Chapter 102: Shadow Kill

“Huff—” Liu Xiaoxiao suddenly opened her eyes, and in that instant, her gaze was as deep and dark as a pool, shimmering with a mysterious black light that vanished as quickly as it appeared.

Even so, the shadow caught sight of it, and immediately, his entire body began to tremble violently. The sword aura that had engulfed Liu Xiaoxiao dissipated on its own.

At the critical moment, Liu Xiaoxiao launched her attack. Sword energy shot from her blade’s tip like a rainbow, hurtling straight toward the shadow’s chest!

The icy killing intent jolted the shadow awake from his haze, making him shudder as he narrowly dodged Liu Xiaoxiao’s sword.

He retreated dozens of steps, cold sweat beading his back. Such terrifying eyes! Even when confronted by the sect master, he had never felt anything like this.

Who is this girl? How can her gaze possess such demonic power? The shadow wondered in his heart. His name was Shadow Slayer, a secret weapon of the Blood Origin Sect.

He cultivated the art of Shadow Assault to a high degree, serving as the sharpest tool under the sect master’s command. Over the years, countless righteous experts had perished at his hands.

Although his cultivation was not high, Shadow Slayer had become a respected figure within Blood Origin Sect. Yet today, he encountered a gaze he would never forget.

When he touched that gaze just now, he felt as if his entire being was corroded, thrown into an ice cavern carved from ten-thousand-year-old mysterious frost, with not even a sliver of hope for survival.

Fortunately, the gaze was fleeting—coming and going in a heartbeat—saving him from disaster. Had it lingered any longer, he feared he would have been killed in a daze.

Thinking of this, humiliation flickered across Shadow Slayer’s face. He wished he could devour Liu Xiaoxiao alive. With a furious roar, he abandoned all restraint; sword aura surged, his slender blade lashed out like a venomous snake at Liu Xiaoxiao’s throat.

Liu Xiaoxiao herself didn’t understand what had just happened. Seeing the venomous precision of Shadow Slayer’s strike, she dared not be careless. Her sword aura erupted, meeting Shadow Slayer’s blade head-on!

Earlier, she had witnessed the battle between Shadow Slayer and Sect Leader Shangguan Yu. If Shadow Slayer unleashed his assassination technique, she doubted she could last a single round.

Now, brute force was her only option. She knew the gap between them was vast and could only pray for other experts to arrive in time.

She needed to endure until that moment.

But the gulf between their levels was not something she could bridge. If she were at the First Innate Merger Realm, or even the Second Divine Union Realm, perhaps she could persist a bit longer.

Her opponent, however, possessed cultivation at the Third Heaven-Penetrating Realm. The instant their sword auras collided, the outcome was clear—an overwhelming force swept through Liu Xiaoxiao.

Her cherry lips parted, and a mouthful of blood sprayed forth as her delicate figure was hurled through the air!

Shadow Slayer, consumed by hatred for Liu Xiaoxiao, had no intention of letting her survive. As her body was still airborne, he closed in once more.

His slender sword whistled, aiming straight for Liu Xiaoxiao’s throat!

A trace of bitterness flashed across her pale face—so this was the end, after all. An unwillingness flickered in her eyes as she closed them, awaiting the arrival of death.

Shadow Slayer’s lips moved, murmuring something indistinct. His sword showed no mercy—within the blink of an eye, it was less than three feet from Liu Xiaoxiao’s throat.

A metallic clang pierced the air; a dazzling meteor streaked across the sky in a winding arc, striking Shadow Slayer’s blade with perfect accuracy.

At the instant their swords clashed, Shadow Slayer recoiled as if struck by lightning, stumbling backward. From the side, a figure flickered into view, ghostlike, catching Liu Xiaoxiao’s waist before she could fall, steadying her in his arms.

A familiar aura flooded Liu Xiaoxiao’s senses, bringing an unprecedented feeling of safety. For a moment, she felt so tranquil, as if she could drift into sleep.

She opened her eyes faintly, and the first thing she saw was Long Yun’s slightly youthful face.

“Long Yun... Senior Brother...” Liu Xiaoxiao murmured, her head drooping as she fainted in Long Yun’s embrace.

“Long Yun—!” Shangguan Yu’s face lit up with joy—not only because Long Yun had survived the Wolf Ravine, but also because his cultivation had soared to the First Innate Merger Realm.

Long Yun laid the unconscious Liu Xiaoxiao beside Shangguan Yu, nodded to him in greeting, then summoned with a single gesture the Green Grain Sword that had been thrust into the ground, pointing it at Shadow Slayer’s brow.

Shadow Slayer’s gaze flickered as he stared at Long Yun. This youth, barely seventeen or eighteen, had already reached the First Innate Merger Realm, his true energy robust. That sword strike just now had numbed Shadow Slayer’s arm—what sect did this disciple belong to?

“Brother!” A delicate jade figure descended beside Long Yun—it was Yan Qingqing, her flawless features tinged with displeasure, cherry lips pursed in a pout; who knew who had offended her?

“Qingqing, help me protect them!” Long Yun said to Yan Qingqing, as he had openly left the Jade Sword Sect and could not recognize his former sectmates with other disciples present.

At this moment, Xiao Leng also opened his eyes, watching Long Yun intently, a knowing smile curling his lips—a smile never before seen on Xiao Leng’s face.

He said nothing; Long Yun said nothing. Everything was understood without words.

“Brother, I don’t want to protect her. Why did you hold her just now?” Yan Qingqing’s jealousy was palpable, her words making Long Yun smile wryly.

“Qingqing, don’t be foolish. She’s my junior sister—I should save her! You guard them for me, and I’ll deal with these evil sects!” Long Yun pinched her jade-like cheek, doting.

Yan Qingqing huffed softly. Though her expression was unhappy, she bashfully moved to stand before Shangguan Yu, casting a fierce glare at the unconscious Liu Xiaoxiao.

Only then did Long Yun turn his gaze to Shadow Slayer, eyes narrowing slightly. The Green Grain Sword’s blade glimmered as he said in a low voice, “Come!”

“Courting death!” Though Long Yun’s earlier strike had weighed heavily on him, Shadow Slayer was two cultivation levels higher and had his secret assassination arts. He was confident Long Yun was no match for him.

The Green Grain Sword hummed loudly, as if alive under Long Yun’s sword intent, its spirit fully awakened and responsive to his will.

Shadow Slayer’s face changed—he hadn’t expected his young opponent to achieve such harmony with his sword. In that moment of surprise, Long Yun struck like lightning, the Green Grain Sword following a unique trajectory, stabbing straight for Shadow Slayer’s chest!

Long Yun employed his Ascending Dragon Steps, shifting through several positions in an instant, appearing right in front of Shadow Slayer!

Shadow Slayer shuddered and deployed his Shadow Assault technique, dodging Long Yun’s sword by a hair’s breadth and vanishing into thin air.

Long Yun’s expression remained unchanged; he closed his eyes, sword intent surging forth. The blade twisted, stabbing toward a seemingly empty space at his side!

A clear metallic ring sounded—the sword, which should have pierced nothing, halted before touching the ground, as metal struck metal.

Shadow Slayer’s figure materialized at the spot where Long Yun had thrust his sword, his face livid, disbelief in his voice: “You can see me?”

Long Yun smiled but did not answer. The Green Grain Sword stabbed again, straight at Shadow Slayer!

Shadow Slayer gritted his teeth, and his figure vanished once more.

As Long Yun’s sword momentum faded, his left foot twisted sharply, using his right as a pivot, spinning in a full circle. The Green Grain Sword swept out behind him!

A muffled thud sounded; Shadow Slayer staggered backward, his eyes filled with shock and disbelief.

Impossible! Shadow Slayer was baffled, but Long Yun gave him no time to ponder. Ascending Dragon Steps left a trail of afterimages as he lunged at Shadow Slayer, the Green Grain Sword weaving a storm of blade shadows to envelop him.

“His cultivation… it’s already reached such a formidable height?” Shangguan Yu murmured. If not for leaving the Jade Sword Sect to protect other disciples in the Azure Sect, Long Yun might have created a miracle for the Jade Sword Sect.