173. The Ultimate Victim
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Central Sky Realm...
As the Eternal Tier demon self-destructed, the expected explosion certainly followed...
But the explosion and damage did not spread more than an inch outward before imploding in on itself and then vanishing completely!
Silence followed as the surrounding soldiers and demons alike stared in shock.
"What the-?!" Another demon exclaimed, breaking the silence, but he himself was soon silenced as he had been in the process of self-destructing before learning the consequence.
His comrades and the Sky Soldiers watched him implode as well.
"What is this Formation?!" The demons wondered, and this brought a new wave of hopelessness and fear...
...but on the demons this time!
Now that their grand sacrifice of death suddenly couldn't harm the Immortals, most of the demons began to run away from the Sky Soldiers!
However, they had placed their trust in the wrong being...
To ensure a flawless plan, Zhurong Fen had made it so the demons could never retreat or abandon her orders. Whenever one tried to flee, their cores activated on their own, triggering the self-destruction whether they wanted it or not...
A 'Self-destruction' which now had absolutely no effect on Sky Realm!
"They're almost pitiful!" A Sky soldier remarked as yet another demon exploded/imploded.
"Isn't this *'Losing both the chicken and the rice'?!" Another soldier exclaimed and the others shook their heads.
(*Literal- "Try to steal a chicken, but fail and lose a handful of rice." Like sacrificing rice to steal a chicken by luring it, but when it fails, both the rice and chicken are lost! Essentially a double loss, since Zhurong Fen is sacrificing her demons, but gaining nothing!)
A few of the Eternal Tier demons had opted to fight to the death rather than flee, but it wasn't long before they were trapped and dealt with by the Sky Soldiers.
Meanwhile, the War Deity ended the 'Severed Heaven' formation, and he stumbled as a mouthful of blood poured from his mouth.
"Master!" The Sky General was at his side in an instant, steadying him, but he managed to place a hand on the younger Immortal's shoulder.
"Calm yourself, I'm fine..." The War Deity assured, exhaling slowly.
"Considering the force behind that formation, I would have surely parted with the living if you all hadn't stepped in." He looked round at those in the circle, sending understanding nods to the elders in particular who looked noticeably drained.
As the more powerful ones in the circle, they had borne most of the weight, sacrificing quite a few years off their cultivation.
The War Deity himself was internally injured and would likely revert back to mid Eternal Realm, but there was no need to burden the young ones with these details!
There was also more to be done, and he turned to look down as cheers rang out from one end of Central Sky Realm to the other.
"This is a victory, but it's no time to celebrate!" His voice echoed across the skies. "We have lost many, and they are to be mourned! But first..." His flaming red spear appeared in his hand.
"We must take back the Floral Realm! Charge...!"
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Back in Yu Shui/Jinyu City...
"You underestimate the Will of the Righteous Immortals." Luoyin was saying. "You've spent your life manipulating the 'weakness' that stems from one's emotions, so you should know that that precise heart can make one lay down their life to protect others!
"Immortals have their flaws, but as long as a few stand for right, they would lead the rest and fight to the last.
"You can't possibly bring Sky Realm to its knees!"
"W- Why...?" Zhurong Fen struggled to her knees, but the pressure flattened her back down. "Why can't I succeed??!!" She demanded, vomitting a flood of blood in the process.
"It's not fair... Why is everyone in my way?!" A flood of tears ran down her face, making her appear pitiful.
"Why is everyone against me??!!!" She sobbed piteously. "Right from birth, I was wronged by the heavens! I was the only central princess of heaven, yet I was met with endless scorn...
"No matter how well-behaved or talented I was! It was always one thing or the other!! 'Born by a mother, but not raised by one'. 'Evil star who killed her own mother'. 'Evil star that destroyed our Empress'. 'Plum cast away by its birth tree'. 'Child discarded by her own father'...!
"What did I not hear growing up??!! From the mouths of those so-called 'Righteous' Immortals!
"Heh... Neither father nor brother came to the Floral realm to set eyes on me once! But even if I were to ignore past wrongs, what happened after that?
"After I returned to Sky Palace, Talented, Powerful, and with the most glowing of reputations, Father still wasted all resources on that supreme waste, while turning me into some elaborate pet!
"Someone they could praise and shower with pointless gifts to fill the hole of guilt in their own hearts!" Her eyes turned cold, her bloody lips curling.
"And then there was you... You who avoided me for no clear reason, and I never understood it!
"Where exactly was I lacking?! All my talents and achievements... wrapped around a life where I couldn't genuinely hold on to anyone! Not my father, brother, nor the so-called genius, 'Yin Xiaolong'!"
She pushed back against the pressure with all her might and rising to her feet, then she laughed maniacally,
"Bunch of hypocrites!" She spat, showing her bloodstained teeth. "You all wear robes of purity, while masking the dirtiest hearts! They fall for my slightest temptations because of their own dirty desires!
"So why am I the evil one?! So why should I lose?! Who decides why I lose and you win?!!"
She charged suddenly at Luoyin, but he swept two fingers downward, and once again, she was sent sprawling to the ground, and more blood splashed from her mouth.
Luoyin scoffed. "Hmph. Do you even believe the nonsense coming out of your own mouth?"
He folded both hands behind his back, fixing a square and merciless look down at Zhurong Fen.
"Have you forgotten we read your star? Right from birth, you deliberately killed your own mother, just to awaken the Flower-Heart technique.
"Your father's and brother's abandonment might have been hurtful, but they were genuinely remorseful, and they showered you with gifts simply because they believed that was how a princess should be spoiled.
"Yet you killed your father, and attempted to kill your brother.
"And what about your Grandmother? Others might have been mean to you along the way, but from what I know, the Floral Deity cared for you, making up for all the love your father took away. You were the last legacy left by her daughter after all.
"She doted on you and named you direct successor. No one within the Floral Palace dared maltreat you openly, and if she ever found out you were wronged, the person was swiftly punished.
"Yet you killed her for power!"
There was a silence, broken only by Zhurong Fen's raspy breathing which was slowly descending into pained sobs.
"The world does not revolve around you, so I won't bother with any pointless remarks on how I ignored you...
"But everyone else adored you, yet you chose evil! So how dare you...?" Luoyin scoffed.
"How dare you lie here and disguise yourself as the ultimate victim wronged in some elaborate story?!
"Do you really deserve pity?!!" He finished as the formation's pressure bore down on Zhurong Fen with extra brutality, making her spit blood again.
Luoyin let out a sigh and his aura calmed at once.
"The saddest part is, even now, I don't feel the least bit remorse from you... It's almost as if you're an empty shell... crying simply because you lost!"
By now, Zhurong Fen's sobs were louder and more pitiful, her tears flowing like two clear and beautiful streams across her bloodied face.
She was indeed deeply saddened by her loss...
It wasn't fair!
Would she die here...? Was her time up...?
She began to choke from the pressure, gargling out mouthfuls of blood as her life slowly ebbed.
She weakly met Luoyin's cold gaze, her hand reaching towards the hem of his robes.
But Luoyin calmly stepped away, ironically making her recall how she had done the same thing to Feng Yuexia in the Flower Fields, and to Fei Yun, not too long ago...
'Is this Retribution...?' She vaguely wondered.
But she felt no overwhelming feeling of remorse.
In fact, her eyes slowly lit with a suspicious light.
"Yin Xiaolong!" She rasped, her lips bending into a crazed smile. "You didn't get the better of me!!"
She began to laugh maniacally again, but her mad cackles soon descended into a fit of choking.
And then she finally fell still, her aura fading away in death...
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