A Duel Across Space

A closer look revealed that the two objects Tai Zhuonan had flung were large, silvery-white spiders. While still in mid-air, they continuously spat out silk, weaving a massive web; it was clear he intended to trap Gao Xu and suffocate him to death!

Gao Xu, of course, would not sit and wait for his demise. He flicked his long sword, weaving a flash of light. With a series of sharp chi-chi sounds, countless threads—nearly invisible to the naked eye—were severed in an instant!

As the blade trembled slightly, the two large spiders were involuntarily drawn into the fray, instantly reduced to a mass of flesh and blood as they were knocked back onto Tai Zhuonan's body.

A blatant provocation!

Not only that, but just as Tai Zhuonan was distracted by the death of his cultivated venomous insects, a flying dagger appeared out of thin air, piercing the vital lower back of a Miao warrior and draining his final sliver of health.

Although Gao Xu did not possess an appraisal skill, he could accurately judge the remaining health of the Miao warriors by their physical state. What seemed like a miraculous feat was, in reality, the intuition and insight honed through countless battles in his previous life.

By now, three Miao warriors had already died at Gao Xu's hands. Tai Zhuonan gnashed his teeth in hatred, but under the pressure of his dwindling manpower, he was forced to turn and face the surging bandits.

This was where the advantage of Gao Xu hiding in the shadows became apparent. Though the bandits did not know what kind of expert was lurking nearby, Gao Xu's actions clearly targeted the Miao, and they naturally would not miss this golden opportunity for a pincer attack.

The Miao had repeatedly brought men to seize this base on Ghost Yin Mountain, a grudge that had become a fight to the death. If they could annihilate the enemies before them and crush their arrogance, they might enjoy a period of peace; this was the consensus reached by the bandits after a quick discussion.

In individual combat, the bandits were no match for the Miao warriors. Most of them were barely clothed and lacked decent weapons, whereas the Miao wielded sharp scimitars and wore soft armor, holding a massive advantage in both offense and defense.

Yet, two fists are no match for four hands, and a fierce tiger cannot withstand a pack of wolves. At least fifteen bandits had gathered in this narrow passage. With a flurry of blades raining down, there was simply nowhere to hide. The venomous insects Tai Zhuonan had released earlier had only bitten three or four men before being forced into a dead end and hacked into pulp, and now he was about to face the same fate!

Amidst the splashing blood, Tai Zhuonan stumbled backward and released one more—his final—Flute Snake. It struck out toward the bandits like a flash of green lightning.

These venomous creatures were lethal upon contact; no matter how much the bandits hated the Miao, they were not about to throw their lives away. Forced to retreat once more, they gave Tai Zhuonan a chance to break through.

By now, this leader-level Miao commander had lost his momentum. With all his venomous insects dead, he had only his Miao saber for protection, and his poison powder was of little use against bandits who were now on their guard. He had been arrogant and unwilling to retreat before, but now, he had no choice but to run!

But at this most critical moment, Gao Xu revealed himself, silently blocking his path of retreat!

Tai Zhuonan had anticipated this. With a loud roar, his Miao saber flared with brilliant light as he slashed forward. Although most of his skills were centered on poison arts, the fierce conflict between the Black and White Miao tribes in recent years meant his saber had tasted the blood of many White Miao clansmen; his swordsmanship was by no means weak.

Thus, when Gao Xu raised his sword to deflect the blow, the momentum of the saber, which should have been spent, surged back with extraordinary speed. This second strike was nearly twice as fast as the first—impossible to guard against—it was his attack skill: Double Slash!

Gao Xu's pupils contracted sharply, thinking, This is bad. Fortunately, he was a veteran of a hundred battles and remained calm in the face of danger. At the critical moment, he threw his Flying Rainbow Sword, leaned his body straight back, and kicked upward with his right foot, striking the hilt. Using the force to retreat, he simultaneously used the body of the sword to block the strike.

Tai Zhuonan had never expected that a strike he deemed certain to hit could miss. Subconsciously, he exerted force to hack straight down, the power so great that it knocked the Flying Rainbow Sword flying.

As Gao Xu retreated halfway, he tapped his toes against the stone wall of the passage. As his body flipped, he flung his scabbard, which met the incoming Flying Rainbow Sword perfectly.

Clang!

As the sound of the precious sword sliding into its sheath rang out, Gao Xu spun gracefully and landed lightly on the ground. He shook the sword in his hand and laughed, "Thanks for the return!"

This exchange of blows was as swift as a rabbit and as sudden as a falcon. While the Miao leader's underhanded tactics were enough to send a chill down one's spine, Gao Xu's response was even more breathtaking. The entire process was fluid, and at a glance, it looked as if an invisible hand were guiding the Flying Rainbow Sword, possessing a touch of the charm of riding the wind with a sword.

Clap! Clap! Clap!

"Truly spectacular. If those uncles from the Shushan Sword Sect saw this, they'd probably fight over who gets to take you as an apprentice~" Gao Xu nodded with satisfaction, taking in Tai Zhuonan's look of disbelief. But before he could strike a pose, the voice from behind made his calm, indifferent face change color. He turned to look at that fiery red figure, unable to suppress a wry smile.

"What, surprised to see this young lady?" Lin Yueru tilted her head slightly, admiring Gao Xu's expression. She tried hard to suppress the triumph in her heart, but looking at her beaming, pretty face, she seemed just like she was when riding her beloved horse, Rouge, to tease those self-important young masters—extremely happy and delighted~

Although the nature of their joys seemed slightly different, the young mistress Lin selectively ignored that in an instant. Her only thought now was to turn the tables and ruthlessly crush Gao Xu's spirit!

"Admirable! Truly admirable!" Gao Xu quickly calmed down and clapped his hands with a smile. "To walk a round trip through the middle passage and still find time to act—it seems I underestimated Miss Lin's movement technique. This competition just got interesting again~"

"What? You think you still have a chance?" Lin Yueru used her One Yang Finger to drop a Miao warrior who was trying to flee. "That's five, plus this leader—I've won for sure!"

"That remains to be seen!"

"Fair enough, a competition with a predictable outcome is no fun at all~ Come on, don't let me down!"

As the two exchanged words, their gazes collided, sparking intense friction. Striking first, Lin Yueru gripped her Yuenü Sword and darted forward like a giant roc spreading its wings, stabbing toward Tai Zhuonan.

Seeing an even more powerful enemy arrive, a look of despair couldn't help but appear on Tai Zhuonan's face. Just then, a familiar voice in the Miao language suddenly rang in his ear: "You have disappointed Elder Shi too much. Now, do you want to die or live?"

Tai Zhuonan froze for a moment, then hurriedly grasped at this final straw, shouting back in Miao: "I don't want to die! I don't want to die! My Lord, save me!"

"Good. Shift three inches to the left, then lift your right leg—straight ahead, attack the enemy's lower stance!"

By now, Lin Yueru was already upon him. The imminent danger and the steady, calm voice made Tai Zhuonan trust him instinctively, and he complied immediately.

Lin Yueru's eye for detail was sharp; a quick glance told her that while Tai Zhuonan's saber technique was fierce, his foundation was not solid—he could only attack and not defend. Her sword moves were aimed precisely at his weaknesses.

Who would have thought that Tai Zhuonan's reactions would suddenly become agile? Not only did he find the final landing point within the dancing sword shadows, avoiding a vital strike to his chest, but he also took advantage of her flying over and landing with an unstable lower stance to kick out, forcing her to retract her follow-up move and dodge.

Lin Yueru let out a surprised cry. Relying on her superior movement technique, she slid behind Tai Zhuonan and wove a flurry of sword flowers, stabbing at his back.

Most of Tai Zhuonan's injuries were concentrated on his back. Although they were mostly flesh wounds, the intense movement caused them to bleed incessantly. If Lin Yueru were to land a few more strikes, the compounding injuries would surely spell his doom!

But Tai Zhuonan acted as if he had eyes in the back of his head. A step ahead of Lin Yueru, he twisted his waist and swung his saber in a furious hack, unleashing a Double Slash that forced Lin Yueru back.

After a few exchanges, Lin Yueru realized something was wrong. She bit her lip and glared at Gao Xu, who had remained standing still the entire time: "Was it you?"

Gao Xu toyed with the Sound Transmitter and laughed, "What, Miss Lin, don't you find this kind of remote sparring interesting?"

"Remote sparring?" Lin Yueru chewed on these four words, her beautiful eyes lighting up. "To think you could come up with such a whimsical method—fine, this young lady will play along to the end!"

And so, with Tai Zhuonan at the center, a novel and unprecedented competition erupted.