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Night of Reckoning, A Genius Falls
"Tell me, how would you like to die?"
Lan An's voice was eerily calm, yet it sent chills through Gu Fei Hua, a prodigy of the Seventh-Grade Qing Yun Sect. Cold sweat drenched him, dread gripping his heart.
"Die!" Gu Fei Hua roared, refusing to yield. A gleaming longsword materialized in his hand, infused with wind spiritual energy, slashing ferociously at Lan An.
Their proximity was close too close for escape, he thought. Sneering inwardly, Gu Fei Hua gloated, "Ignorant fool, die!"
Whoosh.
A strange sound cut the night. Lan An's form flickered like a phantom, shifting slightly, and Gu Fei Hua's sword qi sliced only air.
Gu Fei Hua's face twisted, unease swelling within him.
Lan An said nothing, his mocking gaze fixed on the prodigy.
"Who are you?" Gu Fei Hua demanded, voice low. He refused to believe this was a Liu Clan member. He'd kicked an iron plate and needed to escape. Surely, Sixth Elder Gu You's Mid-Stage Spirit Transformation could handle himself.
"Who am I? Just a thief-catcher," Lan An chuckled. The Blazing Star Cauldron hummed within, conjuring a violet flame bullet in his palm, its heat warping the air.
"Heterogeneous Flame?" Gu Fei Hua gasped, leaping back, terror seizing him. As a Qing Yun Sect genius, he knew the dread of such flames.
"Die!" Lan An snapped, done with games. Exposing Blood Flame meant ending this swiftly.
The Spirit Bullet shot forth, blazing toward Gu Fei Hua.
"Full Gale Slash!" Gu Fei Hua countered, his longsword dancing, summoning a tempest to engulf the tiny flame.
Though a Mysterious-Grade skill, the Spirit Bullet was forged from Blood Flame. It clashed with Full Gale Slash, both dissipating.
Whoosh.
Lan An materialized beside Gu Fei Hua, water spiritual energy surging around his foot. A Great Flood Kick thundered toward his chest.
Lan An's Speed Shift was blinding. Gu Fei Hua barely conjured a flimsy spirit shield.
Crack!
The Great Flood Kick roared like a tsunami, shattering the shield. The blow crushed Gu Fei Hua's ribs, blood spewing as he hurtled backward like a broken kite.
Lan An pursued, Phantom Charm Wander Step blurring his form, closing the gap instantly. Another kick descended.
"Damn you, Wind Guardian Shield!" Gu Fei Hua groaned, blood trickling from his mouth. From his storage ring, he summoned a defensive artifact a shield etched with a cyclone, radiating durability.
Clang!
Lan An's kick struck the Wind Guardian Shield, which held firm, unyielding.
"Earth-Grade, at least," Lan An noted, impressed. His hands clenched into fists, the Heavenly Wood Cauldron spinning wildly.
"Wood Form Fist!" Twin oak-like fists materialized, hammering the shield.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Wind Guardian Shield trembled, its wind runes swirling to deflect force, absorbing Great Flood Kick's impact. But against Wood Form Fist, powered by Devouring Heaven Wood, the shield faltered. Its wind energy was siphoned, and Gu Fei Hua's spiritual energy drained into the Heavenly Wood Cauldron.
Lan An's relentless barrage pinned Gu Fei Hua behind the shield, forcing him to pour energy into it, his face paling as his reserves dwindled.
"Heterogeneous Flame, Mysterious Water, and now this Wood attribute? Who the hell did I provoke?" Gu Fei Hua's regret surged. His greed had doomed him.
No mercy for enemies. With a final Wood Form Fist, the Wind Guardian Shield cracked, dimming, and shattered.
Gu Fei Hua collapsed, his spiritual energy sapped, madness in his eyes.
"Do you know who I am? Touch me, and your clan's dead!" he screamed, crawling back, clinging to his sect's name.
"A thief threatening me?" Lan An sneered, raising his foot. "Great Flood Kick!"
"No, I'm not a thief! I'm a disciple of" Gu Fei Hua shrieked.
Splat.
Like a crushed melon, his head exploded under Lan An's heel, silencing him forever.
Lan An smirked, ensuring Gu Fei Hua's identity died with him. He was just a "nameless thief" invading a clan.
He claimed the Wind Guardian Shield and storage ring, finding spirit stones and Qing Yun Sect techniques. Gu Fei Hua's soul was seized by White Moon Soul-Seizing Eye. A violet Blood Flame consumed the corpse, leaving nothing.
The lauded genius of Qing Yun Sect perished in ignominy.
"Brother, was that bad guy after Meng Meng?" Liu Meng Meng asked, finally snapping from her daze.
The clash, though fierce, lasted mere seconds, Lan An's dominance overwhelming Gu Fei Hua. Liu Meng Meng's sleepy reaction was unsurprising.
"The bad guy's gone. Sleep well, Meng Meng," Lan An said, pinching her cheek.
Smack! "Thanks, Brother!" she chirped, kissing his cheek before skipping off to finish her errand.
Lan An watched her go, smiling warmly, then vanished.
Earlier, outside Elder Liu Qing's chamber, a black-robed figure emerged.
"Kill the Golden Core elder first," Gu You mused, easing the door open silently, his aura concealed by a Breath Concealment Talisman.
Liu Qing meditated on his bed, oblivious to the intruder's presence.
"Die," Gu You sneered inwardly, drawing a dark green longsword, thrusting toward Liu Qing's forehead.
Clang!
Instead of blood, a wooden sword materialized, parrying his blade.
"Trouble!" Gu You's instincts screamed. Their plan was covert, yet thwarted at the critical moment. Only one explanation fit the enemy anticipated them.
Still, confident in his Mid-Stage Spirit Transformation, he scoffed at Liu Clan's weaklings. "Knew we were coming? I'll slaughter you all," he thought.
Mu Zi Yin stepped from the shadows, retrieving her wooden sword. With a thought, the Purple Wood Sword appeared in her hand, its willow-thin blade radiating mystic pressure, rippling the air.
"Heaven-Grade sword?" Gu You gasped. Qing Yun Sect's prized Qing Yun Sword, wielded by the Sect Master, was only Peak Earth-Grade, lacking this blade's aura. This was at least Low Heaven-Grade.
"Good sword. It's mine now, Gu You's," he declared, greed blinding him. He resolved to massacre Liu Clan even Ping An City for this treasure.
Dropping his disguise, Gu You sneered, his longsword dancing wildly. "Green Breeze Sword Art – Shattered Wind Slash!"
The wooden room splintered under Spirit Transformation sword qi. Liu Qing was flung back, coughing blood.
Facing the howling wind sword qi, Mu Zi Yin's face hardened. "Butterfly Sword Art, Third Form!" she cried.
Her form wove like a butterfly, violet sword qi from Purple Wood Sword flooding the air.
Crack!
Space fractured, butterfly-like qi infiltrating the windstorm, unraveling it silently. Shattered Wind Slash collapsed.
"What?" Gu You exclaimed, as violet qi surged toward him.
"Wind Rider Leap!" He soared, riding gusts to dodge, the qi carving deep gashes into the earth.
Gu You's caution grew, but greed intensified. The woman's lower cultivation relied on the Purple Wood Sword's might.
Mu Zi Yin pressed on, her feet blurring with Phantom Charm Wander Step. "Butterfly Close Strike!" she intoned.
She vanished, reappearing like a butterfly alighting on a bloom, Purple Wood Sword slashing at Gu You's head.
"Dream on!" Gu You sneered, raising his sword to block.
Clang!
Their blades met, and Gu You's face paled. His Mid-Grade Earth-Grade sword snapped, while Purple Wood Sword cleaved downward.
Space tore as violet sword qi sealed his escape. Too late to dodge, Gu You channeled wind energy into his palm, meeting the blade.
"Aaaaagh!"
A scream echoed across Ping An City. His arm split like bamboo, bone cleaved, hanging in two from his shoulder.
Pain seared him, but he gritted his teeth, severing the ruined arm with a wind-blade, trying to seal the wound.
Drip, drip.
Blood flowed unabated. Gu You roared, "Why can't I stop the bleeding? Damn you!"
Mu Zi Yin hid her shock. The Purple Wood Sword's Deep Wound effect was terrifying, defying even Spirit Transformation energy to heal.
"You can die now," she said coolly, never sparing enemies.
"Butterfly Sword Art, Third Form!" Her eyes darkened, and violet qi coalesced into a purple butterfly.
More butterflies spawned, filling the sky, dancing in the night beautiful, yet deadly.
Gu You's experience screamed danger. His sword broken, his techniques sword-reliant, he was cornered.
Desperate, he swallowed a Spirit-Seizing Pill, his body swelling, eyes bloodshot. His cultivation spiked to Late-Stage Spirit Transformation, but his wound still bled, sapping his strength.
The pill's cost stagnation forever was irrelevant now.
Emboldened, Gu You roared, "Green Breeze Sword Art, Fourth Form – Cloud-Splitting Slash!"
A green sword qi pillar erupted from his broken blade, slashing at Mu Zi Yin with unstoppable force.
Mu Zi Yin remained calm, whispering, "Butterfly Chaos Dance – One-Strike Kill."
Raising Purple Wood Sword, the sky's butterflies swarmed her, encircling her form, spinning wildly.
Boom!
The butterflies exploded like fireworks. Cloud-Splitting Slash pierced through, shredding clouds above.
An illusion unfolded.
Mu Zi Yin vanished within the butterfly swarm.
"Damn!" Gu You roared, sensing danger.
A butterfly flock materialized behind him. Mu Zi Yin emerged, her face icy, Purple Wood Sword gleaming like death.
"Mercy—" Gu You begged.
Spurt.
A blood fountain erupted from his neck, his head tumbling, frozen in terror.
Exhausted, Mu Zi Yin's energy drained, she plummeted, unable to fly.
Strong arms caught her. Lan An's warm voice soothed, "My queen, you're incredible. I'm so proud."
Mu Zi Yin smiled, nestling into his chest. "I finally mastered Butterfly Chaos Dance. My old sword couldn't handle its power."
Lan An nodded, wiping her sweat, kissing her forehead. "I wanted to help, but your valor captivated me."
"Sweet-talker, help me up," she chided, spotting Liu Shi Qin's amused gaze, blushing fiercely.
"I'd rather carry you," Lan An teased, ignoring her embarrassment as she hid in his chest.
Above, a miniature Nascent Soul, Gu You's likeness, fled stealthily.
Lan An's eyes glinted, chuckling. He set Mu Zi Yin down, summoning the Big Dipper Bow.