Chapter 5

"Whatever shall we do, the Undying Altar has appeared in the world, and we will all die here!" The man's face was ashen, and despite being fully armed, he could not help but tremble.

"What are you afraid of? The strongest Undead in this area is only a Baron-level Skullsplitter. With so many Barons and Miss Xiangfei, isn't it easy to rush to the altar and shatter the Eternal Crystal?" A Baron standing next to Li Xiangfei shouted loudly.

"That's right. Our own strength is already powerful enough, and with dozens of Barons nearby, as long as we unite, it won't be difficult to rush to the altar and shatter the Eternal Crystal." Li Xiangfei was somewhat worried, but she remained calm on the surface.

"Roar!" A group of Skullsplitters discovered their trail, howling and swinging their massive axes as they charged over, numbering about twenty to thirty, creating a terrifying scene.

The Barons summoned their armaments to fend off the Skullsplitters' attacks.

Those Skullsplitters, who were once easily slain by the Barons, had become extremely difficult to deal with after their mutation. A single Baron struggling with two or three Skullsplitters found it extremely challenging, and a careless move could result in injury.

After eliminating this group of Skullsplitters, the Barons were all more or less injured, with one Baron losing an arm to a Skullsplitter and wailing in pain.

Everyone's faces were grim. Just a few dozen Skullsplitters had left them in such a sorry state. If they reached the Undying Altar, the number of Skullsplitters would be at least ten times more, plus the Skullsplitter, the thought of which was chilling.

Before they could regroup, another group of Skullsplitters charged out of the forest, a black mass in the distance, the number unknown.

Seeing at least a hundred Skullsplitters, everyone's faces turned green, and they had no heart to fight. Someone took the lead, and everyone scrambled to escape.

Li Xiangfei, the precious daughter of Baron Daolun, was now ignored. Her strength had just reached the Baron level, and she was left behind by the others.

The frenzied Skullsplitters moved extremely fast, and the Barons could not shake them off. The distance between them only grew closer.

"Everyone, scatter and run!" Someone shouted, and the Barons immediately scattered in different directions to escape.

Bai Cangdong stealthily moved toward the altar, quickly slaying lone Skullsplitters and bypassing groups. The journey was uneventful, and he even gained several life marks.

"Mutated Skullsplitters are not scary; what's scary is a group of Skullsplitters." Bai Cangdong thrust his sword into a Skullsplitter's vital point, causing it to spasm, then directly pierced its heart.

His wrist felt heavy, and the prolonged use of the pure white greatsword was extremely draining, especially since the Pain Blade technique required precise control, adding to the burden on his wrist.

He put away the greatsword and climbed a tree with dense leaves to hide, activating the *Baiye Sutra* to recover his stamina as much as possible.

When the *Baiye Sutra* was activated, there were no special phenomena, just a warm feeling inside his body, and his sore muscles relaxed, gradually restoring his stamina.

Bai Cangdong was preparing to continue his journey once he was fully recovered when he suddenly heard a loud noise nearby. Soon, he saw a girl being chased by four Skullsplitters, fighting and retreating in a sorry state. Her armor was slashed in several places, revealing white skin.

Bai Cangdong had a good memory and recognized the girl as the one who had been with the Barons earlier.

The girl seemed to have been fighting for a long time, and her stamina was almost depleted. However, the red softsword in her hand was extremely sharp, and even the Skullsplitters' axes dared not collide with it. Occasionally, when they did, the softsword would cut off pieces of metal.

Because they feared the softsword, the four Skullsplitters only surrounded the girl, not fighting to the death, but continuously draining her stamina.

"Good sword!" Bai Cangdong's eyes lit up at the sight of the red softsword.

The sword was four feet long, only as wide as a finger, and much thinner than paper, almost transparent. The entire blade was a bright red, like fresh blood that had just left the body.

Whether it was the sword's ability or the girl's skill, the softsword could be both straight and rigid or soft and flexible, making it extremely dangerous and unpredictable.

Although Bai Cangdong already had the pure white greatsword, it was too heavy for prolonged battles. A light and flexible softsword would save a lot of stamina, allowing him to maximize the advantages of the Pain Blade technique. The Pain Blade technique was a light and delicate technique, and Bai Cangdong used the pure white greatsword for training and because he had no other armament.

Li Xiangfei was already in despair. She had already slain eight Skullsplitters, but her stamina was almost gone. The light and flexible softsword felt as heavy as a mountain, and she no longer had the strength to slay more Skullsplitters.

"Is this how I die?" Seeing the Skullsplitter's axe coming at her, Li Xiangfei gave up resistance, leaning against the tree, and closed her eyes in despair, waiting for death.

Clang!

The loud metallic collision right in front of her nearly burst her eardrums. She opened her eyes involuntarily and saw a tall figure blocking everything in front of her.

Bai Cangdong, to conserve his stamina, thrust his sword into the Skullsplitter's vital point, and while it was spasming, he directly pierced its heart.

With just eight simple strikes, the four ferocious Skullsplitters were all slain.

Li Xiangfei was captivated, feeling an indescribable emotion, almost shedding tears.

After slaying the Skullsplitters, Bai Cangdong turned to Li Xiangfei, his white iron mask showing no emotion, only his eyes gleaming greedily: "I saved you. Shouldn't you repay me?"

Li Xiangfei looked at Bai Cangdong, whose face was hidden by the iron mask. If she had seen him elsewhere, she would have felt disgust or fear, but why did she feel a strange sense of security now?

Hearing Bai Cangdong's words, Li Xiangfei, who would normally have turned and left, blushed and stammered: "Here... no... it's not possible... wait until later..."

"How about this? I saved your life, and it's not worth a sword?" Bai Cangdong frowned slightly at Li Xiangfei's refusal.

"What? You want the softsword, not... something else?" Li Xiangfei's face burned, and she felt an inexplicable resentment.

"What do you want?" Bai Cangdong realized and looked at Li Xiangfei with a half-smile.

"You... jerk..." Li Xiangfei threw the sword at Bai Cangdong's feet, angrily saying: "Here, take the sword."

Bai Cangdong picked up the sword, which Li Xiangfei had already disarmed, and equipped it. The sword's data immediately appeared in his life mark.

"Softsword: A sword transformed from a celestial maiden's sash, soft as water, hard as steel, capable of cutting through iron like butter." Bai Cangdong could now see the hidden mark on the sword, which was a Viscount-level armament.

Bai Cangdong swung the sword a few times, mastering its flexible and rigid transformations, and couldn't help but praise: "Good sword, truly a good sword."

"Where are we going now?" Li Xiangfei, seeing Bai Cangdong continuously praising the softsword, couldn't help but interrupt him.

"Not 'we.' You can go wherever you want." Bai Cangdong put away the softsword. In this dangerous area around the Undying Altar, he didn't think he had the ability to protect anyone, especially since he needed to rush to the altar to shatter the Eternal Crystal.

"You... I..." Li Xiangfei felt more embarrassed than ever and couldn't find the words.

Seeing Bai Cangdong about to leave, Li Xiangfei suddenly had an idea and shouted: "If you want to rush to the altar and shatter the Eternal Crystal, I can help you."

"How can you help me?" Bai Cangdong stopped.

Li Xiangfei smiled: "So much time has passed, and many Skullsplitters have been killed and revived at the altar. There are at least two hundred Skullsplitters there now, plus the Skullsplitter. Even if you are a Viscount..."

She paused, looking at Bai Cangdong's reaction, but the iron mask revealed nothing, so she continued: "Even if you are a Viscount, it will be difficult to fight your way through a group of Skullsplitters and defeat the Skullsplitter to shatter the Eternal Crystal."

"Go on." Bai Cangdong was also troubled by this problem. His strength was not enough to face the Skullsplitters head-on. He could dodge attacks when dealing with lone Skullsplitters, but to rush to the altar, he would have to face a group, and dodging alone wouldn't be enough.

"I know a martial technique that can make you move through a thousand enemies as if you were strolling in a garden. However, this technique is very precious, and you must swear an oath to become my knight for me to teach it to you."

"Become your knight?" Bai Cangdong muttered to himself.

A knight was not a noble title. Even if someone had a noble title, becoming a knight would make that title disappear, as knights were private property of the nobility. Once someone became another person's knight, their life and everything else would be controlled by that person.

"Girl, I think you forgot something." Bai Cangdong walked up to Li Xiangfei, pinched her chin, and lifted her face so her eyes met his.