"Hmph."
The agony in his chest made Shen Hong let out a muffled groan.
"How could this be?"
Shen Hong's pupils contracted, his face filled with shock.
This little bastard had actually trained the Army-Breaking Saber Technique to minor mastery?
How had he managed it in just a few short months?!
He had never imagined that this little bastard, despite being only at the third level of Boiling Blood, would dare conceal his strength in front of him, all to set up this killing blow.
"Too bad."
Shen Mu sighed inwardly. This slash had been aimed at Shen Hong's neck, meant to kill him in one stroke.
At the brink of death, Shen Hong had forcibly dodged to the side, so the slash had only gravely wounded him.
"But the backup plan I left in place has been waiting long enough. It should work by now."
Shen Mu glanced at the rope Shen Hong was gripping tightly, his expression inscrutable.
"You little bastard, I'll kill you!"
Having taken a slash to both the front and back of his chest, Shen Hong's eyes were bloodshot with fury. He no longer cared whether his right arm would be crippled; he was determined to kill Shen Mu on the spot.
"Snap!"
But the next moment, a sharp sound rang out. The rope clenched in Shen Hong's left hand suddenly went slack.
Only then did Shen Hong notice that there was a saber resting on the beam in the living room...
The rope had been draped over the saber. After being scraped against its edge for so long, it had finally reached its limit and snapped at the notch.
This was the backup plan Shen Mu had left in place. Once the two of them began fighting, the saber on the beam would keep