While waiting at the Crown Prince Mansion, Qian Renxue watched Gu Qing leave. She had assumed the man was just going to take care of a few trivial errands.
But time passed second by second, and the hourglass on the table had run out. He still had not returned.
In the silent room, only the candle flame flickered from time to time.
Qian Renxue stood by the window, her golden eyes fixed on the end of the long street.
The night breeze poured through the gap in the window, stirring the strands of hair across her forehead.
Faintly, worry began to spread through her heart.
That bastard had swaggered into the Heaven Dou Empire under the identity of the Martial Soul Hall Holy Son. His conduct had been brazen from the start.
And tonight, at the Lantern Market, he had flaunted his strength without the slightest restraint.
If he offended any of the hidden powerful enemies in Heaven Dou City, he would surely find himself entangled in trouble.
After all, this was Heaven Dou Imperial City, a place teeming with hidden dragons and crouching tigers.
Just as Qian Renxue paced anxiously by the window, a faint sound of something cutting through the air came from the corridor outside.
The next moment, a black figure appeared at the door like a phantom.
The covert agent dropped to one knee, his voice low.
"Young Master, an extremely powerful Soul Power fluctuation has been detected in the outskirts beyond the city."
Qian Renxue furrowed her brows and immediately asked, "Have you found out who's fighting?"
The shadow outside the door promptly replied, "This subordinate sensed an extremely powerful torrent of sword qi. That sharpness is very much like that of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect's Sword Douluo."
At those words, Qian Renxue's eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin!
He was one of the mightiest experts in the entire Heaven Dou Empire, with unfathomable strength.
If he had attacked Gu Qing, then no matter how capable that man was, he would likely be unable to withstand the killing blow of a Level 96 Titled Douluo.
For a moment, Qian Renxue could not think of anything else.
She even cast aside the risk that leaving the Crown Prince Mansion might expose Xue Qinghe's identity.
She flung open the door and, without summoning any additional guards, darted straight into the night.
Her figure became a streak of golden light as she sped toward the outskirts beyond the city at full speed.
The wind roared past her ears. Qian Renxue clenched her fists, fine beads of sweat gathering in her palms.
That man had better be safe.
In the outskirts beyond the city, in a clearing deep in the woods.
The battle had reached its fiercest point.
Sword Douluo Chen Xin stood in midair, the silver-white Seven Kill Sword in his hand blazing with light.
Within a hundred meters, the domineering sword intent had forcibly drained all the air away.
Fervent battle lust burned in the old man's eyes.
"Young man, take my strongest move!"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Sword Douluo gripped his sword with both hands and slashed down.
Ten Thousand Swords Return to Origin.
The entire night sky was instantly lit by dazzling white light. Thousands upon thousands of fierce sword auras condensed out of thin air.
A rain of swords filled the sky like a waterfall turned upside down, carrying the force to destroy all things as it poured down on Gu Qing below.
This was the Seven Kill Sword's ultimate killing move. There was no dodging it.
Faced with this world-shattering attack, Gu Qing stood perfectly still.
The violent sword qi completely swallowed the area where he stood.
The hard ground was carved with countless bottomless trenches. Dust billowed into the sky, blocking every line of sight.
The towering trees around them were shredded into a rain of splinters by the aftershock.
Sword Douluo looked down at the utterly devastated battlefield and slowly exhaled.
He knew the power of this move better than anyone. Even a Titled Douluo of the same level would be killed or gravely wounded if they took it head-on.
It seemed he had won this test after all.
But as the dust gradually settled, the old man's pupils suddenly contracted.
At the very center of the crater, a tall figure still stood upright.
Gu Qing's clothes had been sliced in a few places by the sword qi, but he himself was completely unharmed.
At that moment, an intensely vibrant emerald-green light was spreading wildly around him.
Countless crystal-clear vines burst from the ground, firmly shielding his body.
An endless, surging force of life flowed along the vines and poured into Gu Qing.
It was the powerful healing and protective effect of Life-Type Blue Silver Grass.
Every tiny wound cut by the sword qi healed completely in the blink of an eye.
Sword Douluo stared at the scene in shock, his breath catching for a moment.
Such a terrifying aura of life was beyond anything he had ever heard of.
Just then, Gu Qing moved.
He slowly raised his right hand. The pitch-black Dark Blue Silver Sword he had been holding quietly changed.
The extreme darkness receded, replaced by a vibrant emerald green brimming with boundless vitality.
Even the faint illusions of leaves seemed to unfold repeatedly along the blade.
Gu Qing looked up and met the gaze of the white-robed old man in the air.
"I have a sword of my own, one that holds the truth of life. It's called the Sword of Blooming."
As he spoke, he gently pushed his wrist forward.
The emerald-green sword slipped from his hand, transforming into a beam of light that was not particularly dazzling, but soft to the extreme.
It made no sound as it tore through the air, nor did it shake the earth.
Yet the instant the sword thrust forward, unprecedented terror welled up in Sword Douluo's heart.
The old man realized that his proudest technique, locking onto his opponent's aura, had failed completely.
The sword appeared to move slowly—so slowly that he could make out every shifting pattern on its blade.
And yet, he could not even bring himself to dodge. Some higher-order rule had completely bound his body.
It locked directly onto the source of his life.
What the hell kind of Soul Skill was this?!
Sword Douluo frantically drove his Soul Power, trying to raise the Seven Kill Sword to block the attack.
But it was useless.
The emerald sword light ignored every defense, pierced straight through the barrier of sword qi around him, and shot toward his throat.
The old man closed his eyes in despair.
He had spent most of his life roaming the continent, and had thought he would meet his end here today.
But the agony of a blade piercing flesh that he expected never came.
The sword stopped abruptly less than an inch from Sword Douluo's throat.
Its point tilted aside slightly, plucking away only a corner of the old man's robe.
It had not touched his life. The strike had stopped just short of its mark.
The violent Soul Power fluctuations vanished completely.
The night breeze swept once more across the battered clearing on the outskirts.
Gu Qing withdrew the Blue Silver Grass glowing with emerald light and casually brushed the dust from his sleeve.
The one-sided crushing battle had come to an end.
He paid no mind to Sword Douluo, who was still frozen in place. Turning around, he slowly headed back the way he had come.
His deep Soul Power flowed steadily through his meridians. Even his breathing was perfectly calm.
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