Chapter 139: The Mist and Waves of the Boundless Abyss

Thick, sturdy branches burst forth from the ground, swaying in the wind with sharp, dense, and rigid thorns.

Meanwhile, a chilling, biting frost began to crystallize across You Xiyue's garments.

The scattered stones piled up in the Immortal Realm courtyard floated upward together in the wind, refusing to fall back down for a long time.

The Immortal Realm streets, which had grown relatively quiet with the onset of night, suddenly erupted into a racket.

And the commotion grew increasingly intense.

People seemed to have lost all self-control; glaring angrily at those before them, they bared their weapons and began to hack at one another.

Lan Shi, who was still searching the Immortal Realm for any trace of Lan Xing, watched in shock at everything unfolding on the street.

She also finally and profoundly understood why You Xiyue had been so insistent that Yan Qingye leave the Immortal Realm.

Was this even the Immortal Realm? It was nothing short of a street of madmen!

Acquaintances and strangers alike were slashing at each other with blood-red eyes.

Fresh blood painted nearly every single street crimson.

Every person throughout the Immortal Realm had lost their sanity.

It seemed that only those whose cultivation had reached the realm of Saint Sovereign, much like her own, remained unaffected by the affliction.

"Are the enemies this strong this time?"

With a worried look, Lan Shi glanced down the street where You Xiyue's Immortal Realm courtyard was located.

Ultimately, she turned around and headed toward the Alchemist Association.

As a senior alchemist of the association, she still felt it necessary to check on the other alchemists at the Immortal Realm branch.

The situation at the branch was far from optimistic.

The gatekeeper was long gone.

Fragments of alchemy furnaces littered the path all the way through.

Accompanied by the raving cries of maddened alchemists.

The sole person who retained his sanity was Zhuang Mo, the director of the Immortal Realm branch.

In order to minimize casualties, Zhuang Mo had already forced numerous anti-madness pills down the throats of those who had lost their senses.

Yet he was only one man; how could he possibly manage them all in time?

Consequently, quite a few alchemists were still fiercely locked in combat.

Upon seeing Lan Shi suddenly walk in, Zhuang Mo was so overwhelmed with emotion he was practically moved to tears.

"Lord Lan Shi, what on earth is happening?"

Lan Shi shook her head. Aside from knowing that some towering figure was coming, she knew nothing else. "Someone we cannot afford to provoke has arrived in the Immortal Realm. Never mind all that for now; our priority is to stop these deranged alchemists."

"Understood!" Zhuang Mo plunged back into the fray, grabbing whichever alchemist he could catch and frantically shoving pills into their mouths.

Lan Shi moved much faster than Zhuang Mo.

Through their combined efforts, a vast swath of the Alchemist Association members were knocked unconscious.

Finally, a semblance of peace was restored.

Outside, however, the populace had grown even more delirious.

How many people with cultivation levels matching Zhuang Mo and Lan Shi could there possibly be in the entire Immortal Realm?

It felt precisely like the twilight of the world.

The frost on You Xiyue's attire continued to condense, seeping bit by bit into her flesh.

The swaying branches also began to lash toward You Xiyue.

You Xiyue merely offered a slight dodge.

Her gaze shifted toward the meticulously cleared courtyard wall.

"Not coming out?"

From the shadows, an elderly figure with white hair and a hunched back finally stepped forward.

The old man let out a chilling, cackling laugh, his voice trembling slightly. "It seems my guess was entirely correct."

You Xiyue, having long since perceived the commotion on the streets of the Immortal Realm, gave a cold huff. "Truly, a leopard never changes its spots."

"Do you still have the leisure to lecture me?" The old man cast a gloating look at the various impending heavenly tribulations swirling and ready to erupt around You Xiyue. "Why not simply hand the Bingyou over to me so I can take my leave early, and spare yourself and everyone in the Immortal Realm from further suffering?"

As the fivefold heavenly tribulation grew increasingly violent, You Xiyue's complexion turned steadily worse, yet she refused to yield an inch.

"Since you've delivered yourself right to my doorstep for a lesson, did you really think I would treat you with courtesy?"

The Yueying Sword shot out of its scabbard, hovering steadily to You Xiyue's right, its blade pointed directly at the old man as if ready to launch an offensive at a moment's notice.

The old man glanced at the Yueying Sword and burst into loud laughter.

"I am rather curious to find out just how you intend to lecture me."

The robes on the old man's body burst open, fluttering wildly into the air.

Even his white hair streamed loose.

The face originally etched deep with wrinkles and crowned with snow-white hair transformed into an entirely different visage in the span of a heartbeat.

Bright, expressive eyes, skin as translucent as white jade; despite his two-thousand-year age, he now wore the appearance of a youthful adolescent.

Though blessed with a divine countenance capable of stunning the entire mortal world, it only served to cause You Xiyue, who generally appreciated beauty, to frown in displeasure.

"Actually, that ruined appearance from a moment ago suited you much better, Song Yu—or should I simply call you Wulan?"

You Xiyue said coldly.

The youth's smiling, playful eyes froze instantly, his expression twisting into a ferocious snarl.

"What? Is that face only meant for your slave and mount, or perhaps for my beloved twin sister?"

You Xiyue did not deny it. Staring straight at the youth before her, she demanded, "Is Song Bai still alive?"

"You care about her that much?" The youth's gaze turned vicious before instantly softening once more, though the unnatural tear at the corner of his lips betrayed his inner distortion. "She is, after all, my own twin sister, born at the very same hour. How could I ever bear to let her die?"

Hearing that Song Bai was still alive brought You Xiyue a measure of inner peace.

The heavenly tribulation erupted in earnest.

bolts of divine lightning relentlessly pounded down toward You Xiyue's head, only to be forcefully blocked by the Yueying Sword.

The bitter cold generated by the frost freezing upon her body had also begun infiltrating You Xiyue's internal organs.

The Yunxi Ribbon drifted through the air, shouldering the brunt of the lashes from the thick, whip-like branches.

While You Xiyue withstood the heavenly tribulation head-on, Wulan watched with sadistic relish. "I heard you managed to survive only by contracting an ancient curse. Many up above refused to believe it, but seeing it now, it appears to be true. I wonder if my dear sister will weep tears of joy when she hears this news."

"Since you've come, you might as well stay permanently!" Enduring both the biting cold and the raging heavenly tribulations all around, You Xiyue charged directly at Wulan.

She locked her fingers around Wulan's throat with a single hand.

Wulan retreated swiftly, his eyes still retaining their mocking smile.

"As expected of our former little master, truly terrifyingly strong. To still be able to launch an attack against me while enduring so many heavenly tribulations—truly fascinating."

You Xiyue remained silent. Switching hands, she pressed her offensive against Wulan once more.

Wulan easily slipped aside, pivoting away as he said with utter disdain, "I wonder what expression my dear sister would wear if she heard that her adored little master perished at my hands...?"

The corners of You Xiyue's lips curved upward into a faint, amused smile. "What? Did you genuinely believe an ancient curse still lingering in its elementary stages would inflict catastrophic damage on me? And you actually harbored delusions of defeating me?"

Hearing those words, the smile vanished from Wulan's face, replaced by a grave and serious expression.

He scrutinized You Xiyue intently.

"Elementary stages? How can that be?! An ancient curse that has flared up for over a thousand years—it is impossible for it to still be in its elementary stages!"

Though Wulan spoke with absolute certainty, panic blossomed within his heart; the frantic trembling of his pupils completely betrayed him.

"Over a thousand years?" You Xiyue's smile deepened into mockery. "It seems my little Song Bai's illusion arts are indeed far more potent than I thought."

"What are you implying?" Seeing You Xiyue's movements grow increasingly fluid and precise, Wulan finally began to lose his footing.