Volume 4, Chapter 249 – The Great Battle Begins (Part 3)

“You’re young, but your tone is anything but small. The path I, Xiao Sha, wish to take—if it’s blocked, I’ll pave it with corpses. You’ll be the first.”

Xiao Sha’s arrogance remained unshaken. In one fluid motion, he drew the great bow from his back and fired three arrows in rapid succession. His movements were seamless, his speed terrifying, so fast that afterimages flickered in his wake.

“Hmph!”

Cheng Hongling let out a cold snort. With a light step, her graceful figure vanished from sight like a ghost, effortlessly dodging the three arrows. Though her Dancing Butterfly Movement Technique lacked the enhancement of frost, it was still astonishingly swift.

Instead of retreating, she closed the distance, dashing toward Xiao Sha, leaving a trail of afterimages behind her.

“Light steps indeed, but not light enough to escape this lord’s ears.”

Xiao Sha smirked and fired several more arrows in quick succession toward a specific direction. Though he was a martial artist and couldn’t use divine sense to track his opponent, his senses were razor-sharp. Not even the faintest rustle of grass could escape his notice.

“Then how about this?!”

Cheng Hongling dodged the arrows once more. Frost surged beneath her feet, forming ice with every step. Not only did her speed double, but her footsteps became nearly silent.

Xiao Sha’s thick brows furrowed slightly as he focused intently, but before he could pinpoint her location, a delicate fragrance, unmistakably that of a young girl, assaulted his senses.

In an instant, Cheng Hongling appeared right in front of him. Without hesitation, her Blue Scale Sword slashed toward his throat. Before the blade even reached him, the killing intent condensed into a razor-sharp edge, exuding a heart-palpitating aura. This was the benefit she had gained from mastering killing intent, fear and intimidation!

“Killing intent? Do you think that works on me? This lord has killed more people than you’ve ever met in your short life!”

Xiao Sha raised an arrow with a dismissive flick of his wrist, blocking the Blue Scale Sword mid-strike.

Clang—!

The metallic clash rang out. The arrow in Xiao Sha’s hand was clearly no ordinary iron, it had actually managed to withstand a strike from the Blue Scale Sword.

Seeing that her attack had failed, Cheng Hongling immediately retreated.

As the two clashed, many members of the Honghua Sect began gathering nearby to watch.

“Who do you think will win?”

“Of course, Junior Sister Hongling! From what I’ve seen, she’s never faced an opponent she couldn’t defeat.”

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“This time might be different. I’ve heard of Xiao Sha, he’s a Hall Master of the Severed Immortal Sect, and his shadow looms over the destruction of many immortal sects. Rumor has it he once single-handedly wiped out several sects. Junior Sister Hongling may be a prodigy, but she’s still too young. She might suffer a loss here.”

“You’d better pray she wins. Otherwise, the list of sects annihilated by Xiao Sha alone might just include our Honghua Sect.”

Several high-ranking sect members watched the battle with grave concern.

“A fine sword!”

Xiao Sha casually snapped the now-broken arrow in his hand and sighed in admiration. Then, lifting his powerful right leg, he stomped down with earth-shaking force, roaring—

“Break for me!”

BOOM!

The ground trembled violently. The thick layer of Profound Ice beneath his foot shattered like glass, fragments flying in all directions, a testament to the terrifying physical strength of a martial artist.

“Mountain-Pushing Palm!”

Xiao Sha roared again, retracting his arms as his muscles bulged like a beast ready to pounce. In the next instant, his thick palms shot forward with overwhelming force!

BOOM!

Two massive palm prints surged forth like a collapsing mountain, crushing everything in their path. The shattered Profound Ice, propelled by the force, transformed into a storm of deadly arrows, whistling through the air as they shot toward Cheng Hongling, so dense that evasion was impossible!

Cheng Hongling narrowed her beautiful eyes. Her powerful divine sense surged outward, forming a solid shield in front of her.

Clang-clang-clang—!

The Profound Ice fragments struck the divine sense barrier, producing crisp metallic sounds before clattering harmlessly to the ground.

Her expression unchanged, Cheng Hongling’s delicate figure floated lightly into the air, effortlessly dodging the two massive palm prints. But just then, she caught a strange scent carried by the gust of wind.

“Was that… my imagination?”

Her willow-like brows furrowed slightly.

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“Not only is your cultivation talent astonishing, but your divine sense strength also surpasses that of most cultivators in the same realm. Truly worthy of being called a genius.”

Xiao Sha clasped his hands behind his back, offering what sounded like praise.

“You know what? I hate it when people judge me.”

Cheng Hongling replied coldly, her face expressionless. Then, biting her jade-like finger, she began inscribing a spell on the Blue Scale Sword using her essence blood. Though this technique drained her Qi rapidly, she knew that if she held back now, she might not get another chance.

As the incantation completed, dark clouds rapidly gathered above her, blotting out the sky. Purple lightning snaked within them, restless and eager to be unleashed.

“Heavenly Thunder Sword? So you’re going all out!”

Xiao Sha’s expression remained unchanged, but his tone was mocking. “What a pity. No matter how fast your movement technique, how sharp your sword, or how lethal your attacks, if you can’t land a hit, what’s the point?”

Cheng Hongling ignored him, dashing forward like lightning. But the moment she moved, her legs suddenly weakened. A numbing sense of exhaustion spread through her limbs.

“What’s happening?”

She stopped abruptly, entering an internal inspection state. The situation inside her body was clear, the Qi in her meridians was rapidly dissipating, even in her Qi Sea.

“This is… Qi-Leaking Powder?!”

Her face paled in realization.

“Surprised? To deal with you, I’ve used up all my savings over the years! High purity, generous dosage, just one whiff, and you won’t be able to get out of bed for three days!”

Xiao Sha burst into laughter, his tone dripping with scorn.

“You vile scoundrel! Is this what you call a battle of martial prowess?”

Cheng Hongling’s voice was laced with fury. Despite her profound cultivation, her youth left her inexperienced in dealing with such underhanded tactics.

“In war, deception is the way! And deception is also a Dao ¹ 道 (dào), The Way/Path. In this context, each cultivator’s individual understanding and path toward enlightenment !”

Xiao Sha shamelessly retorted.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. In the face of absolute power, all schemes are meaningless!”

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Cheng Hongling gritted her teeth and pressed forward.

“A shame, then, you don’t have absolute power yet!”

Xiao Sha sneered.

Meanwhile, elsewhere…

Qi Huang had already drifted lightly to the foot of the back mountain. There, on the cliffs, hundreds of Severed Immortal Sect disciples were desperately climbing upward. Leading them were several Hall Masters, scaling the sheer rock face with terrifying speed as if walking on flat ground.

“Damn that Bi Xin! Why did his communication suddenly cut off? Now we don’t even know the Honghua Sect’s troop movements. How are we supposed to attack?”

The leading Hall Master Pan cursed.

“Yeah, who knows if Hall Master Xiao can even hold Cheng Hongling back? If we make too much noise and alert her, we’re all dead.”

Another Hall Master grumbled.

“Do you think something happened to Bi Xin? Maybe we should retreat and regroup before making another move.”

The last Hall Master, a cautious man named Yang, suggested.

“Hall Master Yang, are you joking? Retreat now, fail the mission, and how do we explain ourselves to Hall Master Xiao later?”

Hall Master Pan shot back.

Just then, Hall Master Yang suddenly clutched his chest, his face twisting in pain.

“Wh-what’s… happening?! Why does my chest hurt so much?!”

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“Stop acting! Your performance is terrible! How did someone as cowardly as you even become a Hall Master?”

Hall Master Pan scoffed.

“Yeah, did you bribe your way into the position? Backing off at the first sign of trouble, I’m ashamed to be associated with you.”

Another Hall Master joined in the mockery.

“Acting?! Who’s acting?! My chest—it really hurts—!”

Hall Master Yang’s voice was strained as his body curled up like a shrimp before plummeting into the abyss below.

“Was… was he really acting?”

Someone asked hesitantly.

“Acting? You try acting like that!”

Hall Master Pan snapped before warily scanning their surroundings.

“Ah! My chest—it hurts too! Help—!”

Another Hall Master screamed before following Yang into the abyss.

“It’s hair! I saw it—it’s hair! Everyone, be careful!”

Hall Master Pan’s eyes widened in horror as he shouted the warning.

“You know too much.”

A crisp, feminine voice rang out from above.

Hall Master Pan looked up—

A peerlessly beautiful young girl stood in mid-air, a pink lotus Doppelgänger Mark glowing faintly between her brows. Her icy gaze locked onto him.