"But I just love transcending tribulations with you, Big Sister! Beauty, don't hide! Watch me catch you! Hahaha!"
Xiao Yifeng laughed maniacally, his voice booming like thunder as he relentlessly pursued the fleeing woman. He didn't care if he sounded like a lunatic; hesitation now meant death.
Leaving aside the question of trust, if he were trapped by the Heavenly Tribulation while she escaped, he would be left weeping without tears. And even if he managed to survive the lightning strikes alone, he would be left with barely a breath of life—easy pickings for her to finish off.
"You damn brat! Since you're courting death, I'll accompany you! Let’s see who dies first—you by my hand, or me by the Heavens!"
Mei Shi, the Plum Attendant of the Entwined Pavilion, was infuriated to the point of hysteria. She abruptly stopped her flight, swung her long sword, and lunged at Xiao Yifeng with reckless abandon, determined to drag him down to hell with her.
"A beauty inviting me to die with her? That suits me perfectly!" Xiao Yifeng sneered. "Since there's no one else around, I can finally go all out. You shall perish here!"
With a thought, he stowed the Luohong sword and roared into the howling wind.
"Immortal Slayer, come forth!"
A pitch-black blade, shrouded in eerie, writhing dark energy, materialized in his grip. The sword seemed to scream with the wails of countless vengeful spirits.
In a split second, Xiao Yifeng activated two blood-burning secret techniques simultaneously: the Blood Demon of the Starry Sanctuary and the Self-Sacrifice of Wuxiang Temple.
The result was grotesque and terrifying. Pitch-black demonic qi and radiant golden Buddhist light erupted from his body at the same time, intertwining in a blasphemous paradox.
"Sword Demon's Destiny!"
A slender, shadowy figure coalesced behind him, enveloped in black mist. Her features were indistinct, but the murderous intent was palpable. It was the sword spirit of the Immortal Slayer. She stood behind him holding an ethereal duplicate of the great black sword—one Yin, one Yang; one illusory, one real.
Xiao Yifeng stepped forward, his movement ghostly. He appeared instantly before Mei Shi, his heavy sword cleaving down and unleashing a torrent of sword shadows.
Simultaneously, the Immortal Slayer spirit erupted from the earth like a phantom, appearing silently behind Mei Shi and slashing viciously at her exposed neck.
Mei Shi felt a surge of absurdity. This brat's aura had exploded in intensity, and now he had summoned this bizarre, ghostly woman.
Righteous cultivator? What a joke! He looks more like a demon than I do!
Her body suddenly dissolved into a whirlwind of flower petals, reappearing instantly several meters away in a strange, shifting movement. But Xiao Yifeng and his sword spirit clung to her like maggots on rotting bone, relentless and suffocating.
Under the brooding oppression of the gathering storm clouds, the two engaged in a frenzied melee. They traded lightning-fast blows, occasionally forced to break apart and raise their hands to deflect a stray bolt of tribulation lightning.
The Heavens seemed enraged by the arrogance of these two ants fighting within its domain. The falling thunder grew thicker, louder, and more terrifying.
Although they wished nothing more than to tear each other to pieces, whenever the heavenly lightning struck, they fell into a tacit, desperate cooperation to survive the blast before immediately resuming their death match.
In the blink of an eye, they had survived seven waves of tribulation lightning.
"Brat, who exactly are you?" Mei Shi gasped, her chest heaving. "Are you a spy from our Holy Sect? That cannot possibly be a technique from the Inquiry Heaven Sect!"
"That is none of your Entwined Pavilion's business," Xiao Yifeng replied coldly, his eyes burning with killing intent. "Since you've seen my true methods, you should understand: only one of us leaves this place alive."
"Little brother, you are so interesting..." Mei Shi’s voice suddenly dripped with honeyed charm, her eyes curving into crescents. "This Big Sister can't bear to kill you anymore. Once I capture you, I’ll make sure you enjoy yourself thoroughly!"
Boom!
The eighth bolt of tribulation lightning crashed down.
There was no time for banter. They ceased their hostilities instantly, soaring upward together to intercept the falling doom. They unleashed their full power, daring not to hold anything back.
As the thunder dissipated, the two figures plummeted from the sky, slamming into the ground. Both were panting, hearts pounding with lingering terror.
But the Heavens gave no quarter. The final tribulation—the ninth bolt—began to descend. The lightning twisted and coalesced, taking the form of a majestic, roaring Thunder Dragon that dove toward them.
Reflexively, the two soared into the sky once more. Their magical artifacts glowed with blinding light as they prepared their strongest attacks to counter the final judgment.
Mei Shi sensed the apocalyptic power within the Thunder Dragon and focused her entire being on defense. This strike was likely stronger than their combined limits.
Crash!
Just as the lightning was about to make contact, Mei Shi’s expression froze in disbelief.
A long, black blade protruded from her chest.
Xiao Yifeng was standing in front of her, parrying the lightning. But the sword spirit... the Immortal Slayer spirit was standing behind her.
She couldn't believe it. He dared to backstab her now? In the face of the ninth tribulation? How could he possibly survive the Thunder Dragon alone? Was he insane? Did he want mutual destruction?
She had no time to ponder the answer.
The Thunder Dragon roared through her body. With her defenses shattered by the betrayal, she was instantly vaporized into flying ash. The dragon, barely slowed, continued its descent toward Xiao Yifeng.
Xiao Yifeng was ready. He had chosen to execute her at this precise moment not because he sought suicide, but because he had a plan.
He gripped his sword with both hands and spat a mouthful of essence blood onto the blade. He thrust the Immortal Slayer high toward the heavens. The sword spirit floated to his side, her hands gripping the hilt alongside his.
Man and Spirit merged with the blade.
They transformed into a colossal black greatsword that shot upward, meeting the Thunder Dragon head-on.
BOOM!
A blinding flash turned the world white.
Moments later, a charred, smoking body fell from the sky, smashing into the earth with a dull thud. Lightning arcs crackled over his motionless form.
Time seemed to stretch. Finally, the charred figure twitched. Xiao Yifeng let out a long breath of black smoke and began to laugh, a hoarse, rasping sound.
Upon completing his Foundation Establishment, he discovered that his Heaven-Dao Foundation Establishment had granted him a singular innate talent: Quartet.
He had heard of this talent before. As the name implied, when casting a spell, there was a probability of resonating with the Heavenly Dao, causing the universe itself to cast three additional copies of the spell for you—four times the power for no extra spiritual qi cost.
It sounded godlike. The problem was the probability; it was pitifully low. It was widely considered a "chicken rib" talent—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Struggling to his feet, he fumbled for his storage ring, choked down several healing pills, and didn't even pause to regulate his breathing. He staggered forward to a patch of scorched earth and waved his hand. A delicate, feminine ring flew into his palm—Mei Shi's storage ring.
He stowed the exhausted Immortal Slayer and retrieved the Luohong sword. Without a second's delay, he mounted the flying sword and shot toward the battlefield he had left behind.
As he flew, Xiao Yifeng frantically cannibalized the surrounding spiritual qi. His body was a wreck—external burns were the least of it; his meridians were tattered, and residual lightning energy was rampaging through his system. But he couldn't stop.
Moments later, he arrived at the scene.
Su Miaoqing was in dire straits. Her robes were stained with blood, and her body bore numerous wounds. While her talismans were powerful, they lacked the fluidity of innate techniques, leaving her vulnerable to the cunning attacks of the Entwined Pavilion demonesses.
Xiao Bing was in even worse shape. The beast’s scales were shattered, flesh torn and bloody, its aura dangerously weak.
Xiao Yifeng took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his injuries and gathering every ounce of remaining spiritual qi to project an aura of dominance. He held up Mei Shi's ring and roared with laughter.
"Demonesses! Your companion is dead by my hand! How dare you harm my Senior Sister? Surrender now, and I might leave your corpses intact!"
The two remaining demonesses—Zhu Shi and Ju Shi—widened their eyes in shock. They scanned the area and felt nothing. Mei Shi’s aura had completely vanished. Their hearts sank like stones.
Xiao Yifeng’s face was a mask of cold judgment. He pointed Luohong at them.
"Demonesses of the Entwined Pavilion, stay here forever! Thousand Sword Technique!"
Suddenly, the air behind Xiao Yifeng shimmered. Countless flying swords materialized, swarming like a massive school of fish in the deep ocean. These were not mere sword shadows; they felt solid, lethal, and overwhelming.
The sheer number was terrifying—at least six or seven thousand blades, layer upon layer, blotting out the sky.
Xiao Yifeng nearly jumped out of his skin.
The Quartet Talent triggered already?! Is this the newbie luck bonus?!
He carried the murderous momentum of killing Mei Shi, and with the "Quartet" amplifying his technique to terrifying levels, he looked like a Sword God reborn. He pointed his finger, and the ocean of swords surged toward Su Miaoqing’s opponent.
Seeing this apocalypse approaching, Zhu Shi, who was fighting Su Miaoqing, lost all will to fight. She shrieked and fled toward Ju Shi, who was pinning down Xiao Bing.
The two demonesses exchanged a single glance. They saw the terror in each other's eyes. They didn't dare test if they could survive the combined might of this monster, Su Miaoqing, and the beast.
They instantly transformed into two streaks of light, vanishing into the horizon.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Xiao Yifeng bellowed, pretending to give chase.
Su Miaoqing, emboldened, moved to follow him. But she had barely taken a step when Xiao Yifeng extended a hand, blocking her path.
She watched helplessly as the enemies escaped, confusion written on her face. She turned to ask him why, only to see Xiao Yifeng shake his head solemnly.
He signaled for fishermen Yu Ge and Yu Rou to help the injured Zhang Tianzhi onto Xiao Bing’s back. He and Su Miaoqing climbed aboard, and he commanded the beast to fly in the exact opposite direction of the fleeing demonesses.
They flew for a few miles in tense silence.
Then, Xiao Yifeng suddenly pitched forward. He vomited a mouthful of dark blood and collapsed onto Xiao Bing’s back, limp as a dead dog. The majestic aura of the Sword God was gone, replaced by the trembling form of a boy running on fumes.