Chapter 52: Life-Death Art

“Alright,” Gu Qijue replied.

Wen Xiang casually placed the birdcage by the bushes, but before she could straighten her back, a mottled snake about a foot long suddenly darted out from the grass. Wen Xiang was terrified, her face turning pale. She screamed and immediately jumped to Gu Qijue’s side, wrapping her arms around his neck and curling her legs, hanging her entire body against his chest. Her scream was loud enough to shatter metal: “A snake… there’s a snake… help…”

At the same time, Madam Red, who was strolling and enjoying the scenery inside the Golden Bell Temple, also let out a cry and tilted to one side. Su Tang, who was walking beside her, hurriedly reached out to catch her.

“Oh… it hurts…” Madam Red wrapped one arm around Su Tang’s neck and then lifted her leg. Her large red dress already had a slit, and now that she raised her foot so high, the hem slid down to the root of her thigh, leaving her fair and beautiful leg fully exposed.

Madam Red’s legs were long with beautiful lines, and Su Tang was suddenly mesmerized.

“It hurts…” Madam Red simply rested her foot on Su Tang’s shoulder and said in a sweet voice, “Young Master Nangong, hurry up and massage it for me…”

Gu Qijue smiled and naturally held Wen Xiang. In reality, the mottled snake that darted from the bushes did not consider Wen Xiang its target at all; it poked its head into the cage and bit the injured canary. However, Wen Xiang did not see this. Her body trembled, and she continued to scream: “Help me…”

“Do not fear, miss, I am here…” Before Gu Qijue could finish his sentence, his expression suddenly froze, and Wen Xiang’s body floated up like a gentle breeze, landing far away in front of the house.

Gu Qijue slowly looked down. A black palm print remained on his chest. He could clearly feel strands of an indescribable energy seeping into his body from the print. That energy possessed a terrifying corrosive power ; his muscles, bones, and even his Spirit Vein withered immediately upon contact with it.

Wen Xiang stood there quietly, her arms hanging by her sides, looking at Gu Qijue with a mocking gaze.

“How dare a slut do this…” Gu Qijue suddenly let out a roar. In the next moment, his clothes suddenly exploded, and rays of dazzling light shot out from behind his back.

What Gu Qijue released were several small swords, each only a foot long. The sword light pierced through the air, making a piercing screeching sound.

Filled with shock and rage, Gu Qijue went all out from the start. The Seven Absolute Swords flew like lightning, locking down all the space around Wen Xiang, leaving her no room to dodge.

However, Wen Xiang seemed to have no intention of dodging. She still stood there quietly, motionless.

When the sword light was less than two meters away from Wen Xiang, it suddenly began to condense toward the center. The seven swords merged into one and slammed toward Wen Xiang’s chest. Shadow had died under this very attack that day; the dagger had been smashed to pieces by the merged sword light, and the body had been pierced through.

Wen Xiang reached out her hand and grabbed the sword light.

Blood blossoms bloomed in the next instant. Muscles and droplets of blood torn away by the sword light splashed in all directions, some even landing on Wen Xiang’s face. In an instant, Wen Xiang’s right hand became mutilated, with white bones exposed in many places. Moreover, her body could not withstand the immense force, and she kept retreating backward.

This pain was no less than any torture in the world. Although Wen Xiang’s face remained calm, veins popped out on her neck and forehead. Clearly, she was in pain, pain to the extreme.

Bang… Wen Xiang’s body hit the wall and was forced to stop, and the Seven Absolute Swords pierced into her chest. However, the force finally ran out, and it only penetrated an inch deep.

Gu Qijue saw a scene that horrified him. Wen Xiang’s right hand, which was gripping the Seven Absolute Swords tightly, was slowly healing at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“Open!” Gu Qijue shouted again.

The sword light, which had just quieted down, began to vibrate again, trying to break free from Wen Xiang’s control. Just then, Wen Xiang reached out her left hand and gripped the Seven Absolute Swords.

Wen Xiang’s left hand actually became as black as ink, withered and hideous. That was definitely not a human hand, but the sharp claw of a ghost or demon.

Strands of grey, dust-like substances flowed over the seven small swords, and the dazzling sword light quickly dimmed. When Wen Xiang slowly pulled the Seven Absolute Swords out of her body, they had become pieces of ordinary iron, falling lifelessly to the ground.

Gu Qijue was stunned. He could sense that the connection between him and the Seven Absolute Swords had been severed by an unknown power. The Seven Absolute Swords were dead, completely dead.

In a short amount of time, Wen Xiang’s heavily injured right hand had mostly recovered. The contrast between her two hands was stark; the right was fair as jade, while the left was black as night.

“Life-Death Art! You are practicing the Life-Death Art!!” Gu Qijue cried out in horror. He finally understood what was corroding his body: it was Death Qi, an incurable Death Qi. “You are a remnant of the God-Slaying Hall…”

Years ago, the Three Great Heaven Gates joined forces to attack the God-Slaying Hall specifically to destroy the Life-Death Art because it was too terrifying! The Life Formula allowed a Practitioner to have infinite regeneration abilities, while the Death Formula could break all Spirit Tools in the world. Of course, the Death Formula had to be strong enough. If Wen Xiang had used her left hand to intercept the Seven Absolute Swords just now, she would have certainly suffered heavy injuries, and the Death Formula could not recover quickly. It could only rely on long-term Cultivation to slowly mend injuries. If the injuries were too severe, she would no longer be able to practice the Life-Death Art.

“There is no need to make it sound so unpleasant,” Wen Xiang said expressionlessly. She looked at her left hand, which emitted a fierce and vicious aura. “It is simply a matter of the winner taking all.”

Gu Qijue took a step back. If he passed this news along, he would surely receive a great reward from the Three Great Heaven Gates, and might even become a disciple of the Three Great Heaven Gates. But, did he still have a chance to leave this place alive?

“Give up, you have no chance,” Wen Xiang said indifferently. Then, her body suddenly shot out like a cannonball, and she slammed a punch into Gu Qijue’s chest.

Gu Qijue wanted to dodge, but the Death Qi had already spread through his entire body. His muscles, blood vessels, bones, and even his Spirit Vein were withering. His body was as stiff as rusted machinery, and his movements were countless times slower than usual. He could not dodge at all.

Bang… Gu Qijue’s body flew four or five meters away and fell weakly to the ground.

Wen Xiang grabbed Gu Qijue and threw him back into the house. Then she dragged a large vat from the corner, poured its contents onto the floor, and picked up the Seven Absolute Swords one by one, tossing them into the room like trash.

Finally, Wen Xiang took out a fire-starter and lit it. The entire room immediately erupted into raging flames.

Xiao Buhui had not guessed wrong. Wen Xiang did not fear Gu Qijue; what she worried about was the remaining Death Qi being discovered by a truly powerful expert.

“I have done everything I needed to do. The rest… is beyond my control,” Wen Xiang said softly. Then she turned and left the courtyard. It was time to go.