Melting Blood!?

"BOOM!"

A streak of blood-colored light descended from the sky, smashing heavily between Pei Qingyan and Liu Yun. In an instant, rubble flew in all directions, and a wild wave of air surged outward like a tide, blasting a massive crater into the hard rock floor!

"Pfft!"

Even the mere aftershock struck Pei Qingyan like a ten-thousand-jin hammer slamming into him head-on. A sweet taste flooded his throat, and he, along with Frost Scar in his hand, was sent flying several zhang away by an irresistible force.

The dust slowly cleared. A figure as imposing as a mountain gradually revealed itself.

The newcomer stood over nine chi tall, his bare upper body rippling with muscles like crimson refined iron, exuding a fierce, brutal aura that seemed capable of crushing everything in its path. Above his head, blood qi churned and condensed into a blazing blood-colored flame! On his ferocious Black Iron Gauntlets, crimson blood droplets still dripped one by one, a gruesome sight.

"Venerable Meng! You've finally come!"

Liu Yun, having narrowly escaped death, scrambled and crawled to hide behind the burly man. His face was pale as paper, and he pointed at Qin Jue and the other two, his eyes a mix of venom and terror as he shrieked, "It's these three reckless bastards! They killed Shen Yutang and even dared to spout nonsense, saying the Ning Family is nothing, and that even if Young Master Ning himself came, they'd kill him without a second thought! Venerable Meng, you must tear them apart limb by limb, grind their bones to dust!"

This man, known in the Ning Family as "Bone Shatterer" Meng Kuang, didn't even spare Liu Yun a glance, treating him like an ant. His gaze fell on Qin Jue and the other two.

"Three little brats, daring to touch someone from my Ning Family?" Meng Kuang's voice boomed like rolling thunder, making ears ring and blood qi churn.

"Hundred Refinements Sixth Layer... Hundred Refinements Fifth Layer..." His eyes, sharp as blades, swept over Pei Qingyan and Tang Xiaoman before finally settling on Qin Jue. A grin split his face. "And a Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer? Interesting, truly interesting!"

Qin Jue's pupils contracted sharply! An unprecedented sense of deadly crisis flooded his entire body!

"Blood qi reaching the crown, condensed without dispersing..." Qin Jue's heart sank to the depths. He forced out a few words through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse:

"Hundred Refinements Seventh Layer... Blood Melting Realm!!!"

The moment these words left his mouth, Tang Xiaoman, who had just struggled to his feet, turned deathly pale, all color draining from his face. He cried out in shock, "Wh... what?! Blood Melting Realm!? This... how are we supposed to fight this? This isn't even on the same level!"

"Oh? Scared?" Meng Kuang twisted his neck, thicker than a normal man's thigh, producing a series of cracking pops. He looked at the three with a cat-and-mouse glint in his eyes, sneering, "Since you're scared, just kill yourselves. Save me the trouble of dirtying my fists."

Arrogant! Arrogant to the extreme! Arrogant to the point of seeing no one else!

But this was the confidence of a Blood Melting Realm expert! A martial artist at this level had blood qi as blazing and boiling as raging fire, strength reaching ten thousand jin, a body tougher than refined steel, and ordinary blades couldn't even scratch them. To such a person, common martial artists were no different from ants!

"Enough talk!"

In response came Pei Qingyan's icy, bone-chilling roar!

A blade-wielder's heart bends but never breaks! A warrior may die, but not be humiliated!

"Clang!"

The blade's cry split the air! Pei Qingyan poured every last drop of his remaining blood qi into the saber. Instead of retreating, he charged forward, his form turning into a death-gray lightning bolt. Man and blade merged perfectly in that instant as he unleashed the strongest strike he could muster!

Stream Breaking Saber—Stream Break!

This strike was incomparably fierce, its biting cold seeming to freeze the very air ahead before cleaving it in two!

"Well done! You've got some spine!"

A bloodthirsty excitement flickered in Meng Kuang's eyes. Facing a blow that could instantly kill any martial artist of the same rank, he didn't dodge or evade. Instead, he let out a thunderous laugh, his left hand, wrapped in the blood-colored gauntlet, shot out, fingers spread wide, and grasped at the deadly blade mid-air!

"Clang—!!!"

A deafening clash of metal rang out!

Pei Qingyan's unstoppable [Frost Scar] was locked tight by a visible blood-colored qi barrier. The blade's edge was still three inches from Meng Kuang's palm, yet it couldn't advance a single inch further!

"What?!" Pei Qingyan's eyes bulged in utter disbelief.

"Break... for me!"

Meng Kuang sneered, his fingers suddenly tightening!

"Boom!"

The blood-colored qi barrier exploded violently, sending a surge of savage force racing back along the blade! Pei Qingyan felt as if his internal organs had been knocked out of place by the impact. Blood sprayed from his mouth, and he, along with [Frost Scar], flew backward like a kite with a snapped string, crashing heavily to the ground!

"Pfft!"

Mid-air, Pei Qingyan couldn't suppress his churning blood qi and spat out another mouthful of blood mixed with organ fragments, slamming into a rock wall several zhang away.

"Old Pei!"

Tang Xiaoman's eyes split with rage. His fear of death had now completely transformed into blazing fury!

"You bastard, I'll fight you to the death!"

His eyes bloodshot, without a second thought, he activated his last-resort life-saving secret technique!

Blood Boil! Burn one's own blood qi in exchange for a temporary surge in combat power!

"Roar!"

Tang Xiaoman let out an inhuman howl. In an instant, his skin turned red-hot like a branding iron, and wisps of blood mist steamed from his pores. His entire aura swelled by over thirty percent in the blink of an eye!

"Die!"

Leveraging the terrifying power from the secret technique, his form shot forward like a cannonball from the side, charging straight at Meng Kuang. His right leg, infused with all his strength, whipped out in a kick that could shatter mountains, tearing through the air with a shrill howl as it aimed viciously at Meng Kuang's ribs!

Mountain Stomping Leg—Mountain Collapse!

Yet, facing this kick that could shatter solid rock, Meng Kuang let out a disdainful sneer. Without even turning his head, he simply swung a fist back in a brutal, sweeping strike!

"Thud—!!!"

Fist met leg with a dull, war-drum-like boom!

Tang Xiaoman felt as if his kick had struck a burning iron mountain! The violent, scorching rebound force instantly threatened to shatter his leg bones! Then, an even more terrifying, mountain-toppling force crushed down upon him!

He flew backward like a tattered sack, faster than he had come, slamming heavily into a pile of rubble and kicking up a cloud of dust.

Two moves! Two people severely injured!

This was the terror of the Blood Melting Realm! Both blood energy and physical defense had reached a new, despairing level!

"Fancy tricks. Can't take a hit."

Meng Kuang flicked his fist dismissively, as if he had just swatted away an annoying fly. He turned slowly, his eyes filled with brutality and endless killing intent, finally landing on the only one still standing in the arena—Qin Jue.

"Now, it's your turn." He licked his cracked lips, savoring his final prey. "Will you do it yourself, or do you need me to lend a hand?"

Qin Jue's face was as calm as water, but his heart was shaken.

Too strong! Strong enough to make one despair! Neither Pei Qingyan's razor-sharp blade nor Tang Xiaoman's life-burning strike had managed to inflict even a scratch on this monster!

Yet, the more he saw this, the calmer Qin Jue became!

Retreat? That word had never existed on his martial path!

"If you want my life, you'd better have the skill to take it!"

All fear vanished from Qin Jue's eyes, replaced by a volcanic eruption of fighting spirit! He took a step forward, and the Cold Iron Sword sang as it left its sheath!

Sword light flowed like water; the sword's hum surged like the tide!

Tide Rising Sword Technique Third Layer—Tidal Stance!

In an instant, dozens of sword lights materialized out of thin air, sometimes crashing like raging waves against the shore, fierce and domineering; sometimes flowing like hidden currents, subtle and treacherous. The sword momentum was unbroken, layer upon layer, weaving into an impenetrable net of blades that covered every vital point on Meng Kuang's body!

"Oh? This sword strike has some merit." A flicker of surprise passed through Meng Kuang's eyes.

"But before absolute power, any technique is nothing but a joke!"

He let out a wild laugh, and facing the storm of sword shadows, he thrust both fists forward with all his might!

"Break for me... NOW!!!"

Boom!!!

The boiling blood energy erupted without reservation! Centered on him, a visible wave of blood-colored qi shot into the sky, madly shredding everything around!

"Shhhh!"

Qin Jue's seemingly flawless sword net, the moment it touched the blood-colored wave, melted away like snow under the scorching sun, torn apart and dissolved in an instant!

A violent force surged through the sword blade. Qin Jue grunted, a sweet taste rising in his throat. The shockwave sent him stumbling back seven or eight steps, each step leaving a deep footprint in the hard rock floor before he barely managed to steady himself.

"Is that all you've got?"

Meng Kuang approached step by step. Each footfall made the ground tremble slightly, and the thick, almost tangible pressure of his blood energy suffocated the air.

He looked down at Qin Jue, who was kneeling on one knee, his eyes full of mockery and cruelty, like a predator savoring its prey's final, futile struggle.

"I thought I'd run into something tough, something to stretch my muscles. But instead... I get three bugs I can crush whenever I feel like it!"

He shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh. "Too weak. Way too weak. So weak you can't even get me interested!"

"Pah!"

A curse rang out from the rubble nearby.

Tang Xiaoman struggled to push the stones off himself, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with bits of his organs. Half his body was caved in, and who knew how many ribs were broken, but his face still held an unyielding fierceness.

Between coughs of blood, he cursed in broken sentences, "If you've got the guts... cough... wait until I heal up, and I'll fight you three hundred rounds!"

"Oh? Still got a hard mouth."

Meng Kuang glanced at him with interest, grinning savagely. "Don't worry, I won't let you die that fast. I'll break every bone in your body, inch by inch, and let you truly experience... what real despair is!"

"You..."

Tang Xiaoman wanted to curse again, but the undisguised cruelty in Meng Kuang's eyes made his heart clench, and the words died in his throat.

He wasn't afraid of death—from the day he became a hunter, he had carried his life on his belt. But he was afraid of this fear of being toyed with and slaughtered like an ant!

On the other side, Pei Qingyan, leaning against the rock wall, opened his eyes.

Agony eroded his consciousness like a tide; every breath was torment. He looked at Qin Jue, kneeling on one knee but with his spine still straight, and a flash of shame and resolve crossed his somewhat unfocused eyes.

"A mere Hundred Refinements Fourth Layer hasn't fallen yet... and I, Pei Qingyan, am I just going to lie here and wait to die?"

No... never!

He glanced at the severely injured Tang Xiaoman, then finally fixed his gaze on his own blade, [Frost Scar], lying not far away.

Even if he had to die, he would swing one last slash! That was his final dignity as a blademaster!