Blazing Fierce Flames

The city of Sanhu County was left far behind.

After galloping for two quarters of an hour, a person emerged from a mountain pass ahead.

He opened his mouth and let out a loud shout.

"This mountain is mine, this tree is mine to plant. If you wish to pass, leave your toll."

The man was broad-shouldered, with a beard like stiff needles bristling from his cheeks. He had a leopard's head and round eyes. Standing at the crossroads, he held a giant axe the size of a door panel, looking quite intimidating.

"Hey there, fellow! We are disciples of the Celestial Star Sect. We are passing through this mountain, so please grant us passage."

Lu Wu-bing was not one to kill indiscriminately.

Nor did he intend to let this mountain bandit who was blocking the road go.

He revealed his identity to see how the other party would react.

Being intercepted along the way was not unexpected.

He just couldn't figure out if these people were coming for him or if they intended to stop Princess Ji Wenxiu of Chang Le.

It was a complete mystery.

He couldn't even figure out who the enemy was.

This feeling was not good.

"Celestial Star Sect, Earth Star Sect, whatever! I don't care which sect you are from. If you want to pass this mountain, you'll have to ask me, [Peaceful Axe], if I agree!"

"No need to ask. It's Song Zhong, the vicious bandit of Zhongping Three Mountains, the Peaceful Axe.

This man has killed countless people and committed all sorts of evil deeds. My father once tracked his movements, but he escaped several times. This time, we came prepared."

Hearing the other party announce his name, Ouyang Lan let out a soft cry, pressed down on her horse, and leaped off.

Her long sword unfurled like a peacock's tail, whistling as it slashed down.

"What a feisty little lady! I'm blessed!"

Peaceful Axe Song Zhong's round eyes widened. He swept his great axe back, engulfing Ouyang Lan and her sword within it.

The man's axe techniques were heavy and uninhibited, and he wouldn't have been difficult to deal with normally.

But unexpectedly, as the axe light flared, a fierce wind howled, shaking the surrounding air.

This caused Ouyang Lan's long sword to be deflected sideways, preventing her from attacking.

Instead, her arm went numb, and her movements slowed.

She narrowly dodged a blow aimed at her waist, and sweat dripped from her face.

"He's actually Fifth Rank."

The immense internal energy gathered on the opponent's axe, and upon mere contact, Ouyang Lan knew something was wrong.

This brute seemed rough and unintelligent.

And his aura only showed Seventh Rank, at most Sixth Rank...

But she didn't expect his strength to surge so dramatically when they actually fought, his energy like a mountain.

He was actually cunning and had set a trap.

"Ching!"

A sword light had already pierced towards Song Zhong's eyes.

Lu Wu-bing, without a word, arrived right behind her... His attack was swift and without preamble, aimed directly at the man's eyes.

He looked at the strong, burly man's bulging muscles and worried that he might have practiced some tough body-hardening techniques. Therefore, he aimed for the weakest point.

He thought that no matter how well this man trained, he would have to dodge a fast sword aimed at his eyes.

Unexpectedly, the Peaceful Axe spun rapidly, suddenly standing upright in front of the burly man.

The back of the axe lightly struck the sword, and with a dragging motion, Lu Wu-bing felt a sharp pain in his tiger's mouth, almost losing his grip on the long sword.

The sword's edge swept past, drawing a thin bloody gash on Song Zhong's brow, but it didn't land a solid blow.

'My sword isn't fast enough... At my current cultivation level, a perfected thrust sword can at best kill an ordinary Sixth Rank.

And Fifth Rank experts infuse their weapons with internal energy, vibrating the air. They are difficult to deal with, both offensively and defensively.'

This thought flashed through Lu Wu-bing's mind.

He understood that when they were at the small shop, if he hadn't been prepared beforehand and had attacked from a seated position, making it difficult for Blood Butterfly to dodge, he probably wouldn't have been able to injure him either.

Just like this burly man in front of him.

Anxious, he advanced instead of retreating, taking a step forward and transforming his long sword into a rainbow of light as he thrust again.

Even if he couldn't break through, he had to attack forcefully. He absolutely couldn't retreat now.

If he allowed the opponent to fully utilize his broad-bladed giant axe, he would still be able to attack where the enemy was most vulnerable, and Senior Sister Xiaolan might not be able to block him.

When enemies meet on a narrow road, one must risk injury to save their life... Facing such a formidable opponent, he had no choice but to fight with all his might.

Lu Wu-bing steeled himself, casting aside all distracting thoughts.

He channeled his internal energy throughout his body and attacked forcefully, each sword strike faster than the last.

In the blink of an eye, he had unleashed seven or eight sword strikes.

Clang, clang, clang! They were all cleanly blocked by the axe blade.

Ouyang Lan attacked simultaneously but couldn't break through either.

Just then, Ji Wenxiu arrived, only armed with a short sword. She weaved in from the side, looking for an opening.

Boom, boom...

Suddenly, the sound of trees collapsing erupted from his side.

Lu Wu-bing's peripheral vision caught sight of the deep woods on the side of the mountain path.

A colossal figure, running like a tiger, leaving craters with each step, was charging toward them.

It was a bald giant.

He dragged a crescent-shaped shovel, his oily face half black and half white.

The man lunged forward, his left arm shielding him.

When he encountered an obstacle, he didn't dodge; he simply crashed into it, shattering trees and rocks.

A faint aura, half a foot high, pulsed around him like a ferocious flame, instantly pulverizing any debris it touched into dust.

"Yin-Yang Monk, a Black List expert, Fourth Rank."

Ouyang Lan's sword moved like the wind, yet she spared a thought to glance sideways.

With just a fleeting look, the distinct yin-yang face registered, and she cried out in alarm.

"Run! We can't defeat him!"

"We can't run! We have to kill the Peaceful Axe first!"

The more dangerous the situation, the calmer Lu Wu-bing became.

His mind churned like a stormy sea; he knew this was a situation with a ninety percent chance of death.

This Fifth Rank brute was already difficult to handle.

If the Fourth Rank Yin-Yang Monk joined forces with him, they would all be in grave danger.

The two opponents had profound cultivation and were incredibly fast; their stamina would surely outlast theirs.

Turning to flee would be utterly useless.

It was a pity. His cultivation time was too short, and his swordsmanship hadn't reached its peak before he plunged himself into this perilous vortex.

Was he going to die?

All the regrets and injustices of his past life... He hadn't even reached the pinnacle of this life to witness its scenery...

A surge of frustration and malice erupted from his heart.

"Kill..."

Lu Wu-bing's brow twitched violently.

A forgotten phrase in his mind suddenly leaped into his consciousness.

[Benevolent and righteous individuals, do not practice this art. Devour spirits and souls, Myriad Swords Return to Origin.]

The cultivation technique unfolded like a scroll.

[Chengjiang], [Fengfu], [Huagai], [Shendao]—a total of thirteen acupoints pulsed simultaneously, as if a faint, ethereal meridian had appeared.

An invisible, fierce aura manifested in his spirit.

In an instant, his eyes turned completely red.

The surrounding air solidified, and the drifting leaves seemed to freeze in place.

Across from him, the axe light, as solid as a mountain, slowed to a crawl, moving like an old ox cart.

Even Senior Sister Xiaolan beside him, her face etched with anxiety, moved with clumsy slowness.

Princess Ji Wenxiu, petite and delicate like fine porcelain... at some point, faint red light began to flicker around her, like a blazing furnace, revealing a tragic beauty of burning sacrifice.

Clearly, she was holding back some ultimate move.

However, judging by her appearance, even if she used her ultimate move, it would likely be a pyrrhic victory, causing more harm to herself than the enemy, and wouldn't be of much help.

In a flash of lightning.

Time seemed to stretch...

Lu Wu-bing thrust out his sword.

A strange power seemed to surge anew through his limbs and bones.

His body tingled as if electrocuted.

Amidst the pain, there was an extreme sense of exhilaration.

It was an indescribable, peculiar feeling at that moment.

The long sword in his hand instantly pierced the air, emitting a thunderous roar.

Boom...

A massive head, with fluffy black hair fluttering, exploded like a watermelon.

Song Zhong, wielding the Peaceful Axe, had a fist-sized, deep hole in his forehead, half his head blown away.

A strange ripple swept through.

Lu Wu-bing opened his mouth and swallowed the blood-red mist and faint smoke.

Blood patterns faintly appeared on his forehead, his eyes turned blood red, and he let out a long roar to the sky. With a single step, he transformed into a wispy phantom.

Blood flames blazed around him as he charged towards the Yin-Yang Monk with a roar.

Seeking monthly votes.