Su Liu halted, startled. Though the figure moved swiftly, he recognized him—wasn’t that the odd fellow A'Xuan, the one Madam had saved?
Though the man was a bit strange, his strength was no less than Su Liu’s, and his character not too poor. Seeing his frantic urgency, it seemed this peculiar Thunder Lady had been brought back by him.
Truly, birds of a feather flock together.
Su Liu let out a breath, halted his steps, and turned to give an order:
“Clean up the battlefield, open the gates, and let the wounded soldiers receive treatment quickly.”
“But… Lady Lei?”
The trusted aide, also a die‑hard fan of Murong Yun, craned his neck, gazing wistfully across, wishing he could rush over himself to check on his idol’s safety.
“This is a military order!” Su Liu glared fiercely at the man. With A'Xuan present, what need was there for these shrimp‑soldiers and crab‑generals? Better they stay put than go over and cause trouble.
“Yes……”
The trusted aide reluctantly drew back his gaze, arranging things with a touch of grievance. His look made Su Liu’s hands itch—he almost wanted to hit him…
Meanwhile, Murong Yun was still struggling to withstand the thunder, her face even carrying a numb expression.
Fortunately, beneath the relentless strikes of thunder, she was still alive, even regaining some strength.
She curled her finger—movement, at last, how good. Murong Yun glanced at the bone staff three steps away, straining to stretch her hand toward it. Not enough… but she had to reach…
In her urgency, Murong Yun even wished she could transform into an octopus—hands longer, flexible, elastic—but clearly this was only wishful thinking.
.........
When Li Su arrived, what he saw was a vast snowy plain, stretches of devastation, and everywhere heaps of corpses laid bare by thunder strikes…
In one of the great pits, a pillar of lightning fell from the sky, striking fiercely at a lone figure. He could not see clearly what was happening, but there was no mistaking it—only Murong Yun in this world could draw such ‘treatment’ from the thunder.
Though the figure was indistinct, bloodstains spattered across the snow. He could not tell if Murong Yun was still… alive.
Li Su ignored the currents of spiritual energy stirred by the thunder aura. White qi spread to shield his front, and his steps pressed urgently toward the lightning pillar.
The gusts whipped his half‑loose hair into disarray. The nearer he drew, the heavier the thunder’s pressure. Even at the eighth rank, he could still sense the danger within.
But Murong Yun is only at the seventh rank, isn’t she? She…
Li Su’s breath faltered and his pace quickened. From afar, when he saw the bone staff lodged at the edge of the lightning pillar, glowing faintly with violet light, his steps suddenly halted. Beneath his disguise, his refined face betrayed obvious panic.
This spirit staff resembled the material of the one Murong Yun used to carry, only it was not as ugly.
But since there is a spirit staff to ward off lightning, why would Murong Yun not use it? Could it be that she has already… died?
At that moment, Li Su did not realize it: when he sensed Murong Yun might already be dead, his qi surged violently. He nearly failed to maintain the secret art that altered its form, exposing his true light element.
Even beneath his long sleeves, his nails dug deep into his palm, leaving a trail of crimson. Yet he felt nothing of the pain.
Li Su suddenly realized: if the world were without Murong Yun, it would be like the sky without the sun—or sunlight dimmed, no longer so strong. As though everything had lost its flavor.
But clearly, Murong Yun was always superfluous. She was vicious, brainless, domineering, extravagant. Apart from her looks… she was utterly useless.
But why did he feel so pained, his chest hollow? Li Su, restless, raised his hand to press against his heart, as if that might ease the unease. Yet when he lifted it, he found blood staining his palm.
He was a little dazed, his face even bewildered. In all his years, it was the first time he had felt such an anomaly—his emotions, so easily, were bound by Murong Yun.
Poor Li Su—brilliant in cultivation, proud of his cunning, dismissive of all things. Yet when it came to matters between men and women, he was no more than a child.
He never even realized that all this agitation and pain, born of learning Murong Yun might be dead, was nothing more than proof… that he had long since cared.
And just as he was sinking into despair, from the edge of the thunder staff, two blood‑stained fingers strained outward, reaching toward the bone staff.
Li Su’s dark eyes, once lost and frantic, suddenly lit up at the sight—like clouds parting to reveal the moon. Even his brows eased a little.
She… Murong Yun is still alive!!
Li Su rushed forward, his qi flaring from his hands. Now imbued with fire’s traits, it could, if wielded well, block part of the thunder. As long as he bought Murong Yun the chance to seize the staff, she could escape danger.
The blazing fire‑attribute qi grew ever more intense, brightening the darkened sky. Yet before Li Su could act, a surge of bitterly cold qi swept across in vast waves…
Li Su’s gaze flickered, his gathering‑qi halted. He watched helplessly as that domineering ice‑blue aura condensed from the far side of the lightning pillar, freezing even the pillar itself mid‑air.
It was a domineering aura unlike any he had ever seen, dragging the surrounding temperature down with it.
Li Su’s qi jolted instinctively in his hands. Then he saw it—Murong Yun’s two hard‑won fingers, frozen solid…
He could even imagine—the other side must be raging like thunder at this very moment.
Just as Li Su feared, Murong Yun managed to move only a tiny bit. Her fingertip was about to touch the beloved staff—when suddenly it turned cold, and her whole arm went numb…
She froze for a moment. Seeing the frost spreading fast, the ice encircling her completely, her face darkened, and she ground her teeth.
Even with her toes she could guess whose handiwork this was! She drew a deep breath and shouted angrily:
“Xuan Sansui, what—are—you—doing!”
Though she thought herself shouting, it was but a faint sound. Yet with masters present, who could fail to hear?
Just moments earlier, A' Xuan had rushed in. When he saw the thunder pillar piercing the sky and realized Murong Yun was beneath it, he instinctively drove his ice‑attribute qi forward.
He had meant to counter the thunder, but with too much force, even Murong Yun’s arm was frozen…
“Right now, immediately, quickly—get me out of this!”
Murong Yun rolled her eyes, furious, anxious, and exhausted. Especially remembering how A'Xuan’s ice qi had turned Xue Dao into a lump of ice—and how she had accidentally knocked off one of its little feet.
At this rate… won’t her hand fall off too?
The more Murong Yun thought, the more she wanted to cry. What a calamity—this oddball never comes early or late, only to stir up chaos.
Sadly, what should have been words full of thunderous momentum came out weak from her frailty—barely louder than a mosquito’s buzz, carrying no force at all.
A'Xuan did hear it. He raised his brows, tilted his head, and finally spotted the hand frozen stiff in what had been his blind spot…
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