669: Execution

Execution

Her eyes widened as she saw the little girl hold tight to the sword. In that moment, she forced out a word. 

"Run!"

But it was far too late.

The Hound had one hand on Ming Yue's neck; with the other, he balled up his fist and swung at her! He was far too quick for Rou'er to react. 

The young girl could only watch in fear, seeing it come closer to her. The best she could do was defend herself. Just as his fist came, Fei Xian arrived with barely a second left to react but he did not hesitate to stand between them, shielding Rou'er with his own body. 

The fist came, digging deep into his back though he endured it.

"Gah!"

But the gap in power was far too much for him. 

A shuddering crack came from within his body as he yelped in pain though he did not let go of Rou'er. Their bodies were thrown off to the side as Fei Xian crumpled on the ground. 

Ming Yue's eyes never left them and when she saw him lying there. Rou'er broke out of his grasp only to look at him worriedly. 

"Fei Xian, Fei Xian!"

She grabbed his shoulder, shaking him before turning his body over. Tears began to form as her voice weakened. 

"Don't die, please don't die... I'm sorry... I'm sorry..."

She quietly cried, holding him tightly and muttering those same few words. 

Langshen stared at them, even though his attention was not on Ming Yue his grip was rock solid. Even then, he was not prepared for what came next. 

"No!"

The young cultivator roared out, overcome with rage. Her waning strength erupted as she pushed the state of Pale Moon to its limit, condensing most of her energy into just a few seconds of raw power. And those few seconds were enough for her to di what she needed to do. 

With both hands, she grabbed his wrist tightly, nearly crushing it as she pushed him off. In an instant, they switched positions with Langshen on the ground now and her hand on his throat. 

"You dare!" 

He pushed back only to be forced down. 

The young cultivator spared no expense against him. She wasn't even thinking now, acting on her anger alone. As she choked him with a single hand, she held her hand out, bringing Blood Moon back to her.

She clutched it tightly when it came and stabbed it right into his arm, stabbing through his flesh and into the stone. And then the Black Blade came, going into his other arm and pinning him to the floor.

But that wasn't all, the Sword Pendant floated off her necklace. With just two fingers, she pressed them onto his chest, pointing at his heart. Her other hand tightened on his neck, filling with energy. 

And then the Zephyr Claws manifested, shredding his throat while the silvery little sword shot down, going straight through his heart. 

As a cultivator at the Fourth Sky, Langshen had an eight-hundred-year lifespan and he still had more than a few hundred years left. It would be difficult to kill someone of his level.

Unfortunately, there simply was no recovery from this, not with these injuries. 

She saw the light dim from his eyes but took no chances. 

Ming Yue grabbed both swords, pulling them out while the Sword Pendant returned to its place. She stood up slowly, her legs were weak and her body barely held on. With the last ounce of her strength, she pointed both swords at him, summoning a small lightning bolt. 

Compared to the first one, it was not strong but it was enough to vaporize his body. 

All that she left was the red identity token. 

Turning around, she limped towards Rou'er and Fei Xian. Surrounded by silence, the only thought on her mind was their safety. And when she got there, she dropped to one knee, looking at Rou'er first. 

The young girl was in tears, holding Fei Xian tightly. She looked up at Ming Yue, trying to keep herself from breaking. 

"He's not going to die, is he?" she asked, "He wouldn't die from this right, Ming Yue?" 

They both shared a look to which Ming Yue could only show a somber look as she checked Fei Xian. 

"I... I don't know... I... really... don't..."

Her sight started to fade in and out, she could feel her body lean to the side until she went too far.

"Ming Yue? Ming Yue!" 

Rou'er called out to her but the woman could barely hear her. 

She couldn't stop herself from falling to the ground, having used up the last of her strength. 

All of the sudden, Ming Yue found herself in the gray world, standing there idly for a few moments. Her eyes suddenly fluttered as she broke out of her dazed state. 

"Why... why am I back here?" she asked herself. 

And then a familiar voice talked back to her. 

"Why do you think? You fainted at the end of the battle, that's why!"

She turned around to find Xue Yue standing there. Even though they looked exactly the same, both of them carried themselves differently. 

Xue Yue had her arms crossed, looking at her counterpart with a peeved face. It was more annoyed than angry. But then she let out a breath, softening her expression before sitting down on the colorless grass. 

"I brought you back in here because we need to talk about what happened."

Ming Yue furrowed her brows. 

"What do you mean? The Hound is dead, I killed him. I just have the Ascetic and one other person to kill and that's it", she said. 

"You didn't just kill him", Xue Yue replied, "You executed him, tore him apart."

"He's at the Fourth Sky, I had to make sure he was dead."

"You made sure that when he died, he was in agony. That is what you did, don't try to spin this around. I know what you felt when those two got involved. That was hatred, rage even." 

Ming Yue looked at her slightly annoyed. 

"If you knew that then you understand why I did what I did. He didn't just target other people, he targeted them. Are they not the closest thing we have to a family? What if that was Hongyu? Should I not have felt that way? Should I have not made sure that his existence was erased?"

Her words came with a sharp tone to which Xue Yue stood up, looking at her eye to eye. 

"But such brutality, such a messy kill... Will that be the only time? Or will it be the first of many? What do you think will happen?" she asked her, "Are you going to start enjoying it? What if you become one of them, killing for your own enjoyment? What then?" 

"Stop it, you act as if that will actually happen. And why do you have such a problem with it? All those times you took control, you certainly let loose, didn't you? Why are you acting like the rational one?" Ming Yue pointed out. 

Xue Yue just stared at her. 

"You should know by now that when I take control, I do it to survive. I do it to protect the both of us.", she answered. 

Ming Yue turned away, looking at their surroundings. 

"Don't act as if you are any better than me", she muttered. 

"I'm not, maybe I am the rational one, and you... you aren't. i don't know."2

That brought the conversation to a lull as the both of them turned quiet. 

"So what? Are you going to send me out now?" Ming Yue asked.

Xue Yue sighed before pointing up. 

"Look at the sky, do you think your body is even the least bit conscious for me or you to do anything?" 

Ming Yue looked up, seeing pitch-black darkness where a gray sky should've been. 

"No... no... I think not."

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