Lone Star Chasing Moon, Killing Heart Eternal

With one slash, he killed his 'Master', and Xiang Yuan's heart was no longer confused. Even if the mist shifted again, it couldn't disturb his heart, which was as still as water.

He held his saber horizontally at his side, his cold eyes scanning the surroundings. He saw the heavy mist recede, revealing faint phantom outlines of doorways around him. It didn't look like a ghost-induced wall, but more like some kind of formation.

Disciples of the Yellow Springs Dao were not vulgar; their methods were still above those of the black-robed figures.

The last time he killed someone of a higher level, it was because the black-robed figure had underestimated him, thinking he controlled the entire situation. He didn't know that Xiang Yuan's Primordial Spirit had a three-point golden finger, nor that he had the assistance of his senior martial uncle, and the supreme martial art of Heavenly Saber, First Form.

This time, the opponent was cautious and meticulous, going all out like a lion preying on a rabbit. The possibility of a successful sneak attack was minuscule. It wasn't just a tough battle, but an absolute fight to the death.

Nine deaths, one life.

Nine deaths for Xiang Yuan, one life for the opponent.

If he were more composed, he would be strategizing right now, appearing as prey, feigning weakness to seek a sliver of survival.

Cold-blooded, however, believed that survival was fought for. Without fighting, one couldn't defeat the enemy; without killing, one couldn't survive. Hesitating and placing hope in the enemy's mistakes was worse than abandoning all retreat and trusting only the saber in his hand.

Mistakes were also fought for. If you don't attack, how will the opponent make a mistake!

He wasn't clear about the situation with the "jokester," and Xiang Yuan didn't dare to indulge this impulse, fearing a sudden landing like a fierce tiger, spewing absurd words about wanting to be adopted as a sworn father.

To be fair, the "jokester" was capable of such things.

Xiang Yuan's eyes glinted with cold light. With his saber in hand, he charged straight towards a doorway.

This place was the Death Gate, the most dangerous and most unpredictable. Without a fearless heart, one could not easily step foot here.

Xiang Yuan stepped through the Death Gate, and a figure appeared before him. The black robe obscured their features, making them indistinguishable from the Yellow Springs Dao disciple of last night, but their silhouette was vastly different, appearing to be a woman.

Seeing Xiang Yuan step into the Death Gate without hesitation, saber in hand, his cold eyes fearless, the black-robed woman was taken aback. Her voice was hoarse as she said, "Brave indeed. I need a fierce ghost to accompany me, and you'll do."

A weapon wrapped in black cloth, resembling a staff or a sword, was tucked into the back of the black-robed woman's waist. She didn't draw her weapon, but raised her arm, her slender fingers manipulating the Yin energy of the mass grave, stirring up a violent wind that rustled her black robe.

Her curves were graceful; she was indeed a woman.

Xiang Yuan shielded Wang Wenxu's calligraphy in front of him. A scorching red light broke through the assault of the 'Fierce Yin Wind'. He leaped forward, his saber cleaving through the storm, charging directly at his opponent.

Under the shredding of the Yin wind, the four characters 'People Have Intentions' dimmed, and the red light extinguished, losing its power to ward off evil and demons.

Xiang Yuan's eyes were as cold as frost, his focus solely on the formidable enemy before him, nothing else. Discarding the horizontal scroll, his saber moved like a meteor from outer space.

Man and saber became one, slicing through the darkness. Where the saber light passed, the air cracked, the wind died down, and the Yin energy lost its color.

Heavenly Saber, First Form, Lone Star Chasing Moon!

From the first move, it was a killing blow, leaving no room for retreat.

The black-robed woman only saw a flash of saber light, like a single cold star. The moment the sharp saber energy reached her, its momentum was at its peak. If she were to meet it with her bare palm, even with skillful claw techniques, her five fingers would be severed.

Clang!

A long sword was drawn, its light poetic, picturesque, dreamlike, and illusory. A brilliant, dazzling radiance that stirred the heart and soul, unforgettable. It was unclear which lineage this sword technique belonged to.

Blade and sword collided, releasing a potent killing intent and a flash of electricity, leaving an indelible mark in mid-air.

With the clash of two supreme arts, Xiang Yuan had the advantage of the first strike, while the black-robed woman had the advantage of profound cultivation. They were evenly matched, neither gaining an advantage.

However, a battle on the killing field was not a sparring match in an arena. Besides the contest of cultivation, mindset, and martial arts, there was also a competition of equipment.

Half of the saber blade fell to the ground, sticking straight into the mud.

Xiang Yuan tightly gripped the broken saber in his hand. Looking at the sharp long sword in the black-robed woman's hand, and the black robe's hood that was blown open by the saber's wind, he coldly uttered a name: "Sima Qingyan. The County Magistrate's daughter is actually a disciple of the Yellow Springs Dao. How interesting."

Drawing on the experience of killing the black-robed figure last night, as well as the fruits of his all-night cultivation, the Nature Cultivation aspect of the Formless Seal Method, 'Candle Yin Casting God,' had improved. He was more proficient with Lone Star Chasing Moon. When Cold-blooded used this move, his Primordial Spirit and energy were not immediately depleted.

Although he couldn't continue to wield 'Lone Star Chasing Moon,' he wouldn't simply log off after one strike.

"I'm the one who's curious. That last move was the orthodox technique of the Heavenly Blade Sect. Where did you, a mere constable without any sect affiliation, learn such a high-level martial art? Could it be taught at a martial arts school?"

Sima Qingyan's pretty face grew cold. When she heard 'disciple of the Yellow Springs Dao,' a flicker of displeasure crossed her eyes.

She flipped her long sword, its light rippling like water: "Your cultivation level is far inferior to mine. Your Ren Meridian is blocked, and your true qi is not yet substantial. You used your mind to control the saber, depleting your Primordial Spirit and energy. Now, with a broken saber in hand, do you still wish to fight?"

"Fight again!"

Xiang Yuan closed his eyes. When he opened them again, they were blood-red, brimming with killing intent. The broken saber's edge was covered in a layer of blood mist.

Blood Sea, First Form, Killing Heart Eternal!

This move was similar to the Heavenly Devil Dissolution technique, but far surpassed it. With the enhancement of Killing Heart Eternal, the martial artist's Primordial Spirit was magnified to its extreme. Blood energy surged within their body like a raging sea, turbulent and immense.

The killing heart solidified, as firm as rock, forgetting life and death, forgetting pain. Only a killing heart burned like a raging fire, growing ever fiercer.

Such a powerful martial art could not be without side effects. While Killing Heart Eternal was active, the martial artist's blood energy rapidly depleted, like a burning candle flame, bright for a moment but destined to be extinguished.

This move did not consume Primordial Spirit and energy like Lone Star Chasing Moon, nor was it related to the martial intent or cultivation level. It was a radical approach, burning blood energy. Its grandeur and decisiveness were beyond words; it was a secret not to be passed down in the Blood Sea Dao.

The Blood Sea Dao had another auxiliary move: during battle, one could draw the blood of the strong enemy, fighting without dying, consuming without perishing, minimizing one's own losses. However, the memory fragments of his senior martial uncle did not contain the method for this move, so Xiang Yuan could not cultivate it, and he dared not use it when he was composed.

Cold-blooded was different; he would burn his bridges, severing his own retreat when facing a strong enemy.

Bloody saber light bloomed, deep and strange, immensely powerful, and utterly bizarre.

Sima Qingyan was greatly alarmed. She didn't recognize this move, only knowing that it was definitely not a Heavenly Blade Sect martial art and that its origin was extraordinary, certainly among the best in the world. While parrying with her long sword, she guessed in surprise, never imagining Xiang Yuan's true background.

Whose disciple was he, to have such varied methods?

Blade light and sword shadows intertwined and shifted. Xiang Yuan unleashed all sixty-four forms of the Five Tigers Severing Gate Saber. His saber techniques were fluid and rounded, both swift and fast. Saber light bloomed like pear blossoms on a tree. Each strike left no room for error; each strike was a fight to the death.

Sima Qingyan's combat experience was not bad, and she had the advantage in realm. She held the upper hand in terms of true qi. Her swordsmanship was all-encompassing; with the sword in her palm, she moved like a swimming fish. One moment her sword was swift and startling, the next it was like a net, her changes in move fluid and effortless, far beyond what Xiang Yuan could compare to.

A hexagon with no weaknesses!

However, she lacked killing intent, missing the decisive ruthlessness, and was forced to retreat repeatedly by Xiang Yuan's suicidal fighting style.

Xiang Yuan seized the initiative, creating an opening against a formidable enemy who had no flaws. Blood-red light surged in his eyes, and with a sinister grin, he unleashed Lone Star Chasing Moon.

Half of the blade was stained with blood, appearing demonic and ghostly, its tremor slicing through the wind with a mournful cry.

Sima Qingyan did not dare to be careless and countered with her sect's ultimate technique.

After a clash of metal, Sima Qingyan's long sword was knocked from her hand. A bloody gash extended from her palm to her arm, tearing half of her sleeve. Drops of blood slid down her fingers.

The broken saber in Xiang Yuan's hand was full of nicks. After a mournful cry, it shattered into pieces, leaving only the hilt.

Having unleashed Lone Star Chasing Moon twice in succession, his cold-blooded energy was depleted, and he was offline on the spot, along with Killing Heart Eternal, which had no follow-up.

Sima Qingyan's expression turned extremely grim. She, a cultivator at the Acupoint Opening stage, was being suppressed by someone at the Qi Refining stage. Not only was her sword knocked away, but her right hand, skilled in swordsmanship, was also injured.

The top student was hit again, her mental state on the verge of collapse.

Fortunately, the problem wasn't too serious. Her opponent was at the end of his rope. Although this battle was brutal, she had ultimately won.

"Your saber is gone, and you still want to resist?"

Seeing Xiang Yuan panting heavily and charging forward with a clenched fist, his steps quite erratic due to the depletion of his blood qi, Sima Qingyan, while admiring him, raised her left hand and unleashed a set of ethereal and graceful palm techniques, clearly a different style from the Fierce Yin Wind she had used before.

The moment they clashed, Sima Qingyan let out another surprised cry. Xiang Yuan's Primordial Spirit, which should have been exhausted, was full and unharmed. There was no sign of energy depletion at all, and his messy footwork was merely an act.

Not only that, but Xiang Yuan's fists, claws, and fingers shifted and changed. His fist techniques were fierce and demon-subduing, his claw techniques were compassionate and merciful, and his finger techniques were light and imbued with Zen. These were clearly orthodox Buddhist martial arts.

What in the world was this guy? Even if he had been cultivating since he was in the womb, he shouldn't have mastered so many martial arts styles!

Outside the formation, three figures stood together.

"Master Xian, your formation is magnificent. Your demeanor is as impressive as ever. I am truly in awe..."

Xiao He stood in the middle, watching the fierce battle in the arena, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "What did I tell you? Qingyan isn't a match for Little Yuan Ge."