Chapter 101: Not Looking Good

Yan Sect was a small sect, a mere eight hundred li from the Jade Sword Sect, and by all accounts, it actually fell within the Jade Sword Sect's sphere of influence. Yan Sect's strength was nothing compared to the Jade Sword Sect's—Sect Master Yan Quanzhen was only at the First Realm of Innate Qi Convergence, and he was also the sect's sole Innate Realm expert.

Upon receiving word that Yan Sect had come under attack by the Blood Origin Sect, Shangguan Yu personally led the four branch seal-holding elders and most of the elite disciples to their aid, leaving only Li Huafei behind to hold down the fort. Sects large and small from the surrounding area also dispatched their experts to rush to Yan Sect's assistance, which was somewhat heartening—the foundations of the righteous path had not yet been completely corroded. With the addition of countless sects, Yan Sect barely managed to hold its ground against wave after wave of the Blood Origin Sect's tide-like assaults, though not without the loss of many experts.

"Chen Long, escort the wounded disciples back first and see to their injuries!" Shangguan Yu split a Blood Origin Sect expert at the Innate Qi Convergence Realm in two with a single stroke of his sword, then called out to Chen Long.

Among the four seal-holding elders, only Chen Long's cultivation was somewhat weaker, and after the great battles and the heavy drain on his true qi, Shangguan Yu had been keeping a close watch on the casualties among the Jade Sword Sect's disciples. When problems arose, he would provide timely rescue—the Jade Sword Sect could not afford to lose any more of its masters. He could see that Chen Long was at the end of his rope, which was why he had Chen Long take the wounded back to rest. Chen Long did not insist, knowing full well his own condition. Leading a few injured disciples, he withdrew from the battle under the cover of his fellow brothers and sisters.

Watching the endless swarm of Blood Origin Sect disciples surging forward, Shangguan Yu's brow gradually knit together. The arm gripping his longsword had begun to turn faintly pale. The day before, he had personally killed a Blood Origin Sect expert of the same rank as himself, and had sustained a considerable injury in the process, one that had yet to fully heal. After a night of recuperation, he had recovered perhaps sixty or seventy percent, but if another master of yesterday's caliber were to appear—or even one a level lower—he would find it difficult to cope.

At this thought, Shangguan Yu's brow furrowed even deeper. The Blood Origin Sect was notoriously powerful; it was said that its sect master was at the Eighth Realm of Perfect Dao, on par with Wind Wuji, the head of the Green Sect. And yet that sect master had not even appeared, and already the righteous sects had suffered grievous losses. The moment that Perfect Dao Realm expert joined the fray, everyone present would be annihilated in an instant.

The more Shangguan Yu thought about it, the more alarmed he became. Just as his mind wandered, a sword light suddenly stabbed out from an unexpected angle. The icy, sinister killing intent instantly drained the color from his face. He thrust his wrist-mounted sword outward in reflex, striking the opponent's qi precisely—but even so, his arm went numb with a dull ache, a surge of energy having invaded his meridians.

His expression shifting slightly, Shangguan Yu retreated several steps. Among all the righteous disciples gathered at Yan Sect, Shangguan Yu was the foremost expert. Up to now, four evil path masters at or below the Merging Skill Realm had already fallen to his hand. And the evil master who had just ambushed him was not particularly powerful—merely at the Third Realm of Heaven-reaching—yet that single sword strike carried an aura that made Shangguan Yu's heart tremble.

Having failed in his strike, the opponent's figure gradually faded from view, and even Shangguan Yu could no longer sense his presence, as if he had vanished into thin air.

"What a bizarre technique!" Shangguan Yu thought in alarm. He focused his qi and circulated his energy, expelling the invading demonic aura from his body, while spreading his spiritual sense across a radius of ten zhang, remaining on careful guard. This evil path master relied entirely on stealth strikes, and his movements were uncanny, his talent for concealment remarkable. Shangguan Yu's brow began to furrow once more.

"Ah—!" A cry of agony suddenly rang out. Shangguan Yu followed the sound to see an Innate Realm expert from another sect with eyes wide open, a sword tip protruding through his chest, glinting with cold, sharp light.

"Bastard!" Shangguan Yu roared in fury. Sword qi surged wildly, blanketing the Blood Origin Sect master and covering a full ten zhang in all directions. Shangguan Yu refused to believe that the opponent could move so quickly as to shift out of his sword qi's range in an instant.

The dark figure cast a sinister, malicious smile at Shangguan Yu, then abruptly vanished—not just his body, but his aura with it, dissipating as if he had never existed at all.

Shangguan Yu's brow tightened. The dark figure's smile had been brimming with confidence, and carried a trace of scornful mockery, making it clear that this attack of his had failed to harm him. His heart growing anxious, Shangguan Yu expanded his spiritual sense, activating his keen perception to cover the greatest range he could manage. If anything so much as stirred within that range, he would charge straight in and strike.

The evil path masters continued to throw themselves into the fray, and new disciples from other sects kept joining the fight as well, though true experts were few and far between. Fortunately, aside from that assassination specialist, the Blood Origin Sect had produced no other formidable masters, which allowed the righteous sects a moment to catch their breath.

"Hmm—" A sword cry rose. Shangguan Yu, who had been concentrating his senses on monitoring the surroundings, suddenly felt a killing intent envelop his body, and in the next instant, a faint, nearly intangible sword qi stabbed straight toward his heart.

Shangguan Yu's expression stiffened. This bastard had calculated things perfectly! He had anticipated that Shangguan Yu's attention would be scattered while watching others being ambushed, so this strike was a long-accumulated blow aimed squarely at him. Despite being two whole realms above the opponent, Shangguan Yu could not help but feel his scalp crawl before this assassination specialist. He raised his sword tip, gritted his teeth, and poured all his true qi into a single explosive thrust, deflecting the opponent's blade.

Shangguan Yu's cultivation was deep to begin with, and he had also comprehended a sliver of sword intent. This thrust was unerringly precise—one could well call it flawless.

And yet, just as Shangguan Yu's sword lashed out, the smile on the dark figure's lips bloomed once more, and his form vanished again without a trace. Shangguan Yu knew something was wrong, but this strike had been forced out in haste, with no power held in reserve. He felt a ripple suddenly stir beside him, and the dark figure appeared at that very spot.

A sword thrust came at him, frigid sword qi exploding outward!

At the brink of death, Shangguan Yu gritted his teeth and pulled back his sword, forcibly aborting his technique. His qi and blood churned violently, and he nearly spat a mouthful of blood on the spot. There was no time to strike again. In desperation, he twisted the sword in his grip, using the flat of the blade to block the killing blow.

"Ding—" A crisp sound rang out. Shangguan Yu let out a muffled groan. The blood he had been forcing down could no longer be contained—he spat it out in a spray, while the longsword in his hand shattered into countless fragments that scattered across the ground. Stumbling back more than ten zhang, his legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground. Another mouthful of blood burst from his lips. His meridians burned with searing pain, and he could no longer mobilize a single thread of true qi.

"Sect Master!" Seeing Shangguan Yu severely wounded and fallen, Xiao Leng and Liu Xiaoxiao, who were nearest to him, cried out in alarm simultaneously. They forced back their opponents and both lashed out with their swords, crossing their blades in a strike at the dark figure.

"Overreaching!" The dark figure, a Heaven-reaching Realm master of the Third Stage of Innate, treated two mere Jade Sword Sect disciples of the Embryo Transformation Realm with utter disdain. He casually stabbed out twice with his slender black sword.

With two bursts of qi exploding, Liu Xiaoxiao and Xiao Leng were both sent flying backward. Their qi and blood roiled, their complexions turning deathly pale. At the same time, the dark figure's sinister aura seeped through their swords and invaded their bodies. Xiao Leng's face was the worst of the two—the invading evil qi sent a bone-corrosive, itching numbness through his entire body. Not daring to take it lightly, he hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground, focusing all his strength on expelling the energy.

Liu Xiaoxiao's face was equally ashen, but suddenly a surge stirred within her body—the evil qi was actually swallowed up by a power that resided within her. At the same time, the barrier at the Returning to Innate Realm finally shattered, and a powerful aura radiated outward. Liu Xiaoxiao had actually used that evil qi to break through to the Returning to Innate Realm.

"Oh?" A cold gleam flickered in the dark figure's eyes beneath his mask. He hadn't expected Liu Xiaoxiao to use his own power to break through her cultivation level at a moment like this. What a clever woman.

"So you've broken through. But the outcome won't change. So—die already!" The dark figure snarled, his slender sword conjuring countless sword shadows that engulfed Liu Xiaoxiao.