Behind Qian Ye, Bai Kongzhao appeared like a specter, clutching a battle blade glowing with an eerie green light, thrusting fiercely toward his lower back.
Qian Ye, with his reflexes, could have dodged the strike, but Bai Kongzhao seemed to have foreseen his evasion. She twisted the blade mid-strike and still managed to pierce his waist.
The strike was perfectly placed, right in the gap between his ribs. Even Qian Ye’s formidable body seemed fragile before this blade, and it penetrated deep into his waist with a sickening sound.
Bai Kongzhao’s dress fluttered, showing she had used all her strength, yet her movements remained silent. Qian Ye detected no trace of origin power fluctuations from her. It was only when the blade reached him that he confirmed the attack’s direction.
In this critical moment, Qian Ye’s face was as calm as water. He reached out and seized the blade’s edge, halting its advance. With his right hand, he swept the Dongyue sword, aiming for Bai Kongzhao’s waist.
The girl’s eyes flickered as she looked at the incoming Dongyue, her expression one of confusion, seemingly at a loss on how to react. The strike was too swift and too heavy, leaving her no choice but to retreat or meet it head-on.
Bai Kongzhao suddenly pulled the blade with all her might, yanking it out of Qian Ye’s body and slicing open a deep wound in his left palm.
With the blade free, she performed a backflip, putting a safe distance between herself and the Dongyue.
Qian Ye’s eyes flashed with blue light, and Bai Kongzhao let out a muffled cry, her body dropping slightly. The sword’s energy altered its angle slightly, striking her like a shadow. She flew through the air, flailing like a broken kite.
Qian Ye frowned slightly and followed. Though it seemed she had been knocked back, he knew she was using the momentum to retreat. The blow was not as severe as it appeared.
Sure enough, the girl flipped to her feet, her eyes gleaming like a wolf’s as she stared at Qian Ye, her lips parted as if she wanted to say something.
Qian Ye had no interest in hearing her. He swung the Dongyue down, aiming to split her in two without mercy.
Bai Kongzhao looked desperate, hastily blocking the Dongyue with her blade and rolling away to avoid the devastating blow.
Qian Ye raised the Dongyue again, frowning even more deeply.
Under his True Sight, Bai Kongzhao’s origin power trajectories were constantly changing, indicating she had no fixed techniques, relying entirely on Qian Ye’s actions. The problem was that her trajectory changes were too fast, and the path she ultimately chose was the one with the least openings, making it hard to predict.
Qian Ye now truly appreciated Bai Kongzhao’s unparalleled combat talent. The only fortunate thing was that her origin power was mediocre, only at level eight.
Since he couldn’t outmatch her in skill, Qian Ye wielded the Dongyue, using a series of basic, refined sword forms—sweep, slash, thrust, and strike. Each move was brutally powerful, relying on sheer force to win.
Even if there were still gaps in Qian Ye’s sword technique, they were few, and each strike was too heavy and precise. Bai Kongzhao dared not meet them head-on, and even deflecting them took great effort. She couldn’t exploit any openings even if she saw them.
The two fought fiercely. Qian Ye’s attacks were like a bear, each blow capable of breaking bones, while Bai Kongzhao’s movements were like a leopard, incredibly agile, circling Qian Ye, looking for opportunities. Although she mostly defended, her counterattacks were deadly and vicious.
However, with Qian Ye’s injuries, prolonged fighting was disadvantageous. Moreover, he was alone, while Bai Kongzhao might have reinforcements nearby.
Suddenly, Qian Ye’s strike became too heavy, and Bai Kongzhao saw an opportunity. She pressed down on the Dongyue, forcing it to plunge into the ground. She leaped, her bare feet stepping onto the sword, and in a flash, thrust her blade at Qian Ye’s heart.
Qian Ye seemed to have no time to change his stance. His options were to retreat, leaving the heavy sword behind, or turn and take the blow with a less vital part of his body.
To Bai Kongzhao’s surprise, Qian Ye showed no sign of retreating. He didn’t even flinch, meeting her blade with his chest. At the same time, his eyes turned an endless, deep blue, piercing her gaze, and an invisible hand reached out, aiming for her heart.
Bai Kongzhao instantly realized Qian Ye was trying to exchange blows. Without hesitation, she gritted her teeth, enduring the intense pain, and continued forward, driving her blade into Qian Ye’s chest.
But the blade encountered unexpected resistance. Bai Kongzhao let out a startled scream, remembering how Qian Ye had escaped a sniper bullet. Clearly, he wore high-quality armor!
Seeing her strike fail, Bai Kongzhao quickly retreated, her movements as decisive as her attack. But the Dongyue, like a coiled dragon, pursued her.
Forced, she screamed, hacking at the Dongyue with her blade.
This was a pure, unadulterated clash. Qian Ye’s feet sank into the ground, as if weighted by a thousand tons. His origin power surged, forming a powerful wave, and struck Bai Kongzhao with the full force of the Dongyue.
The tide of the Forty-nine Rounds of Martial Combat erupted, and the plain-looking Dongyue glowed briefly before returning to its dull, dark form, as if the immense power that could destroy weapons below level five was just an illusion.
Bai Kongzhao, however, truly felt the overwhelming impact. Her small body flew backward, smashing through several trees, and finally hit the ground with a thud. Yet, in the dust, she sprang up, fleeing like a frightened rabbit and disappearing into the distance.
Despite the heavy blow, her ability to escape so swiftly astonished Qian Ye. However, in the brief moment from standing to running, she spat three mouthfuls of blood, clearly not unscathed.
Qian Ye did not pursue. Standing still for a moment, he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood, and his wound at the waist reopened, spewing more blood.
The Forty-nine Rounds of Martial Combat were fierce and powerful, but the toll was great. Qian Ye, already severely injured, pushed himself to the limit. While the Dongyue withstood the intense energy, his body could not, aggravating his injuries.
After a moment, Qian Ye let the raging tide of origin power subside. He bandaged his wounds and walked over to pick up Bai Kongzhao’s discarded battle blade.
The blade was long and slender, with a three-finger-wide edge, but it was surprisingly heavy, glowing with a greenish light. Its guard was adorned with a beast face, sinister and typical of demon kin craftsmanship.
The sniper rifle on her back was also a demon kin weapon. Such weapons, driven by dark origin power, did not require blood essence like those of the blood race but could only unleash about 60-70% of their power in human hands.
In the recent battle, the demon kin blade in Bai Kongzhao’s hands flowed smoothly, displaying its full potential. In the final clash of origin powers, the tide of the Martial Combat shattered Bai Kongzhao’s origin power, but a mysterious force within her countered much of it, saving her from death. A normal level-eight warrior, regardless of race, would have been instantly crippled by the Forty-nine Rounds of Martial Combat, their bones shattered and organs destroyed, beyond any recovery.
It seemed Bai Kongzhao had many secrets, perhaps no fewer than Qian Ye. Weighing the demon kin blade, he stored it in Anduya’s mysterious space. For situations where concealment was needed and the Dongyue could not be used, this level-five blade would suffice, as lesser weapons could not withstand his potent origin power.
Qian Ye examined the spot where Bai Kongzhao had fallen, gauging her injury. He wondered if this assassination was her own idea or an order from the Bai family. If the latter, his situation was even more perilous.
After clearing the battlefield, Qian Ye returned to the Blood Knight. During the battle, Bai Kongzhao had struck him, severing his leg at the knee despite Qian Ye’s interference. Even a blood race, with such a grievous wound, was now on the brink of death.
“Speak. How did you find me? Tell me, and I’ll end your suffering.”
The Blood Knight’s lifeless eyes flickered. “One day, I felt a voice calling from deep within the Iron Curtain. I responded, and since then, I’ve had a connection to it, gaining strength and expanding my senses. Within a kilometer, I could know everything… but it’s fading, and it hurts…”
The Blood Knight convulsed in agony.
Knowing he would learn no more, Qian Ye lifted the Dongyue and drove it into the knight’s heart, ending his suffering.
Qian Ye looked up. The sky was a heavy lead gray, mirroring his mood. From the Blood Knight’s words, it was clear that the Iron Curtain affected not only beasts but also the dark races. Whether humans would be similarly affected was uncertain, but possible.
Gaining the Iron Curtain’s power was secondary; what troubled Qian Ye most was the enhanced perception, a lethal threat. Fortunately, so far, the Blood Knight was the only example, and the threat had been neutralized. Nevertheless, it made him more cautious, no longer able to venture as recklessly.
The military medicine he had taken began to work, and his wounds felt somewhat better. He identified his position and headed toward Silver Stream Bay.
Not far into his journey, Qian Ye sensed an anomaly in the surrounding dark origin power. One area was more turbulent than the others.
He continued forward, feigning calm, and suddenly stopped, drawing the Phantom Manjushaka and firing a shot.
With a boom, Bai Kongzhao leapt up like a startled deer, turning and dashing into the forest, vanishing. In her fleeting escape, Qian Ye saw a torn corner of her skirt and blood streaming from her thigh. Though not aimed, the shot had still wounded her leg.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage