Chapter 90

Chapter 89. Life or Death (4)

Swish.

Taking a deep breath and turning his gaze, he saw the warriors of the Blue Dragon Gate surrounding him.

Glance. Glance.

They didn’t move.

Perhaps frightened by the sight of Shang Chanzhang being cut down, none of them seemed willing to fight.

He could roughly guess what they saw in him.

'Probably a ferocious demon or something.'

Well, it didn’t matter what they thought.

[Combat power increased.]

[Event reward: Obtained Blood Demon Art.]

Having achieved his goal,

Swish.

The circulation route of the Blood Demon Art naturally projected itself before his eyes.

The energies circulating through his body along the dantian.

Between the twelve main meridians, which resembled rivers, important acupoints were marked, and the cultivation method to transform true qi into extreme yang was drawn before his eyes.

Xue Hui instantly grasped the essence of the Blood Demon Art.

[Mastered Blood Demon Art.]

'An incredible martial art.'

Even without trying it out, Xue Hui knew that if he could wield the extreme yang energy, he would possess immense power.

Just like with extreme yin energy, it seemed he could handle enemies stronger than his own abilities depending on how he used it.

Thinking about this, Xue Hui, filled with a momentary thrill, looked down at the dead Shang Chanzhang.

'This time, AI Xue Hui didn’t ask for a choice.'

Usually, there would have been two options: 'knock out' or 'kill.'

But this time, AI Xue Hui had killed Shang Chanzhang in one go.

It seemed the event had influenced it.

There was no reason to hesitate when he could increase his combat power and obtain the Blood Demon Art.

"Ah!"

Xue Hui suddenly snapped back to reality.

He realized he didn’t have time to stand around.

Hadn’t his subordinates been in a very dangerous situation just a moment ago?

Pfft.

Xue Hui hurriedly rushed to where Yiguming and his subordinates were.

* * *

'Ah...'

Xue Hui stopped in his tracks.

His gaze was drawn to the two men lying on the ground.

'Jisong... Yongjin...'

Judging from how their faces were pressed into the ground, they must have been struck by the enemy’s blades.

They were already cold corpses.

"Boss."

"Have you come..."

Xue Hui’s expression was grim. The remaining subordinates spoke to him, but their conditions were almost as bad as they could be.

Yaolin, who had lost an arm.

Xiaoling, whose face was covered in blood from a wound on his forehead, and Yin Wuji, who had collapsed against the wall.

"Gurgle..."

Especially, he was clutching his throat with both hands, and blood was continuously flowing down his fingers.

It looked like he wouldn’t survive much longer.

If something wasn’t done immediately, he wouldn’t make it through the movement to escape this place.

Xue Hui raised his gaze again, focusing on the man standing in the center.

Yiguming, who looked like he could kill someone, met Xue Hui’s gaze.

The Huashan Sect disciple was calm.

He had even waited patiently while Xue Hui was speaking, and now he spoke leisurely.

"Have you finished your emotional outburst?"

"..."

"Then let’s get started."

Swish.

Yiguming slowly raised his sword.

Xue Hui also drew his sword, standing face to face with him.

'I can’t win with normal methods.'

He knew this better than anyone.

The combat power difference was more than double.

Moreover, after killing Baiyang Tian and Shang Chanzhang, his stamina and inner energy were significantly depleted.

To make matters worse, he had already used the battle simulation, turn-based combat, and AI Xue Hui.

Now he had to fight without any assistance.

Pfft.

Yiguming made the first move, closing the distance in a single leap and unleashing a series of Huashan Sword Technique strikes.

Instead of thrusting in a curve, he used a straightforward straight line, deliberately inducing a collision.

Clang!

As soon as their inner energies clashed, Xue Hui’s stance immediately collapsed.

And Yiguming wouldn’t miss this opportunity.

Whoosh!

A sword strike imbued with the aura of plum blossoms.

Two strikes in one go.

He drew the sword qi like falling plum petals, unleashing a swift and powerful attack.

"Ugh! Cough!"

Xue Hui, injured by the strike, quickly retreated.

As soon as he touched the ground, he extended his foot and swiftly counterattacked.

<Using Wind God Sword.>

He unleashed the Wind God Sword technique in a surprise attack.

Clang!

A massive vortex shook the ground and surged forward.

However, Yiguming was not there. He had already moved horizontally to Xue Hui’s side.

"Did you think I would fall for that?"

Yiguming swiftly swung his sword, slicing across Xue Hui’s chest.

Pfft!

Xue Hui was suddenly sent flying.

"Wha...?"

Yiguming was startled and looked down at his sword.

The previous strike. He had clearly cut through, yet the opponent was sent flying.

"Because you’re from the Demon Sect... you’ve learned some truly unique techniques."

He heard a small cracking sound and thought:

Xue Hui must have used Heart Nurturing Technique based on extreme yin martial arts to protect his body. If he had known this, he would have released his inner energy from the start.

"Cough. Cough."

Meanwhile, Xue Hui, who had been thrown back, was spitting out blood.

He had suffered internal injuries but, on the other hand, felt a sense of relief.

He had narrowly avoided a fatal blow thanks to the Ice Origin Armor.

Of course, it wasn’t a situation to be happy about.

He had been severely injured by this opponent’s attack, almost depleting his inner energy.

If he were to suffer the same strike again, he wouldn’t have a way to defend himself.

'Normal methods won’t work.'

The Wind God, one of the Four Ultimate Demon Arts.

It had been quite useful so far, but it depended on the opponent.

The opponent wouldn’t just stand still and let him attack as described in the technique manual.

"Still, I’m a bit disappointed. I was tense because you killed Baiyang Tian, but it seems you’re just good at hiding behind walls and floors to assassinate people."

Despite the taunt, Xue Hui remained calm, thinking.

How to defeat this opponent.

What method could he use to bring him down?

'If I could just understand the techniques he’s using... or even if I could defend against them, I might have a chance.'

The opponent’s sword techniques were impossible to predict or gauge.

So, defense was practically impossible.

If he continued like this, he would be pierced through to the bone.

"There are gaps between the joints, and you must strike into them. The most important thing is the muscles and bones, where they connect."

"...?!"

But suddenly, a thought came to him.

Was it because of Jisong’s death, or the thought of being pierced through to the bone?

For some reason, a very old memory surfaced.

"Ordinary butchers usually change their knives every month. This is because they couldn’t properly separate the meat from the bones. A skilled butcher changes his knife only once a year."

"..."

There was an ancient saying: Pao Ding Jie Niu.

An old story about a skilled butcher who could dismantle a cow, leaving people in awe.

Even in a lowly and bloody profession, a master could achieve a level of skill comparable to a scholar.

'Gaps.'

This simple word stimulated Xue Hui’s mind.

Thinking about it, he had learned this too.

When he was a young butcher, the elders scolded him for constantly replacing his knives.

They told him to look for the gaps, to see the grain.

Because he couldn’t do that, his knives would chip on the bones and dull on the flesh.

'Is it possible? Here?'

At first glance, it seemed similar to his current situation.

Clearly, it didn’t make sense, but his intuition whispered to him.

There was a similarity.

'How can I find a gap?'

Yiguming’s sword techniques were almost invisible.

How could he find a gap in such a situation?

In the midst of these absurd thoughts, Xue Hui came up with an idea.

'Maybe.'

Before the opponent attacked.

Perhaps he could take the initiative.

"Where are you distracted!"

Swish!

Brilliant sword techniques poured from all directions.

Xue Hui could only keep retreating, unable to resist.

He didn’t dare to clash or counter.

The sword techniques were like the fluttering of a butterfly’s wings, barely visible, leaving him with no desire to fight back.

'Just once.'

Then, in an instant,

An opportunity came.

Thinking he had the upper hand, Yiguming paused his attack for a moment.

"Ha!"

Xue Hui didn’t miss this chance.

Rushing in as if disregarding his life, he unleashed the first three techniques of the Heartless Demon Art: Xiaokai Dong.

Sssss!

Originally, he would have used cold energy to stop the opponent’s movements and cut through the ground and air with the aura of ice.

But he completely transformed it.

Sssss!

Instead of the diagonal slashes, he thrust forward.

As a result, a peculiar phenomenon occurred.

Sssss!

"What?"

Yiguming’s bewildered expression was briefly visible.

<Using Wind God Sword.>

A sword wind imbued with the aura of ice surged intensely, enveloping Yiguming’s body.

"Ah!"

Yiguming was suddenly sent flying far away.

Crackle! Crackle!

Electric sparks were flying from his body.

The lightning power he had just summoned had completely engulfed him.

No, he had expected this.

"Phew..."

Xue Hui felt a sense of relief.

As expected, the opponent hadn’t fallen to his decisive strike.

To be precise, Yiguming had anticipated the attack and defended with full power.

So, he hadn’t been impaled on the ground.

"Arrogant..."

Grinding his teeth,

But there was damage.

Yiguming’s hair was disheveled, and he seemed to have suffered internal injuries.

The psychological impact was even greater.

Seeing Yiguming, filled with rage, charging towards him, Xue Hui could tell.