Tragic

As Grandma Hong's appearance shifted, the red sashes flying from her sleeves wrapped around the shattered bone.

The Nine Palm Commander instinctively followed the red sashes with his gaze. These sashes were also treasures, so sturdy that even with his strength and the quality of his straight saber, he couldn't leave the slightest mark on them.

The shattered bone, hovering slowly in mid-air, came into contact with the red sashes. With a 'chi la' sound, the incredibly durable sashes were pierced by the bone, creating a hole about the size of a thumb. The shattered bone continued its slow journey towards the main hall entrance, about to fly out.

The Nine Palm Commander let out a long roar. He leaped into the air, blocking the shattered bone with his saber.

Grandma Hong's expression flickered slightly when the red sashes were torn. Seeing the Nine Palm Commander intercept the shattered bone, she let out a delicate laugh. Her wide red robes billowed, carrying her like a crimson cloud towards the Nine Palm Commander.

The blood mist from the explosion of her three attendants transformed into surging, boiling power within Grandma Hong. A faint blood-red light emanated from every pore of her body. As if encased in a blood-red crystal, Grandma Hong chuckled softly and, from dozens of meters away, slammed her palms forward.

With a strange cry, two blood-red palm prints, each about a meter in size, shot out like lightning, striking the Nine Palm Commander's back one after another.

The Nine Palm Commander's straight saber collided with the shattered bone. A crisp sound rang out, and the bone remained unharmed, while the tip of the Nine Palm Commander's saber, about three inches long, exploded into countless sparks.

The Nine Palm Commander roared in pain, his pride wounded. In a fit of rage, he swung his saber backward.

With the straight saber damaged, the blade's light became flickering and unsteady, its length shortening to three to five meters. The greatly thinned saber energy collided with the two palm prints, shattering with a boom. The blood-red palm prints slammed heavily onto the Nine Palm Commander's chest.

The Nine Palm Commander grunted and was sent flying back over a hundred meters by the blood-red palm prints, crashing into a towering crystal cluster dozens of meters high.

The crystal cluster was incredibly hard. The Nine Palm Commander, splattered with blood, rebounded from the cluster and fell into the dense field of crystals below.

Grandma Hong let out a triumphant laugh. Red sashes continuously spewed from her sleeves, transforming into a sky full of rainbow hues, wrapping around the shattered bone. She mockingly addressed the Nine Palm Commander, who was spitting blood, "Country bumpkin killer, how could you possibly know the fearsome reputation of our Longevity Cult beyond the Azure Flame Domain?"

Before she finished speaking, Shi Lingqing and a group of young men and women standing on the ship's deck simultaneously cried out in alarm.

Behind Grandma Hong, another figure of the Nine Palm Commander appeared out of thin air. A straight saber silently pierced forward, insidious and vicious, like a striking viper, easily sinking into Grandma Hong's flank.

With a scream, the red sashes flying from Grandma Hong's sleeves spun and danced with a piercing shriek, enveloping her body. Simultaneously, several sashes rapidly lashed out at the Nine Palm Commander behind her.

The Nine Palm Commander, who had been blasted away by Grandma Hong earlier, exploded into a cloud of smoke and dissipated. The Nine Palm Commander behind Grandma Hong swung his straight saber, and they clashed head-on.

Saber light and rainbow hues collided, sending countless sparks flying.

The Nine Palm Commander and Grandma Hong became a blur of dozens of afterimages dancing in the air. In the span of a finger snap, they had exchanged countless blows. Finally, with repeated grunts, the two figures separated, landing simultaneously on the bluestone path in front of the main hall.

Saber energy and rainbow hues surged, striking the shattered bone that was slowly flying outward.

The shattered bone met resistance and slowly retreated several meters back into the hall. The saber energy and rainbow hues vanished, revealing the figures of the Nine Palm Commander and Grandma Hong.

Grandma Hong's red robes were torn to shreds, revealing her close-fitting red undergarments. Having absorbed the blood mist from the three attendants, she appeared rejuvenated, tall and curvaceous.

However, this beautiful body was covered in crisscrossing, bone-deep knife wounds.

The white skin and red flesh of the wounds gaped open like a child's mouth. Drops of blood hung on the wounds, as if held by an invisible force, constantly flowing back into the wounds, not a single drop seeping out.

The Nine Palm Commander's headwear shattered, revealing a square-faced, bearded man with a dignified and imposing appearance. He truly looked like a heroic figure full of righteous indignation. Who would have imagined he was one of the commanders of the Mist Blades assassin organization?

His cheek had likely been struck by a red sash. Half of the Nine Palm Commander's face was blown away, and dozens of needle-thin silver needles were embedded in his cheek. The needles faintly glowed blue, clearly poisoned. The skin on that side of his face was rapidly turning blue.

With a 'chi' sound, the Nine Palm Commander unhesitatingly swung his saber back and sliced at his own face, cutting away a large patch of flesh.

His face was torn open, revealing large patches of pale white bone. The Nine Palm Commander's appearance was so terrifyingly demonic that many young members of the Longevity Cult on the wooden boat gasped in fright.

Only Shi Lingqing gently clapped her hands and smiled, "The Nine Palm Commander is decisive in his actions; he is indeed a heroic figure... Perhaps, Nine Palm Commander, you would do well to sit down and have a good chat with our Grandma Hong? Why the need for such a bloody fight, spoiling the mood?"

Shi Lingqing swayed her slender waist and chuckled, "Please know, Nine Palm Commander, our Longevity Cult may not have much else, but we have beauties, wealth, and power... If you desire beauty, any of the sisters on our wooden boat, or even Grandma Hong herself, are yours to enjoy."

"If you want wealth, our Longevity Cult has countless hidden disciples, many of whom are wealthy city lords. With your status and strength, Nine Palm Commander, what wealth can you not obtain?"

"If you desire power, hehe, as long as you become one of us, Nine Palm Commander, with your position in the Mist Blades, if you can help our Longevity Cult control the Azure Flame Domain, you will become the Hall Master of the Azure Flame Hall, and perhaps even ascend further in the future, wielding immense power."

The Nine Palm Commander let out a cold 'hehe' and quickly swallowed a few pills.

Grandma Hong took deep breaths. With each breath, the dozens of bone-deep wounds on her body twitched, clearly healing rapidly. Having absorbed the blood mist from the three youths, Grandma Hong was now filled with immense vitality, and her healing ability was exceptionally powerful.

While gasping, Grandma Hong chuckled, "Indeed, Lingqing girl is shrewd and capable, worthy of handling the sect's affairs outside... a hundred times better than these useless ones kept within the sect... Hehe, Grandma even wants to take you as a goddaughter."

Shi Lingqing smiled gently and responded sweetly.

Grandma Hong swayed her body, giving the Nine Palm Commander a seductive look, "Nine Palm Commander, did you understand what my precious daughter Lingqing said? Hehe, as long as you surrender to our Longevity Cult, Grandma and my many goddaughters will be yours to enjoy."

With a strange laugh, Grandma Hong pointed behind her at the wooden boat, "Even my god-sons, if you fancy them, Nine Palm Commander, feel free to bestow your favor."

Wu Tie, whose blood had been half drained, stood up trembling. Hearing Grandma Hong and Shi Lingqing's words, he felt as if he had been force-fed a large piece of cold, stale pork fat. He was so disgusted he nearly vomited.

"Shameless," Wu Tie declared loudly, leaning on his spear, finally managing to stand steady.

Grandma Hong smiled at the Nine Palm Commander, ignoring Wu Tie. In her mind, a minor figure like Wu Tie wasn't worth her concern.

Shi Lingqing, however, smiled and pointed at Wu Tie, softly saying to two handsome and dashing young men beside her, "Please, esteemed senior brothers, handle this. This brat is quite peculiar. If we can capture him alive, that would be best, but if not, killing him would also be excellent."

Wu Tie gripped his spear, took half a step back with his right foot, and pointed his spear at the wooden boat.

When Old Tie had thrown Wu Tie towards the shattered bone, Wu Tie's form-fitting armor had automatically detached. As Wu Tie prepared for battle, the armor transformed into a flowing stream of white metal, quickly flowing along the ground and coiling around Wu Tie's feet, instantly reforming into the form-fitting armor that encased him once more.

The pale white armor was completely non-reflective, giving it a chilling appearance.

The two Longevity Cult youths smiled calmly, their eyes gleaming. They greedily glanced at Shi Lingqing's face and body before gracefully leaping up, landing with ease in front of the main hall. Drawing the sabers at their waists, they slowly advanced towards Wu Tie.

"Kid, if you drop your weapon and surrender, perhaps you might live," one youth said loudly. "Our Longevity Cult offers many benefits. You might have already tasted what our Longevity Cult offers and be reluctant to leave."

"If you dare to resist, don't blame us for teaching you a lesson," the other youth said with a smile, his abundant blood energy surging within him, causing his face to flush red.

Wu Tie took a deep breath and stomped his foot, thrusting his spear forward.

The two youths were clearly startled. They hastily retreated a step, brandishing their sabers to block Wu Tie's feigned thrust.

Without noticing, Wu Tie's spear merely flailed about. Behind them, two broken bricks suddenly flew up, hurtling towards the backs of their heads with a fierce wind.

The square bricks used in these ruins were custom-made, three feet on each side and a foot and a half thick.

As these two massive broken bricks whizzed towards them, the two youths trembled, rolled their eyes, and fell forward. Their bodies twitched slightly as they fainted.

The broken bricks smashed onto the ground, brutally striking the palms of the two youths' hands, crushing them to the point where they could no longer hold their long sabers.

As the broken bricks flew up, Grandma Hong and the Nine Palm Commander, who had been staring at each other warily, simultaneously attacked. Their bodies became afterimages as they shot towards the sky, instantly reaching an altitude of a thousand meters. Saber light and rainbow shadows flashed wildly, and thunderous roars continuously echoed from the sky, along with large masses of energy blasting out in all directions.

Suddenly, a loud roar erupted. In the high heavens, the Nine Palm Commander's figure froze. Large chunks of flesh on his shoulders writhed, and four new arms sprouted from his back. Unsure where he got them, he pulled out five more straight sabers. His six arms wielded six straight sabers, transforming into a ball of light that wildly slashed and battered Grandma Hong.

Grandma Hong also let out a strange laugh. The close-fitting red undergarment she wore suddenly turned to ash. From every pore of her body, wisps of blood-red flames erupted. Below her waist, her two long legs transformed into a ball of blazing fire clouds, supporting her upper body as she darted rapidly through the air.

Dozens of whips formed from flames flew and struck wildly in the air, clashing with the saber light wielded by the Nine Palm Commander.

Wu Tie had knocked out two Longevity Cult youths. Shi Lingqing cursed them as 'useless' and was about to ask others to step in when the six subordinates brought by the Nine Palm Commander arrived, escorting Old Wu, Luolin, and Ding, while dragging the heavily injured Qiao.

While the Nine Palm Commander and Grandma Hong fought desperately, the six Mist Blades experts drew their straight sabers without a word and charged directly towards the Longevity Cult's wooden boat.

Their figures flickered, leaving trails of afterimages as they rushed onto the wooden boat, slashing wildly like tigers entering a flock of sheep.

On the wooden boat, the handsome and elegant or beautiful and graceful youths and maidens of the Longevity Cult were as delicate as flowers in a greenhouse. They seemed to have no combat experience whatsoever. In just one exchange, the group of young men and women wailed and fell.

The Mist Blades subordinates were ruthless. The group of youths and maidens suffered injuries to vital points like their necks and chests, and were instantly killed, not one surviving.

Only Shi Lingqing decisively knelt on the ground, assuming a posture of complete surrender. The six Mist Blades subordinates didn't kill her immediately. After all the Longevity Cult members on the wooden boat were dead, one of the Mist Blades subordinates grabbed Shi Lingqing by her long hair and roughly lifted her up.

"Commander!" the Mist Blades subordinate holding Shi Lingqing shouted.

High in the sky, the Nine Palm Commander, spinning rapidly like a windmill, with saber light tens of meters long whistling and sweeping a hundred meters, laughed repeatedly. He loudly mocked, "Grandma Hong? Is this all your Longevity Cult is capable of? These weaklings, are these your followers?"

Ching ching Two sounds, as the saber light swept across Grandma Hong's body.

Grandma Hong's body no longer resembled flesh and blood. Her skin and flesh were filled with a large amount of blazing flames. As the saber light passed, her body was split open, and large amounts of high-temperature liquid resembling lava sprayed out, turning into rolling flames that rained down from the sky.

Grandma Hong also let out a strange laugh, "You don't understand the Longevity Cult... these godchildren and goddaughters were never meant for combat."

A stream of fire descended from the sky. Grandma Hong, transformed into flames, dived down and landed on the wooden boat with a roar.

The bodies of the youths and maidens who had been killed exploded, and large amounts of blood mist boiled, converging towards Grandma Hong's body. Grandma Hong was like a massive vortex, instantly devouring the blood mist formed from the explosion of over twenty youths and maidens.

Heat radiated outwards, and a terrifying aura surged into the sky. Grandma Hong's body swelled to over thirty meters tall, her entire form radiating fire, the flames soaring upwards and engulfing an area of several hundred meters.

The bodies of the two young men knocked out by Wu Tie's broken bricks were swept by the flames, and their bodies spontaneously exploded, turning into two streams of blood mist that merged into Grandma Hong's body.

The giant Grandma Hong laughed loudly, "These godchildren and goddaughters are consumables for combat... Heh, in normal times, they can also be used to bribe valuable targets... Our Longevity Cult never relied on them for fighting!"

Amidst her laughter, Grandma Hong waved her hands, and terrifying heatwaves surged outwards. The six Mist Blades subordinates screamed, as if they were fish thrown into lava. Their armor rapidly burned and melted, their clothes and armor turned to black smoke, and their flesh was instantly vaporized by the high temperature.

A ball of fire nearly a hundred meters in diameter shot up into the sky.

High in the sky, the Nine Palm Commander let out a long howl. His body suddenly changed, his lower body transforming into something resembling a giant insect. His six arms rapidly merged, becoming two slender arms that gripped a long saber and slashed downwards.

Saber light and fire light collided. In the high heavens, the light was blinding, and combined with the reflections from countless crystal clusters, everyone closed their eyes, unable to see what was happening around them.

Dong dong The sound of impact echoed.

Wu Tie opened his eyes and saw the Nine Palm Commander and Grandma Hong fall to the ground. Both of their bodies were incomplete, and their injuries were so severe that they looked like they could die at any moment.