The Marvelous Uses of Qi

After kicking that disreputable entertainer away, Li Ke looked at the carriage, which still wasn't moving fast enough. Subconsciously, he drew the sword Yone had given him. He eyed the two horses' massive rumps and began to calculate exactly where to strike—somewhere that would guarantee enough pain to motivate them without compromising their running speed.

The two horses felt a chill run down their spines instantly. Catching a glimpse of the fierce aura on Li Ke's face and the flickering cold light of the blade in their peripheral vision, the two slacking horses exchanged a look and gave it their all.

The sudden burst of speed slammed Li Ke's back against the carriage frame, but the sensation of high-speed travel brought a sense of peace to his heart.

As long as he could reach the town ahead, as long as he could get there, he would be able to...

Just as he was thinking this, a cry for help rang out from ahead.

"Help me!!"

A woman who looked eighty percent like Jing Tian was sprawled on the road, blocking their path completely. Beside her, a burly man wore a lecherous grin.

Li Ke didn't stop; he even kicked the horse.

The carriage rolled over them without a shred of mercy.

Furthermore, without any input from Li Ke, it drifted around the corner ahead.

Animals in Ionia aren't stupid. They had already sensed an ominous aura, so even if only to save their own hides, they began to pick up the pace.

Watching the two horses running with such effort, Li Ke felt so happy and pleased. He sheathed the sword he had been holding against their necks and nodded in satisfaction.

"You understand me, Brother Horse! Run faster! When we reach the next town, I'll treat you to something delicious!"

This low-quality carriage hurtled wildly along the rugged Ionian roads. If not for Li Ke's martial arts skills and his iron grip on the carriage pillar, he would have been thrown off long ago.

Yet he dared not slow down. As for why...

The moment they passed a large tree, a woman in white leaped onto Li Ke's carriage. She pressed her body directly against his, revealing a smooth, fair cleavage.

"Young Master! Could you give this slave a ride?"

Her face was full of charm, a peerless beauty. Looking at her was like seeing a blend of the world's most famous actresses—a true international beauty, a fusion of East and West.

But...

"Get away from me!!"

Li Ke smashed a fist into her face. Instantly, the beauty's face became a palette of colors—red, black, purple, and yellow all emerged at once. The beauty froze for a split second, and just as she was about to speak, her left eye socket took another Haymaker from Li Ke, followed by a Dragon's Tail to her stomach.

She nearly flew off entirely. Had she not grabbed onto the leg Li Ke had used to kick her, she would have followed in the footsteps of the previous beauties and been sent flying from the carriage.

By now, the creature finally realized she couldn't trick Li Ke. What she couldn't understand was why he wouldn't fall for it!

She had searched for so many beauties, and in the end, she had even combined all the beauties from Li Ke's memories to create a form that even she found heart-stopping. Why was Li Ke's response still so decisive and merciless?

"Why! Why could you see through it! I have never failed before!"

She let out a roar. Her beautiful face began to turn bruised and dark, and her small, human-like mouth sprouted long, sharp fangs.

Because I'm not stupid, sister.

And how could this world possibly have these beauties!

Li Ke certainly wouldn't say his thoughts aloud; he didn't even want to waste his breath.

Ignoring the face that was rapidly becoming the stuff of nightmares, Li Ke gripped his sword. The blade hummed incessantly within its scabbard.

Even though this would drastically shorten the sword's lifespan, Li Ke didn't want his own lifespan to be shortened even faster.

"Sorry, Yone! Your sword (wife) might break!"

Li Ke poured every ounce of his spirit and energy into the blade, gathering all the qi in his body into the steel. The 'beauty,' sensing no magical aura from him, now stood with disheveled hair, glaring at Li Ke with a ghastly, demonic face.

She truly wanted to know why Li Ke had been able to see through her scheme and thwart her plans.

"Why! Tell me! Or I'll eat you!"

Li Ke took a deep breath and spoke slowly.

"Of course, it's because..."

The demon tilted her head to listen. However, this was the exact moment of distraction Li Ke had been waiting for.

"...you're too ugly!"

A black flash streaked through the air as Li Ke unleashed all the qi he had gathered. The Iaijutsu technique, which was already perfectly suited for a katana, was far more powerful now that he possessed a high-quality blade than it had been when he faced Yasuo!

At least seventy percent stronger!

The demon only had time to see a streak of black light before she felt her mask go cold, followed by a surge of intense pain that traveled from her body straight into her soul.

"Aaaaaah!!!"

A massive bloody gash appeared across her torso. The carriage Li Ke was riding in was sliced in half by the strike; the cabin vanished entirely, and part of the floor was shorn off, leaving only the two wheels still intact.

The excruciating pain forced the demon to release Li Ke's leg, and she tumbled off the carriage.

But Li Ke couldn't relax yet. He watched as the demon's body began to swell rapidly as it rolled on the ground, growing to the size of a truck in the blink of an eye.

No, even larger than the carriage driver had become!

"This is going to be difficult."

Li Ke gritted his teeth, tightened his grip on his sword, and took a deep breath. He began to rapidly recover the qi in his body, hoping to accumulate enough for another strike before the creature launched its attack.

However, the speed at which the phantom recovered exceeded his expectations.

Almost the moment he steadied himself on the remains of the carriage, the phantom stood up, clutching her shattered mask.

"How is this possible! You clearly have no magic! How could you possibly sever my mask! My mask!"

The mask was the source of her power, and generally, only the blade in the hands of the Eye of Twilight could sever it, as that sword did not belong to any world. But she could not understand why the man before her was also capable of breaking it!

She could feel her power draining away incessantly; if she could not absorb enough negative emotions in time to repair it, she would soon revert to her weak, former self!

That was something she absolutely could not tolerate!

And this man, too, must die!