Xue Xianzi employed his “Body Transposition” technique to fight evasively against Zhu Yan. Zhu Yan’s “Demon Pearl-Spitting Energy” gradually reached its full potential—his long halberd’s movements faintly brought forth trails of black energy. Xue Xianzi dared not touch that evil true energy and could only dodge east and west. His circular evasion skills were excellent, so for a while Zhu Yan couldn’t do anything to him. But as the halberd’s internal power was unleashed, Xue Xianzi’s movement gradually slowed. His heart grew alarmed, knowing that sooner or later tonight he would have to fight for his life.
Ren Qingchou shot arrows rapidly. With his skill level, he was naturally far from sufficient to stop both Gui Mudan and Lady Hongchan. After shooting arrows, he immediately turned and fled. Lady Hongchan chased for a while, but the wound on her rear shoulder caused pain, forcing her to stop. Furious in her heart, evil thoughts arose. She circled to a grave, grabbed the tombstone with both hands and shook it forcefully, actually managing to push over the blue stone monument. Ren Qingchou was greatly shocked and stopped in his tracks—that was the tombstone of Xue Xianzi’s late wife Zhao Zhen. “You—”
Lady Hongchan pulled out the short arrow from her shoulder. Blood gushed from the wound like a fountain. She said sinisterly, “You wounded this old lady with one arrow, so this old lady will drag Zhao Zhen’s corpse from the grave and slice it into a thousand pieces, pierce it with thousands of arrows. Hehehe! I’ll make Xue Xianzi hate you for life!” She immediately struck with both hands, internal energy and deadly poison released together. Zhao Zhen’s blue stone tombstone emitted a layer of black smoke as fragments of stone crumbled away.
Seeing her destroying the grave, Ren Qingchou immediately turned back, but Gui Mudan blocked his way. With a cold laugh, he chopped a palm toward his head. Ren Qingchou’s long sword danced—he had always been able to stay calm, but with Zhao Zhen’s grave being destroyed, he became slightly flustered. Gui Mudan’s martial arts were far above his to begin with, so he immediately became frantic and repeatedly encountered danger.
Zhao Zhen’s tombstone was destroyed by Lady Hongchan’s twin palms, and she then prepared to dig up the grave. However, Bodhi Valley’s naturally formed white clay soil, once mixed with water and compacted, became extraordinarily solid—not something ordinary blades could damage. Lady Hongchan naturally couldn’t dig it open with her bare hands. She paused, then drew a short knife from her sleeve. The blade flashed like silk as she chopped hard at the grave mound.
“Clang!” came a crisp sound as Lady Hongchan’s knife flew skyward, landing on another grave and striking sparks. She stood stunned as countless phantom figures appeared before her eyes. From the corner of her vision, it seemed one person was still fighting Zhu Yan, yet another had knocked down her short knife, and even more—one on the left striking toward her left ribs, one on the right kicking at her knee.
Thousand Traces Solitary Form Change! Though she understood in her mind, she could hardly resist. In that moment of confusion, her left ribs and right knee were struck simultaneously. She spat fresh blood with a “wah” and collapsed to the ground. The phantom of Xue Xianzi before her seemed to smile at her, and after the smile the phantom scattered without trace. The real Xue Xianzi was still entangled in battle with Zhu Yan.
“Excellent skill!” Yu Konghou praised, then said gently, “Third Brother, you consider yourself invincible under heaven—could it be you can’t even defeat the ‘Thousand Traces Solitary Form Change’?”
Zhu Yan’s gaze had been somewhat scattered, and though the long halberd was in his hands, it lacked his usual power. Now hearing Yu Konghou’s provocation, his eyes suddenly burst with brilliance. His wrist twisted and the blade tip flashed seven points of light. The halberd was a heavy weapon, yet he made it dance seven, fourteen, twenty-one silver gleams. In an instant, light and shadow filled the sky, sand and stones flew, and the swirling energy made it nearly impossible to stand steady. The moonlight dimmed as the blade light stole the moon’s radiance—as if a full moon had been chopped by his blade into countless fragments, all merged into the blade shadows!
This halberd technique was called “Moon Like a Hook.”
“Hook” meant soul-snatching. This halberd strike was beautiful, soul-stirring and dazzling, like the moonlight in that moment before the soul-reaper’s arrival.
Xue Xianzi’s figure transformed again as Thousand Traces Solitary Form Change reappeared. One shadow, two shadows, three shadows—in an instant he manifested twenty-one shadows to meet the twenty-one silver gleams. White robes flew, silver hair danced, flowing freely.
“For Xue Xianzi to practice ‘Thousand Traces Solitary Form Change’ to such a level…” Yu Konghou glanced up at the hillside. “Susu!”
Bai Suche responded and drew her blade. “Kill!” She spoke only one cold word as the red and white-robed attendants behind her leaped out, wielding various weapons and attacking Xue Xianzi together!
Ren Qingchou’s long sword flew as he had already exchanged three moves with Gui Mudan. On the third move, Gui Mudan suddenly bared his chest for him to stab. Ren Qingchou thrust out his sword, but the tip was blocked by the muscles of Gui Mudan’s chest—like bronze walls and iron ramparts, unable to penetrate even slightly. Gui Mudan roared with laughter toward the sky, grabbed Ren Qingchou’s long sword, and casually twisted it out of shape. Ren Qingchou abandoned his sword and struck with his palm. Gui Mudan didn’t care at all and struck back with his own palm. When their palms met, Ren Qingchou cried out and retreated three steps! Gui Mudan pressed forward and added another palm. Ren Qingchou’s mouth sprayed fresh blood as he retreated another three steps! Gui Mudan followed like a shadow, bringing down a third palm over his head.
Suddenly, someone appeared before him to block the palm. With a “slap,” Gui Mudan retreated three steps while the palm-blocking figure vanished in a flash, ethereal and phantom-like—it was Xue Xianzi’s external manifestation! He had actually, while receiving Zhu Yan’s “Moon Like a Hook” halberd strike, still had strength to spare to create a twenty-second shadow and save Ren Qingchou’s life!
Ren Qingchou gasped heavily, looking at Xue Xianzi in disbelief. This “senior’s” accomplishments far exceeded his imagination—he had never thought a person’s martial arts could be practiced to such a divine level. Gui Mudan was shocked back by Xue Xianzi’s palm, and after a moment of stunned silence, struck forward again. At this time, the red and white-robed attendants had all made their moves, but Zhu Yan’s halberd was so mighty and fierce that these women couldn’t get close—they could only disrupt vision. Xue Xianzi’s figure transformed again and again. After several delicate cries, several women suddenly fell—no one knew what method he used to strike them down.
And while everyone was dazzled by his external manifestations, a figure appeared again before Gui Mudan’s palm. With a “bang,” Xue Xianzi still had leisure to block another of his strikes. Now not only was Ren Qingchou stunned speechless, even Gui Mudan was quite impressed. The ancient absolute technique “Thousand Traces Solitary Form Change” being practiced by Xue Xianzi to this degree was entirely a miracle.
Yu Konghou frowned slightly. According to this situation, the mentally impaired Zhu Yan might not actually be able to kill Xue Xianzi. Seeing Xue Xianzi’s martial arts, he had already developed killing intent, but “Thousand Traces Solitary Form Change” allowed one person to become a thousand—even with several more people in siege, it would probably only achieve a delaying effect. With Xue Xianzi drifting east and west, striking front and back, not fighting anyone with full power—though he couldn’t win, he couldn’t lose either. To wait until his own strength was exhausted would take time, and if things dragged on too long, situations might change. Having made his calculations, he smiled lightly, clapped his hands, and said gently, “Susu, call them back. Go get some hoes, shovels, iron rods, chisels, and such. Dig up Zhao Zhen’s grave for me right now! Then bring a hungry dog—I want to take Zhao Zhen’s bones piece by piece to feed the dog.”
Bai Suche received the order. The red and white-robed attendants withdrew their assault on Xue Xianzi and instead took up hoes and shovels to begin digging the grave.
Ren Qingchou, having taken two palms from Gui Mudan, was somewhat unclear in his mind. Before his eyes he could only see the black energy from Zhu Yan’s long halberd growing thicker, sometimes resembling a large black ball when swung. Suddenly someone lifted him up and threw him toward the tunnel interior. He felt like riding clouds as he crashed heavily inside the door. The person behind him vanished in a flash as Xue Xianzi’s sleeves flew, dancing and weaving through Zhu Yan’s turbid black energy. He heard him shout, “Foolish boy! Why don’t you leave quickly!”
Leave? Ren Qingchou shakily stood up as Gui Mudan chased after him, only to be blocked by one of Xue Xianzi’s manifestations.
“Leave quickly!” Xue Xianzi shouted. “If you don’t leave now, you won’t make it in time!”
Ren Qingchou understood his meaning—if he didn’t leave now, there would be no more chance to go to Iron Man Prison to save Wen Hui. In an instant, his eyes suddenly filled with hot tears—he understood this old senior’s intention—Xue Xianzi would stay here to fight evasively with the Romantic Shop people, giving him sufficient opportunity to go to Iron Man Prison to save someone.
He had to leave immediately!
With Xue Xianzi’s single power restraining so many famous martial artists, he had already not dishonored his decades of reputation. Even if he couldn’t defeat so many enemies in Bodhi Valley, he was certainly capable of escaping. Half his reason for staying was because the Lone Branch Like Snow hadn’t been completely eliminated, and half was to enable him to go save someone.
So he had to leave immediately!
If he didn’t leave, Xue Xianzi’s time fighting alone against the crowd would be longer, and the crisis would deepen.
He had to leave immediately!