Chapter Thirteen: The Woman in White

Hearing the fierce whistling force exploding behind him, Long Yun’s eyes remained utterly calm, a faint smile curling at his lips. He spoke lightly, “To make a move now? I’m afraid you’re already too late.” Without the slightest pause, the sword energy swept out in a horizontal arc!

With a muffled boom, a head the size of a bucket flew skyward, crashing heavily against the rooftop and embedding itself deep within. There it remained, an unspeakably horrifying sight.

Having done all this, Long Yun moved without hesitation. Grabbing the Left Envoy’s body with his left hand, he yanked it behind him, using the headless corpse as a shield, and then unleashed his protective inner energy in a blazing surge.

A thunderous roar followed as the corpse was shattered into a bloody mist by the leader’s palm strike, exploding in all directions. The momentum of the blow remained undiminished, striking again at Long Yun’s protective aura.

There was a sharp crack as the protective energy shattered. Yet Long Yun used this force to propel himself forward, darting out like a wraith, trailing a string of afterimages behind him.

In a blur of speed, Long Yun, borrowing this momentum, shot directly into the enemy ranks. Before the rest of the bandit experts could react, his sword hand rose high.

The sword energy he unleashed seemed a summons to death; with a single strike, the technique “Ten Thousand Extinction Killing Sword” was brought to its peak, reaping three expert lives in an instant.

“Well, boy, now you’ve truly enraged me! This time, no one will save you!” the leader roared in fury. Watching his experts fall one after another, he could bear it no longer. His whole body tensed, muscles swelling and veins bulging as a violent light flashed over him.

With a single step, ripples of light spread out beneath his feet. Murderous intent blazed in his eyes as he locked onto Long Yun with his consciousness, stamping so hard that the flagstones beneath him shattered into dust.

Using this force, he hurled himself straight at Nangong Ruoli. Before his body even arrived, his fist shot out from a distance, the energy of the blow like a cold star suddenly expanding.

A chilling killing intent enveloped Long Yun. The fist’s aura radiated outward, covering everything within a ten-foot radius around him!

Long Yun’s expression changed. The power of this punch far exceeded his expectations, and with the opponent already locking down the space around him, there was no way to dodge.

In desperation, Long Yun flicked his toe against the ground, sending a longsword flying into his hand. Focusing his soul, he instantly entered the supreme, tranquil state of the sword—like a serene ancient well.

“Great Sorrow and Supreme Joy Sword, Ten Thousand Extinction Killing Sword, Star Annihilation Sword, Morning Sun Sword Technique, Grand Chaos Sword Art—five swords as one! Let my sword intent lead the way—kill!”

Five streams of sword energy, each of a different nature, shot forth at once!

One was golden, one blood-red, another shimmered with the sacred radiance of the stars, a fourth blazed with the crimson of the rising sun, and the last contained the ancient aura of primal chaos.

Driven by Long Yun’s immense sword intent, the five energies merged as one, forming an incredibly powerful, multicolored sword aura that blazed in midair.

A mouthful of fresh blood spurted from Long Yun’s lips. Even with his profound understanding of sword intent, forcing the fusion of five ultimate sword arts inflicted grave injury. His meridians seemed unable to withstand the brilliance of these five powers, half of them instantly destroyed. His body shuddered violently, yet he gritted his teeth and endured.

The leader’s punch collided directly with Long Yun’s sword, producing a deafening, earth-shattering boom as chaotic currents exploded everywhere.

Brilliant lights rampaged through the air. Long Yun staggered back repeatedly, spitting out over a dozen mouthfuls of blood, his entire network of meridians wracked with pain, until at last he collapsed heavily to the ground.

The leader fared no better, forced back over thirty feet; his face turned pale. The “Five Swords as One” of Nangong Ruoli contained a vast comprehension of sword intent, five different powers condensed into a single point.

Though it did not unleash the full might of the five sword energies, the pressure was still immense. His right arm trembled, and his fist was crisscrossed with dozens of sword scars.

The sword energy had actually wounded his flesh; a few cuts were so deep the bone showed, blood dripping steadily down his arm, driving him nearly mad with fury.

He was a supreme expert of the Transcendence Realm, whereas the youth before him was only at the Qi Condensation stage—a gulf of power, the fourth layer of postnatal cultivation versus the seventh. Their realms were as far apart as heaven and earth. And yet, in this head-on clash without tricks, he had suffered.

Another mouthful of blood spurted from Long Yun. Struggling to his feet, his meridians blocked and his true energy sluggish, that last sword strike had nearly emptied his reserves.

Now, with more than ninety percent of his energy spent, he had no strength to circulate his qi for healing. Planting his sword in the ground for support, blood at his lips, he stared at the leader—utterly fearless.

“Young man, to injure me at the Qi Condensation stage is indeed impressive. But right now, you’re no match for me. You’re spent—you’ve reached the end of your strength. Still, seeing your limitless potential, I’ll give you one chance: submit to me, or die today!” the leader’s eyes flickered as he spoke.

The explosive power Long Yun displayed had shaken him, making him wary that, under pressure, the youth might lash out again in a desperate bid for mutual destruction—a price he wasn’t willing to pay.

Thus, he chose to bide his time, soothe Long Yun’s vigilance, and then strike suddenly to crush him.

Long Yun saw through his intent, but was content to play along—this gave him a precious chance to recover some strength.

A faint fragrance drifted to his nostrils, bringing a sudden sense of tranquility. The familiar scent made his whole body tremble. Glancing at the white-robed woman nearby, a look of puzzlement flickered in his eyes.

The closer she stood, the stronger the sense of familiarity became. Now, with the white-robed woman right beside him, Long Yun felt as if his very soul wanted to leave his body. He stood there in a daze, utterly lost.

What an opportunity! Seeing Long Yun distracted, the leader—who had been waiting for just such a chance—acted in an instant. With a shout, he sprang up, fingers curling into talons, each fingertip radiating a blade of cold light three feet long.

A massive claw-shaped shadow, three feet in length, materialized abruptly, slashing down at Long Yun’s crown.

Long Yun’s face changed. He felt a crushing force descending like Mount Tai, chilling him to the bone—yet his gaze never left the white-robed maiden.

At that moment, she too looked at him. Though her face was hidden beneath a veil, Long Yun could feel her gaze. Did she feel the same inexplicable connection?

“Boy, to dare lose focus—go to hell!” the leader sneered, his face twisted with triumph. The five claw lights were now less than three feet away from Long Yun.

Bathed in that overwhelming aura, a flash of despair crossed Long Yun’s eyes, yet his gaze still rested on the white-robed woman. A bitter smile touched his lips. To lose focus at such a moment—there was no escaping now.

A savage light flickered on the leader’s face. His claw strike, powered by his full force, would surely end Long Yun’s life.

In that split-second, a slender, delicate hand slowly reached out, as if transcending time and space. Though its movement seemed unhurried, it followed a mystical, unfathomable trajectory.

That hand could only be described as flawless—white as jade, slender-fingered, like a perfect work of art, radiant with a holy light that forbade desecration.

The hand extended, appearing effortless, but with every turn of the fingers, light shimmered and space itself seemed to warp.

The leader’s seemingly brilliant strike suddenly shattered into fragments. The force exploded, all sharp energies dissipating into dust, scattering in every direction.

Then, the white-robed woman’s arm flicked. Radiance trembled, and the image of her hand exploded forth, manifesting in midair like a real arm, seizing the leader’s hand in a powerful grip.

“What?!” The leader’s expression changed drastically. His palm felt as though caught in iron pincers—he could not move it at all. A bone-chilling cold seeped instantly through his entire being.