers and sister stood strong and ready.

Seeing that, the Li army hearts ignited.

"That’s our captains! They’re helping Li Lian!" the Li Clan soldiers murmured in disbelief.

All around them, weapons were quietly unsheathed. Qi stirred. The army waited—poised for the order to strike.

’How is this happening...?’ the Heavenly Realm cultivator thought in horror. ’It’s all because of her.’

His gaze locked onto Li Lian.

She wiped the blood from her lips, her eyes still sharp, still dangerous.

Fear gripped his heart.

He knew it—if he were dragged into that illusion again, he would not leave alive.

What he couldn’t see was the truth.

Li Lian was barely standing. Every breath burned. Every second of consciousness was paid for in blood. She was holding herself upright by sheer will alone.

Panic overtook him.

With a frantic command, the Heavenly Realm cultivator ordered the beast horde and the Song Clan forces forward, using them as a shield as he turned to flee.

That was when Li Huxin took a deep breath, and let out a single roar, a single word, a single command that eclipsed the thunderous roars of the charging beasts.

"Kill!"

The response was immediate from the Li clan’s army as they began to run down the hills.

"Kill!"