Soft Sword

As the words fell, a cold glint flashed, and the Colorful Ribbons burst. The enemy now held a long sword in his hand, though no one knew when he'd acquired it.

The sword emanated a chilling glow, slicing through the dim twilight and thrusting directly at Liu Ruyan's chest. Confident, as no one had ever escaped this move before, Liu Ruyan was very close to her attacker. The situation changed abruptly, the sword tip arriving in an instant, incredibly perilous.

Liu Ruyan's expression darkened. Her forearm trembled, and the Colorful Ribbons, like agile snakes, coiled around the long sword, layer by layer, forming a net. Given their respective speeds, the long sword would be ensnared by these ribbons before it could strike Liu Ruyan.

"So strong!" Liu Ruyan's casual deflection of the danger drew an involuntary exclamation of admiration from Jiang Shuo.

Just then, the enemy's sword body vibrated, twisting in several bizarre curves that blurred the vision. When it reappeared, it had dodged the dense net of Colorful Ribbons and changed direction, stabbing towards Liu Ruyan's throat.

"What!?" Jiang Shuo was greatly alarmed. Only then did he notice the slender sword in the enemy's hand – it was a Soft Sword. A Soft Sword could be concealed around the waist, making it difficult to detect, which explained why he hadn't noticed it earlier.

The sudden turn of events finally brought a flicker of panic to Liu Ruyan's usually composed expression.

At this moment, the sword tip was only an inch from Liu Ruyan's throat. Jiang Shuo shouted and ran towards her desperately, but it was too late to help.

Just as Jiang Shuo was about to close his eyes, unable to bear watching the next scene, the panic on Liu Ruyan's face vanished, replaced by calm.

She raised her palm, fingers curled, and grabbed towards the sword's edge.

One side was hard steel, the other flesh and blood. The outcome that should have been obvious took an unexpected turn – Liu Ruyan controlled her hand with extreme precision. Her palm pressed against the flat surface of the sword blade, her fingers gripping the opposite side, making absolutely no contact with the sharp edges. Then, Liu Ruyan exerted sudden force. With a crisp snap, the sword broke into several pieces, clattering to the ground.

The enemy's eyes widened, his face filled with disbelief at Liu Ruyan's immense strength.

Having resolved the crisis, Liu Ruyan swiftly counterattacked. The intertwined Colorful Ribbons spread out like a vast net, enveloping the enemy once more.

Colored light reflected in his pupils. Knowing escape was impossible, the enemy's expression turned cold. He reversed the broken sword in his hand and cut directly across his own throat.

The blade sliced through flesh, and hot blood spurted from the wound. Liu Ruyan was caught off guard. Even as she retreated and waved her Colorful Ribbons, her clothes were inevitably splattered with bloodstains.

The enemy collapsed heavily onto the ground, his face turned to one side, limbs twitching slightly, emitting low groaning sounds. Soon, his breathing stopped, and he died. Only the blood from his throat continued to well up, gradually diminishing.

Liu Ruyan lightly tapped the ground with her toes and leaped over. She looked down at the corpse on the ground, her expression solemn, her eyes deep in thought.

The enemy's immediate suicide, without hesitation, delivered a powerful visual shock that left Jiang Shuo deeply shaken and unable to calm down. After a moment, he slowly walked forward and crouched before the body, reaching out his hand to search for any useful information.

"No need to look. There are absolutely no clues on him. Someone willing to commit suicide rather than reveal information would never make such a basic mistake," Liu Ruyan said calmly.

Jiang Shuo looked back at Liu Ruyan. Though he knew she was telling the truth, he still searched with a sliver of hope, only to find nothing, just as she had predicted.

Disappointed, Jiang Shuo straightened up. After a moment of contemplation, he said heavily, "First the Man in Black who burned the bodies, and now him. What great secrets are hidden behind these two?"

"The disciples of ordinary martial arts sects would never act so extremely. We don't know what kind of behemoth we are facing," Liu Ruyan agreed, her brow furrowed with worry.

"The Man in Black last time left at least some clues in his moves, but this enemy is far more deeply hidden. However, one thing is certain: he is not from the Mad Saber Sect. Judging by his skills, there must be a powerful force behind him. The Mad Saber Sect is already a top sect in Yulin, and with the force behind him, the killer's identity…" Jiang Shuo trailed off, unable to continue. The implications of the entire affair went beyond his imagination.

Instantly, a dark cloud seemed to settle over them. Faced with the increasingly perplexing situation, they both fell silent.

Not far away, residents in small groups cautiously glanced over, pointing and whispering, but not daring to approach. They recognized Liu Ruyan and knew this was a martial arts feud, so they didn't even consider reporting it to the authorities.

Before long, disciples from Dream Red Pavilion arrived with Taohong. Taohong's condition had improved significantly, and with the support of her companions, she could walk.