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Fang Wenmin and Li Ming were both natives of the capital. They had known Xie Chengyun since childhood, later trained in the martial world as youths, and often traveled together after descending the mountain. That was how they became Xie Chengyun's closest friends—friends trusted enough to watch each other's backs without question.
But Yu Dan was different from Chu Yunsheng.
Setting aside Chu Yunsheng's background, the mere fact that he was a sword attendant personally acknowledged by Xie Chengyun made him more reliable than Yu Dan. After all, the White Dragon Ranking measured strength, not character or closeness.
So, caught between Yu Dan's secret voice transmission and Xie Chengyun's sharp counterquestion, Fang Wenmin chose to believe Xie Chengyun.
With a flick of his wrist, the jade fan snapped open. Fang Wenmin stepped sideways to block Xie Chengyun, true qi surging around him like a rising wind. "Brother Yu," he said, "let's say the two of us have wronged a gentleman with petty suspicions. Still—since you were willing to take out something like the Hundred Remedies Pill, a miraculous medicine that can counter most poisons in the world, to help Brother Xie detoxify… then why didn't you take it out earlier? Nearly two hours have passed—why wait until now?"
"Even if the poison were neutralized at this moment, Brother Xie is still in a weakened state. Against Lin Ce, the outcome would be nothing but a crushing defeat."
Yu Dan's stern face showed neither anger at being misunderstood nor panic at being exposed. Instead, he was unnervingly calm. After a moment of silence, he said quietly,
"I don't trust you."
"Brother Yu—what do you mean by that?" Fang Wenmin frowned.
As he spoke, he saw Yu Dan suddenly reach into his robes. Fang Wenmin immediately tightened his grip on the fan handle, condensing his true qi, ready to strike.
But Yu Dan made no move to attack. Instead, he pulled out a jade token. Upon it was carved, with sword-like grooves, a seal-script character for Xie. The token radiated a chilling aura.
"This is…?"
Fang Wenmin glanced sideways toward Xie Chengyun, who was seated cross-legged on the couch. Xie Chengyun's gaze sharpened, and a faint look of realization surfaced on his face.
"This is a task token sent by the Xie family to Cold Crow Pavilion," Yu Dan said. "It was to recruit an absolutely trustworthy half-step Dingdan expert to serve as covert protection for this Sword Platform opening. I accepted the task, and so I came."
Looking directly at Xie Chengyun, Yu Dan continued, "My identity cannot be exposed. And the Xie family's requirement was to ensure your safety and uncover the hidden enemy—not to guarantee your victory in the first battle on the Sword Platform.
"Among the three people by your side, only Fang Wenmin is trustworthy. Ji Ling is devious and scheming; she would never truly submit. You should not place too much trust in her, much less keep her as your sword attendant. As for Li Ming—he is obsessed with collecting martial arts and sword techniques from across the world. He is easily tempted by such things. Not long after news of your Sword Platform opening spread, he obtained a sword manual of unknown origin. His behavior since then has been… strange. You should be wary of him as well."
Fang Wenmin was first taken aback to learn that Yu Dan was actually an assassin from Cold Crow Pavilion. But since Cold Crow Pavilion walked a fine line between righteous and unorthodox in the jianghu—and wasn't truly shunned by the orthodox path—it didn't trouble him too much.
Then, when Yu Dan mentioned the sword manual, Fang Wenmin froze for a moment before almost laughing to himself.
That manual was, by sheer coincidence, something Xie Chengyun had obtained during his travels. After reading it, he'd found it incompatible with his own sword path and casually passed it on to Li Ming. Who would have thought it would lead to such a misunderstanding on Yu Dan's part? No wonder Yu Dan hadn't tried to stop Li Ming when he left.
Fang Wenmin opened his mouth, about to explain things on Li Ming's behalf—when he suddenly saw Xie Chengyun push himself up by the railing. With poison still raging inside him, Xie Chengyun swayed unsteadily. Fang Wenmin instantly forgot what he was going to say and reached out to support him.
Xie Chengyun waved him off, forcing himself to stand straight. He took the jade token from Yu Dan's hand, examined it for a moment, then let out a quiet sigh. Cupping his fists toward Yu Dan in apology, shame clear in his eyes, he said,
"This is indeed a Xie family token. I was judging a gentleman with a petty heart—Brother Yu, I wronged you."
"No matter. Caution is only proper," Yu Dan replied calmly. "Even with a Xie family token in hand, it could still be a forgery, or something that fell into an enemy's grasp. One cannot afford to be careless."
Yu Dan showed no sign of offense, speaking with easy frankness.
Seeing this, Fang Wenmin still felt that some parts of the story didn't quite add up. But if someone as sharp-minded as Xie Chengyun believed it, there was no point in overthinking it. He quickly bowed in earnest as well.
"Brother Yu, I truly owe you an apology. To twist your careful goodwill into such malicious suspicion—that was my fault."
"When one worries, one grows confused. I understand," Yu Dan said.
Fang Wenmin hadn't expected someone who appeared so aloof and cold to be so broad-minded. He truly seemed like someone worth befriending.
Yu Dan then took out a small white porcelain bottle and handed it to Xie Chengyun. "This is the Hundred Remedies Pill. When I left Cold Crow Pavilion, I heard that people from the Western Regions and Miao territories were heading north. Fearing the appearance of exotic poisons, I applied for a vial. Brother Xie, take it. Brother Fang and I will circulate our qi to help you dissolve the medicine and force out the toxins. In less than half an hour, you'll be able to move freely again."
"As for the first bout against Lin Ce of Sword Grotto—if Ji Ling truly harbors no ill intent, then with her strength as number forty on the White Dragon Ranking, defeating Lin Ce's sword attendant and stalling for enough time for you to recover should be no great difficulty. Brother Xie can set his mind at ease and focus on purging the poison first."
Xie Chengyun nodded. He poured out a single lustrous white pill, raised his palm, and sent it into his mouth. Closing his eyes, he seated himself on the cushion at the center of the small room and began circulating his inner power to drive out the poison.
Fang Wenmin and Yu Dan sat on either side of Xie Chengyun, circulating their true qi as they assisted him.
"Brother Xie… Miss Chu—she really is that demoness, Ji Ling?" Fang Wenmin couldn't hold back his doubts any longer. Seeing that Xie Chengyun's complexion was already improving, he asked cautiously.
Xie Chengyun didn't open his eyes. He only nodded once. "She has already submitted to the Xie family. I've left my own measures on her—she won't betray me."
Hearing this, Fang Wenmin finally let out a breath.
Unlike Yu Dan, Fang Wenmin's understanding of Xie Chengyun didn't come merely from jianghu rumor. Compared to the image the outside world painted—a refined young lord, a righteous gentleman—Fang Wenmin knew him as someone with a mind of seven apertures: a man who did the calculating, never the one being calculated against.
So he believed without question that Xie Chengyun would never be led astray by Ji Ling.
If the one who poisoned him wasn't Ji Ling, and not Li Ming either, then only those people from last night's clashes remained.
But Fang Wenmin wasn't Li Ming. His temperament was straightforward; though intelligent, he was easily blinded by loyalty and sentiment. The moment he suspected poison from last night's opponents, he'd rushed off to look for them. He had some medical knowledge, yet even so, he truly hadn't been able to identify who among them had used poison.
None of the challengers had come within ten steps of Xie Chengyun, and Xie Chengyun hadn't been injured by any bladed weapon. That ruled out poisons that required contact with the body or blood.
As for poison smoke or miasma—anything that spread through the air—most such methods would be blocked by protective qi. There were rare poisons capable of penetrating a body-guarding qi barrier, but poisoning someone from ten steps away meant the smoke or mist would disperse. Even if it were colorless and odorless, once the night wind at the mountain peak blew through, the spectators would have inhaled it as well.
The poisoner might have taken an antidote beforehand, but the onlookers couldn't possibly have known in advance. So how could only Xie Chengyun have been poisoned?
That meant the poisoner had to be someone close at hand—or something near him had been smeared with poison in advance…
Thinking this, Fang Wenmin cast another glance at Yu Dan, who was fully focused on channeling his true qi.
Yet before he could carefully unravel his memories and analyze the actions of everyone present—or the objects around Xie Chengyun that might have been poisoned—a sudden, bone-chilling draft swept in from outside the small room. The half-closed door creaked sharply and slammed shut.
"Something's wrong!"
Fang Wenmin reacted at once. He halted his cultivation, spun to his feet, and slashed out with his jade fan. It traced a crescent arc through the air, sweeping forth a surge of righteous qi.
The room plunged into darkness.
The blazing sunlight that had moments ago streamed in through the window was swallowed in an instant, vanishing without a trace.
It was clearly high noon, yet the space felt as deep and heavy as midnight.
Fang Wenmin extended his spiritual senses, pushing them into the surrounding darkness—only to feel as though they'd sunk into a mire. There was nothing to grasp, nothing to perceive.
A sense of extreme danger surged in his chest. "Brother Yu! Brother Xie—be careful!"
The words had barely left his mouth when a cold, damp presence crept in from above his crown and along his flank. It was like an icy wind leaking from the gates of the underworld, or a venomous serpent flicking out its tongue—clammy, sinister, and foul.
The thick darkness rippled like a tide, slowly parting to reveal a narrow gap. Two figures emerged from within.
One had the face of a beautiful woman—delicate, graceful, and alluring—yet bore the body of a man. The other had coarse, homely features, her frame withered and skeletal, yet she was unmistakably a robust woman. Their appearances and bearing were utterly different, but both had their hands wrapped in countless strands of silk thread—the man's threads black, the woman's crimson red.
"The demonic twins of the unorthodox path… 'Rouge Tiger' and 'White Maiden Serpent'?"
Fang Wenmin recognized them at once. His expression changed drastically.
"Not bad, kid—you've got sharp eyes,"
the one with red threads coiled around her hands said in a rough, gravelly voice. This was Rouge Tiger.
The one known as White Maiden Serpent let out a soft, feminine laugh. His smile was gentle, his voice light and silky. "You've been holed up in the sect for so long that you don't even recognize the rising talents of the jianghu anymore. This young Master Fang is a direct disciple of Taiyi Dao Palace. Though he only ranks third among this generation's core disciples, whether in insight or strength, he's hardly someone to underestimate."
Fang Wenmin clenched the fan handle so hard his knuckles went white. His mind raced, searching for a way out—but no matter how he turned it over, the conclusion was the same.
Ten deaths, no life. (Dead End)
This wasn't because the three of them were weak. It was because Rouge Tiger and White Maiden Serpent were anything but ordinary fighters. They were late-stage Dingdan rogue cultivators. Though they hadn't made it onto the Astonishing God List, among demonic path experts across the realm, they were figures with real standing—far beyond anything the three of them could contend with.
This was a gap in cultivation, realm, and combat experience.
An unbridgeable gap.
Since force was impossible, only delay remained—stall for time and wait for reinforcements. There were certainly Xie family Dingdan experts hidden in the mountains. Even if Li Ming had drawn some away, he couldn't have taken all of them. With a thousand-year foundation and the utmost importance placed on Xie Chengyun as the legitimate heir, the Xie family would never be careless about something as momentous as opening the Sword Platform.
"You both know I'm a direct disciple of Taiyi Dao Palace," Fang Wenmin said coldly. "Then you should also know that Taiyi Dao Palace stands foremost among the Four Great Daoist Observatories—and that we are infamous for protecting our own. If I die here on Cangxi Mountain, the elders of the Palace will divine the truth, trace the culprit, and avenge me."
He lifted his gaze, eyes sharp. "Seniors, I advise you to think carefully."
At this, Rouge Tiger threw back her head and laughed loudly. "If we didn't have a secret art that cuts off Daoist divination, do you think the two of us would dare take this job?"
"Kid, we don't actually want to kill you and invite the wrath of Taiyi Dao Palace. But you had to come here of all places. Xie Chengyun's life is ours to take—and to keep word from leaking out, you and that spear-wielding brat behind you will have to die as well!"
Fang Wenmin's expression shifted again and again. Gritting his teeth, he said,
"Just who is it that wants Brother Xie dead? Seniors, since we're about to die anyway—if we must become ghosts, then let us at least be ghosts who understand. I beg you, tell us the name of our enemy!"
White Maiden Serpent snorted, a mocking curl to his lips. "Boy of the Fang family, don't try that on us. All this talk with my wife and me—nothing more than stalling for time. But I might as well tell you this: the Dingdan cultivators who came to Cangxi Mountain are not limited to the two of us. If you're waiting for Xie family reinforcements… you might as well keep dreaming."
He chuckled softly. "And since we know full well you're trying to buy time, why do you think we're still indulging you with these last words? Killing you isn't hard. But killing you quietly—without stirring celestial phenomena, without drawing the attention of the Half-Mountain Pavilion or those Dingdan fellows in the capital—that takes a bit of work."
Fang Wenmin's heart sank.
He immediately scanned his surroundings—and only then did he realize that at some unknown moment, the darkness around them had become filled with countless strands of interwoven red and black thread.
Like a spider's web, they had completely enclosed the three by the meditation cushion. A bone-chilling cold seeped in from all sides, killing intent everywhere. It felt as though tens of thousands of razor-thin blades were aimed straight at them, sending a shiver down the spine.
The surrounding space seemed sliced and twisted. Cold currents surged, like ghostly hands suddenly thrusting out from the void, gradually binding the bodies and limbs of the three who were trapped within.
Like moths caught in a web, waiting to be devoured and dissolved.
"We can't wait any longer! Brother Yu—help me!"
Fang Wenmin shouted sharply. The moment the words left his mouth, the jade fan was already flying out, slashing toward the countless threads surrounding them.
Jade was fragile; a fan was meant to be elegant. Yet under the circulation and blessing of vast, upright qi, the jade fan moved through endless, subtle transformations, carrying a weighty, time-worn power—like an ancient millstone grinding forward, unstoppable.
The Daoist mysteries were endless in their transformations—appearing and vanishing without pattern. To evade them was nearly impossible. The ancient millstone-like power they carried bore the weight of ages, able to contain the mortal world itself, able to grind all things to dust.
Upright qi surged forth, tearing open a corner of the sinister wind. The jade fan flashed into view, smashing apart several strands of thread in succession.
But before Fang Wenmin could even show a hint of joy at this small success, the severed threads behaved just like drifting spider silk. They swayed twice in the air, then stuck back together—and instead wound around the jade fan itself, binding it tight and rendering it unable to break free.
Behind him, Yu Dan had already thrust out his spear.
The black-iron long spear weighed a thousand catties. As it shot forward, it was like a flood dragon soaring into the heavens—riding clouds, riding mist, roaring as it rose, as though questioning heaven and earth, shedding its horns to become a true dragon!
Yet when the spear thrust landed, it was as if it had sunk into a sea of mud. There was no purchase, no resistance to push against. It could not move another inch.
"Little brothers, don't waste your strength. Just wait obediently for death."
White Maiden Serpent laughed softly in a coquettish tone despite his male voice. He cast a glance at Xie Chengyun, who still sat on the cushion, face deathly pale, struggling to force out the poison. "If you want to blame someone, blame your poor judgment for befriending someone like him. On the road to the Yellow Springs(Underworld), you can keep each other company!"
As his words fell, the threads around them tightened and pressed inward in an instant.
Fang Wenmin's limbs went numb. His true qi scattered, impossible to gather. His eyes split wide with rage as he spat, "Bah! Even now you try to sow discord—only a fool would fall for that! If there's another life, I'd still choose to be Brother Xie's friend, roaming the world with sword in hand, slaying demons and guarding the Dao!"
Yu Dan shouted, "So would I!"
White Maiden Serpent's expression darkened. With a cold snort, he was just about to relish the sight of these three young prodigies being minced into flesh by countless fine threads—
when suddenly, his aura stuttered.
In the vast, empty darkness, a sword light flared, followed by the descent of a palm strike.
"Demonic scum—how dare you!"
"How dare you lay a hand on the Xie family's qilin!"
(TN:A qilin is a mythical Chinese beast, often called the Chinese unicorn, symbolizing: Exceptional talent, Auspicious destiny, Rarity and nobility. So basically, When someone says "the Xie family's qilin", it means: The most outstanding prodigy of the Xie family)
White Maiden Serpent's face drained of color. "A Xie family Dingdan expert?!"
Judging from that single sword strike and that single palm, the newcomer's strength was clearly above that of the two of them.
In the blink of an eye, the surrounding darkness ebbed away like receding water. White Maiden Serpent and Rouge Tiger exchanged a glance—and vanished from where they stood.
The sword light and the massive palm did not stop, chasing after them in hot pursuit.
All at once, everything went quiet.
The life-or-death tension that had filled the small room just moments ago dissolved completely with the escape of the two demonic figures, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Tables and chairs reappeared one by one. Blazing sunlight poured in through the half-open window, casting a brilliant glow. There was no longer any trace of chilling yin energy, no ghostly hands clawing at their bodies, no web of countless threads hemming them in.
The numbness in Fang Wenmin's limbs slowly faded as sensation returned. Regaining his composure, he bent slightly—and only then noticed that the clothes on his back were already soaked through with cold sweat.
Life and death had truly hung by a single thread. It had been perilous in the extreme.
Fang Wenmin had always thought that ever since he entered Taiyi Dao Palace to cultivate the Dao, then descended the mountain to roam the jianghu through countless dangers, he had long since learned to view life and death lightly.
But thinking about it now, that had only been because all his past battles were struggles among peers. Whether righteous or unorthodox, however dangerous they were, there had never been absolute despair—never an overwhelming gap in strength, never the feeling of an ant facing an elephant.
He had always prided himself on humility, on acting freely and naturally, easygoing and unrestrained. Yet early fame in youth had still turned his confidence into a hidden arrogance.
Now, as he examined his state of mind, realization dawned on him.
He slowly let out a breath, stepped forward, and bent down to pick up his jade fan. "That was danger piled upon danger. Luckily, your family's elder and guest cultivator arrived in time—otherwise…"
Speaking casually to Xie Chengyun with lingering fear in his voice, Fang Wenmin lifted the fan and turned back, about to resume circulating his qi to assist him.
Who would have thought—just as Fang Wenmin turned his head, he saw the man who had fought shoulder to shoulder with them only a moment ago.
Yu Dan was standing behind Xie Chengyun.
In a sudden burst, he struck. His fingers curled into claws, reaching straight for Xie Chengyun's heart from behind.
Fang Wenmin's true qi had yet to fully gather. The Xie family Dingdan expert had already chased after the two demonic foes. Xie Chengyun sat cross-legged with his back turned, seemingly unaware. For an instant, there was no one who could stop Yu Dan's killing blow.
The mortal danger posed by the Dingdan enemies had passed. Fang Wenmin had already begun to relax, believing the death trap was over.
Yet it was precisely at the moment when everyone thought the crisis had been averted, when their guard was down, that the true killing move—the real hidden hand—revealed itself.
Fang Wenmin swung his fan in fury, but he was too late. Despair surged in his heart.
And yet—the claw never fell.
A sword thrust out, soundless.
Cold light blazed, as if a storm of wild snow erupted in an instant. The sword struck with perfect precision against the sinister claw, steel ringing as metal met metal.
Xie Chengyun slowly rose to his feet. True qi surged and gathered within him, like a dragon rising, a tiger roaring.
Yu Dan's face stiffened. "You were pretending? No—that's impossible… Even if you weren't poisoned before, you're definitely poisoned now!"
Xie Chengyun raised his hand. Resting quietly in his palm was a lustrous white pill. "You mean this? A fine medicine—pity it's poisoned."
Yu Dan retreated sharply, snapping the iron spear back into his grip. "You were guarding against me all along!"
Xie Chengyun curved his lips and lifted a brow. "I only had a trace of suspicion toward you at first—nothing certain. But you walked right into the net the moment you produced that token. For this Sword Platform opening, the Xie family issued only ten tokens. Yet only one fish was hooked—and that's a bit of a waste."
Before the words had even finished falling—
Xie Chengyun moved like lightning, striking first with his sword.
Yu Dan immediately swung his spear, and the two of them clashed in an instant.
Watching the situation flip back and forth in the blink of an eye, Fang Wenmin stood stunned for a couple of breaths before remembering to snap his fan open and join the fight, lending Xie Chengyun his strength.
But after only a few exchanges, Yu Dan suddenly retreated at full speed, then collapsed to the ground. Black blood gushed from his seven orifices.
Xie Chengyun looked as though he had expected this all along. He slowly withdrew his sword, bent down, and sealed several of Yu Dan's major acupoints. Letting out a low sigh, he said, "I haven't questioned you yet—you can't die. But if I get nothing out of you later, then you won't be allowed to live either."
Yu Dan glared at him with icy hatred. "If you want to kill me, then do it!"
Xie Chengyun acted as if he hadn't heard a word. He turned, took out another pill, and handed it to Fang Wenmin. "The antidote. You inhaled the poison mist as well."
Fang Wenmin accepted it in a daze. As he swallowed it, a belated, rather strange thought surfaced in his mind— Good heavens… he's the demonic-path assassin, or are you? You're even more ruthless and scheming than the people of the demonic path.
Even with Yu Dan already poisoned and unable to move, Xie Chengyun still bound him tightly with ropes, methodical and cautious.
After all, at the mid-to-late Hanshen stage, aside from Miao-region poison arts, ordinary poisons were no longer enough to kill a martial artist outright. At most, they would scatter one's true qi, weaken the body, and strip away fighting strength. Being poisoned didn't mean everything was settled—one could never afford to lower their guard.
Watching Xie Chengyun tie him up with practiced ease, Fang Wenmin finally remembered something. A look of realization crossed his face as he said,
"Miss Chu… Miss Ji Ling is still outside, in the middle of the match. Should it be stopped? This whole matter was proposed by Yu Dan—there may be something amiss."
"She isn't Ji Ling," Xie Chengyun replied calmly. "Keep calling her Miss Chu."
"Let's go out and take a look first."
As they spoke, the two of them pushed the door open and stepped out of the small hut in turn.
Xie Chengyun lifted a hand. The trees beside them rustled, and a half-step Dingdan cultivator suddenly leapt out from the shadows.
"Watch the one inside," Xie Chengyun ordered.
"Yes."
After giving his instructions, Xie Chengyun took the lead, circling past the Sword Platform and descending the stone steps.
They hadn't gone far along the mountain path before Xie Chengyun's gaze locked onto a battle unfolding in the open forest clearing before Half-Mountain Pavilion.
"This isn't good," Fang Wenmin said, stopping as well. Worry showed on his face. "Though both are at late Hanshen stage, Lin Ce's sword attendant has truly impressive swordsmanship. Miss Chu is being completely suppressed."
As he spoke, Chu Yunsheng—who had just barely managed to block a fierce downward sword strike with a slanted blade—also noticed Xie Chengyun and Fang Wenmin approaching.
Seeing Xie Chengyun's aura steady and full, his posture upright and unshaken, the heavy stone weighing on Chu Yunsheng's heart finally fell away.
Back when Xie Chengyun had coughed up blood and appeared poisoned, when Chu Yunsheng had supported him and checked his pulse, he had already more or less guessed that this was a ploy to lure the snake from its hole. Still, he couldn't help but worry—luring the snake carried the risk of failing to kill it, and instead being bitten.
But now, with Xie Chengyun appearing in full force, radiating strength, it was proof enough that everything had gone smoothly.
Whatever needed to be dealt with… had already been dealt with.
"You're too weak."
The longsword spun and slashed down once more as the young sword attendant, eyes blazing like fire, spoke in a flat, indifferent tone.
At the same time, a figure holding a sword stepped up beside Xie Chengyun and said the very same words, just as coolly, "she's too weak. She's not worthy to be your sword attendant. She shouldn't be learning the blade."
Xie Chengyun wasn't angered. He smiled instead. "I was the one who suggested he learn the blade. Those two sabers were my gift as well. Who says a sword attendant must study the sword? And besides—you can try to guess how long she's been training with the blade."
The Life-Severing Sword, Lin Ce, frowned slightly, not yet answering. Off to the side, Fang Wenmin spoke first: "This blade technique isn't yet fully rounded, nor has it grasped the true essence, much less touched the ultimate principles of the Blade Dao. But it's smooth enough, with a faint, unusual rhythm hidden within. That speaks to real talent. Even those on the White Dragon Ranking would need at least a year or two of practice to reach this level."
Lin Ce gave a small nod, agreeing with Fang Wenmin's judgment.
The smile in Xie Chengyun's eyes deepened, his light restrained yet bright. "As of today, she's been training with the blade for just half a month."
Fang Wenmin froze.
Lin Ce's expression shifted. In an instant, he turned his head and cast his gaze back toward Chu Yunsheng in the forest clearing.
And at that very moment, the situation on the battlefield suddenly began to change.
The young sword attendant clearly had no intention of continuing to tangle with such a weak opponent. He meant to end this quickly.
True qi gathered and surged. His figure leapt into the air, the sword thrusting again and again. Afterimages bloomed in countless layers, then fused into a single point—perfectly round, flawless.
In an instant, sword qi exploded.
The overwhelming sword momentum was like a blazing sun suspended in the heavens, dragging with it torrents of magma-like, scorching astral energy. A great sun crossed the sky, and when it fell, it promised heaven collapsing and earth shattering, the four directions reduced to ruin.
The light around the forest dimmed abruptly. Waves of searing heat rolled outward, forcing the spectators to retreat again and again.
Faced with such an unstoppable, unavoidable strike, everyone was drawn into it, unable to help imagining how they themselves would respond. The more they thought, the more cold sweat poured down their backs, faces draining of color.
"This is only the sword attendant of the 'Life-Severing Sword'—if the Life-Severing Sword himself were to act, just how terrifying would he be?"
A stunned, fearful murmur rippled through the crowd.
"It's over… the sword attendant of the 'Snow-Taming Sword' can't possibly block this. Even if you put this move into the White Dragon Ranking, at least a third of those on the list would be forced to use their ultimate techniques—or fail to withstand it!"
"The people of Sword Grotto are terrifying."
"The White Dragon Ranking's number one truly lives up to his name— even his sword attendant is a monster."
Sighs of regret echoed around, mixed with voices of disdain.
"Xie Chengyun's sword attendant is this weak, and she still dares to come and perform the opening ceremony of the Sword Platform? Absolutely shameless!"
"Losing the sword-attendant duel means losing momentum. The Snow-Taming Sword has probably already lost the initiative…"
"Judging the sword by the sword attendant, the Snow-Taming Sword is surely far inferior to the Life-Severing Sword!"
Even Fang Wenmin clenched his fan in an instant, feeling that he should step in and stop this—better to concede outright than let it go on.
Yet there in the heart of the forest clearing, facing head-on that terrifying sword like a blazing sun crashing down, with streams of fire raining everywhere, Chu Yunsheng remained unchanged. Aside from sweat beading and dripping from his temples, his expression was calm, cool, almost indifferent.
He did not retreat. Instead, he advanced.
Advancing into the searing radiance, into the vast and mighty sword strike, he crossed his hands and suddenly raised his blade!
The saber light flashed—one black, one white—coiling with profound, arcane true qi. As it flowed back and forth, it seemed to stir the forces of life and death themselves, a perfect, revolving cycle—mysterious beyond measure, seeming both near and far, as though it had already slipped beyond mortal sight, cutting through the very seams of heaven and earth.
"Clang—!"
A piercing screech rang out as blade and sword collided head-on!
Someone cried out in shock, "That move—that move was used by that female sword attendant earlier! It was her very first move in the bout! But—but how is it completely different now?!"