Chapter 89

"Ten Directions Residual Shadows!"

Luo Xiu's figure moved, and nine residual shadows flashed and disappeared, making it hard to distinguish his true form.

He held a sword in his hand and instantly appeared before Yan Yue'er. The black and white flames rose on the sword, like a light of yin and yang, life and death, piercing toward Yan Yue'er's眉心.

Aurora!

This move was the pinnacle of the Aurora Sword Technique!

Luo Xiu's sword strike was incredibly fast, and with the threefold power enhancement, what shocked him even more was that the power increased not just threefold, but tripled again on top of a twofold increase, making it a full sixfold enhancement!

Faced with such a strike, even Yan Yue'er felt a hint of danger.

She took out a slender, flexible sword from her storage ring, and with a flick, it instantly straightened, with intense flames burning and rising.

A move containing the martial intent of flames was unleashed, which even a first-stage Spirit Refinement realm practitioner would find hard to resist.

Luo Xiu remained undaunted; this was his strongest move so far, enhanced by the sixfold power of the Profound Heaven Transformation, gathering the forces of life and death into flames. If he still couldn't defeat Yan Yue'er, it would mean he was destined to perish.

Clang!

Flames splashed in all directions, and the sharp, fierce sword energy shot out in all directions, piercing the ground with numerous holes.

A terrifying aura of burning everything to ashes was transmitted through the sword into Luo Xiu's body. This martial intent-infused power was so overwhelming that even the life and death true qi could hardly neutralize it, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood instantly.

However, Yan Yue'er was not faring well either. With the sixfold power enhancement, her flexible sword was knocked away by a mid-grade Earth Rank battle sword. Luo Xiu's left hand, gathering the forces of life and death, formed a seal and struck her right shoulder.

This palm strike was the Life and Death Seal that Luo Xiu had comprehended from the Origin Law Diagram, far more powerful than the Aurora Sword Technique.

Yan Yue'er's body trembled as the forces of life and death invaded her, and the damage to her spirit was almost uncontrollable.

She let out a muffled groan and rapidly retreated, vanishing into the blood-red forest in a few flashes.

Luo Xiu did not pursue her. Although he had injured Yan Yue'er, he had also paid a significant price.

Firstly, the sixfold power of the Profound Heaven Transformation had a backlash on his body, causing intense pain as if his flesh was being torn. If Yan Yue'er hadn't retreated, he would have collapsed after another strike, even with his high-level battle body realm.

Additionally, the martial intent-infused aura was wreaking havoc inside his body, and he had to exert all his strength to suppress it.

Through this battle, Luo Xiu finally realized that there are always people above and heavens beyond.

His fast sword technique at the Perfect Mastery level, the forces of life and death, and the Profound Heaven Transformation secret technique had always made him believe he was invincible below the Spirit Refinement realm. Even against a first-stage Spirit Refinement realm martial master, he could hold his own.

But Yan Yue'er, clearly at the Innate realm, had凝聚了神识 and cultivated martial intent, far surpassing him in every aspect.

If not for the shock of being hit on her left shoulder, another move would have surely killed him.

This battle was a profound lesson for Luo Xiu, making him put aside his arrogance and adjust his mindset.

However, he did not know that Yan Yue'er had such strength because she was originally a Martial Lord, a young-looking girl who had actually lived for over three hundred years!

She wasn't retreating out of shock but because her spirit injury was worsening. If it fully erupted, she would be in mortal danger, and she needed to find a safe place to suppress her spirit injury as soon as possible.

...

Returning to the cave, Luo Xiu re-embedded a mid-grade essence stone on the fifth-grade defensive array disk and placed it at the entrance.

Although it could only defend against one strike, it gave him enough time to react.

What Luo Xiu regretted most was not having prepared some array flags for setting up arrays. With his skills, setting up a few third-grade arrays would have been more effective than the fifth-grade array disk.

He had the expertise of a fifth-grade array master but was limited by his cultivation to only set up third-grade arrays.

Putting aside these thoughts, Luo Xiu calmed his mind and began to cultivate the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel.

After comprehending the first Origin Law Diagram, Luo Xiu had mastered the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel technique, and the Pure Yang Technique he had previously cultivated was discarded.

Meanwhile, Yan Yue'er was in a hidden place, suppressing her spirit injury, which was far more severe than Luo Xiu's.

...

Three days later, Luo Xiu slowly opened his eyes in the cave. With his ability to repair life meridians, as long as he had a breath of life, even the most severe injuries could be healed.

The flame martial intent-infused force that had invaded his dantian was thoroughly neutralized by the All-Heaven Life and Death Wheel.

When he treated Lu Mengyao's Fire Yang Absolute Pulse, he had absorbed flame power, which gave him the ability to neutralize the flame martial intent. In the process, he also glimpsed the subtleties of flame martial intent.

Martial intent is varied, depending on the martial artist's different opportunities, techniques, personalities, and constitutions, leading to different comprehensions of martial intent.

It is said that if one reaches the Martial Lord realm, martial intent can further evolve into a spirit. For example, Yan Yue'er, who mastered flame martial intent, would have a flame spirit if she condensed her spirit.

The Yan family of Ancient Sword State specializes in cultivating flame power.

"Where has Yan Yue'er gone? She hasn't come to trouble me in these three days. Could she have entered the third area?"

This secret realm space is divided into different areas, and Luo Xiu knew little about the various conditions for entering other areas.

After leaving the cave, Luo Xiu continued to hunt demon beasts in the second area, obtaining innate-level blood pearls, with his soul perception always spread out to guard against Yan Yue'er's sudden appearance.

Time passed quietly, and before he knew it, he had been in the Ten Thousand Demon Secret Realm for over half a month.

During this time, Luo Xiu killed demon beasts and obtained blood pearls, continuously enhancing his high-level battle body realm.

But as his physical strength grew stronger, he found that the innate-level blood pearls were becoming less effective, insufficient to help him cultivate to the peak battle body realm.

"To break through my physical realm, I need higher-level blood pearls!"

Luo Xiu thought to himself. In the first area of the Ten Thousand Demon Secret Realm, there were Sea Qi-level demon beasts, and in the second area, there were innate-level demon beasts. Therefore, the third area, if not unexpected, should have Spirit Refinement-level demon beasts!

Only by killing Spirit Refinement-level demon beasts could he obtain higher-level blood pearls, allowing him to cultivate his physical body to a higher realm.

Luo Xiu was tempted to enter the third area.

With his current overall strength, he should be able to kill ordinary Spirit Refinement-level demon beasts, but if he encountered a powerful one, he would have to flee.

Rumble...

A hundred-foot waterfall roared, and Luo Xiu drank some clear water from the pool below.

Suddenly, his pupils contracted, sensing a faint life aura.

Although the aura was faint, it was somewhat familiar.

Scanning the surroundings, Luo Xiu quickly locked onto a hidden cave near the waterfall pool.

A moment later, Luo Xiu entered the cave, his gaze slightly fixed.

He saw a red-haired girl lying on the ground, seemingly unconscious, her face pale, eyes closed, and life aura very weak, as if she could die at any moment.

Luo Xiu frowned. Although he had hit her with the Life and Death Seal, her strength should not have been reduced to this extent.

He did not doubt that Yan Yue'er was feigning unconsciousness because the Life and Death Pearl would not misjudge life aura.

"Mom..."

Yan Yue'er suddenly murmured in her sleep, her brows tightly furrowed, looking vulnerable and helpless, evoking a sense of pity.

Luo Xiu stepped closer, and Yan Yue'er remained unaware.

Upon closer inspection, Luo Xiu used his life perception to find that Yan Yue'er's injuries were very severe, with signs of her physical body about to collapse.

The source of these injuries was due to her soul sea being heavily damaged!

As Luo Xiu's perception probed her soul sea, he felt a vast mental pressure, faint but with an indescribable majesty.

He had felt this before when Su Jingyun attempted to possess him in the Ghost Yin Valley.

"Could Yan Yue'er be a Martial Lord who has fallen in cultivation due to a severe spirit injury?" Luo Xiu speculated. This could explain why she had a spirit and mastered martial intent.

But regardless, Yan Yue'er, though seemingly weak, was actually ruthless, willing to sacrifice a hundred lives to open the secret realm and even tried to kill him to seize the demon jade.

However, in this world where the strong rule, the weak are like ants, and every martial artist is cold-hearted and decisive.

"Mom... Yue'er will definitely avenge you!..."

Yan Yue'er murmured again in her sleep.

"This is a woman with a story."

Her strong exterior and weak interior made Luo Xiu feel a sense of compassion.

Luo Xiu frowned. This mindset was not suitable for this world. Like the Gong Sun family's disciple, he had almost been killed due to a moment of compassion.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, a beast roar came from outside the cave, and several demon beasts rushed in, their claws and fangs fierce, eyes blood-red.

Luo Xiu's gaze turned cold, and with a finger point, black flame sword energy condensed, instantly killing the innate-level demon beasts.

Among the four demon beasts, only one turned into a blood pearl.

The intense blood smell spread, and it would not take long for more demon beasts to be attracted.

"Fine, I'll be a good person one more time."

Although he knew compassion was not advisable, Luo Xiu, at fourteen, still had a bit of kindness in his heart.

He flicked his fingers, sending out several streams of Netherworld Death Flame to burn the three demon beast corpses to ashes. Then he waved his hand, and true qi surged, clearing the blood smell from the cave.

He then took out an array disk and placed it at the cave entrance.

Sitting cross-legged next to Yan Yue'er, after probing her injuries, Luo Xiu knew he could not heal her spirit injury with his current abilities.

However, he could use his ability to repair life meridians to stabilize her physical injuries, thereby suppressing the worsening of her spirit injury.

Lifting the unconscious Yan Yue'er, Luo Xiu placed his palms on her back, converting the forces of life and death into life energy, which entered her body through his palms, beginning to repair her collapsing life meridians.

...

In her unconscious state, Yan Yue'er's consciousness was immersed in a dark, empty world.

In the battle with the boy who called himself 'Asura,' she never expected that with her strength, she would be injured by a mere third-stage Innate realm youth.

What seemed to be a minor injury triggered her suppressed spirit injury, causing it to fully erupt, almost shattering her soul sea and leaving her physical body on the brink of collapse without the support of a powerful spirit.

She felt as if she had a long dream, recalling the moment she saw her mother killed as a child, and dreaming of her relentless cultivation to avenge her mother's death.

After three hundred years, she finally reached the Martial Lord realm, ranking among the top ten Martial Lords of Tianwu Kingdom!

Yet, even so, she still lacked the strength to avenge her mother, and her family wanted to marry her to the son of her enemy!

In a daze, she seemed to dream of lying in her mother's embrace, the warmest and happiest moment in her three hundred years of life.

Unconsciously, her consciousness gradually revived, and the lost strength seemed to be returning bit by bit...

"I must wake up, I must avenge my mother!" Her heart screamed in near madness.