Zanxing (Retranslated)

Chapter 228 - Facing the Enemy (1)

The lights in the hall flickered dangerously as the gust of wind from the clash threatened to extinguish them. The green staff, however, remained as unyielding as fresh ice and snow, carrying a sharp, cold aura as it met the incoming sword blade.

With a clang, the impact sounded.

Ziluo wielded her sword. Her swordsmanship was different from Meng Ying’s. It was not as fierce but light and graceful. Now, however, her sword carried a trace of eerie coldness, no longer as bright as before. Though her face bore a smile, it was a stark contrast to her former gentle and charming demeanor.

From the moment they clashed, Zanxing was stunned. The opponent’s elemental energy—or rather, demonic power—was on a completely different level from hers. A disciple of Taiyan Sect at this level would at least be in the late stage of Astral Projection. How could she possibly be a match for such a person?

The flower-like energy flowing from the staff was quickly swept away by Ziluo’s long sword. However, the next moment, the flower energy was easily cleaved apart, and the black sword aura came slashing straight at Zanxing’s head.

Zanxing quickly dodged, flipping through the air and bringing the staff up to block in front of her. The sword tip missed its mark and struck the ground instead. The sword energy was like a ferocious beast, ruthlessly carving a deep scar into the floor. The two wooden boxes were also split in half by the sword energy, and their contents spilled out with a crash.

“What is this…?” Zanxing’s gaze fixed on the spilled contents. “Identification plates!”

The two boxes were filled with shattered identification plates!

Each identification plate represented a disciple, so these two boxes of shattered plates meant the lives of hundreds or even thousands of sect disciples!

“You!” She glared furiously at Ziluo.

Ziluo smiled indifferently and said, “Why the long face? Don’t be impatient, it’ll be your turn next—” She then charged at Zanxing with her sword.

Since arriving in Duzhou, whether facing the shark demon in Li’er Country, enduring the trials of Fairy Qinghua in the secret realm, or battling the Mirage Woman in Wufan City, Zanxing had managed to hold her ground, albeit with difficulty and some luck. However, Ziluo was even more formidable than her previous opponents. Ziluo fought without any discernible strategy, merely attacking with her sword. The immense sword aura she wielded was so powerful that Zanxing couldn’t even muster a counterattack with her Wuyou Staff.

What was happening? Zanxing felt a chill of fear. Why was she completely unable to fight back? It seemed that her internal elemental energy was being suppressed by some invisible force.

The black sword tip was already close to her eyes, slicing through her flesh. In the next moment, it would pierce her neck.

Boom—

A powerful burst of light erupted from Zanxing’s chest, forcefully deflecting the sword tip and violently dispersing the surrounding black mist.

The immense impact slammed Zanxing against the wall. She barely had time to attend to her injuries before noticing a change in the Xiao Yuan Pearl.

The once translucent pearl had always contained a flickering red flame, which had repeatedly saved her life in critical moments. Today was no exception, but the flame within the pearl was gradually turning pitch black.

Black flames.

Ziluo’s eyes suddenly grew deep and her voice took on a note of excitement. “The Xiao Yuan Pearl… it really is with you!”

How did she know the Xiao Yuan Pearl was with her?

“It’s here,” Ziluo suddenly said. In the next moment, she charged at Zanxing with her sword.

Zanxing had already felt the depth of Ziluo’s elemental power and didn’t dare be careless. She used all her strength to counterattack: “Fire Tree, Silver Flower—”

Heavy black clouds enveloped from all sides, but the green staff was the only light in the darkness. As the staff and sword clashed, Ziluo suddenly withdrew all her elemental energy. In an instant, with no resistance, the staff, imbued with fierce killing intent, surged directly toward her opponent.

Pch—

The Wuyou Staff pierced through Ziluo’s chest, impaling her completely.

Zanxing’s mind shook. The usually gentle Senior Sister now wore a sinister smile. Ziluo tightly grasped the staff embedded in her chest, and black mist began to pour out of her body. This black mist, similar to what appeared after Yin Li’s death, surged towards Zanxing, as if it had a life of its own, flowing into her body through the Wuyou Staff.

This isn’t right! Zanxing realized something was wrong and tried to withdraw the staff, but the dying Ziluo seemed to possess immense strength, preventing the staff from being pulled out.

The black mist rapidly entered Zanxing’s body, heading straight for the Xiao Yuan Pearl in her chest. The previously small flame within the pearl seemed to be nourished, suddenly growing larger. The black flames roared to life, and an unfamiliar power began to surge from Zanxing’s body. She felt something about to burst forth and realized she was on the brink of losing control.

“What have you done?” Zanxing exclaimed in shock and anger, looking at Ziluo.

“Junior Sister,” Ziluo gave her a meaningful smile. “After sleeping for so long, it’s time to wake up.”

With a loud crash, it sounded like something had shattered. The previous silence was abruptly broken by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching, accompanied by the shocked cries of disciples—

“What’s happening? Why is there demonic aura on the mountain?”

“It must be that demons have infiltrated the sect! Oh no, there’s a smell of blood!”

“Could something have gone wrong?”

“Oh my—”

Screams erupted as they entered the hall. Amid the sea of blood and corpses, Zanxing withdrew the green staff from Ziluo’s body. Blood dripped from the staff, and the lifeless Ziluo lay motionless on the ground.

In the silence, a trembling Taiyan Sect disciple spoke up, “Senior Sister Zanxing, what are you doing?”

The lights in the hall were extinguished for the most part, leaving only the bloodstains and shattered identification plates visible. In the dimness, blood dripped from the green staff onto the floor, and only half of the woman’s face was visible in the darkness. Her hand gripping the staff trembled slightly.

“Senior Sister?” A junior disciple asked tentatively, trying to approach Zanxing.

“Don’t move!” A female disciple from Xiang Ling Sect suddenly pulled him back. “Look—”

From Zanxing’s body, black threads of mist began to seep out. Her expression was one of struggle, as if she was desperately trying to suppress something. Slowly, dark markings began to appear on her forehead, intertwining until they formed a complete black begonia flower.

“The Demon King’s Seal…”

“It’s the Demon King’s Seal, the Demon King’s Seal,” some disciples exclaimed in panic. “She’s a demon!”

She’s a demon!

Zanxing turned her head sharply toward the crowd.

A sharp pain spread from her chest, more intense than ever before. It felt as if a seed that had lain dormant in her body had finally sprouted, violently tearing through her organs and flesh, rebirthing itself from within.

The black begonia flower, unlike the one on the dead disciples, had petals as dark as ink, but its center was marked with a streak of blood.

It was alive, vibrant, and pulsating, craving every drop of living blood.

Seemingly snapping out of their shock, a disciple from Yinfeng Sect shouted, “She’s a demon! She killed the Chihua Sect disciples. Hurry! Go inform the Sect Master!”

“The demons have come!”