Fight for life and death
The green sword slashed straight at Su Baiwei's neck!
The cold air bit her bones, and she leaned back suddenly. The sword blade grazed her skin, leaving a bloody mark on the side of her neck.
"Jump, jump!" Su Baiwei screamed, her hand instinctively raising in terror to scatter the numbing powder. A yellow mist thickened, but the figure in green cloaked in green burst forth without hesitation, the tip of the sword piercing her heart. The icy edge of the sword instantly approached her chest, the chill of death freezing her heartbeat.
The tip of the sword abruptly stopped just inches from her chest. The blade trembled violently, emitting a dull humming sound. His left hand clasped his right wrist tightly, his fingernails digging into the flesh, blood dripping, his knuckles turning pale from the extreme force. Those five fingers seemed to be strangling her heart, and each deep bite caused her heart to ache.
Su Baiwei stared intently at the corner of his right temple. A few strands of black hair were losing their luster at a visible rate, turning gray and dry. She instantly understood: every time he fought against the Gu control, every time he struggled to wake up, he was frantically burning away his already dwindling life force.
His Adam's apple rolled and he squeezed out a broken voice: "Go...go quickly!" Her figure, with her life hanging by a thread, tore apart the invisible thread that controlled him.
Chi Lian's brows knitted slightly beneath his mask. "You managed to break free?" Then, suddenly realizing something, he said in a low voice, "The mother Gu was contaminated and lacked the strength. This determination... makes this dying struggle even more delicious." His eyes swept over the glaring gray at Tiao Tiao's temples, and the corners of his mouth curled up cruelly. "I want to see how much of your life you have left to burn!"
Su Baiwei's heart was pounding. She seized the opportunity and flicked her wrist. Another burst of Ma Fei Powder shot straight at Chi Lian's face. At the same time, she used her toes to kick the bronze brazier towards him.
Bang!
The brazier rolled and the red-hot charcoal pieces shot out like sparks.
jingle--
The piercing ringing of a bell echoed with him. The lingering struggle in Tiao Tiao's eyes vanished in an instant, replaced by a shimmering azure light. He swiftly shifted sideways, blocking Chi Lian. His left palm, swung out with a powerful gust of wind, scattering the medicinal powder and sending sparks flying from the scorching coals. Su Baiwei spun around in panic, holding her breath as the scorching sparks grazed her cheek and singed her hair.
Her gaze locked on the wound beneath Tiaotiao's ribs. The edges of the flesh closed strangely, and beneath the skin, several dark veins squirmed, as if countless insects were devouring them frantically. A chill instantly washed over her: the sub-parasite was burning away at his already limited vitality. Every time a wound healed, it was devouring his remaining time.
Su Baiwei's heart nearly stopped. Her knuckles turned white as two Gu-breaking needles, laced with fluorescent coral powder, trembled in her palms. All the previous planning: the Ma Fei Powder, the overturned brazier, had been designed to create an opportunity to plunge the Gu-breaking needles into the Fengchi acupoint behind his head. But this only chance of survival seemed unattainable given the speed at which the other party was burning through his lifespan. For the first time, the silver needles between her fingers felt so heavy.
Ding-ling-ling——
The ringing of the bell once again tore through the silence.
Su Baiwei swung the silver hairpin across the wall of the bronze tripod with her backhand.
Gah——
A sharp metal scream exploded, and sparks flew!
The cyan sword, brimming with murderous intent, loomed before her. Su Baiwei tumbled in panic, her back slamming hard against the bronze tripod, sending a wave of pain and dizziness. She gritted her teeth, her vision blurring as the sword's edge sliced past her waist, ripping through her clothes with a shudder. The cold sword energy made her skin shiver.
"Save your energy, Miss Su!" Chi Lian mocked, leisurely swinging the bell that oozed blood. "The Blood Soul Bell is connected to Zi Gu's mind and soul, etched deep into his bones. When the bell rings, even if the sky collapses and the earth splits, the Gu will only follow the bell."
Before he finished speaking, Tiao Tiao's sword moves became more violent and brutal under the urging of the bell, and every sword move was deadly.
Su Baiwei gritted her teeth, and five silver needles shot out, piercing Tiao Tiao's five acupuncture points with pinpoint accuracy. The moment the needles sank into her flesh, her frantic movements seemed to freeze for a fraction of a second. However, the Blood Soul Bell flashed red, and that momentary delay was instantly swallowed by the even more ferocious sword light. With a backhanded strike, he slashed at her throat. Her footing slipped on the gravel beneath her feet, causing her to fall backward, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow. The sword energy sent her tousled hair dancing wildly, leaving a fiery bloody mark on her cheek.
It was this desperate evasion that exposed the accused killing machine's first fatal flaw. Tiao Tiao thrust his sword into the air, his body surging forward, his vitals completely exposed.
Su Baiwei's eyes suddenly gleamed with coldness, and the Gu-breaking needle in her right hand was ready to be used, aiming directly at the Fengchi acupoint behind her head, the only way to survive.
However... the next move was a matter of life and death; even the slightest deviation would result in instant death. Even more dreadful was the fact that even if he succeeded, would the intense struggle and resistance instantly consume his remaining lifespan?
Fear poured down like icy water, freezing every limb. The silver needle on his fingertip missed his hand by a hair's breadth, but it seemed frozen in place by invisible ice, unable to escape. Forcing himself to stop caused his internal energy to become disrupted, his organs felt like they had been struck hard, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, his movements suddenly slowing.
The sharp edge of death pierced through her clothes, and the cold touch made Su Baiwei's heart sink to the bottom.
"Ah!" A scream squeezed out of Tiaotiao's throat. The dying panic in her eyes burned deeply into the depths of his imprisoned consciousness like a branding iron.
He slammed his left hand around his right wrist and twisted it hard. The blade sliced through his left leg, splattering scalding blood onto Su Baiwei's pale face. In the instant the excruciating pain exploded, he felt the life force pouring out of the wound like quicksand. The skin on the back of his right hand shrank and withered at a visible rate, becoming covered in spiderweb-like dark brown streaks.
This withered touch of death ignited the torrent of protection deep within her bones. Her body, on the verge of collapse, drove the remaining willpower, forcing the sword, imbued with murderous intent, towards her arms.
clang!
The tip of the sword grazed her waist and pierced the stone floor, sending shards flying. Su Baiwei seized the bloody gap and desperately rolled away. From the corner of her eye, she caught a glimpse of the rapidly spreading deathly gray on his arm, and her heart ached.
Chi Lian's brows furrowed, the amusement in his eyes vanishing, replaced by impatience and solemnity. He suddenly raised the Blood Soul Bell to his face, and the tone suddenly rose!
Ding-ling-ling-ling——
"Ah—!" Tiao Tiao screamed as if struck by lightning, his body shaking violently. A faint breath escaped from between his bloodstained lips and teeth: "Wei..." As he called out, more of his black hair instantly faded from the corners of his eyes, turning a glaring gray.
Su Baiwei's pupils constricted, and her breath caught. That faint call, like a red-hot, blunt knife, stabbed fiercely into her heart. The last flicker of light in her eyes was completely extinguished, swallowed by the cold azure light. The dark blue Gu patterns pulsed and bulged wildly beneath his skin, and an aura of decay instantly filled the air. This time, not even her deepest crisis could awaken him.
The sword's momentum suddenly changed!
The cyan sword transformed into a violent hurricane, without a moment's hesitation. Each strike was sharp and deadly, yet also revealed a subtle stiffness.
Su Baiwei dodged in panic, leaving several more bloodstains on her body. A sword slashed her left arm, piercing the bone, and her entire arm fell to the ground.
A sweeping sword energy sent her flying, sending her crashing heavily onto the stone ground in Chi Lian's direction. Severe pain ripped through her body, and her consciousness teetered on the edge of darkness. The cold stone ground pierced her wound, and the shadow of death loomed. Suddenly, a memory pierced the darkness—
"What about you? Do you like cyan?"
"Like... like the darkest and freest sky before dawn."
That calm voice ignited the last bit of strength in her soul.
"For that Daoqing!"
Her body erupted in a final struggle. She pressed her right elbow against the ground, her back tensed, and with all her remaining strength, she swung the silver hairpin. A cold light struck Chi Lian's right wrist, which was holding the bell.
Chi Lian reacted extremely quickly, and in shock and anger he suddenly lowered his wrist to avoid the attack.
laugh!
The sharp tip of the hairpin grazed his wrist bone, leaving a deep, bloody wound and causing him to groan in pain. Although no bones were injured, the instantaneous burning pain caused his fingers to tremble violently, and the death-threatening ringing sound instantly went off-key and broke.
"Bitch!" he roared, fighting the burning pain in his wrist as he tried to steady the ringer.
The moment the ringing went off, a fierce green light flashed in Tiao Tiao's eyes. His instinct to protect her overwhelmed the Gu control, and the sword stumbled and deflected, stabbing Chi Lian with its remaining strength. Su Baiwei's heart rose to her throat. How much of his lifespan would this stab burn?
Chi Lian was startled and turned sideways, and the sword energy swept over him sharply.
Swish!
The sword ripped his robes and opened a bloody wound on his right arm, the flesh torn and blood gushing out. The wound ignited a rage, and he grabbed the bell with his left hand and shook it frantically, causing the bell to burst into an even more violent scream.
The destructive sword didn't stop any longer and slashed down at her head as she lay on the ground with no power to dodge.
Wherever the sword flashed, the air stagnated.
In his dazed eyes, the altar flames danced on the azure sword blade...
The cold blade cut through the last of the light, and behind the hilt—
A hand covered with gray spots was pulled by invisible threads and swung down.
The sword was like a mirror, reflecting the bloody corners of her lips before she closed her eyes...
The shrill hiss of a bell sank rapidly into the heavy water...
The last rays of sunlight reflected on the sword sank into the eternal night as she closed her eyes.
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