Chapter – 84
The Sword of Light and the Blood of the Sky Fox
The sword light was swift. The sword itself was swift as well.
Its wielder, dressed in white, with long hair draped over his shoulders, exuded the refined air of a scholar.
The sword, too, carried an elegant aura—but beneath that elegance lay a razor-sharp killing intent.
The Sky Fox woman had no choice but to halt her movements. Her expression turned solemn. With her slender waist bending gracefully, her entire body leaned backward.
By the narrowest of margins, she avoided the edge of the blade.
At that same instant, Fifth Master, who had gained a moment’s opening, gathered his strength once more and viciously slashed at her waist.
This strike was nothing like his earlier, feeble attempt. This was his full-power blow. Though he was only at the Aperture Opening Realm, if this slash were to land, even the Sky Fox woman would likely be severely wounded.
She sensed the danger. Yet compared to that sword strike, this blade was far too slow. Just as the edge was about to cut across her waist—
Ye Ling’s body suddenly straightened, then leaned forward at an unbelievable angle. The blade passed within a hair’s breadth of her waist, yet failed to harm her in the slightest.
The white-clad figure’s first strike had failed. He immediately thrust again—this time directly at her chest, targeting her heart.
“Bai Fengcheng, your sword has strayed onto an evil path. It cannot pierce me,” the Sky Fox woman said calmly, standing still and allowing the long sword to stab into her chest.
There was no sound of steel entering flesh. No spray of blood.
The strike hit nothing but an afterimage.
In the next instant, the Sky Fox woman appeared ten zhang away, far beyond Fifth Master. Her face showed signs of fatigue, yet she was unharmed.
After this fierce exchange, the remaining human experts snapped out of their enchantment. Seeing the bloodstains and the headless corpses of their fallen comrades, they shuddered. Soon, anger replaced fear. The woman before them was terrifying—and hateful.
The white-clad man was the middle-aged scholar—the Second Chieftain of Azure Cloud Stronghold. He was known as Bai Fengcheng, though most called him Second Master.
Unlike the other chieftains, Bai Fengcheng possessed an entirely different temperament. His scholarly refinement clashed somewhat with the rugged ferocity typical of the human race.
Yet no one dared underestimate his strength. His sword was rarely unsheathed—but when it was, it always drew blood.
“Sky Fox Clan, Ye Ling. You are even more troublesome than the legends say,” Bai Fengcheng said, standing before the others with sword in hand. “Since you are here, the one who entered must be Ya Wu of the Shadow Clan.”
“Hahaha…” Ye Ling’s laughter rang like silver bells—pleasant to hear, yet chilling to the heart. Who would associate such a charming woman with the headless corpses littering the ground?
“I never expected Young Master Bai to still remember my humble name. I am truly honored,” Ye Ling said coquettishly, her pupils turning pink as she gazed directly at him.
Bai Fengcheng did not close his eyes. He merely frowned slightly before returning to calm composure.
“Your enchantment arts are useless against me.”
“How dull. I’ve dreamed of sharing delight with Young Master Bai,” Ye Ling said in a seductive tone. “Yet you are so heartless.”
Under normal circumstances, such a beautiful woman offering herself so openly would draw envy. But remembering the corpses at their feet—and that she was responsible—sent chills down everyone’s spines.
When Bai Fengcheng spoke her name, the human experts present turned pale. The name Ye Ling was infamous across a million li.
She had once infiltrated a six-star human tribe alone. On the night of the tribe’s great wedding, she slew their genius prodigy and escaped unscathed.
The tribal chief pursued her for a long time, yet never found her.
As for Ya Wu of the Shadow Clan, he was less renowned. But those present knew well—the Shadow Clan members without reputations were the most terrifying. The famous ones were already dead.
The beam of light from the inn still showed no sign of dimming. It puzzled them—why, aside from that beam, were there no other signs of empowerment?
Regardless, the human experts now worried not only for themselves, but also for the human prodigy inside the inn.
“Today, you will not leave this place,” Bai Fengcheng declared confidently. He believed his sword could slay Ye Ling.
Though she was in the Early Stage of the Rebirth Realm, he too was in that realm—indeed, in the Middle Stage, stronger than her.
“And what if Ya Wu and I join forces?” Ye Ling smiled. “No one in Azure Cloud Stronghold knows the Fuxi Heavenly Sound. How will you withstand an assassination from a Shadow Clan expert?”
Bai Fengcheng’s expression changed—and so did those of the others. This was not a battle that numbers could win.
The Shadow Clan excelled at concealment and assassination. If they did not wish to be discovered, they would not be—unless faced with a Divine Sound Master who had mastered the Fuxi Heavenly Sound.
Suddenly, a loud crash sounded from within the inn. Fighting noises followed, and the crowd’s faces darkened further.
“Listen. Ya Wu has already acted. I never expected we would catch such a big fish today,” Ye Ling said with a smile. “This human genius—still below the Empowerment Realm—yet upon completing all eighty-one apertures, he triggered such a phenomenon. If he grows, becoming a Human King would not be difficult. But alas, today he dies.”
“What?!”
The human experts—including Fifth Master—were shocked. They had all assumed Qin Mo had already reached the Empowerment Realm. How else could he have triggered such heavenly signs?
Yet Ye Ling revealed he was merely at the Small Perfection of the Aperture Opening Realm. How could they not be stunned?
“A future Human King!” Fifth Master exclaimed with joy—followed immediately by anxiety. The others felt the same.
If such a prodigy fell today, how great would humanity’s loss be?
“Since he has the potential to be king, he will not die so easily. Before victory is decided, how can you be certain?” Bai Fengcheng said calmly. “You, however, should worry about yourself. Today you slew ten of my people. I, Bai Fengcheng, will use your blood to honor their spirits.”
Ye Ling said nothing. Behind her, three fox tails rose. Her gaze grew more enchanting.
“You and I have yet to decide victory. How can you be sure you will win?”
With that, her form blurred into an afterimage and instantly appeared before Bai Fengcheng. A strange, beguiling aura radiated from her as countless illusions attacked him.
Even Bai Fengcheng dared not be careless. As her sharp claws slashed toward his throat, he swung his sword—thrusting directly at her chest.
This strike was upright and open, devoid of tricks. Simple. Direct. Swift.
He ignored her phantom images, aiming solely at the core—her true body.
Earlier, Ye Ling had claimed his sword had taken an evil path. That was because his sword was inherently righteous and upright. A sneak attack diminished its power.
But this strike was different. The sword intent surged forward, fearless—even forgetting life and death.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Her claws struck against the blade, capable of shattering metal and stone. Yet they could not stop the sword advancing straight ahead.
The sword intent grew stronger, as if alive.
Facing the unavoidable strike, Ye Ling’s smile finally vanished. No matter how she dodged, the sword followed, targeting her heart.
At the last moment, all her afterimages merged.
Though still in human form, her arms transformed into fox claws covered in black fur.
Gritting her teeth, she grasped the incoming blade.
The edge cut into flesh. Pain twisted her enchanting face.
Yet the sword was finally halted by her Early Stage Rebirth Realm strength. Still, the tip pierced an inch into her chest. Fresh blood flowed along the blade. Her face turned pale.
“The Sword of Light is indeed formidable,” Ye Ling said grimly. Then her expression turned strange. “But once stained with fox blood, can it still shine as before?”
Realization dawned upon Bai Fengcheng. His face darkened as he tried to withdraw the sword.
But it was locked fast in her grip.
“The blood of the Sky Fox Clan is impure and defiling. It is the bane of your Sword of Light. When light is no longer pure, it becomes scrap metal. Your sword intent will be corrupted as well.”
With a sharp flick, she released the blade.
Instantly, the sword turned pitch black, corroded by fox blood. Rust appeared. The radiance faded. The blood followed the sword intent into Bai Fengcheng’s heart.
He coughed up a mouthful of blackened blood and staggered back two steps, face pale—yet he refused to let go of the sword.
Fifth Master hurried to support him.
“I have won. You have lost,” Ye Ling smiled, though her face remained pale. “Now only you rabble remain. How will you stop me?”
The humans’ expressions were grim. Though she was injured, she was far less so than Bai Fengcheng. Once she unleashed her enchantment, none could resist. Their fate would mirror the corpses on the ground—heads severed one by one.
At that moment—
Buzz.
The earth trembled.
The pillar of light that had shot into the heavens suddenly vanished.
Boom!
A violent explosion erupted from the inn.
A massive figure burst through the window, crashing before the inn’s entrance.
His body was covered in wounds, drenched in blood—an appalling sight…
