After cutting down his "master" with a single stroke, Xiang Yuan felt no confusion. Even if the fog shifted again, it could no longer disturb his calm, still-water heart.
He held his saber at his side and swept his cold gaze across the surroundings. As the heavy fog receded, faint outlines of doorways appeared all around him. It didn't look like a ghostly wall; it seemed more like some kind of formation.
The Yellow Springs Dao disciples were no ordinary folk. Their methods were even more formidable than the black-robed man's.
The last time Xiang Yuan had slain someone above his level, it was because the black-robed man had underestimated him and believed he had the whole situation under control. He hadn't known about Xiang Yuan's Golden Finger, which split his primordial spirit into three, nor that Xiang Yuan had his martial uncle's help—or that he possessed the Heavenly Blade's ultimate martial art.
This time, his opponent was cautious and careful, giving her all even against a rabbit. The odds of a successful sneak attack were almost nonexistent. It wouldn't just be a bitter fight; it would be a fight to the death.
Nine chances of death, one chance of survival.
Nine for Xiang Yuan, one for his opponent.
If Steady were in his place, he would already be making plans, appearing to be prey, feigning weakness to his enemy, and seeking a slim chance to survive.
Cold Blood was different. A chance at survival had to be fought for. He couldn't defeat his enemy without fighting, and he couldn't survive without killing. Rather than hesitate and pin his hopes on the enemy making a mistake, he would abandon every retreat and trust only the long saber in his hand.
Mistakes had to be forced out through fighting. If he didn't strike, how could his opponent make a mistake?
Xiang Yuan didn't know what Doubi would do, so he didn't dare let that nature take the lead. He was afraid it might drop into a tiger-like pose and spout something ridiculous about wanting to call her "Dad."
Actually, Doubi really might do that.
A cold glint filled Xiang Yuan's eyes. Saber in hand, he charged straight toward one of the doorways.
This was the Gate of Death, the most dangerous place and the one full of the most variables. Anyone without a fearless heart shouldn't venture in lightly.
Xiang Yuan stepped through the Gate of Death, and a figure appeared before him. The black robe looked exactly like the Yellow Springs Dao disciple's from the previous night, but the outline was very different. It seemed to belong to a woman.
Seeing Xiang Yuan enter the Gate of Death without hesitation, saber in hand and cold eyes fearless, the black-robed woman paused. Her voice was hoarse as she said, "You've got guts. I need a vicious ghost to keep by my side. You'll do."
A weapon wrapped in black cloth was tucked behind the black-robed woman's waist. It looked like it might be a staff or a sword. She didn't draw it. Instead, she raised her arm and used her slender fingers to stir the yin energy of the mass grave, summoning a violent gale that sent her black robe whipping and snapping.
Her figure was graceful and curvaceous. She was indeed a woman.
Xiang Yuan held Wang Wenxu's calligraphy before him. Fiery red light shattered the oncoming Fierce Yin Wind, and he leaped forward, his long saber cleaving through the gale as he charged straight at his opponent.
Under the yin wind's assault, the four characters "People Have Intentions" dimmed. The red light went out, and the calligraphy could no longer ward off evil.
Xiang Yuan's eyes were cold as frost. He saw only the formidable enemy before him, nothing else. Abandoning the scroll, he drove his saber forward like a shooting star from beyond the heavens.
Man and saber as one, he pierced the darkness. Wherever the blade flashed, the air split, the wind fell silent, and the yin energy lost its color.
Heavenly Blade, first form: Lone Star Chasing Moon!
He struck with a killing blow, leaving himself no way back.
The black-robed woman saw only a flash of saber light, like a cold star. The instant its sharp edge reached her, its momentum reached its absolute peak. If she met it with her bare palm, even the most skillful claw technique wouldn't stop it from severing all five fingers.
Clang!
A long sword left its sheath. Its light was as lovely as poetry and painting, as dreamlike and illusory. One dazzling, brilliant flash captivated the heart and lingered in the mind. It was a sword art from some unknown lineage.
Saber and sword collided. Intense killing intent burst forth in a flash of lightning, leaving an indelible trace in midair.
When the two ultimate arts clashed, Xiang Yuan had the advantage of attacking first, while the black-robed woman had the advantage of a deeper cultivation realm. They were evenly matched, and neither gained the upper hand.
But combat on a battlefield was nothing like sparring in a practice yard. Beyond cultivation, temperament, and martial arts, the fight also depended on their weapons.
Half a blade fell to the ground, stabbing straight into the soil.
Xiang Yuan gripped his broken saber tightly. Seeing the sharp long sword in the black-robed woman's hand and the hood of her robe blown back by the saber wind, he coolly said a name: "Sima Qingyan. The county magistrate's daughter is actually a Yellow Springs Dao disciple. How interesting."
Thanks to the experience he'd gained from killing the black-robed man the previous night, and the benefits of practicing late into the night, his Formless Seal Method's spiritual art, Candle Yin Casting God, had improved. He had grown more proficient with Lone Star Chasing Moon, and Cold Blood had used the move without exhausting his primordial spirit on the spot.
He couldn't wield Lone Star Chasing Moon again, but at least he wouldn't immediately go offline after one slash.
"I'm the one who's curious. That move just now was the orthodox art of the Heavenly Saber Sect. Where did a lowly constable with no sect or master learn such an advanced martial art? Was it taught at a martial arts school?"
Sima Qingyan's beautiful face turned cold. When she heard the words "Yellow Springs Dao disciple," a flicker of displeasure crossed her eyes.
She turned her long sword, its light rippling like water. "Your cultivation is far beneath mine. Your Ren Meridian is blocked, and your true qi is nothing to speak of. Controlling your saber with your mind has drained your primordial spirit. Now you're holding a broken blade. You still want to fight?"
"Fight!"
Xiang Yuan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were bloodshot and brimming with murderous intent. A layer of blood mist shrouded the broken blade's jagged edge.
Blood Sea art: Everlasting Killing Intent!
This move was similar to the Heavenly Demon Disintegration Great Art, yet far more powerful. Under the effect of Everlasting Killing Intent, a martial artist's primordial spirit was strengthened to its utmost limit. Their blood surged inside them like a raging sea, crashing and swelling with boundless force.
The killing intent set like stone, hard as a rock. He forgot life and death, forgot pain. Only the killing intent in his heart remained, a blazing fire that burned hotter and hotter.
Such a powerful martial art couldn't possibly come without a cost. As the killing intent became unshakable, the martial artist's blood rapidly burned away like a candle set alight—brilliant for a moment, but doomed to burn out.
Unlike Lone Star Chasing Moon, this move didn't consume the primordial spirit's energy. It had nothing to do with martial intent or cultivation realm. It took an unorthodox path, burning blood to fight. Its tragic resolve was beyond words. It was a secret art passed down only within the Blood Sea Dao.
The Blood Sea Dao had another supporting technique. During battle, its user could draw blood from a powerful enemy, fighting without falling and spending without dying, minimizing their own losses. But the fragments of his martial uncle's memories didn't contain the method, so Xiang Yuan couldn't learn it. Steady wouldn't dare use the move, either.
Cold Blood was different. He burned his bridges before him the moment he met a powerful enemy.
Blood-red saber light blossomed, profound and strange, peerlessly fierce and utterly bizarre.
Sima Qingyan was shocked. She didn't recognize the move, but she knew it wasn't an art of the Heavenly Saber Sect. Its origins were extraordinary; it had to be among the finest arts in the world. As she wielded her long sword to defend herself, she tried to guess its origins, but she couldn't imagine Xiang Yuan's true background.
What sect did he belong to? How could he have so many different methods?
Saber light and sword shadows crossed and changed. Xiang Yuan unleashed all sixty-four forms of the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber. His saber strokes flowed in a perfect circle, swift and fierce. The blade's light bloomed like pear blossoms filling a tree. He held nothing back with every strike, each one a fight to the death.
Sima Qingyan had plenty of combat experience and the advantage of a higher cultivation realm. When it came to true qi, she held every advantage. Her swordsmanship encompassed endless possibilities. The sword in her hand seemed like a fish swimming freely: one moment it was as swift as a startled swan, the next it was a net. Her changes flowed effortlessly, putting her far beyond Xiang Yuan.
A perfect hexagon, without a single weakness!
But she lacked killing intent and the ruthless resolve to go all out. Xiang Yuan's reckless fighting style drove her back again and again.
Xiang Yuan seized the initiative and forced an opening from an enemy who had none. Blood surged in his eyes as he grinned savagely and unleashed Lone Star Chasing Moon.
The broken blade was stained with blood, like something from the realm of demons and ghosts. The wind shuddered, its howls shrill.
Sima Qingyan didn't dare underestimate him. She met the attack with her sect's ultimate art.
After a clash of metal, the long sword flew from Sima Qingyan's hand. A line of blood ran from her palm to her arm, her sleeve torn halfway off. Drops of blood slid from her fingers.
The broken saber in Xiang Yuan's hand was riddled with chips. It let out a mournful cry, then shattered into pieces, leaving only the hilt.
After unleashing Lone Star Chasing Moon twice in succession, Cold Blood's energy ran out, and he went offline on the spot. Everlasting Killing Intent also came to an end.
Sima Qingyan's face was ashen. She was at the Acupoint Opening Stage, yet an opponent at the Qi Refining Stage had kept her on the defensive. He hadn't only knocked the sword from her hand; he had injured her right arm, the one she used to wield it.
The top student had taken another blow. Her mental state was on the verge of collapse.
Fortunately, the situation wasn't too bad. Her opponent was already at the end of his rope. The battle had been brutal, but she had won in the end.
"Your saber's gone. You still want to resist?"
Seeing Xiang Yuan pant and charge at her with his fists raised, his steps unsteady from the loss of blood, Sima Qingyan felt a measure of respect. At the same time, she lifted her left hand and used a misty, ethereal palm technique, clearly of a different style from the Fierce Yin Wind she had used before.
The moment they exchanged blows, Sima Qingyan was once again filled with doubt. Xiang Yuan's primordial spirit should have been depleted, yet it was full and unharmed. He didn't look exhausted at all. Even his chaotic footwork had been an act.
Not only that, but Xiang Yuan switched between fists, claws, and fingers. His fistwork was fierce and subdued demons; his clawwork was compassionate and held back; his finger technique was light and imbued with Zen. They were clearly orthodox Buddhist martial arts.
What on earth was this guy? Even if he'd been practicing from the moment he was born, he shouldn't have mastered this many different martial arts styles!
Outside the formation, three figures stood together.
"Master of Worthy Virtue, this is a fine formation. Your bearing hasn't diminished since the old days. I'm impressed, I'm impressed..."
Xiao He stood in the middle, watching the fierce fight. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Well? What did I tell you? Qingyan's no match for Brother Xiaoyuan."
Before you continue