After Being Struck By The Love Gu, I Reached A Happy Ending With My Frail Best Friend - Chapter 9

A pair of black boots silently crushed two pebbles beneath them before coming to a halt.

Shen Fangzhou steadied herself. Once she was certain they were in the correct position, her right hand moved directly toward the Longming Sword at her side.

Xie Guiwan stopped alongside her.

From here, all she had to do was raise her head to see the demon princess standing at the very center of the formation—

Zhou Xu, the legendary sole relative of Demon Lord Zhou Han.

It was midnight in the depths of winter.

The cold wind swept uninhibited across the vast, level plain, its chill seeming to seep straight into the bones. The howling gale filled their ears, making everyone instinctively lower their heads and remain silent.

In all the world, perhaps only Qi Yu, the Sword Pavilion Master, could fight Zhou Han.

But the Sword Pavilion was far away. There was virtually no chance Sect Master Qi could arrive within seven days.

If they failed to capture Zhou Xu tonight and use her to force the Demon Lord to change her plans, then when Zhou Han personally descended upon Huizhou Pass in a few days, not a single person in the city would be capable of facing her.

The importance of tonight’s operation could not be overstated.

A rare trace of solemnity appeared on Xie Guiwan’s face.

She turned her head and saw Shen Fangzhou’s entire body drawn taut like a leopard prepared to spring.

“Midnight will arrive in half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea. I hope Ning Ruyue and the others move a little faster.”

Shen Fangzhou lowered her voice, a grave note entering it.

Midnight was the time they had agreed upon.

Once Ning Ruyue and the others pushed down the monuments and destroyed the formation, the barrier protecting Zhou Xu would naturally disappear.

That would be Shen Fangzhou’s opportunity to seize her.

There was almost no time left.

Shen Fangzhou’s breathing gradually became calm.

The cold wind rushed straight into her lungs, leaving her airways painfully clear, as though they had been sliced open.

Her gaze remained fixed on Zhou Xu in the distance.

The demon princess possessed striking features and wore magnificent robes from head to toe.

Shen Fangzhou watched her step into the center of the formation.

She watched her prepare to activate it once more.

The instant Zhou Xu parted her lips and began reciting the incantation—

A thunderous explosion erupted from the ground!

Shen Fangzhou tightened her grip on the sword hilt.

In the distance, the first Boundary Monument silently toppled and vanished without a trace.

In an instant, the demonic energy within the Ten Eternal Hatreds Formation plummeted.

Zhou Xu’s eyes snapped open atop the platform.

Yet the surroundings remained completely empty, without a single person in sight.

Hidden inside the Breath-Concealing Formation, Shen Fangzhou’s heart nearly leaped from her chest.

She rose slightly, ready to strike.

The thirteenth restraint within her meridians trembled on the verge of collapse.

The second sword within the Nine Songs Sword Case, Cangze, began to shake.

The second monument.

The third.

The fourth…

One Boundary Monument after another fell like a line of dominoes.

The demonic energy within the Ten Eternal Hatreds Formation drained away.

Only the final monument remained!

Shen Fangzhou had tensed so tightly that she felt she might snap.

Yet the expected sound of the last monument collapsing did not come.

At that exact moment, Zhou Xu raised her eyes.

Across the vast open plain, only the tenth Boundary Monument remained standing.

Zhou Xu’s expression changed abruptly.

She immediately retreated, attempting to call for aid.

With the final layer of the formation still intact, the Foundation Establishment-level Longming Sword could not harm her at all.

But Shen Fangzhou had already been forced into a corner with no path of retreat.

She drew her sword and prepared to charge out.

In that split second—

A deafening crash rang out, as though heaven and earth had been torn apart.

The tenth Boundary Monument finally fell.

Spiritual energy at the peak of Foundation Establishment erupted without restraint.

The Longming Sword howled as it left its sheath.

A cold star suddenly appeared in the void, and overwhelming murderous intent surged forth like waves capable of overturning rivers and seas.

The green-robed swordswoman seemed to materialize from nothing.

Sword qi that should have belonged only to the Golden Core realm condensed until it appeared almost tangible.

Shen Fangzhou advanced with her sword in hand.

Zhou Xu raised her head.

There was not the slightest fear in her eyes.

She sneered.

“A mere cultivator dares trespass upon my territory?”

“I have no intention of taking Your Highness’s life,” Shen Fangzhou answered clearly. “I merely wish to trouble you to accompany us.”

Before she finished speaking, Zhou Xu had already drawn Xichenyuan from her waist.

She flew forward to meet Shen Fangzhou.

Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!

A rapid series of metallic collisions erupted.

Within a few breaths, the two had already exchanged more than a dozen sword techniques.

Shen Fangzhou found the right moment and flicked her wrist.

The Longming Sword turned horizontal.

When the dust finally settled, its cold, star-bright blade was already resting against Zhou Xu’s neck.

The battle had ended in mere moments.

The difference in their swordsmanship had been decided in the blink of an eye.

“Your Highness, please.”

Shen Fangzhou spoke politely as she met the demon woman’s resentful, unwilling gaze.

With Zhou Xu in her grasp, there should no longer have been anything to fear.

Shen Fangzhou relaxed slightly and reached out to take her away.

Yet at that very instant—

The ten fallen Boundary Monuments suddenly lit up with a layer of gray.

Dim black light connecting heaven and earth seemed ready to merge with the entire world.

Shen Fangzhou whipped her head around.

At the center of the formation, a mass of indistinct gray mist was slowly rising.

Ning Ruyue and the others stared blankly at the deathly cloud of ash.

No one knew what it was.

But an irresistible killing chill had already begun spreading outward.

The crushing pressure was so immense that it nearly forced everyone to bow.

Zhou Xu looked just as bewildered as everyone else.

At that moment, she no longer had any attention to spare for Shen Fangzhou.

She could only stare blankly at the sword in her hand, which had suddenly begun glowing.

Xichouyuan—

the sword said to have been born during the ancient war between immortals and demons.

Shen Fangzhou: “???”

“System! Didn’t you say there was nothing beneath the Ten Eternal Hatreds Formation?”

The system panicked.

“The book never mentioned this in its setting either! Wait, wait—it must be the fault of that Xichouyuan sword at Zhou Xu’s waist! Maybe Zhou Han left something here for her sister!”

Shen Fangzhou made a decision immediately.

“Then destroy it!”

The thirteenth restraint, hidden for so long, finally shattered in response.

Vast spiritual power surged forth.

The Nine Songs Sword Case roared.

The second sword, Cangze, eagerly leaped toward Shen Fangzhou’s hand.

But a hand covered in a thin layer of calluses pushed it back.

Then Shen Fangzhou grasped the third sword—

Chenshan.

Peak Foundation Establishment.

Early Golden Core.

Middle Golden Core.

Peak Golden Core…

Nascent Soul!

To wield Nascent Soul power with a Foundation Establishment body was to defy heaven itself and would inevitably invite heavenly punishment.

Worse still, they were inside Two Realms Mountain, which permitted entry only to those below the Golden Core realm.

The restriction that had lain dormant for several hundred years began turning slowly like a rusted gear.

Deep thunder rolled and roared.

Eighteen bolts of heavenly punishment were about to descend.

There was no time left to hesitate.

Shen Fangzhou grasped the Chenshan Sword.

A dark brown sword mark flashed and vanished.

An overwhelming aura rose from the ground.

A streak of light slid across the sword tip, carrying the murderous pressure of the Nascent Soul realm.

Shen Fangzhou sprang forward.

The Chenshan Sword collided violently with the black mist.

Boom!

The heavens and earth trembled, and all light seemed to vanish.

The black mist truly paused.

But rather than feeling relieved, Shen Fangzhou was alarmed.

What exactly was this thing?

Anything born within Two Realms Mountain should innately possess strength below Golden Core.

Yet even after breaking two restraints, she still could not damage the black mist in the slightest!

Life and death depended upon this single moment.

It was not only the female lead.

Xie Guiwan was standing directly behind her.

Shen Fangzhou gritted her teeth and poured every trace of her spiritual power into the sword.

As she had hoped, the black mist finally began to weaken.

But at that moment, Shen Fangzhou heard an extremely faint sound—

the soft noise of a blade entering flesh.

The system’s cry was almost heart-rending.

“Zhouzhou!”

A thin line of blood escaped the corner of Shen Fangzhou’s lips.

She lowered her eyes.

A short section of a blade protruded from her chest.

Cheng Che gripped the saber hilt tightly.

She could feel the blade’s tip nearly touching the strong, living heart within Shen Fangzhou’s chest.

In a low voice, she said,

“I’m sorry.”

But Shen Fangzhou no longer had the strength to answer.

Spiritual energy and blood poured out of her body.

The thirteenth and twelfth restraints gradually dimmed.

In the final instant, the last thing Shen Fangzhou saw was Xie Guiwan’s robe.