After the Great Dao died

Chen Lingxi remained silent.

Taking advantage of this brief standoff, he secretly regulated his breathing, slowly suppressing the surging blood and qi within his body.

But those eyes remained fixed on Qiu Chihu's right hand, which was gripping the knife, and dared not look away for even a moment.

Qiu Chihu frowned, his expression becoming increasingly serious.

Even the most lethal moves of the Zhaojin Knife Technique failed to subdue this government slave. If the fight dragged on any longer, the momentum of the knife would dissipate, giving him a chance to catch his breath.

Moreover, that wisp of blue light gave him a vague sense of foreboding.

He began to exert all his strength to wield the Golden Blade Technique, making the blade's momentum even heavier. With each strike, the golden light on the blade would surge.

"This servant can't hold on any longer."

Qiu Chihu sneered inwardly.

At this moment, Chen Lingxi pushed the Concealed Edge Technique to its limit.

The cyan qi in his dantian was completely wrapped by an extremely thin and tough barrier, and his blood and qi were almost completely contained!

From his appearance, he was nothing more than a dying man whose life force had been exhausted.

The silvery-white light of the Silver Bone Realm had dimmed to the point of being almost invisible, and the Mountain-Crushing Force on the surface of the fist was as thin as paper. Every punch was thrown as if the person was struggling to support themselves.

As Qiu Chihu slashed down, Chen Lingxi raised his arm to block.

The blade struck the light shield, shattering it instantly. Chen Lingxi groaned, staggered backward, and his right arm hung limply at his sides, his fingers involuntarily clenching. He looked as if he were on the verge of exhaustion.

A flash of ferocity appeared in Qiu Chihu's eyes.

His strikes were faster and faster than the last, forcing Chen Lingxi to retreat repeatedly, struggling to defend himself and ending up in a sorry state.

Every step he took back was staggering, and every block was extremely difficult!

But while his disheveled appearance was three parts genuine, it was seven parts acted.

What he was waiting for was for Qiu Chihu's sword technique to reveal a flaw.

Chen Lingxi blocked five more blows.

Qiu Chihu's patience finally ran out.

He suddenly changed his move—gripping the knife with both hands, his silver bones resonated all around him, and his silver marrow and blood energy burst forth from his bones at the same time, pushing his penetrating power to its limit.

The silver patterns on the blade suddenly lit up, changing from silvery-white to pale gold, then from pale gold to blazing white, finally settling on that almost transparent, heart-stopping pale golden light.

The deadly move of the Zhaojin Saber Technique reappears.

This strike was heavier, faster, and more decisive than the previous one.

The blade flashed like the setting sun sinking into an abyss, plunging the world into darkness. Only that golden glint remained, so intense it seemed to burn Chen Lingxi and the ground beneath his feet to ashes.

Chen Lingxi had been waiting for this moment!

Qiu Chihu's sword momentum had reached its peak, the pale golden light on the blade was extremely bright, and the tip of the blade was slightly raised as it slashed down towards him.

This strike is hard to stop now!

The wind from the blade pressed down, blowing the stray hairs on Chen Lingxi's forehead until they stood on end, and the wind also created ripples on the skin of her face.

"Just cut him in two!"

Qiu Chihu's eyes were filled with murderous intent...

only……

Chen Lingxi's figure moved like an arrow released from a bow, advancing instead of retreating, and crashing straight into the blade light!

A hint of surprise flashed across Qiu Chihu's eyes.

Has this government slave gone mad?

crazy?

But Chen Lingxi's gaze remained calm throughout.

Until the very moment the blade was less than three inches from Chen Lingxi's brow...

He suddenly opened his mouth and spat out a beam of purple light!

Purple True Treasure Aura!

The purple light was as fine as cow's hair, yet so bright that it was blinding.

The moment it left the body, the world suddenly went dark.

The purple light was so sharp it sent chills down one's spine.

It tore through the air, leaving behind countless fine lines.

It passed through the blade's gleam like a red-hot steel needle piercing through a thin sheet of paper, silently and without hindrance.

The golden blade light of the Zhaojin Blade Technique was too fragile to withstand before it.

Qiu Chihu's pupils constricted sharply, and his hair stood on end!

He saw the purple light and tried to dodge—but it was too late.

His sword strike had reached its peak, with all his blood and energy, his marrow, and his penetrating power poured into this single strike.

Once the sword strike is executed, it's like an arrow released from a bow—it's irreversible.

He can't avoid it!

laugh!

In just a moment!

The purple light entered his chest, passed through his body, and emerged from his back, bringing with it a fine mist of blood.

Qiu Chihu shuddered.

The blade remained suspended in mid-air.

The pale golden light on the blade flickered violently a few times, then went out with a hiss, like a candle blown out by the wind.

The silver patterns faded, and the blade returned to its original silvery-white color. Then, it slipped from between his loosened fingers, tip down, and stuck into the yellow mud ground, the hilt still trembling slightly.

Qiu Chihu looked down at his chest.

There was a hole about the thickness of a finger, running from the chest to the back, with smooth, mirror-like edges.

No blood gushed out because the blood vessels had been burned and sealed by the high temperature of the purple light, leaving only a clean and clear hole.

The hole was located directly above the heart, less than half an inch from the apex of the heart.

The purple light shattered half of his stomach and grazed the edge of his heart, taking away a piece of myocardium the size of a thumb.

That piece of myocardium had vanished, pulverized by the purple light and dissipating into the air.

He staggered back two steps, each step heavy, like a drunkard struggling to maintain his balance.

His right hand instinctively reached towards his chest, as if to cover the hole, but his fingers only touched a smooth edge.

He looked down at his fingers rubbing back and forth along the edge of the hole, a very complex expression on his face.

It was horror.

It's unbelievable.

There was also a faint, indescribable sense of bewilderment.

He was born into an extremely noble family! His father was a high-ranking official of the third rank in the imperial court, holding the important position of guarding the capital!

He practiced martial arts from a young age, established his foundation at seven, entered the Iron Body realm at twelve, entered the Bronze Crimson realm at sixteen, and reached the Silver Bone Grand Master realm at twenty-one!

He practiced the Zhaojin Saber Technique for fifteen years, and nurtured this precious saber for eight years.

He has few rivals among his peers.

Even those old guys with perfected Silver Bones couldn't gain an advantage under his blade.

But today, he was beaten like this by a servant of a marquis's mansion, a servant who didn't even have a free body.

"Who... exactly are you..." He raised his head, looked at Chen Lingxi, and his lips moved twice before he managed to squeeze out a few words.

The voice was no longer as composed as before; it was intermittent, like a bellows with a hole in it.

With each word spoken, a fine wisp of blood mist would spurt out from the hole in his chest.

Chen Lingxi did not answer.

Qiu Chihu reached out his hand, as if trying to grab something.

His hand flailing wildly in the air, then his fingers closed, only to grasp at thin air.

The radiance on his face had vanished, leaving only a gloomy, lifeless aura.

His body swayed twice and then fell straight backward.

His back slammed into the yellow mud, making a dull thud and kicking up a cloud of dust!

Lying on the ground, Qiu Chihu was panting heavily, and his life force began to drain away from him.

What's even more terrifying is that the government slave is right next to us!

"You..." Qiu Chihu spoke in a trembling voice, his tone no longer as composed and arrogant as before: "You dare not kill me."

Chen Lingxi did not answer, but only looked down at him.

"My father is Qiu Huai, the Commander of the Capital Guard." Qiu Chihu's breathing became increasingly rapid: "Your Highness... is waiting just outside this treasure. If you kill me, you will face certain death outside."

Chen Lingxi remained unmoved.

Qiu Chihu probably thought of his family background and the Crown Prince outside the Beast Fighting Palace.

The flame in his eyes shone even brighter, like a drowning person grabbing onto a piece of driftwood.

He forced a smile, as if trying to show his usual bright smile, but the smile froze halfway through, turning into an extremely strange, almost fawning, ingratiating expression.

"You...you come out with me." His voice became urgent, with an uncontrollable urgency: "The Crown Prince likes talented people. If you can defeat me, you are stronger than me. The Crown Prince will surely give you an important position, and I will never seek revenge on you. Let today's matter be a friendly exchange."

You're the winner, I'm the loser, let's leave it at that! We'll have plenty of opportunities to work together under the Crown Prince in the future.

He spoke earnestly, his tone even carrying a hint of heartfelt sincerity.

But in those eyes, there was a very subtle glimmer of light that flashed through the depths of his pupils the instant his words fell.

That light was killing intent.

It was buried very deep and hidden very cleverly, almost completely concealed by the sincerity in his words and the brightness in his smile.

If Chen Ling hadn't lived two lives and become accustomed to the treacherous tricks of smiling while hiding a knife in his previous life, he probably wouldn't have been able to catch that fleeting glint of cold light.

Chen Ling's complexion remained unchanged after washing her face.

He believed Qiu Chihu's words—no way.

Qiu Chihu had been running rampant in the capital for more than ten years, using human bones as flower arrangements and taking pleasure in torture.

Such a person is narrow-minded and vindictive; how could he easily let go of the hatred caused by being stabbed in the chest?

then……

Chen Lingxi bent down and pulled out the precious sword that was stuck in the yellow mud.

The blade felt heavy in my hand. The silver patterns on the blade had faded and lost their luster, but the edge was still sharp and menacing, exuding a chilling aura.

He gripped the knife and straightened up.

As Qiu Chihu watched his actions, the flame in his eyes flickered suddenly.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something.

Perhaps they wanted to add more leverage, perhaps they wanted to invoke a more prestigious title, or perhaps they simply wanted to say a few harsh words to bolster their courage.

His lips moved a few times, but he couldn't utter a single word.

Because Chen Lingxi had already raised the knife.

"You—" The fear in Qiu Chihu's eyes finally overwhelmed his innate arrogance.

He struggled to sit up, his left hand scratching wildly at the ground, his fingernails carving five deep furrows in the yellow mud, the dirt getting stuck under his nails, but he was completely unaware.

"You can't..."

"I don't like people looking at my teeth."

Chen Ling washed his hands, raised his knife, and brought it down in a flash.

Qiu Chihu's voice stopped abruptly. The head rolled off the neck, rolled twice on the yellow mud ground, and stopped face up.

Those eyes were still open, staring at the jade bottle in the sky, at the purple light cascading down like a waterfall, motionless.