Chapter 299: You Also Know You Are a Monster

Xiao Yu pressed her lips tightly together, her gaze cold and focused; two tiny specks of blood splattered her left cheek.

Just a moment ago, a piece of flesh had been sliced from her left shoulder, blood splashing over half her neck and staining the front of her left lapel red.

Xiao Yu knew that death was consuming her, bit by bit.

In the prime of her youth, although she had spent years escorting goods and traveling the world, she had never imagined she would die.

But now, she seemed to have heard the footsteps of death; even the miserable scene of her dying in the forest had just flashed through her mind.

Even with her strong will, she could not help but feel a touch of self-pity at this moment.

This pair of biological sisters before her clearly were not fighting together for the first time; their saber techniques were quite tacitly coordinated from the start.

Sometimes attacking from the left and right, sometimes one in front and one behind, and the younger sister who had just joined the fray—with a round, bulging object tied to her waist—was even more sinister and ruthless, occasionally bending down suddenly to attack Xiao Yu's lower body; if not for the fact that Xiao Yu's Cloud Snake Step Lightness Skill had already achieved some success, she likely would have fallen victim to her dirty tricks long ago.

Xiao Yu fought two opponents alone. Her Five Tigers Flock of Sheep Saber was already at the Great Success Realm, and having been taught by Xiao Zongting since childhood, she unexpectedly unleashed the inner essence of this saber technique in this moment of crisis!

The pair of sisters, seeing that Xiao Yu had only been flustered for a moment and had been stabbed in the left shoulder, were greatly astonished to see her gradually steady her footing, and their own moves involuntarily became a few degrees more ferocious.

Suddenly, the younger sister with the round, bulging object tied to her waist slashed Xiao Yu's left leg from the side; the cut was quite deep, the skin and flesh turned outward, and blood stained half her leg.

With her left leg injured, Xiao Yu's stance was immediately affected; her complexion was already somewhat pale, cold sweat trickled down, and a look of fear began to emerge in her beautiful eyes.

As Xiao Yu brandished her Blade Shadow, she thought, "Is this it? Am I going to die..."

Seeing a flash of cold light, the bloated woman looked triumphant, certain that this strike of hers would surely slit Xiao Yu's throat.

She was already aging and fading, and what she hated and envied most was a beautiful young woman with a lovely face like Xiao Yu's...

Just as the cold blade was about to cut her throat, a fist the size of a peck, like a falling meteor, suddenly flashed by and smashed into the woman's face.

The woman flew backward instantly, her entire face reduced to a pulp, with red and white matter splashing out from the gaps in the mangled flesh...

The woman was dead before she even hit the ground!

The younger sister with the round, bulging object tied to her waist, seeing her elder sister dead and the newcomer covered in blood with a stature like a mountain of flesh, immediately turned pale with fright and turned to flee, but A Mo took a single stride and thrust out a palm.

A Mo's large palm pierced through the woman's chest, as if hanging the woman upon herself.

The woman looked at the large hand protruding from her chest, that large hand dripping with blood, with a clump of trembling flesh still in the palm...

A Mo shook off the woman hanging from her arm, her gaze indifferent, and she turned her head to look at Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu, having been at the gates of hell and suddenly rescued, went limp all over and knelt on the ground; the life-and-death struggle just now had truly exhausted her, and her mind was in violent turmoil.

Xiao Yu gasped for air, drenched in sweat, and looked with gratitude at A Mo, who was covered in blood from head to toe not far away.

A Mo looked at the injured Xiao Yu on the ground, her eyes devoid of any pity, and asked coldly, "Have you seen my young mistress?"

After the Choosing Heroes Assembly, Xiao Yu and the others had eaten with the Sect Emissary, and they had met during the banquet; A Mo had been there too, and she and Lv Qingzhu, that pair of mistress and servant, had left a very deep impression at the time.

Xiao Yu shook her head. "I haven't seen her."

As soon as Xiao Yu's words fell, A Mo leaped and darted into the dense forest, disappearing from sight.

"So fast!"

Xiao Yu's eyes flickered slightly; she truly had not expected that someone of A Mo's stature could have such speed.

Xiao Yu's breathing calmed somewhat, and she sat down in the wilderness, pulling Golden Sore Medicine from her bosom to simply treat the wounds on her shoulder and leg.

After treating her wounds, Xiao Yu immediately stood up; the smell of blood here was thick, and clearly, she could not stay long.

Just as Xiao Yu was about to leave, she suddenly saw the round, bulging object wrapped in clothing on the grass not far in front of her.

That object had been tied to the woman's waist the whole time.

Xiao Yu's gaze shifted; she had actually already vaguely guessed what that object was.

She walked over, unwrapped the clothing, and immediately saw a bloody human head.

Xiao Yu was startled. "Jiang Qingyu?!"

She saw that the blood-stained head had a pale complexion and disheveled hair. Its eyes were wide open, still filled with unwillingness and pain...

Xiao Yu stared intently, feeling that the forest around her might be filled with danger everywhere; she dared not stay here any longer, and with a flash, she darted into the forest.

Xiao Yu dashed out of the forest, putting some distance between herself and the place with the thick scent of blood, and calmed down slightly.

She suddenly leaped up onto a large tree nearby, hid herself in the branches, and looked around; finding no figures or movement in the vicinity, she jumped down from the tree and continued to run in a certain direction.

As Xiao Yu moved through the forest, she prayed in her heart, "Duan Rong, you must stay alive."

In another part of the dense forest, Ximen Kankan gripped his Moon Blade Curved Saber, moving with the agility of a rabbit and the swiftness of a falcon, circling Master Dong, who was dressed in fine robes, as Blade Shadows flickered.

But Master Dong only chuckled, waving his saber to parry; Ximen Kankan's series of attacks were resolved by him with effortless ease.

After a flurry of moves, Ximen Kankan immediately knew he was no match; suddenly, he feinted with his Thunder Smoke Saber and jumped to the side, wanting to flee to the other side of the dense forest.

But just as Ximen Kankan moved, Master Dong arrived in a leap, slashing horizontally and diagonally as he attacked Ximen Kankan.

Ximen Kankan had no choice but to wave his saber to block.

Master Dong laughed, "Kid, you want to run when you can't win? Do you think I'm just a decoration?"

Seeing that this old fellow was not only powerful in his saber technique but also skilled in Lightness Skill, Ximen Kankan immediately extinguished the thought of fleeing and focused on the fight.

Master Dong was in his early forties and had never had a son, only three daughters; although he was wealthy, this had always been a source of heartache for him.

Originally, in the clearing in the forest, he had been quite dissatisfied to see that his assigned opponent was a little fatty, but upon seeing Ximen Kankan himself, he found him clever and cute, and joy suddenly rose in his heart, causing his attacks to lighten by a few degrees.

Ximen Kankan's gaze was focused, his small eyes shining with a bright, piercing light; as they fought, Master Dong began to feel that something was wrong.

Ximen Kankan's saber was actually getting faster and more devious!

A chill ran down Master Dong's back; he suddenly realized that he had begun to easily parry Ximen Kankan's attacks, and in less than half an incense stick of time, he had unconsciously begun to use his full realm.

Master Dong's gaze toward Ximen Kankan changed abruptly. "This kid actually broke through!"

Ximen Kankan had indeed broken through!

He had achieved the Great Success Realm for over half a year. As early as when he was sparring with Duan Rong on saber techniques, he had already been at the Great Success Realm.

However, his mind had never been on martial arts, so the layer of skin that was Entering Micro had never been pierced!

But at this moment, in this wild forest, facing a life-and-death crisis, all those bits and pieces of insight he had accumulated while sparring with Duan Rong gathered into a mass in an instant.

Through the tempering of life and death, he broke through in one stroke and stepped into the realm of Entering Micro!

Once Ximen Kankan stepped into the Micro-Perception Realm, he was instantly a Martial Artist of the same realm as Master Dong, and with the Thunder Smoke Saber being so strange and exquisite, Master Dong immediately felt his pressure increase greatly.

Ximen Kankan's blade momentum was like smoke, his attacks like thunder; between the reality and illusion of the Blade Shadow, it was impossible to predict.

Once Ximen Kankan advanced, he gradually gained the upper hand over Master Dong, the situation immediately reversed, and Ximen Kankan began to force Master Dong to retreat step by step, struggling to defend.

Ximen Kankan's blade momentum was fierce; suddenly, one strike pierced Master Dong's shoulder, and with a flick of the blade, he carved out a large chunk of flesh and blood.

Master Dong felt the pain and gritted his teeth, yet one could see the mangled flesh on his shoulder where blood threads densely squirmed, and the wound recovered as before in a single breath.

"Tainted Blood... monster..." Ximen Kankan cried out in astonishment.

"Monster?" Master Dong's face darkened, and he roared, "It's 'demonic human'!"

Ximen Kankan's Blade Shadow moved faster, shouting, "Old man! So, you even know you're a demonic human!"

"Bah!" Master Dong said, "We are the Tainted Blood Divine Sect!"

Master Dong felt annoyed in his heart; he had been led astray by this brat and had ended up cursing himself.

Seeing that Ximen Kankan's blade technique was strange and exquisite, and that it was difficult to win by martial arts alone, Master Dong urged his thoughts, and the blood threads all over his body instantly surged!

With the blood threads floating and squirming all over Master Dong's body, the offensive and defensive situation of the two changed once again.

Master Dong's Filthy Blood Divine Art had already reached the second level, and since Ximen Kankan was only in the Micro-Perception Realm, it was impossible for him to break through the defense of his blood thread body protection.

With the Filthy Blood Divine Art protecting his body, Master Dong ignored Ximen Kankan's attacks, his Blade Shadow flickering, and with a reckless, don't-care-about-life fighting style, he went to greet Ximen Kankan's body.

Ximen Kankan had broken through in the middle of battle and had been full of ambition just a moment ago, but in this instant, he was completely flustered.

The blood threads floating around Master Dong's body were like living things, exceptionally agile; wherever his Blade Shadow went, no matter how tricky or strange, those blood threads would instantly gather and bulge, colliding with his Blade Shadow and neutralizing his attacks.

After a few attempts, Ximen Kankan immediately gave up attacking and only dodged and defended amidst the flickering of Master Dong's Blade Shadow.

After a few breaths, Ximen Kankan had been forced by Master Dong to the base of a thick, large tree; Ximen Kankan had been forced to back against the tree, with nowhere left to retreat.

Seeing Ximen Kankan forced into a desperate situation, Master Dong finally spoke the words that had been weighing on his heart.

"Brat, I have no son. If you are willing to be my son, I will spare your life."

Sweat beaded on Ximen Kankan's forehead and his eyes were full of fear, but he still cursed, "Go be a monster with you? You old scoundrel, I wouldn't even want you as a grandson if you were one. If I had a grandson like you, wouldn't others poke me in the spine and curse me for raising such a monster grandson to ruin the family reputation?"

Master Dong was so mocked and insulted by Ximen Kankan that his face turned deathly pale, and he roared, "Since you are so unappreciative, I will have to take your life in exchange for the cultivation technique."

As Master Dong spoke, his Blade Shadow flickered, and every move attacked Ximen Kankan's vital points!

Ximen Kankan was struggling to hold on, seeing that he would lose his life if he were the least bit careless; just then, a figure like a mountain of flesh suddenly flashed out from behind the tree behind him.

That figure was so tall that as soon as it flashed out, it completely blocked the daylight on the side of the two.

Both felt the space before them darken and their hearts jump; the next moment, A Mo smashed a large fist toward Master Dong.

The fist was as large as a peck, fast as a thunderbolt; the blood threads around Master Dong's body, like a school of fish gathering to feed, instantly condensed and bulged, colliding with A Mo's peck-sized fist.

The blood threads collapsed upon contact, and A Mo's large fist smashed into Master Dong's dantian!

Master Dong flew backward like a large stone hitting the ground, kicking up a patch of withered leaves!

Although the blood threads collapsed upon contact, they had after all dissipated a portion of A Mo's fist force; even so, Master Dong's belly was still punched into a large bloody hole, with skin and flesh turned outward and intestines mashed into meat paste, dripping out...

Just as Master Dong hit the ground and before he could react, Ximen Kankan had already flashed over and severed his head with one blade strike.

A Mo's punch had broken his protective blood threads and smashed his dantian, and Ximen Kankan had seized the opportunity, not giving him a moment to react.

Ximen Kankan looked up at the blood-bathed A Mo, his eyelids twitching.

A Mo said, "Have you seen my young miss?"

Ximen Kankan said, "I haven't."

No sooner had Ximen Kankan finished speaking than A Mo's figure leaped and darted into the dense forest.

Ximen Kankan was startled and shouted, "Wait." He immediately ran in the direction A Mo had disappeared, but he could not keep up with A Mo's speed; when he ran over, he only saw the leaves of the dense forest rustling, and there was no sign of A Mo anywhere.

Ximen Kankan wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with some regret. "This guy runs really fast!"

Seeing how powerful A Mo was, he had been thinking of clinging to A Mo's leg and leaving with her, so that if he encountered any enemies, A Mo would be there to take the hit. But he hadn't expected that in the blink of an eye, A Mo would be gone.

Ximen Kankan stood in the dense forest, his small eyes darting around.

A Mo was covered in blood, and one could tell just from the amount of blood that she had already killed many people. Moreover, she was still looking for her young miss; as a Sect Emissary, Lv Qingzhu was at least in the True Qi Realm, which showed that the wilderness ambush by the Filthy Blood Sect they had encountered was definitely a major melee.

In this dense forest, there might still be enemies lurking, and he had to be extremely careful.

Thinking this, Ximen Kankan carefully listened to the movements around him, then flashed off in a certain direction.

Ximen was heading toward the edge of the dense forest; not far from the forest was the Official Road.

He had encountered Master Dong's ambush at that edge earlier and had been forced by him all the way into the dense forest.

Ximen Kankan did not walk fast; while walking, he was careful of the surrounding movements. He crossed a large tree and suddenly saw, on a large banyan tree not far away, a corpse with its waist caught in the tree fork, the corpse hanging upside down with its face toward Ximen Kankan.

The most terrifying thing was the large bloody hole in the corpse's chest, which went straight through from front to back, looking very frightening.

Ximen Kankan shrank his neck; he could tell at a glance that this was also A Mo's handiwork.

Ximen Kankan flashed past the large tree and was just about to leave when he suddenly discovered that there was another corpse lying on the ground not far away.

He turned his head abruptly and, in the mottled daylight through the gaps in the leaves, saw a familiar, beautiful face.

Ximen Kankan's lips trembled, and he immediately lunged over.

"Shuangshuang, Shuangshuang, what has happened to you?"

Ximen Kankan felt for the pulse at Xia Shuangshuang's neck; Xia Shuangshuang's corpse still had residual warmth, but the pulse had stopped long ago.

Xia Shuangshuang's charming eyes seemed even deeper than when she was alive, because at this moment, her pupils were already dilated and unfocused.

Seeing that Xia Shuangshuang was dead, Ximen Kankan was overcome with great grief; regardless of whether the surroundings were dangerous or not, he threw himself onto Xia Shuangshuang's corpse and wailed loudly, snot and tears falling in handfuls.

Xiao Yu was also carefully advancing through the dense forest when she suddenly heard a heart-wrenching cry; she frowned and flashed toward the sound of the crying...

(End of chapter)