Chapter 20: Husband, I Didn't Disgrace You

Zhong Ling's kind offer aligned perfectly with Liu Yan's intentions.

She had come to Qingyan Town to fetch her late husband's favorite wine and was in the middle of paying her respects when she discovered someone setting up a formation array outside the town. Sinister energy permeated the air—it was unmistakably a sacrificial array.

This strange black-robed figure was actually planning to sacrifice all the common people of Qingyan Town.

Liu Yan hastily activated Qingyan Town's defensive array and moved to stop him.

The moment she engaged, she realized the situation was dire.

Her opponent was stronger than her!

Based on a rough assessment of his aura, he had just broken through to the first level of the Fifth-tier Void-Breaking Realm.

She herself was only at the ninth level of the Fourth-tier Nirvana Realm.

The only reason she'd lasted this long was because her opponent was deliberately toying with her.

It seemed he was using her as practice.

It wasn't until he struck in earnest, sending her flying to the ground, that she saw the white bone waist token on him.

Black Soul Hall!

One of the top powers in the Southern Wildlands—even the Blood Cloud Tower, the number one assassin organization, was unwilling to provoke them.

This was because everyone in the Black Soul Hall was a vicious criminal.

The cultivation methods they practiced were both evil and bizarre, and their methods were arrogant and brutal.

Moreover, the people of Black Soul Hall were extremely protective of their own and incredibly petty. If you provoked them, they'd cling to you like a stubborn rash you couldn't shake off.

But even the Black Soul Hall wouldn't dare act too brazenly in the face of Her Majesty.

The problem was that Her Majesty wasn't currently in the Imperial City—she was at the Northern Frontier.

"So that's how it is..." Liu Yan clutched her pierced shoulder and slowly climbed to her feet. "Your Black Soul Hall must be cooperating with the Barbarian Kingdom."

"The barbarians moved south to attack the Northern Frontier, and that Barbarian Sacred Master personally took action, forcing Her Majesty to lead the expedition herself. You're taking advantage of the opening."

What a scheme. What does our Great Yan Dynasty possess that's worth all this to you?"

"Poison Swamp Elder Xiang Yuanbai, one of the Six Evils of Black Soul Hall, has personally come to our Great Yan with his beloved disciple, the Heart-Piercing Sword Gu Hongmao."

Clap, clap, clap...

The young black-robed man Gu Hongmao lightly applauded. "Very clever, and quick to react..."

"Enough. Letting you practice your swordsmanship has already wasted considerable time. To avoid complications, finish her off and get to work quickly." Beside him, Poison Swamp Elder Xiang Yuanbai's voice was hoarse.

"Blood sacrificing the people of Qingyan Town will take some time. Many eyes are watching the Great Yan Dynasty—don't alert anyone else."

An excited expression appeared on Gu Hongmao's pale young face. "Don't worry, Teacher. Qingyan Town is hidden in these mountains—no one will discover us."

"How thrilling! Watching them despair as their bodies are torn apart, hearing their agonized screams—it should sound quite pleasant."

As he spoke, Gu Hongmao raised his sword and suddenly charged at Liu Yan.

Whoosh!

From beneath Gu Hongmao's black robe sleeves, his slender flexible sword suddenly retracted.

The next moment, the blade thrust from within his sleeve at an extremely cunning angle toward Liu Yan, like a striking viper.

"Ugh!" Liu Yan grunted, enduring the pain as she hastily raised her blade to block.

The slender, sharp sword tip struck the blade in Liu Yan's hand, sending sparks flying.

But the force accompanying the high-speed thrust made the blade tremble, numbing Liu Yan's hands.

"Hahahaha..." Gu Hongmao let out a shrill laugh as his sword continuously whipped about like a flexible whip, stabbing at Liu Yan from various angles.

Gu Hongmao attacking at full force was incredibly fast—the gap in their cultivation realms was painfully obvious.

"Worthy of a battle-hardened veteran! Your experience truly is rich—you can still defend against my Drilling Heart Snake Sword."

"But what about this strike?"

As soon as Gu Hongmao finished speaking, the originally flexible thin blade suddenly went rigid under the influence of spiritual qi.

Swoosh!

The sword shot out like lightning, this strike like a spike piercing the heart, flashing forward abruptly.

Liu Yan hastily raised her blade—too slow!

The slender blade scraped against the back of her knife, the hissing sparks obscuring Liu Yan's vision.

Squelch!

Liu Yan's arm was pierced through. The spiritual qi shockwave made her lose her grip on the war blade, which fell to the ground.

Clang!

The instant the war blade hit the ground, Gu Hongmao viciously stomped forward, striking Liu Yan squarely in the abdomen.

"Gah!" Liu Yan's eyes bulged as she opened her mouth and vomited blood violently. She flew backward and crashed to the ground, dragging a shallow furrow before finally stopping when she hit her husband's tombstone.

"Cough, cough... cough..." Blood accompanied violent coughing as it continuously spewed from Liu Yan's mouth. Her internal organs felt like they were churning, and her entire body felt like it was falling apart.

Liu Yan gasped for breath, spitting bloody foam. She tried to stand but staggered and sat back down on the ground.

"Why aren't you screaming? Cry out!" Gu Hongmao walked up to Liu Yan and stepped on her shoulder, grinning maliciously.

Bang!

Liu Yan's back slammed against her husband's tombstone. The pain made her sweat like rain, but she still gritted her teeth and glared viciously at Gu Hongmao without making a sound.

"How boring..." Gu Hongmao's smile faded as he thrust his sword toward Liu Yan's heart.

Facing imminent death, Liu Yan felt no fear. Her body pressed against her husband's tombstone, as if she were in his embrace.

"Husband, as your wife, I haven't disgraced you." Liu Yan showed a proud smile, closed her eyes, and prepared to welcome death.

Just when Liu Yan's death seemed certain, a finger suddenly extended from the side and lightly flicked.

Ding!

A crisp metallic collision rang out, and the sword tip that was about to pierce Liu Yan's heart was actually flicked back.

Gu Hongmao's expression changed drastically. He could clearly feel the terrifying force transmitted through the sword tip.

The repelling force made him stagger backward, nearly losing his grip on the Heart-Piercing Sword.

"What do you think you're doing to the head of my guards?"

The familiar voice and the death that never came made Liu Yan open her eyes in shock.

When she opened them, she found that Xiao Tian had somehow appeared beside her.

"Your... Your Highness?" Liu Yan stared wide-eyed. What just happened?

Xiao Tian waved his hand and pointed at Gu Hongmao. "Little girl, take him down!"

"Leave it to me." The corners of Zhong Ling's mouth lifted slightly as she charged forward, already drawing her longsword.

The blade blazed like fire. With spiritual qi surging, she resembled a crimson meteor as she crashed fiercely toward the staggering Gu Hongmao.

"So it was the Young General who blocked that fatal strike for me just now?" Liu Yan understood and mentally laughed at herself for her wild imagination.

Earlier, she had actually mistakenly thought that the person who blocked Gu Hongmao's attack might be the Prince.

Thinking about it, that was impossible. The Prince was just an ordinary person with no cultivation—how could he possibly block the famous Heart-Piercing Sword of the Black Soul Hall's younger generation?

"I sent you to fetch some wine, and you nearly got yourself killed?" Xiao Tian said while examining her ruined arms.

Liu Yan heard these words but before she could respond, she saw Xiao Tian suddenly reach out and grasp her chin.

Then her mouth was pried open and two pills were forcibly fed to her.

He then casually wiped his hands, covered in blood and filth, on his clothes without the slightest disgust.

In that instant, Liu Yan felt she had gained some new understanding of Xiao Tian.

"This is bad, Your Highness! You must have Zhong Ling take you away quickly!" After her daze, Liu Yan's expression changed as she urgently spoke. "That's Poison Swamp Elder Xiang Yuanbai of the Black Soul Hall, a Seventh-tier Awakening Realm expert!"

"If you stay here, you'll die!"