Chapter Forty-Three: Relentless

Liu Feng listened to the words of the youth in white, an inscrutable expression settling on his face.

“Kid, you’re all talk. But when it comes to a real fight, you turn into a coward,” the youth in white said, mistaking Liu Feng’s silence for fear.

“Do you truly wish to compare yourself to my worthless scrap metal? Aren’t you worried about tarnishing your own status?” Liu Feng replied, his tone laced with subtle mockery.

“Dealing with you is no harder than squashing an ant. What could an ant possibly do to my reputation?” The youth’s words brimmed with arrogance, contempt plain on his face.

At this, Li Feng could no longer bear it. He stepped forward, facing the youth in white. “Don’t you think you’ve gone too far?”

The youth sneered at Li Feng. “Another country bumpkin. Why are there so many ants crawling around here?” His words dripped with scorn, as if all others were lowly slaves and he stood high and untouchable.

Hearing his remarks, many who had yet to leave after redeeming their rewards gathered around.

Among them, a youth in blue with delicate features approached, nodding in greeting to Li Feng and Wang Yun.

“Zeng Lu, you also took on the task of hunting the Blackwind Wolves?” Li Feng asked, a touch of surprise in his voice.

“Yes, we never ran into you,” Wang Yun added, puzzled.

Zeng Lu smiled faintly. “I was in the first group to enter the forest with some others. You hadn’t arrived yet.”

Li Feng and Wang Yun nodded in understanding.

At that moment, Zeng Lu walked up to the youth in white. “Su Yue, aren’t you just the City Lord’s nephew? Why put on such airs?”

Su Yue shot Zeng Lu a cold look. “Zeng Lu, do you plan to meddle?”

“They’re from my academy. Of course, I can’t just stand by and watch you belittle them,” Zeng Lu replied, anger coloring his voice.

“Fine. Since you’re speaking up for them, let’s settle this with a duel. If I lose, I’ll take back what I said and apologize to them,” Su Yue said coolly.

“If I lose, I’ll give you this sword as compensation,” Zeng Lu declared, pulling out an ancient, elegantly crafted sword that shimmered with a sharp radiance—a treasure at a single glance.

Su Yue eyed the sword with undisguised greed. “It’s settled then. Everyone here can bear witness.”

With that, Su Yue drew his sword. As he channeled his energy, a sharp force shot out, slicing a long gash into the street’s surface.

Zeng Lu gazed at the mark on the street, his expression grave. Slowly, he unsheathed his own sword—a dragon’s cry rang out, and as the blade was fully drawn, it radiated a dazzling golden light that forced many to squint against the brilliance.

“What a treasure! That must be a weapon used by a master of the Yin-Yang realm.”

“Just the energy it emits tells you it’s a rare, legendary blade.”

Su Yue’s greed only deepened at the murmurs around them. With a long, piercing cry, he charged at Zeng Lu, sword in hand.

His sword energy soared like a rainbow across the sky, carrying the force to rend the earth as it stabbed forward with deadly intent.

Zeng Lu’s eyes flashed with sharp light. He gripped his sword, channeling his true energy, and the blade shone with brilliant gold, accompanied by a keen sword aura that collided fiercely against Su Yue’s weapon.

A sound like clashing dragons rang out as the cutting sword energy burst forth, striking in all directions. Nearby houses soon bore deep cracks, and even the ground split with narrow gashes.

“Meteor Chasing the Moon!” Su Yue shouted, gripping his sword with both hands. True energy surged wildly into the blade, forming a huge sword light. As the energy gathered, the sword aura stretched to three meters, like a blade to split the heavens.

The sword trembled, and the massive aura shrank, growing ever sharper, until at the tip, a slim, one-foot-long blade of light emerged.

As the sword aura reached its peak, Su Yue leaped at Zeng Lu with feline speed and ferocity. The sword light, unstoppable, stabbed forth with overwhelming momentum.

Zeng Lu’s eyes grew grave. His sword vibrated in his grip, releasing sharp energies that formed dozens of sword lights hovering around him. In a flash, they materialized, each one fierce and keen.

With a wave of his hand, Zeng Lu sent them flying—dozens of sword lights shot out like a formation, tearing through the air with a wild, destructive power, all aimed at Su Yue.

Su Yue swung his sword, its sharp aura cleaving through the oncoming sword formation.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Metal clashed with metal as Su Yue’s blade cut down each sword light, sending fragments clattering to the ground and etching spiderweb cracks wherever they fell.

With the formation broken, Su Yue pressed on, sword thrusting forward, slicing the air with a shrill whine.

As the sword neared him, Zeng Lu swung his own, unleashing a flurry of sword flowers, as if dozens of blades struck at once. Their swords clashed repeatedly until, with a thunderous crash, both men leapt back several meters, eyes locked, wary and alert.

“Zeng Lu, I hadn’t expected your cultivation to advance so much.”

“And you, Su Yue, have made swift progress yourself.”

“Take this!” With those words, Su Yue lunged again, sword flickering like lightning—relentless and deadly, like an assassin’s killing blow.

Zeng Lu’s sword danced in his hand, flowing like drifting clouds and flowing water—natural, ethereal, yet swift as ever, meeting Su Yue’s attacks stroke for stroke.

The two moved with the ferocity of tigers or leopards—violent, domineering—yet their swordplay remained light, agile, and unpredictable.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Steel rang on steel as waves of fierce energy and sword light swept outward, forcing the onlookers to retreat. The buildings nearby were scarred and battered, riddled with wounds as if ready to collapse at any moment.

“Their attacks are so fast and fierce. Most of us here wouldn’t stand a chance against either of them.”

“Yes, and they’re both so young, already at the ninth level of the Qi Gathering realm. In most sects, they’d be called prodigies.”

The crowd nodded in admiration, their respect evident.

“Radiant Strike!” Su Yue bellowed, body moving like a flash of lightning as he swung his sword. Flames seemed to blaze along the blade, which pierced toward Zeng Lu with a deadly sharpness.

“Violent Slash!” Zeng Lu gripped his sword with both hands, pouring his true energy into it. A massive sword light erupted from the blade as he brought it down on Su Yue.

“This is bad—they’re fighting to mutual destruction. They can’t control their power anymore!”

“We can’t stop them, even if we tried.”

Just as both blades were about to strike home, a figure flashed between them.

He swung his sword, sending out a powerful wave of energy that knocked both attacks aside.