Conquering That Great Demon Lord [Xian Ni Fan Fiction] - Chapter 22: Duel

Chapter 22: Duel

Li Muwan had been quietly awaiting the day of the Immortal Dao Assembly duel. Since then, whenever Wang Lin brought dewdrops, he would only leave them outside her door, never entering even once.

On the day of the duel, disciples from both the inner and outer branches of Cloud Heaven Sect gathered. As esteemed elders, Li Muwan and Sun Zhenwei should have served as judges for this competition. Yet due to her wager, Li Muwan found herself standing on the dueling platform, facing Sun Zhenwei with drawn blades.

From the distant edges of the crowd beneath the viewing stands, a pair of hawk-like eyes glared at Sun Zhenwei, filled with rage.

“Junior Sister, I will show mercy.”

“I will give it my all.” Li Muwan smiled faintly, her peripheral vision searching for a certain figure, but he was nowhere to be seen.

She smiled bitterly at fighting alone, yet she didn’t retreat because of it.

This wasn’t her first time battling solo. During the conflicts with the Fire-Burning Alliance in Xuanwu Kingdom, she had fought and escaped countless times. After the fall of Luoshui Sect, she had fled from pursuing cultivators, relying on meticulous escape plans to evade capture, eventually finding refuge in Cloud Heaven Sect, where she had lived peacefully for a century.

As Li Muwan launched her attacks, Sun Zhenwei effortlessly neutralized every move.

She was an Elixir Cultivator, disadvantaged in both close combat and magical duels.

But she had to fight for herselfnot just to lure out the Fiend, but for her own sake.

After several exchanges, Sun Zhenwei continued to easily deflect her moves. Li Muwan was showing signs of fatigue. The duel rules forbade the use of Restriction Formations, stripping her of her advantage.

“She’s injured…” From her techniques, Wang Lin keenly detected that her attacks were restrained. Either she didn’t want to win, or she was wounded.

When she emerged from the Cold Abyss, her injuries had healed.

Could the Ice Needles from the Cold Abyss have side effects? Yet he hadn’t noticed any abnormalities in her during this time.

Sun Zhenwei revealed a sly grin. “Junior Sister, it’s my turn to strike.”

His attacks were overwhelmingly powerful. Li Muwan couldn’t hold her ground, retreating repeatedly.

Her elder’s robes were stained with blood.

Her arms and shoulders bore faint bloodstains from sword energy, her hair was disheveled, and her face was bruiseda pitiable sight to anyone watching.

This was merely an internal sect duel, meant to end when one yielded. Yet the elder judges didn’t intervene as Sun Zhenwei repeatedly struck hard, avoiding vital areasa clear warning to Li Muwan.

“She knows she can’t win, but she’s still pushing herself.” Wang Lin watched anxiously from the sidelines.

“Junior Sister, you’ve lost.” Sun Zhenwei looked down on her condescendingly, his hand forming a Magic Art but withholding the final blowa display of superior mockery and amusement.

Li Muwan refused to accept defeat, gripping her sword tighter. She struggled to her feet, ready to face him again.

Wiping the blood from her lips, she declared, “Sun Zhenwei, I haven’t lost yet.”

Among the crowd, disciples whispered, “Isn’t Elder Li supposed to undergo Dual Cultivation with Elder Sun? Why is the duel so intense?”

“Exactly. From the looks of it, Elder Li isn’t willing?”

“I heard Elder Li went herb-gathering with the new disciple taken in by Uncle Zhou Lin. Elder Sun found out and gave her a hard time, hence this duel at the Immortal Dao Assembly.”

“But it’s just a junior disciple. Is Elder Li really protecting him to this extent? Elder Sun is the young master of the sect, handsome and talentedthey seem like a perfect match. Why is Elder Li being so unreasonable?”

“Elder Li has always treated others with sincerity. Had it not been for Elder Li’s intervention during the Cloud Heaven Sect’s crisis seventy years ago, the sect would have long fallen. How could the elders ignore this competition?”

“……”

Various opinions reached Wang Lin’s ears, but he paid them no mind, for Sun Zhenwei held a flying sword formed from Spiritual Power, ready to withdraw it only if Li Muwan admitted defeat.

Li Muwan gathered her inner strength once more, concentrating the Spiritual Power within her body for one final strike. The sword instantly transformed into hundreds of sword formations, charging straight at Sun Zhenwei.

Sun Zhenwei, confident and composed, swiftly formed a defensive barrier to block Li Muwan’s attack. Vast amounts of Spiritual Power gathered in his hands, forming beams of light that encircled Li Muwan. Even if she dodged, the residual shockwaves would injure herSun Zhenwei was not holding back.

Yet Li Muwan showed no intention of evading. Instead, she wore a look of resignation, as determined as she had been in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation.

“Is Elder Li planning to sacrifice herself to block the attack?” The crowd erupted in excitement.

“Why would she do this?”

Li Muwan’s sword clashed with the light blades summoned by Sun Zhenwei, creating violent shockwaves. The immense energy exploded across the training ground, sending disciples stumbling back several meters.

“She can’t hold on…” Wang Lin watched intently, his fists clenched tightly as he assessed the situation.

Just as the other elders were about to intervene, and a split second before the light blades struck her down, Wang Lin unhesitatingly summoned his flying sword to block Sun Zhenwei’s attack.

The light blades dissipated before her eyes. As she collapsed, she sensed a familiar presence behind her.

Without even looking, she thought to herselfshe had won the bet!

Even if she had taken Sun Zhenwei’s strike head-on, she was confident she could survive. A trace of Divine Sense left by the Fiend remained within her Soul Blood, ensuring her life would be preserved against any attack below the Nascent Soul Stage. No matter how powerful Sun Zhenwei was, he was only at the Core Formation Stage.

“Elder Sun, why must you be so ruthless?” Wang Lin’s voice was chilling, his gaze sharp, devoid of the deference a disciple should show.

Sun Zhenwei glanced dismissively at Wang Lin, paying him no mind, and turned his attention back to Li Muwan. “Junior Sister, you’ve lost.”

Li Muwan glanced at the incense stick that had not yet burned out, her breath unsteady. “The competition isn’t over yet.”

Wang Lin supported her, concerned. “You can’t continue fighting.”

“Why?” Li Muwan’s eyes held a questioning gaze, as though waiting for the answer she desired.

“This is my matter. It has nothing to do with youstay out of it.”

Wang Lin sighed, thinking for a moment. “I’ll fight in your place.”

He then shielded Li Muwan behind him, blocking Sun Zhenwei’s sharp gaze. Before Sun Zhenwei could speak, Wang Lin had already formed hand seals and cast a spell. The sword energy he unleashed was elusive, like a phantom drifting through the void.

To Sun Zhenwei, this power was difficult to withstand. Although he was at the mid Core Formation Stage, his Spiritual Power had been significantly depleted during his duel with Li Muwan. Wang Lin’s decision to press his advantage now was the most strategic move.

Thus, Wang Lin’s attacks were lethal with every strike. It was hard to believe there was no personal grudge involved.

Seeing that he was outmatched, Sun Zhenwei swiftly dodged the incoming light blades. As he turned, the sword energy sliced through his resplendent robes.

The ever-elegant and dignified gentleman, forced by Wang Lin to shed his facade of propriety before everyone, gathered the resentment in his deep eyes into several beams of attacking light, launching another assault at Wang Lin.

The move was treacherous. Behind the sword energy, an overwhelming force surged forth, catching Wang Lin off guard.

Wang Lin could only block head-on with his sword while using his other hand to form seals and release Spiritual Power, creating a barrier that completely deflected Sun Zhenwei’s attack.

This was the perfect moment to strike. Wang Lin gathered his energy for a final blow, attempting to defeat Sun Zhenwei. Just as he exhausted his Spiritual Power, a Nascent Soul-level Magical Artifact emerged from Sun Zhenwei’s body, blocking Wang Lin’s attack.

Seizing the opportunity, Sun Zhenwei immediately counterattacked, striking Wang Lin with several bursts of Spiritual Power. Even the True Body of the Inkstone Stone spat blood from its mouth.

“Wang Lin!” Li Muwan rushed forward anxiously. Wang Lin braced himself with one hand on the ground, clutching his chest as he continuously coughed up clotted blood. If not for the inability to use Restriction attacks and his ultimate technique, Sun Zhenwei would surely have died.

“Junior Sister, you and your disciple have both lost.”

Outside the arena, disciples sighed in disappointment, while the elders intervened upon seeing the situation.

“Enough. In this duel between Elder Li and Elder Sun, Elder Sun is the victor.”

Both Li Muwan and Wang Lin wore expressions of unwillingness. The Clone had been severely injured, and Li Muwan had lost to Sun Zhenwei at the Immortal Dao Assembly. The Dual Cultivation ceremony was scheduled for three months later.

In the pavilion of the Southern Garden, Li Muwan, having recovered some of her Cultivation level, was guarding and regulating the breath of the heavily injured Wang Lin. Sun Zhenwei’s attacks had been meant to kill him.

Looking at Wang Lin, covered in wounds, Li Muwan’s heart ached. Her eyes grew moist, and her throat tightened with emotion. “You didn’t have to go this far,” she said.

“Sun Zhenwei wants to engage in Dual Cultivation with me. Even if I had won this Immortal Dao Assembly, he would have found another excuse to pursue me.”

Half of his robe removed, his broad shoulders and sturdy chest were exposed, bearing several sword wounds that still oozed blood. Li Muwan gently wiped them clean, the wooden basin now filled with bloody water.

“Then why did you fight so fiercely in the arena…?” Wang Lin’s voice was hoarse; even speaking was difficult for him now.

Li Muwan’s focus was entirely on his wounds, completely unaware of the deep emotion in Wang Lin’s gaze. As he looked down, he saw her trembling eyelashes and could only softly call out “Wan’er?” in his heart.

In the end, he restrained himself and did not speak aloud.

“I just wanted to fight for myself,” Li Muwan said with a bitter smile, dipping the blood-stained cloth into the basin. The mist that had long gathered in her eyes finally overflowed like a flood.

Wang Lin closed his eyes.

Li Muwan stood up, turning her back to the closed-eyed Wang Lin, letting her tears fall into the bloody water.

Over the past two hundred years, she had fought alone countless times. Though it was comforting to now have someone fighting alongside her, she could not bring herself to feel happy.

Wang Lin heard the choking in her voice and felt a pang of sorrow, wanting to speak but holding back.

Li Muwan herself was still injured, though not as critically as Wang Lin.

Suppressing her pain, she composed herself.

“These Elixirs will help you recover your Cultivation level. And this is a newly sewn disciple robe for you. From now on, you don’t need to come serve me anymore.” Li Muwan took several items from her Storage Bag and turned toward the window.

Outside the window, peach blossoms bloomed brilliantly, radiant and vibrant.

Wang Lin watched her slender figure as the breeze lifted her long hair. The setting sun streamed through the window, enveloping her silhouette in warm light.

He nearly lost himself in the sight. Only when Li Muwan wasn’t paying attention did he dare to gaze at her so freely, even if it was just her back.

The disciple robe and Elixirs lay in his palm. The Flood Dragon Leather Armor from the Sea of Demonic Cultivationthis was the first time since his mother that someone had sewn clothes for him. In the ruthless killings of the World of Cultivation, no one had ever cared whether he might get hurt.

Li Muwan’s figure disappeared into the inner chamber.

It took Wang Lin seven days to fully recover his Cultivation level. Li Muwan’s zither music began again, but this time, the melody carried a tone of sorrow and desolation.

He always saw her figure playing the zither in the Southern Garden. At such moments, the endless hardships of roaming the World of Cultivation seemed to find a moment of tranquility.

Wang Lin had also quietly appreciated her zither music, allowing himself to fully immerse in this sanctuary.

Yet the four-century-old family vendetta constantly reminded himhe could not afford this.

With his great revenge unfulfilled, he did not deserve a single moment of peace.

The zither music abruptly ceased. Li Muwan’s voice flowed softly, “Once your injuries have healed, return to the Northern Court.”

“After the Dual Cultivation Ceremony concludes, I will no longer reside in the Southern Garden. When Zhou Lin emerges from seclusion, you must take good care of him and the spirit herbs here.”

“Wang Lin, can you do this?”

Wang Lin never made promises he couldn’t keep.

The person behind him remained silent. A jade gourd had been placed upon the zither platform.

Wang Lin gazed at her lonely silhouette, her silken hair dancing in the wind along with the sheer veils, unsettling his very soul.

Li Muwan heaved a deep sigh and rose, moving toward the pavilion’s cool terrace. Her eyes swept over the scenery she had meticulously cultivated in the Southern Garden over the past century.

Beyond the window, clouds drifted and gathered. Li Muwan turned back with a faint smile.

“Wang Lin, let me tell you a story.”

Wang Lin stood behind the sheer curtain. Li Muwan lifted her sleeve to open it, the wind billowing the gauze.

“In my hundred years at Cloud Heaven Sect, there has been no one I could truly converse with. Zhou Lin is my disciple, yet he remains reverent and humble. He often seeks my guidance on Pill Crafting and Mystical Techniques, but dares not inquire about my personal matters.”

“You, though taciturn, treat others with sincerity.”

Wang Lin looked at her puzzled. Li Muwan turned away again. Wang Lin stepped onto the terrace, where the wind tangled his troubled thoughts further.

“This disciple is ashamed.”

They stood side by side on the terrace, the railing obscuring half their figures. Wang Lin positioned himself slightly behind, his peripheral vision continuously enveloping her form as he gazed ahead.

“When I first heard your voice, it reminded me of someone from my past. Two hundred years ago, I was being hunted by a cultivator in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation. He saved my life multiple times and safely returned me to my sect.”

Li Muwan narrated slowly, as if recalling distant memories, her voice growing drawn-out. “When we first met, he was fierce. Every glance from him frightened me, yet I knew he would never harm me.”

Wang Lin let out an almost imperceptible sigh, a sour ache swirling in his chest.

“His name was Ma Liang. His expression was remarkably similar to yourseven his manner of speaking.” Li Muwan gave a dry laugh.

“In that treacherous Sea of Demonic Cultivation, I once risked my life for him, much like you did at the Immortal Dao Assembly.”

“But I know… you are not him.”

You are not him!

Wang Lin didn’t understand why, but hearing these words brought an inexplicable sorrow. A speechless anguish seeped into every fiber of his being.

“Was this person the Ancestor Master spoke of… very important to you?”

Li Muwan smiled bitterly. “After saving me, he would tell me he’d take me to kill people.”

“Don’t you find it absurd? Others would go admire blossoms in the moonlight, yet he took me to commit murder.”

Wang Lin’s eyes darkened. He swallowed hard but maintained an expressionless face.

“You might not understandthose four years in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation have been my obsession for these two centuries.” Li Muwan picked up the jade bottle. “Do you know what this contains?”

That jade bottle was the very one Wang Lin had gifted her with Spirit Elixir before their separation.

“River of Forgetfulness Water,” Wang Lin stated.

“That’s right,” Li Muwan said with a sorrowful heart, “What I told you that day about the River of Forgetfulness Water – after two hundred years with no news, and now I’m to marry another. Before the Dual Cultivation Ceremony, the one I must forget is him.”

Northern Court, in Wang Lin’s chamber.

Ever since moving back from the Southern Garden, he had been absent-minded, completely unable to focus on his cultivation.

Xu Liguo circled around the pillar while staring at the meditating Wang Lin: “Master, she’s going to forget you. You must go and reveal yourself to her.”

Wang Lin remained with his eyes tightly shut, Li Muwan’s words constantly echoing in his mind.

“The one I must forget is him!”

“Forget him!”

“Forget the affection that began in the Sea of Demonic Cultivation, forget this love that ultimately has no destination.”

“Two hundred years of obsession shall turn to dust and vanish.”

“You should leave!”

These were the final words Li Muwan had spoken to him in the Southern Garden.

These words struck at the walls Wang Lin had built around his heart like inner demons, until he could no longer bear the thought of her practicing Dual Cultivation with another.

“True Body!”

A tremendous roar emerged from the Inkstone Stone as his True Body manifested.