Chapter 106:
Chapter 106:
The Blade Demon Li Kuang could never have imagined that the masked intruder was not his nephew Qin Fei. Even more unthinkable was that the intruder would seize the opportunity to destroy his dantian, completely crippling his cultivation.
With his dantian shattered, Li Kuang plummeted into the blood pool below, splashing blood everywhere. Standing waist-deep in the pool, the Blood Demon was stunned by the scene.
What was going on? It was just supposed to be a staged act—why make it so realistic?
He had assumed the masked figure was Qin Fei, playing his role in a carefully orchestrated performance meant to deceive the disciples of the Azure Sun Sword Sect.
But now, the awakened disciples were utterly dumbfounded by what they were witnessing.
The Blood Demon, seeing no other choice, decided to act his part more convincingly for the sake of the Blood Pill. He shot out of the pool, spreading the bat-like wings on his back, and lunged at Xiao Yang. A foul, putrid stench filled the air as he moved.
“Ugh…” Jiang Ting gagged and vomited. Yun Qianxue, Ye Qingyao, and the other female disciples followed suit, unable to hold back their nausea. Even male disciples like Han Bin, Fang Ritian, and Chu Haoran couldn’t help but retch.
The stench of the blood pool was unbearable, an overwhelming assault on their senses.
Xiao Yang himself felt nauseated. He had to admire the Blood Demon—living in such a foul place for so long, his breath alone could knock someone out.
As the Blood Demon lunged at Xiao Yang with his sharp claws, Xiao Yang quickly held his breath. With a single thought, his sword intent erupted. A radiant sword light shot out from him, outpacing the Blood Demon’s attack and piercing straight toward him.
The blazing sword energy radiated outward, and the Azure Sun Sword Sect disciples gasped.
“This sword energy…”
They recognized it instantly. Could it be him?
Had he come to save them? Jiang Ting’s emotions were a mix of relief and confusion.
But she noticed something: Qin Fei wasn’t there. Her face turned pale with anxiety.
“Junior Brother… Junior Brother…” Jiang Ting’s voice echoed through the cavern.
Meanwhile, the two ninth-level spirit beasts guarded the entrance to the blood pool. Their overwhelming presence filled the air with alternating waves of heat and cold, leaving the disciples feeling trapped between ice and fire.
“The Fire Qilin… How could it be here?” Song Qiang exclaimed.
“It really is the Fire Qilin…”
Those who had previously encountered it were equally shocked. They remembered seeing this ferocious beast in the spiritual veins of Beishan in Yuanlong City. If not for the intervention of Li Chenyu from the Soaring Sword Sect, they would have been doomed.
And now, the Fire Qilin had appeared again, seemingly under the control of the masked man.
Could the mysterious Sword Saint from that day also be here?
Everyone turned to the masked figure, wondering if he could be the Sword Saint.
Impossible.
He seemed more like their Senior Brother.
Xiao Yang fought the Blood Demon to a standstill, but the creature’s strength soon pushed him back. The Blood Demon was indeed formidable. Without using his full power, Xiao Yang couldn’t defeat him.
The Blood Demon roared, forcing Xiao Yang into a dark corner.
“It’s just a show. Why are you going all out?” Xiao Yang muttered, his voice low enough for only the Blood Demon to hear.
The Blood Demon froze momentarily, confused.
Wasn’t this the Blade Demon’s precious nephew, Qin Fei? According to the plan, he was supposed to let Qin Fei defeat him.
Fine.
Although the Blood Demon despised this pretense, he played along for the sake of the Blood Pill. After all, Qin Fei bore the Blood Gu he had implanted, so what was there to fear?
But he had no idea the masked figure wasn’t Qin Fei at all.
What the Blood Demon thought was an act had turned into a genuine fight.
Feigning a ferocious attack, the Blood Demon discreetly exposed a weakness.
“Boom!”
Xiao Yang didn’t hesitate. He delivered a devastating punch to the Blood Demon’s chest.
“You…”
The Blood Demon was shocked. He hadn’t expected the blow to be real.
The force of Xiao Yang’s punch sent the Blood Demon hurtling toward the two ninth-level spirit beasts. Before he could react, the Ice Python unleashed a freezing breath, transforming into countless ice blades that tore through the Blood Demon’s body, slicing him into hundreds of pieces.
The Blood Demon’s mind went blank as he died, unable to comprehend how things had gone so wrong.
“Boom!”
The Fire Qilin followed up with a fireball, reducing the Blood Demon’s remains to ashes.
The disciples were stunned.
The seemingly invincible Blood Demon had perished just like that?
It felt unreal, yet the evidence lay before them.
The two ninth-level spirit beasts exited the blood pool, their job done.
Xiao Yang summoned his flying sword, cutting through the spider silk that bound the disciples.
Everyone fell into the foul-smelling blood pool below, gagging and scrambling to climb out. Even Lei Lie couldn’t hold back his retching.
“Where is Junior Brother?” Jiang Ting asked anxiously, still worried about Qin Fei.
“Who are you?” Lei Lie demanded, his expression serious as he stared at the masked Xiao Yang.
The others also fixed their gazes on him.
The mask was unmistakable. It was the same mask worn by the Sword Saint who had humiliated their sect master, Jiang Qitian, in the spiritual veins of Beishan.
This humiliation had left a deep scar on the disciples of the Azure Sun Sword Sect.
Xiao Yang reached up and removed the mask.
“Senior Brother?”
“Is it really you?” Song Qiang exclaimed in disbelief.
“How is this possible…”
Zheng Fan and the others were dumbfounded. Could their Senior Brother really be the Sword Saint who had insulted their sect master?
“Senior Brother, do you know the consequences of impersonating the Sword Saint?” Jiang Ting asked, her voice trembling with a mix of anger and shock.
“Impersonating the Sword Saint is a grave offense,” she continued, her tone harsh.
The others nodded in agreement, their faces filled with fear.
A Sword Saint’s wrath was no small matter. The Azure Sun Sword Sect couldn’t possibly withstand the consequences of such disrespect.
“Sword Saint? So what?” Xiao Yang said disdainfully.
“What?”
Everyone was stunned.
Xiao Yang dared to show contempt for a Sword Saint? It was madness.
“Senior Brother, you’ll doom us all,” Zheng Fan said solemnly.
The disciples exchanged worried glances.
Jiang Qitian, their sect master, had already been a cautionary tale. Even with the Azure Sun Sword, one of the Northern Territory’s three divine weapons, he had been powerless before the Sword Saint.
Xiao Yang scanned the group, a smirk playing on his lips. The Sword Saint you’re so afraid of is standing right here.
“Boom…”
Suddenly, the entire blood pool began to quake. Blood churned violently, and debris rained down from the cavern ceiling.
“We need to leave! This place is collapsing!” Lei Lie shouted.
The disciples rushed toward the exit, Jiang Ting abandoning her scolding to join them. Survival was now the priority.
Xiao Yang turned to leave, but a voice stopped him.
“Wait, young friend. There are still three people here.”
Looking up, Xiao Yang saw three figures suspended over the blood pool. Unlike the dried corpses surrounding them, these three were alive: two young men and an elderly man.
“Xiao Brother! It’s me, your dear friend Chu!”
One of the young men hanging above the pool grinned at Xiao Yang.
“Hm?” Xiao Yang squinted.
“Chu Guiyuan?”
It was none other than Chu Guiyuan, the infamous trickster.