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Chapter 14: Double-Cross!
Chapter 14: Double-Cross!
Lightning cracked as a blade flashed like thunder.
In an instant, Zhao Xuhe’s head was severed by the sword light. But before it could hit the ground, his body exploded into a pile of bones.
“Which fellow disciple lies in wait here for Zhao?”
After shattering, his skeleton reformed into a shadow of yin energy, materializing a hundred meters away with a face still twisted in alarm.
Before his words faded, the blade pursued like a shadow.
Swish—!
The next second, Zhao Xuhe’s head flew skyward again, only to disintegrate into more bones. The yin energy retreated another hundred meters, reforming his figure once more.
“I—”
Boom!
“You—”
Crack!
“Enough!”
Dozens of sword beams filled the air, slicing Zhao Xuhe apart over a dozen times before he finally broke free, seizing the chance to evade.
Though fleeting, Zhao Xuhe seized the opening. His sleeve flared, unleashing a swirling crimson mist that shielded his body. He gulped down several pills to mend his wounds and replenish energy, then turned his focus outward.
“Lv Yang—it’s you!”
Zhao Xuhe’s eyes blazed. Recognizing the Divine Thunder Sword Art that had nearly killed him a dozen times, he roared Lv Yang’s name.
Yet even this revelation left him stunned.
The blade’s power was undeniable—far beyond a mere Core Formation Initiate. In mere days, Lv Yang had reached Core Formation Mid-Rank.
“This one holds a secret opportunity!”
Realization struck. Zhao Xuhe’s fury dissolved into greed: “Truly double fortune today! This chance is mine!”
Outside the Mystic Maze Formation, Lv Yang’s expression darkened.
“What a pest…”
He’d struck ruthlessly, yet Zhao Xuhe had grasped a sliver of survival, evading his combo. Worse, his identity was now exposed.
But now, hidden within the Mystic Maze Formation’s labyrinth, Lv Yang fought remotely with sword beams. Advantage still leaned his way.
Zhao Xuhe soon noted the formation’s presence. Though a basic array, Lv Yang’s interference and his own depleted energy—less than half his peak—left him stranded.
Zhao Xuhe’s eyes narrowed.
“Brother Lv, we’ve no true grudge…”
“Die!”
Lv Yang struck without hesitation. Mercy meant death. Sword seals erupted, renewing the assault.
“Tch! Refusing wine, you’ll drink punishment!”
Zhao Xuhe’s gaze turned icy. Abandoning delay, he activated a golden seal floating midair.
The Primordial Magnet Seal—a secret treasure to absorb metal objects, especially swords. He’d reserved it for Jade Pivot Sword Pavilion disciples at the great war’s battlefield, but now, he deployed it early.
“Seize!”
The seal lunged, trapping a sword beam. One strike, and the blade stilled, helpless.
Lv Yang remained calm.
He stood at full power; Zhao Xuhe, at his weakest. A war of attrition favored him.
“My edge lies in hiding. The formation masks my position—Zhao Xuhe can’t touch me. Let him scheme. As long as I don’t emerge, his tricks waste energy. Victory is mine.”
He resolved: I won’t show myself.
Swords? Sacrifice them!
You’ll waste energy suppressing them. Perfect.
Boom!
Lv Yang, outside the formation, channeled energy. A white aura spiraled from his crown, condensing into a massive palm print that smashed into the array.
No finesse—pure brute force.
Zhao Xuhe’s face darkened. His ploy unraveled.
“Curse you!”
Lv Yang matched his Core Formation Mid-Rank power but fought like a coward. How could he turn the tide?
He could still gamble his life—but even victory would cost his own head. How swallow that, after seizing fortune?
As energy drained, Zhao Xuhe roared: “Brother Lv! Know you what fortune I’ve gained on Coiling Dragon Isle? A third-tier Golden Core manual—Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art!”
“Third-tier manual?”
Lv Yang stiffened. Third-tier meant Golden Core potential—a path closed to all below it. Seventh-tier cultivators couldn’t even build foundations.
Yet Zhao Xuhe dangled a manual to breach heaven itself!
“Wait—” Lv Yang exhaled, crushing greed. “He lures me out. Fall for it, and I lose.”
“Brother Lv, peace?” Zhao Xuhe pleaded.
A voice echoed from all directions: “Madness! Kill you, and the manual’s mine!”
“Wrong,” Zhao Xuhe countered. “This manual came via my three-life cultivation and karmic merit. You lack its fate. Kill me, and it vanishes—never yours.”
Lv Yang paused, then sneered. “Then why parley?”
Zhao Xuhe pressed: “Fate shifts with will. Share it, and your fate changes.”
“Fine. Copy the manual—I’ll free you.”
Zhao Xuhe agreed, producing a jade casket holding two scrolls.
“Upper: Nine Metamorphosis Dragon Art, Core Formation stage—cultivates ‘True Dragon Aura,’ peerless in battle. Lower: Ten-Thousand Chariot Dragon Ascension Sutra, Foundation Building stage—‘Ten-Thousand Chariot Dragon Base,’ a Golden Core path.”
He paused. “But wounded, if I give it now… you renege?”
Lv Yang proposed: “Take Nine Metamorphosis. Give me Ten-Thousand Chariot first. I can’t use Foundation Building arts yet. No threat. Free you later for the rest.”
Zhao Xuhe agreed. “Done!”
Lv Yang’s energy hand seized the Ten-Thousand Chariot scroll. He memorized its contents, grinned, and roared:
“Farewell!”
He ignited his Slaughter Incantation and self-detonated.
Boom!
Smoke cleared, revealing Zhao Xuhe’s stunned face.
“My manual… gone?”
Why self-destruct? Worse—why wait until after seizing the scroll? He hadn’t even read it!
“Lv Yang…”
Zhao Xuhe stared at the ashes where his fortune died, voice twisting into a howl:
“Brute!”
(End of Chapter)
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