Ding Songyan had reached the tree-screened lakeshore. He said gravely to Zheng Zhuxi:
"Senior Sister, once I've slipped onto Lakeheart Island, immediately expose Bai Zhaolin's suspected ties to the Two-Faced Clan and stop the Life-and-Death Duel."
He had not asked her to expose it now because he feared Bai Zhaolin might lash out like a cornered dog, using some move or item that would destroy them both. With everyone still onshore, they would have no time to intervene.
"All right." Zheng Zhuxi nodded firmly.
On Lakeheart Island, facing the constantly falling "starlight" and swift, deadly swordsmanship, Bai Zhaolin did not simply cling to defense. He counterattacked whenever he could.
Meanwhile, a scene from several years ago flashed through his mind:
Someone had sought him out shortly after he entered the Law Realm and told him, "Few Martial Grandmasters can defeat Tao Wenshu, and almost none can kill her. Unless you enter the Celestial-Human Realm, revenge is impossible. But once you become a Great Grandmaster, you can no longer openly challenge her to a Life-and-Death Duel. Still, nothing in this world is absolute. I can help you kill Tao Wenshu without ruining your reputation."
Those words had kept Bai Zhaolin from swinging the twin sabers in his hands.
He had listened in silence as the other person continued:
"Cosmic Star-Dipper Swordsmanship has a move called 'Bewitching Star Shines High.' It disrupts its target's mind and stirs the currents of heaven and earth, making it seem as though calamity has settled upon the opponent, so that every action invites disaster.
"Ordinarily, it's an exceptionally sophisticated and powerful sword technique, with no particular problems. But when cultivated to the Law Realm and brought against martial arts that can themselves invoke calamity, it reveals an enormous weakness.
"Your Bai Family's Wind and Rain Eight