Chapter – 85
Arrows and Swords
The one who crashed through the window was naturally Shan Xiong, who had been guarding Qin Mo’s door. His body was covered in wounds—each one cut by a blunt-edged weapon.
Lines upon lines covered his flesh, bloody and horrifying. This was the Shadow Clan’s method—either stabbing straight into the heart or slicing the throat. The cuts looked delicate, yet the bleeding would never stop. Unless a priest was present, no amount of bandaging could halt it.
“The light has faded—how is he?” Fifth Master asked urgently.
“I don’t know. I did my best!” Shan Xiong wept from the pain. Blood mixed with his tears until one could no longer tell which was which.
It hurt—hurt so much that his tears would not stop. This was the Shadow Clan’s way. It was not death by a thousand cuts, yet it made one feel as though they were being carved apart piece by piece.
The humans present felt their hearts tighten at the sight. If Ye Ling’s methods allowed one to die silently, then Ya Wu’s methods forced one to feel every ounce of pain before dying in despair.
His answer made their faces darken. When the light dissipated, they had already guessed what had happened—but deep inside, they still clung to a sliver of hope.
“To endure so long under Ya Wu’s Thousand-Blade Sword—you are quite the man,” Ye Ling said, licking her lips.
Though she was not of the Corpse Clan and did not crave blood in that way, Shan Xiong radiated a strong masculine vitality—the Tianhu Clan’s favorite nourishment. As his blood flowed endlessly, she almost wanted to step forward and taste it.
Feeling her gaze, Shan Xiong shuddered and instinctively stepped back toward Second Master, yet still felt unsafe.
Inside the Inn
Ya Wu revealed himself.
With his strength, killing Shan Xiong should not have taken so long. But when he saw Shan Xiong standing stiffly before the door, he felt playful.
So he used his dagger to carve a thousand cuts into Shan Xiong’s body. Watching the man suffer gave him immense pleasure.
“Now, it’s your turn to taste my Thousand-Blade Sword.” Ya Wu walked toward the bed.
Qin Mo still sat cross-legged with eyes closed, cultivating as if unaware of danger.
Ya Wu could tell that this human genius was only at Small Completion of the Aperture Opening Realm. If he had completed the empowerment ritual and reached the Empowerment Realm, perhaps he would qualify to fight.
But even then, he would merely qualify.
By human standards, Ya Wu was at the peak of the Third Layer of the Empowerment Realm. Even against Ye Ling, who was at the initial Rebirth Realm, he could still fight—because he was Shadow Clan. He could perfectly conceal himself and assassinate his target. He also possessed the Shadow Clan’s assassination technique: the Thousand-Blade Sword.
Yet when he approached Qin Mo, the young man suddenly opened his eyes and gave him a strange smile.
That smile unsettled him.
Then something even stranger happened—Qin Mo vanished.
Not moved—vanished. No aura could be sensed. If Ya Wu hadn’t already confirmed he was human, he might have believed him to be a fellow Shadow Clan member hidden among humans.
But he was certain—this was not Shadow Clan. Yet the concealment technique rivaled theirs.
Almost instantly, Ya Wu unleashed the Thousand-Blade Sword.
In a confined space like this, even if the human were fast, he could not escape its range. This was a blind strike.
The Thousand-Blade Sword did not mean the sword had a thousand blades—but that once unleashed, it would inflict a thousand wounds. Each wound was treated with secret Shadow Clan methods—bleeding without end, agonizing beyond measure. Even the strongest would cry from pain.
And then die watching their blood drain away.
Though Ya Wu had not perfected it, his mastery was already formidable. Once the sword flashed, thousands of lightning-fast streaks of sword qi filled the room.
“Shhk—shhk—”
He was certain the strikes had landed.
Yet… no blood appeared.
No fresh blood stained the bed or floor.
His expression changed instantly.
Without hesitation, he vanished and rushed for the window.
“Vision defines the heart. When the eye beholds the world’s splendor, the heart can contain it.”
A sudden voice echoed.
Ya Wu’s expression worsened. He dashed toward the window—his fastest escape.
“Your sword is good—very fast. But I wonder… how it compares to my arrow?”
Qin Mo appeared once more.
The Thousand-Blade Sword was terrifying. If not for wrapping himself completely in his straw raincloak, he might have become minced flesh.
Thanks to that cloak, he had survived—and now could counterattack.
Though even with the Divine Prison Concealment Technique he could not see Ya Wu, he held the Qianmo Bow—a bow that could lock onto aura and pursue it.
Through it, he sensed Ya Wu’s presence.
He drew the string and shot without hesitation.
This arrow was terrifying.
It carried not only Qin Mo’s tens of thousands of jin of physical strength, but also the mysterious power within his right hand.
The arrow pierced the air, distorting space itself.
This was his peak shot—after opening eighty-one apertures and refining his spirit under the heavens.
Different power. Different momentum.
As the arrow flew, Ya Wu felt true death.
He had hidden for decades in the Profound Yellow Continent, killing countless human geniuses. No one knew his name. All who saw him died.
He had come today confident of catching a big fish.
Instead—
His Thousand-Blade Sword failed.
His concealment failed.
The arrow pursued him as if it had eyes—and pierced straight through his body.
His form reappeared, crashing down between the opposing sides.
He stood.
“Is he dead?” Ye Ling asked curiously.
“No—” Before finishing, Ya Wu felt searing pain in his chest. He spat blood mixed with fragments of flesh.
Shock spread across all faces.
“So… fast… an arrow…” Ya Wu muttered.
His heart had shattered. The arrow was so fast that he felt nothing until his organs collapsed from its force.
Everything went dark.
Ya Wu died.
Qin Mo vs Ye Ling
A young man now stood at the shattered window, longbow wrapped in cloth, arrow nocked and aimed at Ye Ling.
It was truly him.
And he was alive.
Fear gripped Ye Ling.
“Little brother, you’re quite handsome. Why not spend the night with your big sister?” she purred, pink light glowing in her eyes.
The humans gasped. Even Bai Fengcheng looked worried.
“Twng.”
The arrow answered.
It flew toward her chest.
Though not as powerful as the previous shot, it was still terrifying.
“So heartless,” she murmured—but acted swiftly.
Her three tails enlarged and wrapped around her body, radiating mysterious power.
Yet the arrow pierced through.
A screeching sound rang out as her true form appeared—a ten-zhang-long black fox.
The arrow spun furiously before her chest, stopped only by her claws forming a qi bubble barrier.
But it kept drilling forward.
At that moment, Bai Fengcheng stepped forward.
His corroded sword suddenly shone brilliantly.
Light expelled the tainted fox blood.
“Your Tianhu blood can stain my Light Sword—but my Light Sword can also restrain your Tianhu blood.”
“You—!”
Light erupted within her body, resonating with his sword.
“Pop!”
The qi barrier shattered.
The arrow pierced her chest.
A piercing, miserable howl rang through Qingyun Stronghold.
The black fox was hurled backward, smashing through dozens of buildings before stopping.
When dust settled—
A bewitching woman lay among the ruins.
Barely breathing.
