A steely gray glow, as Tianshi'ao brandished his weapon, cleaved through Luo Xian's defenses. It swept past in an instant, and blood gushed out from beneath her white dress.

Luo Xian knelt on the ground, blankly lowering her head to look at the slash on her chest.

Immediately after, Tianshi'ao heard the continuous, cracking sounds from within his own body, as if demolished by the force of thunder. Every joint and muscle let out a painful wail.

He was severely injured.

Just one punch had completely crushed him. Had he not been a Fourth Stage Sublimator, perhaps he would have been pulverized by that punch, right?

But now, the outcome was decided.

"Sorry, girl... it was an ignoble victory, but I must survive."

He coughed violently, spitting out shattered viscera. He no longer looked at Luo Xian, who had been sliced at the waist by the Tengu Transcription, and stumbled forward, staggering toward the bottle of medicine.

He reached out, trying to pick up the bottle.

Then, he froze in place.

He heard a curious voice from behind him.

"I haven't seen this swordsmanship before. Is it New Yin Style?"

"No, if it's Tengu, it should be Anmashan's Tengu Transcription. No wonder..."

He turned around stiffly. He saw Luo Xian, who should have been sliced in half, slowly rising from the ground. She was apparently unharmed except for the horrific slash wound visible beneath her torn white dress, its depth revealing bone, with blood seeping out.

Her tone was full of sudden realization as she spoke, as if she had gained insight and learned a new skill.

Tianshi'ao found it unbelievable.

Just a light wound? But I clearly struck her!

"How did you..."

He turned back, his gaze fixed on Luo Xian's stance. "Just now, what was that move?"

"Hmm? This one?"

Luo Xian pondered for a moment. Her body's outline flickered, then solidified again.

It was as if the entire world had turned into a low-quality DVD that had just stuttered. As a result, many unimportant details and plot points were glossed over, including that lethal strike.

Purely through the manipulation of her physical form, she had achieved something bordering on a miracle.

"This should actually be considered a Yu Step as well, but it's a technique I only figured out a few days ago..."

She spread her hands, generously demonstrating her technique to her opponent. "You see, it's like this: when the opponent initiates an 'Offensive', you step left while simultaneously moving right... You evade the blade when it's not paying attention, and just like that, you've dodged it."

He could understand every word individually, but strung together, they sounded absurd and eerie.

Could such a technique truly be performed by a human body?

Was this a creation that a human mind could even conceive?

What kind of monster could so casually bring about the scene unfolding before his eyes?

Completely unaware of the terror her talent inspired, Luo Xian finished her explanation and gave a helpless smile. "Sadly, I'm still not very adept at it. I thought I was really going to die just now. But now that I've learned your move, I shouldn't get hurt again, right?"

"..."

In the dead silence, Tianshi'ao felt his throat go dry, and he struggled to breathe.

For some reason, his previously calm heart began to pound, and he couldn't stop his fingers from twitching... It was uncontrollable.

"Get serious," Luo Xian said, looking at him. "You're about to take a step."

He took a step, planting himself firmly, then froze. His eyes widened as he suppressed the unease in his heart and launched an attack, only to hear Luo Xian's whisper.

"Tang Bamboo."

Her hand knife chopped down—it was clearly the Tang Bamboo Type. The strike missed. Luo Xian shook her head. "Kasaya Chopping."

And just like that, Tianshi'ao executed a Kasaya Chopping.

He felt like a puppet on strings, a deathly chill surging through him as if he'd been plunged into an icy cavern.

He roared, stepping and turning, launching a fierce onslaught.

"Double-Hanging, then Swallow Flight."

At Luo Xian's whisper, all his attacks missed. But a Fourth Stage was still a Fourth Stage. A powerful wind howled as a terrifying aura spread from him. The unstoppable momentum of his advance, like splitting bamboo, generated wind pressure that cut her face and arms.

She was almost severely injured.

Yet Luo Xian's expression was one of extreme dissatisfaction as she looked at him, her gaze filled with disappointment.

"Is that all you've got?"

She stepped forward—Yu Step, Heaven Collapse.

BOOM! With a thunderous crash, the Crow Tengu stumbled backward. Its remaining solitary wing was completely torn, and it let out a horrendous shriek.

Luo Xian advanced again. She ignored the countless feathers shooting towards her from the Crow Tengu, allowing her body to be torn by the blade-like plumage, and threw another punch.

[Landfall].

And so the earth caved in and cracked apart. Starting from beneath the Crow Tengu's feet, the devastation spread outward. The terrifying power forced blood to seep from every pore of Tianshi'ao's body.

It was as if she were merely playing.

Even though Tianshi'ao's counterattack had broken one of her arms, she still wore a casual smile. "You're the type with a strong foundation, aren't you? Someone who can even achieve a breakthrough mid-battle?"

"Don't be disheartened. Please try a little harder, Mr. Tianshi'ao."

She gazed at the Crow Tengu's increasingly pale face, pleading with anticipation, "Before one of us dies, let's try our best to make some pleasant memories."

"—So please, use all your strength to kill me!"

Tianshi'ao did not speak.

He had already been swallowed by the joyful darkness within her eyes.

A chill, like a tide from the Sea, froze his consciousness.

As the true, monstrous nature hidden beneath that darkness revealed its ferocious contours, Tianshi'ao, slipping into a stupor, couldn't help but tremble in despair, unable to control himself.

What kind of monster... was this...?

He didn't know.

It felt as if a viscous darkness rose from the woman's slender body, slowly engulfing him, covering him inch by inch, chewing on him, plunging him into the final madness of agonizing disintegration.

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