Xue Xianzi employed the "Shifting Positions" technique to engage Zhu Yan in a skirmish. Zhu Yan's "Essence of Demon's Pearl Spit" gradually reached its peak, his halberd swirling with faint trails of black energy. Xue Xianzi dared not touch that sinister Inner Energy, dodging and weaving frantically. His evasive footwork was exceptional, and for a time, Zhu Yan could do nothing to him. But as the halberd's Internal Force intensified, Xue Xianzi's movements grew sluggish, and a chill ran through his heart—he knew tonight would inevitably demand his life.
Ren Qingchou fired rapid short arrows, though his skill was far from sufficient to stop Gui Mudan and Hongchan Niangzi. After loosing the arrows, he turned and fled. Hongchan Niangzi gave chase for a while, but the wound on her shoulder flared with pain, forcing her to halt. Furious, a wicked thought arose in her mind. She circled to a gravestone, gripped it with both hands, and with a mighty shake, toppled the stone slab. Ren Qingchou gasped in shock—it was the tombstone of Xue Xianzi’s late wife, Zhao Zhen. "You—!"
Hongchan Niangzi yanked the short arrow from her shoulder, blood gushing from the wound. With a sinister grin, she hissed, "You wounded me with an arrow, so I’ll drag Zhao Zhen’s corpse from her grave and slice it a thousand times, pierce it with ten thousand arrows. Hehehe! I’ll make Xue Xianzi hate you for life!" She unleashed her Internal Force and poison simultaneously, and Zhao Zhen’s stone slab emitted black smoke, crumbling into fragments.
Seeing her desecrate the grave, Ren Qingchou immediately turned back, but Gui Mudan intercepted him with a cold laugh, striking at his head with a palm. Ren Qingchou swung his sword, usually composed but now slightly flustered by the destruction of Zhao Zhen’s tomb. Gui Mudan’s martial prowess far surpassed his, and soon he was overwhelmed, narrowly escaping death multiple times.
With Zhao Zhen’s tombstone shattered, Hongchan Niangzi moved to dig up the grave. However, the naturally white soil of Bodhi Valley, once mixed with water and compacted, became extraordinarily hard—ordinary blades couldn’t scratch it. Her bare hands made no progress. Pausing, she drew a dagger from her sleeve, its blade gleaming like silk, and hacked at the mound.
A crisp clang rang out as the dagger flew skyward, landing on another grave with a shower of sparks. Stunned, she saw countless illusions—someone still fighting Zhu Yan, another striking her dagger away, a third slapping her left flank, and a fourth kicking her knee.
Thousand Traces Lone Form Shift! Though she recognized the technique, she couldn’t counter it. In that moment of hesitation, both her flank and knee were struck. She spat blood with a cry and collapsed. Before her, Xue Xianzi’s phantom seemed to smile before vanishing, while the real Xue Xianzi remained locked in combat with Zhu Yan.
"Impressive skill!" Yu Konghou praised, then added softly, "Third Brother, you claim to be invincible—yet can you not overcome the 'Thousand Traces Lone Form Shift'?"Zhu Yan's gaze had initially been somewhat unfocused. Though the halberd was in his hand, it lacked its usual formidable power. But upon hearing Yu Konghou's provocation, a sudden brilliance flashed in his eyes. With a twist of his wrist, seven points of light shimmered at the blade's tip. The halberd was a heavy weapon, yet he wielded it with such grace that seven, then fourteen, then twenty-one streaks of silver light filled the air. In an instant, the sky was awash with dazzling radiance, sand and stones whirling in the tempestuous gusts that nearly knocked everyone off their feet. The moonlight dimmed as the blade's brilliance eclipsed it, as though a full moon had been shattered into countless fragments by his strike, all merging into the dance of his weapon.
This halberd technique was called "Moon Like a Hook."
The "hook" symbolized the reaper's scythe—this strike was breathtakingly beautiful, dazzling and soul-stirring, like the moonlight that heralds the arrival of death.
Xue Xianzi's figure blurred once more as the Thousand Traces Lone Form Shift manifested again—one shadow, two shadows, three shadows—until, in the blink of an eye, twenty-one figures materialized, each meeting one of the twenty-one silver streaks. His white robes billowed, silver hair streaming as he moved with effortless grace.
"Xue Xianzi has actually mastered the 'Thousand Traces Lone Form Shift' to such a level..." Yu Konghou glanced up the slope. "Su Su!"
Bai Suche responded, drawing her blade. "Kill!" she uttered coldly, a single word that sent the Red and White Clothed Servants charging forward, weapons flashing as they all converged on Xue Xianzi!
Ren Qingchou's sword danced through the air. He had already exchanged three moves with Gui Mudan. On the third strike, Gui Mudan suddenly bared his chest, inviting the thrust. Ren Qingchou's blade struck, yet the tip was halted by the muscles of Gui Mudan's chest as if it had met an impenetrable wall. Gui Mudan threw his head back in wild laughter, seizing Ren Qingchou's sword and twisting it beyond recognition. Ren Qingchou abandoned the blade and struck with his palm, but Gui Mudan paid no heed, countering with his own strike. Their palms met, and Ren Qingchou cried out, staggering back three steps! Gui Mudan pressed forward, delivering another palm strike that sent Ren Qingchou coughing blood as he retreated another three steps! Gui Mudan pursued like a shadow, raising his hand for a third strike aimed squarely at Ren Qingchou's head.
Suddenly, someone intercepted the blow with a palm of their own. With a sharp "crack," Gui Mudan was forced back three steps. The figure who had blocked him vanished in a flash, elusive and ethereal—it was Xue Xianzi's externalized projection! Even while countering Zhu Yan's "Moon Like a Hook," he had still mustered the strength to manifest a twenty-second shadow to save Ren Qingchou's life!
Ren Qingchou gasped for breath, staring at Xue Xianzi in disbelief. This "senior's" skill far surpassed anything he had imagined—he had never dreamed a person's martial prowess could reach such divine heights. Gui Mudan, shaken by Xue Xianzi's palm strike, hesitated briefly before attacking again. Meanwhile, the Red and White Clothed Servants had all joined the fray, yet Zhu Yan's halberd remained a relentless force, preventing the women from breaking through and only serving to obscure their vision. Xue Xianzi's figure flickered repeatedly, and amid a chorus of startled cries, several women suddenly collapsed, though none could discern how he had incapacitated them.
Just as the crowd was left dazed by his external projections, another figure appeared before Gui Mudan. With a "thud," Xue Xianzi still found the time to intercept yet another palm strike. This left not only Ren Qingchou dumbstruck but even Gui Mudan deeply impressed. The "Thousand Traces Lone Form Shift" was a legendary technique, and for Xue Xianzi to have honed it to this level was nothing short of a miracle.Yu Konghou frowned slightly. Given the circumstances, Zhu Yan, who had lost his senses, might not truly be able to kill Xue Xianzi. Witnessing Xue Xianzi's formidable martial skills, Yu Konghou had already made up his mind to kill him. However, the "Thousand Traces Lone Form Shift" technique allowed one to transform into countless forms. Even with more people joining the assault, it would likely only result in a prolonged skirmish. Xue Xianzi flitted here and there, striking now and then without fully engaging anyone. Though he couldn't win, he also couldn't lose. Waiting for him to exhaust himself would take too long, and the situation might change. Having settled on a plan, Yu Konghou chuckled softly, clapped his hands, and said gently, "Su Su, call them back. Fetch some hoes, shovels, iron rods, and chisels—dig up Zhao Zhen's grave right now! Then bring a starving dog. I’ll feed Zhao Zhen’s bones to it, piece by piece."
Bai Suche obeyed the order, and the Red and White Clothed Servants withdrew their attacks on Xue Xianzi, turning instead to dig up the grave with hoes and shovels.
Ren Qingchou, having taken two palm strikes from Gui Mudan, was barely conscious. His vision blurred as the dark aura around Zhu Yan’s halberd grew increasingly dense, swirling at times like a massive black sphere. Suddenly, someone lifted him and hurled him into the tunnel. He felt as though he were soaring through clouds before crashing heavily inside the doorway. The figure behind him vanished in a flash, while Xue Xianzi, sleeves fluttering, danced nimbly through the oppressive black mist. A shout rang out: "Foolish boy! Get out of here now!"
Go? Ren Qingchou staggered to his feet. Gui Mudan was already pursuing him but was intercepted by one of Xue Xianzi’s manifestations.
"Go!" Xue Xianzi barked. "If you don’t leave now, it’ll be too late!"
Ren Qingchou understood his meaning—if he didn’t leave immediately, he would miss his chance to rescue Wen Hui from the Iron Man Prison. In that instant, his eyes welled with hot tears—he realized what the old master intended. Xue Xianzi would hold off the Dissolute Shop members here, buying him enough time to save Wen Hui.
He had to leave now!
Xue Xianzi, single-handedly restraining so many renowned martial artists, had already upheld his decades-long reputation. Even if he couldn’t defeat all these adversaries in Bodhi Valley, escaping was certainly within his power. He stayed partly because Lonely Branch Like Snow remained unresolved, and partly to give Ren Qingchou the chance to rescue Wen Hui.
So he had to leave now!
If he didn’t go, Xue Xianzi would have to fight alone for even longer, deepening the danger.
He had to leave now!
OpenNovel