Sorry About This

After this bout of stimulation.

Blood Bodhi spat out all the filth it had accumulated.

A vast torrent of dark-red baleful blood erupted from Blood Bodhi, flooding nearly half the arena in an instant.

Li Tui clenched his teeth, refusing to fall.

On the arena, the two phantoms formed from pure starforce froze at the same time. Lone Wolf's bite and Residual Spear's counterthrust both faltered and warped for a brief moment.

On the arena, Zhao Yuanchong's sword was halfway through its swing when its ruthless momentum suddenly stalled. A wave of nausea churned through his mind.

It worked!

To Zhao Hao, that momentary pause was the opening he had waited for—and staked everything on.

The filth of the baleful blood struck him, too. Its nauseating stench shot straight to his head, nearly scattering the true qi in his chest. His sword hand gave a sharp tremor.

But this was exactly what he had been waiting for!

His sword technique had a flaw in it.

Now!

He ignored the nauseating baleful blood and seized the instant Zhao Yuanchong's attention was disrupted and his sword slowed. His left hand shot to his waist.

The ink-dark jade pendant burst with a blinding, icy light!

The Seven Killings starforce sealed within it surged forth like a breached dam, fusing wildly with the gray murderous aura around him. His sword let out a clear, ringing cry!

His sword shot out like a dragon, carrying an edge sharp enough to sever all things as it thrust straight for the opening in Zhao Yuanchong's chest!

The strike was so fast that only a silver-white afterimage remained!

Zhao Yuanchong's pupils contracted.

He hadn't expected Zhao Hao to have another trick hidden up his sleeve!

He hurriedly raised his sword to block.

"Clang!!!"

The clash rang out with a piercing shriek.

Zhao Yuanchong was hurled backward, his feet carving two deep furrows in the stone slabs. The front of his robe was torn to shreds, and a vicious wound slashed from his shoulder to his waist, flesh split open and blood gushing like a spring!

Worse still, he felt the Greedy Wolf starforce within him violently shudder under the strike's murderous edge. It even seemed... as though it were being torn apart and suppressed!

"You...!" Zhao Yuanchong stared fixedly at the jade pendant at Zhao Hao's waist, which gleamed with a silver-white, icy light. For the first time, outrage and shock showed on his face.

Zhao Hao had landed his hit.

He staggered back two steps, the skin at the base of his thumb split, but his eyes brimmed with irrepressible excitement. It worked! That strike had badly wounded Greedy Wolf... though he was in no shape to celebrate himself.

Just then—

"Heh... hehehe..."

A strange laugh came from behind the crowd, like a crow calling over the dead.

"Blood Bodhi... is mine!"

The Old Ghost who had been huddling in the shadows could hide no longer.

The short figure straightened abruptly. His gray robe burst apart, revealing a dark-red blood robe beneath. His gaunt face bore blood-red eyes, fixed on the source that still glowed dark red in the arena.

"Hand it over!!"

With a shrill howl, he transformed into a streak of blood and lunged at Li Tui, fast as an arrow, tearing through the foul air!

That finally infuriated the one above them.

"Enough!"

The two words were as cold as a midwinter gale sweeping across the arena.

The weaker disciples' legs gave way, and they dropped to the ground. On the arena, Zhao Hao, about to press his advantage, and the outraged Zhao Yuanchong both stiffened and looked up.

A figure wreathed in azure appeared in midair.

His azure robes fluttered. A hazy green glow veiled his face, leaving only a pair of eyes visible through the light as they swept down coldly. His gaze paused on Li Tui, then locked onto the streak of blood rushing toward him.

A mere Qi Refining evil cultivator dared to make trouble?

He casually flicked his sleeve toward the streak of blood.

A pale-green arc of light appeared out of nowhere, so thin it was almost invisible.

The evil cultivator charging forward abruptly froze.

The greedy, feverish look had not yet faded from his face when a fine line appeared between his brows. It ran straight down over his nose, split his lips, passed through his neck, and cleaved open his chest...

The man, the bloodlight surrounding him, and the magical artifact in his arms were all sliced cleanly in two.

The cut was smooth as a mirror.

Before blood could spray or his organs could fall, the lingering force shook him into a cloud of blood mist that drifted away in soft wisps.

A fourth-level Qi Refining evil cultivator was as easy to slice as paper with a casual wave from this Foundation Establishment cultivator.

Gone.

The entire arena fell deathly silent.

Everyone was stunned, not daring even to breathe.

In that instant, as the might of Foundation Establishment shook the entire arena and even Zhao Yuanchong and Zhao Hao were thrown into turmoil—

Li Tui moved.

He didn't rush toward the center of the arena. Instead, he staggered two steps toward Zhao Hao.

Hearing footsteps, Zhao Hao turned around instinctively. He saw Li Tui covered in blood and swaying on his feet. His brows furrowed slightly, a complicated look flashing through his eyes.

The man before him hadn't let him down.

Zhao Yuanchong's expression darkened slightly at the sight of Li Tui.

Zhao Hao even relaxed his guard without thinking and gave Li Tui a slight nod.

Then he turned back, preparing to deliver the final blow to the badly wounded Zhao Yuanchong.

He didn't see...

The instant he turned away, the last trace of hesitation in Li Tui's eyes vanished, leaving only cold, resolute madness!

This was the moment Li Tui had been waiting for!

Zhao Hao trusted him—or at least, he had let his guard down for that moment. Meanwhile, the azure-robed cultivator above had his attention drawn to the fierce clash of Star Fates on the arena and the bloodlight of the evil cultivator rushing in from afar!

Now!

With the last of his strength, Li Tui drove the Blood Bodhi's dying essence in his chest, along with every scrap of true qi he had left—

Straight into Zhao Hao's back!

"Ugh!"

Zhao Hao's body went rigid!

He felt something cold and filthy burrow into his back like a venomous snake, shooting straight toward his heart!

"You...!" Zhao Hao turned around in horror, disbelief written all over his face.

He saw Li Tui. There was no guilt in his face, only an almost indifferent calm, and madness buried in the depths of his eyes.

"Sorry about this." Li Tui's lips moved soundlessly.