Chapter 33: Chapter 31: Graceful

Amid the fierce explosions, the exquisite buildings of Luo Fugu De Villa toppled like rotten wood. Two figures leapt out from the crashing structures, Wind Riding in midair, spelllight dancing across the sky. The people of Luo Fugu De Villa rushed out to watch. They had always known Viscount Luo Fugu De's divine skill to be unrivaled, and now seeing his opponent—a boy barely over twenty—able to trade dozens of blows with the Viscount on equal footing, they were astonished. Labi Ke and the others recognized the boy as Luo Shan, and, surprised, felt a hint of fear. They knew Viscount Luo Fugu De's plan, and now seeing Luo Shan break through the heavens, it meant Luo Fugu De's plan had utterly failed.

Viscount Luo Fugu De swung his long sword, each strike capable of cleaving mountains and cracking stone, yet Luo Shan calmly blocked every blow, his surprise even greater than Labi Ke's. He considered himself already at the level of a Human Emperor; looking across the continent, only a handful such as Ming Guang might match him. Though he knew Luo Shan might already possess Emperor‑level power, he paid it no mind. Yet in this battle he discovered Luo Shan's magical strength to be formidable—perhaps not quite equal, but scarcely far off. A blood‑thirsty soul truly powerful; with such strength, no wonder he could slay Ordon.

Nevertheless, Viscount Luo Fugu De was a rare master; once his mind steadied, he forced Luo Shan into a disadvantage. Luo Shan's strength lay in the exquisite Creation Sword Art, while the Viscount excelled in battlefield experience; for each sword Luo Shan launched, the Viscount could glimpse possible follow‑up moves and counter with powerful magic. Since Luo Shan's magical power was already less abundant than the Viscount's, facing the Viscount's fierce magical counterattack he could only block with his sword. Thus the disadvantage deepened; after nearly a hundred exchanges, the power within him began to wane. The Viscount's onslaught remained mighty, and after another hundred strikes, Luo Shan would be overwhelmed by the Viscount's ferocious attack!

After fighting in midair for a long time, Luo Shan first felt exhausted, withdrew his Wind Riding technique, and leapt to the ground; the Viscount then dispelled his spells, and the two resumed combat on the earth. Pei Er, watching from the side, sensed Luo Shan's fatigue and grew worried; seeing them clash on the ground, she immediately drew her long sword and rushed into the battle. Though she could not wield magic, her swordsmanship was directly transmitted by the Sword God. In his prime, the Sword God roamed the continent with a single long sword, slaying so many mages that they never again underestimated swordsmen—truly unrivaled. The Viscount, having sparred several times with this exquisite Creation Sword, recognized its power and did not take it lightly; he parried Luo Shan's overhead slash, but before he could counter, the sword's arc returned, deflecting Pei Er's strike. When he attempted to use magical power against Pei Er, Luo Shan's assault resumed, forcing the Viscount to hastily retreat his sword for self‑defense. Thus the two's attack‑defense rhythm instantly turned the tide, leaving the Viscount hampered at every turn, his sword techniques unable to execute countless follow‑ups. Conversely, Luo Shan and Pei Er alternated attack and defense, and in an instant reversed the situation.

"Bavaria, what do you think of this battle?"

At that moment a voice rang out. The people of Luo Fugu De Villa instinctively turned toward the sound and saw, not far away in the sky, two figures suddenly appear. "In my view, although the two youngsters seem to have the upper hand, they are still extremely dangerous. Viscount Luo Fugu De's divine skill is astonishing; if one can find a gap and wound either of them, victory is still assured. For the two youngsters to injure the Viscount, however, is exceedingly difficult."

"Not bad. However, if you, Bavaria, join in, then the Viscount Luo Fugu De would have no reason to expect victory, right?"

The words burst out, and everyone present felt a jolt in their hearts. Viscount Luo Fugu De, amid the fierce battle, heard them and was startled. Bavaria's reputation thundered across the world; if he intervened, the Viscount's chance of victory would become exceedingly slim.

"Hei Sen, what do you mean by that?" Bavaria looked at his companion and frowned. "Are you not going to act?" "You came here to help your illegitimate daughter, what does that have to do with me?" Hei Sen laughed heartily. "Viscount Luo Fugu De is such a figure that even the Grand Master Ming Guang could not achieve success under his hand; how could a mere Hei Sen dare to oppose Luo Fugu De Villa? Bavaria, this time I agreed to come with you, but I never said I would intervene. You should know that accompanying you is already a generous act; think of those guys from Saxon and Mecklen—after receiving your signal, they didn't even give a single response, did they?"

"Hei Sen, I understand. This matter is entangled too deeply; if you refuse to act, I won't blame you," Bavaria sighed. "Since that's the case, why do you still persist in opposing Viscount Luo Fugu De?" Hei Sen shook his head. "Is it really worth risking your life for a bastard daughter you've only met once?" "Hei Sen, you don't get it," Bavaria said slowly. "In my youth, I committed a mistake that caused Pei Er's mother to be driven out of town into the wilderness, never to be heard from again. Unexpectedly, she left behind a daughter. If it weren't for later encountering the Sword God, fighting and becoming close friends, the Sword God spoke of rescuing a baby girl in the wild, the cradle bearing a letter left by her mother; that's when I learned that I, Bavaria, actually have a daughter, and that daughter had become a disciple of the Sword God." He closed his eyes. "Yet all these years I never dared to see her. Until a recent chance encounter, I met Pei Er and realized she was the disciple the Sword God mentioned—that is, my daughter… Heaven, I had hoped to keep her by my side, to recognize each other as father and daughter, but during the great battle at Luo Fugu De Villa, she rushed out, was struck by Ming Guang's spell, and fell into the Nine Nether Realm!"

"I thought I would never see her again. Who knew that passing by here yesterday, I sensed her presence. Hei Sen, this is my only chance for redemption; if you won't act, then step aside."

"Bavaria," Hei Sen said, his expression unchanged as he stared at him. "If you act now, you may not win; should you be defeated, death is certain. Your death matters little—when the final battle at Cold Mountain Hall comes, the Spirit God Temple will be missing you and will surely lose. So striking now would be irresponsible to the Spirit God Temple. I cannot let you do something foolish."

"Hei Sen!" Bavaria's anger surged. "I will rescue my daughter; please step aside."

"No." Hei Sen shook his head, still standing in front of Bavaria.

"Today I will spare no cost to stop your reckless act."

"Since you say that," Bavaria sighed. "Then I have no choice but to strike you." "Very well, come at me," Hei Sen's expression remained unchanged as black threads of light streamed from his fingertips. Bavaria waved both hands, and a pure white barrier formed instantly. Two masters of the Spirit God Temple, ignoring the fierce battle just a stone's throw away, began to duel each other. Bavaria focused on breaking through Hei Sen's block to join the attack on Viscount Luo Fugu De, striking without mercy, and Hei Sen was far from an easy opponent; this duel, compared with Luo Shan's clash with the Viscount, was equally formidable.

Pei Er swung her sword against the powerful opponent, her heart filled with indescribable astonishment. Bavaria turned out to be her biological father, a fact she had been unaware of for twenty years. Yet everything Bavaria had just said seemed so logical, and now he was risking everything to help her—such affection could not be feigned. Her mind in turmoil, her sword techniques scattered. Viscount Luo Fugu De spotted a flaw and unleashed three rapid strikes, forcing her into a flurry. If Luo Shan had not been fighting fiercely beside her, she would have been wounded. Even though she remained unharmed, the battlefield's situation had already reversed. The Viscount began a full‑scale assault on Pei Er, making the battle suddenly extremely dangerous.

Seeing Pei Er's peril, Bavaria's anxiety surged and the light between his fingers flared. Hei Sen, who had not wanted to fully clash with him, was startled by the sudden surge of the opponent's magical power and, forced, stepped aside. Bavaria, having no desire to fight, seized the moment when Hei Sen retreated, dispelled his spell, and used Wind Riding to charge fiercely at Viscount Luo Fugu De.

Yet in that split‑second of electric thunder, Viscount Luo Fugu De spotted a gap, swung his sword back, forcing Luo Shan to involuntarily step back three paces; his left hand made a phantom grab in mid‑air, and a black beam shot forth—the Spirit God Temple's secret technique, the Dark Arrow. It is among the continent's most sinister offensive spells; the Viscount had stumbled upon it during his early travels and spent decades honing it at home. The spell's light surged with blinding speed, and before Pei Er could react, it struck her chest. She could not wield magic and lacked a protective barrier like Luo Shan and Bavaria; the ferocious Dark Arrow pierced her chest like a hammer, the world around her instantly lost color, her right‑handed long sword flew from her grasp, and she collapsed to the ground.

Luo Shan and Bavaria both shouted in shock and rushed to rescue. Bavaria led the charge, leaping into the fray, his hands blazing, instantly entangling Viscount Luo Fugu De in an inextricable clash. Luo Shan, uninterested in the fight, seized the chance while Bavaria held the Viscount, withdrew his spell, and used Wind Riding to reach Pei Er's side. He saw her eyes tightly shut, her face as pale as paper, blood staining her mouth and chest, and his heart ached. He knew Pei Er, fully aware she could not use magic and was no match for the Viscount, still threw herself into the battle solely for his safety.

"Pei Er," his hands trembled, feeling the body he held grow increasingly cold. "Pei Er, we must leave this place. I'll go with you."

"To a place where only you and I exist."