Chapter 3513: Martial Aunt (30)

If the fire continued to burn like this, the entirety of Zisha Island would be finished.

Ning Shu was so exhausted she felt as though she might tumble into the sea at any moment, yet she had to keep raining water down to extinguish the flames across the island.

However, Innate True Fire was not something that could be put out easily.

"Jiang Xueci, what is the situation?" the grand elder asked her.

Ning Shu produced the crystal-ball-sized barrier. It was perfectly spherical, and inside, the immortal estate hammered against the walls incessantly.

"I have no other choice but to keep her locked up like this for now," Ning Shu said wearily. She then pulled out the jade token. "Grand Elder, I would like to go and rest."

Ning Shu was at the very end of her rope. Her internal core was hollow, completely drained of every drop of energy.

"And this person?" The grand elder looked at the streak of light within the crystal ball.

"Leave her to me," Ning Shu replied. "This barrier must be reinforced constantly, or she will break through and vanish without a trace. I truly cannot go on right now."

"Then go back and rest." The grand elder’s face was ashen. He appeared to be severely injured as well.

Ning Shu flew back to Lanzhu Peak with a wobbling, unsteady flight, and nearly crawled into her room.

Every meridian in her body was twisted, and her internal core was a wreck.

She estimated that her injuries would not heal for at least a year or two.

She also had no idea where that sliver of Nine Heavens Divine Wind Fire had drifted off to.

Even the Innate True Fire on Zisha Island would likely take a year or more to fully die out.

"Master, are you alright?" Ye Heyu saw Ning Shu and hurried over to support her, his heart finally easing.

Ning Shu returned to her room. Seeing her two disciples still hovering around her, she said directly, "I am tired. I want to rest. You two go outside."

"Then I will stand guard at the door, Master. Call me if you need anything." Seeing that Ning Shu looked like a corpse with no color in her face, Ye Heyu pulled out a pill and tucked it into her mouth.

Ning Shu nodded.

Once the children were out, Ning Shu reinforced the barrier one more time and sat cross-legged to begin cultivating.

The process was agonizing, like being thrown into a vat of boiling oil or suffering a thousand cuts. Because her meridians and dantian were damaged and distorted, the rush of spiritual energy was incredibly painful. Ning Shu was in such agony that beads of blood began to seep from her pores.

It was no different from being flayed alive.

She stopped her cultivation and swallowed another pill. Feeling slightly better, she propped her chin in her hand and looked at the small tea table on her bed, where the crystal-ball barrier sat.

This thing could trap Yi Youxuan for a while, but she didn't know for how long.

The streak of light transformed back into the immortal estate. The estate looked like a tiny, exquisite piece of jade inside the crystal ball, but it was slowly expanding, trying to burst the barrier.

The estate could change size at will, from a grain of sand to a massive mountain.

As it grew, Ning Shu hurriedly reinforced the barrier.

I may have no way to deal with you right now, but you are staying right where you are.

While reinforcing the formation, she also had to compress seawater, forcing it to transform into a different state.

She gritted her teeth, cold sweat rolling down her forehead. Her whole body twitched from the sheer pain.

Both sides were putting their lives on the line. Yi Youxuan wanted to break the barrier, while Ning Shu had to guard it. She could not let the girl out. If Yi Youxuan escaped, the bird would be back in the sky, and Ning Shu would eventually face total destruction.

Ning Shu grabbed a handful of pills and shoved them into her mouth. God, her body hurt so much she felt like she was about to explode.

The estate and the barrier were at a stalemate, neither able to overcome the other.

Ning Shu finally lay down to rest for a moment. This battle had drained every ounce of her energy and every one of her trump cards.

If she truly couldn't do anything to Yi Youxuan, her future fate was hanging by a thread.

Inside the estate, Yi Youxuan paced back and forth anxiously. What should he do? How could he escape?

"Jiang Xueci, I advise you to release me!" Yi Youxuan’s voice rang out from the estate, passing through the barrier into Ning Shu’s ears.

Hearing Yi Youxuan sound so exasperated made Ning Shu feel that her injuries were worth it.

One shouldn't fear an enemy’s threats. One should fear an enemy who is too calm.

The fact that Yi Youxuan was this agitated proved she was low on cards and couldn't find a way to break out.

She had detonated her divine artifacts, used Mount Jiugong, and set the fires. Now, even her immortal estate was exposed.

Yi Youxuan essentially had no mystery left. Now, people were only curious about what was inside the immortal estate.

It was an ancient Divine Dao sect's legacy, after all. The interior had to be massive, filled with countless precious items.

It would be great to obtain those things, but if not, so be it. Ning Shu’s primary goal was to eliminate Yi Youxuan.

As long as the girl lived, she would find fated opportunities wherever she went. Today it was an estate. Tomorrow it would be something else. In short, she was a walking treasure detector. Treasures practically grew legs just to run to her.

"I'm not letting you out. If you're so capable, come out yourself," Ning Shu said loudly, leaning close to the crystal ball.

To Yi Youxuan inside the immortal estate, the voice was like a clap of thunder exploding in her ears. She covered her ears and shouted, "Jiang Xueci, do not push me too far! If you are so capable, let me out so we can have a duel!"

"Haha… cough." Ning Shu laughed until she choked. "Do you take me for a fool? If I let you out, you'll just run away. Then you'll come back for revenge later when I can't beat you."

"Despicable!" Yi Youxuan cursed in a rage. "If you think you can trap me this way, you are far too naive."

Ning Shu replied indifferently, "I'll trap you for as long as I can. Seeing you locked up like this makes me happy."

"You're a pervert. You've always been my inferior. Do you think defeating me this way counts as a win? Do you think this will help mend your Dao heart?" Yi Youxuan sneered. "Your Dao heart will never be mended. You are just taking advantage of someone in danger. If you have the guts, defeat me in a fair fight."

Ning Shu propped her chin in her hand and looked at the crystal ball. After a moment of thought, she said, "So you knew all along."

"What is there that I do not know? You just want to defeat me to repair your Dao heart. Otherwise, I will be your nightmare forever. You will never have peace, and your cultivation will never progress," Yi Youxuan said bluntly.

Ning Shu narrowed her eyes. She finally understood why, every time the original host made a bit of progress and challenged Yi Youxuan, the girl would defeat her in a single move.

Yi Youxuan had done it on purpose to keep her trapped in a shadow of defeat.

She would think she had improved and could finally win, only for the other girl to defeat her with a seemingly effortless, casual strike. How utterly powerless that must have felt—to believe there was no hope and that no amount of hard work would ever matter.

To defeat someone and crush their spirit, and turn them into a useless wreck from that day forward.

"It doesn't matter," Ning Shu said airily. "Regardless, I have you trapped. The only world you can move in is the size of your estate. Outside, there is a vast world. You don't even have a choice in where you go, while I, at the very least, can go wherever I please."

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