Chapter 53: Madness and Folly

Xia Jiuxuan dragged Han Yu, darting swiftly through the winding alleys. Powerful auras pressed from behind, relentless in their pursuit. They hadn’t dared to make a move inside the Supreme Mystics Academy, so clearly these men had been lying in wait outside for a long time.

After a prolonged chase, since Xia Jiuxuan did not employ any advanced movement techniques, the pursuers drew ever closer—now separated by only a few dozen yards. Emerging into an open area not far from the imperial city walls, they were finally confronted.

“Stop him!” came a shout.

A hum trembled in the air as arcane patterns materialized ahead, weaving into a complex and sinister array. In an instant, Xia Jiuxuan’s speed faltered. It was a deceleration trap.

“Still daring to pursue me? courting death!” Xia Jiuxuan flung Han Yu forward and, summoning the Dragon Scale Spear, abruptly turned to face his pursuers.

With a whistle, Xia Jiuxuan’s figure moved so swiftly it blurred to the eye. The men behind him never expected Xia Jiuxuan to reverse and attack; their combined momentum brought them together in a heartbeat.

In a single breath, Xia Jiuxuan was among them.

A burst of spear intent—one of their number had his head pierced through on the spot. That man was their group’s spellcaster.

In any battle, one’s first opportunity must be used to eliminate the spellcasters—otherwise, the consequences would be dire. This was a lesson Xia Jiuxuan had learned well.

“You brat, you broke through the trap and dared to counterattack!” The remaining pursuers were both shocked and furious at the spellcaster’s death. Were it anyone else, such a feat would have been unthinkable.

Before they could react, Xia Jiuxuan withdrew several yards.

Running was now impossible. Planting his spear into the ground, Xia Jiuxuan stood his ground.

“So it’s you,” he said coolly, recognizing the man who stepped forward.

“That’s right—it’s me,” the man replied. “Can’t believe I didn’t kill you that day. I’ve been waiting for this moment. Been stalking you for ages, and you finally dared to show yourself.”

Leading the group was a man wielding a war blade, exuding murderous intent. His appearance caught Xia Jiuxuan slightly off-guard. These weren’t men from the Alchemist Hall, nor the Yang family, but rather Liang Yidao—the son of the Northern Blade King.

When Xia Jiuxuan first joined the Nirvana Institute, he’d been rather brash, and Liang Yidao had wanted to kill him, only to be stopped repeatedly by his elder brother. It became a thorn in Liang Yidao’s heart, one he could not ignore. Thus, he found a way to slip out of the institute and brought experts with him to ambush Xia Jiuxuan.

“So it’s just you, you useless wretch,” Xia Jiuxuan sneered. “What, can’t handle me yourself, so you drag along cultivators at the Profound Connection Realm?”

Liang Yidao had brought three guards at the third level of Profound Connection, plus a fifth-level spellcaster—though the spellcaster was now dead by Xia Jiuxuan’s spear.

“You lowborn cur! Still got the nerve to swagger when you’re about to die? You’re driving me mad!” Liang Yidao detested arrogance more than anything; to him, someone being arrogant in his presence was as intolerable as being jabbed in the rear with a stick.

“Young master, we can’t delay any longer. If the Institute discovers you slipped out, it’ll be big trouble. Allow me to act—we’ll kill him at once,” one of the Liang family guards urged.

“Out of my way!” Liang Yidao kicked the man aside. “This cur must die by my blade. No one interferes!”

The three guards hesitated. One ventured, “If you’re in danger, young master, should we still not intervene?”

Slap! Liang Yidao backhanded him. “Are you asking for death? Do you dare suggest I could lose to this cur? One more word and I’ll sever your head myself!”

“Forgive me, young master!” The guard dropped to his knees and withdrew, not daring another word.

Liang Yidao pointed his blade at Xia Jiuxuan. “Kneel and accept your fate!”

But in a flash, it was Xia Jiuxuan who moved first—a blur of motion.

Who was Xia Jiuxuan? If Liang Yidao could not abide arrogance, Xia Jiuxuan could tolerate it even less.

Bang! With a domineering punch, he struck Liang Yidao in the abdomen, sending him flying more than ten yards.

“Young master!”

The three guards rushed to catch Liang Yidao, their faces ashen.

“Out of my way!” Blood trickled from Liang Yidao’s lips as he shoved them aside in fury.

“Scum! You dare sneak attack...”

He was beside himself with rage—injured in an instant, his pride would not allow it.

“Foolish dog, am I supposed to bow and salute before striking?” Xia Jiuxuan looked at him with utter disdain.

“Damn you! You’re forcing my hand!” Liang Yidao roared, blood flames igniting along his war blade.

“Tyrant Blade! Kill!”

The crimson blade conjured a massive phantom, the temperature soaring as if the very air ignited. This was Liang Yidao’s signature move—burning his own blood to unleash his full might without hesitation. Such a strike could easily kill a first-level Profound Connection cultivator. This was the source of his arrogance.

Xia Jiuxuan did not falter either. Demonic blood surged to the eleventh level, and the intent of the spear coiled about him.

Boom!

The earth trembled as the crimson blade shadow descended.

Clang!

Spear met blade, colliding with a thunderous force. The air itself crackled with countless tiny lightning arcs.

“Young master!” Sensing the sheer ferocity, the three guards cried out in alarm. They knew all too well—their young master was no match for this youth. Even they, seasoned warriors, were wary of such overwhelming power.

A boy at the sixth level of the Palace Entry stage, yet capable of such strength—it defied belief.

A scream cut the air as Liang Yidao was sent flying, crashing heavily into one of his guards. He and the guard staggered back several yards before coming to a stop.

“I lost... damn it, how could I lose!” Liang Yidao’s hands were split open, his chest torn by the backlash, heart exposed and beating visibly through the wound. He was unwilling, unaccepting.

He was at the eighth level of Palace Entry, his family’s blade technique honed to the extreme, yet he was defeated by a lowborn youth from a small city. He could not accept it.

“Scum! Even if I die, I’ll take you with me!”

Liang Yidao went mad, plunging his hand into his own chest, piercing his heart to draw forth the purest essence blood.

“Young master, no!” The three guards paled, trying to stop him, but Liang Yidao, in his frenzy, threw them back.

“Die!”

Leaping skyward, his entire form exuded a demonic, savage blade intent.

Liang Yidao unleashed every ounce of his strength. After this blow, no matter the outcome, he would surely perish.

For the sake of killing his hated enemy, he was willing to gamble his life.

“Hmph,” Xia Jiuxuan sneered. “Mad enough—but too stupid.”

Xia Jiuxuan did not disdain arrogance, but he despised fools who gambled their lives at the drop of a hat.

Even so, he dared not be careless. In this desperate gambit, Liang Yidao’s power rivaled that of a second-level Profound Connection cultivator.