"You bastard."
The Great Tengu charged forward, his extra-long katana slashing horizontally to decapitate the Demon Blade Musashi, roaring like thunder, "Release Zashiki!"
Kanzaki Sakurazō opened his gaping maw and bit down on the extra-long katana.
"What?"
The Great Tengu was horrified. Although it was just a simple horizontal slash, the force was enough to cut through bamboo, yet now it was being bitten by the opponent. "He's no longer human."
Seeing the Demon Blade Musashi bleeding from all seven orifices, his face contorted in a ferocious madness, Great Tengu's hands gripping the katana trembled uncontrollably. "He's a demon, a crimson demon returned from hell!"
"I have blood in my veins too."
Kanzaki Sakurazō, his eyes bloodshot, drew his twin swords from Zashiki's thigh, shouting, " Niten Ichi-ryū, Second Form: Godspeed! Godspeed! Godspeed-- "
Bang!
The airflow generated by the supersonic speed almost blinded the Great Tengu. When he finally opened his eyes, his body trembled. "Gone! Where did that guy go?"
"Watch out, he's behind you!" Xue Ji shouted.
The Great Tengu's mind exploded, and even with Xue Ji's reminder, his body was no longer able to assume a defensive stance.
" Empty Clarity Slash!" A low roar suddenly rang out.
This time it wasn't the back of the blade, but the real edge. The Great Tengu screamed and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, crashing into a lamppost. He coughed up blood, his vision went black, and he fainted.
Kanzaki Sakurazō, wielding twin swords, roared madly to the sky, " A Sui-- "
The Zashiki Great Tengu suffered a terrible attack and collapsed to the ground, unable to get up.
"Let's stop here, Kanzaki Sakurazō."
Yugong Youjing's eyes flashed with ferocity; he could no longer tolerate the other's antics. He swiftly bent his knees, crouched down, leaned forward to lower his center of gravity, and gripped the sword in reverse. "The ultimate technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū— "
" Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki!"
Yugong Youjing burst forth like a cannonball, gripping his reverse-blade sword with both hands, and slashed at Kanzaki Sakurazō's waist. He had used this move before in Huaxia, and it almost killed Exalted Emperor.
clang!
The reverse-blade sword clashed with the red and purple twin swords, sparks flying everywhere.
"How is this possible?"
Yugong Youjing's pupils trembled; his lightning-fast Amakakeru Ryū no Hirameki was actually blocked by the opponent's side-swept twin swords.
"I have A Sui waiting for me, what do you have?"
Kanzaki Sakurazō deflected the reverse-blade sword, then looked at the unarmed Yugong Youjing with a ferocious and hideous expression, saying, "Both hands, you say?"
Clang!
The reverse-blade sword fell to the ground to the side.
"What exactly is going on?"
Yugong Youjing was inwardly shocked. As fellow eighth-dan swordsmen, Kanzaki Sakurazō was seriously injured and should have been weaker than him, but the strength she was displaying was far superior to his.
"Your Highness! Be careful!"
The purple single-edged sword pierced through the white-clad woman's chest with a soft thud, the blood-stained tip stopping just one centimeter from Yugong Youjing's chest.
" Snow Woman?"
Yugong Youjing was stunned.
" Night Parade of a Hundred Demons, Protect the Team Leader!"
An angry shout came from behind, and wave after wave of black figures wielding knives rushed out, charging towards Kanzaki Sakurazō.
The purple sword was instantly withdrawn, Xue Ji let out a muffled groan, collapsing softly into Yugong Youjing's arms, bloodstains spreading across her white dress.
" Snow Woman, you, you, hang in there!" Yugong Youjing frantically tried to patch Xue Ji- hime's wounds. "I'll call the medical team right away for emergency treatment. You'll be fine soon, you'll be fine soon, just hang in there a little longer."
"N-nothing... Your Highness is alright." Blood trickled from the corner of Xue Ji's mouth, and her face Bai Qi visibly. "While... the Night Parade of a Hundred Demons is holding off Kanzaki Sakurazō, you... you must leave quickly."
"Yes! You're right, let's go, let's go." Yugong Youjing picked up Xue Ji. "I remember there's a hospital nearby. Hold on a little longer, I'll take you there right away."
Xue Ji puffed out her cheeks and coughed up a pool of blood.
"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry." Yugong Youjing hurriedly stopped and knelt down, holding Xue Ji in his arms. "I forgot that moving an injured person rashly would cause further injury. I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry."
Xue Ji tremblingly raised her small hand. "Your Highness, perhaps... perhaps I will not be able to serve you anymore."
"What nonsense are you talking about?" Yugong Youjing grabbed the little hand and pressed it to her cheek. "You will serve me for the rest of your life. We have a long road ahead of us to walk together."
Xue Ji murmured weakly, "Your Highness, you... you chose to submit to the family's fate and become the family heir because you wanted to protect me?"
"Yes, it's all for you," Yugong Youjing forced a smile. "As long as I become the young master of Yugong, no one will dare to lay a hand on you."
Xue Ji forced a smile. "I... I knew it, but Your Highness, I still prefer you when you fight against the fate of your family."
"Alright, I promise you," Yugong Youjing said softly, "I won't fight for the position of Young Master Yugong anymore. I will continue to resist the family's fate until I break free from their control and take back control of my own destiny."
Xue Ji was pale and weak. "Your Highness... if you could control your own destiny, what would you want to do?"
"Let's open a flower shop in the Netherlands," Yugong Youjing said with a forced laugh. "Don't you love flowers the most? I'll plant a huge Huahai for you, tulips, hyacinths, lilies—you can pick whatever you want."
A gentle light appeared in Xue Ji's dim eyes. "Your Highness... do you still remember which flower I like the most?"
Which flower?
Yugong Youjing was stunned. In his memory, Xue Ji loved flowers. Every time he went to the countryside to pick flowers, he would tie them into bouquets with willow branches and give them to Xue Ji. She would always show a happy and satisfied smile.
Is it a tulip?
"No."
Is it a hyacinth?
"No."
Is it a lily?
No... no.
Yugong Youjing lowered her head and chuckled, "Alright, stop keeping me in suspense, what kind of flower is it?"
"Yes..."
Xue Ji's small hand fell limply to the ground, her face forever frozen in that moment of happiness, [for the next time His Highness would give me flowers.]
" Snow Woman, Snow Woman!" Yugong Youjing cried out in fear, "Don't scare me, wake up, wake up!"
"Wake up!" Yugong Youjing's eyes instantly turned red as he shook him violently. "I command you to wake up! In the name of the Hundred Demons Night Parade Group, I command you to wake up!"
The Xue Ji in his arms had already lost all life.
" Yousu Fox God! Yes, Yousu Fox God!" Yugong Youjing looked up at the rain, tears streaming down her face, and knelt down to beg, " Yousu Fox God, back then you forcibly extended my mother's life, and I promised to become your sharpest sword."
Yugong Youjing frantically kowtowed, pleading, "Please, Yousu Fox God, as long as you wake the girl I love, I'm willing to give everything, just let the girl I love wake up..."
Xue Ji remained motionless in his arms.
"Why won't you show yourself?" Yugong Youjing, blood trickling from his forehead, knelt on the ground, curled up in a ball, clutching Xue Ji, pounding his fists on the ground, tears streaming down his face. "Why won't you let my beloved girl wake up?"
pain!
It hurts so much!
" Snow Woman, wait a moment."
Yugong Youjing trembled uncontrollably. He gently placed Xue Ji on the ground, picked up the reverse-blade sword, and suddenly looked up, "I'll immediately chop Kanzaki Sakurazō into the most beautiful blood flowers and give them to you."
At this moment, the streets were a river of blood. Kanzaki Sakurazō swept through the entire Night Parade of a Hundred Demons group, and the sounds of pain and screams filled the air. He wielded his twin swords, roared to the sky, and had already gone berserk.
" Kanzaki Sakurazō-- "
Yugong Youjing's eyes widened in fury as he shot out, his reverse-blade sword clashing violently with the Crimson Demon's twin blades, sparks flying everywhere.
" Yugong Youjing-- "
Kanzaki Sakurazō were bloodshot, and the veins on his arms bulged.
[To the one I miss most, I seek the most beautiful flower.]
[To protect those I want to protect.]
Yugong Youjing roared, Kanzaki Sakurazō screamed—this was a duel between the Hiten Mitsurugi-ryū and the Niten Ichi-ryū, a duel that could only be ended by death!