Chapter 100: Killing Intent

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On the Spirit Rise Arena, Guihai Yidao swung his bizarre long blade up and down, every streak of cold light charged with boundless killing intent. Among the younger generation of spirit cultivators, perhaps not many could wield a weapon to such a degree.

Below the stage, Xuanyuan Jian and Hu Feng felt for the first time a surge of heroic ambition to cross blades with him—but there were more important matters awaiting them, and something as childish as this was hardly what a man destined for great deeds would pursue. At that moment, Xuanyuan Jian smiled faintly, for he knew the signal he had sent had been received. Like a phantom, he vanished from beneath the Spirit Rise Arena.

Honglin Nu's thirteen-section chain spear was originally a type of exotic weapon, extremely difficult to master, and supposed to be the finest choice for countering ordinary armaments. Yet for some reason, she dared not even attempt a simple entangling strike. Perhaps Guihai Yidao's blade aura was simply too overwhelming. With a rustling sound, another flash of cold light came sweeping in. Honglin Nu shifted unnaturally in midair and released three spiritual lights in quick succession—but those spiritual light swords could not obstruct the edge of Guihai Yidao's spiritual power. With a clatter, all of them were shattered by the blade's radiance. However, in that instant when the three spiritual light swords vanished, her thirteen-section chain spear suddenly shot toward Guihai Yidao like a venomous snake, while she herself, like a crimson drifting petal, evaded his drenching strike in an inconceivable manner.

A smile tugged at the corner of Guihai Yidao's mouth. He reversed his blade and met the chain spear head-on. Honglin Nu was forced to spin her weapon aside, unwilling to clash directly. But Guihai Yidao pressed his advantage mercilessly. Blade light flared again. Driven back by the pressure of that radiance, Honglin Nu could only flick her chain spear in the air, letting its tip knock once against the long blade, then used the recoil force to retreat swiftly.

"Truly meticulous in your schemes." Guihai Yidao could not help but offer a word of praise. "However, this style of fighting is destined only for failure."

Then Guihai Yidao leaped into the air and finally began his assault. With a flick of his long blade, three arcs of blade light, like crescent moons, flew toward Honglin Nu. She activated her Spirit Leap Art to evade, but the three arcs were merely a feint. As the third faded, he was already at her side. Twisting his wrist, he said coldly, "Forgive me, but this is where it ends."

The trajectory of that strike was utterly extraordinary—impossible to dodge. From the spectator stands, Lan Ruoting and Huang Wan'er cried out in alarm. Yet Honglin Nu suddenly shook her chain spear and forced it to meet the blade's edge. But how could her weapon compare in sharpness to Guihai Yidao's Phantom? With a sharp clang, the spearhead was knocked flying.

Guihai Yidao's hand moved—the blade was about to plunge into Honglin Nu's abdomen. But when the tip was three inches away, it could not advance another fraction no matter what. Guihai Yidao froze. And once more, he saw that most enchanting smile of Honglin Nu.

"Killing me—how could it ever be that simple?" Honglin Nu said with a smile.

Guihai Yidao looked down. His Phantom had somehow been entwined by Honglin Nu's chain spear. The thirteen-section iron chain, like a giant python, had firmly locked the path of the long blade.

"You're asking for trouble," Guihai Yidao said harshly. He called upon his inner force, and a stream of spiritual energy poured into his blade. He thought a single effort would shatter her weapon to pieces—but the chain spear clung to his long blade like a venomous serpent, showing not the slightest sign of cracking.

"Who exactly is asking for trouble? You had better think it over. Did you truly believe my thirteen-section chain spear feared your blade edge? I was simply luring you into a trap. I would very much like to know what you become without your sword. A good-for-nothing?" Honglin Nu teased. So from the very beginning, she had been putting on an act.

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A drop of cold sweat fell from Guihai Yidao's brow. "Impossible. I had already seen that your weapon could not withstand my blade edge. If I had not been certain, I would never have advanced so recklessly."

Honglin Nu smiled gracefully. "You're right. But you forgot one thing—just now my Yi Flower was only orange. At that level of strength, my weapon indeed could not match your long blade. Only, you never noticed what color it is now." As she spoke, a bewitching red Yi Flower slowly spun out from behind her. "To oppose the Yi Flower Sect while forgetting the Yi Flower itself—I must say, you are quite foolish."

Guihai Yidao was stunned. "Impossible. I never saw you form the incantation to transmute your Yi Flower. How did you do it?"

Honglin Nu answered with only a single line: "I am not Fourth Senior Sister. Perhaps you were too focused on Jade Whisk and forgot the root of the Yi Flower Sect itself." With that, she suddenly shook her chain spear. With a loud clang, the weapon carried Guihai Yidao's Phantom and flew off together.

Seeing his precious blade seized, Guihai Yidao immediately formed a strange hand seal and reached out toward the Phantom. But what happened next shocked him even more—his Phantom, which was like his own life, showed not the slightest response. In ordinary times, once he formed that seal, no matter how far the blade had gone, it would come seeking him and fall into his hand on its own. But today, it stubbornly refused.

Honglin Nu gave a cold laugh. "Did you think I hadn't noticed how odd that blade of yours is? I used all that time to devise this scheme to separate it from you. How could I ever allow it to return to your hand?"

With a clatter, the Phantom hit the ground. Guihai Yidao clearly saw that his precious blade was still wrapped in Honglin Nu's thirteen-section chain spear!

Honglin Nu said charmingly, "Now that neither of us has a weapon, I want to see where this 'blade' of yours comes from."

Guihai Yidao gave a cold smile. "Good, good. The senior disciple of the Yi Flower Sect is truly formidable. This blow was originally intended for your master. Today, I'll let you have the privilege instead. The blade in one's hand is merely an external object—the true blade lies within the heart."

Honglin Nu's brow furrowed. She suddenly felt an immense pressure emanating from the man before her. Danger seemed imminent. Her hands spun rapidly, and an extremely complex hand seal began to form.

At the same moment, Guihai Yidao's hands were also in constant motion, though his speed was even faster. Slowly, he raised his left hand, and a streak of cold light unfolded from his palm, flooding the entire Spirit Rise Arena like a gigantic blade. Guihai Yidao burst into laughter. "Die!" The hand-blade descended upon Honglin Nu with terrifying power.

Xiao Xue returned to the spectator stands, looking utterly dejected. She cast a gaze at Mo Bai that she herself could hardly define, and Mo Bai felt a sharp pain in his heart. Could he truly have miscalculated? Just now he had seen Guihai Rong'an flee disgracefully back to the Guihai family's section of the stands. At the venomous look he shot toward Mo Bai, Mo Bai knew he had succeeded. But then why did Xiao Xue's eyes now hold such helplessness?

Mo Bai could no longer restrain himself. He gently released the fingers of Nalan Xin'er, who had unknowingly sunk her nails into his arm, then with a flick of his body, he sped straight toward Xiao Xue.

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"I'm sorry." Xiao Xue looked at Mo Bai and spoke a word she had never imagined saying in her life. Beside her, Lan Ruoting and Huang Wan'er watched their Seventh Senior Sister in shock. Although they did not know what had happened, they understood that this matter had dealt a heavy blow to Xiao Xue's heart.

"Did I miscalculate?" Mo Bai asked.

"No. Everything happened exactly as you predicted. They must have been there. But by the time I entered, they were already gone." Xiao Xue replied with a trace of bewilderment.

Mo Bai nodded. After a moment's thought, he asked, "Can you tell whether Guihai Rong'an knew that Wu Luohua and the others were already gone?"

Xiao Xue recalled the venomous expression on Guihai Rong'an's face as he fled, and replied, "It wasn't Guihai Rong'an who moved them. Someone else must have interfered in this matter."

Mo Bai looked at Xiao Xue and said at last, "Thank you, Miss Xiao." With a flick of his body, he left the stands, for he no longer had the heart to remain. It seemed that something had slipped beyond his control. Who could have taken Wu Luohua and Gan Yu away before Xiao Xue arrived? Friend or foe, Mo Bai had no idea.

His gaze, cold as ice, fixed upon the battle between Honglin Nu and Guihai Yidao on the arena. He suddenly felt an endless rage burning within him, demanding release. He turned to Nalan Xin'er and said, "Xin'er, go to Master Yunfa."

Nalan Xin'er had also noticed the shift in Mo Bai's demeanor. She had never seen her Mo-gege wear such a terrifying expression. Her heart chilled, and she asked fearfully, "Why, Mo-gege?" This time, she did not dare ask why that woman named Xiao Xue had returned alone, nor where Little Flower Brother was—because the killing aura radiating from Mo Bai was already crushing her breath.

"Xin'er, go to Master Yunfa." Mo Bai repeated. He turned his gaze to Nalan Xin'er, with three parts tenderness and far more resolution.

Nalan Xin'er nodded mechanically, then slowly walked toward the stands where Master Yunfa was seated. Her heart was filled with dread. It was as if a brutal battle were about to break out—a brutality that a girl of only seventeen could not possibly bear.