There stood Lou Feng, eyes wide as he gazed upon Jiang Hao, who had fully completed his Foundation Establishment. Despite the disbelief in his heart, he dared not overthink. He had prioritized a single mission: to kill his opponent without delay.
With a swift inhalation, Lou Feng spat out a mouthful of his vital essence, his blood spilling forth in shimmering droplets all around him. Each bead of crimson blazed with a searing aura as they flew towards Jiang Hao like a barrage of shooting stars.
Meanwhile, Qing Xue did not rest idle. She launched her own attack on Jiang Hao. As torrents of blood rained down, the shadows of her sword strikes lashed towards him. Jiang Hao found himself weaving through a storm of sword energy and blood rain, each drop imbued with slicing intent.
Boom! A great splash of blood erupted from the earth, leaving a massive crater in its wake.
Crash! Sword light swept across, shattering trees to splinters.
Under the cover of night, blades and swords erupted with sparks, their tight exchanges defining the line between life and death. Jiang Hao found himself under fierce assault, and sustaining this ferocious siege meant inevitable defeat. Ignoring the stinging cuts of blood, he gathered the stillness within, brandishing his Shadow Blade. The Demonic Sound Slash echoed like a thunderclap, slicing towards Qing Xue with unmatched fury.
Undeterred, Qing Xue unleashed her most powerful technique in response.
Clang! Blades clashed and sparks flew; power surged in waves outward. The duel between them raged on.
Intent on breaking his adversary, Lou Feng launched another dripping attack. Yet most were thwarted by Jiang Hao's protective treasures. Determined, Lou Feng seized a fleeting chance. Drawing his massive blade once more, he infused it with fresh blood, then dashed towards Jiang Hao to strike.
From the front came Qing Xue's overwhelming pressure, while Lou Feng prowled the flank like a wolf.
Despite being beleaguered, Jiang Hao remained composed. His gaze lingered briefly on Lou Feng, a hint of subtle purple radiating from his eyes.
An aura of purple qi diffused rapidly across him.
The heavy blade descended with a fatal rush.
Jiang Hao swayed aside smoothly, and with an unhurried lift of his hand, his fingertip tapped lightly against Lou Feng's descending weapon.
By this time, the purple aura had reached his fingertip.
Clang! A crisp sound pealed through the air as the blade snapped in twain.
The severed weapon spun into the darkness. Alarmed, Lou Feng's heart sank. But he had come too close to retreat. Jiang Hao's hand, now glowing with purple energy, shot out like lightning directly into his chest.
Bang! Crackle! The brutal force breached Lou Feng's defenses, pulverizing his ribs and shattering his inner organs into ruin.
Blood spewed from Lou Feng's mouth as he was flung back, colliding heavily with the ground.
Now shifting his focus back to Qing Xue, Jiang Hao invoked the full might of the Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture. Wrapped in shrouds of purple qi, even his Shadow Blade now glowed with the same eerie luminescence.
His blade moved, stirring forth a surge of overwhelming strength that blasted Qing Xue away with a great crash.
Before she could touch the ground, Jiang Hao swung his Shadow Blade once more, purple energy swirled in an elegant arc.
It was still the Demonic Sound Slash.
Yet now it carried a menacing purple edge.
Whoosh! The sword shadow swept by with unstoppable force, slicing clean through Qing Xue’s body.
Only then did she hit the ground.
In her final moments, she stared at Jiang Hao in disbelief, unable to fathom why he was so powerful.
A chilling crunch echoed as her sword split cleanly at the hilt, fragments tumbling earthward.
But it was not just her weapon that shattered; her body began to fracture, life slipping away like grains of sand.
Witnessing this, Lou Feng shivered with dread, struggling to stand as he attempted to flee.
Thud! He had barely taken a step when a blade pierced his throat, pinning him to a tree. The Shadow Blade, hurled like a dark omen, was Jiang Hao's deadly answer.
"You can kill us, but everyone will know it was you," Qing Xue spat out, her eyes ablaze with unyielding hatred.
"Yes," Jiang Hao nodded with calm clarity, "I know. But as you both assured me, no one will come to investigate."
With his final words, he produced ten Thousand Sword Talismans, each one pulsing with the power of Foundation Establishment.
Even at the early stages, they sufficed.
Dividing the talismans, Jiang Hao sent seven towards Qing Xue and three towards Lou Feng, unleashing a flurry of swords upon them.
Moments later, Jiang Hao surveyed the two locations where the two from the Heavenly Joy Pavilion lay. No longer whole, their corpses were reduced to remnants.
Completely extinguished.
Phew~
The battle concluded, Jiang Hao expelled a breath of blood, vivid and fresh.
From the start, he had pushed himself forcibly into this state, with injuries tearing at his body.
The strain of invoking the Primordial Chaos Heart Scripture had aggravated his wounds, forcing him to rely on the talismans rather than personally delivering the finishing strikes.
Now that the threat had abated, Jiang Hao sat down cross-legged, commencing his recovery.
Yet his respite was short-lived, for the clamor of battle had drawn a number of demons near.
Five of them.
Gazing upon their approaching forms, Jiang Hao sighed.
Misfortunes, it seemed, rarely came singly.
...
...
One month passed.
Around the demon cave's entrance, Zheng Shijiu of the Icy Moon Valley waited, idly spinning a paper fan as he peered into the distance, lost in thought.
"Senior Brother, you're early. I take it you're holding valuable findings?" Xin Yuyue of the Thunder Fire Peak descended with her sword, amusement dancing in her voice.
The demon cave harbored countless treasures, and with persistence, any who dared venture could hope to uncover hidden fortune.
Her journey had not been smooth, yet she had emerged with her own rewards, unscathed. Even without considering the sect mission rewards, she'd returned with gains.
Zheng Shijiu smiled faintly:
"You must have encountered great fortune, Junior Sister, while luck merely brushed by me. All I found were minor trinkets."
"You’re far too modest, Senior Brother. In truth, the number of demon encounters I had diminished, and there were none upon my return. This should mean success for our mission, shouldn’t it?" Xin Yuyue remarked.
"Indeed, hardly any demons crossed my path either; the risk stemmed more from ferocious spirit beasts," nodded Zheng Shijiu.
Turning towards the horizon with curiosity, Xin Yuyue asked:
"Do you think Junior Brother Jiang can make it back?"
"I fear not," Zheng Shijiu replied thoughtfully, "I pursued their trail and discovered that Lou Feng and Qing Xue had conspired. Their paths converged, and they confronted one another."
"Against a late-stage and a perfected Foundation Establishment's coordinated assault, even someone as capable as Junior Brother Jiang couldn't have survived."
"Unfortunate, but without witnesses, we can't truly determine what transpired," Xin Yuyue sighed, then asked once more:
"And if by some miracle, Junior Brother Jiang does return?"
"Impossible," Zheng Shijiu shook his head.
"And if he does?" Xin Yuyue pressed with intrigue.
Upon hearing her, Zheng Shijiu's expression turned sober:
"Then, it would be a cause for great concern indeed."