"Hahahaha! Did you really think I had no way to deal with you!" Hua Yu laughed wildly. "Your speed is indeed fast, but your Dou Qi energy is only at the initial level. This is an innate disadvantage; you are destined to lose."

Hua Yu, with a heavy hand, instantly condensed the Frost Sword with astonishingly powerful Dou Qi energy. The snow-white blade actually emanated a scorching aura, as if the entire space was being burned, giving people a heavy, oppressive, and suffocating feeling.

"Let me show you the true power of my Hua Yu Sword!"

The trio of Fighter, Mage, and Taoist immediately flew back a considerable distance, seeming unconcerned that Yan Luo and Jin Niu might escape. Meanwhile, Yan Luo and Jin Niu's expressions changed drastically.

"Be careful! The true power of the Hua Yu Sword is its Dou Qi attack!" Yan Luo shouted a warning, quickly retreating with Jin Niu by a significant margin. However, their path forward was still blocked by those three experts from Scarlet Moon.

"Understood." I dared not relax for a moment. At this point, I could only stare intently at Hua Yu ahead. This fellow's strategy was certainly well-conceived: utilizing thick Dou Qi to extend the attack range, thereby avoiding the danger of being engaged in close combat, while simultaneously broadening the area affected by the Dou Qi attack, effectively limiting my space to dodge. For someone with relatively weak defenses like myself, this was undoubtedly fatal. But sitting idly by was simply not in my nature.

Realizing this, I suddenly sprang up, transforming into an afterimage, and thrust my longsword forward with lightning speed. I had to disrupt his Dou Qi circulation before he could gather enough energy; otherwise, I would be in serious trouble.

"Clang!"

The fiery red Frost condensed miraculously against the edge of my blade. A few sparks instantly burst forth, but the heat flow in the air intensified, making it feel as though I was standing inside a giant furnace. A massive rebound force traveled up the sword, and instinctively, I flicked my wrist, dissolving that powerful impact.

"Die!" Hua Yu roared, bringing the Frost Sword, imbued with terrifying Dou Qi energy, down upon my head. The blade radiated a strange fiery red hue. What a horrifying strike; being hit squarely would surely result in being cleaved in two. Having no choice, I had to use the recoil from my sword to swiftly float backward, retreating a good distance.

Boom! Whoosh! The overwhelmingly powerful sword strike met empty air, but Hua Yu's assault had only just begun. Only then did I grasp what a truly terrifying existence the Hua Yu Sword was.

The lightning-fast swordplay, identical to before, relentlessly pursued my retreating figure. The only difference was that every strike Hua Yu unleashed this time was infused with astonishingly potent Dou Qi energy. In an instant, sword energies crisscrossed, and fierce flames blazed.

I had no opportunity for counterattack; I could only fight desperately to survive. Yes, any approach within four meters of Hua Yu would draw me into his terrifying Dou Qi field, and the scorching aura was almost unbearable.

Damn it, if this continues, I will truly be finished. Clearly, I was no match for Hua Yu at this moment. Hua Yu's sword energies danced madly, like a violent storm, relentlessly bombarding my body from all directions. No matter how fast I was, I couldn't evade all his attacks.

Roar! Another sword swept toward my waist. Its terrifying speed seemed to cleave the very air, revealing strange, twisted ripples. The searing edge of the blade pressed directly toward my chest.

Hah! In a flash of lightning and flint, my longsword struck the edge of the Frost Sword with impossible speed. The Frost Sword only paused momentarily before continuing its unstoppable descent, but what it struck was merely an afterimage. I had already used the recoil from the collision between our swords to propel myself away like an arrow loosed from a bow, flying a great distance. Not only that, but the direction I flew was precisely toward the location where the three of them had blocked Yan Luo and Jin Niu.

"Move." I, transformed into a flying arrow, immediately lunged toward the Mage in the Fighter-Mage-Taoist trio. The fragile Mage was undoubtedly my most suitable target.

"Whoosh!" At almost the exact same moment, Yan Luo instantly grasped my intent. At this juncture, the only chance for escape was to eliminate these three roadblocks by surprise. Ice Howl simultaneously slammed toward the Fighter.

"Roar!" And Jin Niu, without hesitation, charged toward the Taoist.

The three Scarlet Moon experts had been watching Yan Luo and Jin Niu closely, completely neglecting me as I fought Hua Yu. Who could have imagined that I, who seemed to be fighting Hua Yu to a standstill, would suddenly pivot my attack onto them? Moreover, utilizing the terrifying force from Hua Yu's preceding strike, the speed of my launched body could only be described as horrifying. The distance of over thirty meters offered absolutely no resistance. When I appeared before the Mage, I clearly saw the shock and disbelief in his eyes; he didn't even have time to raise his Magic Shield.

Thwack! As if appearing from thin air, my striking sword pierced the Mage's throat and, without losing momentum, continued toward the Fighter.

Clang! At that very moment, Yan Luo's Ice Howl slammed down fiercely.

Roar! A dazzling golden light suddenly erupted. It was the Fighter, who, relying on his robust protective Dou Qi, managed to violently deflect Yan Luo’s Ice Howl. Simultaneously, he retreated rapidly because he spotted me closing in at high speed.

But would I give him the chance? There were those who could dodge my fast sword, but I hadn't met one yet. Hua Yu had merely relied on overwhelming Dou Qi to resist my fast strikes, but not every Fighter possessed Hua Yu's formidable Dou Qi. The result was self-evident. A single thrust pierced the Fighter's throat.

Thwack! Thwack!

Two columns of blood jetted skyward almost simultaneously. Even as they fell, their faces registered only shock and confusion.

Boom! Jin Niu, attacking the Taoist, was blocked squarely by the Taoist’s imposing Holy Word Divine Beast. After dispatching the Fighter and the Mage, I smoothly shifted my attack toward the Taoist as well.

Whoosh! Yan Luo’s Lightning Bolt also struck the Taoist simultaneously.

Everything happened so suddenly that Hua Yu couldn't react in time. He could only watch, helpless, as the yellowish-brown figure killed two of his subordinates with lightning speed, and the third was clearly not going to escape death either.

Roar! A furious Hua Yu immediately charged over.

In the blink of an eye, I closed in on the Taoist. The Taoist reacted with incredible speed, quickly moving closer to the charging Hua Yu, attempting to use him as a shield against my attack.

But I would not give him such an opportunity. Although the distance was six meters, I unleashed the Blazing Fire Sword Qi like lightning, directly piercing the Taoist's body.

Thwack! A mist of blood sprayed out. "Ah!" With a scream, the Taoist crashed to the ground.

In that brief span, the three Scarlet Moon experts all died by my sword.

Only then did Hua Yu's fierce sword energy finally arrive behind me.

Whoosh! Sidestepping the attack, I once again faced the enraged Hua Yu.

"Damn you! Despicable!" Hua Yu now looked like a ferocious beast, snarling, but he dared not act rashly.

Because behind him, another cold killing intent had locked onto him firmly!

"It's you, the Madwoman Yan Luo." Hua Yu ground out the words, his voice like metal violently grinding against itself—unbearably cold, sharp, and grating. On the continent of Mafa, few people could instantly cast attack magic like Ice Howl without chanting incantations, and even fewer were under thirty years old. Thus, the moment Yan Luo attacked, Hua Yu recognized her.

"The tables have turned," I said leisurely. "What will you do now?"

Yan Luo’s face was grave as she stared at Hua Yu in the center of the conflict. Jin Niu instinctively moved closer to Yan Luo, serving as close-range protection, as despite her power, she was still a Mage, and being approached by Hua Yu would have fatal consequences.

"Fine, excellent maneuver," Hua Yu suppressed the rage surging within him. "Do you think adding you and Yan Luo together means you can kill me?"

"Killing you, naturally, is unlikely, but retreating safely is very easy," I said, moving closer to Yan Luo. "If he tries to pin us down, you use your magic to attack him relentlessly; don't worry about hitting me." I whispered as I approached Yan Luo.

"Do you intend to kill him?" Yan Luo sounded slightly surprised. "Even so, you'll be injured by my magic."

"Just do as I say. There’s no time for explanations now," I insisted. "Don't hold back; attack him with all you have."

"Alright." Though she didn't fully understand my intentions, Yan Luo nodded slightly.

"Trying to leave? Not so easily," Hua Yu looked utterly unwilling. He rapidly closed in on us. It seemed my active move to regroup with Yan Luo had inadvertently created a perfect opportunity for Hua Yu to catch us all in one fell swoop.

"Attack!" Without hesitation, I immediately met the rapidly approaching Hua Yu, and Yan Luo simultaneously launched her Ice Howl.

Roar! Hua Yu roared wildly as his protective Dou Qi once again radiated a dazzling glow.

Clang! Yan Luo's Ice Howl was instantly shattered, but the next wave of Ice Howl quickly followed. A massive shadow, carrying a chilling aura of slaughter, instantly enveloped the area. At the same time, Hua Yu saw me closing in fast. I was only five meters away from him; if I didn't slow down, I risked slamming directly into the Ice Howl Yan Luo had just cast.

Of course, Hua Yu would also be hit, but at this moment, I showed no sign of activating my protective Dou Qi.

To an observer, this looked no different than suicide.

Jin Niu was dumbfounded, and even Yan Luo, who was attacking, looked horrified. Hua Yu, too, was stunned by my unpredictable action. However, his formidable Dou Qi was instantly spurred to its strongest state. He dared not evade sideways, as I stood before him. Forcibly enveloping himself in protective Dou Qi was undoubtedly the most suitable choice. And all of this was within my expectations.

Yan Luo's Ice Howl couldn't penetrate his protective Dou Qi, and neither could my sword. After all, with my level of Dou Qi, I couldn't breach Hua Yu’s defense—at least, that's what Hua Yu must have thought.

But I had another ultimate technique besides the Three-Line Sword skill; I had the One-Line Three Sword, which I called the 'Armor-Piercing Bullet'—a powerful focused penetration strike. This was the unique move I mastered against the evil forces, powerful enough that even the hard shell of the Evil Pincer Worm couldn't resist it. However, executing this technique took an extra 0.2 seconds compared to a simple thrust. Against any other opponent, this 0.2-second gap would be negligible, but against Hua Yu, who was equally skilled in speed, this gap was enough time for him to dodge my attack. This was precisely why I planned to use Yan Luo's Ice Howl to fix his position, then rely on my Demon-Devouring Body to force my way through.

Ding! A crisp sound rang out!

Thwack!

As the shattered ice fragments from the Ice Howl gradually dissipated, what was revealed was Hua Yu’s face, etched with shock and confusion, because at that moment, my striking sword had pierced through the armor on his left chest.

Boom! The instant my sword pierced Hua Yu's body, fierce Dou Qi energy madly surged along the blade and drilled into his body. Simultaneously, I followed up with a flying kick, sending Hua Yu's body flying away. People instinctively relax their guard when success is near, but I was absolutely unwilling to make that mistake. Even though I had pierced his body, I added a kick and used the rebound force to leap backward.

Boom! Hua Yu's body slammed heavily onto the ground. At the same time, a blood column, like a high-pressure water jet, sprayed out wildly—an utterly bizarre sight.

"Th-this is impossible," Yan Luo stared blankly at the sudden, massive shift in the situation.

"You weren't even scratched," Jin Niu was frozen in place.

"Young Master!" The three senior Fighters from before cried out and rushed to Hua Yu's corpse.

"Let's get out of here first," I said, abandoning any attempt to explain.

"Follow me!" Jin Niu immediately took the lead and ran ahead.

Along the way, Jin Niu explained the entire sequence of events to us.

The Twin Moon Palace and the Divine Moon Palace actually belonged to the same very ancient sect called the Moon Sect. The guilds established by disciples after leaving the main sect would all carry the character 'Yue' (Moon) to show respect and attachment to their origins. In the Bai Ri Tian Men, besides the Divine Moon Palace and Twin Moon Palace, there were also the Listening Moon Tower and Bright Moon Pavilion—four major guilds. These four guilds, all tracing their lineage to the Moon Sect, had always been united, acting as one. In reality, these four guilds were merely the Moon Sect's spokespersons on the Mafa Continent. Establishing four guilds was intended to motivate disciples to compete with each other to achieve mutual progress.

Jin Niu’s presence in the mining area was also directly related to the Moon Sect. It turned out the Sect Master of the Moon Sect had entrusted an ancient map to the Twin Moon Palace. The map documented a secret passage leading from the Biqi Mining Area to the Meng Zhong Centipede Cave. Of course, this alone wasn't extraordinary, but the map also marked another passage leading to a mysterious palace, known as the Unknown Dark Palace. Legend held that the Unknown Dark Palace concealed vast treasures. Therefore, the Moon Sect handed the map to the Twin Moon Palace, tasking them with investigating this secret tunnel. The reason the Twin Moon Palace sought the Unknown Dark Palace wasn't for the treasures hidden within, but to find the Memory Set, a crucial sacred relic of the Moon Sect.

More than two thousand years ago, the Moon Sect was far more powerful than it is now because, at that time, they possessed the most marvelous spatial teleportation artifact on the Mafa Continent: the Memory Set. Legend said the Memory Set could transport hundreds of people to a specific location instantly. In that era of warring heroes and constant conflict, the Moon Sect utilized the magical Memory Set to achieve glorious victories for the Biqi Empire. Countless cities were rendered meaningless before the experts of the Moon Sect. It could be said that whenever a siege battle occurred, the involvement of Moon Sect experts guaranteed victory. In that era, the Moon Sect was one of the most powerful sects on the continent; even the royal family showed them deference.

But all of that vanished after the sixth generation Sect Master accepted a mission.

At that time, Meng Zhong was suffering a ferocious assault from the Orc army. With the city on the verge of collapse, the capital city of Biqi received an urgent report from Meng Zhong Earth City and immediately deployed its army to rescue it. However, Meng Zhong Earth City was tens of thousands of miles away from Biqi—distant waters couldn't quench a nearby fire.

Yet, there was a persistent rumor that a secret passage existed within the Biqi Mining Area, leading to the Meng Zhong Centipede Cave. Whether this secret passage truly existed, no one knew. At this critical moment, the King of Biqi produced a map. It turned out this ancient map was passed down by the ancestors of the Biqi Empire, detailing the secret tunnel from the Biqi Mining Area to the Meng Zhong Centipede Cave. However, due to the passage of time, it had become occupied by terrifying undead creatures, necessitating the dispatch of pathfinder pioneers. This task fell upon the members of the Moon Sect at the time.

The Sect Master of the Moon Sect departed, carrying the map and the sect’s vital artifact, the Memory Set.

But this journey was one of no return. The group of Moon Sect experts disappeared from history. That year, the Earth City fell to the Orcs, who occupied it for over three hundred years until the twenty-sixth King of Biqi launched the famous 'Heaven Punishing War,' driving the Orcs back to the Woma Forest, and Earth City was restored to the Biqi Empire's territory.

For the Mafa Continent and the Biqi Empire, this chapter of history closed. But for the once immensely powerful Moon Sect, it was the beginning of hardship. Having lost their Sect Master, a large contingent of elite experts, and their most potent teleportation artifact, the Moon Sect’s strength plummeted, causing them to decline rapidly and eventually become a second-tier sect. It wasn't until two hundred years ago that a peerless genius, Han Yue, emerged. Under her leadership, the Moon Sect gradually climbed out of the trough, and after several generations of effort, the sect began to show signs of resurgence, eventually forming the Moon Sect as it is today—a renowned major power in the Bai Ri Tian Men. For the past two centuries, the Moon Sect has focused on recovering the lost heirloom teleportation set. Only recently did they see some progress, finding several ancient maps, rumored to be copies of that original map from two millennia ago. Whether these were genuine or not remained unknown. The Twin Moon Palace’s task was to locate the rumored secret passage based on these charts. This explained why Jin Niu was in the mining area.

Jin Niu was accompanied by Jin Bo and Lan Yi, who died while covering Jin Niu’s escape, their fate unknown. It seemed highly likely they were dead. Thinking of this, I felt a sharp, piercing ache, as if a gash had been torn in my heart. Being targeted by the massive forces of Sabak, Jin Bo and Lan Yi, given their strength, might not have been killed outright but could easily have been captured by Sabak’s men. In any case, their fate would certainly be miserable. Involuntarily, my mind drifted back to the three days I spent alone with Jin Bo in the Death Coffin. Now, I could only pray to heaven that Jin Bo and the others were safe.

I also learned that the reason the Divine Moon Palace needed to locate the Corpse King Hall was also a task assigned by the Moon Sect. After all, the legendary Corpse King Hall was supposedly located somewhere in the mining area, and the sixth Sect Master disappeared while searching for the secret passage there. Consequently, the current Moon Sect Master theorized that the Corpse King Hall might be connected to the missing sixth generation Sect Master; finding the Hall might yield some useful clues.

Sadly, during the execution of this mission, the Divine Moon Palace was ambushed by their arch-rival, the Mad Dragon Gang, nearly resulting in their complete annihilation. And the Twin Moon Palace was targeted by a terrifying organization like Sabak, leading to the scene we just witnessed.

This Moon Sect seems to be cursed with bad luck, I couldn't help but think. It seemed every time I encountered them, some unexpected crisis erupted. But then again, they were people of the Jianghu (the martial world). Although this world didn't use that term, in my understanding, wherever there are people, there is Jianghu. As the saying goes, "A man in the Jianghu cannot control himself." Furthermore, they bore the banner of the Moon Sect, and the grievances between major guilds and sects spanning centuries were incredibly complex. Bumping into any Jianghu figure could mean encountering an enemy of one's own sect. As the saying goes, enemies often cross paths. For a millennium-old sect like the Moon Sect, their enemies must be spread across the entire continent. Viewed this way, the incidents plaguing Yan Luo and Jin Niu were hardly surprising. Even I, due to my entanglement with them, was branded with the utterly pedestrian nickname, 'Blue Lightning,' officially becoming a true person of the Jianghu, perhaps.

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