A Hair's Breadth from Death

As a mid-stage Houtian warrior, Fifth Master Jin would never agree to die alongside a mere Martial Disciple.

Though he was somewhat unwilling to give up, he could only twist abruptly and drift back like a willow leaf, while kicking one of the golden short rods on the ground.

Boom!

The golden short rod transformed into a streak of golden light and shot out, striking the center of the blade wheel.

No one knew what material the golden short rod was made of, but the Sun and Moon Blades—which had been made exceptionally sturdy by the addition of Cold Iron—shattered apart in an instant.

Shi Mu's expression changed drastically. He flicked his wrist, reeling in the thin iron chain and catching the half-broken blade.

At that moment, with nothing left to worry about, Fifth Master Jin kicked out once more. Another golden short rod turned into a streak of golden light and shot toward Shi Mu, while Fifth Master Jin drifted after it with uncanny speed.

Without a moment's hesitation, Shi Mu flicked the broken blade in his hand, and nine blade-shadows immediately slashed out.

Another deafening crash!

The golden light trembled slightly, then rebounded, returning to the shape of a short rod.

Shi Mu grunted and staggered back two steps. The broken blade in his hand had completely shattered into fragments, and his entire arm hung limp at his side, as though the blow had broken it.

Just then, Fifth Master Jin laughed as he closed in. His sleeve swept, and a blood-red palm shot toward Shi Mu's head, leaving him no chance to dodge.

Shi Mu roared. His uninjured arm moved, and he threw a punch at the descending blood-red hand.

"Ha-ha, you're asking for death!"

Fifth Master Jin laughed wildly. He urged his true qi, and the scarlet palm he had already sent out grew even redder, so much so that a faint layer of red mist appeared on its surface.

Just as Shi Mu's fist was about to collide with the scarlet palm, the fingers of his fist suddenly moved. A foot-long, razor-sharp dagger appeared in his hand as if by magic, and he drove it viciously into the blood-red palm.

Fifth Master Jin let out a scream. The blood-red palm struck Shi Mu's arm, the one holding the dagger.

Shi Mu grunted as his whole body flew backward. He crashed through two small trees behind him before slamming hard into a boulder.

He spat out a mouthful of blood, then slid limply to the ground. For a moment, he could no longer get up.

Fifth Master Jin stared in shock and fury at the sharp dagger piercing the center of his palm and the blood-red color rapidly fading from it. His face flushed, then turned pale, before he suddenly roared:

"You crippled my Blood Sha Palm! I'll smash every bone in your body to pieces, one inch at a time!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he yanked the dagger from his palm, quickly pressed several acupoints on his hand, then strode toward Shi Mu with a savage expression.

Shi Mu endured the searing pain in both arms and raised his head to look at the long-faced man approaching. The muscles in his face twitched twice, and he gave a self-mocking smile.

A mid-stage Houtian warrior truly wasn't someone a mere Martial Disciple like him could stand against!

He had used the cover of the Sun and Moon Blades shattering to secretly switch the dagger hidden in the hilt into his other hand, then concealed it in his sleeve without anyone noticing. That was how he had managed to catch his opponent off guard and badly injure his palm.

But the power of the Blood Sha Palm had far exceeded his expectations!

He had planned to cripple his opponent's hand and immediately close in to launch a desperate attack, but that plan had been ruined when the residual force of the Blood Sha Palm sent him flying.

Now, he had no strength left in his body. Both arms were broken in several places, and he could no longer pose any threat to his opponent.

As Shi Mu pondered in despair, Fifth Master Jin had already reached him. Without a word, he kicked out.

Thud!

Fifth Master Jin's kick seemed to strike something hard. Though it sent Shi Mu flying more than three zhang and left him deathly pale, his chest hadn't been crushed as expected.

"Huh? What else are you hiding on you?"

Fifth Master Jin snorted and walked over again.

"If you want to kill Big Brother Shi, then you'll have to kill me first!"

Just then, a graceful figure rushed out from behind a nearby boulder and spread her arms, instantly blocking Shi Mu.

It was Zhong Xiu, who had been hiding nearby and watching the fight.

When she saw that Shi Mu was so badly injured he couldn't even get up, she finally rushed out and fearlessly stood in front of Fifth Master Jin.

"Ugly girl, since you put it that way, I'll grant your wish." Fifth Master Jin had no intention of showing mercy to a mere ugly girl. With a vicious sneer, he blurred forward and slapped at her face.

With the profound true qi of a mid-stage Houtian warrior, he could kill the girl on the spot with a single blow, even without using the Blood Sha Palm.

"Stop!"

Shi Mu's expression changed drastically. He shouted to stop Fifth Master Jin and twisted his body, trying to force himself to his feet. But he had barely risen halfway when he fell to the ground again with a thud.

Seeing this, Fifth Master Jin was even more at ease. He slightly curled his five fingers, infusing the blow with even more true qi.

Though Zhong Xiu had long been prepared to sacrifice herself, when she saw the palm bearing down like a small mountain, her face still turned pale and she closed her eyes. But at that moment, a sudden heat swept through her body. She involuntarily opened her lips, and a piercing scream burst forth.

Boom!

Amid the scream, Fifth Master Jin's chest seemed to be struck head-on by some invisible force. It caved in, and his body instantly flew backward. He somersaulted three or four times before stumbling to a stop and regaining his footing.

"Bloodline power! You're a bloodline bearer too!"

Fifth Master Jin raised his head and spat out a mouthful of blood. Then, glaring at the girl with dead-fish eyes, he cried out in shock and fury.

With his experience, he could tell at a glance that the girl before him was not only a bloodline bearer, but that the grade of her bloodline was certainly no low one.

Even in his fury, he couldn't help hesitating.

But in the next moment, he remembered Jin Tian's tragic death and the Blood Sha Art he had painstakingly cultivated for more than a decade, now destroyed. A vicious glint returned to his eyes, and without another word, he darted toward the girl again.

By now, Zhong Xiu's scream had abruptly stopped. She opened her eyes again, somewhat bewildered, as if she still didn't know what had happened.

"What, are you planning to kill the Great Qi dynasty's once-in-a-thousand-years, third-grade bloodline bearer? If so, I'll have to send you on your way first."

Suddenly, a cool female voice rang out.

The space before Zhong Xiu shimmered, and a woman in a white cloak appeared as if from nowhere. She merely raised a slender, jade-white hand toward the oncoming Fifth Master Jin.

Pfft!

A billowing mass of white mist swept out, instantly turning Fifth Master Jin into a crystal-clear ice sculpture.