A/N: All rights to the original content are reserved by the respective copyright owner.

Chapter Image Source: Pixiv Artist "Naru" / Pixiv Art Code "104892360"

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The moon hung low in the night sky, casting an eerie pallor over the deserted streets of Xianzhou Luofu. The city had retired to a tense slumber, its inhabitants unaware of the imminent clash that would shatter the stillness.

In the heart of the city, a confrontation was brewing—one born of obsession, hatred, and an unquenchable thirst for vengeance.

Yexian, her crimson hair cascading like a fiery waterfall, brandished her sword with a malevolence that seemed to taint the very air around her. The blade, a masterpiece of jade and intricate dragon-like features on the guard, glinted with an otherworldly aura. It was a weapon designed not only for physical harm but also for psychological warfare, a reflection of its wielder's madness.

Opposite her stood Jingliu, her Shard Sword in hand. She had chosen not to unleash her formidable powers, fearing the catastrophic consequences in the heart of the city. Destruction of innocent lives was an outcome she couldn't allow, no matter the provocation.

The clash of steel seemed imminent as Yexian unleashed a series of brutish slashes, her movements wild and unpredictable. Her voice echoed through the night, a chorus of madness as she shrieked at Jingliu to die repeatedly.

Jingliu, her pale hair shimmering like moonlight, moved with an uncanny grace. Her years of combat experience had honed her instincts to a razor's edge. She anticipated Yexian's every move, sidestepping strikes and deflecting attacks with a calculated precision.

Yexian, driven by her unrelenting hatred, snarled, "Is this all you've got, Jingliu? I expected more from Xianzhou's pet."

Jingliu's gaze never wavered as she countered Yexian's strikes. "Your madness blinds you. The Denizens of Abundance are becoming reckless."

The duel paused momentarily, the combatants circling each other with a deadly intent. Jingliu couldn't help but wonder at the depth of Yexian's obsession. It wasn't in line with the calculated actions of the Denizens they had encountered thus far.

Yexian, her eyes burning with an unholy fervor, pointed her sword at Jingliu. "This isn't about the Denizens, Jingliu. It's personal. You took Y/N away from me."

Jingliu's narrowed eyes betrayed her anger. "Y/N? What do you mean?"

Yexian's laughter was chilling, the sound echoing through the deserted streets as their deadly dance continued. Her eyes, once filled with madness, now gleamed with a disturbing devotion.

"I loved him, you know?" she whispered, her voice taking on a disturbing tenderness. As she spoke, Yexian embraced herself, hugging her own body tightly, almost as if she were shivering with ecstasy. Drool trickled from the corner of her mouth, and her eyes shook with a perverse pleasure. "Y/N was everything to me. Every moment I spent watching /him was a cherished memory. I would've given him the world!"

Jingliu's pale features contorted with a mixture of anger and bewilderment. Yexian's words painted a twisted picture of love, one that had driven her to madness.

"You could never understand the depths of my love for him," Yexian continued, her voice quivering with an intensity that bordered on hysteria. "I would have been his devoted companion, his confidante, his everything. And he... he would have been mine, forever."

In her eyes, her love for Y/N was a force of nature, one that transcended reason and morality.

"My love for Y/N is pure, Jingliu," Yexian insisted, her voice growing more desperate. "I would have done anything for him. Anything to keep him by my side. And you... you took that away from me."

As their battle raged on, the clash of swords and the whirlwind of emotions painted a grim tableau in the moonlit streets. Yexian's undying love had transformed into a terrifying obsession, one that threatened to consume her.

With those words, Yexian's facade of madness cracked, revealing the depths of her obsession. Jingliu's grip on her Shard Sword tightened, her expression one of disbelief and anger.

"You're insane," Jingliu hissed, her irises slitting as her wrath surged to the surface. "Y/N was a leader, a mentor, and a friend. Your delusions won't change that."

Yexian's eyes were filled with a dangerous fervor. "If you won't understand, then I'll make you understand. I'll show you what it means to suffer."

In response, Jingliu unleashed her power, allowing Yexian to glimpse the horrifying fate she could inflict. She painted a vivid mental image of Yexian's head severed from her body, her limbs sliced and mangled. But Yexian, the madness still gleaming in her eyes, seemed almost unfazed.

"You see, Jingliu," Yexian murmured, "we're not so different. We could have been friends, if not for this war."

Jingliu's entire body trembled with rage. Yexian's confession of love for Y/N and her twisted sense of camaraderie sent a chill down her spine. The woman had violated something sacred, and Jingliu's killing intent hung heavy in the air, making Yexian's composure waver.

In the midst of the duel, with the moon as their silent witness, the battle between Jingliu and Yexian raged on. But the personal vendetta and obsession that fueled their clash would prove to be as dangerous as any external threat the city had faced.

___

As the moon continued to cast its spectral glow over Xianzhou Luofu, another encounter unfolded in the shadows, far removed from the chaotic clash between Jingliu and Yexian.

Jing Yuan, ever the enigmatic figure, found himself face to face with Zhaohui. The man had a deathly pallor, and his eyes held a morbid emptiness as he regarded Jing Yuan. With an air of nonchalance, Zhaohui extended an apology for his partner's reckless behavior, which had wreaked havoc in the city.

Jing Yuan regarded Zhaohui with an almost casual demeanor, his expression unreadable. "I'm rather lax when it comes to personal grudges," he replied, his voice carrying a tranquil quality that contrasted with the chaos surrounding them.

Zhaohui emitted a hollow chuckle, the sound eerie in the moonlit darkness. "It's nothing personal, you see," he confessed, his voice devoid of emotion. "Our intention was merely to stall you."

As Jing Yuan approached Zhaohui, the atmosphere grew heavy with an unspoken tension. Zhaohui's eyes remained morbidly dead as he stared at the newcomer. Jing Yuan cleared his throat, breaking the silence.

"Quite the chaos you've caused in the city," Jing Yuan remarked, his tone neutral. "You've made my job easier by having the enemy here."

Zhaohui's lips curled into a faint, almost mocking smile. He let out a sigh, his voice carrying an eerie calmness. "Circumstances happen, my friend. It wasn't personal."

Jing Yuan couldn't help but feel a shiver crawl down his spine. There was something unsettling about Zhaohui's demeanor, as if he was privy to secrets beyond Jing Yuan's comprehension. The encounter left him with more questions than answers, but he knew that time was of the essence, and he couldn't afford to dwell on the enigmatic figure before him.

Meanwhile, elsewhere in the city, Baiheng had sensed the storm of anger and killing intent that emanated from Jingliu's direction. Alarmed and curious, she sprinted through the deserted streets, her thoughts a maelstrom of worry and anticipation.

"What the hell is happening there?" she muttered to herself, her elegant tails swaying with each rapid step.

Upon reaching the scene of the confrontation, Baiheng's eyes widened in horror. Jingliu, the renowned Sword Champion, stood amid a gruesome tableau. Her Shard Sword and fragments of her clothing were drenched in blood, bearing testament to the fierce battle that had unfolded.

Before her, Yexian lay wounded, her body slowly regenerating from the grievous injuries inflicted upon her. But what sent a shiver down Baiheng's spine was not the sight of Yexian's suffering—it was the unnerving absence of emotion in Jingliu's gaze.

Jingliu turned her head, her eyes meeting Baiheng without a flicker of sentiment. In that moment, the Sword Champion appeared as a figure of detached ruthlessness, as if the opinions of others held no sway over her.

The chilling image of Jingliu's side-eye, her visage smeared with the evidence of violence, rooted Baiheng to the spot, aghast at the transformation she had witnessed.

Seizing the opportunity amidst the unsettling silence, Yexian, despite her injuries, mustered the strength to flee. Her voice trembled with fear as she muttered the word "monster" while making her escape, leaving behind the aftermath of a battle that defied reason.

In the heart of the city, as the moon cast its enigmatic light upon their actions, the threads of fate wove a tapestry of chaos, vengeance, and an unnerving transformation. The night was far from over, and the city of Xianzhou Luofu harbored secrets darker than the shadows themselves.

___

Yexian's escape was a frantic blur, a maelstrom of pain and fear. Her vivid memories of the clash with Jingliu haunted her every thought. The duel had been a one-sided nightmare, with Jingliu's Shard Sword moving at lightning speed, slicing her body into ribbons. She felt her throat being cut repeatedly, each time she regenerated, leaving her with nothing but garbled, agonized chokes.

As Yexian stumbled through the city streets, her vision blurred with tears of pain and desperation, she couldn't comprehend how Y/N, the man she loved so fiercely, could have aligned himself with such a merciless monster.

"I loved him," she whispered to herself between ragged breaths. "I would have given him everything. Why, Y/N? Why her?"

The Denizens were her only hope but now lost - she knew that if Shuhu, the enigmatic leader of the Denizens of Abundance, discovered her failure and disobedience, he would seal her away, a fate worse than death.

But then, as if the universe itself conspired to add to her torment, the environment around her grew eerily quiet. The echoes of her frantic footsteps ceased, and an unnatural silence settled over the surroundings. It was a silence that seemed to click in her ears, making her heart race.

And then, from the shadows, a figure emerged—the Pontiff. It was a grotesque and nightmarish presence, a being that defied all reason and sanity. Yexian's confusion and fear gripped her as the Pontiff's voice echoed in her mind.

"Vermin like you," it hissed, "should not be desecrating the memories of my lord's successor."

Before Yexian could react, she found herself moving, almost involuntarily, her sword drawn and aimed at the Pontiff's grotesque face. But in an instant, chains, black as the void, emerged from nowhere, binding her in place. Panic surged through her as the Pontiff drew nearer, its presence suffocating.

"You," it intoned, its voice a cacophony of madness and authority, "will be useful."

Yexian's fate had taken a sinister turn, and the chains that bound her seemed to symbolize her helplessness in the face of an inscrutable and malevolent force. As the Pontiff's intentions remained shrouded in darkness, Yexian could only wonder what sinister purpose awaited her in the clutches of this eldritch entity.

___

A few weeks had passed since the fateful battle that had left the city of Xianzhou Luofu in turmoil. In the aftermath, council meetings had been convened to discuss the appearance and abilities of the two enigmatic figures who had caused such chaos. The higher-ups were briefed about the encounter, and the consensus among the council members was that these individuals must be of higher echelons within the Denizens of Abundance.

Life in the city had gradually returned to a semblance of normalcy, but an unsettling tension still lingered in the air. Among the council and their comrades, a quiet unease had settled, primarily due to the stoic demeanor of Jingliu.

Council Member 1, a stern and composed woman, addressed her colleagues. "These two figures that appeared in the city were unlike any Denizens we've encountered before. Their abilities were... extraordinary."

Council Member 2, known for his strategic mind, nodded in agreement. "Indeed, they seemed to possess powers beyond what we've seen. The way they fought, it was as if they were on a completely different level."

Council Member 3, a wise elder with a wealth of experience, added, "We must report this to the higher-ups. It's possible that these individuals are part of a more elite faction within the Denizens of Abundance."

Meanwhile, within the ranks of the Council, a palpable sense of unease prevailed. Jingliu, the renowned Sword Champion, had become an enigma even to those who knew her well. Her once-approachable and amiable nature had been replaced by an eerie silence that left her comrades on edge.

Baiheng, the elegant Foxian with a penchant for diplomacy, approached Jingliu cautiously. "Jingliu, are you alright?"

Jingliu's response was a chilling silence that seemed to drown out any attempts at communication. The normally composed and elegant Foxian would tremble and falter in Jingliu's presence, unable to shake the feeling of dread that had settled in her heart.

Baiheng persisted, her concern evident in her voice. "Jingliu, you can talk to me. We all went through that battle together."

Jingliu's response remained the same—an impenetrable silence. Her aura, once warm and comforting, now radiated an icy intensity that made her comrades hesitant to press further.

Council Member 4, an astute and observant man, chimed in during the council's deliberations. "We need more information about those two. What they want, why they targeted our city."

Council Member 5, a pragmatic and decisive leader, nodded in agreement. "Agreed. We can't afford to underestimate them. They've already proven themselves a formidable threat."

As the council members discussed their next steps, Jingliu's thoughts remained consumed by the memory of Yexian, the crimson-haired woman who had become her rival for Y/N's affection.

Every mention of the harlot, every inquiry into the details of the encounter, served as a reminder of the burning rivalry that had taken root within her.

One of the council members, known for their loyalty and inquisitiveness, couldn't help but ask, "Jingliu, we heard that the woman you fought was quite the character. What was she like?"

Jingliu's response was a tense silence that hung in the air.

The council members exchanged nervous glances, realizing that while the topic was clearly personal to Jingliu, they had to keep asking for information crucial to their strategic planning.

As the council members continued their barrage of questions and demands for information about the crimson-haired woman, Jingliu's stoic demeanor began to crack. She couldn't bear the incessant inquiries and felt the weight of their expectations pressing down on her.

With a heavy sigh, Jingliu finally relented. Her voice was measured, but there was an underlying promise of death in her tone as she spoke, "I will provide a detailed report about her, later."

The council members, unaware that Jingliu's inner turmoil was not directed at them but at the memories of her encounter with Yexian, misinterpreted her words and the emotion in her voice. Fear gripped them as they believed her promise of death was meant for them, leaving them trembling and silenced.

It was an unintended consequence of Jingliu's newfound stoicism, and it sent a chilling message throughout the room. The Sword Champion's transformation had left her comrades and superiors alike in a state of unease, unsure of what had transpired during that fateful encounter and what it meant for their future.

___

Jingliu's private chamber was a sanctuary of solitude, a place where she could confront the storm of emotions that raged within her. The words Yexian had uttered during their harrowing encounter echoed relentlessly in her mind, like a venomous chant that refused to be silenced.

"How dare she compare herself to me?" Jingliu muttered to herself, her voice trembling with a mixture of anger and despair. "My love for Y/N is pure, a bond that transcends the mere desires of the heart. It's the kind of love that maidens dream of, a connection that goes beyond the physical."

But as she paced the room, her thoughts churned like a turbulent sea. Yexian's words had burrowed deep into her psyche, igniting a self-doubt that she had never known. What if, in her unwavering devotion, she had been blind to Y/N's true feelings? What if he didn't see her as his soulmate, as the one destined to be by his side?

The realization hit her like a crushing weight, and Jingliu's hands trembled as they moved to her temples. She clutched her head as if trying to ward off the intrusive thoughts, her fingers digging into her skin.

"No, no, no," she stammered, her voice quivering with the weight of her despair. The room seemed to close in around her as she grappled with the possibility that her love had been one-sided, a delusion she had clung to with unwavering devotion.

Tears welled in her eyes, blurring her vision as she struggled to come to terms with the painful truth. The sword champion, revered by many, felt the crushing weight of her own vulnerability. It was a battle she had never anticipated, one that raged within the depths of her own heart.

As the night stretched on, Jingliu's chamber became a cocoon of solitude, a place where her inner turmoil played out in agonizing silence. The clash with Yexian had left scars that ran deeper than any physical wound, and Jingliu was forced to confront the darkest corners of her soul.

"..."

In the stillness of her chamber, as Jingliu grappled with the torment of her own doubts, a presence unseen by mortal eyes lingered in the shadows. The Pontiff, ancient and enigmatic, observed her struggles with an unsettling silence.

It watched, its form shrouded in darkness, as the sword champion battled the demons of her own mind. The Pontiff had its own inscrutable motives, its plans extending far beyond the comprehension of mere mortals.

And as Jingliu's whispered denials echoed in the chamber, the Pontiff's thoughts remained an enigma, its gaze fixed upon her with an eerie anticipation that whispered of ominous designs.

"Soon," it murmured to itself, a whisper lost in the night, as it continued to watch and wait, its intentions hidden in the depths of shadow.

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Author's Note:

Double chapter release! Just as I promise in my profile.

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