A person sacrifices himself to become a saint in a chaotic world of martial arts.

clang!

The swords clashed again, and this time neither of them retreated.

The shockwave from the collision of true energy exploded violently, scattering pebbles and withered leaves on the ground, which swirled in the night wind, raising a cloud of dust.

Moonlight filtered through the dust and mist, casting their shadows long and short, twisting and shifting on the ground.

Su Bai felt a chilling, bone-piercing true energy seep into his body through the blade. The coldness slithered through his meridians like a snake, winding its way up his arm, causing his blood to almost freeze wherever it passed.

My arm went numb, and a sharp pain shot through the web of my hand, almost causing me to drop the knife.

Veins bulged on his forehead, his jaw clenched, and he quickly activated his Golden Bell Shield. His internal energy and blood boiled like a furnace, and the scorching energy surged from his dantian, sweeping over like a wildfire, forcibly expelling the cold energy.

A thin layer of sweat seeped from his palms, gleaming faintly in the moonlight, and he tightened his grip on the knife.

An Wuyu was also having a hard time.

Su Bai's Blazing Sun Force was scorching and domineering. With one strike, he felt the sword was so hot that he could barely hold it. A burning pain came from his palm, and his tiger's mouth went numb. A wave of heat rushed up his arm from the hilt of the sword, forcing him to divert some of his true energy to suppress it.

What alarmed him even more was that the garrison officer dressed in black possessed strength no less than his own—although he was seriously injured and could only unleash 30% of his full power, the fact that the other party could withstand this sword strike head-on meant that he was at least at the level of the Hard and Soft Realm.

A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes, his brows furrowed, and the muscles on his face twitched slightly.

"The Realm of Hardness and Softness? No, it's much stronger than that..." An Wuyu's eyes flickered as he stared intently at Su Bai, a hint of surprise flashing deep in his pupils. His already sinister eyes appeared even more unfathomable in the moonlight.

"From Fenjiang County? Or were you chased by the prefectural government? When did the Zhenfu Division produce someone like you?" His voice was hoarse and deep, carrying a hint of scrutiny and apprehension.

Su Bai did not answer, but gripped the knife tightly in his hand, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Under the moonlight, he saw that the strip of cloth wrapped around An Wuyu's chest was seeping new bloodstains. The dark red wet stains were slowly spreading, like ink dripping into clear water, spreading outwards.

After several clashes, he realized that his opponent's strength had indeed been greatly reduced, but it wasn't too bad; in fact, it was still slightly stronger than his own.

But it doesn't last.

The longer you delay, the better.

He took a deep breath, his chest heaving, sweat sliding down his cheeks and condensing into a drop on his chin, hanging there without falling.

In the distance, the faint sounds of hurried footsteps and shouts could be heard. Firelight flickered at the end of the alley, turning half the sky a dark red, and shadowy figures were approaching.

An Wuyu clearly understood this as well. A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and his already sinister face appeared even more ferocious in the dim light. The corners of his mouth turned down slightly, revealing a cold smile.

With a swift movement, he reached for his waist with his left hand and produced three jet-black darts. The tips of the darts gleamed with a faint blue light in the dim light, clearly indicating that they were coated with a potent poison.

With a flick of his wrist, three cold stars shot out in a triangular formation, their sharp, piercing sound tearing through the air and shattering the silence of the night, heading straight for Su Bai's face, throat, and chest—three vital points.

Su Bai's pupils contracted. In that instant, he saw three cold lights magnify before his eyes, like the fingertips of death.

He spun around swiftly, unleashing the Cloud Shadow Technique to its fullest extent.

Her steps shifted, her body moving like smoke and mist, leaving afterimages in the moonlight. She narrowly avoided two darts—one grazing her ear, lifting a few strands of hair that drifted down in the air; the other flew past her throat, its chill sending shivers down her skin and causing her pores to contract sharply.

He couldn't dodge the last one in time, so he had to use his Golden Bell Shield technique, blocking it with his left arm, his muscles tensing like iron at that moment.

Bang!

The dart struck the arm, producing a metallic clang, and a spark flashed in the darkness, illuminating the faces of the two men for a fleeting moment.

Su Bai rolled up his sleeve and looked down. There was only a faint white spot on his arm, which was slowly fading away, leaving a light red mark on his skin.

This is the terror of the fifth level of the Golden Bell Cover.

Basically, except for some vital points, weaknesses, or attacks from experts far superior to himself, other ordinary attacks are completely ineffective against him.

The poisoned dart landed on the ground, bounced twice, made a crisp tinkling sound, rolled into the shadows in the corner, and disappeared into the darkness.

"What!" An Wuyu's pupils shrank upon seeing this, his surprise barely concealed. His eyes widened, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes deepened. "Kid, I wasn't mistaken. You're practicing the Golden Bell Shield? No wonder your strength is so profound. You're a bit strange. But even so, you'll only die when you meet me—" Before he could finish speaking, his voice abruptly stopped, because Su Bai had already moved.

Su Bai had already pressed forward again.

With a stomp of his foot, the blue bricks shattered, and gravel flew everywhere. He shot out like an arrow, creating a gust of wind.

The blade flashed like snow, slashing straight at the opponent's face, the blade drawing a perfect arc in the air.

This strike was infused with all his true energy. Before the blade even arrived, the wind from it made An Wuyu almost unable to breathe. His clothes fluttered in the wind, clinging to his body and billowing, and the skin on his face was slightly deformed.

An Wuyu's expression changed drastically; the color drained from his face instantly, and he hurriedly raised his sword to parry. The sword blade rose, barely managing to block the descending blade, sparks flying as the two blades clashed.

boom!

The true energy clashed again, this time even more violently than before.

The shockwave spread outwards from the two people, causing the walls on both sides of the alley to tremble and shed dust.

An Wuyu retreated five steps, each step crushing the blue bricks beneath his feet, sending brick fragments flying, and his back slammed heavily against the earthen wall.

With a deafening roar, the wall cracked open in several places, and spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards, causing dust to fall and settle on his shoulders and hair.

His face was ashen, and a trickle of blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, dripping down his chin and spreading a dark red stain on his clothes. Clearly, the knife had aggravated his old wound.

The cloth strip on his chest was quickly soaked with blood, the dark red color spreading and the area getting larger and larger.

"Good lad, you've got guts!" An Wuyu wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, glanced down at the crimson stain on his palm, his eyes flashing with even more ferocity, his pupils burning with a mad flame. "Since you want to die, I'll grant your wish!"

He took a deep breath, his chest bulging, and bit his tongue hard, spitting a mouthful of blood onto the sword.

Amidst the billowing blood mist, which gleamed eerily red under the moonlight, he forcibly suppressed his injuries briefly. His inner energy surged violently, causing his robes to flutter and rustle even without wind.

A strange grayish-white light slowly emerged from the sword. The light was like frost and snow, carrying a chilling aura. The surrounding air seemed to cool down, and the breath exhaled condensed into white mist in the air.