The moment Xin Tiecheng saw the soldiers winding their way down the mountain path, he knew today’s business had turned troublesome.

Around Qingmu Stronghold, bandits from every faction in Lüliang had converged, and scattered households of considerable strength, large and small, had likewise gathered at the first whiff of the situation. Exactly what had happened remained unclear to most of these people, but given that such a massive crowd had assembled, something was bound to happen — there had been precedents before. Once a particular stronghold in Lüliang began to grow too powerful and drew the wary attention of everyone else, it rarely ended well: people would band together to tear the stronghold apart, and the scattered households would swarm in like hyenas, each looking to snatch some advantage regardless of how things turned out.

Qingmu Stronghold’s prosperity had already made the surrounding people of Lüliang green with envy, and this gathering carried much the same shared hope. In the end, several of the largest bandit gangs each sent envoys, and from among the assembled scattered households they picked out a few with some measure of reputation to accompany them, to go negotiate with Qingmu Stronghold’s Blood Bodhisattva. Xin Tiecheng was one of them.

As a moderately well-known man of chivalry in Lüliang, Xin Tiecheng actually held some goodwill toward Qingmu Stronghold. His martial skill ranked only middling to upper-middling in Lüliang, but he had plenty of acquaintances, and after Qingmu Stronghold’s rise, he occasionally sold goods there to supplement his living. This time, he genuinely hoped Qingmu Stronghold would come through unscathed — and ideally, that he himself would get through safely too. But by evening, standing partway up Qingmu Stronghold’s slope watching the soldiers surge rapidly downward, he knew things were about to turn bad.

What followed was a peal of laughter that made his blood run cold — laughter carrying such tremendous internal power that it left every master he knew in Lüliang far, far behind.

That was the rumored leader of the Great Radiance Cult, said to nearly rival the world’s foremost master Zhou Tong himself — Lin Zongwu…

As a man of chivalry drawn here by word of the situation, Xin Tiecheng hadn’t previously understood the full picture of what was unfolding at Qingmu Stronghold. The account given by the likes of the Chaos Mountain King and the Black Skull King was that Qingmu Stronghold meant to monopolize the benefits from the court — but after climbing the mountain, another blade-fighter he knew in the group, He Zhong, filled him in roughly on the real situation.

The court’s edict of amnesty, the massive gathering of outsiders each with a more impressive background than the last — they had all set their sights on the benefits here and come to strike deals. And the Chaos Mountain King and the others, sensing this too, had gathered their men to come pressure the stronghold into concessions. In the end, Qingmu Stronghold, which had only just begun to develop, found itself squeezed from every side, inside and out. A lineup like this simply wasn’t something one stronghold, one Blood Bodhisattva, could withstand on its own.

If Qingmu Stronghold read the situation wisely, it might be carved up more slowly; if not, it might well be facing utter ruin right now. But these larger stakes were, in truth, matters for the envoys sent by the Chaos Mountain King and others to worry about — or perhaps not even they had the standing to worry about them. What truly concerned this little party of envoys wasn’t how much they stood to gain, but whether they themselves would make it through tonight in one piece. If a gathering with this many powerful figures present truly erupted, men like them would be crushed like everything else caught in the storm.

His friend He Zhong’s worries were not unfounded. After climbing the mountain, Xin Tiecheng had felt this pressure himself, and by evening, watching those soldiers come thundering down from above, his heart had sunk. The soldiers gathered on the plaza in front of Qingmu Stronghold numbered around twelve hundred, yet their formation was swift and orderly — cavalry, infantry, many clad in rattan armor, bearing sharp blades and spears, spirits high, utterly unlike the ordinary bandits of Lüliang. Xin Tiecheng had never imagined Qingmu Stronghold already possessed this kind of strength — and the fact that they’d chosen to display it now sent a message clear enough: this banquet would not be an easy meal.

The twelve-hundred-odd men formed into a square formation, and after a few shouts thick with killing intent, the cavalry took the lead and swiftly moved out through the stronghold gates. Then Xin Tiecheng saw the arrival of several great figures, including the leader of the Great Radiance Cult himself — a tall man with the bearing of a Maitreya Buddha, his amiable smile paired with a stride steady as a mountain, his presence blending seamlessly with everything around him. Xin Tiecheng estimated that, judging by the internal cultivation the man had just displayed, if he himself charged forward, a single punch from the man would knock him flat, never to rise again — that with the sheer explosive force such a frame could unleash, he doubted he could withstand it even using everything he’d ever learned.

As for the Blood Bodhisattva — he had seen her once before — however fearsome a name she’d carved out in Lüliang, how could she possibly stand against a grandmaster ranked among the very best in the realm?

With such thoughts in his mind, he followed the crowd into the great hall of the Righteous Gathering. Ahead lay first a spacious courtyard, then corridors, then the hall itself, with its towering eaves, torchlight blazing all around. And the instant he stepped across the threshold into the hall, Xin Tiecheng felt the surrounding firelight seem to waver — Lin Zongwu’s frame, which had appeared amiable a moment before, suddenly seemed to swell, the firelight upon him deepening the shadows cast around, giving the fleeting impression of a demon god’s silhouette… an impression that dissolved again in the blink of an eye. Xin Tiecheng glanced at He Zhong beside him and grasped, vaguely, that this was a grandmaster-level master overwhelming everyone’s spirit through sheer presence alone.

Then they heard the Blood Bodhisattva’s voice from the far end of the hall: “Honored guests have traveled far, and I, Lu, have been remiss in my welcome. Please, everyone, be seated.” The words were simple enough, yet they seemed, faintly, to dissolve the oppressive weight Lin Zongwu had just conjured.

Lin Zongwu laughed at once. “Lüliang’s Blood Bodhisattva, long have I heard of you. And… Butcher Ning, it’s been a while.”

Behind the simple laughter lay the mutual greeting of formidable men. He Zhong and Xin Tiecheng were seated at a round table further back; above, near the front of the hall, were a number of individual table-and-chair settings. As they took their seats, He Zhong pointed people out one by one, introducing him to those who had come this time — a wealthy landowner with holdings across both the Hedong and Hebei circuits, a deputy commander from the garrison guarding Yanmen Pass to the east, an envoy sent by the great commander Dong Pang’er… But the two most formidable figures present were, without question, Sect Leader Lin, and the young man seated directly across from him.

Though he looked to be barely in his twenties, this scholarly-looking young man, seated directly opposite Lin Zongwu, carried a presence that in no way yielded to him. According to He Zhong’s introduction, this man was one of the most important figures in the court’s Secret Investigation Bureau, reporting directly to the sitting Chancellor. Throughout the martial world beyond Lüliang, countless men of the greenwood blanched at the mention of his name — some called him the Heart Demon, others used a still more brutal epithet: the Bloody-Handed Butcher. It was also said that during the famine to the south last year, he had single-handedly taken on countless merchant houses across half the Wu court — men of He Shuyuan’s standing among them just one small part of it — and in the end had thoroughly beaten them all down.

With such figures present, men like Chen Jiu, envoy of the Chaos Mountain King, or Luan Ku’er, envoy of the Black Skull King, who might carry some renown within Lüliang, were reduced right now to nothing more than tiny, unremarkable shrimp.

And at the far end of the hall sat the Blood Bodhisattva, who had carved out such an enormous domain as a woman, alongside two chiefs of Qingmu Stronghold and an old man leaning on a cane. By comparison, they too naturally couldn’t match these other figures — yet to be sitting here, as men of Lüliang, in what felt almost like a three-way balance of power, filled Xin Tiecheng, for a moment, with a strange sense of pride. It was only a shame that if today’s negotiations fell apart, everything would be finished.

The banquet then began, with everyone exchanging pleasantries, occasionally touching on real business — most of which Xin Tiecheng couldn’t quite follow, though he sensed it concerned matters of great weight.

“…Never expected Sect Leader Lin and Butcher Ning to have some history between them?”

“…We crossed paths once, some time ago. Water under the bridge — surely Sect Leader Lin doesn’t still hold it against me…”

“It was a small matter, but Butcher Ning’s bearing that day, I’ve never been able to forget.”

“Same here.”

“If not for Chancellor Qi’s word, I’d have wanted to visit the capital and call on Butcher Ning long ago…”

“You’re not here to challenge me to a duel, are you… I don’t mean to lecture you, Sect Leader Lin, but this habit of yours, challenging everyone you meet — it really won’t do…”

“Among martial men, seeing a worthy opponent stirs the blood — trading a few moves does no harm to good relations…”

“I hear you’ve been looking for Zhou Tong. I ran into him not long ago — the venerable elder, old as he is now, still travels tirelessly to bring disaster relief and save lives, with no habit of dueling anyone… A true hero of chivalry serves the nation and the people, thinking always of the common folk…”

“Oh? And where was that?”

“Taoting.”

“Taoting… where Butcher Ning killed over a hundred people without discrimination and captured over a hundred more, among them a number of well-known men of the greenwood — is that also ‘for the common folk’?”

“When men of chivalry use their skill to defy the law, running about killing indiscriminately on the strength of their martial arts — that’s the true indiscrimination… They ran straight to the capital and caused chaos there. Dealing with them was, of course, for the sake of the common folk…”

“My own visit this time is likewise for the common folk’s sake… I merely wish to establish a few temples in Lüliang, dispense medicine and treatment, nothing more.”

“Welcome!”

“Though, looking at how things stand in Lüliang right now, someone has also asked me to pass along a few words, to help mediate a little…”

“It seems Sect Leader Lin has turned into quite the businessman?”

“All under heaven bustle about, each drawn by profit. When profit is secure, the heart can be at ease — but when the heart cannot settle, suffering for all living things inevitably follows. I’ve come only to spread the teachings of my Great Radiance faith, to guide people toward good and away from evil. But having arrived, certain thoughts have occurred to me, which I’d like to share with the Blood Bodhisattva…”

“Sect Leader Lin, please, speak freely.”

The hall buzzed with conversation, sometimes sharp, sometimes cordial, yet no one brought up the more than a thousand soldiers who had marched down the mountain earlier — surely by now they had squared off against the Chaos Mountain King and the others, though no one knew how that stood. Xin Tiecheng murmured to He Zhong, “What do you think — if the Blood Bodhisattva, Miss Lu, actually fought this Sect Leader Lin, what are her odds?”

He Zhong only shook his head. Xin Tiecheng pressed, “Why isn’t it Butcher Ning fighting Lin Zongwu instead?”

He Zhong said, “Butcher Ning’s martial skill probably isn’t that high. Besides, there are a lot of other reasons behind this too…”

“His skill isn’t high, and yet he inspires this much fear in people…”

Xin Tiecheng murmured this with complicated feelings. By now the banquet had been going on for some time, when suddenly Lin Zongwu spoke up. “…Of course, other matters can wait for now — I am, after all, a man of leisure, come here only to spread the faith. On the other hand, I’ve heard that Lüliang’s Blood Bodhisattva possesses profound martial skill — though a woman, she yields nothing to any man, truly a grandmaster of her generation. I myself have loved the martial arts to the point of obsession my whole life, and would like to ask Miss Lu for the honor of a bout — a friendly exchange of skill, stopping the moment a point is made. I wonder what Miss Lu thinks?”

Xin Tiecheng’s heart jolted — he knew the real drama had arrived. Lu Hongti smiled and nodded, about to speak, when Ning Yi cut in. “We were just saying Sect Leader Lin has a habit of challenging people everywhere he goes, and that it’s not a good one. So this time… I don’t think there’s any need.”

Lin Zongwu laughed heartily. “Among those who love the martial arts, trading blows with one another is a mark of respect and mutual testing of skill. Butcher Ning’s interests lie elsewhere, which is why I said nothing when the subject came up before. But forgive me for saying so — this invitation is a private matter between Miss Lu and myself, and has nothing to do with Butcher Ning, does it?”

Lu Hongti said, “What Butcher Ning says may be taken as my own view as well.”

Ning Yi smiled. “Actually, Sect Leader Lin has a point. Since this is a battle between grandmasters, the kind that comes once in a century — Sect Leader Lin, allow me to propose we settle it in half a month’s time instead. What do you say?”

The lamplight in the hall flickered, casting everyone’s expressions alternately bright and dim. Though it looked, on the surface, like something both sides had prepared for in silent understanding, the man holding down this side of the negotiations was clearly still unwilling to let the duel begin. Lin Zongwu, raising his wine cup with a smile, set it down gently — and his smile had already changed shape.

“Half a month from now, Butcher Ning — are you toying with me!?” At this low bark, the torches all around gave a sudden shudder.

Ning Yi looked at him across the table, and after a moment, said slowly, “Sect Leader Lin… why say such a thing?”

“Forgive my bluntness.” Lin Zongwu spoke slowly. “The situation down the mountain right now, the situation up here — everyone in this hall understands it perfectly well. I am no great talent, but I merely hoped to create an opening for everyone to speak plainly with one another… Half a month from now! Whether Miss Lu will even still be around is anyone’s guess by then. If I come and find no opponent waiting, that would be a great pity indeed — and you, Butcher Ning, will just have to make up for it yourself!”

“Very well.” Ning Yi smiled, leaning back in his chair. “I’ll make up for it.”

“You couldn’t possibly.”

As the two traded barbed words, Hongti, seated up front, frowned, then smiled again. He Shuyuan stood up with a laugh. “Now, now, everyone gathering here like this is a matter of fate! Anything can be discussed calmly. Sect Leader Lin, Master Ning, don’t lose your tempers, don’t lose your tempers…”

“Fine, then let’s speak plainly with each other too.” Ning Yi’s gaze turned toward Hongti. He still felt some reluctance about her insistence on dueling Lin Echan, but after a moment he sighed and forced a smile of his own. “Sect Leader Lin says a friendly bout is only about skill — but given the current situation at Qingmu Stronghold, Miss Lu has a great deal else to attend to. Isn’t proposing a duel right now taking advantage of her difficulties?”

“Absolutely not.” Lin Zongwu’s answer was firm and unyielding. “As I said, I’ve come solely to spread the teachings of my Great Radiance faith, and to form good connections with everyone here. So long as Miss Lu is willing to face me, win or lose, I will regard her as a friend — I’ll withdraw from this whole affair, or even work on Qingmu Stronghold’s behalf, without hesitation. Does that satisfy you, Butcher Ning?”

“And that means staking the safety of everyone at Qingmu Stronghold on one woman — is that really wise?”

As Ning Yi said this, Qingmu Stronghold’s fourth chief, Peng Yue, stood up. “Master Ning is right. Why not let me trade a few moves with Sect Leader Lin instead?”

On Lin Zongwu’s side, someone immediately rose. “Who do you think you are, to cross hands with Sect Leader Lin!”

He Shuyuan got up. “Now now now, let’s not spoil the good feeling, let’s not spoil the good feeling…”

Amid the talk, someone at a round table near the outer edge of the hall tentatively rose as well. “Actually… it seems to me that today’s discussion — deciding my Lüliang’s affairs by way of a fight — really isn’t quite right either…” It was Xin Tiecheng, who had rather a soft spot for the Blood Bodhisattva.

Amid the general clamor, Lin Zongwu, seated there, suddenly laughed again, his voice booming like a great bell. “Actually… there’s one thing that’s puzzled me all along!”

The moment he spoke, everyone fell silent. Ning Yi and the others all looked at him, but no one asked what it was. Lin Zongwu tapped a finger on the table and rose to his feet.

“The affairs of Qingmu Stronghold! The affairs of Lüliang! Even the matter between myself and Miss Lu, as two martial artists! Why is it that today, it’s always Butcher Ning doing all the talking? Have the people of Qingmu Stronghold all lost their tongues?”

At this question, beside Hongti, old Liang Bingfu tapped his cane and spoke in an aged voice. “Master Ning is both an honored guest of Qingmu Stronghold and a business partner. His men handle the accounts and manage the finances for my Qingmu Stronghold. It is therefore entirely appropriate for him to speak on my Qingmu Stronghold’s behalf here.”

Once the old man had spoken, no one dared dismiss it lightly. Lin Zongwu laughed again. “Oh? I suspect it goes further than that.” He glanced around the room. “I heard from someone that Butcher Ning and Miss Lu are, in fact, a couple — soon to be married. Isn’t that the real reason he’s speaking up?”

At these words, whispers immediately broke out all around. Xin Tiecheng and the others looked from Ning Yi to Lu Hongti and back, suddenly understanding why Ning Yi had stepped in so forcefully to defend Qingmu Stronghold — though knowing now that Qingmu Stronghold had, in fact, been under the control of an outsider all along, their feelings grew complicated all over again. Ning Yi rose as well. “Wherever did Sect Leader Lin hear that? Your information really travels fast.”

“If it’s true, then I must first offer my congratulations to you both — a happy union, growing old together.” Lin Zongwu’s smile was warm and genial.

Ning Yi merely looked at him, smiling as well. “So what Sect Leader Lin means to say, then, is that I ought to fight in the Blood Bodhisattva’s place next?”

“It’s only natural for a man to fight on behalf of the woman he loves. But that’s not my intention at all — there is simply one matter that has left me rather troubled.”

“Oh? Do go on.”

“In the late summer of the year before last, Butcher Ning dealt Song Jiang and the others a crushing defeat at Liangshan, wiping out half the bandit host there and scattering the rest in flight. In early July, a woman appeared and, in the course of it, killed several first-rate masters of the martial world in succession. I looked into it carefully — among those who fell by her hand in that stretch of time alone were ‘Chaos Demon King’ Fan Rui, ‘Eight-Armed Nezha’ Xiang Chong, ‘Golden-Eyed Panther’ Shi En, ‘Swift Blade’ Lin Qi, ‘Flowery Monk’ Lu Zhishen…”

As Lin Zongwu’s smile widened with each name he recited, Ning Yi’s heart began, slightly, to sink — he had already sensed something coming. Everyone else, meanwhile, only felt astonishment at the sheer list Lin Zongwu was reciting.

“…To be able to kill so many people in such rapid succession, one after another, within a mere few days — the skill of this woman is a thing to be feared and revered. Only, the name she left behind at the time wasn’t the Blood Bodhisattva — it was the Iron Sword of River and Mountain…” Lin Zongwu enunciated each word deliberately, his gaze fixed on Hongti. “Lu! Hong! Ti!”

“And moreover… the message she left behind at the time was that she — was the teacher of the Bloody-Handed Butcher, Ning Liheng… your master. Do you truly mean to marry your own master?”

A chill and a shadow surged up through the hall…

In the next instant, an uproar broke out. Ning Yi laughed. “There’s no such thing!”

“The bonds of heaven, earth, and human relations!” Lin Zongwu pointed at Ning Yi, his voice booming like a great bell. “You mean to commit an illicit act with your own master!?”

Lou Shuwan, standing a little further off, rose to her feet. “Is she really your master?”

“How could such a thing be…”

“Heaven itself won’t allow it…”

“You’re slandering us with baseless accusations…”

“The five cardinal relations — you studied Confucian teaching. If the Chancellor back in the capital learned you’d done such a thing, what do you think he’d make of you!”

“Lin Zongwu, aren’t you afraid of shortening your own life, telling such lies!”

“You’ve come here deliberately to stir up trouble! Someone, come here!”

“Shut your mouths—”

“Don’t lose your tempers, don’t lose your tempers, let’s talk this through calmly…”

Countless voices rang out all at once. Ning Yi’s expression remained composed, but his words could no longer contain the commotion. Qingmu Stronghold’s fourth chief, Peng Yue, normally a man who appeared calm, had already lost his composure once and now leapt up again, ready to call men in to fight it out directly. Zheng Ashuan stopped him, but the entire hall had already fallen into disorder. As Lin Zongwu’s words hung in the air, a crowd led by Lou Shuwan began buzzing with talk, and more people fell into private discussion elsewhere. Xin Tiecheng and He Zhong watched all this, astonished on one hand, and on the other bracing themselves for the very real possibility that blades might be drawn at any moment. At the very back of the hall, Liang Bingfu frowned and murmured something quietly to Hongti.

“Enough!”

Like a dewdrop falling into still water, a hum began to rise, spreading and growing louder. Everyone turned to look toward the front of the hall, where Lu Hongti, dressed in black, set one hand down on the table — beside her, the ancient sword seemed to tremble as if it had come alive. Nearly everyone fell silent at once.

“There’s no such thing — don’t spread nonsense. Though Sect Leader Lin does have a point — if a single fight can settle the matter, why go in circles? After all, sometimes justice doesn’t lie in what people believe, but in whoever holds the greater strength.” That last line, in fact, was something Ning Yi had once told her — yet spoken now, it came out especially cold. No one said a word. She smiled. “Sect Leader Lin, I accept your challenge.”

“Ha ha ha ha, wonderful, wonderful. But tell me — when you say there’s no such thing, do you mean you have no plans to marry, or that you’re not truly her master?” Lin Zongwu’s laughter shook the whole night sky. He clasped his hands behind his back and turned toward the courtyard outside the hall, his steps seeming unhurried, yet somehow he had already passed by Xin Tiecheng and the others in the span of a stride.

“Life is a sea of bitterness, the flesh merely a raft upon it. The path of the martial arts is like a long road traveled through the dark of night — it’s been a long while since I’ve had a fellow traveler. To cross blades tonight with a master as formidable as the Blood Bodhisattva, and together bear witness to the pinnacle of the martial way — what joy, what joy indeed—”

Hongti had already risen, sword in hand. She said nothing, only, as she passed by Ning Yi, the corner of her mouth curved into a faint, sweet smile. In the middle of the spacious courtyard, Lin Zongwu stood beside a pine tree as tall as himself, hands clasped behind his back, gazing up at the night sky. All anyone heard was a low sigh: “What beautiful stars…”

Xin Tiecheng and the others watched Hongti walk past them, a quiet sigh rising in their hearts. And in that same instant, the woman’s figure suddenly began to accelerate!

Given the mood and commotion that had already built up, this duel had already caught fire — there was no room left for pleasantries between them. Amid the flickering lamplight, she crossed the hall, crossed the threshold, her footsteps falling in rapid succession until, within a few strides, she had become nothing more than a streak of black afterimage. At the far end of everyone’s vision, Lin Zongwu’s loose robes suddenly billowed outward — with a backhand motion he tore the pine tree from the ground beside him, his whole body seeming to swell in an instant, and with two thundering steps, he surged forward to meet Lu Hongti.

“HAH—”

His massive frame swung the ancient pine like a weapon, and in the blink of an eye, he looked like some wrathful guardian deity of the Buddhist faith made manifest! The two figures collided head-on in an instant!

Light flared and dimmed, pressure and force surging toward the hall like a tide, sword-light dancing skyward. In the instant the light suddenly dimmed, the pine tree flew into the air, earth and stone scattering in every direction, and the two figures came to a halt at the point of collision — Lin Zongwu suddenly threw a punch!

No one had expected the clash between these two grandmasters to be this violent from the very first exchange. Men like Xin Tiecheng couldn’t even follow what was happening — the ancient sword sliced through the air, the sound of Lin Zongwu’s punch roaring like the ocean, the air itself booming and thundering. By any ordinary understanding, this was high-speed close combat, the violent clash of hard blocks and countering force.

The ancient sword, carried along by the force of the exchange, shot backward toward the beams of the great hall, seemingly knocked flying. Only a portion of those present could clearly make out what had happened — but the next moment, everyone saw it clearly.

It was a deafening boom.

In the air, Lin Zongwu’s massive frame staggered for an instant, a huge shockwave rippling outward through his robes, his body, the pine needles dancing in the air — and the black figure, a head shorter and more than twice as slight as Lin Zongwu, had landed a kick square on his body.

Few people could comprehend the force behind that single kick. After the massive boom that shook the air, Lin Zongwu’s mountain-like frame stumbled backward step by thundering step, seemingly stunned by the blow himself. And in the darkness on this side, Hongti, using the recoil from that kick, had already vanished from where she stood. In the next instant, she was airborne, her entire body hurtling toward Lin Zongwu!

The whole exchange, from the moment the fight began, had taken only the span of a single breath. Everyone’s eyes were wide, on the verge of splitting from sheer astonishment — no one had imagined the scene now unfolding before them.

The two sides crashed together, Lin Zongwu swinging the tree in a savage blow, and then, astonishingly, a storm of punches followed — the pine tree flying, the ancient sword flying, a fierce wind unfurling in an instant, and the woman, not retreating one inch, landed a kick square on Lin Zongwu’s body, then flew back to the beams, drew her sword, and kicked off again — the entire roof beam shaking, and all that reached everyone’s ears was the frenzied thunder of blow after blow.

In greenwood duels, force rises from the ground — to remain adaptable, skilled fighters generally avoid leaving themselves airborne. But certain extreme schools of martial arts favor extreme tactics. What appeared before everyone’s eyes now was a move both common in legend and extraordinarily perilous in practice — the Hawk and Serpent’s Death Struggle!

Yet the strike from before had carried astonishing penetrating force, rippling even through the air itself. As Lin Zongwu staggered backward, barely able to react, Hongti used the recoil to launch off the beam, then drew her sword and leapt again — in the dim light, the sword’s gleam sliced through countless pine needles, carving a rippling wave through the night!

Whether Lin Zongwu felt provoking Hongti’s anger was a good thing or a bad one, and whether this exchange was calculated on her part or simply an instinctive reaction in the moment — in this brief span, everyone present could already understand why the woman was called the “Blood Bodhisattva.” And Lin Zongwu was about to face the full, needle-sharp fury of a woman truly enraged — a killing intent that seemed ready to cut down everything in its path—

The woman in black surged toward her enemy in a flash.

A single breath since the fight began.

Soaring through air, silk tearing.

Blood drawn!

“Roar… AH—”

Like a tiger charging headlong, unafraid of any river before it, Lin Echan’s own force surged back in return, overwhelming as a collapsing mountain range…