Yun Que had just fought a fierce battle against the Rank Seven tiger demon, and now, facing a formidable new enemy, Mu Qingyao's heart inevitably rose to her throat.
Facing the flying ice sword, Yun Que's response was extremely simple.
He drew his saber and hacked!
*Crack!*
The long saber and the ice sword collided head-on.
The ice sword paused for a fraction of a second, densely covered in cracks across its surface, and then shattered.
Despite blocking this strike, Yun Que was blasted backward by the terrifying force carried within the sword, snapping two large trees in his path before he finally came to a halt.
The hunchbacked Zuo Bai let out a shrill laugh, formed a sword incantation with his hands, and said, "A mere Rank Eight Martial Artist dares to block this seat's frost sword. Truly ignorant of the immensity of heaven and earth. Go."
With the single word "go" uttered,
A silver long saber unexpectedly emerged from within the shattered pieces of the ice sword, ripples of water-like luster undulating across its blade.
This long saber showed no sign of sharpness, yet the aura emanating from it was incomparably powerful. It struck toward Yun Que like lightning, dragging a trail of frost and snow behind it!
"It's a magical artifact! Watch out!" Mu Qingyao cried out softly.
The layer of ice was merely a condensed outer shell; the true blade itself was a genuine magical artifact.
The existence of a magical artifact was a cultivator's greatest aid, deserving to be called a second life.
Crafted from all sorts of heavenly treasures and rare minerals, magical artifacts possessed various wondrous powers. Practitioners mostly nurtured them with their own vital essence to make them increasingly powerful, and even if damaged, the artifacts could slowly recover under their master's nurturing.
Every major cultivation system in the world could use magical artifacts, and martial artists were no exception.
However, martial artists could only wield magical artifacts purely through their physical strength. If hacked to pieces, the artifact would be completely ruined, beyond repair, nor could they drive it remotely like other systems to unleash the artifact's maximum might.
This was precisely one of the reasons why martial artists were despised by other practitioners.
No matter how fine a magical artifact was, in the hands of a martial artist, it was no different from a kitchen knife.
Zuo Bai's frost sword was so fast that it even surpassed Pingshan Jun, clinging like the marrow of a bone and specifically targeting Yun Que's vitals such as his throat and heart.
The slightest misstep would mean losing his life on the spot.
Yun Que had no choice but to choose defense.
After blocking the flying sword a few times with his long saber, Yun Que was once again blasted away by the might of the magical artifact.
This time, without waiting for him to land, the frost sword soared into the air, piercing downward straight toward Yun Que's heart.
"Die, nobody."
With a cold snort from Zuo Bai, the sword incantation in his hands abruptly shifted.
The frost sword spun in mid-air, resembling a top, and actually stirred up a small vortex of wind.
This strike was the full-strength blow of a Rank Seven Inanition Realm cultivator!
Facing the slashing ice sword, far from panicking, the corners of Yun Que's mouth curled into a bizarre smile.
Deep within his left eye, a speck of blood-red rippled outward!
Yun Que had once again invoked the power he used against Pingshan Jun!
When his left eye turned blood-red, a vertical blood-red pupil simultaneously appeared on the surface of the saber.
*Boom!*
The tip of the spinning, descending ice sword struck precisely upon the vertical pupil on the saber.
A wave of air exploded in place, shaking a shower of leaves from the trees, and a fierce wind scattered in all directions.
The hunchbacked Zuo Bai suddenly frowned.
The falling leaves filling the sky blocked his line of sight; he could not see Yun Que's figure.
Yet the magical artifact was connected to his mind and soul, and he could clearly sense that the previous strike had failed to eradicate his opponent.
Zuo Bai was somewhat shocked.
He was a Rank Seven Inanition Realm cultivator!
That blow just now was difficult for even a Rank Seven Martial Artist to withstand, and a Rank Eight Martial Artist should undoubtedly have died beneath his sword.
Yet the opponent simply had not died!
The hint of shock that had just arisen in Zuo Bai quickly transformed into even greater dismay.
Before him, a streak of red light slashed out from the fallen leaves!
It was a saber.
A blood-red long saber!
"Your sword is fine, now it's my turn!"
Yun Que's voice was as cold as frost, his crimson left eye flashing with boundless ferocity.
He had waited a long time for this strike.
He needed to seize that momentary lapse in concentration right after the opponent unleashed their full strength!
If the distance was too great, a martial artist could gain not the slightest advantage against a cultivator of any other system—who else could command magical artifacts from a distance?
Yet once close combat was engaged, any cultivator in the entire world would experience the terror of a martial artist!
The long saber tore through the air, its whistle sounding like an ominous demon!
The instant Zuo Bai saw the flash of the saber, he reacted immediately, flicking out a talisman at maximum speed.
The moment the talisman flew out, it burst into a golden radiance, its surface covered in dense, intricate runes.
"Shield Armor Talisman!"
With Zuo Bai's cold shout, the talisman before him melted, instantly forming a three-inch-thick steel wall human-sized in front of him, resembling a giant shield.
The timing of this Shield Armor Talisman's appearance was exceptionally apt, blocking right in front of the saber light and protecting Zuo Bai.
Shield Armor Talismans were of extremely high value, costing at least a thousand taels each. They were defensive talismans, and when used properly, they were sufficient to save one's life.
As the heavy shield formed, the astonishment in Zuo Bai's eyes dissipated accordingly.
This Shield Armor Talisman was enough to withstand the full-strength blow of a Rank Seven Martial Artist; as long as his frost sword wheeled back for defense, he could firmly seize the upper hand.
Zuo Bai's reaction was extremely swift, but he had underestimated the power of Yun Que's strike.
*Clang!*
A flash of blood light pierced through the heavy shield.
Half of the blade directly cracked the heavy shield, its edge resting less than half a foot from Zuo Bai.
Zuo Bai's expression changed abruptly, and he retreated several steps in a hurry.
Had he stood even a single step further forward just now, his heart would likely have been pierced through by now.
What shocked Zuo Bai the most was that upon that half-length of the blade, there was actually a blood-red vertical pupil, staring at him fixedly like a malevolent beast.
"Demonic saber!"
As an Inanition Realm cultivator, Zuo Bai possessed exceptionally strong perception, and he could sense a terrifying, overwhelming demonic qi dwelling within the saber!
The heavy shield split into four pieces, dissolving into nothingness the moment it fractured.
Yun Que's figure arrived in an instant. With his rotating momentum, the blood-red long saber swept out a circular arc of blade radiance.
The speed of this strike was so fast that unless they were a martial artist of the same rank, no one could dodge it.
Zuo Bai's frost sword was already on its way back, but it was too late.
*Strike a martial artist first, or be sent away late.*
At this moment, Zuo Bai deeply experienced the meaning of this teasing adage.
When fighting a martial artist, striking first might not have a decisive impact on the battle's outcome—you might win, or you might lose.
However, being late meant you would definitely be carried away by a martial artist's combo.
"You Hei!"
With nowhere left to dodge, Zuo Bai let out a roar.
Simultaneously, the shadow beneath Zuo Bai's feet suddenly writhed, condensing into a mass of blackness.
The shadow was a giant axe!
The giant axe slashed out to meet the long saber, emitting a muffled thud.
The blade radiance was beaten back, and a clear notch appeared on the giant axe as well.
Yun Que was driven back more than ten zhang by a tremendous force before his feet finally stabilized.
He raised his head to look.
An extra person had appeared beside Zuo Bai.
This person was short in stature but extremely sturdily built, clad in black robes, with robust arms wielding a giant axe taller than himself.
"Rank Seven Martial Artist."
Yun Que muttered inwardly.
Judging from the opponent's strength, that short, sturdy fellow was a Rank Seven Spirit-Refining Realm expert!
The fellow named You Hei rasped with a laugh, "Old Zuo, your sword isn't much use either. You'll need to practice properly from now on; you couldn't even hack to death a mere Rank Eight Martial Artist and had to make me step in."
"Spare me the chatter. This brat is weird. He's no ordinary Rank Eight Martial Artist. Let's join forces and kill him!" Zuo Bai suspended the frost sword before him and said coldly.
"Crap with his weirdness. He's just relying on having a good saber. I've seen plenty of his sort. Once he loses his saber, he's just fish on a cutting board, ready for us to slaughter!" You Hei laughed bizarrely.
Facing two Rank Seven experts, Yun Que showed not the slightest fear, yet the exhaustion on his face was hard to conceal.
Mu Qingyao's delicate brows locked tightly together.
If there were only a single enemy at the Rank Seven realm, she believed Yun Que had the ability to cope.
Yet once two appeared, Mu Qingyao did not believe Yun Que still had any hope of victory. To continue fighting meant nothing but a dead end!
"Yun Que..."
Before Mu Qingyao's cry could fully leave her lips, the two Red Lotus Cult protectors, Zuo Bai and You Hei, had already struck in unison.
A tremendous force erupted from You Hei's feet, and his entire person swept forward like a cannonball, the giant axe in his hand descending with the overwhelming momentum of Mount Tai pressing down from above.
Zuo Bai's frost sword was even faster, arriving first to fly behind Yun Que and cut off his retreat.
The two Red Lotus Cult protectors had no intention of letting Yun Que go, launching their attacks with full force.
In this renewed fierce battle, Yun Que was completely thrown into a disadvantageous position.
A Rank Seven Spirit-Refining Realm martial artist combined with a Rank Seven Inanition Realm cultivator—no Rank Eight practitioner could withstand their joint assault.
Yun Que possessed only a single saber, yet he had to simultaneously face two opponents who surpassed him by a major realm. Even fighting desperately to block, he was grazed by You Hei's giant axe, flying out like a kite with a broken string.
Seeing this, Zuo Bai sneered, and the frost sword shot straight toward Yun Que's neck for the kill.
To block this fatal blow, Yun Que swung his long saber with all his might.
Amidst the clanging of metal, the frost sword was knocked aside.
The blood-red long saber slipped from his grasp as well.
*Clang!*
The blade embedded itself in the ground in the distance, leaving only the hilt visible.
As Yun Que's body crashed to the ground, Mu Qingyao's heart also plunged to the bottom.
Today, she, Princess Lingyun, could not escape her doom.
Struggling to crawl back up, Yun Que wanted to retrieve his saber, only to be met by a series of continuous slashes from You Hei. The giant axe chopped repeatedly, hacking out a flurry of axe shadows as if mincing meat.
Yun Que could only rely on his physical strength to dodge and maneuver.
Every dodge practically brushed past the descending giant axe—perilous in the extreme, making Mu Qingyao's heart leap into her throat.
"Without your saber, what waves can a little ant like you stir up! Go to hell!"
You Hei's giant axe grew faster and faster, whistling with fierce winds.
Short though he was, his physique was exceptionally formidable, and that axe weighing thousands of catties was mere child's play in his hands.
Mu Qingyao had already foreseen the outcome of this fierce battle.
The little princess was well aware of the massive gap between a Rank Seven Martial Artist and a Rank Eight Martial Artist.
A Rank Seven Spirit-Refining Realm martial artist specialized in refining their primordial spirit, fusing it with qi and blood to break open the extraordinary meridians and open the dantian, allowing them to project qi outward with inexhaustible strength.
Fighting as a Spirit-Refining Realm martial artist granted tremendous stamina—a crucial point that Rank Eight martial artists lacked.
Even though Yun Que could wield power approaching that of a Rank Seven martial artist, his physical strength fell far short of a true Rank Seven martial artist, and especially having lost his long saber, his combat power plummeted accordingly.
Mu Qingyao saw no hope whatsoever.
From the very beginning, the outcome of this death match had been predated.
*Bang!!*
*Boom!!*
With a downward kick from above, You Hei smashed Yun Que into the ground, gouging out a half-zhang-deep crater.
Zuo Bai stood at the edge of the crater, glanced at the black-robed youth struggling to rise, and sneered, "Quite resilient, aren't you? Brat, you won't live past tonight!"
The frost sword flickered with a cold radiance, aiming straight at the youth in the large crater.
"Stop!"
Mu Qingyao suddenly shouted coldly, "I'll go with you lot, just let him go."
"That's not up to you." Zuo Bai said coldly.
*Swish!*
Mu Qingyao held a dagger concealed in her sleeve horizontally across her own neck and said, "Your Cult Master should want a live Princess Lingyun. If you don't let him go, I'll take my own life immediately."
Zuo Bai's bloodless, elongated face twisted into a fierce grimace for a split second before returning to normal as he smiled.
"Since that's how it is, we'll grant the princess this favor. A nobody, sparing his life is nothing. Princess, please."
Zuo Bai bowed slightly, gesturing an invitation toward the small red sedan chair, while simultaneously signaling You Hei with a wink, instructing his companion to finish off Yun Que.
You Hei understood, breaking into a silent, grim smile.
Mu Qingyao cast one final glance at Yun Que in the deep crater, then stepped toward the sedan chair.
This was the last effort she could make—to fight for a sliver of survival for Yun Que.
Just as the little princess was about to enter the sedan chair, a hoarse, weak, yet stubborn and unyielding voice sounded from behind her.
"I have a name. My name is... Yun Que..."
Zuo Bai, You Hei, and Mu Qingyao all turned their heads in unison.
Within their line of sight, a hand stained completely with blood stretched out from the edge of the crater!
Following that hand was a pair of blood-red eyes cold to the absolute extreme!
"The 'Que' of lacking money!"
Yun Que slowly climbed out, his eyes entirely turned blood-red. The void behind him trembled slightly, as if being torn apart by some strange force, distorting into a vertical pupil invisible to mortal eyes!
Chapter 20: Since When Does Heaven's Will Count for Anything?
His figure, not particularly robust, stood straight once more.
Clad in black clothes, with a pair of blood-red pupils!
You Hei, wielding his giant axe, looked surprised. Having suffered repeated heavy blows from him, it was impossible for a Rank Eight Martial Artist to still be able to crawl back up.
Yet the opponent actually managed to stand!
Mu Qingyao bit her silver teeth and shouted, "Go! Leave me be! Aren't you greedy for life and afraid of death? Hurry up and leave! Don't forget your greatest ambition is to stay alive!"
Yun Que smiled.
The blood at the corners of his mouth made his smile appear eerie.
"I am afraid of death, but a deal is a deal. Since I've taken your silver, I have to take you to Baiyu City."
"I'm not going to Baiyu City! Our deal is written off. Consider the silver a reward, get out of here!"
Though Mu Qingyao spoke cold words, anyone could hear that she was trying to fight a path to survival for Yun Que.
"Shut up!"
Yun Que gazed at Mu Qingyao and rasped with a smile, "From now on, you are the cargo I'm escorting. Whoever dares to hijack my cargo, I will kill them."
Zuo Bai laughed loudly. "Ha ha ha! What a heroic young man, a protector of flowers! So then, how do you plan to kill us?"
You Hei sneered, "With just a mouth, you can't kill us. Brat, we offered you a way to live and you refused, so we can only finish you off!"
Yun Que smiled coldly.
"Does your Red Lotus Cult only know how to bully people? Two against one, and two Rank Sevens beating a Rank Eight."
Zuo Bai snorted coldly, "You could find helpers too; it's just that you couldn't find any, little thing. Die. Don't think you can block two Rank Seven experts just by relying on a bit of ferocity."
You Hei mocked, "Not bad-looking, and even your eyeballs turned red. That little trick is fine for scaring little girls, but I can do it too!"
Saying this, You Hei channeled his qi mechanism, and his own eyes immediately became densely covered with bloodshot veins.
Though they lacked the vivid, blood-like crimson of Yun Que's eyes, they still presented a pair of pupils that were nearly blood-red.
Being looked down upon, mocked, and ignored—Yun Que quietly savored this familiar feeling.
When he was a child, walking the streets in ragged clothes, those cold gazes and pointing taunts had surrounded him from all sides.
So what if they did?
Yun Que had never felt lonely.
Nor had he ever felt helpless.
Because he had never been truly alone!
"Heh... hehehehe! Since you like bullying the few with many, I'll call someone too."
Yun Que suddenly laughed.
A frantic laugh!
Abruptly thrusting out a single hand, the blood at the corners of Yun Que's mouth seemed to come alive, growing ever more crimson.
*Hum!!!*
The long saber embedded in the ground in the distance began to tremble strangely.
The hilt slowly lifted.
It was as if an invisible, gigantic hand had grasped that blood-red long saber.
Zuo Bai's expression shifted slightly, and he commanded, "Form the formation! Seal his saber!"
The sole thing the two Red Lotus Cult protectors feared about Yun Que was that long saber with a blood pupil upon its blade.
Eight Red Lotus Cult disciples hurried forward, arranging themselves into a formation beside the long saber and forming spell incantations with their hands.
A golden line of light emerged among the eight people, resembling a ribbon, connecting them to one another and outlining an octagonal pattern.
Viewed from above, it was as if a doorway had appeared among the eight disciples.
"Eight Gates Spirit-Sealing Array!"
Mu Qingyao recognized the origin of the formation at a glance.
This kind of formation required multiple people to set up, specializing in sealing certain spiritual bodies and spiritual objects, and could also be used to seal demonic beasts.
The eight Red Lotus Cult disciples were all Ninth Rank Qi Refiners; a single person's spiritual qi was insufficient to deploy the formation, but by gathering the strength of eight people, they could set up a formation of considerable might like the Eight Gates Spirit-Sealing Array.
This was precisely the peculiar aspect of Daoist methods.
Zuo Bai sneered, "I figured out long ago that your saber was strange. With the Eight Gates Spirit-Sealing Array in place, don't even think about taking it back! This seat wants to see what abilities you have left once you lose your saber!"
You Hei brandished his giant axe and said, "This kind of person is simply asking for trouble when offered kindness! Stop wasting breath on him; since he wants to die, we'll just grant his wish!"
Zuo Bai nodded, aiming his frost sword at Yun Que.
As an Inanition Realm cultivator, Zuo Bai's perception far exceeded that of a Spirit-Refining martial artist of the same rank.
He vaguely had a premonition that hidden within the opponent's blood-red long saber was some sort of terrifying power; absolutely under no circumstances could Yun Que be allowed to get his hands on it.
When facing danger, the safest course of action was to nip the danger in the bud!
Though the long saber was sealed by the formation, Yun Que stubbornly tried to retrieve it, pulling desperately with both hands toward the distant long saber.
His appearance of pulling the saber from afar was thoroughly comical, resembling a clown, causing Zuo Bai and You Hei to burst into loud laughter.
A Rank Eight Martial Artist fundamentally lacked the ability to manipulate objects from a distance; even if he did, a long saber sealed by the formation could never be retrieved.
*Swish!*
Just as Zuo Bai and You Hei laughed uninhibitedly, the sound of chains rattling emerged within Yun Que's hands.
At that moment, Yun Que made a motion that outsiders could not comprehend.
He leaned his upper body backward, his hands alternately pulling backward at something, yet his hands were completely empty.
Though they could not see what Yun Que was pulling, Zuo Bai and You Hei could hear the sound of iron chains scraping against stone walls.
*Clank!*
*Clank!!*
*Clank!!!*
Along with this bizarre rattling, the minds and souls of Zuo Bai and You Hei trembled as well, a sense of terror rising in their hearts.
It was as if Yun Que were grasping a chain connecting to the netherworld, about to drag a Yan Luo from the realm of the dead up onto the earth!
What Zuo Bai and You Hei could not see, Mu Qingyao saw with absolute clarity.
As a Spirit-Attuned Body, Princess Lingyun possessed innate pupil power; in her eyes, Yun Que's hands were not empty at all.
Rather, he was pulling a crimson iron chain!
The iron chain was crimson as blood, as if composed of fresh blood, link linked to link.
What shocked Mu Qingyao even more was that one end of the chain Yun Que was pulling plunged deep into the earth, while the other end was actually coiled around his arm, connected directly to his limb.
An invisible blood chain anchoring oneself!
The chain Yun Que was pulling was not dead, but alive!
That chain was constantly twisting and shaking.
With every shake of the chain, one of the disciples setting up the Eight Gates Spirit-Sealing Array would spew a mouthful of blood.
To outsiders, Yun Que was not pulling a chain, but the lives of the eight formation-setting disciples!
Even the Rank Seven martial artist You Hei sensed that something was terribly wrong with this bizarre situation.