“Sword-glow?!”
Duan Xiao's eyes nearly split from their sockets!
At the absolute critical juncture, he bit the tip of his tongue and forcefully twisted his waist at an impossible angle, spinning his body aside.
Ssh!
The sword-glow drove forward, unstoppable!
The longsword brushed past his flesh and drove straight in. It instantly pierced through his palm, then tore upward along his wrist and forearm, plowing a bloody trench an inch deep through his right arm and leaving the mangled flesh completely exposed!
In an instant, fresh blood sprayed into the rain like a fountain!
Immediately following that, the white glow, its momentum still unspent, slashed ruthlessly across Duan Xiao's elegant brocade robes.
A screeching sound of metal scraping against metal rang out, accompanied by a shower of blinding sparks.
The precious armor Duan Xiao wore underneath shattered like fragile porcelain, torn open by a hideous gash that instantly ruined the protective vest.
“Cough...”
Duan Xiao let out a muffled groan and stumbled back several steps. He looked down at the bloody trench carved across his chest by the sword-glow—the flesh was torn open, and bone was faintly visible beneath.
The rain poured over the wound, mixing with the blood and dripping down his robes.
He slowly raised his head.
Through the curtain of rain, a raspy, low voice thick with murderous intent slowly echoed:
“Disguise techniques... body tempering methods... freezing qi... a sword-qi array plate...”
With every phrase, he took a step forward.
“And now... you have even comprehended sword-glow...”
Another step.
“Your cultivation... is also absolutely not the early-stage Anjin Rank you displayed...”
Yet another step.
He was covered in blood, the mixture of rain and gore dripping from his robes to pool in a crimson puddle beneath his feet.
“Good... very good!”
Duan Xiao exhaled heavily, his lips peeling back into a sinister grin:
“I have roamed the martial world for decades, yet today, I nearly fell at the hands of a wet-behind-the-ears brat!”
His eyes, venomous as vipers, locked onto Shen Xiuhan.
“If I let you leave today, you will surely become a disaster in the future. Therefore...”
Duan Xiao drew a deep breath, the killing intent in his chest boiling over as he growled, word by word:
“Today, I will slaughter you right here, grind your bones to dust, and ensure not a single trace of future trouble remains!”
Boom!
Before his voice could fade, Duan Xiao stomped his foot and shot forward. He raised his right hand high, a deep, earthy-yellow light erupting from his palm, several times more intense than any strike he had unleashed before!
“Die!”
His left palm thrust out with brutal force, the deep yellow true qi condensing into near-solid form. It was like an immovable, towering mountain, crashing down with a terrifying pressure meant to suppress all before it!
『Rock-Solid Mountain-Inquiring Palm: Ask the Mountain』!
Before the palm could connect, the wind of the strike arrived.
A violent gale whipped rain into Shen Xiuhan's face, forcing his eyes nearly shut.
In his hand, 『Hanlin』 unleashed a clear, resonant hum. The blazing white sword-glow flared once more as he charged forward to meet the blow head-on, throwing all caution to the wind!
Right at that moment!
Whoosh!
A dark shadow swept out from the night behind Shen Xiuhan like a soaring swan.
While still midair, the newcomer curled their fingers into a claw. Accompanied by an ear-splitting screech of tearing air, the hand clawed downward right at Duan Xiao's oncoming palm!
A sharp sonic boom erupted, tearing a physical gap right through the torrential downpour!
This strike came far too suddenly. Deep shock flickered in Duan Xiao's eyes...
Boom!
Palm and claw collided!
A thunderous boom shook the alley. The wild shockwave rippled outward in visible rings, vaporizing the falling rain into a fine mist!
Swoosh!
Forced into a direct clash of strength, Duan Xiao was sent reeling. He stumbled back seven or eight steps, his blood qi churning violently within him.
His expression turned grim as he raised his head, staring at the newcomer as if facing his greatest foe.
As the water mist dispersed, a tall figure came into view, standing protectively in front of Shen Xiuhan.
She wore a dark robe, her figure slender yet standing with the unshakeable weight of a mountain. Her long hair was held in place by a single jade hairpin, with a few stray black strands brushing against her shoulders.
Her features bore the refined, noble air of someone accustomed to a life of privilege.
At first glance, she looked like a reclusive, elegant matriarch of a grand household—gentle, dignified, and perfectly poised.
And yet...
swirling within those phoenix eyes was an undisguised, ferocious malice.
Like a blade!
Like a sword!
They were like a frozen pool in the dead of winter, chilling observers to the very bone!
Mei Shuangfeng stood with her hands clasped behind her back, looking down at Duan Xiao with cold, merciless eyes. Her voice was devoid of any warmth:
“You dared to harm my beloved disciple...”
“Duan Xiao, you have sealed your doom!”
...
The torrential rain continued to pour, as if the heavens themselves had ruptured.
Duan Xiao narrowed his eyes, his scarred face twitching as he spat out a few words through gritted teeth:
“Face-Tearing Demon... you have breached the Huajin Barrier!”
Under the jurisdiction of Nanxiang Prefecture, there were eighty-one counties in total, more than half of which lay around Cloudwater Lake.
Among these many counties, those who could cross that heavenly chasm and breach the Huajin Barrier were few and far between—barely enough to count on two hands.
The rest were mostly renowned experts of the Anjin Rank.
Among them, the 'Face-Tearing Demon' of Changyun County, Mei Shuangfeng, was undoubtedly one of the most famous.
She had originally been an outsider, arriving alone in Changyun County to establish her own martial arts hall. Such an action was bound to clash with the interests of the local powerhouses.
Yet, relying solely on her ruthless, merciless iron claws, she had carved out a fearsome reputation, firmly establishing the prestige of her Mei Courtyard!
Even though Duan Xiao had spent most of his time in Chenjian Dock, he had heard of her terrifying reputation and had even seen her portrait.
But he had never expected that this low-profile woman would quietly break through to the Huajin Rank in secret!
‘This is trouble!’
Duan Xiao's heart sank like a stone into an icy abyss, his wariness reaching its peak.
He lowered his gaze slightly, quickly assessing his own injuries...
The three severed fingers on his left hand were already a bloody mess;
his right arm, plowed by the sword from palm to elbow, had a bone-deep gash that rendered it mostly useless;
and looking at his chest, the wound left by the sword-glow where his precious armor had shattered was still seeping blood.
No matter how unwilling or furious he felt, he had to admit the tide had turned. He needed to retreat!
Otherwise, facing a Huajin Rank expert in her prime with his heavily injured body—especially with that little beast who wielded a sword-glow and possessed endless hidden cards—let alone pulling up the weeds by their roots, he might very well leave his own life here today!
‘Unless...’
Duan Xiao's peripheral vision flickered toward the dark, deep alleyway.
‘That old fox Luo Changming is willing to help me...’
However, the night rain was cold, and the deep alley remained dead silent.
This silence clearly declared the County Magistrate's stance: he would protect himself and watch the fire from across the river.
He would not help.
He would not interfere.
Both sides were left to their own devices.
With this realization, Duan Xiao's eyelids twitched. Suppressing the fury in his chest, he said in a raspy voice:
“Hall Master Mei...”
“What happened today was truly a case of our own people fighting. I was blind for a moment and accidentally injured your disciple; it is all a misunderstanding.”
He exhaled heavily, cupped his hands, and said in a deep voice:
“Since you have reached the Huajin Rank, you are now one of the players on the board. Why not follow the old precedent and abide by the Mutual Non-Aggression Pact established between County Magistrate Luo, Family Head Wang, and myself? Let us let bygones be bygones, and go our separate ways...”
“What do you say?”
The rain pattered loudly, filling the world with noise.
Mei Shuangfeng completely ignored him.
She retrieved a grand pill from her sleeve and gently placed it into Shen Xiuhan's mouth, gesturing for him to sit quietly and regulate his breathing to heal his injuries.
Then, Mei Shuangfeng slowly stood up, her dark robes fluttering in the wind. Her phoenix eyes swept coldly over Duan Xiao, and her thin lips parted to deliver words colder than the torrential rain:
“The rules established by Luo Changming and Wang Zhidao...”
“...what do they have to do with me?”
Duan Xiao's expression instantly darkened.
Mei Shuangfeng ignored his reaction entirely, stepping through the mud as she walked forward at an unhurried pace:
“Furthermore...”
“The thing I despise most in this life is an apology after the fact!”
The murderous aura in Mei Shuangfeng's eyes flared violently. Her figure instantly tore through the rain as her fingers curled into claws, striking directly at Duan Xiao's throat!
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The three words rang out in rapid succession, her killing intent soaring to the heavens!
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