Blood Saber Wu Ye

The tavern, which had fallen abruptly silent with the appearance of the blood-robed figure, became noisy once more at those words. Even so, Ling Li noticed a few drinkers flashing looks of discomfort.

"Why isn't this guy out on the Black Domain Great Plain killing people? Why has he come back again? The bloodlust on him seems much heavier than last time."

"Did you forget? Today is the fifteenth. At this time every month, he has to return to the Blood Sect to pay tribute."

"The Blood Sect people are one thing—they kill to drink blood. But this guy kills purely for pleasure, killing for the sake of killing."

"Who cares? So what if he's Blood Saber Wu Ye? He wouldn't dare cause trouble here. Drink, drink..."

The blood-robed figure who had entered the tavern was naturally Wu Ye, Ling Li's target for this assassination.

Based on Ling Li's past combat experience, with Dark Night at his side, he could often fight above his level. Thus, he had deliberately chosen a target slightly stronger than himself.

Most Black Bandits active on the Black Domain Great Plain sought wealth and profit, but Wu Ye was different. Rumor had it that Wu Ye killed people every day, for no reason other than his own enjoyment. He had killed so much that even when his son was born, the child carried a dense bloody aura. Yet to prevent his son from following the same path, Wu Ye had sent him to Jia Nan Academy when he was five.

Ling Li had originally dismissed it, but this Wu Ye truly was not the useless fool he had imagined. The dense, bloody killing aura around him made him seem as though he had been born specifically for slaughter. Even Ling Li had to admit that if he were made to bear such a bloody killing aura, he could not guarantee that he would retain his own consciousness.

"Good. Looks like this trip will be much more interesting than I expected..." Ling Li licked his lips, and his gaze toward Wu Ye grew hotter.

Wu Ye was indeed strong, but not strong enough to make Ling Li run at first sight. Instead, such strength stirred Ling Li's interest. And judging from the enormous heavy sword on Wu Ye's back, this battle would likely be a clash of strength and speed!

As though sensing something, Wu Ye looked toward the corner where Ling Li stood. After just one glance, he looked away. A brat who had only just entered the Dou Spirit realm... there were plenty of such souls beneath his blood saber.

"Bring me a mug of ale." Wu Ye spoke calmly.

"Please wait." The old man seemed equally kind to everyone. With a faint smile, he brought out a mug of ale and placed it before Wu Ye.

Wu Ye lifted the mug in one hand and drained it in a single gulp, casually setting three Gold Coins on the counter.

"Phew..."

The ale was not particularly strong. After draining it in one gulp, letting out a long breath, and giving a loud burp, it felt as though all the negative emotions in one's body would be completely expelled with that breath.

"Thank you." After finishing the ale, some of Wu Ye's bloody aura faded, and a satisfied expression appeared on his face. He set the wooden mug back on the counter and, unusually, uttered a polite word.

After finishing his ale, Wu Ye did not linger and left the tavern directly. Ling Li hesitated for a moment before following him.

Wu Ye was fast, but Ling Li was no slouch either. Beneath the bright moonlight, the Blood Robe and Black Tunic darted through the streets, soon passing through Twilight City's gates.

Not far beyond the city, Wu Ye stopped and slowly turned around. The full moon hung behind him like a massive curtain of light, casting his shadow in full.

"Kid, aren't you tired after following me for so long?" Wu Ye's voice trembled slightly, and his body shook faintly, as though he were standing in an extremely cold place.

Ling Li did not answer. Pitch-black Dou Qi surged from his body, releasing the pressure of a Dou Spirit expert. He directly retrieved Dark Night from the System Space and slashed out more than thirty times. Dense Blade Qi, trailing black mist, howled toward Wu Ye. Ling Li stamped his foot and followed the Blade Qi forward, closing in alongside it.

"Kid, I admire the bloody scent coming off you. But seeking me out today... should I call you lucky, or unlucky?" Wu Ye looked rather relaxed. Scarlet light flashed in his eyes as blood-colored Dou Qi burst forth, glaring brightly beneath the silvery moonlight.

Wu Ye drew the heavy sword from his back and swung it in a wide arc. The thick blade carried a fierce gust of wind, cutting down half the incoming Blade Qi.

Wu Ye was rather thin, but the heavy sword in his hand was anything but small. The blade alone was a full ten inches wide, and five scarlet magic cores were embedded in its guard. The one in the center, judging from its size, should have belonged to a high-level fourth-tier magical beast.

"Blood Blade!"

With one sweep, Wu Ye scattered the Blade Qi and gave a low shout. Blood-colored Dou Qi rapidly gathered on the heavy sword as the blade, wrapped in a dense bloody stench, cleaved heavily down at Ling Li, who had already rushed before him.

"Clang!"

Ling Li tapped off the ground and twisted aside, dodging the strike. He slashed his blade against the body of the greatsword. Under the corrosion of his dark-green Dou Qi, the blood-colored Dou Qi was slowly Devoured, and a dark-green notch instantly appeared on the heavy sword.

After his bloodline specialization, Ling Li's Dou Qi had undergone specialization as well. The corrosive and poisonous properties originally present in his dark-element Dou Qi had been greatly strengthened, and even his Dou Qi showed signs of turning dark green.

"Oh? Not bad, kid..." Surprise flashed through Wu Ye's eyes, and he revealed an interested expression.

It was his first time seeing Dou Qi with such powerful corrosive properties. Ling Li's slash just now had actually made his arm tremble. Wu Ye had always excelled in both strength and speed, with few rivals in either aspect. Moreover, Ling Li had definitely not used his full strength in that strike.

"Interesting! Is this your trump card? Unfortunately, it's still not enough!" Wu Ye showed no disappointment at missing his strike. With a pull of his arm, the heavy sword deeply embedded in the ground flexibly slashed upward from below at an insidious angle, heading straight for Ling Li's head.

As the blood-mist-wreathed sword shadow tore through the air, it carried a dense bloody stench. Ling Li had already experienced the power of this specially enhanced Dou Qi attack from their previous exchange. Combined with the immense suppressive force of the naturally heavy sword, he did not dare let down his guard. With a shake of his arm, dark-green Dou Qi transformed into vines and rapidly climbed along Dark Night, eventually merging into the blade and forming a special layer of "Dou Qi Armor" like slime.

Ling Li gripped the hilt with both hands and held Dark Night before him. His left foot shifted back, forcibly halting the backward lean from dodging the previous strike. He took his stance and prepared to block this powerful blow.

"Boom!!!"

The instant the heavy sword and Tang Dao collided, a tremendous blast rang out. A wave of black-and-red energy surged outward in all directions, while the ground beneath their feet shattered inch by inch, forming a fractured depression with a radius of five or six zhang.

With that thunderous impact, their battle officially began.