Chapter Fifty: Azure Robe and Crimson Blade (Third Update)

ps: At last, I've fulfilled my promise. To all the brothers who have been waiting for updates, you've worked hard. I desperately need member clicks right now. If you have an account, please, just one click—it’s so close, just a little more and the book will appear on the homepage ranking. I want so much, so much to make it, even if it's just last place, I want to see it up there before the new book comes to an end. Brothers, can you lend me a hand?

Boom!

With a face as cold as ice, Ke Bei stood impassively before the grand, gold-trimmed gates of the Blood Sword Alliance headquarters. After a brief silence, his muscles tensed suddenly, and with a fierce punch, he shattered the imposing entrance.

Bang!

The doors, exuding an ancient elegance, were reduced to fragments by Ke Bei’s fist.

Sitting upright upon a throne of purple jade, a middle-aged man in azure robes slowly raised his head, gazing with detached indifference at Ke Bei, who had smashed his way inside. His face, chiseled like a sculpture, displayed a calm as deep as an unmoving well, yet in the depths of his eyes, a fleeting murderous intent flashed.

“So, you are Ke Bei?”

The man in blue rose unhurriedly, adjusting his loose robe with languid care, and sauntered forward to stand before Ke Bei.

“Why did you kill her?”

Ke Bei’s legs stood as steady as a mountain, unwavering in the face of the murderous aura faintly radiating from the man. A sharp, cold light flashed through his bloodshot eyes as he retorted frostily.

“Oh? You care for her that much? Heart aching, is it?”

The man in blue regarded Ke Bei’s twisted expression and sneered. Then, as if carved from stone, a mad, sickly smile crept onto his stern features.

“When you killed the sole heir of the Blood Sword, you should have foreseen this day!”

“Heh, you’re still too young. If you hadn’t drawn so much attention lately, I might never have noticed you at all!”

With a sudden clench of his fist, the blue-robed man made the very air tremble. Wisps of wind coiled around his body, slicing the air with a dense, hissing sound.

“In decades, you’re only the second to inflict such pain upon me. I won’t kill you easily. I am a man who repays every slight a hundredfold. You made me suffer once; I’ll return it a hundred times over!”

A twisted, manic smile distorted his face.

“I hear you’re with the Star Condensation Squad. Heh… The squad members have vanished; I mobilized every resource and couldn’t find a single one.” He shook his head in disappointment.

“But it doesn’t matter. I heard you sent a lot of crystal coins to their families. Well… now I’ve brought all their families here. Care to watch a little performance? Live flaying, death by a thousand cuts—all sorts of interesting shows?”

Expressionless, the man in blue clapped his hands. Immediately, a group of men, women, and children were brought forth.

Most were elderly, children, or women. When Ke Bei saw their faces, his eyes widened with fury, and the vessels around his eyes burst, trickling blood down his cheeks.

Never before had Ke Bei so loathed a man, never before had he so desperately wanted to kill.

First Li Qianqian, and now the families of the Star Condensation Squad. The killing intent in Ke Bei’s heart could no longer be restrained! Every hair on his body stood on end, and his muscles trembled violently.

Enraged beyond measure!

What Ke Bei could least tolerate was others being implicated because of him. Li Qianqian was already dead because of him; if now, because of him, the families of the fallen Star Condensation Squad members were also drawn in, Ke Bei would have no face to meet them in death.

“Die!”

Veins bulged hideously along his neck, and in an instant, the broadsword on his back was drawn, hacking fiercely toward the man in blue. Blood mist clouded Ke Bei’s vision; his mind was consumed by boundless fury, and he even forgot that, without blood, his broadsword was just a common, battered blade.

“The show hasn’t even started, and you’re already impatient?”

Watching Ke Bei’s frenzied onslaught, the blue-robed man’s lips curled into a cruel, wild smile. With a subtle motion of his hand, the gentle breeze swirling around him turned razor-sharp.

Hiss!

Just as Ke Bei’s blade was about to strike, those blade-like winds sprang up gleefully, instantly coiling around his arms.

Shhh-shhh—

The breeze tore through Ke Bei’s black battle suit, shredding the armor—capable of withstanding even attacks from the divine race—into tatters. As the slicing wind lashed his arms, countless fine wounds appeared, and in a moment, his entire arm was slick with blood.

At the same time, the dense winds greatly increased resistance, as if countless invisible hands were dragging at Ke Bei’s arm. What should have been a lightning-fast blow became as sluggish as a snail’s crawl.

“Roar!”

Ke Bei’s blood dripped onto the hilt. The Nine Suns Divine Art surged madly into his arm, and with a furious roar, the combined force of his muscles and inner power shattered the invisible restraints in the air!

A subtle silver gleam flickered along the blade, and Ke Bei slashed viciously at the man in blue.

Squelch!

The man’s expression changed dramatically—he hadn’t expected Ke Bei to break free. Caught off guard, the broadsword ripped through his blue robe, grazing his body as it passed.

A hair’s breadth—less than an inch away, and Ke Bei would have landed a direct blow.

Yet, because of that tiny gap, Ke Bei’s savage attack ended in failure.

“Impressive strength.”

The blue-robed man glanced at the long tear in his chest, his expression shifting. With a gentle motion at his waist, a blood-red flexible sword appeared in his hand.

“The Blood Sword Alliance owes its current power to me, Pei Bloodsword. With this blood-red sword in hand, I carved our way to the top. For you to force me to draw my sword—after your death, you can die with pride.”

Pei Bloodsword, face impassive, slowly drew his palm along the blade. As his hand slid over it, the originally limp sword snapped taut and straight.

“But before that, let me show you a good performance, starting with the death by a thousand cuts.”

With a mad, deranged smile twisting his lips, Pei Bloodsword tapped his toe lightly and darted toward the families of the Star Condensation Squad.

Hiss-hiss—

The blood-red sword quivered, gathering invisible winds which in a flash became as sharp as blades, slicing toward a toddler of three or four.

That boy was the son of Gu Kun, captain of the Star Condensation Squad! Ke Bei had met him before, and among the squad, he was closest to the captain.

“Get away from him!”

A hoarse, desperate shout tore from Ke Bei’s throat. He stomped hard, forcing his internal energy to the very limits his meridians could withstand. Shadow Steps unfolded; though his afterimage lingered, the real Ke Bei, with an explosive sonic boom, shielded the boy with his own body.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Invisible, razor winds slashed into Ke Bei, shredding his black battle suit into ribbons and leaving hundreds of wounds across his chest.

“Astonishing speed!”

Pei Bloodsword’s eyes were steely. With his current cultivation at the peak of Mortal Transcendence, breaking the sound barrier was nothing, especially since his innate talent gave him mastery over wind. By unleashing all his techniques, he could even double his speed for a short time.

But he had noticed that, when Ke Bei broke the sound barrier, the air had not stirred—meaning Ke Bei had done it purely through physical strength!

That was truly terrifying. Apart from the mighty divine race and demon beasts, for a human to break the sound barrier without innate abilities was nearly impossible.

“Fast, is it?”

Blood gushed from his wounds. Ke Bei licked his cracked lips and smiled coldly. Glancing at the astonished Pei Bloodsword, his hand flicked at his waist, and a special throwing knife gleaming with cold light appeared in his palm.

“There’s something even faster. Care to witness it?”

As he spoke, the Nine Suns Divine Art surged wildly along his meridians, an invisible rhythm vibrating between his fingers.

“A flying knife!”

For the first time, Pei Bloodsword’s face showed caution.

Whoosh!

Ke Bei’s smile was icy. Two-thirds of his internal power poured instantly into the throwing knife, and with a bizarre flick of his wrist, the blade shot forth with dazzling brilliance, reaching three times the speed of sound in an instant—a speed beyond compare!