Chapter Twenty-Nine: On the Brink of Life and Death

In the branches of the locust tree, the old man held a sloth in his arms. The sloth, dazed and adorably slow, lifted its furry paw to scratch the old man's itch. The elder watched Xu Xing's every move in silence, sighing softly, "So it is with all those called lords and ministers—nothing more than this. But if this boy grows to his full potential, he will surely influence the great affairs of our time." With that, he lightly tapped the treetop and prepared to depart.

Just then, a man in a rain cloak, his body shrouded in a fierce crimson aura, strode toward them. "Why is it him? So be it. Let Xu Xing go through more trials—otherwise, a flower raised in the greenhouse can never stand alone against the deep winter cold." The old man waved his hand gently, altering the scene.

Xu Xing and his three companions, who had vanished from this spot, suddenly found themselves here again, yet none of them sensed anything amiss. The moon continued to drift with the wind as usual.

"Spare us... I was only following orders," the tall man pleaded, eyes closed in bitter supplication. The dwarf was already lying down, his feeble breaths foretelling that he was at death’s door. Without timely aid, he would surely perish here. He lay in a pool of green blood, his face ashen and waxen.

"Spare you? How did you treat us just now? I act without hesitation—why would I let you endanger the world?" Xu Xing lowered his head and slowly drew his sword again. The moonlight glimmered on the blade, making it shine like frosty ice.

"In your next life, be a better person." With that, he raised his sword, intent on severing the tall man's head.

Bang—a stone flew from afar, striking the sword's scabbard with uncanny precision. The force sent Xu Xing hurtling back dozens of meters. The power packed in that stone must have weighed at least a hundred thousand pounds, brutishly overwhelming. But who, now, could intervene so forcefully from a distance?

From the road in the distance, a familiar man was approaching. Ziyan's surprised voice rang out, "How can there be someone else at this hour?" Peering ahead, she saw nothing out of the ordinary; perhaps her spiritual senses had not yet reached the level to perceive such things.

From the road came the faint sound of hooves. Xu Xing tensed, uncertain what formidable enemy he might face, but he would never wait passively for death. He raised his sword again and again against the tall man—better to rid the world of one more villain.

Yet every swing of his sword was intercepted by a flying stone.

"Who are you? Lurking in the shadows! Do you dare face me openly?" Xu Xing, driven to the edge, shouted into the night.

The hoofbeats drew closer. Xu Xing’s eyes widened, but he could not see who it was—only a vague silhouette, a shadow without form.

A voice, haunting and melodious—not sharp like a cicada’s cry, yet lingering in Xu Xing’s heart—echoed:

"Don’t recognize me, old nemesis?"

"It’s you?" Xu Xing’s voice was uncertain. The voice was familiar, but he dared not be sure...

Beset on all sides, the voice shifted unpredictably, coming from everywhere at once, making it impossible to discern the speaker’s position.

"Xu Xing, be careful. Whoever this is, he’s no ordinary foe," Ziyan warned warily.

"Enough. An ill-intentioned visitor is no friend. I know it’s you, Li Chunyi. Show yourself," Xu Xing replied calmly.

Clap, clap. It was the sound of a man applauding. Though his figure was visible, his shadow stretched long behind him.

The waxing and waning shadow appeared at Xu Xing’s feet as the wind picked up, revealing his true form.

"What a narrow road fate has led us down, old adversary. I meant to ambush you along the way, yet you arrived first. You certainly make things difficult." Li Chunyi moved with the wind, his shadow floating and shifting with him.

Xu Xing swallowed hard; Li Chunyi radiated an aura of lethal danger, and Xu Xing could not fathom his strength. His earlier victory over the dwarf had been solely due to the sword’s power.

Only during the journey had he begun to understand the sword’s abilities, but his battle with the dwarf had exhausted all his spiritual energy. Now, he could no longer fight.

At that moment, he felt a weight tugging at his sleeve. It was Ziyan—perhaps she saw that his spiritual energy was depleted—handing him a translucent purple rune.

Without a word, Xu Xing took the rune, affixed it inside his body, and felt his strength rapidly replenish. Violent spiritual energy surged within him; he was flooded with power.

"I’ll let you recover your strength for now. I want you to see the gulf between us. Even if you chase my shadow your whole life, you’ll never catch up—and you won’t live to see the dawn beneath the moon." Li Chunyi’s shadow dissolved and reformed around them, his ethereal voice encircling the group.

Ziyan could not help but sigh, "Xu Xing, this man is strong. Be careful." With that, she too produced a rune to strengthen herself.

In moments, Xu Xing was brimming with energy. Sword in hand, he stood like a battle-hardened general. He invoked his secret spiritual technique again, only to be shocked—he could not locate Li Chunyi at all.

"Such petty tricks, and you dare show off before me?"

In the darkness, Xu Xing could not sense Li Chunyi’s moves. Suddenly, a palm strike—without seeing its source—landed squarely on his back, sending Xu Xing flying dozens of meters to land beneath the locust tree.

Blood splattered the ground. The force of that blow was like a mountain crashing down, and Xu Xing was powerless to resist—he hadn’t even had a chance to defend himself!

Faint footprints appeared on the ground. Xu Xing looked up and caught a glimpse of his adversary’s true face, but instead of despair, he broke into wild laughter.

"You—why are you laughing? Disaster looms and you can still laugh?"

Li Chunyi drew closer. As the locust tree’s leaves drifted down, one landed on his shoulder and came to rest.

"The world laughs at me for being mad—I laugh at the world..."

"Then laugh while you can. You won’t get another chance." Li Chunyi raised his foot and brought it down toward Xu Xing's head.

At that moment, the clash of sword and bronze scimitar rang out harshly—Xu Xing’s blade had met Li Chunyi’s weapon.

"Trying to play dirty, are you?"

Xu Xing sprang to his feet, crouched slightly, and gripped his sword with both hands, on guard. He dared not relax for an instant—his life hung by a thread.

"Give me your life!" Xu Xing roared, taking the offensive. Better to attack than to defend passively.

Blades flashed in the shadows; Xu Xing fought with every ounce of strength left in him, yet could not break through. Li Chunyi, for his part, did not attack, but only dodged and parried—nimble as a swallow, elusive as the wind, impossible to predict.

Another palm strike, and Xu Xing could stand no longer. Blood flowed freely from his wounds; most of his meridians were shattered. He lay helpless, frustrated, and powerless.

Beneath the locust tree, Li Chunyi turned lightly, looked at Ziyan, and shook his head. "How can this be? Why is she here? Never mind, I’ll spare her this time."

He tossed a stone, striking Ziyan as she absorbed the rune’s power. She fainted instantly.

Raising his scimitar, Li Chunyi said coolly, "It’s over. There’s no need to waste time with you. I thought you were strong, but it was only that useless dwarf who couldn’t defeat you. Tonight, all three of you will perish here."

"My beloved nemesis, let me savor you one last time."

With a flash, Li Chunyi appeared beside the fallen dwarf and, with a swift motion, severed his head. The dwarf’s vital energy flowed rapidly into the scimitar, enveloping it in a faint, dark green mist.

"The taste of vital blood—truly exquisite."

The tall man struggled to his feet, his face blank and voice feeble. "Brother, give me one more chance, I promise—"

Before he could finish, Li Chunyi’s scimitar flashed again. Another head rolled, mingling dark green and pale yellow blood on the ground.

"I gave you a chance, but you were useless," Li Chunyi remarked coolly, glancing at the fallen man.

It had taken him only a couple of breaths to deal with both. Xu Xing, still reeling, realized just how weak he was.

But what could he do? Now, with death looming, the gap in strength was simply too great.

"Now, it’s your turn..."