Chapter 252: The Old Man Draws His Blade, Ends It All

"Magistrate Zhuang, Li Rui has left the city."

The voice came with rapid, labored gasps.

"Just now—he wore a night suit, but our watchers still spotted him."

The lean, muscular man's eyes gleamed with excitement.

Who knew how much cold wind he'd swallowed night after night outside Anning Guard—waited half a month just to catch that old turtle emerging.

Zhuang Renhe's expression, usually as still as a well, flickered slightly—joy, agitation, cruelty.

"I understand."

With that, he made no further move.

"My lord, why not act now?"

The muscular man stared at Zhuang Renhe, utterly baffled.

War favors speed.

Li Rui has only just left the city—this is the perfect moment to hunt him down.

Why delay?

Zhuang Renhe's face flickered with impatience: "Leave."

"Yes."

The muscular man drew a deep breath, bowed deeply, then turned and stepped out the door, pulling it shut behind him.

After he left.

Zhuang Renhe rose, walked to the purple sandalwood shelf, and turned the porcelain cup slightly.

The shelf rotated silently, revealing a dark, deep opening.

Zhuang Renhe stepped into the secret chamber.

The chamber was empty, clean, tidy; beside it stood a row of shelves holding polished torture tools and night suits.

He donned the night suit with practiced ease, then took up the long blade hanging on the wall.

Good.

The world assumed he, born of a noble family, wielded a sword—he always wore a sword at his waist.

As if any scholar must carry a sword.

This was nearly second nature to the people of Yu.

But he used a blade.

As county magistrate and a key protege of the Zhuang family, he rarely needed to fight—so he seldom drew his blade.

And all who had seen him draw it were already dead.

Every time he drew his blade, someone died.

Zhuang Renhe completed all this in silence.

Then vanished down a hidden passage at the chamber's far end.

"U-Uncle Two?!"

On a pitch-black official road.

Two young men turned—and saw Zhuang Renhe standing behind them.

'So fast!'

Both thought it simultaneously.

They'd been assigned to watch Li Rui; tonight they'd just sent their report, hadn't even left the city far, and Zhuang Renhe was already here.

"Uncle Two, that Li Rui headed this way—he's no more than half a li ahead."

"He's too cautious—we dared not follow too closely."

One of the young men whispered.

"Good."

Zhuang Renhe nodded without expression: "You've done well. I'll handle the rest—you return now."

"Yes."

The two young men's faces lit up with relief; they nodded eagerly.

Just as they turned to leave—

Suddenly, the sound of a blade being drawn.

Before either could turn, their heads rolled cleanly from their necks onto the ground.

*Clang!

The long blade slid back into its scabbard.

Zhuang Renhe's face remained expressionless—killing two nephews of his own blood was no different from slaying a beggar by the roadside.

'Don't blame your uncle for cruelty—blame your bad luck.'

This concerned immortal qi.

He would let no one know—not even a Zhuang clansman.

Clan, blood kin—they're still people. Anyone can be bought. Anyone can betray.

If the Ghost Ming Sect learned he'd stolen immortal qi, they wouldn't even need to chase him—just expose the Zhuang family's ties to them, and he'd be doomed.

Some things—

Only he needs to know.

Zhuang Renhe didn't glance at the corpses. He'd have plenty of time to bury them once he'd killed them all.

He became a shadow, darting into the forest.

"Where is he?"

Zhuang Renhe frowned slightly.

He'd chased a full li—and still saw no sign of Li Rui.

'Did he change direction?'

Zhuang Renhe's expression darkened.

As he pondered—

*Swoosh!

A whistling sound came from the darkness beside him.

Zhuang Renhe reacted instantly—in the blink of an eye, he tilted his head, avoiding it perfectly.

His gaze caught a featherless short arrow piercing a small hole through the tree.

At that moment—

A voice echoed from the forest: "Indeed, fifth-rank experts are hard to ambush."

Zhuang Renhe turned toward the voice—and saw Li Rui, dressed in identical black night suit, slowly emerging from the shadows.

Ambush?

Zhuang Renhe's eyes narrowed slightly.

But he felt no real tension.

"Alone?"

"You think you can kill me?"

He regarded Li Rui with interest.

Li Rui chuckled as he walked forward: "How else will you know?"

"Arrogant!"

Zhuang Renhe hadn't expected—he'd come to hunt Li Rui, yet now Li Rui had ambushed him.

'The rumors were right—he's deeply cunning.'

His eyes darted left and right.

"Magistrate Li, let's be straightforward—is the immortal qi with you?"

"Immortal qi?"

"What immortal qi?"

Li Rui looked genuinely puzzled.

Zhuang Renhe snorted.

Old fox—keep pretending!

"Since you won't speak, I'll search you myself!"

In a breath, Zhuang Renhe's long blade flashed from its scabbard.

It was a strange blade—black, merging with the night.

He'd spoken with Li Rui only to confirm whether he had allies; now he struck because he was certain—only Li Rui was here, or his allies were still distant.

Either way, he could kill Li Rui ten times over!

Fifth-rank versus sixth-rank was crushing.

"Die!"

Zhuang Renhe had originally planned to capture Li Rui alive.

But Li Rui's cunning was too great—he had no guarantee, so he decided to let this old man die.

Sometimes, a dead man speaks more clearly.

The icy blade intent instantly swept up the dry leaves from the ground, engulfing Li Rui.

'No wonder he's fifth-rank.'

Li Rui was more solemn than ever before.

Who would willingly challenge a higher level unless pushed to the brink?

He had already confirmed that the man who wanted him dead was Zhuang Renhe—or the Ghost Ming Sect—but it no longer mattered.

When facing someone who wants your life,

every tactic becomes fragile and useless.

He had tried to endure it, but Zhuang Renhe seemed to have targeted him specifically, refusing to let go; for half a month, he had sent men to shadow him constantly.

And whether in official rank or cultivation realm, Zhuang Renhe crushed him—could he dodge once, twice, thrice, or even for his whole life?

Even if he resigned and fled into the deep mountains, the Ghost Ming Sect would still drag him out.

Didn't Zhuang Renhe say they were after immortal qi?

So this matter must be resolved.

Facing Zhuang Renhe's powerful fifth-rank slash, Li Rui remained terrifyingly calm; Zang Feng had already appeared in his hand.

At this moment,

holding back would be sheer stupidity.

Clang!

The blades collided in midair; the terrifying force sent Li Rui reeling backward, his grip on the blade trembling.

Li Rui's heart sank.

'Is this the power of a fifth-rank?'

Even though he had now opened his dantian and stood on the brink of Ocean Viewing, without crossing that threshold, he was still an outsider.

He couldn't match it.

There was no way to match it.

Seeing his eight-tenths power strike had failed, Zhuang Renhe frowned slightly, then exclaimed in surprise:

'You're still holding back?'

'You've opened your dantian?'

'Tsk tsk, so the immortal qi really is on you.'

Zhuang Renhe's eyes gleamed with greater excitement—the stronger and more mysterious Li Rui was, the greater the chance of obtaining the immortal qi, and the more thrilled he became.

The original text is being read!

An old man like him opened a dantian? What else could this be but the blessing of immortal qi?

'Mine, mine!'

Zhuang Renhe licked his lips: 'I admit, I'm truly reluctant to kill you.'

Someone like Li Rui should be taken to a secret chamber and slowly extracted, bit by bit.

Too bad.

Li Rui's current strength exceeds my expectations, so he must die.

Zhuang Renhe no longer held back.

His black blade transformed into a giant serpent, opening its bloodied maw to swallow Li Rui whole.

Black Marsh Heavenly Serpent Diagram!

Li Rui's eyes sharpened.

Almost simultaneously with the serpent's appearance, a purple-gold dragon erupted from the mountains and forest, its wings flaring.

Dragon's Roar!

'Puff'

Li Rui's purple-gold dragon clashed with the black serpent; the terrifying force hurled him backward, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

At this moment,

Zhuang Renhe had lost all his earlier arrogance; jealousy twisted his psyche, turning his refined face violent.

'Why? Why does a worthless scum like you deserve a dragon form!'

'It should belong to me!'

Zhuang Renhe had long heard of Li Rui's dragon form.

A serpent becomes a jiao; a jiao becomes a dragon.

Who would choose to be a serpent when they could become a dragon?

He was secretly astonished.

'Incredibly powerful!'

Yet even after unleashing full power, he still couldn't subdue Li Rui; frustration boiled within him.

The black serpent twisted its body and lunged at Li Rui again.

In an instant,

Li Rui had blocked over a dozen of Zhuang Renhe's strikes.

Zhuang Renhe began to lose composure.

Though he was a civil official and lacked the killing power of a military one, his realm was still a full level higher—no illusion.

'Damn it!'

'Damn it!'

Zhuang Renhe gradually lost his reason; his blade strikes grew fiercer, the black serpent writhing wildly, his swordplay like a torrential downpour, suffocating the air.

Li Rui's expression didn't change at all.

Let the storm rage—I remain unmoved!

'One hundred thirty-seven.'

'One hundred thirty-eight.'

'One hundred eighty-five.'

Zhuang Renhe frowned slightly:

'What is he counting?'

Hearing Li Rui continuously recite numbers, he felt an inexplicable dread—as if something terrible was about to happen.

'He's counting my strikes.'

Zhuang Renhe's thoughts grew more chaotic.

His prolonged failure to defeat Li Rui made his frustration deepen.

Retreat?

Impossible.

Tonight, both he and Li Rui had revealed their identities—only one could survive.

That one must be him.

The dead one must be Li Rui.

There was no such thing as calling it quits.

As he grew more agitated, he heard Li Rui utter the final number: 'Two hundred.'

'The blade intent is complete!'

Blade intent?

As Zhuang Renhe hesitated, his pupils shrank and every hair on his body stood on end.

During their battle, Li Rui had silently woven a prison around him with his blade intent!

Li Rui's blade intent simultaneously reached its peak.

He was secretly startled, sneering: 'I admit, your sword technique is interesting—but so what? Can you even kill me?'

Li Rui smiled faintly:

'Director Zhuang, haven't you noticed something odd?'

'Odd?'

Zhuang Renhe froze at Li Rui's words, then narrowed his eyes: 'Stop playing tricks.'

He raised his blade to strike again.

But Li Rui said: 'Didn't you notice something wrong with the soil beneath my feet?'

He finished speaking.

Li Rui didn't wait for Zhuang Renhe to respond; he slowly lifted his right foot and brought it down hard.

In Zhuang Renhe's stunned gaze,

a crimson longsword suddenly burst from the earth!

Its terrifying aura made even a fifth-rank like him gasp.

'Is this… an immortal weapon?!'

The instant Zhuang Renhe saw the sword, his pupils contracted violently.

'Immortal weapon!'

'How could he possibly have an immortal weapon!'

He couldn't believe what he was seeing.

What is an immortal weapon?

An immortal weapon of a Earth Immortal!

Even some Earth Immortal experts do not possess one, showing how precious immortal weapons are.

Yet here, an immortal weapon appeared right in Li Rui's hands, pristine and gleaming.

"This is impossible!"

Zhuang Renhe's eyes turned bloodshot, his face contorted.

But Li Rui had no intention of answering.

In his eyes, sword intent raged wild; the blade's momentum reached its peak.

The night was lit by the crimson glow of the blade.

The immortal weapon cut through all things.

Zhuang Renhe's black blade, raised above his head, was split in two by the crimson immortal blade, which passed through Zhuang Renhe's body without resistance, silently.

The ultimate sharpness!

Zhuang Renhe's pupils dilated, his face filled with disbelief.

He never imagined Li Rui had hidden an immortal weapon.

Of course.

He no longer had the chance to voice his doubts.

Thud!

The two halves toppled in opposite directions; the blood, too stunned to spurt, sprayed out in all directions.

Zhuang Renhe was dead.

Li Rui stared expressionlessly at the corpse on the ground, not even considering looting it.

Could one expect a man dressed in nightclothes to carry treasures on his person?

Tonight, of course, was premeditated.

This was the grave he had chosen for Zhuang Renhe.

The blade had been buried in advance.

All to catch him off guard.

The immortal blade was powerful, but if it had been revealed at the start, Zhuang Renhe, on guard, might have fled—Li Rui's entire plan would have collapsed.

Zhuang Renhe wanted Li Rui dead; wasn't Li Rui the same?

As long as Zhuang Renhe lived, Li Rui could never rest easy.

So the immortal blade could only be used once—and it had to be a killing blow.

Everything Li Rui did tonight was for that single strike.

This time.

Li Rui did not choose to destroy the corpse.

Instead, he dipped his blade in Zhuang Renhe's blood and wrote a large "Qi" on the ground.

Having finished writing,

he slung the immortal blade on his back and vanished into the endless night.

At this moment,

a line of small characters appeared before his eyes.

【Congratulations, Host. You have completed the Intermediate Plot: Challenging a Higher-Level Opponent.】

(End of Chapter)