AUBTN -Chapter 179 The Same Scene

A solitary peak towered above, three sides plunging into sheer, bottomless chasms, with only a narrow mountain path for passage. The wind howled violently at the cliff’s edge, like the cries of ghosts and wolves.

Li Yunxi stood at the cliff’s edge, letting the night wind whip her long hair into a wild frenzy.

Behind her, Su Hewan and Yu Qing were tightly bound, their mouths stuffed with cloth.

Yu Qing had a sword pressed against her neck by a man in black, while Su Hewan’s hands were bound behind her back by another, keeping her completely under control.

“No way… Sir, I know this script! Last time it was Zhao Jieyu, now it’s the Princess. Why is it always me with a blade at my throat? Did I owe my neck some debt in my past life?” Yu Qing thought helplessly, silently venting her frustration.

Su Hewan, on the other hand, remained calm, observing the terrain and the positions of Li Yunxi’s subordinates. Her mind raced, searching for even the slightest chance of survival.

“Li Yunxi’s target is Shen Jue and Lu Yan. She won’t kill us now. But her mind has completely collapsed; any provocation could make her do something irreversible. We must find a way to stabilize her…”

The rapid sound of galloping hooves approached from a distance, breaking the dead silence atop the cliff.

Shen Jue and Lu Yan leapt from their horses. Seeing Su Hewan and Yu Qing held hostage, their hearts felt as if they were being wrenched apart.

“Li Yunxi! Let them go!” Lu Yan shouted, his voice hoarse from fury. His fingers gripping the knife handle whitened with force.

Li Yunxi, noticing the desperation and pain in their eyes, laughed freely and cruelly. “Let them go? Sure.”

She lifted Yu Qing’s chin with the tip of her sword, a cruel and triumphant smile on her face. “Kneel! Both of you, kneel before me now! Then, renounce your martial skills, and publicly swear eternal loyalty to me, Li Yunxi. If you do all this, I may—just may—show mercy and leave them alive.”

“Dream on!” Lu Yan shouted angrily.

Su Hewan and Yu Qing shook their heads violently, their eyes filled with determination, signaling them to leave immediately.

“Don’t worry about us! Run! This is a trap!”

Although their mouths were gagged, their eyes conveyed everything clearly.

Shen Jue stepped forward, a faint, cold smile touching his face, though it didn’t reach his eyes; instead, it seemed even more chilling. “Li Yunxi, you really think holding these two gives you the power to make us surrender? You’re underestimating both us… and them.”

As he spoke, he moved his feet slowly, deliberately drawing Li Yunxi’s attention.

On the other side, Lu Yan instinctively rested his hand on his embroidered spring knife at his waist, his body lowering slightly, poised to strike at any moment.

The tension in the air was palpable, ready to snap.

Li Yunxi looked into their eyes and saw their indomitable will and murderous intent. Gradually, her smile froze.

She realized—they would not submit. They would fight to the end rather than kneel in humiliation.

The ultimate humiliation she desired, the thrill of winning it all, shattered in that instant.

“Ha… hahaha…”

Li Yunxi suddenly threw her head back and laughed, a shrill, manic sound echoing across the empty cliff.

“You think… you still have a choice?”

Her gaze suddenly went cold, a deadly malice radiating from it.

“If I cannot have what I want, then… you will forever lose what you hold most dear!”

At the very moment Shen Jue and Lu Yan prepared to strike, reckless of the consequences—

Li Yunxi’s smile snapped shut. A flash of vengeful delight shone in her eyes. She wasn’t holding them hostage—she was about to destroy.

She mustered all her strength, twisted the sword handle violently, and with ruthless precision—

Pushed Yu Qing with the sword toward the bottomless darkness behind the cliff!

“No—!”

Su Hewan’s pupils constricted violently as she let out a heart-wrenching scream.

Shen Jue and Lu Yan both roared, their faces draining of color, leaving only sheer horror and despair.

In the night wind, Yu Qing’s figure was like a leaf torn apart by a raging storm, instantly swallowed by the boundless darkness.

Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment.

Su Hewan’s heart-wrenching screams still echoed across the clifftop, and Li Yunxi’s crazed, triumphant smile had yet to fade.

But for Lu Yan and Shen Jue, their world collapsed in that instant.

“No—!”

The moment Yu Qing disappeared, Lu Yan’s mind went completely blank.

No thought, no hesitation, not even fear.

Because without any doubt, without any reservation, he leapt into the abyss!

He actually followed her down!

“Qing Qing!” Su Hewan screamed, her voice torn from her very soul.

“Lu Yan! That madman!” Shen Jue roared.

Everyone was struck dumb by this resolute and reckless act.

Even the black-clad man holding Su Hewan froze for a split second.

And it was that very instant of hesitation that gave Shen Jue his chance.

“Li… Yun… Xi!”

He moved like a shadow, ghostlike and swift. The black-clad man holding Su Hewan only saw a blur before a chill ran down his throat. He didn’t even have time to scream before collapsing backward!

Li Yunxi hadn’t expected Lu Yan to jump after them. She only wanted to destroy the thing they valued most—but she hadn’t anticipated he would risk his life to follow.

In the moment she was stunned, Shen Jue’s sword was already there!

She barely had time to lift her long sword to block.

“Clang—”

A shrill clash of metal rang out.

Shen Jue’s flexible sword bypassed her blade at a strange angle and drove forcefully into her shoulder blade.

Blood spattered.

Li Yunxi let out a pained grunt and staggered backward, crashing into Su Hewan.

Looking at Shen Jue before her, eyes blood-red and radiating murderous intent, she finally understood—there was no escape.

But even in death, she would take someone down with her!

“Ha ha ha ha… Shen Jue! You’ve won! But… you won’t get everything!”

A final flicker of madness glimmered in Li Yunxi’s eyes. She spun around, abandoning all resistance, and with her remaining strength, clutched Su Hewan tightly. Then… with every ounce of her power, she threw herself backward toward the other cliff edge!

“Wan Wan!”

Shen Jue’s face contorted with rage; he could never have imagined this madwoman would choose to take away the only light in his life in such a way!

He let out a furious roar and leapt after her without hesitation.

But his fingertips could only barely catch the sleeve of Su Hewan’s flying robe.

Hope ignited in that instant.

Yet fate played the cruelest joke.

The silk fabric tore under the tremendous force of their fall!

Shen Jue’s fingers were left clutching only a piece of cold, shredded cloth.

He could only watch, eyes wide, as Su Hewan’s body plunged into the bottomless darkness alongside Li Yunxi.