Lin Xue watched Yu Honglian’s face twist into a ferocious snarl as she lunged at her with a dagger through the blood mist.
Every hair on her body instantly stood on end.
Not out of fear, but excitement and exhilaration.
This was the first time she had faced such a life-or-death combat.
Her original world had been peaceful and secure; after more than twenty years of comfort, she had barely even fought a few scuffles since childhood.
Now, someone wielding a blade had come with the clear intent to take her life.
The thrilling sight instantly put Lin Xue into an intense state of alertness and exhilaration.
Come on!
Demon Power surged rapidly through her body.
The iron sword in her hand was already eager to strike.
Yu Honglian’s movements were lightning-fast, like a phantom in motion.
To Lin Xue, they appeared unnervingly clear, as if watching frame by frame in an animation.
She stepped with Windstride, slightly shifting her body to the side, nimbly and swiftly dodging the dagger aimed at her chest.
Then she raised her hand and thrust her sword forward.
A cold gleam flashed. The sword’s light stretched like a rainbow, slicing through the air with a sharp whistle toward the back of Yu Honglian.
The tip struck directly into Yu Honglian’s back.
Hit!
Lin Xue’s heart leapt with joy.
But something felt wrong.
The sword didn’t meet resistance like it should; it felt as if it was stabbing into cotton.
Yu Honglian’s figure flickered and vanished.
Lin Xue’s pupils contracted sharply.
She heard the whistling sound of air behind her.
Raising her hand, the iron sword was already blocking the back of her neck.
“Clang!”
Blades collided, sparking a few fiery sparks.
Lin Xue spun around quickly.
She saw a small notch had appeared on her iron sword.
Her heart sank.
Ordinary iron is just ordinary iron. It was no match for the weapon in the Female Demon Lord’s hands.
That young Demon Slaying Division Officer’s longsword had been forcibly severed after several direct clashes with the Blood Fiend wielded by the Female Demon Lord.
She had to do her best to avoid weapon clashes.
Yu Honglian missed her strike, flipped aside, and landed a few steps away, eyes filled with shock.
Her heart was pounding with disbelief.
Only a few hours ago, this Demon Snake was just a regular little snake.
Its cultivation had come from her spending spiritual energy, using the Serpent Core of another Demon Snake to help it digest and grow.
Its level was merely mid-stage of Body Refining.
Yet, it had somehow learned the Heavenly Demon Transformation Art, forming a near-perfect human body.
And now it suddenly displayed such skilled swordsmanship, as if it had been practicing for years.
Could it really have been just a regular little snake before?
Yu Honglian’s mind was full of confusion and incredulity.
Was this some conspiracy aimed at her and her father?
Had someone known about her father’s plan and deliberately placed this snake in the forest?
Yu Honglian sized Lin Xue up from head to toe and hissed, “Who exactly are you, Demon Snake? And that black dog wielding the sword just now—what is your relationship? How do you know his swordsmanship?”
Lin Xue carefully observed Yu Honglian as well.
She had clearly stabbed the Female Demon Lord, but the woman seemed completely unharmed.
Could it be that the Female Demon Lord also carried some protective treasure?
That would be troublesome.
She wondered how many stabs it would take to break through her defenses.
This fight was somewhat unfair.
The opponent was not only higher in cultivation but wore tough armor and wielded a superior weapon.
Lin Xue’s displeasure rose, but she chuckled softly and said, “Good daughter, my father-daughter relationship is only between us two. What does it have to do with others? Don’t say nonsense.”
Yu Honglian glared with her slanted eyes, sneering, “Fine. Since you Demon Snake refuse to speak, this Daoist Immortal Lady will just kill you and Soul Search you directly. Your soul will tell me everything!”
She charged again.
Lin Xue swung her sword to meet her.
Suddenly, the Blood Fiend’s crimson glow flickered in Yu Honglian’s hand, and a howl like a demon from the underworld rang out.
Yu Honglian unleashed the first-level Blood Fiend spell, Ghost Howl.
Some villagers on the ground, who had been struggling to get up and stagger away, collapsed again, trembling uncontrollably.
Yang Yuhai, protected by his Wind Shield, rolled his eyes and fell unconscious on the spot.
Lin Xue also felt a tightness in her chest, blood surging wildly, dizziness and weakness spreading through her limbs.
Though she had been on guard against this Female Demon Lord’s move, she couldn’t completely avoid its effect.
Still, her cultivation and prior preparation allowed her to recover quickly, immediately shifting her footing to dodge Yu Honglian’s attack once more.
The thirty-point experience bonus had deeply engraved the Swiftwind Sword Manual’s swordplay and footwork into her mind, as if she had diligently trained for decades.
Even though her legs were still somewhat weak, she smoothly stepped forward with a gale-like stride, moving to Yu Honglian’s side.
However, the Ghost Howl was indeed powerful. She was still a fraction too slow, and the Blood Fiend’s blade lightly grazed her left forearm, leaving a shallow wound.
The wound was minor, and Lin Xue paid it no mind.
She leapt forward, her vast Demon Power surging through her body, swinging her sword toward Yu Honglian’s ribs.
Swiftwind Sword Manual, First Form!
The sword qi flashed like a rainbow, fierce and relentless!
Her sword pierced true.
Yu Honglian staggered, then vanished into the blood mist again.
Lin Xue’s eyes tracked her movements clearly, pursuing closely and thrusting a second sword.
Swiftwind Sword Manual, Second Form!
Outside the ancestral hall, she had clearly seen how Yu Honglian dealt with Yang Yuhai’s protective treasure—just nonstop attacks to drain the spiritual energy from the artifact, causing it to lose its defense.
Her weapon was inferior to Yu Honglian’s, so she couldn’t afford a prolonged battle and had to end the fight quickly.
She unleashed full power, sword after sword, pressing Yu Honglian relentlessly to deny her a moment to recover.
Swiftwind Sword Manual, Third Form! Fourth Form! Fifth Form! …
The sword techniques flowed continuously, her footwork swift as the wind.
Yu Honglian hadn’t expected such a fierce onslaught from Lin Xue.
She was not skilled in close combat; only in the Blood Fiend’s blood mist did she gain agility that allowed her to dominate the five Demon Slaying Division officers earlier.
Now, faced with Lin Xue’s speed matching hers outside the mist, she struggled to hold her ground.
Her body was repeatedly pierced, unable to counterattack, only retreating hurriedly while blocking some attacks with the Blood Fiend.
But another sword followed instantly.
Yu Honglian’s face grew pale.
Lin Xue gradually realized the Female Demon Lord’s protective treasure was the Daoist Robe she wore.
The robe was extremely durable, impervious to sword stabs, shielding her from several injuries.
But the spiritual energy on the protective treasure was finite.
With the eighth form of the Swiftwind Sword Manual, Lin Xue struck out, and the sound of tearing rang out.
Yu Honglian’s robe was split open at the chest.
The protective Daoist Robe’s spiritual power was exhausted, and it lost its effect.
Meanwhile, Lin Xue’s iron sword had developed several new notches and cracks, visibly on the verge of breaking.
Victory or defeat would be decided by this next move.
Lin Xue concentrated all her Demon Power and launched the final strike.
Swiftwind Sword Manual, Ninth Form!
A sharp gleam appeared, like a shooting star, stabbing toward Yu Honglian’s throat.
Yu Honglian swung her blade to block.
“Crack!” The iron sword broke, but the tip had already pierced into her throat.
Yu Honglian’s ghostly footsteps stopped abruptly. Clutching her throat, her face twisted in disbelief and shock.
She couldn’t accept that today she would die at the hands of a mere little Demon Snake.
Especially since this Demon Snake had been the very one she had personally transformed from snake to demon.
She stepped back a few paces, collapsed onto the ground, gasping for breath, bubbles of blood bubbling at the wound, hissing softly.
She felt all her strength draining away through the wound.
Yu Honglian glared at Lin Xue with unwilling eyes, her face contorted. Gritting her teeth, she struggled to say, “Demon… this Daoist Immortal Lady… will wait for you in the underworld!”
“You will be down there with me soon enough, hehe…”
She collapsed, coughing and convulsing, her slanted eyes gradually losing their light.
A line of text flashed across Lin Xue’s vision panel:
Killed a Qi Refining Fifth Level cultivator, gained experience: 100 points.
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