A quarter of an hour later, the enemy died, burnt to a crisp amidst heart-rending screams.
Liu Yuxin released her hands, collapsing onto the ground and gasping for air. The continuous full-power use of Xi Yan had greatly depleted her. Although she could absorb some of the enemy's energy, it was far from enough to replenish her expenditure.
In her current state, how could she possibly endure the Heavenly Tribulation?
Just as if summoned, before she could even react, the third wave of the Heavenly Tribulation struck.
Boom!!!
Eighteen bolts of lightning descended upon her. With nowhere to dodge, Liu Yuxin screamed and fell heavily into the massive crater left by the lightning.
Blood and rainwater stained the ground black. The stench of the muddy mire was suffocating. Covered in dirt, Liu Yuxin staggered out of the pit.
Her armor was in tatters, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, and she was utterly disheveled.
Under normal circumstances, Liu Yuxin would not have even bothered with the Heavenly Tribulation.
But she was severely injured now, from both the Heavenly Tribulation and the enemy's attacks. Furthermore, she was on a battlefield, with no spiritual energy from heaven and earth to replenish her. In this state, she truly didn't know if she could survive the Heavenly Tribulation.
She could only absorb the blood qi as much as possible, hoping it would help her withstand some of the damage.
Blood qi could restore cultivation, but not heal injuries. This dark, corrosive energy offered no benefit to the body.
Liu Yuxin stared blankly at the sky. The fourth wave of the Heavenly Tribulation was imminent.
Suddenly, she saw a black dot in the distance, hurtling towards her at high speed.
The black dot rapidly grew larger. Liu Yuxin quickly dodged. The black dot landed precisely where she had just been standing, widening the already massive pit.
Liu Yuxin looked up and saw a figure clad in blue armor, sparks and electricity crackling around him, struggling to get back on his feet.
"Wan Lei?"
Liu Yuxin instinctively wanted to check on Wan Lei. Suddenly, a thunderous clap echoed from the sky, and the fourth wave of the Heavenly Tribulation descended.
Boom!!!
Liu Yuxin instinctively shielded her head. However, after the thunderous roar, she felt no pain.
Looking at Wan Lei, the figure that had just managed to rise again collapsed back into the pit, motionless, twitching occasionally.
Liu Yuxin's eyes widened. How could she not see that Wan Lei had just drawn all the lightning towards himself, preventing it from striking her?
Seeing Wan Lei in such a grievously wounded and near-death state, Liu Yuxin's heart... suddenly stirred.
He was so weak now, and she had just broken through to the Nascent Soul stage, with her strength amplified by blood qi. Killing him should not be difficult.
Instinctively, Liu Yuxin raised the saber in her hand and walked step by step towards Wan Lei in the pit.
At that moment, memories of her brother flashed through her mind, along with the scene of his head being blown apart by Wan Lei.
They were, after all, enemies. Even if they had temporarily allied for various reasons, they were sworn enemies who could not coexist.
Wan Lei propped himself up with his hands, struggling to rise, but he collapsed heavily onto the ground again.
He saw Liu Yuxin.
"Quick... hurry and leave. The enemy is coming. Hurry and go. You're no match for him. Don't worry about me..."
Liu Yuxin gritted her teeth, tears welling up in her eyes. This was the best opportunity. Wan Lei was incredibly injured and weak. Perhaps this was her only chance for revenge in her lifetime.
But she just couldn't bring herself to strike.
Even as she spurred herself on, the blow never fell.
"Strike, Xin'er. Avenge your brother. Kill your enemy."
Liu Ao's voice seemed to echo in her ears.
"Strike. Why are you hesitating? He is your enemy, the murderer of your brother, a great foe to our Liu family. Why do you still hesitate?"
"Strike! Why are you so useless? Are you a coward? Don't you want to avenge me? Strike! You only need one blow to cut off his head!"
"He is completely unguarded against you. He trusts you completely. He has no power to resist. Such a good opportunity, why don't you kill him? Kill him!!"
"Ah!!!"
Liu Yuxin let out a scream, jamming the tip of her saber fiercely into the ground. Tears streamed down her face as she bit her lip tightly, forcing herself not to look at Wan Lei, and turned her gaze outwards.
In the distance, she saw Liu Qinglin rapidly flying towards them. She saw the countless tribesmen of the Dengyan tribe engaged in a bloody battle. She saw her Tiger Roar Camp soldiers hacking down enemies, their bodies covered in blood. She saw the trembling elders and crying children on the war boats.
She had been protecting them all along. She had led them all along to reach this point.
But if Wan Lei died, they would surely lose, and all of them would be slaughtered.
Memories of their journey flashed through her mind: Wan Lei's unwavering resolve and indomitable spirit, Dengyan Juling's laughter and scolding, the faces of every soldier in the Tiger Roar Camp, how she had inspired the soldiers to charge forward fearlessly, how she had helped up countless elders and children along the way.
She recalled the battles fought side-by-side, sharing life and death, and the steadfast belief in surviving.
"I can't die... they can't die... I'm sorry... I'm sorry, brother."
Liu Yuxin wiped away the tears from her eyes, turned to look at the approaching Liu Qinglin, and gripped her saber tightly.
"I don't need you to help me through the Heavenly Tribulation. This time... I will protect you."
Liu Yuxin cast a resentful glance at Wan Lei before flying up and charging towards Liu Qinglin.
Wan Lei, lying on the ground, the eyes on his armor suddenly lit up.
Beneath his faceplate, a satisfied smile curved his lips.
"Little girl, not bad."
Wan Lei's severe injuries were real, and being struck to this location was also true. After all, fighting Liu Qinglin, a mid-stage Mahayana stage cultivator empowered by blood qi, was something he could hardly manage alone.
But being unable to stand from being struck by lightning was a lie.
He had been drawn to this spot precisely because someone was undergoing a Heavenly Tribulation, and he had been retreating while fighting his way here.
The injuries and lightning energy within him were greatly depleted. The energy absorbed through the Blood Demon Art, both spiritual energy and blood qi, could not be used directly. He could only use it to summon the wind and rain to expel this energy.
Desperately needing to replenish his lightning energy, his need for this Heavenly Tribulation was too urgent.
"Liu! Yu! Xin!"
Liu Qinglin, seeing Liu Yuxin blocking his path, gnashed his teeth in hatred.
She was a prodigy nurtured with the utmost care by his family, yet now she had betrayed them.
"What a thankless wretch! Our Liu family was truly blind to nurture someone like you."
"Elder, let us fight. Once I die, I won't have to make these difficult choices anymore."
Liu Yuxin closed her eyes in pain. When she reopened them, black flames ignited within them.