Chapter 81: Preparing for Battle

The six elite guards from the Luo family were hardly ordinary men; the subtle shift in Nangong Xue’s gaze did not escape their notice. All six, almost as one, turned their attention to another battlefield nearby. Not far from them, two figures clashed at a speed so swift it was startling—the only sign of their attack was a flash of crimson light. Blood mist enveloped their bodies, their ferocious assaults colliding like meteors, sending low, thunderous sounds rolling from their violent exchange.

Though all could see their Third Elder was not employing his Yuan Force, the spectacle still left them as incredulous as Nangong Xue. None had expected that a youth of sixteen or seventeen could contend with Luo Long, a master at the peak of the Yuan Realm, to such a degree. It was not as they had imagined before: that the boy would be utterly powerless before Elder Luo Long.

A buzzing sound filled the air as countless blades of green light soared skyward. The fierce sword aura hummed, seeming to pierce the heavens themselves, descending in a torrential sweep upon the six men in purple robes, instantly engulfing them.

Nangong Xue’s face was grave as she leapt into the air. Blood energy surged through her arms and poured into the bronze sword in her hand, its blade flashing brilliantly. She wielded the sword with unmatched mastery. Seizing the opportunity, she aimed to resolve the battle with the six men swiftly, for she knew well: though Ye Cheng was now matched evenly with the Luo family elder, the latter had yet to unleash the full power of the Yuan Realm. Should he do so, their chances for survival would dwindle to nothing.

The only course now was to eliminate these opponents quickly, so that she and Ye Cheng could join forces against the Luo elder, and thus hope to hold out until Old Wu arrived.

“Damn it,” muttered one of the six, seeing the myriad sword blades crashing down upon them. Their attacks had been disrupted in the previous skirmish, leaving them wounded and weakened. Now, they could only grit their teeth, forcibly rallying their blood energy.

The five at the peak of the Blood Energy Realm retreated in unison, pressing their palms to the sole one among them who had reached the summit of the Blood Energy Realm. Together, the six pooled their power, boundless blood energy surging forth to form a protective barrier of crimson light, hoping to withstand the onslaught of green sword blades.

A deafening boom rang out as the blood-red shield before them rippled and spread. Hastily constructed, the defense proved ineffective; as the rain of sword blades struck, Nangong Xue spun her sword, focusing the assault onto a single point of the barrier. Under such concentrated attack, the shield lasted but a moment before shattering beneath their panicked gazes. None had expected her to break their defense so easily by targeting a single point.

With their defense destroyed, they were left utterly exposed. The remaining sword blades swept down, their passage nearly silent, slicing swiftly across the throats of all six. Their eyes glazed over, color draining away, as their bodies collapsed to the ground.

Having dispatched the six, Nangong Xue landed, her steps faltering, and her complexion paled further. The forced use of the Nine Heavens Profound Sword Technique, though powerful, had exhausted too much of her blood energy, leaving her own reserves unstable.

With a dull thud, Luo Long, realizing something was amiss, broke away from his exchange with Ye Cheng, retreating swiftly. Though blood streaked his body, he was not truly wounded. His expression turned grim upon seeing the six purple-robed corpses, and at that moment Nangong Xue moved to Ye Cheng’s side.

“Well, well. Miss Nangong’s strength is truly beyond my expectations,” Luo Long said, his gaze fixed on the bodies, before looking up at Nangong Xue.

“Your Nangong family is powerful—I had not intended to take your life. But now, it seems I have little choice. I’ll have to deal with you and this boy together,” he continued, his voice calm but his eyes murderous. The loss of five elite guards and their leader, while not a crippling blow to the Luo family’s overall power, was still significant. That such a force had been lost under his command filled him with anger.

“So you’re finally going to use Yuan Force? I thought you’d hold back,” Ye Cheng retorted coldly, a mocking smile on his lips.

“I had believed that pure blood energy alone would be enough to deal with you. But now, I see I underestimated you. The blood energy in you is astonishingly thick—truly the son of Ye Shan, who once stormed the world. Though I’m reluctant to use Yuan Realm power against you, it seems I have no other choice if I wish to defeat you,” Luo Long replied.

“A dignified elder of the Luo family, resorting to ambushing the young—no wonder you care little for your reputation,” Nangong Xue said clearly, her disdain for such base tactics evident.

Her words had little effect. As she spoke, Luo Long released the suppression of his aura; the blood energy around him receded like a tide. Instantly, a vast presence radiated from him—a unique energy belonging only to a master of the Yuan Realm. The wave of Yuan Force was several times more terrifying than blood energy.

Ye Cheng’s face grew solemn, sensing the terrifying wave of energy building around Luo Long. With his current strength, he might contend with a novice Yuan Realm fighter, but facing one at the peak was another matter entirely—the difference between them was vast, leaving him uncertain.

Nangong Xue, too, watched Luo Long gravely, her brows knit, her hand gripping her sword ever tighter.

After exchanging a glance, both read in each other’s eyes the extreme peril of the coming battle. Nangong Xue nodded slightly, then flipped her hand to produce two bottles of jade-cased medicine. She tossed one to Ye Cheng, saying, “Take it. It’s a Qi-restoring potion—it’ll replenish lost blood energy.”

Without further explanation, she drank her own potion in one gulp. Ye Cheng smiled faintly, uncorked his bottle, and drank it down.

“As long as you fall here, no one will ever report what happened. Your Nangong family won’t be able to discover who killed their young mistress,” Luo Long said, his words dripping with murderous intent.