Chapter 65: So the Elder Was Looking for Acupoints

Swish!

A sword light flashed past the tip of Xia Jiuxuan’s nose.

He immediately activated his footwork, retreating several yards at full speed!

“You dare deceive me!” Duanmu Wan stared at Xia Jiuxuan, her face now etched with the words “unforgivable.”

“…”

Xia Jiuxuan was speechless; he had indeed been careless.

“Snot-nosed brat, it’s not realistic for you to try to kill me,” Xia Jiuxuan chuckled, opening his palm to reveal a wisp of ghostly fire rising in his hand.

Sensing the aura of this strange flame, Duanmu Wan’s expression changed dramatically, and she stepped back twice.

This was fear—a terror that came from the soul itself.

She was someone who had reincarnated and cultivated anew; her soul’s perception was far beyond that of ordinary cultivators. Precisely because of this, she could sense just how terrifying that wisp of ghostly fire was.

Its power was enough to drive her to despair.

The sword raised in her hand finally lowered slowly.

“Who exactly are you…” Her heart was filled with confusion; no matter how she guessed, she could not fathom this person.

“Even if I told you, you wouldn’t understand.” Xia Jiuxuan answered coolly, then added, “Are you still going to fight? If you are, I’ll kill you.”

A chill gripped Duanmu Wan’s heart—how could she dare harbor any further thoughts of fighting or killing Xia Jiuxuan?

“Senior, please enlighten me. How did you discover my identity?” Duanmu Wan actually dropped to her knees, looking up at Xia Jiuxuan with a face full of sorrow.

She had no other choice; the youth before her was simply too mysterious, too powerful.

Xia Jiuxuan secretly breathed a sigh of relief. If this woman hadn’t yielded, things would have been difficult—no matter how strong a martial art he used, she might still have escaped.

“Don’t ask about me just yet. I have some questions for you.” Xia Jiuxuan clasped his hands behind his back, adopting the air of a venerable expert.

“Please, Senior—Wan’er will answer anything you wish to know!”

After a moment’s thought, Xia Jiuxuan asked, “The Demon Emperor you mentioned earlier—what is his origin? Your father, the Swordmaster of Cangwu, was no weakling; how could he be killed so easily?”

Duanmu Wan’s heart sank at these words. Just moments ago, she had still harbored a sliver of hope—that perhaps this person really was her father reincarnated, and that her father had merely been teasing her…

But hearing this, her final hope was dashed. He was not…

She sighed softly, then said, “The power of that black-armored beast is beyond ordinary understanding. Not only was my father killed, but our entire Sword Abyss was slaughtered.”

“Do you know its exact origins?” Xia Jiuxuan inquired.

Duanmu Wan thought for a moment. “I don’t know where it came from, but I did once see its master. It seems to be kept and raised by someone!”

“???” Xia Jiuxuan frowned. He had thought these black-armored beasts were the strongest of the invading demon race. Now it seemed there was an even greater force behind them!

“Senior?” Duanmu Wan called out when she saw Xia Jiuxuan lost in thought.

He returned to himself. “Come with me. I’ll take you to find a black-armored beast to see if it matches the Demon Emperor you described.”

Duanmu Wan’s expression sharpened. Could there be demonkind lurking in this place as well?

“Yes, Senior!”

At once, she followed Xia Jiuxuan deeper into the ancient forest.

“Master, wait for me…” Han Yu, already battered and bruised, had been turned into a veritable pig’s head by Duanmu’s slap. Crawling on the ground, he was completely ignored.

Xia Jiuxuan and Duanmu Wan flew one after the other for a short while, landing at the site where the black-armored beasts had been slaughtered.

There, amid the green blood staining the ground, a humanoid black-armored creature was devouring the corpses of its kin.

The two hovered silently in the air, watching the scene.

“That’s the one,” Xia Jiuxuan pointed.

Duanmu Wan was stunned, then her gaze blazed with murderous intent.

“This beast looks exactly like the Demon Emperor—save for a pair of golden horns. It is a demon!” she declared.

Xia Jiuxuan’s brows tightened. “As I thought. Go kill it for me.”

Duanmu Wan glanced at Xia Jiuxuan. “Why won’t Senior do it yourself?”

With his hands behind his back, Xia Jiuxuan replied arrogantly, “If you need me for such a trivial matter, what’s the point of keeping you? Besides, if I act, I’ll reduce it to ashes—how will we study the corpse then?”

“That makes sense!”

Without another word, Duanmu Wan charged forward with her sword.

She was now at the Profound Connection Realm herself, and her physical strength was formidable. She could wield high-grade sword techniques with power far beyond Xia Jiuxuan.

Kill! Kill! Kill!

Duanmu Wan’s hatred for the black-armored creatures ran deep; she fought with deadly intent.

Slashing wildly, she hacked the creature’s head open, eliciting a furious howl.

“Beast, die!”

She unleashed her Sword Prison; black and white sword shadows whirled madly around the black-armored fiend.

A hoarse roar erupted from the creature as black energy burst from its body, turning it even more savage.

Boom, boom, boom…

Enshrouded in black mist, the beast swung its claws, shattering the Sword Prison.

With a flash, it became a blur, lunging at Duanmu Wan.

High above, Xia Jiuxuan could not help but click his tongue at the scene.

The black-armored creature’s explosive power had likely reached the second or third tier of the Spirit-Sealing realm! Moreover, the strange black energy was even more potent than Duanmu Wan’s sword intent; it would be difficult for her to prevail.

Xia Jiuxuan thought to himself, Lucky I didn’t go—otherwise, I’d be in real trouble!

“Ah!”

A cry of pain—Duanmu Wan’s chest was raked by the creature’s claws, leaving deep, bloody gashes.

“Heavenly Profound Sword Dance!”

Forced to her limits, Duanmu Wan unleashed an even higher-grade sword art, though her body could hardly endure it; many of her meridians tore under the strain.

At that moment, she seemed like a celestial sunset, dancing through the air.

Her sword intent fell like a curtain of blades.

A harsh screech—her sword shadows pierced the creature’s skull, which split open as a dark green crystal shot forth.

Bang!

The crystal exploded, sending Duanmu Wan flying, while the black-armored beast fell dead.

Only then did Xia Jiuxuan descend, first collecting the beast’s corpse before approaching the prostrate Duanmu Wan.

“Senior, save me…”

Her face was drained of all color, her breath weak, wounds severe enough to render her unable to move.

“Don’t worry, I’ll heal you in a moment.”

With that, Xia Jiuxuan squatted down, pressing his palm to her waist.

“Senior, what are you doing?!”

A wave of warmth from his palm spread across her body—she was both startled and mortified.

“You injured me earlier. I need some money to buy medicine, don’t I? Otherwise, should I just let it go?” Xia Jiuxuan continued to search her, from top to bottom, leaving nothing untouched.

“You! How can you be so shameless? I helped you kill the demon, got seriously wounded, and now you’re robbing me! What kind of ‘senior’ are you?”

Duanmu Wan was furious. Was there anyone in the world more shameless? Not only was he groping her indiscriminately, but he was also robbing her of her belongings!

Utterly outrageous.

And now, unable even to flee, she could only watch as Xia Jiuxuan went about his business.

He ignored her protests, humming a tune as he continued his search.

“Ah, so you hid it here.”

Xia Jiuxuan retrieved a spatial storage device from her chest.

“You…”

Duanmu Wan’s face burned, her wounds throbbing. She nearly fainted from rage.

“Release your soul imprint,” Xia Jiuxuan commanded.

“Never, you shameless scoundrel!”

He replied unhurriedly, “No? That’s fine. I’ll just strip you naked and hang you from a tree—let everyone passing by admire the figure of a beauty.”

“???”

Duanmu Wan was dumbfounded.

He was really this despicable?

And she’d been calling him ‘senior’ all this time?!

Heaven have mercy—this bastard deserves to die a thousand deaths!

She cursed Xia Jiuxuan’s ancestors back eighteen generations, but at the moment, she had no choice.

She knew all too well—a shameless villain like this was capable of anything.

“Fine, take all my resources—but you must heal my wounds!” Duanmu Wan gritted her teeth. What were resources compared to her life? They could be regained, but survival came first.

“Relax. I was once your father, after all—how could I bear to kill you?” Xia Jiuxuan grinned.

At this, Duanmu Wan wanted nothing more than to grind his bones to dust.

“Deal,” she forced herself to say. She would endure. So long as the green hills remained, someday she would take his dog head!

Obediently, Duanmu Wan opened her spatial device, while Xia Jiuxuan rejoiced inwardly.

“One thousand four hundred and fifty top-grade spirit stones, forty-three pounds of Iceiron, several supreme spirit herbs… Hm? The Primordial Earthmother Essence! Excellent—this is mine!”

His attention was completely drawn to a thumb-sized yellow crystal.

This item was of great importance to him!

It was a divine medicine for body forging. Refined by Xia Jiuxuan’s own hands into a pill, it could greatly enhance physical strength.

Physical strength—precisely what he lacked most!

The main drawback of the Desolate Heaven Body was only that cultivation was difficult, not that it could not be tempered and strengthened.

Xia Jiuxuan recalled once encountering a pure body cultivator with the Desolate Heaven Body; though his realm was eight full levels lower, he had withstood three of Xia Jiuxuan’s sword strikes and nearly escaped.

The Primordial Earthmother Essence was among the top ten materials for body cultivation in this world.

Pity it was so little—barely an ounce.

“I won’t bully you too badly. I’ll keep the essence, take half the spirit stones, and a few Soul-Nourishing Herbs as compensation for my injuries. The rest is yours.”

Even Xia Jiuxuan felt a tinge of guilt—after all, she had called him “father,” hadn’t she? For that alone, he couldn’t be too ruthless.

“At least you have some conscience. Hmph.” Duanmu Wan pouted, giving him a hateful glare. In any case, that yellow crystal was of no use to her; he could have it.

With the resources in hand, Xia Jiuxuan turned to leave.

“Hey, save me! Don’t go—save me!” Duanmu Wan quickly called after him. If he didn’t help her, and another black-armored beast came, she’d be doomed.

Xia Jiuxuan ignored her, leaping into the sky.

“You! Wuwu…” Duanmu Wan wept. Did such people truly exist in the world?

She felt utterly hopeless.

Yet only half an hour later, Xia Jiuxuan returned.

“This is the upgraded version of the Lihuo Sword Art. For a Primordial Essence, it’s more than worth it. Take care of yourself.”

It turned out Xia Jiuxuan had gone to Han Yu to borrow some ink and brush, written out the improved Lihuo Sword Art, and given it to Duanmu Wan.

All in all, Duanmu Wan had profited greatly.

Before leaving, Xia Jiuxuan even flicked a healing pill into her mouth.

With the pill, she would soon recover her mobility.

“Hmph, that’s more like it. I can barely consider you a decent person now.”

After Xia Jiuxuan left, Duanmu Wan snorted, then picked up the hastily written sword manual.

One glance—and she nearly exploded with shock. It was flawless! Not only were the sword techniques and moves precise, but they matched every acupoint and sword vein in her body!

In that instant, realization dawned—he hadn’t been taking advantage of her when he searched her body. He had been seeking the corresponding acupoints to tailor the Lihuo Sword Art just for her!

Duanmu Wan’s eyes grew moist. “Senior, I misjudged you. I will never forget your great kindness. If ever I have the chance, I will repay you a thousandfold!”

Had Xia Jiuxuan known her thoughts at that moment, he would have been utterly baffled: “Acupoints? I really was just searching for… for the storage device.”