Chapter 46: Encounter with Xu Beichen!
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Xu Beichen’s figure vanished from the spot in an instant. Ye Xiao’s pupils contracted, and he instinctively raised his sword to block!
“Clang!”
The broken blade collided with Xu Beichen’s longsword, sending sparks flying!
Ye Xiao felt an overwhelming force surge through the blade. He was jolted backward several yards, the soles of his shoes scraping two charred black marks across the ground.
“Is that all you’ve got?” Xu Beichen sneered. With a twist of his wrist, the sword came stabbing forward again like a venomous serpent!
Ye Xiao gritted his teeth and twisted aside. The blade grazed his neck, leaving behind a thin line of blood.
He swung his broken sword backhanded at Xu Beichen’s waist, but Xu Beichen casually raised his knee and knocked it away!
“Too slow.” Xu Beichen gave a mocking laugh, then abruptly changed his move and struck Ye Xiao in the chest with his palm!
“Pfft—”
Ye Xiao spat out a mouthful of blood and staggered backward.
Han Qi watched in horror. Clenching her fists, she suddenly turned and sprinted toward the other end of the street!
Xu Beichen caught sight of her leaving from the corner of his eye, but paid no attention.
He advanced slowly toward Ye Xiao, the tip of his sword scraping across the ground with a grating sound.
“I heard your sister is still alive. Don’t worry. Once I kill you, I’ll send her down to keep you company.”
Ye Xiao’s eyes turned bloodshot as the profound power within him began to surge wildly! He abruptly stepped forward and thrust his broken sword straight at Xu Beichen’s throat!
“Dragon Fang Splits the Heavens!”
A dragon’s head, formed from sword energy, roared forth. Xu Beichen merely smiled contemptuously. Forming a seal with his left hand, he caused a crystal-clear shard of bone, lustrous as jade, to materialize before his chest—the Immortal Bone!
“Boom!”
The dragon-shaped sword energy slammed into the radiant barrier emanating from the Immortal Bone and instantly disintegrated!
Xu Beichen remained completely unharmed. With a backhanded swing, he brought his sword down onto Ye Xiao’s shoulder!
“Gah!”
Ye Xiao groaned and dropped to one knee, blood gushing down his shoulder.
“How is it? This is your sister’s Immortal Bone. Impressive, isn’t it?”
Xu Beichen kicked him in the chest. Ye Xiao flew backward like a torn sack and crashed heavily into a wall!
“How boring.” Xu Beichen shook the blood from his sword and advanced at a leisurely pace. “I thought you might at least help me warm up.”
Ye Xiao struggled to rise, but his severe injuries caused him to collapse once more. Xu Beichen looked down at him from above and raised his longsword high.
“Stop!”
A sharp shout rang out!
Xu Beichen paused and turned to look.
Han Qi was rushing over with a squad of black-armored enforcers. The captain at their head carried a long halberd and said coldly, “Private combat is forbidden within Spirit Road Town!”
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Xu Beichen narrowed his eyes and slowly lowered his sword. “So it’s the Enforcement Squad.”
He displayed the token of the Young Sect Master of the Xuanhuang Sect at his waist and said indifferently, “This man killed a disciple of my Xuanhuang Sect in broad daylight. I was merely acting on behalf of justice.”
The captain’s expression shifted when he saw the token, and he hesitantly looked toward Ye Xiao.
Han Qi hurriedly said, “They provoked him first! I can testify!”
“Miss Han, this…” The captain looked troubled. The Xuanhuang Sect wielded immense power. How could a mere enforcement captain dare offend its young sect master?
He then turned toward Xu Beichen and said with an awkward smile, “Young Master Xu, please don’t put us in a difficult position, all right?”
One was the young sect master of the Xuanhuang Sect, while the other was the future mistress of the Mu family. He could afford to offend neither of them.
Seeing this, Xu Beichen’s lips curled into a cold smile.
He bent down and leaned close to Ye Xiao’s ear, murmuring, “You’re lucky today. But once you enter the Spirit Road, no one will be able to save you.”
With that, he straightened and waved toward the enforcement squad. “All right. Let’s go.”
The captain looked as though he had just received a pardon and hurriedly led his men away.
Han Qi rushed to Ye Xiao’s side and tremblingly helped him up. “How are you?”
Ye Xiao coughed up another mouthful of blood and forced himself to shake his head. “I’m… I’m fine.”
Just then, a familiar voice rang out!
“Ye Xiao!”
Du Mao and Zhuge Lingyun strode over from the crowd.
When Du Mao saw Ye Xiao covered in blood, fury immediately blazed in his eyes! He spun around and threw a punch at Xu Beichen, who was about to leave!
“Xu Beichen! You’re courting death!”
Xu Beichen hurriedly turned and raised his sword to block!
Bang!
The force of the punch collided with the blade, driving Xu Beichen back several steps. His expression darkened.
“Du Mao? You want to interfere too?”
Du Mao was about to attack again, but Zhuge Lingyun reached out and stopped him.
“Young Sect Master Xu, the Spirit Road trial is about to begin. Why rush to settle this now?” Zhuge Lingyun said as he idly waved his folding fan. His tone was calm, but his eyes were cold as ice.
Xu Beichen stared at Zhuge Lingyun for a long moment before suddenly laughing.
“Very well. Since Mr. Zhuge has spoken, I’ll grant you this favor.”
He sheathed his longsword and turned to leave, throwing one final remark over his shoulder:
“Ye Xiao, I’ll see you on the Spirit Road.”
After Xu Beichen had gone some distance, Du Mao hurriedly helped Ye Xiao to his feet.
“You idiot, why did you go charging in alone again?”
Ye Xiao gave a bitter smile. “I didn’t expect to run into him so soon either!”
Zhuge Lingyun was about to speak when his brows suddenly drew together. He turned and looked toward the distant volcanic crater!
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“What is it, sir?” Du Mao asked in confusion.
Zhuge Lingyun’s expression was grave. “The aura within the volcano… something is wrong.”
Ye Xiao followed his gaze. The volcanic crater, which had been calm moments before, now shimmered with an eerie red glow!
“What is that…”
Before he could finish, a roar that shook heaven and earth erupted from deep within the volcano!
The entire Spirit Road Town trembled!
The crowd in the streets instantly fell into chaos, with screams ringing out from every direction!
“A demon beast! A demon beast is coming out!”
“Run!”
Zhuge Lingyun’s expression changed drastically. “This is bad! The demon race has acted ahead of schedule!”
He seized Ye Xiao and Du Mao by the arms. “Back to the inn at once! We must enter the Spirit Road immediately!”
Ye Xiao’s heart tightened—Mu Bai was still in the hands of the demon race!
The red glow above the volcano grew brighter and brighter, as though some enormous creature were struggling to break free from beneath the earth!
After returning to the station, Ye Xiao took another healing pill. While circulating his profound power to recover from his injuries, he listened to Zhuge Lingyun’s instructions.
“This town is one of the starting points for the eight Spirit Roads!”
Zhuge Lingyun pointed toward the distant volcano and continued, “See that volcano? The demon race sealed within it is located there. You must make your way there on foot.”
Du Mao was relatively calm, having come here before. Ye Xiao and Han Qi, however, were visiting for the first time. They gazed at the volcano, which appeared deceptively close, yet both knew that the journey would be anything but easy.
As the saying went, a mountain might look close, but reaching it could exhaust one’s legs.
Moreover, along the way they would have to guard against attacks from demon beasts, as well as from the other participants in the trial.
“Remember! Of the three of you, only one may climb the mountain! Once you reach the foot of the mountain, the other two must return immediately. The faster, the better!”
Ye Xiao, Du Mao, and Han Qi exchanged glances and nodded.
“Mr. Zhuge, is Mu Bai there as well?”
After a brief moment of thought, Zhuge Lingyun nodded. He looked toward Han Qi, who had just spoken.
“I don’t know why they took Mu Bai away, but if we want to release the demon race sealed within the volcano, that is the only place we can go.”
Han Qi turned toward Ye Xiao. “Ye Xiao, I…”
Ye Xiao rose to his feet and said in a deep voice, “Don’t worry. I will bring Mu Bai back safely!”
…
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