Ye Jingyu was inwardly horrified by Xiao Geng's terrifying speed, but he was no longer the man he once was. He continued to retreat backward, simultaneously forming a hand seal with his left hand and chanting an incantation. A bolt of lightning sliced across the sky, striking down fiercely toward Xiao Geng.
Seeing the descending lightning, Xiao Geng appeared deeply fearful, his figure rapidly darting aside.
With a sharp crack, the lightning heavily struck a small tree, splitting it clean in two, while Xiao Geng’s form lunged toward Ye Jingyu once more.
Ye Jingyu let out a cold snort, gripping the Tianzun blade tightly as he met the attack. He unleashed the Startling Thunder Cleave, a streak of electric light tearing through the void, aiming squarely at the Soul-Reversing Sword in Xiao Geng’s hand.
A resonant clang echoed as blade met sword directly. The immense force sent a numbing vibration up Ye Jingyu’s hand, nearly wrenching the Tianzun blade from his grip.
But Xiao Geng acted as if untouched, the translucent Soul-Reversing Sword stabbing forward again. Ye Jingyu was shocked anew—when had Xiao Geng’s strength surpassed his own?
Grasping the Tianzun blade once more, he met the hurtling Soul-Reversing Sword. The obsidian blade, trailing arcs of electrical energy, struck the body of the Soul-Reversing Sword again. Yet, even with Ye Jingyu’s full-force blow, he couldn't knock the sword aside, managing only to jar its trajectory slightly.
The tip of the blade pierced Ye Jingyu’s shoulder, and a spurt of blood shot forth. Before the crimson jet could travel far, it was entirely absorbed by the Soul-Reversing Sword…
A demonic blade…
That was the thought echoing in Ye Jingyu’s mind. What else could a sword that drank blood be but demonic? And the power contained within this demonic blade was overwhelmingly potent, so immense that even Ye Jingyu fighting with all his strength could barely resist it.
At this point, Ye Jingyu finally understood: the person before him was no longer Xiao Geng; or rather, he had been completely taken over by the sword spirit in his hand.
Even as shock flooded his mind, Ye Jingyu’s body continued to fall back. The Tianzun blade in his hand carved a beautiful arc as he swung it down fiercely toward Xiao Geng’s head.
The Soul-Reversing Sword materialized ahead like a flash of lightning, blocking the Tianzun blade. Xiao Geng’s body spun, delivering a brutal kick directly into Ye Jingyu’s lower abdomen.
An unimaginable force slammed into Ye Jingyu’s core. Even with his resilience, a wave of excruciating pain washed over him, sending his body flying uncontrollably outward. A metallic taste flooded his throat, and he spat out a mouthful of bright red blood…
His body crashed heavily onto the ground. Xiao Geng rushed toward him with predatory speed. Ye Jingyu dared not let down his guard; fighting through the blinding agony, he rolled over, raising the Tianzun blade to parry Xiao Geng’s relentless assault…
The Soul-Reversing Sword moved faster and faster, and Xiao Geng’s footwork grew increasingly erratic. Ye Jingyu’s injuries mounted, and with every wound inflicted, his blood was drawn out and absorbed by the Soul-Reversing Sword…
With every drop of blood absorbed, Xiao Geng’s strength grew.
Gradually, even Ye Jingyu’s stamina began to fail him. His situation was becoming truly precarious…
Hundreds of feet above on the hillside, Liang Xiaoke gripped a wine flask, tipping it to his lips while his gaze was fixed on the distant battle between Ye Jingyu and Xiao Geng.
Beside him stood Bing Ming, clad entirely in black.
“Should we step in and help him? Xiao Geng seems completely possessed,” Bing Ming murmured. As Ye Jingyu’s shadow, his primary concern was his master’s safety. However, this was a formal duel between Ye Jingyu and Xiao Geng, making direct intervention awkward.
“Help him with what? This is about him fighting for his woman. Why should we meddle? If he can’t even defeat this fellow, how can he protect his own lady?” Liang Xiaoke scoffed, taking a long swig, seemingly unconcerned by Ye Jingyu’s escalating injuries.
Bing Ming rolled his eyes heavenward. He remembered who had been the first to nearly interfere just moments ago.
“Relax. We won’t intervene until the final moment. If, in the end, he still can’t beat that guy, then we’ll make our move, won't we?” Perhaps sensing Bing Ming’s thinly veiled disdain, Liang Xiaoke quickly clarified.
“But if that happens, what about him and the Princess…” Bing Ming’s expression shifted, displaying a rare hint of amusement.
“What’s there to fear? If we step in, naturally, we’ll seize the sister-in-law along with him. Why worry about anything else?” Liang Xiaoke said carelessly, causing Bing Ming to break out in a cold sweat—these two truly were beyond the reach of any law.
Just then, Ye Jingyu was kicked flying once more by Xiao Geng. His arms, abdomen, and thighs were crisscrossed with sword wounds. Under normal circumstances, given Ye Jingyu’s constitution, these injuries would already be healing, but the Soul-Reversing Sword possessed a unique power that severely hampered his self-regeneration.
Watching Ye Jingyu struck down again, Luo Ling'er’s eyes welled up with tears. Her pearl-like teeth were clenched so tightly that she looked as if she could tear Xiao Geng apart with her bare hands.
Luo Ruofeng also looked deeply worried, yet in such a duel, they were utterly powerless to stop anything outside the principal combatants.
The Crown Prince, Qin Yunxiao, and the others watched the distant fight with impassive faces. No one knew what thoughts truly churned within them.
The scene was utterly silent, a silence bordering on the terrifying…
“Sister Ling’er, you don’t need to worry; he will definitely be fine…” It was Princess Xiyue, two years younger than Luo Ling’er, who was the first to break the quiet.
“Mm…” Luo Ling’er nodded faintly upon hearing her friend’s reassurance, but worry was impossible to dismiss. Her delicate, pale hands had begun forming intricate hand seals…
No one noticed this small action except Xiao Taotao, who remained by her side.
“Don’t worry. Xiao Geng suddenly becoming so powerful is because of that sword—the sword spirit sealed within it. Little Ye might not be a match for that spirit yet, but the blade in his hand is no ordinary object either. I feel a terrifying power gradually awakening!” Sensing Luo Ling’er’s tension, Xiao Taotao communicated to her via a mental transmission.
Hearing Xiao Taotao’s words, Luo Ling’er finally stilled. She knew well that Xiao Taotao, as one of the Four Great Ancient Ferocious Beasts, possessed ridiculously powerful sensory abilities…
Especially as it grew, this capacity only intensified! If it sensed something, it must be true; a massive change was certainly unfolding around Little Ye…
Her wide eyes focused on the dark iron blade in Ye Jingyu’s hand. Faintly, she seemed to perceive the rust flaking away from the surface of that iron weapon…