Jin Xian hesitated. She turned back and looked at Hui, then vanished. A black blur raced toward the sect below.

The disciples she’d held back charged toward Hui. The lotus beast ignored them, too busy fighting the disciples in front of her. Hui backed away as they charged. He glanced over his shoulder, then raced for the Starbound Peak disciples. I need some front-liners between me and the battle. Jin Xian is checking on Xixing and Sis Mei, so in the meantime, I’ll go stick close to Li Xiang and the sword cultivators!

“You aren’t getting away!” A whip snapped around Hui’s ankle, yanking it off his sword.

Hui wobbled and began to fall. He kicked his sword up with his other foot and caught it in his hand, holding himself up by his arm instead of his foot. Glaring down at the whip, he whirled around and slashed at the whip holding his ankle.

His sword bounced off. The whip sat there, untouched, not so much as a mark on its surface.

Ah, dammit! I’m no sword cultivator! Don’t ask this Hui to do the impossible.

The whip-wielding female cultivator smirked and yanked her whip backward. At the same time, green lightning shot down the length of the whip.

Hui stopped floating and dropped. His weight fell on his ankle, pulling the whip taut and flipping him upside down. As the lightning reached him, he slashed at his own foot, severing it at the ankle.

Lightning crackled up his leg. Numbness bit to the bone, a crawling ache, as if a thousand ants wriggled under his skin. Ignoring it, Hui swapped to his plant form and began to regrow the foot. To his relief, bone reformed, and the flesh closed in around it.

I couldn’t be sure it was going to heal… but it’s better than getting hit with that lightning attack! If the full attack had hit me… I wouldn’t be alive right now!

Even still, he plummeted. Hui trembled as he fell, using his own qi to coax the lightning to shiver over his body, while keeping it from actually attacking his flesh. Look, I’m dead. Stop attacking me. This lightning has already killed me, see?

Harrumphing, the whip-wielding cultivator plunged after him. She lashed out with her whip again, aiming for his waist. “This time, there’s no escaping!”

Her whip spun home. Hui jolted to a halt. She yanked her whip back toward herself, retrieving him. “Before you die—”

A ghoul stared back at her, then lunged at her throat. She screeched and jumped back, but the ghoul latched on. Dull teeth scraped uselessly at her tough skin, not enough to break through her veins.

“Pathetic.” She slammed her hand down and crushed the ghoul’s head.

Still dropping, under where the ghoul had been, Hui made a short gesture. The ghoul’s robes flew open at the chest, revealing one of the vibration-based talismans he’d learned from Zhu Diyu. Ripples spread directly into the whip-wielding cultivator, and voids opened up inside her body, directly devouring her flesh. She screamed as her body twisted, limbs contorting, then shook itself apart in a horrible shower of blood and gore.

Hui slipped his sword back under his feet and zoomed upward once more, his robes briefly brushing the tops of the trees before he recovered. Internally, his heart shook a little. I’ve… never used that talisman with the intent to kill at that close range before. I wasn’t expecting…

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Focus, Hui. These cultivators are trying to exterminate my sect! If I don’t attack with everything I have now, they’ll kill me! To protect my small life… I have to fight. I have to kill. As much as I don’t like it, I have no option!

He took a deep breath and drew another handful of talismans. I still don’t want to kill, but… but!

“You!”

A bolt of light shot across the battlefield toward Hui. Hui casually flew on, only to find the beam of light followed him. Resigned, he activated a few barrier talismans and stood atop his sword, coolly waiting for his opponent to reveal themselves.

Tang Fei appeared out of the beam of light, her cute face twisted into a cute scowl, fist bared. Her other hand ended in a lump of dead, silver metal. “Master says you’re the most likely one to have hurt me, Xiao Hui!”

“Not me,” Hui said, waving his hand. “I’m a weak, useless cultivator who can’t hurt a fly. Ask anyone.”

Tang Fei gritted her teeth and slammed her fist into his barriers. They shuddered, but held. “You murdered Shang Chaya seconds ago! You can’t fool me. Take me seriously and fight like a man!”

Negotiations have broken down. Hui sighed, flicking a dozen talismans into his hand. “Tang Fei, I have treated you with respect as an opponent this whole time. Not once have I acted with less than full seriousness.”

“You’ve refused to fight me, you coward. Afraid to fight a girl?” Tang Fei replied, jabbing her finger at him.

Hui bowed. “I’m afraid to fight in general, Elder Sister. Male or female has nothing to do with it.”

“This—you openly admit to your own cowardice? I refuse to believe a coward could defeat Shang Chaya,” she snarled.

He bowed again. “My apologies, Elder Sister. It is truly unfortunate. If I’d realized, er, my own strength, I wouldn’t have…”

Tang Fei’s face reddened. She hauled back her fist and punched again, again, again. One after another, the barriers shattered. With each punch, she shouted, “You… disgrace… her?”

“Er, Tang Fei’er, you aren’t being very cute right now…” Hui tried.

Her face burned, red as a beet. Light glowed from her eyes, and she reared back, hauling in a breath. “Twelve Zodiac Punches, Tiger!”

Claws raked into Tang Fei’s back at the same moment that her punch slammed down onto Hui’s barrier. His barrier shattered, and he went spinning head-over-heels, blood spurting from his mouth. At the same time, Tang Fei screamed, her back arching in pain. She reached over her shoulder and came back with a handful of goopy black flesh. She screamed again, wide-eyed.

Jin Xian stood over Tang Fei’s shoulder, licking her bloodied hand. A smirk played over her lips as she reached out mentally to Hui. Along with a ravenous hunger, a message transmitted across the link, a feeling of safety.

Hui closed his eyes for a single moment. They’re safe. Thank goodness.

His eyes opened, and a decisive light burned therein. Hui reached out his hand, recalling his sword from his feet to his hand. His sword slammed into his palm, and he hung there, dangling from one arm. Come to think of it, this is way more sensible than standing on the sword.

He cleared his throat and waved dismissively. Jin Xian jumped away from Tang Fei. “Tang Fei, I need you to answer one question from me. When you attacked Li Xiang… did you do that of your own will?”

If not, I don’t need to kill her here. If so, then…

Tang Fei’s face distorted. “Li Xiang? Who’s that? Oh, that ugly sword cultivator?”

Hui waited patiently. There’s no point getting worked up. Li Xiang can defend herself from such petty insults.

She scowled, crossing her arms. “Needles are totally uncute.”

“Someone forced you to attack? Who?” Whoever it is, will die. Even if it takes me centuries to do it, no matter what depths I need to fall to, they’ve signed their death warrant.

For less than the time it takes a spark to fly off a flint, Tang Fei’s eyes flicked upward. Then she pursed her lips and looked aside, ignoring him.

Hui followed her glance to Gui Delun, so far above, facing off against the Sect Master. In the battle between the two, the Sect Master could not push back Gui Delun. If anything, it was Sect Master Lan who was pushed back.

Hui’s gaze darkened. “I understand, Elder Sister.”

“You understand nothing!” Tang Fei shouted, charging at Hui, fist already drawn back.