Rapid breaths echo back and forth in the deserted alley, rising and falling violently, like the sound of waves crashing along the shore, sweeping over the silent world.
Xu Yuan gazed at the girl in white standing before him, lifted his hand, and slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
At this moment, Liu Ruoxue had returned to a state of calm.
She stood as straight as a sword, her beautiful and elegant face once again without a ripple, like the Sword Washing River that flows through the Sword Sect's heartland, ethereal and sharp.
"Fairy Liu, is there some kind of misunderstanding between us? Why would you baselessly think I am an Outer Domain Demon?"
Xu Yuan asked in a deep voice.
He had not mentioned this matter to anyone, and according to the plot, nobody should be aware of it.
The matter was filled with strangeness.
However, it seemed she did not know everything.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have mistaken him for an Outer Domain Demon.
Liu Ruoxue did not answer, her jade hand grasping the ancient sword that was already half unsheathed, with moonlight reflecting on its blade, rippling like water in spring.
She gently drew it.
The next moment, the river swallowed the roar of the waves, and the sword's cry overshadowed the breath.
Hum!
The moment the ancient sword was unsheathed, it seemed as if heaven and earth trembled and rippled visibly, creating faint ripples in the air.
One could tell at a glance that this was definitely a divine weapon.
"Perish."
Liu Ruoxue pointed her sword at Xu Yuan, pushed off with her toes slightly, and like a sword unsheathed, she flew towards him at great speed.
Xu Yuan frowned slightly, grabbed the fallen sword from the ground, and just as swiftly thrust forward with his own sword.
Sword Control Technique!
Although Liu Ruoxue had not actually broken through to the Golden Core Stage, and the Golden Core within her was only a false core, but... she was still not to be taken lightly.
Clang!
Like the needle's eye that sees the passing thread, like a shooting star colliding with a bright moon.
As the blades, shrouded in spiritual light, struck each other, sparks flew, illuminating the fierce eyes of the two adversaries.
One was like a volcano with ceaseless undercurrents, the other like an ancient well, calm and indifferent.
Xu Yuan grunted and then was sent flying by the tremendous force transmitted through the sword.
However, this time, under his deliberate control, he did not embed himself in the wall again, but flew towards the distance.
In his left arm, which was almost numb, the long sword that was nearly thrown from his grasp vibrated continuously, as if whimpering, its blade already filled with cracks.
"The Heavenly Demon is indeed crafty," said Liu Ruoxue, realizing his intentions, her delicate body moved slightly, turning into a sword light brighter and whiter than the moon, pursuing him.
...
The moonlight flowed gently, with buildings scattered like reefs in between.
As Liu Ruoxue walked through the alley, she could clearly feel a dim gaze falling on her now and then.
"Quite clever," she remarked.
From time to time, she would casually emit a Sword Qi in the direction of the gaze, but she was not in a hurry to pursue.
She knew that the other party's intention was to use the complex terrain to deplete her Spiritual Power,
But she had no other choice.
In fact, she had tried to pursue several times, but each time she was evaded by the other party taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain.
Liu Ruoxue couldn't understand why the other party, who came later, was even more familiar with the terrain than she was, as if they had battled here thousands of times.
Furthermore, she was even more puzzled as to why, despite the fact that he had been fighting all day, and the rat tide had nearly exhausted his Spiritual Power and vitality—she had seen him relying on his sword to stand with difficulty.
Why then, did he still have such energy and Spiritual Power?
He had rested for just a brief moment, yet he had recovered so swiftly?
Liu Ruoxue held her breath and concentrated, raising her hand to release another Sword Qi.
Fortunately, Xu Yuan wasn't able to dodge her Sword Qi every time; otherwise, she would have probably chosen to waste a great deal of Spiritual Power to demolish the surrounding buildings.
Xu Yuan glanced at the wound on his shoulder and exhaled lightly.
In fact, he had intentionally sustained those wounds.
The positions he chose for them were also carefully considered.
As for the purpose, it was naturally to steady Liu Ruoxue, to deplete her Spiritual Power, and to see if he could capture her alive and then extract from her the source of her information.
Although Xu Yuan didn't know whether her visit this time was at the behest of her Master,
he could guess that the information certainly wasn't something she conceived on her own.
Moreover, aside from her, there should be others who had come as well.
Otherwise, considering Tian Liuli and Lin Qingque's personalities, how could it be possible that they still hadn't found him by now?
Liu Ruoxue suddenly stopped in her tracks, her delicate eyebrows slightly furrowed.
"A cry for help from Junior Sister? They are being slaughtered?"
Immediately after, her expression turned icy, and a sharp aura began emanating from her entire body.
"Not good!"
Xu Yuan inwardly cursed the bad timing and promptly retreated explosively, unfolding his movement technique in an attempt to flee as quickly as possible.
But he was too late.
Liu Ruoxue's lips parted slightly, and a spinning sword pellet slowly emerged from her mouth.
The next moment, a cold star illuminated the nine provinces, the sharp Sword Qi slicing through everything in its path.
Under this vast expanse of sword light, everything began to dissolve like snow under the sunlight.
The houses, which appeared immensely solid to the common people, crumbled like tofu, eventually turning into nothing.
Although he was not directly hit by that resplendent sword light, Xu Yuan could still feel the terrifying Sword Qi slicing bit by bit into his skin.
Damn it!
This woman used her sword pellet faster than he had anticipated.
Does she value her Junior Sisters that much?
Xu Yuan originally thought he could drag the fight out until she was even more exhausted.
Watching the pillar of Sword Qi, as thick as a water bucket, gradually catching up to him and about to hit him,
Xu Yuan quickly turned his head and yelled towards the sky, "Fairy Liu! Don't you want to know the truth about the massacre that occurred years ago?"
"What?!"
Liu Ruoxue's mind shook, and she immediately diverted the Sword Qi.
A swishing sound.
Although it was just a graze, Xu Yuan could feel a layer of skin on his back being sliced off, accompanied by a burning pain.
"What did you just say?"
By the time Xu Yuan, pale-faced, had steadied himself, Liu Ruoxue had already approached him, her face frosty: "What do you know about that incident from back then?"
"Huff—"
Xu Yuan first took a deep, rapid breath before smiling faintly at her and saying, "Fairy Liu, if I'm not mistaken, at that time, your Master said that when she arrived at the scene, you were the only one left in the village, right?"
Liu Ruoxue's delicate body trembled slightly, staring intently at him, ripples stirring in her otherwise placid eyes: "And? What else do you know?"
"How did you come to know of the Outer Domain Demon's message?"
Xu Yuan did not continue but instead looked at her and asked in a heavy tone.
At the same time, the corner of his eye swept a glance at the moon above, as if observing something.