’Blood Poison Sword?’

’Bai Fu?’

Bai Fu looked at the newcomer, her face etched with confusion.

The morning dew had not yet dispersed in the forest. The man approached on foot, a long spear slung over his back. His long sleeves and shoulders were already soaked through with dew.

His features were unremarkable, and his hands were covered in calluses. At first glance, he looked like a farmer who had toiled in the fields for years.

But when Bai Fu’s gaze fell upon those calluses, her expression shifted slightly, and her eyes narrowed involuntarily.

Those thick calluses were like hardened cowhide, the kind that could only be formed after being torn open and healing countless times. It was a testament to decades of hard work!

Moreover,

he was alone!

In the past few days, many people had come into the mountains searching for her, lured by the bounty from the Zhao and Che Families. They came in groups of two or three at the least, and more than ten at the most.

No one had ever come alone.

This was the first solo traveler.

Alone.

It meant this person had absolute confidence in his own strength.

"What Blood Poison Sword?"

Bai Fu spoke.

"And who are you?"

"A sword that draws blood with every strike, vicious techniques, a cruel disposition. The Martial World calls her the Blood Poison Sword," the man said.

"I’m talking about you!"

"However..."

"I never expected the infamous Blood Poison Sword to be such a young girl. To be so savage at such a young age... what will you become given time?"

Shaking his head, he cupped his fist in his hand.

"I am the Cloud-Entering Dragon, Shii Zhao."

"Shii Zhao." Bai Fu nodded. She had never heard of the Cloud-Entering Dragon’s reputation, so she had no idea who he was. She simply asked:

"Are you here to kill me too?"

"Kill?" Shii Zhao shook his head.

"I’m here to capture you. Of course, if you insist on resisting, killing you and taking your body down the mountain is all the same."

"Girl!"

"You are faithless and ungrateful, disloyal to the point of killing your master, and you’ve colluded with the fiends of the Red Blood Sect. Everyone has the right to execute you."

"Nonsense! I didn’t!" Bai Fu cried out.

"The Zhao Family framed me! I didn’t kill the Patriarch, and... when did I ever collude with fiends from the Red Blood Sect?"

"Hmph!" Shii Zhao snorted.

"The facts are crystal clear. Your cunning words are useless. If you weren’t involved, why would a fiend from the Red Blood Sect be lurking here?"

"Will you surrender willingly, or must I make a move?"

He took the long spear from his back and unwrapped the cloth strips around it, speaking unhurriedly.

"I advise you not to resist pointlessly. The bounty the Zhao and Che Families have placed on you has reached two thousand silver taels. You should be glad you ran into me. Anyone else probably wouldn’t give you the chance to surrender."

CLANG! Bai Fu stood with her sword drawn, completely ignoring his advice.

"If you want to kill me, then come on!"

"Stubbornly obtuse." Shii Zhao shook his head. With a light tap of his foot, he seemed to teleport right in front of Bai Fu.

He thrust out a large hand, aiming straight for her wrist pulse.

He hadn’t chosen to use his spear right away against a mere serving girl.

’Fast!’

’So fast!’

Bai Fu’s eyes narrowed. Her wrist trembled abruptly, and her longsword swung in an arc, slicing toward his wrist.

"Hm?"

Shii Zhao raised an eyebrow.

’What a vicious girl!’

If he didn’t dodge this sword strike, he would certainly be hit, but Bai Fu’s own wrist would be injured in the process.

A mutually destructive fighting style from the very beginning.

’No wonder people call her the Blood Poison Sword!’

SWISH!

Shii Zhao retreated abruptly, then charged forward again. His retreat and advance were swift and fierce, without the slightest pause.

Bai Fu lunged with her sword.

Her Sword Skill was relentlessly aggressive.

SWISH!

SWISH! SWISH!

Shii Zhao’s brow furrowed as he dodged again and again.

Her techniques were simple and vicious, always forcing him into a defensive position he couldn’t ignore. As for her own defense... she had none.

Bai Fu attacked fiercely with her sword, only advancing, never retreating; only attacking, never defending. The glittering Sword Light forced him back repeatedly.

"Good!"

WHOOSH...

A gust of wind slammed into her face.

Shii Zhao now held his long spear tightly. The violent Qi Force kicked up the surrounding fallen leaves and made Bai Fu’s breath catch in her throat.

"Girl, it’s a miracle you’ve survived this long practicing a Sword Technique like this."

"A pity!"

"You’ve run into me!"

This kind of mutually destructive fighting style could suppress even someone slightly stronger than her.

Unless both sides had the intention and courage to perish together.

But,

it was useless if the gap in strength was too great.

BOOM!

The long spear vibrated, and the Powerful Qi roared, causing Bai Fu’s face to pale.

She felt as if the figure before her was a primordial beast, his Qi Blood so powerful it was inconceivable.

The long spear was like a coiling dragon, its movements unpredictable, darting through a sea of Powerful Qi, impossible to pin down.

’Cloud-Entering Dragon!’

’He lives up to the name.’

’Gui Cang!’

The man was actually a Grandmaster Gui Cang!

Bai Fu had never seen such an expert before. She had only heard Nursing Director Zhang speak of them, his words filled with awe and envy.

"Kill!"

With a low cry, Bai Fu charged forward, sword in hand.

The longsword in her hand transformed into a thousand silver snakes, writhing through the air as she stabbed directly into the spear’s afterimages.

Shii Zhao brandished his long spear with the force of a gale, at one moment like the great Yangtze River, stirring up wave after massive wave.

The long spear contained a fierce Strength. With every thrust and retraction, it produced a series of explosive sounds. Her longsword was knocked away the instant it made contact.

But Bai Fu also displayed incredible resilience at this moment. She swung her longsword, unleashing a torrent of explosive Strength.

As a Body Tempering cultivator,

she was actually able to face a Gui Cang expert head-on.

"Good!"

Shii Zhao couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.

"Good Sword Technique, good Talent! If you don’t die today, you’ll surely become someone great in the future. It seems I can’t let you live!"

WHOOSH...

His spear form, like a dragon, suddenly intensified.

He was a Grandmaster Gui Cang, after all, his strength far surpassing Bai Fu’s. Once he got serious, he immediately and firmly gained the upper hand.

It was like an adult bullying a child; no matter how clever the child’s schemes, they were useless in the face of absolute power.

DING...

Following the clear ring of impact, Bai Fu let out a muffled groan and staggered backward, blood already bursting from her palm.

"Girl, go down!"

Shii Zhao pressed his advantage, leaping high into the air. The tip of his spear, carrying a point of sharp Powerful Qi, shot through the air toward her.

As the oppressive force bore down on her, Bai Fu’s face filled with despair.

’It’s over!’

"Move right seven inches, level your sword, and slash sideways."

Just then, a calm voice rang out. It seemed to possess a strange power that made Bai Fu’s body move in time with the words.

Move sideways, level the sword,

and slash!

Shii Zhao’s expression changed drastically. He felt as if he were charging straight onto the tip of her sword. He let out a sharp cry, abruptly gathering his Qi to retreat.

BOOM!

The Powerful Qi roared.

He forcefully suppressed the turbulent Qi Blood in his body and looked toward the figure not far away, who was taking small bites of roasted meat.

"Who are you?"

’To see through the flaws in my spear technique at a glance and guide Bai Fu to turn the tables... what level of Martial Arts mastery is this?’

"Yun Wuding, scatter and leave no trace."

Zhu Ju tore off a strip of meat and said slowly:

"Take three steps forward, Inch Force Hidden Bomb, then switch to the Cloud-Walking Form."

Understanding dawned on Bai Fu as she heard this. She followed the instructions, rushing forward three steps. With a flick of her longsword, her Sword Technique changed abruptly.

DING...

PENG!

The spear tip and sword edge collided, and the two figures closed in on each other rapidly.

’How could this be?’

Shii Zhao’s eyes went wide.

An inch longer is an inch stronger; an inch shorter is an inch more dangerous. Wielding a long spear, his best strategy was to keep his opponent more than seven feet away.

And yet now...

he had been forced into close quarters!

Few people knew that the spear technique of the Cloud-Entering Dragon, Shii Zhao, lacked close-combat options. Once someone got near, he was in grave danger.

But for that very reason, his defense was incredibly strong, and almost no one could get close to him.

But now...

what was this situation?

"Moonlight!"

"Force to the wrist acupoint, Sword-Breaking Forward Stab!"

SWISH!

The Sword Light flashed. Streams of sharp Qi clashed in the air, and out of the chaos came a sudden stab.

’Danger!’

Shii Zhao’s heart pounded wildly. The Qi Blood in his body circulated at an unprecedented speed, and he let out a series of sharp cries.

His long spear danced wildly, striking out like lightning.

CLANG CLANG CLANG...

PENG!

The two figures fought at close range. The level of danger was a step higher than before, and the situation had reversed.

Shii Zhao was now the one in constant peril.

SQUELCH!

The four-foot blade slid up along the spear shaft, tearing his sleeve. The Qi Force sliced through his Skin and Flesh. If he hadn’t abandoned his spear in time, his fingers would have been cut off by the longsword.

PENG!

Bai Fu sent Shii Zhao sprawling to the ground with a flying kick, then pointed her longsword at his throat, panting heavily.

"I won!"

"...This is impossible." Shii Zhao knelt on the ground, his teeth clenched.

"A girl who hasn’t even reached Great Success in Body Tempering, with a Sword Technique that isn’t even that outstanding... how... how could she beat me?"

He couldn’t figure it out, couldn’t understand it. He could only look at the figure sitting cross-legged on a rock, slowly savoring his meal.

"Who are you, sir?"

"I, Shii Zhao, am in awe!"

Shii Zhao was certain he had never seen this person before.

In other words,

this person had seen through the flaws in his spear technique after only watching a few breaths’ worth of their fight, and then guided Bai Fu to victory.

With just a few words, he enabled a Body Tempering Martial Artist to defeat a Grandmaster Gui Cang... this...

if he hadn’t experienced it himself, it would be impossible to believe!

’Wait!’

Shii Zhao looked up abruptly at Bai Fu.

"There are rumors that just a few days ago, you were just an ordinary serving girl, and your Martial Arts were barely at the Entry Level."

"You made rapid progress only after meeting a remarkable person."

"That’s right." Bai Fu nodded.

"That’s the truth, but no one believed me."

’How could anyone believe that!’

"Heh..." Shii Zhao gave a bitter smile.

"Now, I believe it."

He looked at Zhu Ju, completely convinced and impressed.

"May I ask for your esteemed name, senior expert? I have been a frog in a well, completely unaware that such a remarkable person existed in this world."

Bai Fu blinked and also turned to look. She suddenly realized that she didn’t seem to know Zhu Ju’s real name either.

"My surname is Zhu." Zhu Ju swallowed the last piece of meat and clapped his hands lightly.

"Surname Zhu?"

Shii Zhao frowned at first, then, as if he had thought of something, his eyes flew wide open.

"Zhu!"

"You are..."

"Don’t move," Zhu Ju said suddenly.

"Come out obediently. Otherwise, I can’t guarantee what I might do."

’Hm?’

Shii Zhao looked surprised.

In the dense forest.

Dugu Feng, who had been about to leave stealthily, froze. She felt an Invisible Power land on her from afar.

CR... ACK...

Her body trembled, her expression twisted. She turned around, bit by bit, and walked out of the dense woods under Bai Fu’s astonished gaze.

"Young... Young Master Zhu."

Dugu Feng bowed deeply.

"I never thought I would see you here. It is truly... my great fortune."

"Miss Bai."

Her face was a mask of bitterness.

"If you had told me Young Master Zhu was here, how could I have been so presumptuous? I’m so ashamed I could die."

"Young Master Zhu..." Bai Fu asked curiously,

"is he very powerful?"

"Er..."

Dugu Feng and Shii Zhao looked at each other, both smiling bitterly.

’He’s more than just "powerful"!’

There was no one in the world more powerful than him.

Before this, both of them had heard of the reputation of an Unparalleled Grandmaster. But having reached their level of strength, while they understood the gap between them, they wouldn’t overly deify someone, not even an Unparalleled Grandmaster.

But,

in a matter of days, he had literally forged a Body Tempering Martial Artist.

With just verbal guidance, a few sentences could allow a Body Tempering Martial Artist to defeat a Gui Cang expert. Such a thing was truly inconceivable. If they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes, they would never have believed it.

"Dugu Feng."

Zhu Ju asked.

"Is the Blood-Stealing Curse really lost?"

"Yes." Dugu Feng’s expression was bitter.

"You may not know this, Young Master, but due to its special nature, the Blood-Stealing Curse was not held by the successive Sect Leaders of the Red Blood Sect, but by the sect’s priests. And our sect’s last two priests were both killed by Zheng Hong. The Blood-Stealing Curse was completely lost."

"A shame!" Zhu Ju sighed lightly, then looked at Shii Zhao.

"Cloud-Entering Dragon, you are a Grandmaster Gui Cang from nearby. You should be quite familiar with Saint Head Mountain, right?"

"Yes," Shii Zhao replied.

"I travel to and from Saint Head Mountain often. That’s how I was able to find Miss... Miss Bai so quickly."

"Then tell me, is there a peak here from which you can see all of Saint Head Mountain?" Zhu Ju asked.

"And one that also has clouds and mist."

"Hmm..." Shii Zhao thought for a moment.

"There are a few places that fit that description!"