The Cold and Aloof Palace Master's Daily Demon-Slaying Life

Zuo Qingqiu's flying speed remained unchanged, and he didn't even move his fingers on the sword hilt.

She merely lifted her bamboo hat slightly, revealing a pair of calm, unwavering eyes as she looked at the two streaks of light that were drawing ever closer.

In just a few breaths, the two streaks of light flew close by, their brilliance fading to reveal the figures inside, which blocked Zuo Qingqiu's path.

On the left was a man dressed in a crimson robe embroidered with twisted flame patterns. He had a sinister face, deep-set eyes, and lips as thin as a knife. A faint heat emanated from his body, causing the falling rain to evaporate into wisps of white steam.

Cultivation level: Peak of the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

The man on the right wore a dark green robe with bamboo-leaf-shaped patterns. He had a lean face, prominent cheekbones, and sharp eyes with a hint of barely perceptible impatience.

His aura was completely different from that of the red-robed cultivator, carrying an eerie feeling of the intertwining of the growth and decay of vegetation.

His cultivation level was also at the peak of the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm.

The two stood in mid-air, blocking Zuo Qingqiu's path ten feet in front of him, their eyes sharp as they scrutinized the "uninvited guest" who was walking alone in the rainy night.

The red-robed cultivator spoke first, his voice hoarse and carrying a condescending, scrutinizing tone: "Halt. This is the core territory of our Diluo Sect. Unauthorized persons are not permitted to enter."

He deliberately emphasized the three characters "Di Luo Sect," clearly intending to intimidate newcomers with the sect's prestige.

Zuo Qingqiu stopped moving, still maintaining the posture of one hand on the sword and the other on the hat.

To act, you have to go all the way.

She did not bow, nor did she show any panic or respect. She simply raised her head slightly, and her lips moved slightly beneath the shadow of her conical hat. Her voice was soft, yet clear enough to pierce the rain and reach their ears:

"My name is Chu Huai Shi, a rogue swordsman."

Her voice was deliberately lowered, carrying a hint of the aloofness common among wandering cultivators.

"I have long admired the name of the Luo Sect and longed to visit them, so I have come to pay my respects."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the green-robed cultivator sneered, his tone filled with impatience: "A visit? My Luo Sect is a giant of the demonic path, everyone avoids it like the plague. What are you, a rogue cultivator, doing here? You can't even make up a believable lie! Senior brother, I find this person suspicious, acting furtively, and appearing in my sect's territory at such a sensitive time. She's most likely a spy sent by the Taihua Sect. Don't waste words with her, just take her down. We'll search her soul and refine her spirit, and then everything will be clear."

As he spoke, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and before the red-robed cultivator could respond, he took the initiative to attack.

He made hand seals, chanted incantations, and his body shone with a bright green light.

The next moment, thirty-six streams of azure light shot out from his sleeves, rapidly growing larger in the air and transforming into thirty-six emerald-green "Green Bamboo Swords," each about three feet long and as thin as a cicada's wing.

The sword trembled, emitting a soft buzzing sound. Wherever the sword's edge pointed, a chilling aura emanated from it, even cutting and disrupting the surrounding raindrops with its invisible sword energy.

These thirty-six green bamboo swords were clearly a set of magical artifacts, their energy interconnected, forming a simple green bamboo sword formation that emitted sharp sword energy, subtly surrounding Zuo Qingqiu within.

Seeing this, the red-robed cultivator frowned slightly, seemingly somewhat displeased with his junior brother's impatience, but since things had come to this point, he couldn't just stand by and do nothing.

Moreover, the woman before them was of unknown origin and appeared at this critical juncture when the newly promoted True Lord of Taihua Sect might come seeking revenge, which was indeed suspicious.

"Fine, let's take it first." The red-robed cultivator's mind raced, and he no longer hesitated.

He snorted coldly, flipped his right hand, and a strangely shaped bronze lamp appeared in his palm.

The lamp base is the head of a strange bird with its head raised to the sky, its beak sharp and its eyes hollow, as if it were silently hissing.

There was no oil in the lamp, only a wisp of dark red flame that twisted and leaped like a living thing, emanating a scorching and evil aura.

The red-robed cultivator levitated the bronze lamp in front of him, and at the same time, he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of pure magic power, which entered the lamp.

"Hey——!"

A sharp, piercing bird cry, as if from the deepest hell, rang out.

The crimson flames in the bronze lamp suddenly surged, flew into the air, and transformed into a "fire phoenix" with a wingspan of over ten zhang, a body made entirely of flames, and a ferocious bird's head.

This fire phoenix was not auspicious; on the contrary, it was full of violence and destruction. Its flames were reddish-black and extremely hot. Wherever it passed, rainwater was instantly evaporated into white steam, and even the air hissed as if it were being scorched.

The fire phoenix and thirty-six green bamboo swords, one on the left and one on the right, one fire and one wood, with a world-destroying aura, tore through the heavy rain curtain, evaporated countless raindrops, and pounced fiercely towards the lonely green figure in the center.

The red-robed cultivator sneered inwardly.

She's just a female cultivator in the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, and she doesn't look very old. How much combat experience could she possibly have? She's probably just a newbie who got lucky and advanced to the Purple Mansion realm, but she doesn't have much practical combat ability.

Looking at her shabby blue robe and bamboo hat, and her poor, broken sword with little spiritual energy, one could tell that she was definitely a poor person with no particularly powerful magical artifacts, and might not even have the money to forge her own natal magical artifact.

Although he and his junior brother were only at the peak of the early stage of the Purple Mansion realm, firstly, they came from prestigious families and their combat strength far exceeded that of rogue cultivators; secondly, they had been immersed in this realm for many years, and their supernatural abilities and natal magic weapons had been honed through countless trials, giving them rich combat experience; and thirdly, they were not morally upright and cautiously attacked a peer whose cultivation was clearly lower than their own by attacking together.

With all these advantages combined, how could they possibly fail?

He had even begun to plan how to interrogate the woman after capturing her, hoping to gain merit and make a name for himself in front of the new sect leader.

However, what happened next completely overturned his understanding.

Facing the whistling fire phoenix and the sky full of azure sword shadows, the azure figure still maintained the posture of one hand on the sword, and did not even move his feet.

It was as if that terrifying attack, capable of shattering mountains and breaking peaks, was merely a gentle breeze blowing in their face.

Just as the phoenix's claws and the green bamboo sword's blade were about to touch the area within ten zhang of her—

"Clang."

A clear, melodious sword cry, like a dragon's roar, suddenly rang out amidst the wind and rain.

It wasn't a deafening roar, but a very short, yet incredibly clear, sound.

Then, the two men, one in red robes and one in green robes, witnessed a scene they would never forget and could never comprehend.

There was no sword light.

There was no sword energy.

They didn't even see the sword she had pressed against her waist being drawn from its sheath.

All they saw was that the right hand of the blue figure seemed to move very slightly.

Then--

The ferocious fire phoenix, powerful enough to melt away mountains, suddenly froze without warning when it was still three zhang away from her.

Immediately afterwards, countless fine, crisscrossing cracks appeared on its enormous fiery body, as if it had been sliced ​​a million times in an instant by an invisible, intangible, and extremely sharp blade.

"puff--"

A soft sound.

The crimson-black fire phoenix, like a burst bubble or a torn painting, silently disintegrated and vanished, turning into countless sparks that were then extinguished by the cold rain, leaving not even a wisp of smoke behind.

The thirty-six green bamboo swords that formed a sword formation and exuded a menacing aura encountered an even more bizarre situation.

They seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, or been gripped by countless unseen hands simultaneously; the swords trembled violently, emitting a mournful cry of unbearable strain, and then—