13: Chapter 13 Fiery Evil

Boss Wu's blade did not cleave toward the cold mist.

It slashed toward the depths of the pit, aimed at that ghostly blue ice crystal arm that had just retracted!

The blade's edge was wrapped in Black Evil Qi as thick as ink, tearing through the air with a shrill whistle like a ghost's wail.

Before the blade even arrived, the frigid wind from the strike had already swept up all the frost flowers by the pit's edge, turning them into an ice crystal cyclone that poured down toward the bottom!

"Idiot!" Liu Three-Knives' expression changed drastically as he shouted sharply.

But it was too late.

"Clang—!!!"

The Ghost-headed Broadsword struck the ice crystal arm heavily, but instead of the sound of metal clashing, it sounded like hitting Ten-thousand-year-old Profound Ice, producing a dull, ear-piercing grinding noise! Countless cracks exploded across the surface of the ice crystal arm, and ghostly blue cold light shot out from the fissures, illuminating Boss Wu's grinning face with a bizarre hue.

In the next instant, a sudden change occurred!

From deep within the pit, an extremely sharp screech rang out! The sound was neither human nor beast, sounding like metal scraping and the collective wailing of ten thousand ghosts, piercing straight into the eardrums.

In front of the ancestral hall, everyone's faces turned pale, their blood and Qi churning. Several of the more severely injured youths even spat out blood with a "wah."

The ice crystal arm that had been struck did not shatter; instead, it suddenly expanded! Countless ghostly blue cold vapors erupted from the bottom of the pit, swirling up along the blade. In the blink of an eye, Boss Wu's entire right arm, along with the Ghost-headed Broadsword, was frozen into a massive block of ice!

The cold air didn't stop, continuing to spread and attack Boss Wu's body!

Boss Wu's single eye widened. He let out a wild roar, and the Black Evil Qi around him erupted violently like rising black flames, crashing fiercely against the ghostly blue cold air!

"Chichichi—!"

The black Qi and blue ice consumed each other intensely, making a sound like boiling oil being poured onto snow.

The ground beneath Boss Wu's feet cracked inch by inch, but he actually managed to resist the erosion of the cold air, preventing himself from being completely frozen.

However, the ice crystal arm seemed to be completely enraged by this strike and gave a sudden jerk!

"Crack!"

The ice block surrounding the blade shattered, and the ice crystal arm broke free. With its five fingers spread, it actually grabbed the back of the Ghost-headed Broadsword with a backhand grip! Then, it yanked violently!

Boss Wu felt an irresistible, massive force transmit through the blade. The webbing of his thumb split open, and the broadsword flew out of his hand.

The ice crystal arm grasped the Ghost-headed Broadsword and swung it through the air. The blade carried a ghostly blue cold light as it actually slashed down toward Boss Wu's head!

Using his own weapon against him!

Horrified, Boss Wu retreated violently, his body shooting backward like a cannonball, narrowly avoiding the strike.

The blade grazed his scalp and struck the ground, plowing an icy trench several yards long!

Having missed its target, the ice crystal arm slowly retracted into the bottom of the pit, dragging the Ghost-headed Broadsword down with it until it vanished.

Only the ghostly blue cold mist remained rolling in the pit. The screeching gradually died down, but that heart-palpitating Aura of malevolence grew even more intense.

The field fell into a dead silence.

Everyone stared at the deep pit, chills running down their spines.

Liu Three-Knives' face was ashen.

He had originally thought the thing underground was just waking up and hadn't yet gained full strength. Even if Boss Wu's strike enraged it, it shouldn't have been able to cause such a stir.

Who could have known this thing was so fierce that it could seize a weapon and counterattack! Judging by that power, it was at least at the Middle Stage of Qi Refining, or even higher!

Boss Wu landed and stumbled several steps before steadying himself. His single eye stared at the deep pit, filled with both shock and fury.

He had lost his handy weapon, and the Meridians in his right arm were eroded by cold air. Half of his body was currently numb and stiff.

But he was violent by nature. Having suffered such a great loss, how could he let it go?

"Good! Very good!" Boss Wu panted heavily, his single eye as red as blood. He suddenly turned his head, but not toward the pit. Instead, he stared fixedly at Lu Zhao.

"You little bastard, it's all because of you! If not for that arrow of yours, how could I have been injured? If I weren't injured, how could I have lost my blade just now?!" His voice was hoarse and full of malice. "If I don't skin you alive today, I won't be able to quell the hatred in my heart!"

Before his voice had even faded, the Black Evil Qi around him rose again, even more intense than before! Not only that, but within the black Qi, faint streaks of dark red blood-light flickered like flames.

Lu Zhao's heart tightened.

This was... burning essence blood to forcibly increase his cultivation!

"Boss Wu, you're crazy!" Liu Three-Knives shouted sternly. "Once essence blood is burned, your Foundation will inevitably be damaged! Is it worth it just to kill a kid?!"

"It's worth it!" Boss Wu roared, his single eye full of madness. "By killing this kid and seizing that extreme Yang Cultivation Technique of his, I can neutralize the cold poison in my body and even use the Yang to supplement the Yin, taking my Black Evil Skill to the next level! When that time comes, who within the three hundred miles of Black Mountain will be my match?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, his figure burst forward!

This time, his speed was more than twice as fast as before! He turned into a black-and-red afterimage, carrying a vicious evil wind as he lunged straight for Lu Zhao! Everywhere he passed, the ground cracked and rubble flew, his Aura terrifying to the extreme!

Lu Zhao's pupils constricted.

At this moment, Boss Wu's Aura had infinitely approached the fifth level of Qi Refining! Even more terrifying was that the black-red evil flame produced by burning essence blood not only surged in power but also carried a violent bloody scent. Before he even got close, it made one's mind waver and blood flow in reverse!

I can't take this head-on!

Lu Zhao tapped his toes rapidly, his body drifting backward. Simultaneously, he struck out with both palms repeatedly. Nine Yang True Qi transformed into layers of palm shadows, arrayed before him like a wall of bronze and iron.

Boss Wu grinned maliciously. Without dodging, he threw a punch!

On his fist, the black-red evil flame condensed into a hideous ghost head that opened its large mouth and bit fiercely toward the palm shadows!

"Boom—!"

The palm shadows shattered!

Lu Zhao felt an overwhelming force crash into him. Both his arms shook violently, a sweet taste rose in his throat, and he nearly spat out blood.

He used the force to retreat further, his body moving like a willow catkin in the wind, swaying and unstable.

Boss Wu pressed his advantage relentlessly, striking with both fists and feet. Every blow carried an evil wind like the howling of ghosts and wolves, completely enveloping the ten-foot area around Lu Zhao.

Wherever the black-red evil flames reached, plants withered, soil and stones turned black, and corrosive-like marks were left on the ground.

Lu Zhao pushed the defensive stances of the Wudang Long Fist and Tai Chi to their limits, parrying, blocking, redirecting, or absorbing. His figure wove through the sky full of fist shadows, narrowly escaping danger time and again.

Although Nine Yang True Qi could suppress Yin evil, Boss Wu was currently using essence blood as fuel. The power of the evil flames had surged so much that it actually showed signs of overwhelming him!

More troublesome was the bloody, violent Aura contained within the evil flames, which constantly assaulted Lu Zhao's mind.

Within his mind, the Nine Yang Divine Skill Mind-Cultivation Technique operated automatically to maintain clarity, but he still felt distracted and irritable, his Moves gradually becoming sluggish.

"Kid, how much longer can you hide?!"

Boss Wu laughed wildly. He suddenly changed his punch into a claw, his five fingers curving like hooks. Black-red evil flames flickered at his fingertips as he clawed toward Lu Zhao's face! The wind from the claw was so sharp that it stung his skin before even touching it.

Lu Zhao tilted his head to avoid it, while simultaneously slashing his right palm diagonally toward the man's wrist pulse.

Without dodging, Boss Wu's other hand shot out like a ghost, aiming straight for Lu Zhao's heart!

This change of Move was extremely fast. Lu Zhao's old strength was spent and new strength had not yet risen. He could only force a breath of Qi, pressing his left palm down to protect his chest.

"Bang!"

Their palms collided.

Lu Zhao felt a strange force—both scorching and insidiously poisonous—penetrate through his palm. The Meridians in his left arm felt as if they were being seared by a branding iron, the pain piercing to his heart! He let out a muffled groan and was sent flying backward, crashing into the outer wall of the ancestral hall with a "thud," causing the wall to crack.

"Mr. Lu!"

Inside the ancestral hall doors, Qin Wan cried out in alarm and was about to rush out, but she was held back firmly by Granny Xue.

He Shan's eyes were nearly splitting with rage. Ignoring his shoulder injury, he grabbed a single-edged blade left on the ground and prepared to step forward to help.

But Yan Meng grabbed him, gritting his teeth and shaking his head: "Don't go! Those evil flames will injure you on contact. Going there is just seeking death!"

"Are we just going to watch the Teacher..." He Shan growled.

Before he could finish, the situation on the field changed again!

Having succeeded in his strike, Boss Wu's Aura grew even stronger. He followed like a shadow, chasing closely and raising his foot to kick at Lu Zhao's head! This kick carried the momentum of wind and thunder; if it landed solidly, the skull would surely shatter!

With his back against the earthen wall, Lu Zhao had nowhere to retreat.

In the spark of a moment, he slammed both palms against the ground, using the force to flip his body and narrowly avoid the kick.

Boss Wu's kick missed and stepped heavily onto the wall. With a "boom," half of the earthen wall collapsed, and dust filled the air.

Lu Zhao took the Opportunity to roll to his feet, a thread of blood already leaking from the corner of his mouth. The Meridians in his left arm were burning with pain. His Nine Yang True Qi was desperately trying to expel the intruding evil flames, but the progress was slow.

Boss Wu turned around, his single eye filled with a cat-and-mouse mockery: "Not bad, you can still jump around.

I want to see how many more hits you can take!"

He slowly raised his hand. Black-red evil flames condensed in his palm, forming a foot-long flame dagger. The blade flickered unsteadily, emitting a heart-palpitating Aura of malevolence.

"This strike will cripple your Dantian."

Boss Wu stepped forward. One step, two steps—his Aura climbed steadily with each one.

Lu Zhao took a deep breath, suppressing his churning blood and Qi. Within his mind, the Nine Yang Divine Skill Mind-Cultivation Technique operated to its limit. That wisp of purple Qi in his Dantian spun frantically, attempting to break through the sluggish points that had been eroded by the evil flames during the palm strike.

But there wasn't enough time.

As Boss Wu's third step landed, his figure vanished like a ghost!

In the next instant, he appeared just a few feet in front of Lu Zhao. The flame dagger thrust out rapidly, aimed straight for Lu Zhao's abdomen!

Before the blade even arrived, the scorching, poisonous evil intent already made his skin feel like it was splitting.

Lu Zhao's pupils constricted and his muscles tensed as he prepared for a desperate final struggle—

Right at that moment!

His mind suddenly cleared!

A simple, white message, like an icy spring flowing through, suddenly surfaced:

[Detected that the host is in critical danger, between life and death.]

[You may consume one 'Martial Arts Enlightenment' Opportunity to temporarily comprehend the first level of the Heaven and Earth Great Shift—'Shifting Palaces and Changing Points'.]

[Do you accept?]

Lu Zhao's heart shook violently.

The Heaven and Earth Great Shift! The ultimate skill of the Ming Cult, the peerless technique Zhang Wuji relied on to dominate the world! Its first level, 'Shifting Palaces and Changing Points', was best at redirecting an enemy's force and using their own strength against them, finding a sliver of hope in a desperate situation!

He did not hesitate.

"Accept!"

The moment the message faded, countless profound mantras, force-exertion techniques, and blood-Qi acupuncture point diagrams flooded into his brain like a tide! It was as if he had practiced this skill for decades; every bottleneck and every subtle use was crystal clear to him!

At the same time, Boss Wu's blade was already half a foot from his body!

The black-red evil flames on the flame dagger were almost licking Lu Zhao's clothes.

Lu Zhao suddenly smiled.

He no longer retreated, nor did he block.

Instead, he took a half-step forward toward the blade's edge. His hands shot out like lightning, but not to grab the dagger—instead, they clamped onto Boss Wu's wrist!

A flash of bewilderment crossed Boss Wu's single eye, which then turned into a snarl—seeking death! His blade's momentum didn't change; instead, he added more force to the thrust, intending to pierce through Lu Zhao's hands as well!

But at the moment Lu Zhao's hands touched the skin of his wrist—

Boss Wu felt the acupuncture points on his wrist go numb. A strange, soft force flowed backward through the Meridians of his arm. Wherever it passed, the evil flame energy he had condensed at the blade's edge actually vanished by thirty percent, like a clay ox entering the sea! Not only that, but the remaining seventy percent of the force was guided by that soft energy, shifting its direction slightly and sliding off to the side!

"What?!" Boss Wu was horrified.

In that split second of distraction, Lu Zhao's fingers clamped onto his wrist like iron pincers. His body turned with the momentum, using the man's forward charge to pull and throw!

"Shifting Palaces and Changing Points"—redirecting the enemy's force and using their own strength against them!

Boss Wu felt a massive force transmit from his own arm, and he uncontrollably stumbled forward! The flame dagger grazed past Lu Zhao's waist, tearing his clothes with a "chi" sound but failing to wound the flesh.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhao had already slid to his side. He delivered an elbow strike, smashing it heavily into the old wound on the man's ribs!

"Bang!"

Boss Wu groaned, the pain in his ribs making his vision go dark. But he was, after all, a hardened bandit who had fought for years. In this critical moment, he roared and swung his left fist in a backhand sweep, forcing Lu Zhao back.

The two separated by several steps.

Boss Wu pressed his hand against his ribs, his single eye staring at Lu Zhao with shock and suspicion: "You... what kind of ghost technique was that just now?!"

Lu Zhao stood firm and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air. The burning pain in the Meridians of his left arm had actually decreased slightly during that mysterious exertion of force. He looked up at Boss Wu, the corners of his mouth turning up slightly:

"The technique?"

"I'll teach you."

Boss Wu's expression shifted between shock and fury. Just as he was about to lung again, the ghostly blue cold mist in the deep pit behind him suddenly surged. The ice crystal arm reached out once more—but this time, it grabbed toward both Boss Wu and Lu Zhao simultaneously! The thing underground actually intended to drag the two people with the strongest blood-Qi on the field down into the abyss together!