Chapter Sixty-Four: Chu Xiner Emerges from Seclusion

Xiao Wenzi would never let him escape. She immediately cast her Swift Demon Art to close the distance in a flash, then unleashed a Demon Fire Talisman, sending it hurtling toward her enemy.

The defensive talisman’s barrier, though capable of providing protection far beyond the user’s level, had a glaring weakness: like the mid-grade Demon Shield Talisman Xiao Wenzi had previously used, it lasted only a dozen breaths before dissipating on its own.

“No matter what foul creature you are, you’re dead by my hand!” the old man spat, his eyes flashing with both venom and a hint of twisted delight as Xiao Wenzi pressed closer and the protective light around him faded.

He summoned his flying sword, enlarging it beneath his feet, and at the same time flicked his fingers, sending out two tongues of flame. One collided with the fireball conjured by the Demon Fire Talisman, the other shot straight at Xiao Wenzi herself.

He believed that even if he couldn’t destroy this pesky mosquito, his opponent would be unable to stop him from fleeing in earnest. A gentleman’s revenge could wait ten years—one day, this pair would pay dearly.

The fireball and fire tongue clashed, their incompatible energies erupting in a violent explosion. Xiao Wenzi, forced to dodge the blaze, had no way to block the old man’s escape.

Just as he was about to soar away, the stone doors of the cave mansion thundered open. A delicate, doll-faced girl darted out, her silhouette swift and graceful.

Chu Xiner, who had just stabilized her cultivation, had interrupted her training, worried for Xiao Wen’s safety. As she rushed outside, she was struck dumb by the scene before her.

The north wind howled, fine snowflakes dancing in the air, the distant mountains draped in a veil of white. Yet within a hundred feet of the cave’s entrance, barely a trace of snow remained. The ground was scarred—rock and earth exposed, shredded by torrents of force.

Such fierce signs of battle—could it truly have been caused by Xiao Wen and that old man? The enemy was, after all, a cultivator stronger than herself, wielding a mid-grade Vajra Sword, and yet he had been ambushed and left in such a sorry state by Xiao Wen. Could his innate talents really be so terrifying?

What she didn’t realize was that every fireball Xiao Wenzi conjured drew on the power of talismans. Deep in her breakthrough moments before, she hadn’t witnessed the exchange of talismans.

Boom—boom—boom!

The Demon Fire Talisman clashed with the fireball spell, the energies exploding in a deafening roar. Still not far off, the old man was battered by the shockwaves, new wounds splitting open as he staggered, almost tumbling from his flying sword.

Meanwhile, Xiao Wenzi, assailed by the deadly flame tongue, hastily spread a protective aura around herself and invoked the Swift Demon Art to flee. In moments, the old man’s flame tongue was swallowed by the explosion of the two energies, resulting in a far greater conflagration.

The Blood Spirit Grand Method truly deserved its reputation as an ancient supreme cultivation technique. Having broken through to the fifth layer, Xiao Wenzi could now unleash the Swift Demon Art with such speed it seemed she could traverse several feet in an instant.

When the shockwave from the explosion reached her, the distance had softened its force, so it only warped and distorted her protective aura rather than shattering it. Still, her body was so light that the blast sent her tumbling end over end, and it was only after being flung a great distance that she managed to steady herself, dizzy and reeling.

“Trying to escape? It’s not that easy.”

Seeing Xiao Wen battered so miserably and realizing her own injuries were the old man’s doing, Chu Xiner could not just watch him flee. With a soft, derisive snort, she sent her longsword streaking forward like a flash of lightning, slashing at the old man.

Clang!

The gaunt old man had just poured all his remaining strength into casting the flame tongue spell. Now, his cultivation was nearly depleted. He was in no shape to resist—let alone contend with Chu Xiner, who was at full strength.

Faced with the threat of decapitation, he had no choice but to halt his escape and drive his sword to parry. Yet, at the first clash, his defeat was evident.

It was hopeless. He had other magical tools in his storage pouch, but his body was grievously wounded and his spiritual energy all but spent—he couldn’t muster the strength to use them.

As for pills that could instantly restore his cultivation, though he’d visited the market twice, such treasures were so rare that he’d never managed to buy one.

What truly filled him with despair was seeing, as the shockwaves of the explosion faded, that damned mosquito demon was unscathed and flying at him again, its wings slicing through the air with a menacing hiss.

Slice, slice—

Blood sprayed as Xiao Wenzi joined the fray. The old man, unable to defend both sides, took two wounds to the chest from the razor-sharp wings.

Agony made his control falter, the light around his sword flickering. Chu Xiner sealed a hand sign and, with a dazzling burst of light, sent her flying sword crashing into his blade, knocking it away.

Her slender hand danced like a butterfly among flowers. With a decisive strike, the sword flashed across the old man’s throat, sending his head flying, his eyes wide with regret and unwillingness.

A frail wisp of spirit tried to flee, but Chu Xiner would not let him escape. With a flick of her finger, the flying sword arced gracefully and slashed down, sword-light raging. The old man’s remnant soul was obliterated amid a final, anguished scream.

With their formidable foe vanquished, Xiao Wenzi immediately made herself appear weak and drained, so her explanation to Chu Xiner would be more convincing.

“Xiao Wen, thank you. You’ve exhausted your life force for me yet again,” Chu Xiner said, her heart moved. Even without a master-servant contract binding them, Xiao Wen had fought desperately to protect her. She didn’t ask how he’d defeated the old man, but caught him gently with genuine concern.

“It’s nothing, Xiner. We’re friends and partners—it’s only right that I protect you. Besides, after my breakthrough, I can now absorb the blood of cultivators up to the tenth layer. If you could help me collect some of his blood, that should restore my essence. I’ll need your help with that…”

Though the old man’s name was unknown, he’d reached the thirteenth layer of qi refining. His blood was no weaker than any ordinary spirit pill. Disliking waste, Xiao Wenzi made his request.

“Alright, I’ll help you,” Chu Xiner replied at once. Even though Xiao Wenzi hadn’t explained the battle, he’d made it clear his depletion stemmed from burning his essence. If absorbing the old man’s blood would restore him, she dared not delay. She took out a jade bottle from her storage pouch.

Kneeling beside the corpse, she sliced open his intact arm to collect the blood, while Xiao Wenzi was carefully placed on the other, bloodied limb.

Seeing Chu Xiner forgo the old man’s mid-grade magical sword and storage pouch to first help him gather blood, Xiao Wenzi was both touched and excited.

He wondered if absorbing this old man’s blood might remedy the side effects of too many spirit pills. He hoped not to be disappointed.

With this thought, he drank deeply of the potent blood.

Blood from a cultivator of the thirteenth layer truly surpassed that of beginners. Though the old man had nearly exhausted his energy and essence before death, a few mouthfuls sent heat surging through Xiao Wenzi like the first time he’d consumed a monster gathering pill. Snow drifted gently from the sky, but he felt its chill no longer.