Town Demon Pagoda
Yan Jue only thought it odd for a moment and didn’t dwell on it.
She really couldn’t imagine how, if someone like Qi Xianqing truly found out she was a demon, she could possibly not kill her with a single sword strike.
Qi Xianqing continued reading through the notes slowly and soon reached the last page.
“…"
Just as Qi Xianqing closed the notebook, she suddenly heard wings beating against the window.
A snow-white Immortal Crane had landed at the window of Frozen Peach Haven, with a small bamboo basket hanging from its neck.
Qi Xianqing pushed back her chair, took the short note from the bamboo basket, and unfolded it to read.
Yan Jue’s gaze also landed at once on the slip of paper in Qi Xianqing’s hand.
There was only one line.
Zhou Leng: Senior Sister, the Five-Dragon Summit will start again ten days from now. Shall we go to Town Demon Pagoda at Wanghai Peak for training tomorrow?
Yan Jue blinked.
Wanghai Peak; Town Demon Pagoda.
Where was that?
…
Still thinking about it, Yan Jue returned from Qi Xianqing’s place, shut her room door, pulled open a drawer, and took out several more sheets of paper.
Yan Jue had always had an excellent memory.
She had listened to Qi Xianqing go over the notes all night and had basically already memorized everything written in them.
Yan Jue picked up a brush and slowly recopied the contents onto the paper.
Soon, she had filled five full pages.
Qi Xianqing had her own method for remembering complicated sword techniques.
Under her brush, even the originally obscure and difficult sword formulas became clear and easy to understand.
Yan Jue sat at the desk, glanced over Qi Xianqing’s notes again, then knelt down and dragged out the chest from under the table.
She opened it and took out the iron sword that had already gathered a thick layer of dust, the standard-issue weapon for outer disciples.
“…"
Yan Jue carefully wiped the sword with a handkerchief, then slashed it through the air.
A flash of cold light flickered.
Though this iron sword was nowhere near as useful as a spirit sword, it had still been forged from iron essence; it was incomparably hard.
If she was going to deal with a sword cultivator, she had to use a sword.
Northern Sea black iron could only take the form of a small flying blade. Against Zhuying, she wouldn’t have the slightest chance.
Yan Jue swung the iron sword around the room a few times, then slung her pack over her back and headed to Cold Pool.
By Cold Pool.
Yan Jue gripped the sword with both hands, pointed the tip toward the sky, and slowly closed her eyes.
Five-Elements Sword Art.
The so-called Five-Elements Sword Art meant fusing the “five elements” of one’s spiritual root with the sword.
For example, the sword in her hand was originally just ordinary metal in nature.
But what if she fused her mutated ice spiritual root with the iron sword?
Yan Jue silently recited the heart method; in an instant, the “Minor Yin Ice Soul Technique” began to run wildly through her body.
Dense cold frost power flowed through every bone in her body, then gradually spread through her hands.
Yan Jue suddenly opened her eyes. The iron sword in her hand had already been coated in a thin layer of frost!
She slashed sideways again; at the sword tip, a huge surge of spiritual power erupted instantly. Waves of frost spread outward in all directions, turning into streaks of ice-blue ripples.
This was the correct way to use an iron sword!
Could the Five-Elements Sword Art be combined with other sword arts as well!
Yan Jue frowned slightly, recalling Qi Xianqing’s notes from the night before.
It seemed like she had mentioned it…
Right!
Yan Jue’s eyes suddenly lit up. She stepped back and gave a light shout: “Spirit-link Technique!”
The Northern Sea black iron at her neck instantly fell off, condensing in midair into a giant shield. At the same time, Yan Jue violently swung her sword; in front of her, a massive ice wall instantly gathered!
-
After Yan Jue practiced the Five-Elements Sword Art by Cold Pool that day, she began trying different sword forms.
She fused the Northern Sea black iron and the Five-Elements Sword together, with the black iron serving as defense and the iron sword serving as attack.
But she only practiced that pairing for a short while before setting it aside.
Because each match only allowed the registration of one magical artifact. If she used the iron sword, then she couldn’t use the Northern Sea black iron.
Yan Jue settled down and seriously practiced sword techniques.
Over the next few days, her rest time clearly decreased.
This was her first time truly learning swordsmanship; many things had to be learned from scratch.
Yan Jue trained by Cold Pool every day. Her arms and wrists would be bruised blue by the sword’s impact, but she never gave up. During every free moment, she would take out her notes and slowly puzzle through them, reviewing her movements bit by bit.
Actually, if she went to ask Qi Xianqing for guidance, she could avoid many detours.
But at a time like this, Yan Jue didn’t want to seek her help.
Qi Xianqing had her own difficulties.
She was the Thunderflame Sect’s first disciple; she carried the hopes of her master, Yun Zhen. If Yan Jue asked her to teach her at a time like this, it would only make Qi Xianqing feel caught in the middle.
Yan Jue didn’t want Qi Xianqing to feel troubled.
Every day, Yan Jue carried her pack to the edge of Cold Pool, practiced a set of fist techniques, and then started training her sword art.
She had never known that the iron sword she had found completely unusable back when she was at Drunken Spring Pavilion would become so useful once she figured out the trick!
Even if she might not win, she still had to give it everything she had.
…
Afternoon.
Yan Jue sat by Cold Pool, slightly frowning as she untied the sandbags from her arms.
She still hadn’t relaxed her arm and leg training. After removing the sandbags, her whole body felt even lighter.
Yan Jue copied Qi Xianqing’s posture, gripped the sword with both hands, and slashed sharply downward.
The iron sword blurred into an afterimage in the air, and a sharp, ice-blue sword beam spread outward from its tip.
She had been practicing sword techniques by Cold Pool these past few days.
She just didn’t know whether she was doing them right.
Yan Jue had been completely ignorant of sword arts before; even watching Qi Xianqing hold a sword had left her unable to make sense of it. But now things were different.
She really wanted to watch Qi Xianqing practice swordsmanship…
Yan Jue suddenly thought of the little note Qi Xianqing had taken out of the Immortal Crane’s basket that day.
She was going to Town Demon Pagoda for training.
Where was Town Demon Pagoda?
-
Yan Jue carried the iron sword back to her room and knocked on Du Ying’s door. “Do you know what’s going on with Town Demon Pagoda?”
Du Ying blinked. “Why are you asking about that all of a sudden?”
“Town Demon Pagoda is the tower on Five Dragons Mountain specially used for disciple training. It has twelve levels, and each level has different demons…”
After Du Ying finished explaining, Yan Jue had a rough understanding of the Town Demon Pagoda mentioned on the note Qi Xianqing had seen that day.
It was basically a place for disciples to train their supernatural arts.
Disciples who wanted to train in Town Demon Pagoda had to make an appointment in advance with the managing elder, then enter the tower and kill demons to continuously improve their cultivation.
Yan Jue asked, “Are there any restrictions on who can enter Town Demon Pagoda?”
Du Ying frowned. “It’s not only inner disciples who can go in. It’s open to all disciples, but outer disciples generally don’t go to Town Demon Pagoda.”
That made sense. Outer disciples liked comfort; how could they possibly be willing to go to Town Demon Pagoda?
Yan Jue laughed and said to Du Ying, “We haven’t trained together in a long time. How about we go to Town Demon Pagoda together this time?”
The moment Du Ying heard that, she exploded. “You’re using that roundabout way to say I don’t usually practice, aren’t you?”
Yan Jue: “No, no, I wouldn’t dare. It’s just that I’ve never been to Town Demon Pagoda before, so I want Senior Sister Du to take me.”
Du Ying had also gained a lot of insight from this competition and had originally intended to improve her cultivation. Hearing Yan Jue say that, she went with her to Town Demon Pagoda.
-
Town Demon Pagoda was on Wanghai Peak of Five Dragons Mountain.
It was the only peak on Five Dragons Mountain from which one could see the southwestern sea.
And one of Five Dragons Mountain’s landmark structures, Town Demon Pagoda, stood atop Wanghai Peak.
When Yan Jue and Du Ying arrived at Wanghai Peak, they only felt clouds drifting all around, with the scent of the sea filling the air.
Ahead of them, Town Demon Pagoda stood towering and steady. Its twelve stories were indescribably majestic and imposing.
Just as Yan Jue approached the tower, she suddenly saw waves of red light billowing from above it.
Yan Jue blinked, and heard Du Ying ask the elder on duty beside her, “Elder, may we enter the tower now?”
The elder looked troubled. “There are already other teams training inside right now.”
So there weren’t really any demons inside Town Demon Pagoda.
They were simulated by an array formation.
The tower was filled with heavy yin energy, and the formation’s effects were too realistic; it could easily make people feel afraid.
That was why each time they entered the tower, they had to go in as a team of more than one person.
Du Ying: “Ah? Is that so…”
The elder: “There are also some disciples over there who haven’t entered the tower yet and are watching the training. If you’re not in a hurry, you can go over and see how that team trains.”
“The team entering the tower now is made up entirely of very talented disciples. If you watch closely and learn from them, you can gain useful things even without entering the tower yourself.”
That was exactly what Yan Jue wanted. She quickly tugged on Du Ying’s sleeve. “Let’s go. We won’t enter the tower today; watching others is fine too.”
Yan Jue and Du Ying then went to the viewing platform beside Town Demon Pagoda.
There were unexpectedly many people there.
And all of them were staring unblinkingly into the tower.
Looking at those entranced onlookers, Yan Jue suddenly had a bad feeling…
She looked inside the tower.
As expected, Qi Xianqing, dressed in white and carrying a long sword on her back, was standing at the very back of the group.
It was actually Qi Xianqing’s team from the Thunderflame Sect!
Yan Jue knew Qi Xianqing was in a difficult position too, because the Five-Dragon Summit concerned the Thunderflame Sect’s reputation.
That was why Yan Jue hadn’t asked Qi Xianqing to teach her martial arts during this period.
The direct junior disciples within the sect also had to be taken care of by Qi Xianqing.
Senior Sister Qi was really very busy.
Inside Town Demon Pagoda, the light was dim, and all around them spread a pungent stench of blood and filth.
This was also a fairly normal state for most demons in this world.
Qi Xianqing stood with her hands behind her back, calm and indifferent; the hem of her robe snapped in the wild wind.
She didn’t move from where she stood. The junior sister in front of her was the one slaughtering with enthusiasm.
Before them was a huge weasel spirit, with a pointed nose, bead-like black eyes, and a lantern hanging from its hand.
It let out a sharp howl and suddenly raised its hand.
Dense black bats flew out from the lantern.
Zhou Leng stood at the very front. She flipped her palm outward, and a small green leaf appeared before her.
The jade-green leaf turned in her hand. Zhou Leng gave a sharp cry, and the leaf suddenly flew out, splitting into several hundred tiny leaves in the air.
Qi Xianqing said lightly, “Too few.”
Zhou Leng’s face instantly flushed bright red. Green leaves whirled overhead, gradually splitting into more and more small leaves.
With a violent wave of her hand, Zhou Leng sent all the leaves surging toward the weasel spirit.
But the weasel’s movement technique was strange and swift; its lean body actually slipped straight through the leaves.
It raised its hand high, the red lantern swaying left and right; the black bats were about to brush against Zhou Leng’s face.
The effect created by the formation was extremely lifelike. The bats opened their mouths, revealing tiny teeth that looked especially ferocious in the dim light.
Zhou Leng took a sharp step back and closed her eyes.
In that instant, the sound of a dragon’s roar and a phoenix’s cry rang out beside her ears.
With a flash of green light, Zhuying blazed in the sky like a burning flame and drove straight through the weasel spirit’s chest. Blood sprayed out at once; the weasel spirit that had just been standing perfectly fine in front of them was instantly ripped open from throat to belly.
Precise, devastatingly powerful.
Yan Jue bit her lip and silently memorized Qi Xianqing’s sword technique.
As the weasel spirit fell, everything around them instantly turned to dust and ash; the Town Demon Pagoda that had still been filled with the stench of blood a moment ago was suddenly clean and clear.
Once the demon was killed, the formation automatically dissolved as well.
Zhou Leng and the several women beside her, all dressed in dark red Daoist robes, turned back to look at Qi Xianqing.
Qi Xianqing: “Go up.”
Generally speaking, a team had to push through all twelve levels of Town Demon Pagoda before they could come out.
Only then could the next team go in.
Zhou Leng led the junior sisters at the front, with Qi Xianqing following behind. The group quickly reached the eighth level of Town Demon Pagoda.
Yan Jue was watching when she suddenly heard a sharp intake of breath from beside her.
The originally empty eighth level began to tremble, and a thin layer of red mist drifted up across the black floor.
The red mist was hazy and billowing, actually obscuring everyone in the tower.
When the mist finally dispersed, a monster stood in the center.
Yan Jue’s pupils contracted sharply.
Before the group, a giant nine-tailed fox demon had somehow appeared.
The demons in Town Demon Pagoda were all transformed illusions; they weren’t real demons.
But that nine-tailed fox demon had golden eyes, and its nine tails drifted in the wind like flames, fierce and terrifying, so vivid it seemed almost real.
Yan Jue suddenly remembered that the pressure of her red fox bloodline, which she hadn’t used in a long time, was just like this.
Qi Xianqing stared at the fox with its tall frame, but she didn’t move.
She actually lost focus for a brief moment.
Qi Xianqing somehow thought of Yan Jue, and a faint annoyance rose in her heart.
The competition was almost here, and that little monkey hadn’t come to look for her again. She had no idea what she was training.
Could she really… be so dissatisfied with her cultivation level that she’d gone to look for Master Yun Zhen instead?
A junior sister beside Qi Xianqing raised the long sword on her back.
The sword spun and tumbled in the air, swelling to twice a person’s height.
The junior sister gave a light cry, and the sword shot out like a gale.
Qi Xianqing suddenly sensed something and turned to glance back.
Yan Jue hurriedly lowered her head.
She also didn’t dare look at Qi Xianqing for too long, because Qi Xianqing’s divine sense was very powerful. If she stared too long, Qi Xianqing would notice.
-
Yan Jue spent the entire afternoon watching and learning outside Town Demon Pagoda.
Du Ying beside her yawned nonstop, but Yan Jue only felt more and more excited.
It wasn’t until dusk was approaching and Qi Xianqing’s group walked out of Town Demon Pagoda that Yan Jue had already filled two full pages of notes in her notebook.
…
Over the next few days, whenever Yan Jue had free time, she dragged Du Ying to Town Demon Pagoda.
The iron sword in her hands became lighter and lighter; the fusion of ice and metal grew better and better.
Her familiarity with the iron sword and her coordination with it also improved more and more.
Because the daytime schedule for Town Demon Pagoda was hard to book, she came at night instead.
When moonlight fell into Town Demon Pagoda.
Yan Jue gripped the sword with both hands, looked at the pointed-nosed weasel spirit in front of her, silently recited the heart method, and in an instant frost condensed over the sword tip.
The weasel spirit let out a high-pitched cry and turned into a blur of motion as it charged forward.
Yan Jue scraped her feet against the ground, dodged sideways, and at the same time swung her sword horizontally.
The sword light flashed; the weasel spirit was cut cleanly in two.
-
Soon it was the tenth day.
Maybe because the competition had been suspended for so many days before, today was especially lively.
“Come on! Come on! Come watch Lord Meng Heng’s match!”
Looking at the surging crowd all around her, Yan Jue couldn’t help feeling a little embarrassed.
She knew that at least half the people at Five Dragons Square today were here for her and Qi Xianqing.
Because the original Yan Jue had once, a year ago, issued a life-and-death challenge to Qi Xianqing at Five Dragons Square, declaring that she would make Qi Xianqing suffer at the Five-Dragon Summit.
At the time, she probably only said it to provoke her; but that earth-shaking line had been firmly remembered by everyone.
She hadn’t expected that statement to become reality!
Yan Jue followed the crowd toward the martial arts stage when someone suddenly tapped her shoulder from behind.
Yan Jue turned around and found Duan Luxi standing behind her, grinning at her.
Duan Luxi: “Yan Jue, remember that a year ago you once made a life-and-death challenge to Senior Sister at Five Dragons Square and said you’d meet her there? Be honest; did you come this far just to fight Senior Sister?”
Yan Jue: “Absolutely not!”
She was really about to go crazy from all the things the original owner had done. She immediately denied it firmly. “I was still young and ignorant back then, okay? Don’t bring it up again!!!”
Duan Luxi laughed. “Fine, fine, I won’t mention it. But no matter what, you still ended up with Senior Sister…”
Yan Jue: “…”
Today’s sixth round had already reached the second of the final three matches of the Five-Dragon Summit.
Because so many people had already been eliminated one after another, the number of participants had dropped sharply.
But there was far more than just Yan Jue and Qi Xianqing’s match on the martial arts stages within Five Dragons Square.
And yet among all the stages, the one beneath them had the most spectators.
At the very front of the crowd, a long table had been set out.
Many elders were already seated in front of the table.
There were elders in purple robes and elders in blue robes. Yan Jue quickly spotted a familiar figure among them.
Yun Zhen wore a reddish brocade robe with silver thread and an asymmetrical front, her long hair pinned up in a flying-immortal bun. She had a naturally alluring bearing, fair as snow, sleeves flowing like a fairy’s; she sat casually at the bottom of the stage, lightly sipping tea from a cup.
Perhaps because the competition had already reached its final moments, the elders of the sect took it very seriously. Even Qi Xianqing’s master, Immortal Lady Yun Zhen, had come.
Yan Jue looked at it and couldn’t help feeling a great deal of pressure.
Ding—
A clear, lingering bell rang from over there.
Yan Jue slowly stepped onto the stage.
Her skin was fair, and today she wore a lightweight silver-pearl pleated skirt with a crossed collar and narrow sleeves. Her black hair was tied high, and an iron sword was strapped to her back.
But she was nowhere near as relaxed as she looked; her fists were clenched, and a thin layer of cold sweat had already formed in her palms.
“Last year Yan Jue issued a life-and-death challenge to Qi Xianqing. I didn’t expect they’d be facing off like this after all. Yan Jue must have been looking forward to this for a long time; now that she’s so strong, she’ll definitely put all that hatred on Qi Xianqing, right?”
“I’ve been looking forward to this for a year. I’m betting Yan Jue wins this time for sure.”
“But isn’t the difference in strength way too huge? Yan Jue is an outer disciple without any master to guide her, while Qi Xianqing is the first disciple under Immortal Lady Yun Zhen.”
“But haven’t you noticed that Yan Jue has already won five matches in a row? Aside from solid skill, good luck is also very important.”
Yan Jue looked up at the girl standing across from her.
Qi Xianqing wore a moon-white layered skirt, the hem of her robe fluttering in the wind, with the immortal sword Zhuying tied to her back.
Qi Xianqing’s beautiful peach-blossom eyes lifted slightly as she looked at Yan Jue quietly, naturally carrying the kind of nobility and authority that came from within.
Yan Jue felt that she and Qi Xianqing were already very familiar.
But meeting under these circumstances, she actually felt somewhat strange.
“…"
Yan Jue looked at Qi Xianqing, into the girl’s clear peach-blossom eyes. Those eyes, once full of warmth, had held her in an embrace ten days ago as she softly read sword notes to her.
Qi Xianqing looked at Yan Jue expressionlessly, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Yun Zhen watched the match with great interest.
The earlier matches were nothing much, but she had certainly come to watch her disciple’s performance in these final ones.
Ding—
Another clear bell rang.
Everyone below the stage was unconsciously tense.
Who knew whether Lord Meng Heng would strike first this time.
The match began, and just as everyone held their breath, the thunder and fire they had expected never came.
Yan Jue stood facing the wind, silently looking into Qi Xianqing’s eyes. The two of them actually remained wordless for quite a while, and the expected clash of thunder and fire still failed to arrive.
The audience below fell silent.
?
Qi Xianqing, who was usually best at killing her opponents in an instant, hadn’t launched a rapid attack?
Qi Xianqing looked at Yan Jue and slowly lowered the tip of Zhuying.
When a master teaches a disciple, she will always first lower her sword tip and let her come at her.
Others might not have noticed this tiny gesture, but Yan Jue caught it sharply.
Yan Jue instantly drew the iron sword from behind her back, and the Five-Elements Sword Art activated at once.
Yan Jue used Flying Swallow Steps, her body turning into a shadow in the air; in a blink she appeared before Qi Xianqing.
On the otherwise plain iron sword, a thin layer of frost had already formed, as if even the surrounding air had twisted and turned cold.
Yan Jue slashed down directly. Qi Xianqing’s expression turned solemn, and she lifted her sword to block.
Clang!!! The two swords struck together with a crisp, ringing sound.
The crossed blades pressed against each other, and the two of them were extremely close.
In the sunlight, Yan Jue could even smell the familiar, comforting scent on Qi Xianqing’s body and feel the girl’s breath at such close range.
Qi Xianqing lowered her eyes and looked at Yan Jue.
The girl had red lips and white teeth; those clear amber eyes stared at her without blinking. In that instant, Qi Xianqing felt as though the steady state of her dao heart had trembled ever so slightly; a faint red crept up to the roots of her ears.
The daze lasted only a moment. In the next breath, Yan Jue suddenly leapt up, retracting the iron sword so the tip pointed downward; a sharp flash of sword light cut toward Qi Xianqing’s wrist.
The crowd below erupted in an uproar.
Yun Zhen seemed to remember something and smiled as she nodded.
Qi Xianqing froze for a moment. In an instant, frost seemed to rise in her eyes; with force in her wrist, Zhuying came crashing down with a clang, directly striking the center of Yan Jue’s iron sword blade.
Yan Jue only felt a jolt through her arm, and in an instant the sword seemed about to fly out of her control. She tightened both hands around the iron sword and clung grimly to the hilt.
“My heavens… I almost forgot Senior Sister’s strength is enormous. On the stage, she usually just knocks the opponent’s sword flying straight out of their hand.”
“Yan Jue actually managed to take Senior Sister’s sword strike head-on. Her wrist strength isn’t small either…”
The two women on stage each retreated a few steps. Qi Xianqing’s body suddenly tensed, and in an instant she turned into a blur in midair, appearing before Yan Jue in the blink of an eye.
Zhuying flashed with thunder-like green light in the sky. As Qi Xianqing raised and lowered it, a gigantic semicircular sword beam appeared overhead.
Sword Art: One Thought.
This was Thunderflame Sect’s signature sword skill; it was said to be able to cut down all evil and demons in the world. Qi Xianqing had used it before in competition.
This strike came straight at her with tremendous sword qi. Yan Jue violently swung her hand, and an equally terrifying ice-blue sword qi appeared in the air!
The ice-blue sword qi and green sword qi slammed fiercely into each other in midair, then shattered at once.
Under the howling wind, the two stood facing each other.
One in red, one in white; the scene was beautiful as a painting.
Qi Xianqing had not held back at all; in fact, she was even more serious than usual, because only then could she show Yan Jue the utmost respect.
Yan Jue was the same.
Qi Xianqing’s expression was as cold as frost and snow. She stepped back, formed hand seals with both hands, and in an instant Zhuying rose into the air like a star, then split into hundreds of smaller swords.
Myriad Sword Art!
The little flying swords moved through the air like dragons. Qi Xianqing made a gesture with her right hand, and the several hundred small swords surged toward Yan Jue like golden meteors.
Yan Jue raised her iron sword again and closed her eyes. A burning sensation gradually rose from her dantian, as if a massive amount of spiritual power were spreading out from there!
Yan Jue lifted the iron sword high, her brow tightly furrowed, and forcefully drew it downward!
In an instant, a thick ice wall appeared before her, gradually curving downward until it condensed into a heavy sphere in front of Yan Jue, wrapping her completely inside.
The small swords transformed from Zhuying slammed fiercely against the ice wall, leaving streak after streak of white scratches across it.
Qi Xianqing formed seals with both hands and gave a light cry. Countless small swords flashing with green light immediately gathered again in the sky, reassembling into the true body of Zhuying.
Zhuying swelled in the sky until it was twice a person’s height, then descended from the heavens with overwhelming force.
Sword Art: Shaking the Earth.
No one below the stage even dared breathe. They only saw the immortal sword Zhuying actually pierce straight through Yan Jue’s ice-wall defense!
The immortal sword Zhuying was a divine sword under heaven; everyone knew how powerful it was.
People couldn’t help sighing; this junior sister who had won five matches in a row might end up seriously injured this time.
Even several elders below the stage shook their heads lightly.
Then suddenly, someone screamed.
Qi Xianqing froze.
She heard a very faint sound coming from behind her.
Qi Xianqing’s expression instantly sharpened, and she swiftly recalled Zhuying. In the next breath, the martial arts stage behind her exploded apart from below ground!
Yan Jue had actually burst out of the earth directly, her iron sword swinging straight at Qi Xianqing and colliding with Zhuying once more.
With a deafening bang that shook the surroundings, Yan Jue’s chest ached sharply, and a wave of metallic sweetness surged into her mouth.
Ice-element supernatural art: Snow Burial Escape.
Everyone around them was astonished. If Qi Xianqing hadn’t reacted quickly just now, she would have been ambushed successfully by Yan Jue!
Yan Jue’s face was covered in dirt. She gripped her sword tightly and looked up at Qi Xianqing with a determined expression.
Her shoes scraped across the ground. The two swords crossed and pressed against each other again, locked in an invisible standoff in the air.
Qi Xianqing frowned slightly as she met Yan Jue’s amber eyes, which were now filled with thick bloodlust. Those eyes had always been so gentle and soft, but now they were brimming with aggression!
Qi Xianqing suddenly caught a very faint golden gleam in Yan Jue’s eyes.
Qi Xianqing froze. In an instant, cold sweat broke out on her forehead. Why was she seeing an invisible pressure in Yan Jue’s eyes?
By the time she reacted, Yan Jue had swung her iron sword at her again.
BOOM!!!
Yan Jue’s strength was tremendous; Qi Xianqing was actually knocked back two steps.
Everyone: “?!”
It was close. The two of them were at the very edge of the martial arts stage now; Qi Xianqing’s heel had already crossed the boundary line. If she retreated two more steps, she would probably fall off.
Qi Xianqing only felt a sharp pain in her chest. As she processed it, her shock and delight mixed together.
The sun was bright.
From the corner of her eye, Qi Xianqing suddenly caught sight of Yun Zhen below the martial arts stage.
Yun Zhen still looked ethereal, like a fairy, sitting among a crowd of men and standing out all the more for it.
Yun Zhen rested her chin on her hand and looked at Qi Xianqing thoughtfully, her expression serious.
Master seemed very dissatisfied with her performance.
A strong sense of crisis suddenly rose in Qi Xianqing’s heart. Her usual rule in competition was to finish her opponent within half a cup of tea, but now nearly an incense stick of time had already passed.
Very dangerous. Very bad.
Qi Xianqing’s wrist trembled violently.
The immortal sword Zhuying suddenly blazed with green light and shook violently in midair. Qi Xianqing violently knocked Yan Jue’s attack off line and leaped into the air. Her robe hem flapped in the wild wind, and Zhuying let out a majestic dragon’s roar in the air.
Green light flashed.
Zhuying slashed down head-on.
Yan Jue was already familiar with Qi Xianqing’s rhythm of attack and calmly raised her sword to block.
Her arm trembled, and Yan Jue suddenly realized something; her pupils contracted sharply.
A massive burst of spiritual power exploded out from Qi Xianqing’s body.
In an instant, the iron sword in her hand shattered into pieces!
That pitiful iron sword, the common weapon issued to outer disciples, under Zhuying’s full-force strike, actually began from the tip to turn little by little into pale ash, blown away by the wind…
Yan Jue immediately cried out in misery. She had almost forgotten; how could this sword of hers possibly compare with the immortal sword Zhuying? As long as Qi Xianqing put even a little ruthlessness into it, her sword would be chopped to pieces.
A flash of brief surprise crossed Qi Xianqing’s eyes. Sword light flashed; Yan Jue rolled on the ground to avoid it. Without a sword, she was completely no match for Qi Xianqing.
Qi Xianqing hesitated for a moment, then lightly thrust her sword down again. In an instant, a massive burst of spiritual power exploded in the air.
Qi Xianqing’s heart tightened; it seemed she had not controlled the force properly.
Yan Jue was directly blasted away.
Everyone’s gaze followed the girl in the sky closely, and they watched as Yan Jue traced a beautiful arc through the air, then landed directly in Yun Zhen’s arms.!