Chapter 157: Bloody Battle on the Long Street (1)

Oh no, is he going to unleash the capability of the "Blood-Scar Blade"?

Xianxian said, "Unlikely. Activating the capability of the Blood-Scar Blade would cost him his own vital essence. Unless there's no other choice, no one would do such a thing."

Lue Kai shouted loudly, "Xibao, this place is too cramped. Let's go to the street and settle this."

"Hmph, if you think it's too cramped, we'll just make more room!" Xibao sneered. Suddenly, he slashed forward, and a crimson streak of light flew out like a massive bloody waterfall. A terrifying aura of blood burst forth, as if one had stepped into a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Lue Kai's figure was like an ethereal shadow. Clearly, he had been split right down the middle by that slash, but his voice rang out from dozens of meters away, "Xibao, if you have the guts, come and chase me!"

With a crisp rip, Cheng Guan watched in horror as everything before him parted right down the middle as if made of paper, revealing the pitch-black night sky.

That single slash had directly torn a three-story bar in two. In an instant, countless people were dead or injured. After a second of astonishment, the revelers inside the bar let out terrified screams and ran for their lives. Panic-stricken cries for help and screams merged into a chaotic roar, resembling the end of the world.

As for Xibao, he didn't even bother to glance at the catastrophic aftermath he had caused. He sprang up into the midair, and with a thunderous roar, shouted, "Lue Kai, you coward! Since you dared to show your face, why not fight me to the death instead of running away?"

Lue Kai's figure twisted like a wisp of blue smoke, coming to a halt atop a gigantic statue in the plaza. Such statues were erected in every city on Azure Star; not only were they a display of arrogance, but they also served as a deterrent, constantly reminding the natives of this planet who the true masters were. Yet at this moment, Lue Kai was standing right on top of the statue's head without a shred of respect. Anyone who witnessed this scene was filled with utter astonishment.

Xibao soared into the sky like a giant bird, showing no signs of exhaustion. He leaped a hundred meters through the air, bringing his crimson longsword down in a downward slash. His wild and arrogant demeanor completely eclipsed the neon lights. The blood-red curtain of light seemed to tear the night sky in two. Accompanied by the earth-shattering murderous intent, it felt as though one had suddenly been transported to a hellish blood pool, making it impossible to breathe.

Lue Kai's gaze narrowed, but he did not dare to take the blow head-on. This strike, imbued with Xibao's true qi, contained far more than seventy thousand anchor units of force. Even with all his self-confidence, Lue Kai would not dare to recklessly confront such power with his own twenty thousand anchor units of force. Supported by his formidable spiritual power, the profound intricacies of the "Return-One Footwork" were fully displayed. Like instantaneous teleportation, his figure suddenly appeared at the other end of the plaza, fifty meters away.

Boom!

That symbol of authority in the hearts of the citizens—the statue of the Li family head—was struck dead center by this terrifying slash. The alloy-cast statue, impervious to ordinary blades, was split cleanly in two by the fierce crimson sword qi. With a heavy crash, it collapsed onto the plaza, shattering the hard floor tiles into countless pieces.

People in the distance scrambled to flee far away. Even a kilometer away, they could hardly suppress the terror in their hearts. The murderous intent currently emanating from the "Blood-Scar Blade" felt tangible. Anyone with weak willpower within a certain radius would be affected by it, losing their minds or even going mad to the point of death. It was terrifyingly potent.

After splitting the statue in two with a single slash, Xibao felt no remorse whatsoever; instead, he burst into excited, wild laughter. He landed on the ground with an imposing air. The "Blood-Scar Blade," sensing the presence of its enemy, trembled with even greater excitement, appearing extremely eager to drain Xibao's blood, unleash its innate skill, and trap Lue Kai to death.

Lue Kai slowly straightened up, fixing his gaze on Xibao opposite him. Although they were fifty meters apart, to experts, such a distance was practically no different from standing face-to-face. Their gazes intersected in the empty space, sparking invisible flames.

"Xibao, you've exposed your identity as an evil cultivator so quickly. Aren't you afraid of being hunted down by thousands? Or do you think your strength allows you to disregard all the powerhouses on Azure Star?" Lue Kai looked into Xibao's bloodthirsty eyes, which were even more tyrannical than those of Xibao's predecessor, Xishan. A sinking feeling arose in his heart, and he couldn't shake the sensation that something was amiss.

"Evil cultivator? What evil cultivator? Lue Kai, stop spouting nonsense. No matter how silver-tongued you are, you are bound to die tonight." Xibao paused for a moment before speaking with disdain. At the same time, he slowly raised the "Blood-Scar Blade" and said coldly, "Though that good-for-nothing Xurun Si was indeed an annoyance whose death is no great loss, he was still my brother. For a wasteland savage like you to dare assassinate an imperial noble—such audacity commands admiration. I originally intended to let you live a few more days, but since you are so eager, I will grant your wish tonight. Prepare to die!"

With those words, giving Lue Kai no chance to question him further, Xibao leaped into the air. The "Blood-Scar Blade" in his hand was actually thrown directly from his grip, transforming into a streak of bloody light that hurtled toward Lue Kai.

Lue Kai instantly activated the "Illusionary God Art." Spirals abruptly emerged in his pupils, and the spiritual origin point at his ancestral aperture burst into a dazzling radiance, channeling two streams of cold white light directly into his eyes. The offensive technique of the "Illusionary God Art," known as the "Illusionary Shadow Kill," was decisively unleashed. Having had previous experience, Lue Kai knew this was his only technique capable of inflicting damage on the "Blood-Scar Blade," so he had continuously practiced it. By now, his familiarity with the "Illusionary Shadow Kill" was ingrained in his bones, and the various offensive variations he had evolved from it were exquisite to the absolute limit.

At this moment, the spiritual energy within his eyes condensed into the shape of a needle to the highest degree. Pouring his entire might into it, he violently bombarded the body of the "Blood-Scar Blade."

A sharp, piercing shriek echoed through the air. Lue Kai leaped upward, which superficially looked like an attempt to dodge the attack of the "Blood-Scar Blade," but in reality, the "Blood-Scar Blade" had emitted a strange buzzing sound, shuddering violently and nearly plummeting to the ground halfway through its trajectory.

How exquisite was an attack originating from the "Illusionary God Art"? It was utterly impossible to guard against. Although the "Blood-Scar Blade" was eerie and malevolent, it was powerless against such an assault. Suffering this single blow, it sustained a certain level of damage, and its color immediately dimmed by a few shades.

Xibao, whose mind was deeply attuned to the "Blood-Scar Blade," arrived almost immediately afterward. Snatching the spinning "Blood-Scar Blade" out of the air, he felt the fear and grievance transmitted from the blade, causing him to cry out in absolute shock and disbelief, "Lue Kai, what on earth did you do to my blade?"

Lue Kai's heart sank, though a strange expression flashed across his face and vanished instantly. He sneered, "Want to rely on the superiority of your weapon? Then unleash the blade's innate skill! I'd love to see if it makes any difference when executed by an evil cultivator like yourself."

"Enough of your endless chatter and nonsense. Let's fight! This time I won't hold back. If you have the guts, stop dodging."

Xibao was arrogant to the extreme and couldn't be bothered to listen to Lue Kai's words. With his realm of the first-stage "Micro-Perception," which exceeded Lue Kai's by more than three times, he naturally felt no pressure whatsoever. The "Blood-Scar Blade" cleaved through the void, slashing down once more. Deprived of the assistance of the blood-sea battle domain, the power of Lue Kai's "Return-One Footwork" became even more pronounced. With a single thought, he shifted his position and countered with his curved blade, ruthlessly slashing directly at Xibao's back.

Xibao reacted as though he had eyes in the back of his head. Without even turning around, he reversed the "Blood-Scar Blade," parrying Lue Kai's attack. True qi surged, and the formidable force transmitted directly through the blade into Lue Kai's body.

Lue Kai had long known that the disparity in their physical strength was too vast, and meeting force with force would not be to his advantage. Therefore, he had not committed his full momentum; he retreated the moment they touched, shifting his position once again to launch another attack from a different angle. Lue Kai's onslaught could only be described as terrifying. Relying on the intuition and predatory instincts cultivated since childhood, combined with his extraordinary abilities, his attacks were as unrestrained and untraceable as galloping clouds and flowing water, yet fiercely sharp to the extreme. If Xibao were to be struck by one of them, it would likely mean instant life or death.

Xibao wielded the "Blood-Scar Blade," pouring his true qi into it as if it were worthless. The entire blade glowed with a frightening brilliance, but aside from that, there was nothing unusual about him.

The two figures swept back and forth across the plaza. Sword light soared into the sky like bursting fireworks, creating a visually stunning spectacle. Even more shocking to the onlookers than the visual spectacle was the terrifying destructive power. Whether it was the imperial alloy billboard panels or the unimaginably hard basalt diamond-stone, under the pair's onslaught, everything shattered upon contact just like blocks of tofu. For a moment, debris flew in all directions like bullets leaving the barrel, embedding themselves deeply into walls and the ground, leaving behind horrifying craters.

Witnessing this scene, who dared to continue watching? Everyone fled like madmen, desiring nothing more than to put as much distance between themselves and the battlefield as possible.

Yet there was one person who did not flee with the crowd. Instead, she stared in disbelief at another massive skyscraper. There, a gigantic virtual screen was broadcasting the entire battle in real-time, synchronized to perfection. Compared to viewing the scene directly with the naked eye, the broadcast on this virtual screen was evidently much clearer. At the very least, the young woman instantly recognized that one of the protagonists of the battle was the very person who had brought her such a profound spiritual shock and helped her find her way back.

At this moment, that angel of spiritual purification had transformed into a resolute god of war, engaged in an earth-shattering duel with a terrifying enemy.

Lue Kai... So he is the pride of us Azure Star people, the War Wolf Lue Kai!

The young woman muttered to herself, a glimmer of light gradually welling up in her eyes.

"War Wolf Lue Kai" was the nickname bestowed upon Lue Kai by everyone in Huazhong City. The War Wolf Empire took its name from the war wolf, and the two words "war wolf" represented supreme honor. All the citizens believed that besides Lue Kai, no one else was worthy of claiming this honor. Even if other seeded contestants might be stronger, in the eyes of the second-class citizens of Huazhong City, Lue Kai was forever the best, the most powerful!

The influence brought by a spiritual idol was astonishing; at the very least, it provided a faith. A nation without faith was one headed toward true destruction! The native people of Azure Star had originally been at just such a critical juncture, but the appearance of Lue Kai brought everyone a sense of hope. It turned out that they were not born inferior; it turned out that they too could fight for freedom and ideals. It turned out that those lofty nobles could be killed just like anyone else—they too would die, feel fear, and retreat.

Simultaneously, almost all government public virtual screens across Azure Star mysteriously began broadcasting the status of this battle, including the cities of Huadong, Huaxi, Huanan, and Huabei. In an instant, the entire Azure Star was sent into a frenzy.