Chapter 164: Saintess

“Let’s go. Live well.”

The Ancestor of the Red Dragon’s final trace of consciousness flickered like a candle in the wind—faint, yet burdened with a fatigue and hope that pierced through the ages.

Through those hollow sockets burning with a ghostly blue flame, Jiang Huai seemed to glimpse a heavy expectation, one that transcended time and space.

That gaze seared his heart, making it tremble.

He couldn’t bear to look directly, yet felt compelled to face it head-on.

What did they expect? He knew all too well.

In those ancient, blood-stained memories, every human ancestor who fought to the end, every peerless powerhouse like that female Yin-Yang Body, carried the same hope etched deep in their eyes.

They hoped that the strongest human constitution could shoulder the banner of protection, holding up a sky for this world.

In the Ancestor of the Red Dragon’s view, the Yin-Yang Body was the future hope of the Five Provinces Continent, the destined Human Sovereign—

A Fireseed of Eternity, passed down from generation to generation.

As long as the Yin-Yang Body existed, so would the future.

But she had slumbered for far too long, unaware that outside, the Stellar River had already turned countless times. Ages had passed, and much had changed.

“Roar!”

“Hiss—ah!”

Just as Jiang Huai’s heart surged, the Red Dragon skeleton, now fully controlled by the Divine Demon Remnant Soul, let out a maddened roar.

Outside the ancestral hall, the Chi Dragon Resentful Spirits, controlled by the Blood Moon, howled and burst through doors and windows like a broken dam, flooding in.

“Careful!” Chihuang shouted, her voice sharp.

Together with Chi Lian, both drew their swords.

The burning Dragon Essence transformed into blazing sword energy, barely holding back the tide of incoming resentful spirits.

Yet, their swords felt unbearably heavy, filled with pain and reluctance.

These ferocious resentful spirits had, just moments ago in their memories, been their heroic, ancient clanmates.

With every slash, though they fought for their lives, it felt as if they were cutting at their own bloodline, inflicting a heart-wrenching pain.

Worse yet, there were far too many resentful spirits.

They swarmed in overwhelming numbers, packing every corner of the ancestral hall.

Though they had no true bodies, their attacks struck directly at the soul, carrying a chill of bitter resentment.

The three fought as they retreated, their space for movement shrinking rapidly.

At this rate, let alone saving anyone—surviving themselves was uncertain.

Chihuang forced back several young dragon spirits with a sword, watching their twisted, agonized faces and hearing their voiceless wails.

She bit down on her silver teeth, turned her head, and stared at Jiang Huai, who was locked in battle with the berserk skeleton.

Her beautiful eyes trembled with emotion as she shouted:

“Jiang Huai! I heard what the Ancestor said! You’re a Yin-Yang Body! That powerful woman from before—she was your ancestor, wasn’t she?!”

“Is there anything you can do to help?! Even… even if you can only save some of our clan! I can’t just stand by and watch them vanish forever.”

“This is the root of my Red Dragon Clan!”

Her voice carried an unprecedented plea and stubbornness.

As Saintess, guarding her people was her pride and duty, carved in her very bones.

Even though her clanmates had become resentful spirits, she could not bear to watch them be completely “cleansed” before her eyes.

Jiang Huai unleashed a surge of Yin-Yang Sword Qi, temporarily pushing back the skeleton’s demonic flames.

At her words, his brows furrowed, his face torn by hesitation and struggle.

He glanced at the frenzied, terrifying skeleton, then at Chihuang’s stubborn, desperate, hopeful gaze.

He opened his mouth, wanting to confess that his Foundation Establishment Period strength might not be enough.

But in that moment of hesitation, Chihuang caught a faint glimmer in his eyes—not absolute refusal.

Hesitation meant hope.

If he had no way at all, he wouldn’t hesitate.

“Young Master Jiang!” Chihuang bit her lip, then, to the shock of all, bent her knee as if to kneel before Jiang Huai in front of all their ancestral souls.

“Please, save them! Even… even if you can only save a few! Those little dragons who haven’t even taken form, they’ve never even seen the real sky!”

Jiang Huai’s heart tightened. Quick as lightning, he reached out to hold her up before her knee could touch the ground, sighing:

“What are you doing? I never said I wouldn’t help!”

He felt her arm trembling faintly, his voice sinking.

“Since I’ve received the favor of the previous generation, and made a promise to her, I cannot stand by and do nothing.”

“My only worry is—with my current cultivation, how can I help them without failing that trust?”

His eyes swept over the raging skeleton and endless resentful spirits, growing steadily more resolute:

“You and Chi Lian hold them off as best you can, ease their pain. I’ll try—see if I can awaken the Ancestor’s lingering consciousness, or find a way to purify the Divine Demon Remnant Soul!”

With that, Jiang Huai turned decisively, leaving his back to the two women.

The Two Energies of Yin and Yang surged around him, forming a swirling black and white vortex as he advanced upon the roaring Red Dragon skeleton.

He tried to use pure Yin-Yang Dao energy to neutralize and purify the ten-thousand-year-old demonic aura and resentment.

But while hope was beautiful, reality was cruel.

The Divine Demon Remnant Soul’s nature was far too tenacious.

Even after millennia, its stubbornness far exceeded Jiang Huai’s expectations.

He pushed with all his might, Yin and Yang energies surging and washing away—yet could only barely slow its rampage.

Meanwhile, the cost to himself was enormous: his face turned pale, sweat pouring like rain.

He was almost invaded by the backlash of demonic energy several times, nearly wounding his very foundation.

“No! My cultivation isn’t enough—I’m only at Foundation Establishment Period, the Two Energies of Yin and Yang are far from sufficient!” Jiang Huai panted, his voice hoarse with frustration.

On the other side, Chihuang and Chi Lian’s situation grew ever more dire.

They only defended, unwilling to harm their clan souls, which drained them even faster. Their defensive ring kept shrinking.

Chihuang coughed blood, the proud dragon horns atop her head growing ever dimmer, a faint black energy beginning to swirl about her.

If this continued, she too would be consumed and corrupted by the resentment.

Chi Lian was even worse off, her breath faint, barely able to hold her sword.

“Jiang Huai!” Chihuang forced away a resentful spirit with her last strength, crying hoarsely, “Is there any way to break through quickly?! At this rate, we’ll all die here!”

Jiang Huai looked at the two women, both in dire straits, and hesitated.

At last, he gritted his teeth and said:

“There is a way—maybe I can condense a Golden Core instantly, gain enough Yin-Yang essence power.”

His gaze unconsciously shifted to Chihuang and Chi Lian, his voice lowering:

“But I need the purest Yin Yuan of the Red Dragon Clan to help me.”［

“What?!” Chihuang was stunned at first, then her cheeks flushed red in both shame and anger.

“You… you’re not joking? At a time like this?!”

The word “scoundrel” was about to escape her lips again.

“This was my real reason for proposing to the Red Dragon Clan,” Jiang Huai explained, helpless yet earnest.

“My constitution is unique—I must borrow a special body’s Yin Yuan to balance Yin and Yang, only then can I break through quickly. It’s not out of any ill intent.”

Chihuang’s eyes flickered wildly.

She looked at Jiang Huai’s weary but determined face, then at the growing throng of wailing clan souls and Chi Lian, who could barely stand.

She suddenly bit her tongue, spitting a mouthful of blood essence that formed a short-lived barrier, blocking the incoming spirits for a moment.

She took a deep breath, as if making a great decision.

Resolve, shame, and a trace of indescribable complexity flashed across her face.

While reaching to undo the clasps of her robe, she spoke in a low, self-mocking tone:

“I knew I couldn’t escape this in the end… As long as you can break through to Golden Core, you’ll have a chance to save some of our clan, right?”

Her movements were stiff.

The dark robe slipped open, revealing her wheat-colored, fair skin beneath.

Even in such peril, her proud curves, slender waist, and the generous, full lines below were outlined in the dim red light with breathtaking allure.

“Honestly, if word gets out, I can’t imagine how those two gossipy crones from the Yellow Dragon Clan will laugh at me.”

She closed her eyes, resigning herself, ready to offer her Yin Yuan for her people.

But just as she thought Jiang Huai would approach her, he stepped past her and walked straight to Chi Lian, who was even weaker, her face pale but tinged with a strange flush.

He gently took Chi Lian’s chilly hand, meeting her panicked, darting eyes with warmth:

“Saintess, will you help me?”

Chihuang’s hands froze in mid-motion, as if she’d been encased in ice.

She stared in disbelief at Jiang Huai’s back, then at the beet-red, flustered Chi Lian.

Chi Lian’s cheeks were so red they seemed ready to drip blood.

She glanced in panic at the ashen-faced Chihuang, opening her mouth to explain:

“I… I’m not really—”

“I only ask you this,” Jiang Huai cut her off, his gaze resolute, “Will you, or won’t you?”

Under his earnest, pleading eyes, Chi Lian’s heart fluttered with confusion.

She glanced at Chihuang again. Her lady’s face was cold as frost, lips pressed tight, her body trembling slightly.

Yet in the end, she said nothing.