Chapter 52

"Miss Lu has arrived!"

Lu Mengyao, dressed in a blue long dress, appeared near the life-or-death battle platform, causing a wave of exclamations from the crowd.

In the past half month, Miss Lu had been very close to Luo Xiu, a fact well-known among the outer disciples.

She was once the most brilliant prodigy of the Free and Easy Sect's outer disciples, reaching the Qi Sea Realm at the age of ten and the Ninth Level of Qi Sea at eighteen. Her talent in cultivation was unmatched by anyone!

Just when everyone thought she was about to break through to the Innate Realm and become an inner disciple, she suddenly disappeared for several years.

Four years later, when she returned, her cultivation had not only not advanced but had regressed, and she was now only at the Fifth Level of Qi Sea.

However, Lu Mengyao's special status among the outer disciples was not affected by her cultivation. Her popularity among the outer disciples was so high that even the top expert could not match her.

She frowned, glancing at Zhang Luliang, who was responsible for overseeing the battle from the pavilion. Her woman's intuition made her suspect that Lin Jingyun's life-or-death duel with Luo Xiu was definitely being fueled by this old man behind the scenes.

However, Zhang Luliang had the backing of an inner sect elder, and even her father, Lu Feichen, had to be wary of that elder's power.

At the same time, she noticed Luo Xiu on the platform, whose true qi had only recovered to about half. This would undoubtedly affect his performance.

Although Luo Xiu had said he could kill someone at the Seventh Level of Qi Sea, the current situation was clearly not in his favor.

As Zhang Luliang announced the start of the life-or-death duel, Lin Jingyun immediately moved.

In a life-or-death duel, there was no such thing as fairness or etiquette.

At that moment, Luo Xiu was sitting cross-legged, refining the medicinal power to recover his cultivation. This was the best time to strike and kill him.

"Die!"

Lin Jingyun leaped up, his white robe turning into a white blur on the life-or-death battle platform, moving like a cloud.

Fifth Rank Martial Art, Flowing Cloud Body Technique!

Clang!

The moment he moved, his sword was also unsheathed, the sound of the sword ringing out as true qi light shone, and the sword cut like a ribbon, aiming for Luo Xiu's head.

Lin Jingyun's speed was very fast, and the timing was perfect. In his current seated position, Luo Xiu found it difficult to dodge.

Many people in the audience narrowed their eyes. Luo Xiu had just obtained the 130th rank in the Flying Dragon Tower. Could he be killed in one strike?

However, Luo Xiu on the platform remained motionless, as if he hadn't noticed the lethal sword light heading towards him.

"Xiu!" Lu Mengyao's hands clenched tightly, more nervous than anyone else present.

A sinister smile appeared on Lin Jingyun's lips. With a whoosh, the sword's edge sliced through, cutting Luo Xiu's body into two pieces.

The crowd was in an uproar!

"Wait! No blood, it's just an afterimage!" Suddenly, someone in the audience shouted.

Lin Jingyun's sinister smile froze. No one knew better than he did that his sword had not touched Luo Xiu at all.

"What kind of body technique is this? He didn't move, yet he left an afterimage. Where is his real body?"

Lin Jingyun's face changed as he suddenly felt a fierce wind coming from behind.

He turned his head just in time to see Luo Xiu's fist coming straight at his forehead.

Luo Xiu's fist was surrounded by black true qi light, emitting a cold and sinister aura.

Luo Xiu did not hold back; this punch contained the power of death from the Yin-Yang Life and Death Wheel, capable of directly damaging the opponent's life meridians. If this punch hit, Lin Jingyun would be half-dead.

Lin Jingyun, who had reached the Seventh Level of Qi Sea after several life-and-death trials, could sense the danger in the black light on Luo Xiu's fist.

He pushed the Flowing Cloud Body Technique to its peak, his body retreating at an incredible speed, and his head turned to narrowly avoid Luo Xiu's punch.

The speed of Luo Xiu's punch, enhanced by the Fast Sword Technique, was incredibly fast.

Although Lin Jingyun managed to avoid the punch by instinct, the wind generated by the punch still hit his face.

"Ah!"

The audience heard Lin Jingyun's scream of pain. His left cheek was a bloody mess, with blood splattering everywhere.

"This... The pain on my face is unbearable, but I can't understand how the wind from Luo Xiu's punch could injure me?"

A Qi Sea Realm martial artist could protect themselves with true qi. As a Seventh Level Qi Sea, it would take at least a Ninth Level Qi Sea to injure him with true qi wind.

Even a Ninth Level Qi Sea expert would need to break through the protective true qi to injure him. But the wind from Luo Xiu's punch had directly injured him without any reaction from his protective true qi.

The exchange between the two was so fast that the audience was stunned.

First, Luo Xiu left an afterimage and appeared behind Lin Jingyun like a ghost, delivering a punch that left Lin Jingyun's face a bloody mess!

Among the audience, there were outer disciples ranked around 100th, and even they couldn't understand how Luo Xiu had done it. Some even rubbed their eyes, thinking they had seen a mirage.

"What body technique did Luo Xiu use? He left an afterimage and appeared behind Lin Jingyun?"

"Lin Jingyun clearly dodged the punch, but he was still injured by the true qi wind. Is Luo Xiu's true qi comparable to a Ninth Level Qi Sea?"

"He's only at the Third Level of Qi Sea..."

Many people felt a chill. To have such terrifying strength at the Third Level of Qi Sea was simply monstrous!

"That black true qi Luo Xiu just gathered is strange!"

Zhang Luliang frowned, his face serious.

Although he couldn't see Luo Xiu's ability to damage life meridians, as a Ninth Level Innate martial artist, he could sense that the death force Luo Xiu had gathered was extraordinary.

Without reaching the Soul Refinement Realm, one couldn't use soul perception to investigate, so Zhang Luliang could only sense the strangeness but not the specifics.

At this moment, Lin Jingyun, with blood all over his face, stared at Luo Xiu with a fierce and fearful look.

Luo Xiu's punch had made him truly feel the threat of death. If the punch or the sword had hit him instead of the wind, he would have been dead.

Luo Xiu now seemed unfathomable and mysterious, and people are always filled with awe and fear of the unknown. Lin Jingyun's confidence was shaken.

Biting his teeth, Lin Jingyun's eyes turned red. "It seems I have to use the array treasure given to me by Steward Zhang."

He flipped his palm, and a golden sphere appeared in his hand, covered in intricate patterns and runes.

"Die, Luo Xiu!"

Lin Jingyun roared, his face twisted in a fierce expression, pouring true qi into the golden sphere. Brilliant golden light burst forth, each beam cutting through the air with a hissing sound.

"It's an array treasure!"

"It contains metallic power, a Third Rank array treasure!"

The audience widened their eyes. Elemental power was something only Innate martial artists could master.

With a Third Rank array treasure, Lin Jingyun could unleash an attack comparable to an Innate martial artist.

To the audience, Luo Xiu was strong, but the gap between Innate and Qi Sea was insurmountable.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!..."

Three golden sword beams shot towards Luo Xiu, each about ten feet long.

Luo Xiu's first reaction was to dodge, but the three sword beams sealed off the surrounding space. He would have to jump off the platform to avoid them, which would mean defeat in the life-or-death duel.

"Ten Directions Afterimage!"

Luo Xiu's body flickered, creating seven afterimages.

"So many afterimages, what kind of body technique is this?"

"I haven't heard of such a technique in the first level of the Free and Easy Pavilion. He must have learned it elsewhere."

Luo Xiu's display of seven afterimages was impressive, but the three golden sword beams were comparable to an Innate martial artist's attack. Could Luo Xiu dodge them?

The golden sword beams were fast. On the platform, there were eight Luo Xiux, seven afterimages, and one real body.

"Boom!"

The first golden sword beam struck, creating a large crater on the platform, sending dust flying.

Six of Luo Xiu's afterimages were destroyed by the impact.

"Slash!"

Lin Jingyun roared, the other two sword beams cutting towards the remaining two Luo Xiux, one of which must be the real body.

"Boom!"

Another explosion, the last afterimage was destroyed. In Luo Xiu's eyes, the third golden sword beam was rapidly approaching, and he had no chance to dodge.

At this moment, everyone held their breath, afraid to miss any detail. The golden sword beam was comparable to an Innate martial artist's attack. Could Luo Xiu withstand it?

"Flash Sword!"

The Shadow Sword was unsheathed, the Yin-Yang Life and Death Wheel in his dantian spinning rapidly, the Yin and Yang forces surging into the sword.

"Boom!"

Unable to dodge, Luo Xiu's sword collided with the golden sword beam.

In an instant, Luo Xiu was struck like lightning, flying backward with his sword. The terrifying force of the golden sword beam caused his skin to crack, as if his entire body was about to shatter.

The golden sword beam, after severely injuring Luo Xiu, dimmed slightly but continued to fly towards him.

"Death Sword!"

The Shadow Sword was thrust out again, the black death force spreading.

This time, the golden sword beam, which was invincible and powerful, finally shattered. Luo Xiu's clothes were torn to shreds, and his body was covered in blood, with no intact skin left.

Clang!

He knelt on one knee, using the Shadow Sword to support himself. Behind him was the edge of the platform, and he was just a step away from falling off.

A fierce qi force surged through his body, and Luo Xiu coughed up blood.

The golden sword beam, comparable to an Innate martial artist's attack, was not just a threat. The qi force it contained was far beyond the Qi Sea Realm, and a strand of it had invaded Luo Xiu's body, causing internal injuries to his meridians and organs.

The platform was in ruins, with three large craters, showing the power of the golden sword beams.

On the opposite side, Lin Jingyun, though pale, was in much better condition than Luo Xiu.

A Third Rank array treasure usually required Innate martial artist cultivation to activate. Lin Jingyun, at the Seventh Level of Qi Sea, had used up most of his true qi.

Seeing Luo Xiu's miserable state, Lin Jingyun finally breathed a sigh of relief, but he was also somewhat fearful. The three sword beams were comparable to an Innate martial artist's attack, and Luo Xiu had survived?

"It doesn't matter that you didn't die. You are now at the end of your strength and are destined to die at my hands!"

Lin Jingyun knew he had to kill Luo Xiu. If he let him grow, he would be the one to die.

He raised his sword and walked towards the bloodied Luo Xiu.