Step by Step Ascend to Immortality

Chapter 44: Chapter 45 Reinforcements

As soon as Wang Zihan's words fell, the shimmering waves of multicolored butterflies abruptly shifted. The swarming light that once stretched into long, colorful ribbons rapidly condensed into clusters. In the next moment, these vibrant butterfly formations merged, surging forward in a dazzling tide, crashing toward Pang Tianshan's Dust Wind Net.

Pang Tianshan sneered, "Eighty-four thousand drops of Pure Water? Who are you trying to fool! Not even Wugou Shinni could achieve that. Since you remain stubborn, I'll make sure you don't leave here alive."

He didn't believe for a second that Wang Zihan could conjure such an extraordinary number of Pure Water droplets. In the Buddhist sects, the number eighty-four thousand held immense significance, symbolizing the ultimate boundary. Countless Buddhist figures throughout history had been bound by this mystical limit, never surpassing it.

Even the most revered masters of the Nascent Soul and Primordial Spirit realms in the Buddhist world could rarely reach such heights. At best, they might manipulate droplets of Pure Water in the thousands, but they could never breach that sacred number. Even if Wugou Shinni herself were here, at the peak of her strength, she might only be able to control eight types of virtuous waters, each containing eighty-four thousand droplets.

Given Wang Zihan's cultivation, her control over the multicolored butterflies and the Pure Water was laughably insufficient. Her energy, while vast, was far from that sacred threshold. At most, it could only conjure a few thousand droplets—nowhere near the eighty-four thousand mark.

Having calculated this, Pang Tianshan relaxed slightly, manipulating the Dust Wind Net to capture wave after wave of Wang Zihan's shimmering butterflies. With each gust, the Dust Wind tore through the light butterflies, grinding them into dust.

This Dust Wind Net may have seemed like nothing more than a swirling cloud of sand and wind, confined to a two-zhang radius. But in reality, it was far more dangerous. Even the strongest cultivators in the Dragon Realm would find themselves ensnared and helpless within its grasp. The Dust Wind possessed the power to shred through not just steel and iron but even the enchanted treasures of immortals.

As the butterflies disintegrated, their sparkling lights extinguishing one by one, Wang Zihan coughed up blood and staggered back a step, almost collapsing. She had no choice but to pull the remaining butterflies together, forming a tight formation to hold off the relentless onslaught of the Dust Wind Net. But Pang Tianshan had already decided: Wang Zihan must die. There would be no mercy.

He swung the yellow flag in his hand, determined to exterminate her butterflies completely.

Though his clan's remaining elites had barely escaped Wang Zihan's pursuit, fewer than thirty had survived. His fury swelled, and he channeled that anger into the flag, pushing it harder. Yet, as he waved it, something felt wrong—his spiritual energy was being swallowed whole, as though it had vanished into the void.

"Damn you!" Pang Tianshan growled. "I'll tear you apart, piece by piece!"

To his horror, the Dust Wind Net's attack had been quietly neutralized. Countless silver specks now flickered in the sky, like stars glimmering in the night. The remnants of the multicolored butterflies had melded perfectly with the Dust Wind Net, leaving no space for the dust and wind to move. The Dust Wind began to dissipate, melting away like snow under the sun.

Unwittingly, Pang Tianshan had suffered a devastating blow yet again, just as he had before. He had been too focused on attacking and had neglected his defense. Now, with a third of his Dust Wind Net gone, Pang Tianshan grunted, swallowing a mouthful of blood.

"Wang Zihan, I swear I'll kill you!"

He hadn't anticipated that her light butterflies, which had seemed so fragile, could counter his Dust Wind Net so effectively. Her earlier vulnerability had been a deception; she too was a formidable Foundation Establishment cultivator with her own hidden techniques.

Before he could finish his rant, a radiant silver curtain formed from the remains of the butterflies. It stretched out like a river of stars hanging in the night sky, lighting up the entire temple courtyard as if it were daylight.

A mere handful of butterflies couldn't contend with the Dust Wind Net. But when their numbers grew into the hundreds, even thousands, they became a force to be reckoned with. The Dust Wind Net was overwhelmed, unable to consume the butterflies fast enough. The two forces dissolved together, like melting ice in the spring thaw.

Pang Tianshan had spent more than ten years refining his Dust Wind Net. Though it had yet to reach perfection, it was an extension of his own mind and spirit. Now, as the net dissolved, so too did his strength. Blood surged up his throat once again, and this time, he couldn't hold it back. He spat it out in a violent spray.

But even as he faltered, he knew this was the moment of life and death. Despite the searing pain and his blurred vision, Pang Tianshan clung to the yellow flag, pushing the Dust Wind Net to its limit.

Explosions echoed from the front as shockwaves rippled through the air, forcing Pang Tianshan back several paces. His face turned ashen, and his head spun. But somehow, he managed to swing the flag one final time, clearing the battlefield of all obstructions.

There, leaning helplessly against the altar beneath the statue of the goddess, was Wang Zihan. The Seven Treasures Spirit Pool and its crimson waters had vanished entirely, and she no longer had the strength to stand.

Pang Tianshan exhaled a sigh of relief. But he wasn't about to take any chances. He quickly recalled the remnants of his Dust Wind Net. He had learned his lesson—Wang Zihan had twice outplayed him at the last second. He wouldn't give her a third chance.

Yet, when he saw what remained of his Dust Wind Net, his heart sank. What had once spanned two zhang had been reduced to a pitiful square foot of swirling dust. Wang Zihan had nearly ground it into nothing with those thousands of butterflies.

This woman... she's terrifying!

The thought echoed in his mind as he struggled to catch his breath. Despite the damage to his own body, his resolve hardened. "She must not be allowed to live."

He urged the Dust Wind Net forward, but it was slow, unresponsive, barely inching toward Wang Zihan. His heart pounded. If something went wrong now...

Gradually, the Dust Wind Net picked up speed again, and Pang Tianshan relaxed slightly. He sneered at the sight of Wang Zihan, slumped by the altar. "You wretched woman, I'll end you now!"

But even that wasn't enough. His expression twisted with rage. "No... I won't just kill you. I'll make sure you regret ever crossing me before I deliver your body."

Wang Zihan was barely able to muster any spiritual energy. Her red robes were now stained a deeper crimson with her blood. Despite her weakened state, she forced herself to speak, her voice barely audible, "I have no regrets."

"You will regret it!" Pang Tianshan growled, deliberately slowing the advance of his Dust Wind Net. "You're a Foundation Establishment cultivator. For the sake of some worthless man, you end up like this, and even in death, you'll suffer endlessly. Don't you regret it?"

Though Wang Zihan's voice was faint, it carried an extraordinary strength. "I just wanted him to know the taste of sweetness..."

Her tone was calm, gentle, and sweet. It was a voice that could move many to tears, but it only fueled Pang Tianshan's fury. "Then go to hell!"

He had initially slowed the Dust Wind Net, hoping to savor the scene of her despair. But Wang Zihan's steadfastness had ruined his plans. "Even in death, you'll regret it. No one can save you now!"

Just as Pang Tianshan finished speaking, a loud voice shouted, "I'm here to save her!"

"Who?"

Before Pang Tianshan could react, he saw a blur of motion. Lightning-fast kicks battered the Dust Wind Net, creating a series of explosive noises. A bloodied man appeared in front of Wang Zihan. "I'm here to save her!"

"Liu Suiyun!" Pang Tianshan sneered. "With your pitiful skills, you dare challenge me? Go to hell with this wretched woman!"

As he spoke, Liu Suiyun's kicks had forced the Dust Wind Net back toward Pang Tianshan. Despite its formidable power, the net had been partially weakened after the fierce battle with Wang Zihan's butterflies. Liu Suiyun's rapid strikes sent it crashing back towards Pang Tianshan.

In her moment of despair, Wang Zihan saw Liu Suiyun arrive like a warrior from the heavens. Though battered and covered in blood, he appeared heroic in her eyes, far surpassing any other cultivator she had seen. Her spirits lifted. "When did you regain your strength? Why didn't you come sooner?"

Liu Suiyun smiled faintly. "Just as this fool was gloating."

Wang Zihan noticed Liu Suiyun's condition was dire. He was barely able to stand, swaying unsteadily, his injuries from the battle with Ma Qianjun only exacerbated.

Pang Tianshan laughed maniacally. "I intended to tear you both apart. Since you're eager to die, I'll be happy to oblige. You and your lover will meet your end together!