Xie Approaching the Abyss wrote two characters in succession with his right hand.
"Guard."
An ink-black wall of light blocked the axe overhead.
"Sever."
An ink-black blade of light slashed toward the claw projection on his left.
The wall of light collided with the axe, and cracks spread across its surface.
The blade of light collided with the claw projection, cutting it in two, but the severed halves lost none of their momentum. They swept around either side of the blade of light and stabbed toward Xie Approaching the Abyss's shoulders.
Xie Approaching the Abyss frowned slightly.
In that instant, he thrust the Jade Slip in his left hand forward, and it unfurled in midair.
The ancient characters on the slip transformed into a dense barrier of script before him.
The two remnants of the claw projection struck the barrier of script and exploded into dark red fragments of light that filled the air, but the killing intent also corroded several charred holes in the barrier.
Lang Tu seized that momentary opening. The axe in his right claw swept around the side of the wall of light and slashed horizontally toward Xie Approaching the Abyss's waist and ribs.
Xie Approaching the Abyss had no time to write another character. He could only wrench his body to the right. The axe blade swept past his waist, slicing a long gash through his coarse-cloth tunic.
The fluttering scraps of cloth revealed his gaunt waist and ribs beneath. A dark red mark, seared into his skin by killing intent, stretched from his waist to beneath his ribs.
Xie Approaching the Abyss retreated three steps and lowered his head to glance at the burn on his waist.
The killing intent along the edges of the burn kept seeping into his flesh, bringing waves of