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Chapter 364: Betrayal

Serena had found the only method to survive was to take to the skies atop a pillar of twisting black water and use it to dodge incoming attacks. If she tried to hold her ground while on the surface, she would be pummeled by relentless meteors or blasted in the face with star fire.

"Why don\'t you get down from there?" Celeste Starweaver\'s voice echoed across the arena. Despite her wrathful appearance with cosmic Qi swirling around her body, her tone was peaceful and serene. It didn\'t carry any overbearing presence, which matched her short, almost kid-like appearance. Serena would naturally look down on Celeste if not for the immense pressure and hurling stars she was capable of.

"How do you have so much Qi?" Serena retorted, showing no signs of stepping down from her pillar of water. The battle had only lasted a few minutes thus far, and she had already expended years of Qi on conjuring all the grand techniques she knew to try and survive Celeste Starweaver\'s onslaught.

I had planned to outlast Celeste\'s Qi reserves as cosmic Qi is one of the most costly affinities, but she has been forcing me to use my most expensive techniques from the start, and now my Soul Core is almost empty. Serena gritted her teeth. I don\'t want to die and be turned into a fucking tree. I just need to kill this star bitch, and I can find a way to escape from here in the far future.

"I don\'t know how I have so much Qi," Celeste shrugged as she raised her hand and curled her fingers into a claw motion. Cosmic Qi crackled down her fingers and condensed into a blinding light between her fingertips. "Why do you ask?" Celeste asked while tilting her head. "Are you almost out of Qi?"

"What kind of airhead are you—why the hell would I tell you that?" Serena tripped over her words and was taken aback by their first exchange. Unfortunately, she had no time to process anything as she knew what that gathering of Qi entailed. Serena looked down into the dark depths of the water pillar and commanded it to pull her under. The water obliged, and the roar of the mortal crowd was drowned out and replaced by the intense churning of water as she was enveloped by the abyssal water.

Due to breathing techniques taught in the island nations, Serena had no issues breathing the air in the water. She almost felt less restrained in the water than anywhere else, as she could freely move in any direction the water reached. Which was vital to her survival so far as, despite the water\'s darkness, it lit up with light, followed by the water above her instantly boiling and exploding as the beam of star fire carved through the water and down toward her head. Not wanting to be cooked to death, she plummeted down through the water like a rock thrown into a lake.

What the hell?! How is it still going? Serena\'s eyes widened, and she yelped in the water as her legs hit the sandy ground of the arena. This hasn\'t happened before. Is this a finishing move? Shit, it\'s one of these continuous attacks, isn\'t it? Where the hell is that girl getting so much Qi from? She feels closer to the Star Core Realm than any Soul Fire Realm cultivator I\'ve ever encountered. Darn, half-steps are absolute monsters.

In an act of desperation to save her light shield that was already fading after getting hit by a stray meteor earlier, Serena commanded the water to throw her out to the side. The pitiful remains of her water pillar fell to the sand, and the area where she would be standing was turned to glass by the star beam before it finally faded.

"Phew," Serena spat out some sandy water and staggered to her feet. She felt exhausted to the bone as her Soul Core, a pool of power representing her very existence, ran dry. Luckily, there was no follow-up attack as superheated mist swirled around her, shrouding the entire area in a thick fog and acting as a natural barrier.

"Fuck this," she muttered as she pulled all the water out of her clothes and gathered it alongside some of the mist into a ball that she floated above her trembling palm. "This Ashfallen Sect is a sick joke. The Princess should have just killed me instead of dangling the \'chance\' of living in front of my face so I would put on a good show. Bunch of bastards—"

"Are you dead yet?" Celeste\'s calm voice tickled her ear as it echoed across the land.

No, I\'m not dead yet, bitch. Serena turned to her right and heaved her exhausted body toward the vague outline of a rocky outcrop for some shelter. Curse the heavens... I still have enough Qi for one more technique, but it looks bleak. Fuck sake, why did I ever have to stumble upon this place?

As her muscles burned, Serena couldn\'t help but wonder what the point of struggling to survive was. The gap between her and Celeste was ridiculous, and even if she somehow won, all that awaited her was servitude to the Princess rather than having her soul twisted and imprisoned in a spirit tree.

Serena collapsed against the rocky outcrop, feeling her lungs burn from the star-heated mist. "I don\'t want to become a fucking tree," Serena cursed between clenched teeth.

"It\'s far better than the alternative. Trust me."

Serena\'s head snapped toward the voice. Through the swirling fog, she could see the silhouette of a human child that appeared to have a spiked tail. But the voice was somewhat familiar.

"Jasmine?" Serena said as the fog revealed the green-haired girl trailing a bloodied whip through the sand. "You beat Sam?"

"Mhm," Jasmine nodded as she paused a few steps away. Her gaze wasn\'t that of an ally, nor was her stance. The little girl had her hand firmly around the handle of her whip, glowing with sickly green soul flames, and she looked ready to fight.

Serena frowned as she remembered the terms presented to her at the start of the duel. If she were to lose her light shield, it would still be considered her loss, even if Jasmine went on to defeat both Sam and Celeste. While Jasmine technically stood on her side, the girl did not endorse her crimes and could even turn against her if she pleased.

I just narrowly avoided a finishing technique from Celeste and escaped under this intense fog that will soon subside. Even Celeste wasn\'t sure if I died or not, so the crowd certainly won\'t know.

"I should have known," Serena shook her head. "You\'ve come to finish me off. Haven\'t you?"

Jasmine looked at her with an angered gaze. "You killed a mortal—a man who was a devoted believer and member of our community for trying to warn you about our rules. You tried to kill Sam, who is a very honorable and true-spirited person, and you betrayed my trust by trying to get close to me to learn about my dear Master."

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"Ah, I see." With a sigh, Serena pushed her body off the outcrop and stared down at the Princess\'s disciple, who glared at her defiantly. "You saw me in a moment of weakness and thought to get revenge. Let\'s get this over with then—"

"But I\'m not here to try and steal your chance to win or finish you off."

"—huh?" Serena paused.

Jasmine relaxed her stance. "You may have killed people, harmed the trees, and betrayed my trust, but the Ashfallen Sect believes in second chances."

Serena took a moment to process Jasmine\'s words before she scoffed, "Second chances? Kid, how can you call this a second chance? I\'m either a slave or dead no matter the outcome."

"Well, duh." Jasmine put a hand on her hip, "You broke the rules. Did you expect to live? The only reason my Master hasn\'t killed you yet is because she was curious about your affinity."

Serena tried to retort, but the words died in her mouth.

"Trust me, I\'d take becoming a tree out of the options." Jasmine smiled, "I might even go so far as to call it a blessing."

Serena sneered. "Of course, a nature affinity tree lover would say something so ridiculous."

Jasmine pouted, "It\'s not because of my affinity. The trees under the Ashfallen Sect are sacred. They are treated with the utmost respect by all and become living legends, such as Nox. My Master told me she was once an enemy of Ashfallen but was turned into a tree and left to oversee Ashfallen City alongside my dad and the Redclaws. She quickly became a legend among the populace for giving out rare fruits and guarding the passageways to the sect. Now, compared to that treatment, how do you think you will be treated as a living slave to the sect hated by all? Which sounds better?"

"The trees can do things?" Serena hadn\'t even entertained that possibility. In her eyes, being stuck into a tree was no better than having her soul forever chained to hell.

Jasmine nodded, "When Nox reached Nascent Soul Realm, she even made a human body out of shadows that hung around her tree, and she used it to converse with people."

A spirit tree at the Nascent Soul level? I\'ve never even heard of any except the World Tree near that level! Would I also be able to reach such heights?

"I would keep my memories? My soul?"

"Yeah, you even keep your affinity." Jasmine smiled, "Not a bad deal, right? You will turn from a fugitive of the sect that should have died to a spirit tree that is seen as sacred and can live forever."

Serena narrowed her eyes, "This is a good deal... almost too good. Why are you giving this option to me?"

"You have a rare affinity. If not for it, you would have likely become food already."

Food? Serena wondered, but that wasn\'t important right now.

"Also, to quote my master," Jasmine put on an impression of the Princess, "Turning Serena into a tree in front of everyone present here today would be quite the finale of this spectacle."

Serena sighed, "The Princess was never going to let me walk away alive from here, was she."

"Probably not," Jasmine shrugged, "You killed a mortal, and the people are angry. Cultivators could do as they pleased in the past, but now, the populace has the chance to cultivate. It\'s only been a short time, and one has already stepped into the Soul Fire Realm. Imagine decades from now..." the little girl balled her fists and seemed excited, "An entire city of cultivators!"

Serena gulped. Cultivators rarely gathered in such a small area as the Qi would quickly dry up, as would the resources like spirit stones and herbs for pills. The only instance of a city of cultivators she knew of was the Celestial Empire, but she had never visited.

"I guess my fate really is sealed to become a tree," Serena looked through the fog where Celeste should still be, "But to lose to that star bitch in my final fight, what a shame."

"To save your honor, I could betray and poison you." Jasmine offered.

"Why would you do that?" Serena looked at the girl strangely. Cultivators live for a long time, and so do stories about them. Once you have a reputation, it follows you like a plague forever. Why would she be willing to sully her reputation for a scumbag like me?

"Quoting my Master again: \'We don\'t mind looking like the bad guys.\'" Jasmine grinned. "The rumors around us are already ridiculous; let the people believe what they want. So long as they fear and revere us, then the order is maintained."

"Looking like the bad guys?" Serena snorted, "If that really is all an act, then you, and especially the Princess, are doing an outstanding performance."

Jasmine gave a strained smile, "I\'ll admit it\'s not all

a performance, especially when it comes to my Master... but she does care for people! She saved me from death, for example."

Serena hummed as the superheated fog finally subsided, revealing Celeste across the arena. "I guess I\'ll have eternity as a tree to see that for myself," Serena smirked. "But for now, I\'ll have to decline your offer, little girl. I want to fight Celeste until my dying breath."

"Okay," Jasmine stepped back and nodded. "Good luck. Teammate."

"Teammate..." Serena muttered in disbelief. She had expected a sword in the back from the Princess\'s Disciple, not words of encouragement. Filled with newfound strength, Serena brandished her sword and prepared to face Celeste, only to once again be staring down a blinding light. This time, one far brighter than the last. Celeste held both her hands before her chest as if cradling a bowl, and between her fingers, a burning star was forming far bigger than any before.

So this is her final move. Will I even survive this? My light shield is almost out—oh shit. Serena looked at Jasmine and saw that the little girl\'s shield had almost faded. If Jasmine was to be hit by Celeste\'s attack, there is no guarantee she would survive.

"Forgive me for this," Serena said, pivoting on her heel and thrusting her sword into Jasmine\'s stomach.

Jasmine looked down at the blade digging into her stomach in shock as the light shield shattered. She coughed a few times until blood was trailing from the corners of her mouth.

"Why..." Jasmine gasped out.

Serena did not answer as there was no time. Withdrawing her sword carefully so as not to cause too much pain, Serena picked Jasmine up under the armpits and tossed her into the air as far away as possible. Before Jasmine hit the ground, an invisible hand held her in the air, followed by a portal manifesting, which she was brought through.

Good. Jasmine is safe.

"In a shocking turn of events, Serena Blacktide has betrayed her own teammate after Jasmine returned triumphant from victory against Sam!" One of the Ashfallen overlords announced to the arena, followed by a raging crowd.

Being the bad guy. Huh. That suits me. Serena smiled, unbothered by their interpretation of events as her Soul Core hummed in her chest, and she pulled deeply upon her reserves to conjure up a shield of abyssal water and coat her sword to make a pathetic final stand in the face of death.

As the world became bright, Serena looked to the stars in the illusionary sky and said a silent prayer. However, the pain never came. She wasn\'t disintegrated nor burned to death. Confused, she looked at Celeste and saw she hadn\'t been charging up some super attack but rather forming an impressive sword out of cosmic dust and starlight.

"Now that the kids are gone, how about we have some fun?" Celeste said, brandishing her newly formed weapon.

Serena knew what that really meant: Celeste wanted to show off her swordsmanship, but she was happy to oblige. It was better to die a warrior in a furious melee than be burned to a crisp.

"Fun is one way to put it," Serena laughed as she raised her sword and prepared for a world of pain. "Let\'s go—" she didn\'t even have time to finish as Celeste teleported across the arena and struck her raised sword with her starlight sword. Serena could feel the intense heat of the weapon on her face and noticed her blade glowing red hot as it desperately tried to resist. Barely managing to push her off, Serena frowned at her sword that was half melted through. "This isn\'t fair."

"All\'s fair in battle," Celeste said calmly as she raised her sword, which split into three identical versions that seemed to fade in and out of each other. "I don\'t know what you\'re fighting for, but I must win this match." Celeste said with a severe tone for once, "Otherwise, I won\'t survive my brother\'s wrath."

Serena raised a brow. Evander Starweaver is threatening her to be here?

Celeste left no time for contemplation as she swung her swords of starlight. Serena made a last-ditch effort to resist, but as expected, her half-melted sword offered little resistance as it shattered in three places, and the starlight swords continued their arc, shattering her light shield and leaving three burning cuts across her chest.

She had lost.

I guess we are all fighting for something, huh. Serena thought as she fell backward to the sand in immense pain.

"Celeste Starweaver wins!" Grand Elder Diana announced, and the crowd roared. Serena barely held onto consciousness over the pain. "Please welcome the Princess to the stage. We have something special to show everyone here today."

There was a flash of white, followed by that dreaded face looming over her.

"You fought well, and thank you for saving my Disciple at the end." The Princess smiled. "Are you ready to become a tree?"