A Brutal Bloodbath! Li Zhixian in Peril (Bonus Chapter, Please Vote)

Zhao Wuji stood in the torrential rain.

The icy rain pierced through his straw cape, streaming freely down his rugged, expressionless face.

The small courtyard before him trembled in the rainy night like a trapped beast.

Like the final gasps of prey before death.

"Ma Hongjun was brought to Heaven Dou City by me."

"Now he is crippled and on the verge of death. That is my failure as his teacher."

"Tonight..."

"Teacher will avenge you."

Without the slightest hesitation or mercy.

As his murmur fell, his body shot forward like a cannonball toward the window of the house.

His already thick arms suddenly swelled, sinews coiling like giant pythons. Scorching heat rose from him, turning the surrounding rainwater into white vapor.

The pressure of a level seventy-six Battle Soul Saint erupted with a boom.

Behind him, the phantom of a three-meter-tall golden bear threw back its head and roared.

Zhao Wuji swung his arm in a full arc, carrying an irresistible force as his fist smashed viciously into the house.

Before the punch landed, the violent fist wind had already torn through the curtain of rain, making the entire house sway on the verge of collapse.

Boom—!!!

The fist came down.

The house exploded like a fragile shell of paper.

The remaining force of the blow gouged a deep pit several meters wide into the ground beneath the foundation.

Had anyone been inside, there would have been no chance of survival.

"Hah..."

Zhao Wuji slowly exhaled.

He looked crude and violent, but his mind was meticulous.

His gaze swept over the ruins before him, and a trace of puzzlement flashed through his eyes.

Even if Li Zhixian had been smashed into pulp.

There should have been flecks of blood seeping out under the washing rain.

Yet as far as he could see, there was not a hint of crimson.

His brow furrowed.

He took a step forward, intending to search more carefully.

At that very moment!

A cold, starlit edge silently slashed down at him from behind!

Every hair on Zhao Wuji's back instantly stood on end!

In his haste, he only had time to raise an arm to block!

"Three Sword Splendor—Shaking Light!"

Li Zhixian, who should have been buried beneath the ruins, had somehow appeared behind Zhao Wuji.

The Azure Lotus Sword in his hand swayed with starlight, carrying an ultimate sharpness that could tear through anything as it struck Zhao Wuji's hastily raised arm.

Screech—!

His Soul Power held for only a few breaths before it was sliced apart.

In an instant, flesh split open and curled back, the wound deep enough to expose bone. Scalding blood sprayed out, mixed with rainwater.

"Ungh..."

Zhao Wuji let out a muffled groan and staggered back two steps.

Once he steadied himself, his tiger eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the blurry white figure several meters away.

The midnight downpour drastically reduced visibility.

Only the longsword, spitting cold light, remained sharp and glaring amidst the rain.

"You..."

The searing pain from his arm made Zhao Wuji's expression shift slightly.

He raised his injured arm, only then discovering a faint azure glow clinging to the wound.

Like poison embedded in the bone, it hindered the flesh from healing.

"Li Zhixian..."

Zhao Wuji's low voice chewed over that name, his killing intent so thick it nearly overflowed.

Terrifying!

A level seventy-six Battle Soul Saint had actually been wounded by a junior!

Even with the advantage of surprise, it was still utterly unbelievable!

"Today..."

"Li Zhixian must die."

"If he does not die, I will be the one who dies in the future."

"He may even bring disaster upon Shrek."

The cold rain soaked through Li Zhixian's white robes.

His hair clung to his forehead, droplets rolling down his cheeks.

He gripped the Azure Lotus Sword tightly, his icy gaze piercing through the rain as it locked onto Zhao Wuji several meters away.

"Old bastard..."

Fortunately, he had eaten and drunk too much that day, leaving him unable to sleep.

So he had been drinking alone beneath the tent by the courtyard wall, enjoying the rain.

In truth, the instant Zhao Wuji stepped through the courtyard gate, he had already hidden himself in silence.

That was right.

Li Zhixian had originally intended to hide.

A swordsman should possess the will to press forward without hesitation.

But that was only when the gap in strength was not an insurmountable chasm.

To have a thirteen-year-old boy face Immovable King Ming Zhao Wuji head-on?

That was not courage!

It was stupidity!

But he had not expected it.

After destroying the house, Zhao Wuji had not left.

This old bastard was rough but shrewd, insisting on confirming his death.

With that, his retreat was cut off. He could only strike first.

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind.

Li Zhixian grabbed the Clear Spring Wine Gourd at his waist and tipped back a large gulp.

The blue-red Spirit Wine mixed with rainwater and flowed down his chin.

As if sensing its master's resolve, the Azure Lotus Sword let out a stern hum.

Within the boundless curtain of rain.

Two figures and two nearly tangible waves of killing intent collided across the distance.

In an instant.

Li Zhixian moved.

The twelve Azure Lotuses engraved on the sword body suddenly bloomed, spewing forth crimson flames as thick as magma.

The flowing fire instantly wrapped around the blade, extending into a blazing tail of flame several meters long.

The extreme heat clashed violently with the cold rain, producing a piercing sizzle as even thicker white mist rose into the air.

Whoosh—!

The white figure tore through the rain, swift as a shooting star!

In the blink of an eye, he had crossed to within several meters of Zhao Wuji!

Li Zhixian bent his knees slightly, then abruptly straightened them, shooting several meters into the air like an arrow released from its bow!

He gripped the flaming sword with both hands and raised it high overhead!

"Second Spirit Skill—Three Sword Splendor!"

"Azure Lotus Sword Song Second Style—Two Forms: Blazing Sword!"

Amid his furious shout.

A dense purple Spirit Ring suddenly coiled around the sword.

The already peerlessly sharp flaming sword surged with even greater power.

The torrential rain around it seemed repelled by an invisible force field, turning into rolling white mist as it fled outward.

With the savage force of splitting a mountain.

Li Zhixian slashed fiercely down at Zhao Wuji's head.

"Li Zhixian, your talent is monstrous, but you are still too green."

Zhao Wuji stamped his right foot down.

The ground shook violently three times.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black!

Seven Spirit Rings rose from beneath his feet, and vast Soul Power erupted like a volcano!

His second Spirit Ring lit up with yellow light, while his fifth Spirit Ring flashed with suffocating black radiance.

His palm swelled to the size of a millstone. Thick golden fur burst through his skin and covered it.

"Second Spirit Skill—Great Strength Vajra Palm!"

"Fifth Spirit Skill—Raging Bear Soul!"

Facing the flaming sword cleaving down from the heavens.

Zhao Wuji's hand, transformed into the paw of a giant bear, lashed out with force capable of toppling mountains and overturning seas.

Where the palm wind passed, even the air compressed and collapsed, letting out overloaded explosions.

Boom boom boom boom—!!!

Sword and palm collided head-on.

Terrifying ripples of energy spread outward from the two of them.

The scarlet flames were scattered by the immense force. Crashing into the rain filling the sky, they turned into billowing steam that churned across hundreds of meters.

Li Zhixian had been short on money back then, so he had chosen this remote place.

Thus, despite the tremendous commotion, with the downpour masking it, no one had yet noticed the fierce battle in the rainy night.

A mountain-like force traveled through the sword.

Li Zhixian's palm split open, and the sword nearly flew from his grasp.

"Kid, train harder in your next life!"

A savage gleam filled Zhao Wuji's eyes.

His Soul Power boiled, and the force of his bear paw increased by another thirty percent.

Hum—!

The Azure Lotus Sword was violently knocked back by the overwhelming force, slamming into Li Zhixian's chest.

"Pfft—!"

A mouthful of blood sprayed into the vast white mist.

Li Zhixian flew backward like a kite with its string cut, even faster than he had come.

He crashed into the courtyard wall, which collapsed with a boom.

His body was buried beneath bricks and rubble.

A ferocious grin spread across Zhao Wuji's face. He waved away the white mist blocking his vision and strode toward the ruins that had buried Li Zhixian.

"Why do I feel so unsettled..."

At the Crown Prince's Palace.

Xue Qinghe, draped in pale yellow robes, walked to the window with tightly furrowed brows.

Whoosh—

She opened the window.

The sudden rush of wind and rain blew her outer robe from her shoulders.

She bent down to pick it up, but her fingertips struck the raised corner of a stone brick, and beads of blood immediately welled up.

At Dugu Manor.

Dugu Yan studied by lamplight late into the night.

She was not researching cultivation, nor was she studying poison arts.

Instead, she was earnestly learning the techniques of making soup.

"The soup I made for Little Brother Banished Immortal yesterday still seemed to lack something."

"The next time I invite him, I will definitely make an even better soup."

At Ye Manor.

Ye Lingling lay on her side upon the bed.

Through the window lattice, she watched the storm outside.

In her heart, she thought of what Li Zhixian had told her during the day.

"You do not need to cater to anyone, including your mother..."

A faint smile curved Ye Lingling's lips.

Then she drifted into sleep.

In the desolate, wrecked courtyard.

Zhao Wuji kicked aside broken bricks and roof tiles...