The First Fight to the Death

Chapter 22: The First Fight to the Death

Bai Shu could tell Luo Mu's strength at a glance: the third level of Qi Refining. Against Bai Shu, who was at the fifth level, Luo Mu posed no threat at all—unless he practiced some unusual cultivation method or had a powerful magic artifact.

But judging by Luo Mu's shabby appearance, Bai Shu would never believe he was that sort of person. Besides, Bai Shu had his fourth-level cousin standing beside him. Would someone with their strength really fear a penniless boy at the third level of Qi Refining?

Bai Shu didn't take Luo Mu seriously at all. In fact, he had already decided to kill him.

Luo Mu was in a bind too. He had been so worried about the Octagonal Spike that he'd rushed here, only to find it trapped inside a white barrier. Still a boy, he'd seen the sight and felt his temper flare. Before he could stop himself, he'd blurted out those words, dripping with hostility.

Only when Luo Mu noticed the contempt in the other man's eyes did he realize something was wrong. He released his spiritual sense to probe the two of them, but it was blocked completely, unable to penetrate even a fraction.

That was when Luo Mu realized he'd run into a brick wall. Both of them were stronger than he was!

Luo Mu was shocked, and a little uneasy. He showed none of it on his face, however; his expression remained perfectly calm. He forced himself to control his emotions and truly settle down. He knew that only by staying calm might he find a way to escape.

Sure enough, once he'd quickly composed himself, Luo Mu realized that although he couldn't discern their cultivation levels, the auras they gave off weren't much stronger than his own. At last, he felt a little relieved.

"Your things? I'd like to know, what here belongs to you? This Soul-Falling Grass?" Just as Luo Mu was secretly alarmed, Bai Shu's icy words reached his ears.

The other man's tone made Luo Mu furrow his brow. He could clearly sense the undisguised killing intent in it.

"The Soul-Falling Grass is certainly precious, and I do want it. But if you need it, I can let you have it. In return, please release those three little bugs." Luo Mu kept his expression calm and his voice even.

"Let me have it? Do you think I need you to let me have anything? As for strength, how many rounds do you think you'd last against me? Besides, I was the one who found this Soul-Lost Grass. You say you can let me have it? You really know how to flatter yourself!"

Bai Shu laughed in fury, while the girl beside him looked at Luo Mu as if he were an idiot.

Being looked down on like that made Luo Mu feel deeply uncomfortable. He suppressed the urge to attack and spoke again in a cool, detached voice.

"Release those three little fellows, and I'll leave at once." He cast a reluctant glance at the Soul-Lost Grass, then looked at the Octagonal Spike inside the barrier and addressed Bai Shu with a solemn expression.

"Those three demonic insects poisoned me, so they have to die! Don't tell me they're your pets. Hmph! Few in the cultivation world know how to raise demonic insects. Don't try to fool me, you penniless brat!" Bai Shu raised an eyebrow and looked Luo Mu up and down before snorting in disdain.

Luo Mu offered no further explanation.

"So you won't release them?" Luo Mu asked slowly, his voice three shades colder than before.

There were two of them, but they weren't much stronger than he was. Bai Shu had just been poisoned, too. Even if he didn't say so, Luo Mu, a little poison expert himself, could see it. Bai Shu seemed fine now, but the spiritual power he'd spent forcing the poison out couldn't have recovered so quickly. That had greatly weakened his fighting strength.

Luo Mu was only at the third level of Qi Refining, but he wasn't like ordinary cultivators. The other man's contempt had repeatedly gotten under his skin, and now Luo Mu wanted to test how strong his Poison Spirit Power really was.

Besides, Luo Mu wasn't fighting alone!

"I won't release those three demonic insects, and I have no intention of letting you leave this forest alive either!"

As he spoke, Bai Shu slapped the Storage Bag at his waist, as if to take something out. The girl beside him did the same, quickly reaching for her Storage Bag. The two of them certainly worked well together.

The moment they moved, Luo Mu was just as quick. He reached for his own Storage Bag, and as a flash of green light passed, Poison Fang appeared in his hands.

Faint Green Gas drifted from Poison Fang, radiating a bone-chilling aura.

"Mid-grade magic artifact!" Bai Shu knew his stuff and recognized Poison Fang at a glance. What surprised him was that a penniless brat like Luo Mu actually had a mid-grade magic artifact.

Bai Shu was one of the key young talents his lineage had chosen to nurture. That was why he had several decent mid-grade magic artifacts to protect himself. For other disciples of average talent, even having one mid-grade magic artifact was considered good.

He hadn't expected Luo Mu, who seemed so unremarkable, to bring out a mid-grade magic artifact right away. How could Bai Shu not be shocked? The girl beside him was just as incredulous.

"Cousin, there's no need for you to fight. We don't need to take this little nobody so seriously. Just watch. Your cousin will take his life!" Bai Shu drew a Curved Blade, its edge glimmering green with some kind of poison smeared on it.

At that, the girl held a handkerchief-shaped magic artifact in her palm and made no further move, apparently confident in her cousin's strength.

"Then I'll watch you show off your might, Cousin!" The girl smiled sweetly, her expression carefree.

Bai Shu nodded. His feet began moving in a steady rhythm, growing faster and faster. In the blink of an eye, he vanished. When he appeared again, he was already behind Luo Mu.

Luo Mu was shocked. He hadn't expected Bai Shu's movement technique to be so strange. Before he could react, Bai Shu was right on top of him, bringing the Curved Blade down toward his head!

Luo Mu twisted sideways and ducked his neck. The Curved Blade swept past his ear and struck his shoulder!

Clang! A crisp ring rang out. The blade struck Luo Mu's shoulder, but was stopped dead, unable to cut even a fraction deeper. At that critical moment, the inner armor he wore had saved his life. Without it, Bai Shu might have hacked his entire shoulder off.

"Inner armor!" Bai Shu was just as shocked. He hadn't expected such a shabby-looking brat to have a rare defensive treasure like inner armor.

His Curved Blade was a genuine mid-grade magic artifact, sharp enough to speak for itself. Yet his attack had been completely blocked by Luo Mu's armor. It was clear that the armor was no low-grade treasure either.

While Bai Shu was still reeling, Luo Mu rolled away in an undignified tumble, putting some distance between them. Then he fixed a wary gaze on Bai Shu. The man's ghostlike movement technique made Luo Mu deeply wary.

"Hmph! You've got quite a few treasures. Looks like I really underestimated you!" Bai Shu sneered. Then his figure vanished again.

Luo Mu frowned and expanded his spiritual sense to its limits, vigilantly watching his surroundings. Bai Shu's bizarre movement technique had put him in a difficult position. Suddenly, a gust of wind came from behind. Luo Mu jumped in fright and instinctively dodged without even thinking.

The Curved Blade flashed into view and slashed down along Luo Mu's arm, drawing a cold sweat from him. Before he could react, the blade suddenly changed from a chop to a sweep. Luo Mu couldn't dodge in time, and the blade easily opened a gash in his arm. Blood sprayed out at once.

"Hahaha, you penniless brat! Just wait to suffer!" After landing a hit, Bai Shu suddenly burst out laughing and reappeared, staring at Luo Mu as if he were already dead.

The girl beside him saw the wound on Luo Mu's arm and showed her delight as well. The adoration in her eyes as she looked at Bai Shu grew even stronger.

After hitting Luo Mu, Bai Shu stood in place with a cold smile, making no move to attack again.

"I forgot to tell you: I've loved making and mixing poisons since I was a child. This Curved Blade has already been coated with the poison I'm proudest of. Now that your arm's been cut, heh! Do you feel your whole body going numb, unable to move? Don't be surprised. That's what happens when the poison takes effect. In no time at all, you'll be saying your final goodbye to this world."

Bai Shu put away his Curved Blade, a cold smile on his face. He had complete confidence in the poisons he made. He believed that someone at Luo Mu's third level of Qi Refining couldn't force the poison out of his body, which was why he dared to put his magic artifact away so casually.

Seeing Luo Mu remain calm—not angry, and not even cursing him—Bai Shu was greatly surprised. The cultivators he'd poisoned to death before had all glared at him like wolves, wishing they could drink his blood and tear out his sinews. Luo Mu's calm reaction struck him as wrong somehow, but he couldn't figure out why.

A moment later, Luo Mu showed no sign of dying from the poison, as Bai Shu had expected. Instead, the blood at the wound slowly stopped flowing.

"How is that possible?!" Bai Shu blurted out in disbelief.

"No wonder you were so confident even after being poisoned. You make poisons yourself, so you must know plenty of ways to neutralize them, right?" Luo Mu shook his arm and stood up right before Bai Shu and the girl's disbelieving eyes. Then he asked Bai Shu in a calm voice.

"Impossible... How can you be fine?!" Bai Shu didn't answer Luo Mu. Instead, he kept muttering to himself. He had always been extremely pleased with the poisons he made, and never imagined that today they would fail against a boy at the third level of Qi Refining!

His expression turning cold, Bai Shu took out his Curved Blade again, ready to carve a few more cuts into Luo Mu. He refused to believe that the poison he'd painstakingly made could have no effect on Luo Mu.

He had just taken out the Curved Blade and hadn't yet had a chance to attack when Bai Shu's expression suddenly changed. A wave of pain tore through his entire body, twisting his handsome face!