Half-Human Half-Demon Xu Bai

Twelve people suddenly appeared, each carrying a long sword on their back, the swords emitting a cold, eerie light.

They are similar in age and height; if you only look at their backs, you might mistake them for the same person.

Most importantly, the expressions on the faces of these people were exactly the same, their eyes filled with a coldness, staring straight at Xu Bai Xu Bai as if they wanted to devour him.

"Oh, twelve people have arrived. But before that, you'd better fix this wall." Xu Bai looked at the Twelve Sword Formation with a mocking expression.

Behind them, the cell wall had collapsed, the result of the commotion they had caused when they entered.

The leader, hearing Xu Bai's words, spoke with murderous intent, "He's already a dying man, yet he's still indulging in momentary pleasure. We came here specifically to send Lord Xu off on his final journey."

As they said this, the twelve people stood apart in a strange formation, and then their demeanor changed.

Each person is like a sharp sword, carrying the intent to strike.

Xu Bai remained unmoved, and the mockery in his eyes only grew stronger.

"Twelve people? Do you really think you can kill me?" Xu Bai said with interest. "How about this: you surrender to me, and I'll spare your lives. What do you say?"

The leader, upon hearing Xu Bai's words, spoke with disdain, "You may not understand your current situation. Song De has been held back by our people, and Prefect Zhou is currently inspecting Purple Wood Prefecture."

"So what?" Xu Bai gripped the hilt of the Black Saber Hundred Rends, and said, "You bunch of rotten potatoes think you can take my life? You think I'm worthless."

"He's so arrogant even when he's about to die. Brother, don't waste any more breath on him. He's definitely stalling for time." This time, before the leader could speak, one of the men behind him spoke up.

The leader stopped talking and drew his long sword from his back.

As he drew his longsword, the eleven men who followed him also drew theirs at the same time.

The killing intent on the field grew stronger, and this time, it surged straight towards Xu Bai.

"Wait!" Just as the leader was about to make a move, he suddenly noticed something was amiss.

Xu Bai remained remarkably calm throughout, not even drawing his knife. Was there something fishy about this?

Now is the final moment, and every step must be taken with utmost care. The leader has begun to have doubts.

Xu Bai Xu Bai witnessed this scene and sneered, pointing behind the leader.

"See? This is what you meant by 'I have no help'."

As soon as Xu Bai finished speaking, the twelve people present subconsciously turned their heads to look behind them, and then they all shivered.

A series of footsteps sounded, dense and rapid.

Not far away, a large group of people in dark figures came from afar and approached.

Song De, the Prefect Zhou, the Ingenious Craft Pavilion, and all the members of various families were not left out.

When they appeared, they surrounded the twelve people completely, leaving no room for escape.

"Squeak!"

A sickeningly loud door opening sounded, and Xu Bai walked out of the cell, looked at Song De, and smiled, "Lord Song, it seems you've resolved things on your end."

Song De held the long sword that had never been drawn. At this moment, the sword was covered with layers of blood and was still dripping blood. Clearly, this sword had killed many people before.

Upon hearing Xu Bai's voice, Song De laughed heartily, "Thanks to the intelligence provided by Lord Xu, I have successfully completed my mission and have killed them all."

As the Director of the Bureau of Surveillance, Song De was no ordinary man; his abilities alone were enough to qualify him for the position.

"Today, let us send them on their way!" Prefect Zhou a writing brush in one hand and a book in the other, exuding Righteous Qi that made evil spirits and monsters retreat in fear.

The others also showed signs of excitement.

The Pavilion Master of the Ingenious Craft Pavilion also arrived. They finally witnessed this scene. As long as today's task is completed, Xu Bai will at least be able to pass this test safely. After passing the test, they will also be considered heroes.

As for the families that had offended Xu Bai before, they were all looking for an opportunity to show their worth. Of course, they wouldn't let this chance pass, since it was the only time they could clear their names of past sins.

At this moment, the people of the Twelve Sword Formation became like fat sheep, surrounded by wolves, and dared not make the slightest move.

"Impossible!"

The leaders all felt like they were going crazy, muttering to themselves.

"Didn't you say it was just him? How could there be anyone else?"

"Wang Shu, you're setting me up!"

At this point, they shifted all the blame onto Wang Shu.

After all, they were inexplicably surrounded, and the blame could only be placed on the other side.

But is blaming the other party useful? Absolutely not.

"Fight to the death." The leader gritted his teeth and uttered two words.

"Oh, a fight to the death? It seems you still have some temper." Xu Bai said with a smile, "How about this, you submit to me, and I will spare your lives, give you some money, and find you a fertile piece of land so you can live out the rest of your lives."

"Dream on!" the leader sneered. "There have never been cowards among the people of Coiled Sword Mountain. Gentlemen, fight to the death!"

The remaining eleven men raised their longswords, as if summoned with courage, and shouted, "Fight to the death!"

Xu Bai curled his lip, finding it rather boring. He moved a chair out of the cell, sat down, and calmly waved his hand, saying, "Since they want to die, then grant their wish."

As soon as he finished speaking, Song De and the group Prefect Zhou moved and launched a coordinated attack on the Twelve Sword Formation.

"Defense!"

The leader shouted, and the sword formation immediately changed, forming an impenetrable barrier.

"I've long wanted to experience the skills of Coiled Sword Mountain, and today I finally have the chance." Song De, carrying his long sword, took the lead and charged into the crowd.

At this moment, Xu Bai, who had been observing, finally saw Song De's swordsmanship.

Each strike carried an unparalleled power, exuding an extremely domineering aura.

"Heavenly Saber Pavilion..." Xu Bai stroked his chin, thinking to himself, "I might go and take a look if I get the chance. If I can get a couple of books, that would be a huge profit."

He was quite interested in knives.

As Xu Bai was thinking this, the Prefect Zhou also took action.

The Righteous Qi transformed into characters, gradually forming an article in the sky, which landed on the book in the left hand of the Prefect Zhou. The next moment, the characters transformed into killing intent, covering the sky and the earth.

As these two made their move, the Pavilion Master of the Ingenious Craft Pavilion also sprang into action.

The Pavilion Master Ji raised his hand, and a wooden glove appeared on his hand, looking extremely rough.

"Smack!"

The Pavilion Master Ji snapped his fingers, and the glove shattered, forming a crossbow bolt in mid-air.

"The Heaven Slaughtering Crossbow!" Someone recognized it and exclaimed, "Wasn't that destroyed by that madman back then? How can there still be one?"

"Back in the day, the Ingenious Craft Pavilion was one of the top forces. It's nothing to be surprised about if they just copied a crossbow. They just lacked some arrows and could only use inferior ones."

After saying this, the Pavilion Master Ji raised his hand and fired a crossbow bolt at the Twelve Sword Formation.

Although it was just a small arrow, as it was shot, cries of agony filled the air, creating a mesmerizing spectacle.

The three leaders moved, and the remaining families did not stop either, using all sorts of methods, with the aim of annihilating everyone in front of them.

"Defense! Defense!" the leader shouted.

They were the most famous in Coiled Sword Mountain and were entrusted with important tasks, but at this moment, they felt a deep sense of powerlessness.

The other side was simply unsportsmanlike. With so many people gathered together, even if twelve more came, they might not be able to stop them! The attacks from both sides clashed, and in the next moment, these twelve people were torn to shreds by the attacks of Prefect Zhou and his men, just like paper.

The Righteous Qi of the Prefect Zhou arrived first, gathering the surrounding energy and slowing down the Twelve Sword Formation.

Song De swung his sword in one stroke, and although it was only one stroke, it left many afterimages, knocking all the weapons out of the hands of the group of people in front of him.

Just then, the Pavilion Master Ji's arrow arrived.

It missed its target but landed in the center of the Twelve Sword Formation, instantly creating a deafening explosion and sending up a massive shockwave.

With this attack, the Twelve Sword Formation could no longer hold steady and retreated, their formation broken.

At this time, attacks from other families also began.

"Puff!"

The twelve people present all coughed up blood and immediately became listless.

They were covered in all sorts of wounds, looking extremely gruesome. Some even had their facial features so mangled that it was impossible to tell what they looked like before.

Even if they are strong, they can't withstand the combined attack of so many people. Moreover, the weakest among them is a seventh-rank expert. How could twelve people possibly handle them together?

The fact that no one died wasn't because they were particularly powerful, but because Song De and his men deliberately showed mercy.

After all, this group of people is still very important. If we can get any information out of them, that would be a huge gain.

The leader turned around with difficulty and looked at Xu Bai, who was sitting leisurely in a chair, his face full of despair.

From beginning to end, the other side did not make a move. They were like useless people who did not even have the right to make a move after arriving.

"Have you never considered us as your opponents?" the leader couldn't help but ask.

Xu Bai stood up and shook his head. "It was true at first, but it wasn't in the end."

"Why?" the leader asked, puzzled.

"Your goal is to kill me, but your strength is insufficient for that. No matter how many schemes you employ, it will be futile." Xu Bai's tone was arrogant, yet this arrogance seemed remarkably harmonious on him.

Those present, witnessing this scene, suddenly felt particularly sorry for the group of people in front of them.

These twelve people still wanted to kill Xu Bai, but they didn't even have the most basic strength, so how could they possibly kill him?

It's like a child playing a game with an adult; the adult only needs to use a little force, and the child has no chance to fight back.

"As expected of someone favored by His Majesty the Emperor, our Ingenious Craft Pavilion has truly found a powerful patron this time."

Upon witnessing this scene, and especially upon sensing the unrestrained aura emanating from Xu Bai, the Pavilion Master Ji felt a surge of excitement within him.

Although he didn't show it, the look in his eyes was hard to hide.

"You few people think you can deal with Lord Xu? Don't you even know about Lord Xu's heroic deeds?"

"Who is Lord Xu? How could he possibly be afraid of you people? You're making a fool of yourself."

"What a bunch of pathetic creatures, in the end they still can't escape Lord Xu's grasp."

The family members began to praise him in unison, as if they were unwilling to miss this opportunity, and they praised Xu Bai to the skies.

After all, they had offended Xu Bai before, so they had to hurry up and flatter him, otherwise, if he held a grudge again, none of them could escape.

Song De walked the fastest, and in just a few steps he came up to the leader and grabbed him.

"Lord Xu, should we kill them or keep them?"

The people in front of them had lost the power to resist and could only lie listlessly on the ground, without even the strength to stand up.

"Keep it here, I have something important to do now." Xu Bai's gaze swept past the crowd and looked into the distance.

"Do you need our help?" Prefect Zhou asked.

Xu Bai shook his head and said, "You just need to keep an eye on these twelve people. That guy can't do anything to me."

After saying that, he used the Movement-Armor Break Second Revolution, transforming into a figure and disappearing into the distance.

"That guy?" Song De was slightly taken aback, then realized. "The guy from Chessboard Mountain."

From beginning to end, he felt something was missing, and now it seems that it was the mastermind behind Chessboard Mountain.

"You stay here and watch over them, I'm going to help Lord Xu." Song De wanted to leave.

But the next moment, he was stopped by the Prefect Zhou.

"Why are you stopping me?" Song De asked, puzzled.

"Lord Xu ordered us to stay here not just to keep an eye on these people, but to prevent them from launching a counterattack, or for any other unforeseen circumstances. If you leave, we will lose one of our fighting forces," Prefect Zhou said slowly.

"But it would be too dangerous for Lord Xu to go alone," Song De said hesitantly.

"Can you beat Lord Xu?" Prefect Zhou glanced at Song De.

Song De subconsciously said, "I haven't fought him, so I don't know, but Lord Xu's swordsmanship should be superior to mine. As a swordsman, I can sense that."

"That settles it then. Lord Xu must have his reasons for daring to chase after him alone. We shouldn't worry about him." Prefect Zhou patted Song De on the shoulder and said, "Let's keep an eye on this place first to avoid any unexpected situations."

Having said that, Song De had no choice but to drop the matter, as this place was also very important.

While they were guarding this spot, Xu Bai had already chased after them for quite some distance.

Not far ahead, a figure was running quickly.

While running, he would occasionally glance back. When he saw Xu Bai chasing after him, he became visibly flustered and ran even faster.

But all of this pales in comparison to Xu Bai's Movement-Armor Break Second Revolution.

The distance between the two is gradually closing.

By this time, they were gradually approaching the downtown area.

Since the other party arrived at noon and planned to take action at noon, there were many people on the street at that time.

These ordinary people witnessed this scene, and when they saw two afterimages flash before their eyes, they couldn't help but rub their eyes, wondering if they had seen it wrong.

Wang Shu ran quickly ahead, and he couldn't help but glance back every now and then. As the distance between them gradually closed, he became increasingly anxious.

He couldn't quite understand how Xu Bai had discovered him, since he had hidden himself very well, but now was not the time to think about such things.

If it were someone else chasing him, he could easily use different methods, such as finding an ordinary person as a hostage, or causing trouble here to delay the other party's pace.

But when Xu Bai was pursuing him, everything changed.

Everyone in the martial arts world knows that Xu Bai is ruthless and decisive, but he never hesitates or fusses over these issues.

If he really did it that way, Xu Bai wouldn't care about ordinary lives at all; he would just take his life.

"Run!"

This is the only way, and also the most helpless way.

Wang Shu was running with almost all the strength he had ever had, but the distance between them was still closing.

To put it simply, this is a hardware gap, and it's not something that can be created by just running a few tests.

As they drew closer, the two chased each other into the outskirts of the city. Wang Shu heard a sound coming from behind him.

"The more you run, the more excited I get. Once you've exhausted all your energy, it'll be even easier to kill you."

The voice was slow and leisurely, sounding very lazy, but to Wang Shu's ears, it was like a deadly demonic sound.

"Please stop chasing me. I won't fight you anymore. Please let me go, okay?" Wang Shu couldn't help but turn around and beg for mercy.

A truly capable person would disdain using fishing as a way to show off, and clearly, Wang Shu does not have that ability.

"Okay, as long as you stop, I can let bygones be bygones," Xu Bai replied straightforwardly.

His tone was sincere, but Wang Shu heard it quite differently.

sincere?

What utter nonsense about sincerity! For sincerity to come out of Xu Bai's mouth is utterly ridiculous.

If it had really stopped, people would probably have been beheaded by now.

Wang Shu gritted his teeth and kept running.

But as I said before, this is a gap in hardware, and no matter how hard he tries to escape, he can't bridge it. The distance between the two sides is getting closer and closer.

One hundred meters... fifty meters... thirty meters...

As they drew ever closer, Wang Shu finally couldn't hold back any longer.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

He finally realized that if he continued like this, he would die from excessive exhaustion, so he might as well risk his life.

Xu Bai suddenly stopped, looked at Wang Shu whose face was flushed, and smiled, "What? Didn't you say you were going to surrender? Why are you suddenly so tough?"

Hundreds of paper cranes fluttered around Xu Bai.

"Paper Art, so that's how you discovered me." Wang Shu finally understood. "Are you a monster? You've mastered this Paper Art to its peak?"

Wang Shu knew Seeking Traces and also knew that the Paper Art could be used for surveillance.

But being able to hide one's tracks while under surveillance is something that can only be achieved by reaching the pinnacle of cultivation.

He had intelligence and knew when Xu Bai obtained the book. In less than a month, he had reached the peak? If he had known this, he wouldn't have even bothered to look at it. But this was something no one could have imagined.

Who the hell could have imagined that someone with multiple cultivation points could cultivate those auxiliary abilities to their peak? "Oh... you mean this?" Xu Bai said casually, "Actually, this is just standard practice."

"Puff!"

Wang Shu almost coughed up blood.

That's bullshit about standard operating procedures. If there's such a standard procedure, then teach me; I want to learn it.

After this period of time, Wang Shu became even more unable to calm down.

At this point, he understood that only one of them could survive.

"Fight with all your might!"

Wang Shu raised his right hand, and the next moment, a glowing chessboard slowly appeared, hovering above his right palm.

The chessboard is only the size of a fist, but the patterns on it are clearly visible.

When Wang Shu raised his hand, the fist-sized glowing chessboard suddenly enlarged and crashed to the ground with a bang, covering the entire surrounding area.

"I refuse to believe I can't kill you!" Wang Shu gritted his teeth and said, "Dragon Slayer! Rise!"

There is a move in Go called "Slaughtering the Great Dragon".

This is also Wang Shu's strongest move.

"Today it's either you die or I live."

He had been driven to the brink of despair, with no other way out. After all, things had come to this point, and he couldn't possibly beg Xu Bai to let him go.

If you can't outrun them, then you have no choice but to fight, to burn your bridges and go all in.

An enlarged chessboard appeared around them, with countless chess pieces floating in mid-air.

After the black and white pieces appeared, they rotated and enlarged continuously in mid-air.

The rotating and magnified black and white pieces gradually converged, transforming into an enormous long sword.

With this sword, I will slay the dragon! This long sword is the size of a millstone, made of black and white stones, and it emits a soft, glowing light.

Besides its murderous aura, this longsword also carried a mysterious energy, like the feeling of having seen the world and taken it all into one's embrace.

Of course, in Xu Bai's view, all of this was far from enough.

It's only in its rudimentary form. If even this rudimentary form can easily overwhelm him, then he's no longer worth living.

"Your knife is an assembly, and so is mine," Xu Bai said with a smile as he drew his Hundred Rifts sword from his waist.

As soon as he finished speaking, the Black Saber Hundred Rends seemed to respond to him, and in the next moment it suddenly exploded, turning into a sky full of starlight.

Hundreds of fragments spun continuously, surrounding Xu Bai Xu Bai, who seemed like the moon surrounded by stars, looking down on all living beings.

"How do my combination of knives compare to yours?" Xu Bai asked casually.

Wang Shu: "..."

For some reason, a deep sense of powerlessness rose in his heart, a powerlessness that stemmed from the man in front of him.

According to previous intelligence, this man has only been in this circle for a short time, yet he has already amassed such power and influence, which is truly terrifying.

It has many abilities and high strength; even this weapon now gives people a sense of oppression.

It should be noted that for Xu Bai at his age to reach the fourth rank is already considered an exceptional achievement.

Moreover, given Xu Bai's outstanding abilities in all aspects, he estimated that even a dozen or so experts of the same level might not be able to defeat him.

And now, this strange weapon has been added to the mix.

Sometimes, only when you are an opponent can you truly understand how terrifying your enemy is. Wang Shu is experiencing this feeling right now.

That strange black knife could split into hundreds of pieces, and Wang Shu had already figured out how to use it.

It's all a blur of reality and illusion; you never know if the next cut will be real or fake.

Perhaps with the next strike, it will shatter into countless fragments; perhaps with the next strike, it will become a solid blade once more.

Most importantly, Xu Bai can control all these fragments, which is the most terrifying thing.

"If I were to die by this blade today, it would be an honor."

This thought suddenly arose in Wang Shu's mind.

From his limited intelligence, he had never seen Xu Bai use this weapon before. Today was the first time he had used it. Perhaps, dying under Xu Bai's weapon would be a kind of honor.

"Come on." Wang Shu took a deep breath and raised his right hand.

With the index and middle fingers of the right hand together, one above the other, mimicking the posture of playing chess, a light tap in the air.

The enormous dragon-slaying sword suddenly fell with a thunderous roar, causing the huge chessboard to tremble.

This move is the art of slaying a dragon in chess, and it is also Wang Shu's ultimate skill.

He was confident that even if Song De, that old fox, were here, he could still achieve remarkable results.

But facing Xu Bai, he felt uncertain.

The long sword formed by combining black and white pieces arrived above Xu Bai's head in an instant.

Xu Bai raised his head, stared at the long sword slashing down from above, and actually shook his head slightly.

"You only know chess, not knives."

The sudden remark stunned Wang Shu. Then, right before Wang Shu's eyes, Xu Bai unleashed the Black Saber Hundred Rends.

Half of the fragments gathered together, forming the shape of a short sword, which struck directly at the long sword composed of black and white pieces.

This strike was chillingly malevolent.

The other half of the fragment surrounded Xu Bai, protecting him like a god.

Xu Bai might not be able to sense it, but in Wang Shu's eyes, Xu Bai at this moment was half extremely evil and half infinitely kind.

They are contradictory, yet they blend together perfectly.

"Who... who is he?" Wang Shu was completely stunned.

This state is just like that of the Feng Shui Master who tried to plunder Xu Bai's destiny back in Yunlai Prefecture.

The long sword composed of black and white pieces shattered in an instant, then transformed into a sky full of starlight and disappeared.

The chessboard didn't fall apart, but Wang Shu's face was deathly pale, and he had no strength left, so he collapsed to the ground.

"Why!"

Wang Shu's hysterical questioning.

Why can't I even withstand one of your blows?

"You said I only know chess, not swordsmanship, why?"

"I refuse to accept this! I refuse to accept this!"

His expression became frantic, his hands flailing about on the ground as if trying to grasp something, but he couldn't get it.

"Your chess moves aim to slay a large dragon, but to slay a large dragon, you need a good sword. You only have the way of chess, but no sword, and your sword is not sharp." Xu Bai waved the Hundred Rifts in his hand.

The fragments surrounding him gathered together again; the Hundred Rifts weapon was still the same Hundred Rifts weapon, as if it had never changed.

"The knife... isn't sharp?" Wang Shu's eyes widened, unable to believe his ears.

He tried to stand up, supporting himself with his hands and using his legs to push off.

But he only stood halfway before he fell to the ground again, blood seeping through his clothes and gushing from his entire body.

"If I practice swordsmanship, can I break through?" Seeing that he could no longer get up, Wang Shu simply lay back on the ground, looking at the white sky.

"I don't know," Xu Bai said calmly.

With that last strike, Wang Shu's life force was gone; there was no need for him to waste any more time.

"You didn't know either... It turns out there are things in this world that you don't know, hahahaha..." Wang Shu laughed loudly.

As his laughter faded, his life force gradually died out. His eyes lost their luster, and eventually, his chest stopped rising and falling, turning him into a corpse.

"Another one gone." Xu Bai yawned and looked around at the space made up of a chessboard.

Since Wang Shu died, the surrounding chessboard space has begun to shake, as if it has lost its foundation and can no longer be stable.

The colors are gradually fading, and then the huge chessboard space gradually shrinks back to the original size of a fist.

Xu Bai originally wanted to turn around and leave. After all, he had killed the person and the matter was over. There was nothing else for him to do, and he still had to go back and continue working on the progress bar.

But before he could turn around, he stopped in his tracks, his eyes fixed on the ground.

A chessboard fell to the ground; it was formed from that enormous chessboard space.

Without the light it had emitted earlier, the ordinary wooden chessboard, only the size of a fist, resembled a miniature sculpture.

But in Xu Bai's eyes, this chessboard was different.

Progress bar! Above the chessboard, a gleaming golden progress bar catches the eye, which is why Xu Bai stopped.

"Good!"

I never expected such an unexpected bonus.

Xu Bai's eyes lit up. He took three steps at a time and walked to the chessboard. He picked it up, looked around, and when he saw that no one was around, he put it into the bundle behind him.

He thought it would be as simple as dealing with the person behind the scenes, but he was surprised to be given a progress bar, which was a pleasant surprise.

"I'll go back to the Prefectural Office to rest for a while, and after I finish the next Nameless Saber Scripture Manual, I'll set off for the next place," Xu Bai thought to himself as he stood there.

Having an extra chessboard is a good thing, but getting down to business is still the priority.

Time waits for no one, so he hurried to the Capital City to visit the Imperial Treasury.

After the battle, the surroundings fell silent, and the intense scene from the beginning was gone.

Xu Bai took the chessboard and, without lingering, prepared to return to the Purple Wood Prefecture.

However, before leaving, he still habitually searched Wang Shu's body thoroughly.

"Just a chessboard, nothing else. They're really poor!" Xu Bai said, stuffing the silver he had found into his pocket while thinking how poor the other party was.

They pursued fiercely when they came, and returned unimpeded.

With no one behind the scenes, there was naturally no one to deal with him, and the journey was quite peaceful.

After a long journey, he finally returned to the Prefectural Office.

But when Xu Bai entered the Prefectural Office Prefectural Office and saw the situation inside, he was stunned.

The Prefectural Office was in complete disarray.