A Pawn's Passage

The Rogue Cultivator’s biggest mistake was not separating from the Qi Refiner but that he chose the wrong opponent.

If the Rogue Cultivator faced Zhang Yuelu alone, he would not have been able to defeat her, but he could still hold on for a while with his protective shield. If so, the Qi Refiner could quickly eliminate Qi Xuansu and join forces with the Rogue Cultivator to deal with Zhang Yuelu afterward.

The Qi Refiner would have been able to decapitate Qi Xuansu with his two flying swords in minutes.

However, that option had a shortcoming. It would give Zhang Yuelu a chance to escape because the Rogue Cultivator would not be able to stop her if she decided to abandon Qi Xuansu while the Qi Refiner was attacking him. In that case, the Qi Refiner and the Rogue Cultivator would not be able to claim their reward, and everything would be in vain because the bounty was on Zhang Yuelu, not Qi Xuansu.

That was why the Qi Refiner refused to deal with Qi Xuansu first. He wanted to kill Zhang Yuelu because five of his brothers had already died during this mission. He did not want to return with nothing.

At this time, the Rogue Cultivator attacked Qi Xuansu, who was determined to delay time so that the Rogue Cultivator's protective shield would fade. Meanwhile, the Qi Refiner fought against Zhang Yuelu alone, narrowly escaping death.

With the Rogue Cultivator using his Divine Calculation Technique, Qi Xuansu was constantly in danger. Qi Xuansu pointed his short sword, while the Rogue Cultivator used his bone spurs to block the attack.

When Qi Xuansu’s sword circled behind the Rogue Cultivator, the latter turned around in an instant and stabbed Qi Xuansu in the lower abdomen and forehead.

Qi Xuansu was startled by this and blocked the attack with his sword. He could only hear the clang of metal as his sword collided with the bone spurs. It was unclear which one of them was attacking or defending.

The two of them exchanged several moves in an instant. However, with the Rogue Cultivator’s Divine Calculation Technique, Qi Xuansu failed to attack his opponent and gradually fell into a disadvantage. He could only ward off the attacks.

On the other side, Zhang Yuelu jumped into the air. For a moment, a thousand rays of light appeared behind her. At first glance, it looked like a peacock spreading its tail. But upon closer inspection, these lights were made of sword qi.

This was the Guanyin Thousand Swords in the Cihang Sword Sequence, which was a high-attainment method on its own. However, it was one of the killing moves, on par with the Taiyin 13 Swords. This method was normally practiced by Heavenly Beings.

Although Zhang Yuelu was not yet a Heavenly Being and could not manifest a thousand swords, she could generate a hundred swords with terrifying power.

The Qi Refiner had been in the Guizhenstage for many years and had seen his fair share of impressive moves. However, he was unnerved seeing this sword technique.

The next moment, Zhang Yuelu rushed forward, thrusting a hundred swords simultaneously. The Qi Refiner’s two flying swords could counter about 80 swords, but he was still bombarded by the remaining 20 swords. He retreated more than 33 meters and crashed into a big tree, swaying the tree with a two-meter-wide trunk and almost causing it to collapse.

Zhang Yuelu tapped her toes and leaped in front of the Qi Refiner, pressing down with her sword.

In close combat, the flying swords were not effective, so the Qi Refiner put them away and pulled out the long sword on his back to block Zhang Yuelu’s attack. He felt a heavy weight crushing him, making him kneel on the ground.

Zhang Yuelu was so strong that the Qi Refiner had to hold his sword with both hands to counter the force. She only pressed her sword down with one hand and used her left palm to slap the Qi Refiner on the forehead.

The Qi Refiner broke the big tree behind him and flew backward. All he could see were stars. After a while, the Qi Refiner stood up and wanted to settle his chaotic qi, but Zhang Yuelu approached him and kept drawing out her sword.

The Qi Refiner, who had exhausted his energy, struggled to fight with Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu’s face paled slightly, which was a sign of energy overconsumption. It was difficult for her to use the GuanyinThousand Swords at this stage. However, she was not at the end of her rope yet, and she still had the upper hand.

The Qi Refiner swung his sword, but Zhang Yuelu had anticipated it and avoided it effortlessly. Then she struck the Qi Refiner’s sword, interrupting the latter’s flow of qi.

Zhang Yuelu was unyielding and struck again.

Startled, the Qi Refiner jumped back and managed to escape the attack. However, the sword qi still tore his sleeves and left a long gash on his forearm.

The Qi Refiner was glad to see this, as he clearly saw Zhang Yuelu aiming for his chest. This was a sign that Zhang Yuelu’s reflexes were slowing down and that she was getting exhausted.

How long could she last in a fierce battle?

Zhang Yuelu knew that she had been injured by the Qi Refiner’s flying swords and that her movements were sluggish. If she had not been injured, she could have easily wounded the Qi Refiner and even killed him.

Having spent so much time with Qi Xuansu, Zhang Yuelu learned a lot from him, like how to use deceit and tricks when fighting. Qi Xuansu would never fight head-on if he could sneak and attack. After all, what mattered most in a fight was winning.

Zhang Yuelu took advantage of the situation and pretended to look helpless. Her face paled as she leaned on her sword, panting heavily.

The Qi Refiner was fooled by her act. He stopped retreating and took a few steps forward instead, sneering, “Mage Zhang, are you tired? I’m sorry for this.”

After that, he raised his sword and leaped in the air, wanting to chop off Zhang Yuelu’s head.

Zhang Yuelu deliberately waited until the Qi Refiner was in the air before she suddenly drew her sword, pointing the tip at his lower abdomen.

The Qi Refiner was startled to see this. He had both arms in the air as he leaped, so his abdomen was unprotected. Zhang Yuelu did not dodge his attack. Instead, she pointed the tip of her sword at his lower abdomen, waiting for him to land and pierce himself with her sword. It was as if she did not care about her own survival and was determined to go down with him.

Before his feet even touched the ground, he saw that he was in danger and hurriedly swung his sword to slash at Zhang Yuelu’s long sword. Zhang Yuelu had already expected this move, so she raised her right arm slightly, lifting the paper sword in her hand by 60 centimeters and aiming at the Qi Refiner’s chest.

When the Qi Refiner slashed at her sword, he hoped that he would be able to use the force of the impact to jump backward. Unexpectedly, Zhang Yuelue pointed her sword upward at this critical moment. He slashed through the air with his sword helplessly and hit the tip of Zhang Yuelu’s sword, which pierced his shoulder blade.

At the moment of life and death, the Qi Refiner was decisive and ruthless. Regardless of his wounds, he stepped back, withdrawing his body from Zhang Yuelu’s paper sword. Then he rushed toward the ancient temple.

Zhang Yuelu, who was also injured, quickly chased after the Qi Refiner, blocking his path. Many of the healed wounds on her body burst open again, so she was covered in blood. However, Zhang Yuelu could not care less and slashed at the Qi Refiner. The Qi Refiner blocked the attack and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuelu kicked the Qi Refiner behind the knee, forcing him to kneel.

The Qi Refiner roared angrily and tried to get up, but Zhang Yuelu pressed down hard with her sword.

Overwhelmed, the Qi Refiner could not stand up and had to use his upper body strength to support the sword with his shoulders.

With a flick of her finger, Zhang Yuelu pointed her sword at the Qi Refiner, who flew backward. The Qi Refiner did not die, but he was frightened. He stood up without hesitation and fled for his life without looking back.

Zhang Yuelu slapped the Qi Refiner on the back. His face suddenly turned red, and he swallowed a mouthful of blood. He used the force from this palm strike to propel himself forward and disappear into the dense forest.

Seeing this, Zhang Yuelu did not pursue him and went back to the temple.

At this moment, the Rogue Cultivator had already forced Qi Xuansu into a corner.

Qi Xuansu was in a miserable state. If he had not been transformed by the Xuan Jade and had a physique comparable to that of a Guizhen-stage Martial Arts Practitioner, he would not have lasted so long and would have already been dead at the hands of the Rogue Cultivator.

At this time, the Rogue Cultivator happened to have his back to Zhang Yuelu.

Zhang Yuelu deliberately minimized her presence and approached the Rogue Cultivator like how Qi Xuansu had done before in a sneak attack.

She did not rush to kill the Rogue Cultivator because she remembered that he had a treasure-level protective shield. If the Rogue Cultivator knew that he could not escape, he could use the shield to resist her attack and drag Qi Xuansu with him in death. That was why she did not dare to act rashly.

The Rogue Cultivator did not notice Zhang Yuelu approaching him from behind. On the contrary, Qi Xuansu happened to be facing Zhang Yuelu and saw her raising her index finger to her lips in a hush gesture.

Qi Xuansu’s expression remained unchanged.

The next moment, the Rogue Cultivator suddenly felt a pain in his heart before his qi began to dissipate rapidly.

For a moment, there was silence in the ancient temple except for the pitter-patter of the night rain.

The Rogue Cultivator could not see who had ambushed him, but he saw Qi Xuansu’s mocking smile.

Lowering his head slowly, the Rogue Cultivator saw the tip of a paper sword that had penetrated his chest.

The Rogue Cultivator felt resentful as he spoke with difficulty. “Only thugs attack from behind. Can’t you Daoist dogs learn some new tricks?”

Qi Xuansu replied, “It's not a new trick, but it works just fine.”

The Rogue Cultivator died in despair, filled with hate and indignation.

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