Chen Yinyin didn't confirm or deny Mo Wushuang's words. Instead, a large, dark sword materialized in her hand, as if she was ready to take action against Mo Wushuang.
"The Abyssal Demon Sovereign…" Mo Wushuang's voice was low, tinged with a bitter, nostalgic edge. "In my past life, we fought for thousands of years, each battle as brutal as the last. If I were to fall at your hands today, it would not be a disgrace to the title of the Icejade Sovereign!"
She closed her eyes slowly, as if embracing her fate, the anguish in her heart mixing with an odd sense of release.
"You want to die by my hands?" Chen Yinyin's voice was cold, filled with disdain. "I won't grant you that privilege. Instead, I'll throw you out of this formation and let you die at the hands of the insects you've so often looked down on!"
Mo Wushuang's lips curled in defiance, even as her body faltered. "Chen Yinyin, give me a quick end…"
Even in the face of death, her pride refused to bend.
"A quick end?" Chen Yinyin sneered. "What a foolish thought." She stepped forward, ready to eject Mo Wushuang from the formation.
But just as her foot was about to make contact, Xie Ren's voice rang out.
"Yinyin, don't harm her."
Chen Yinyin's brows furrowed, irritation flashing in her eyes, but she hesitated. After a brief moment, she lowered her sword with an audible sigh.
"My master has a kind heart," she muttered, though her tone lacked any real sincerity. "Consider yourself lucky."
Just now, Xie Ren had observed the exchange between the two. From their conversation, it was clear that these two women, once sovereigns of their own path, shared a long and complicated history, one fraught with battles and animosity. Yet, despite their past, he couldn't help but feel a surge of interest in recruiting Mo Wushuang.
Mo Wushuang's gaze flicked toward Xie Ren, her expression a mixture of confusion and curiosity. She couldn't understand it. There was nothing particularly remarkable about him, and yet, here was this woman, who had earned a reputation for tyranny, addressing him so naturally as her master.
"Yinyin, do you know Mo Wushuang?" Xie Ren asked casually, as if he hadn't just witnessed the remnants of a thousand-year rivalry unfolding.
"Yes," Chen Yinyin replied with a hint of bitterness in her voice. "We fought for supremacy for millennia. Neither of us could claim victory, and neither could accept defeat."
Xie Ren chuckled softly, his eyes twinkling with amusement. He was beginning to understand. Their rivalry had spanned countless years, yet fate had tangled their paths together once more. He wasn't deterred, though. If anything, this only fueled his desire to bring Mo Wushuang under his wing.
"Yinyin, I won't interfere with your history with Mo Wushuang for now," Xie Ren said, his voice steady. "But remember, don't push things too far. Don't take it to the extreme."
Chen Yinyin's expression softened at his words, her eyes betraying a mixture of surprise and pleasure. She understood what he was implying, and a wicked grin spread across her face.
Though she couldn't kill Mo Wushuang, tormenting her old rival was still an irresistible temptation.
The sight of Mo Wushuang, once the Icejade Sovereign, a ruler of a palace with countless followers, now reduced to fighting over something so trivial, was almost comical. She had once commanded legions, and now she was like an ant battling over a grain of rice.
"Mo Wushuang, Mo Wushuang! I can't believe you've fallen so low over a mere mid-tier Profound Grade treasure!" Her voice dripped with scorn. "You've truly tarnished the title of Sovereign! Look at me, it's effortless for me to pull out a high-tier Earth Grade treasure. Isn't that frustrating?"
Chen Yinyin drew a gleaming, large saber from its sheath with a sharp "whoosh," then drove it deep into the stone steps, embedding it with ease right in front of Mo Wushuang.
Mo Wushuang's eyes widened in shock. "How do you have an Earth Grade treasure? In all of Taishan, how could a high-tier Earth Grade weapon even exist?"
She could hardly believe what she was seeing. Just a moment ago, she had nearly lost her life to obtain a mid-tier Profound Grade weapon. Yet here was Chen Yinyin, wielding something far superior with such casual ease.
Chen Yinyin's smile was sharp, almost cruel. "Just because others don't have it doesn't mean I don't. This is the difference between us. Look at you now, I'm almost embarrassed to think that you were ever my rival."
Mo Wushuang's pride was shattered. For the first time in her two lifetimes, she was on the verge of pleading. "Chen Yinyin, I've lost. Please, end my suffering and kill me."
The words tasted bitter, and they broke her heart as much as they broke her spirit. To beg for death, to ask for an end from an enemy, was the ultimate humiliation.
Her body was failing her. The pain of her shattered arm and the internal injuries were too much to bear. Without a powerful healing elixir, there was no hope for recovery./////////
But in Taishan, high-grade healing elixirs were nearly impossible to come by. Even if they existed, how could she possibly obtain them now, in this state?
Chen Yinyin's laughter was cold, lacking any trace of mercy. "Kill you? No, I can't do that. If I killed you, my master would punish me. But you can beg my master to save you."
The idea of a Sovereign, once revered, now reduced to begging to a Qi refinement man, was enough to make anyone's pride crumble into dust. Mo Wushuang felt fury surge within her.
But the pain was too much. Blood poured from her mouth, a mixture of rage and the shattered remains of internals.
"Chen Yinyin..." Mo Wushuang's voice was barely a whisper, and she collapsed, the world spinning around.
Xie Ren did not want Mo Wushuang to die like this. So he called. "Yinyin, wake her up!"
Chen Yinyin raised her foot, preparing to kick Mo Wushuang's severed arm, but when she saw the extent of her injuries, she paused, unable to bring herself to do it.
After a moment, she sighed and reluctantly used her hand to shake Mo Wushuang awake.
"Yinyin, give her this!" Xie Ren instructed, pulling out a small vial of healing elixir.
He had to spend 1000 points of luck to purchase a low-tier Profound Grade healing elixir from the system shop, knowing that it was the only thing that could stabilize Mo Wushuang's condition for the time being.
"Master, why are we saving her?" Chen Yinyin asked, her confusion evident.
"She can't die yet," Xie Ren replied, offering no further explanation.
"I won't feed her!" Chen Yinyin pouted, clearly irritated. "I'd be happier if she died!"
With that, she turned and walked to the side, her back to the scene.
Since Chen Yinyin refused to help, Xie Ren had no choice but to take matters into his own hands. He gently lifted Mo Wushuang's head and poured the elixir into her mouth.
The moment the elixir entered her body, her failing heart veins began to stabilize, giving her a flicker of hope for survival.
Her eyes fluttered open, and the first thing she saw was Xie Ren holding a strange bottle of elixir, which she recognized as a treasure elixir. The pain still gripped her, but the elixir had revived her, if only slightly.
Even in this weakened state, her pride could not be contained. She gathered what little strength she had left to speak, her voice filled with haughtiness,
"Insect, do you have any other treasures? Can you save me? If you can, I'll grant you a heavenly-grade technique and make you the strongest in all of Taishan!"
Xie Ren didn't answer her. Instead, he gently laid her back on the ground, a faint smile crossing his face as he observed her.
"Insect, you dare ignore me again?" Mo Wushuang spat, her voice thick with fury. "Do you want to die?"
Xie Ren sighed and shook his head, realizing that if she was going to continue acting this way, he would have to humble her.
"Mo Wushuang," he said, his voice serious, "stop acting so high and mighty. If you don't, I'll make sure you wish you were dead, but I won't let you die."
With those words, an overwhelming pressure erupted from Xie Ren, suffocating and heavy, pressing down on Mo Wushuang with the weight of his aura.
"How…?" Mo Wushuang's eyes widened in disbelief. This man was merely in the Qi Refining stage, yet how could he release such an immense pressure? She hadn't even felt this from Golden Core cultivators!
Her pride, once so unshakable, crumbled in the face of Xie Ren's overwhelming power. She swallowed her retorts, clenching her teeth, and remained silent.