Naturally, Kuanglan Wuxing had no way of knowing what Yu Konghou was thinking. Having been struck by Xue Xianzi’s palm and poisoned extensively by Yu Konghou, his mind was already unclear. But whether Zhu Yan’s mind was clear or not made little difference—no one knew this killing star’s preferences, much less what he might do at any given time.

Five steps away from Yu Konghou, she could already see the blazing true qi emanating from Zhu Yan’s entire body. That external qi lifted the surrounding dust and withered grass, even burning several spots on his own sleeves.

“You—harmed Xue Tao,” Zhu Yan said word by word.

Yu Konghou’s expression changed with anger. “You—” She had devoted deep feelings to Xue Tao, laboring heart and soul for her, sacrificing much. This beast had broken free and immediately seized the person, then killed her after taking her, yet now actually insisted it was she who had harmed Xue Tao to death? Having harmed countless people in her life, Yu Konghou had truly never seen anyone capable of such counteraccusation. Trembling with rage, thinking of Xue Tao being killed by this villain, her heart filled with both venomous hatred and grief, swearing to dismember Zhu Yan completely.

Kuanglan Wuxing had been drugged and imprisoned by Yu Konghou in the deepest part of Piaolin Mei Garden. With his amazing combat power, Yu Konghou had originally planned to completely train him into a battle puppet, but both Xiao Hong and Liu Yan had already betrayed and fled, while others couldn’t train him properly despite repeated attempts. Tang Lici had probably seized upon this point, using the String-Drawing Life-Controlling technique to plant some suggestion in Zhu Yan, making this killing god believe it was she who had harmed Xue Tao.

Regardless of the process, things had reached this point. The current plan was to kill Zhu Yan first.

Kuanglan Wuxing slowly drew the eight-chi long sword from his back and threw it out with a wave of his hand. Yu Konghou dodged sideways, but that long sword wasn’t thrown at her—the eight-chi long sword flew horizontally past Yu Konghou’s side, landing embedded beside a large tree.

Having cast away his long sword, Zhu Yan threw down his sword pouch and drew out two iron rods from it. Yu Konghou was baffled. She had known Zhu Yan for many years and seen him use the eight-chi long sword many times, but had never seen him use iron rods. She watched as Zhu Yan twisted his hands, connecting the two iron rods together into a single long staff.

Even if your short staff became a long staff, it couldn’t possibly be more formidable than the handy weapon you’d used for years. Yu Konghou gripped “Ten Thousand Li Peach Blossoms,” remaining cautious, deciding to test this half-mad, half-sane Zhu Yan.

Ren Qingchou in the grass held his breath and didn’t faint. He didn’t know what Miss Hong wanted him to delay Yu Konghou for, but seeing Kuanglan Wuxing appear, his eyes widened.

This was the person who had severely wounded Xue Xianzi.

Ren Qingchou began silently counting breaths, quickly adjusting his condition. The poison wound on his right leg had invaded his meridians—if he didn’t want the poison to enter his internal organs, he should calm his mind and wait for the poison wound to fully subside before circulating his energy. But both villains who had wounded Xue Xianzi were here. Old Master Zhong had fallen into these people’s hands because… because he had tried to save him.

He couldn’t do nothing.

How could he accomplish something?

Though hanging by a thread, Ren Qingchou’s mind was unusually clear—he also knew that Kuanglan Wuxing’s appearance here must mean someone had released him, using one wolf to devour another. Then—where was the person who had released him? Since there was a master capable of using wolves to devour wolves, it couldn’t possibly be merely that—after all, using wolves to devour wolves was just one move in the game. If it was truly a master, there must be follow-up moves.

That follow-up… where was it?

In the distance, Kuanglan Wuxing wielding his long staff swung at Yu Konghou, who sidestepped to dodge. Not knowing what style Zhu Yan’s long staff represented, she was extremely cautious. She saw Kuanglan Wuxing swing his staff, and the top end made a “crack” sound as a blade section popped out. That blade was shaped like a fish bone with three rows—six blade edges on the left and right all curved backward. If this thing pierced flesh, it would probably be extremely difficult to extract. With Kuanglan Wuxing’s arm strength, when this blade was pulled out, the opponent’s body would surely have an additional massive torn wound, causing severe injury and collapse.

This thing didn’t resemble a sword but rather a strangely shaped halberd.

Kuanglan Wuxing bent his knees, holding the halberd horizontally in front, eyes slightly closed, his voice extremely indifferent. In his eyes, Yu Konghou seemed merely an ant. “Die.”

Yu Konghou had “Ten Thousand Li Peach Blossoms” wound around her wrist, her right hand turning to reveal a sword.

That was one of her paired swords from her youth—the right-hand sword “Kunlun Jade.” She had once also had the left-hand sword “Empty Bright Moon,” but “Empty Bright Moon” had been damaged years ago and never reforged. Having not used her signature weapons for many years, Yu Konghou now only had “Kunlun Jade” and “Ten Thousand Li Peach Blossoms.”

But her greatest reliance wasn’t these two swords, but the martial arts she currently practiced.

The martial arts she and Fu Cui practiced came from fragments of a strange book. Though merely fragments, the martial arts recorded were extremely miraculous—progress was extremely rapid when practiced, and one could absorb others’ internal power for one’s own use. Once this divine skill was mastered, one could be nearly invincible under heaven. Even while this divine skill remained unmastered, it provided many life-saving methods. Though Kuanglan Wuxing was formidable, Yu Konghou stood on undefeatable ground.

During these thoughts, Kuanglan Wuxing swung his strange halberd in a circle, striking swiftly toward Yu Konghou. This strange halberd swept through the air, its shaft trembling slightly, a stream of blazing airflow scattering in all directions. Withered grass on the ground rose up, fiercely turning to ash.

The flying grass ash nearly blinded Yu Konghou’s eyes. Kuanglan Wuxing’s strange halberd seemed not to be a long weapon but rather a blazing flame. This fire opened and closed grandly, its wielder looking down upon the world—if this fire spread like wildfire, it would rise to burn the plains.

Yu Konghou closed her eyes, her right-hand sword “Kunlun Jade” lightly touching with a soft “ding” sound. Though Kuanglan Wuxing’s strange halberd was like flowing fire, it was still struck by her sword point at the halberd tip. Though the blazing true qi brought by “Chi Mei Tu Zhu Qi” (Demon Spitting Pearls Energy) boiled like water, it couldn’t truly harm people through the air. Yu Konghou’s sword striking the halberd tip caused both to retreat a step. This strike seemed light and casual yet exhausted seventy to eighty percent of both fighters’ power.

Just as Yu Konghou retreated the enemy with one sword, Kuanglan Wuxing’s strange halberd’s blade silently popped out, actually extending three inches. Yu Konghou responded with amazing speed, “Kunlun Jade” twisting and slashing urgently toward that protruding blade.

The jade-like short sword struck Kuanglan Wuxing’s protruding blade, hitting as if nothing was there. That suddenly appearing blade was actually a phantom formed by true qi, disappearing into nothingness in just an instant. Yu Konghou’s sword struck empty air, the true qi in her sword flowing backward, blood and qi churning in her chest, utterly astonished—this strange true qi that suddenly appeared and suddenly vanished was actually visible to the naked eye! Though it vanished in a flash, this extremely concentrated true qi, if one encountered the moment it transformed from void to solid, wouldn’t blood splash three feet? Moreover, Chi Mei Tu Zhu Qi itself carried fire poison, capable of completely destroying blood and flesh, incomparable to ordinary true qi.

This suddenly appearing phantom was precisely the heart method “Chi Mei Zhu” (Demon Pearl) from the tenth level of “Chi Mei Tu Zhu Qi.”

According to the records of “Chi Mei Tu Zhu Qi,” when practiced to the tenth level, true qi could transform from void to solid. At this time, the strange true qi carrying fire poison condensed into form—what the technique called the “pearl” spat out by the “chi mei” (demon). Once a person was wounded by this “Chi Mei Zhu” true qi, they would indeed suffer as legend described—blood boiling, entire body blackened, blood and flesh withering to death. But no one in this world had ever lived to master “Chi Mei Tu Zhu Qi,” so Yu Konghou had naturally never seen this strange method that could transform true qi into substantial form.

She had also never seen Kuanglan Wuxing use this strange halberd.

Was Zhu Yan the type of person who would act low-key, playing pig to eat tiger?

Would he deliberately continue using an eight-chi long sword to conceal that his handy weapon was actually a long halberd?

Kuanglan Wuxing—had never failed to live up to the word “kuang” (wild). His very being was his true self.

He had even killed Xue Tao with one sword—what was there worth concealing?

So before this journey, Kuanglan Wuxing should not yet have known this strange martial art of transforming true qi into substantial form. Yu Konghou’s thoughts raced like lightning. Kuanglan Wuxing’s eight-chi long sword was the weapon he had never released, but at this moment he suddenly swung out a strange halberd, displaying martial arts never seen before—these changes all occurred after he was rescued.

Yu Konghou’s face was like frost—so Tang Lici—exactly what capability did he possess to actually guide Zhu Yan to reach a higher level, enabling him to abandon sword for halberd? And this halberd must have even greater strangeness.

Though Yu Konghou couldn’t see what was strange for the moment, Ren Qingchou lying motionless to one side could see very clearly.

The “follow-up move” of that oriole was moving slowly through the forest.