Chapter 461
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Chapter 461: Stripping Skin
Meeting on a Narrow Path, Facing Each Other in Battle.
Ximen Liu had encountered countless martial arts heroes in his lifetime. He neither cared for them nor looked down on them. He often claimed that he wouldn’t sell his life to anyone and would follow his own path. However, reality was harsh. Without wealth and power, it was nearly impossible to make progress.
Whether human or demon, one had to clearly see their destiny in this life. But more importantly, one should not let it control them. This was the only way to ascend. Ximen Liu couldn’t see his own future, but he chose not to be controlled by it. He fought relentlessly, and that’s why he found solace on the battlefield, amidst the carnage. On the battlefield, there were no limits. He kept killing, devouring others, making himself stronger, his sword sharper, and his blood colder.
He didn’t put himself in immediate danger. When he heard the arrogant words of his opponent, he sneered, but his instincts kept him on high alert. With a swift motion of his hand, three riders behind him charged down the slope, using their bodies to test for hidden traps.
As the warhorses galloped forward, even the still bamboo forest seemed to swell with heat and yellow sand. The warhorses were strong, with demonic blood running through their veins. Their muscles were taut, their fur rippling as they ran, each step creating a unique rhythm as their hooves struck the semi-frozen ground, denting and shattering bamboo leaves beneath them. Two cavalrymen swung their swords. Lord Qiongqi wielded a massive war sword, far heavier and broader than the goose-feather saber, a weapon fitting for a superior demon.
Bai Wei had witnessed cavalry charges before, but this guard cavalry was much braver than the previous light cavalry. If the two sides clashed, the lighter cavalry would be overwhelmed in the first round.
The towering warhorse and the slashing sword bore down on him, but the young man remained unfazed. Only when the blade was nearly upon him did he raise his hand, his index finger and thumb together, effortlessly catching one of the swords. With a slight movement, he deflected it, altering its course just enough to prevent a fatal blow. The two swords clashed, producing a sharp, frictional sound, before losing their accuracy.
Walking amidst the warhorses, the young man formed a cross-like structure, positioning himself between the two lower arms. With a subtle exertion, he flipped the two horses and their riders over, sending them crashing to the ground. The combined weight of the two riders and their armor, over five thousand pounds, was no match for his strength.
The third rider didn’t slow down. The distance wasn’t ideal for swordplay, so he decided to crash through instead. The impact struck hard but did not kill the other man; instead, it killed his horse. The horse collided like a solid wall, its head splitting open, blood spilling. The force sent the rider flying off. Before he hit the ground, someone grabbed his foot, and the earth rushed up to meet him. When he landed, one-third of his body was crushed, like a watermelon underfoot.
Bai Wei walked leisurely forward, holding a clean bamboo leaf. His sword never left its sheath, remaining quietly at his waist as he strolled toward his destination.
Some cavalrymen attempted to charge again, but halfway through, they were kicked mid-air by Bai Wei. The horse and rider tumbled, falling like dominos.
The cavalryman quickly recovered, fearlessly swinging his sword in an attempt to strike. His head, however, soon detached from his body, falling cleanly to the ground.
Anyone who dared to look up met their end.
A few cavalrymen attempted to sneak up and strike at the young man’s knee with their swords, but their own blades, swung in retaliation, slashed across their own necks.
Ximen Liu’s cavalry was being decimated—more than a quarter of his sixty-plus men were dead or injured within forty seconds.
The brave captain smiled and gestured for his remaining cavalry to withdraw and deal with the others. When experts faced each other, extra hands became nothing but an obstacle.
Ximen Liu’s strength was on par with a great demon, and his certification level of forty-three indicated that he was no rookie to be easily defeated.
As he rode forward, contemplating how thrilling and fulfilling the battle would be, something unexpected occurred. White hair with red patterns sprouted on his face, once human-like, now morphing. His bones jutted out, and his head transformed into a fierce, tiger-like form. Roaring fiercely, he released demonic power from his heart, causing his sword to glow with a menacing red aura. A swift swing of his blade felled the bamboo trees ten meters ahead.
Ximen Liu used the momentum of his horse to swing his sword, but it was a ruse. Less than three meters from his target, he leapt from the horse’s back, descending with a powerful sword strike. His blade cleaved through thirty yards, uprooting bamboo and scattering white frost across the downhill bamboo path.
His swordplay was simple, yet highly effective.
Despite being a demonic creature, Ximen Liu wielded his sword with impressive skill, appearing every bit the warrior.
Bai Wei, still holding a bamboo leaf, calmly engaged in the battle. This wasn’t arrogance or a challenge, but simply a way for him to refine his swordsmanship, using his opponent as a practice partner.
Even with a fine-quality sword, he couldn’t cut through the bamboo leaf in his hand.
Ximen Liu, now enraged, shouted, “Let’s see how long you can hold out!”
He shifted his sword position, aiming for Bai Wei’s abdomen before quickly lifting it, using his elbow to block the side of the sword, directing the blade toward Bai Wei’s neck.
The bamboo leaf was far too short to compete with the long sword. How fast would his hands need to be to wield the bamboo leaf as a sword?
With an elegant movement, Bai Wei stood on his tiptoes, retreating swiftly, releasing his index and middle fingers. Instead of falling, the bamboo leaf spun in his palm like a rapidly spinning blade, then shot towards Ximen Liu’s face.
The brave soldier raised his sword to block, feeling an unexpected vibration in his hands. It wasn’t just a bamboo leaf—it felt like a chainsaw buzzing in his grip. Upon inspection, he noticed tiny teeth marks on his sword.
His suspicion grew. This wasn’t magic, but something real. He sneered, “So, you are a warrior!”
Mocking, the fierce tiger snarled, “A person from the Ming Country, actually serving Bai Ze?!”
As if to laugh, Ximen Liu suddenly saw a shoe barreling toward him, holding a sword to block. The kick sent him flying back, staggering in pain.
Before he could catch his breath, the bamboo leaf blade was at him once again, hovering just an inch from his body. Controlled by Bai Wei’s palm, the bamboo leaves continued to chip away at his sword.
Breathing heavily and frustrated, Ximen Liu unleashed a powerful spell, summoning an illusion of a white tiger from the bamboo forest. This spell was potent, and once it was cast, Longyao City would surely feel its power.
However, Bai Wei didn’t allow him the opportunity. With a flick of his finger, the bamboo leaf dodged the incoming sword, wrapping around Ximen Liu’s shoulder. His armor was torn, blood dripping as a gruesome wound appeared on the skin beneath it.
The white tiger magic was interrupted, and the backlash of power proved even worse than his visible wounds.
Seeing the person with the bronze mask, Ximen Liu hastily grabbed a bamboo leaf.
In fury, he shouted, “Unsheath your sword!”
He couldn’t bear the thought of his opponent not unsheathing a sword, trying to kill him with only bamboo leaves. It was a humiliation he couldn’t tolerate.
To face the powerful tiger, Ximen Liu activated his magic pill, sacrificing his own essence to unleash even greater power. He knew that in a sword fight, he would likely lose. He had no choice but to use forbidden magic to turn the tables. His opponent might not let him, so he needed to distract him.
After a moment’s thought, Ximen Liu retreated, dismissing his previous words.
Who would willingly die alone here? He had ambition, strength, and potential. Eventually, he would reach the pinnacle of power in the Ten Thousand Demon Kingdom. When Lord Qiongqi became the Demon Emperor, he would claim a territory. He couldn’t die here.
He decided to let the cavalry charge and buy him some time. Just as he formed this thought, the young man who had been silent for a while spoke again.
“Though I carry a sword, it remains sheathed. Do you think I’m crazy like you?”
With that, he tossed the sword into the sky, letting it fall without the graceful skills of a fairy sword.
The sword soared over Ximen Liu’s head, and when it struck the ground, it transformed into a colorful tiger, blocking his path.
The large golden-orange tabby stretched lazily in the bamboo forest, mouth wide open, ready to devour a horse’s head in one bite.
Ximen Liu, trapped between a youth on his left and a tiger on his right, found that the crouching tiger showed no emotion. It instead turned to slaughter the remaining cavalry.
Bai Wei calmly declared, “You chose a dead-end.”
Ximen Liu gritted his teeth, the sound of constant friction ringing in his ears, like a dull sword grinding against stone.
He knew begging for mercy was useless. Instead of kneeling, he chose to fight with everything he had, to find a way out with his life.
The young man took a step forward, initially slow, but gradually speeding up with each movement. His figure blurred under the moonlight as his pace quickened.
Ximen Liu, holding the magic pill between his teeth, hesitated—should he activate it and risk his life? If the pill shattered, survival was uncertain.
His face was filled with doubt, but it soon hardened into resolve. One hand gripped his battle sword, while the other pierced his own face, blood staining his fingers.
Without a roar, he clenched his jaws, forcefully chewing something to pieces.
The blood-red demonic energy burst through the bamboo forest like wildfire, turning the moonlight crimson in an instant.
Ximen Liu unleashed everything, charging forward, aiming to strike down the one holding only a bamboo leaf.
In the final moments of his desperate fury, Ximen Liu caught a glint of gold on the bamboo leaf.
It shone so brightly amidst the blood-red haze, like a fleeting spark, disappearing in an instant.
It came quickly, the bamboo leaf transforming into a sword, cutting through Ximen Liu’s battle sword, carving a path across his forehead, down his nose, chin, and chest.
The fierce tiger froze, a hand pressing against its face, fingers sinking into its flesh as it tore apart.
Ximen Liu had spoken of skinning his opponent alive, and now, it was he who was skinned.
Pain erupted throughout his body, but it was brief. He died before the flesh could fully separate from his body.
In the end, his opponent never unsheathed a sword—only using bamboo leaves to gut him.
Ximen Liu died with his eyes wide open.
The young man flicked his sleeve, turning the black fabric blood red. With a simple pull, the white and red tiger skin fell to the bamboo floor.
He glanced back at the lifeless tiger, murmuring, “Not as honorable as Bai Ze.”
With a dismissive toss of the tiger skin, he picked up another tattered piece of fur, folding it neatly in his hands.
Through a bamboo forest littered with dead bodies and the stench of blood, he carefully placed the keepsake into his arms.
Chao Lu, drenched in blood with numerous wounds on her hands, clutched the keepsake of her loved one. She buried her face in the fabric, her shoulders trembling as her cries went unheard.
