I stared wide-eyed at the black sword in Lord Shenyan's hand, knotted and gnarled like a chunk of wood. It was the Founder's Sword.
"Julian, fall back first."
Tan Tian shouted immediately. A streak of white energy lit up on Lord Shenyan's Sinblade, crackling loudly as the vines entangling his sword snapped one by one. The Sinblade in Lord Shenyan's hand pierced Tan Tian's chest, and a bizarre howl erupted from his gaping mouth. Tan Tian clutched his chest in agony.
"Why do you..."
"Redmond once explained it to me in detail—your Formless Mask..."
Tan Tian stared at Lord Shenyan in disbelief, breathing heavily. Streams of silver energy surged toward Lord Shenyan as Tan Tian gripped the Sinblade tightly. With two sharp swishes, Lord Shenyan swung his twin swords, and Tan Tian's body was instantly split into four parts.
The silver light gathered into a sphere, forming a round silver orb that drifted toward us from Lord Shenyan.
With a thunderous boom, the silvery light burst in all directions, and the surrounding buildings vanished instantly within the glare.
"I didn't expect it to be Redmond, that kid."
Tan Tian spoke expressionlessly, half-crouched on the ground. Lance Quinn lay beside him, his body reduced to only a head and chest—the rest had vanished. Tan Tian reached into Lance Quinn's body and pulled out a deep blue Golden Soulstone.
With a crack, the deep blue Golden Soulstone shattered as soon as Tan Tian took it out. He immediately opened his mouth and swallowed the fragments, then reached into the gaping wound in his chest and pulled out a brown Golden Soulstone, which he placed into Lance Quinn's body.
"We'll use a substitute for now. Lance, you should rest for a while."
Lance Quinn nodded helplessly as his body slowly sank into the ground.
Tan Tian still held another brown Golden Soulstone in his hand, with a small hole visible on its surface. With a bang, the stone shattered into fragments. Tan Tian, his face twisted in pain, slammed his fist onto the ground.
Lord Shenyan seemed to be pondering something, then he asked a question.
"I clearly struck your Golden Soulstone."
Tan Tian said nothing and stood up again. Luna Quay stepped in front of him.
"The stronger your power, the more it benefits him. Let me handle this instead."
As Luna Quay spoke, she floated upward, holding Zhanlu. Xu Fu sat nearby, clearly not intending to intervene.
"Xu Fu, if you only plan to watch from the sidelines, we'll withdraw right now."
Xu Fu stood up with a helpless look and waved his hand.
"Got it."
Lord Shenyan made no move, simply releasing his grip. The Founder's Sword vanished from his left hand, and red flames engulfed his body as he lunged toward them.
"Here he comes."
Luna Quay charged in, brandishing Zhanlu. In an instant, flames erupted everywhere as Luna Quay clashed with Lord Shenyan. I swallowed hard—within moments, Luna Quay was forced back, unable to retaliate, left only to raise Zhanlu again and again to block Lord Shenyan's sword.
"Heh, I think I know what this power is now."
Xu Fu muttered, still watching the fight. Beside him, Tan Tian glared at him.
"Fine, fine, I'll join—happy now?"
With a rush, Xu Fu leapt into the fray. Instantly, fists flashed everywhere and thunderous crashes echoed out. Under the combined assault of the two, Lord Shenyan began to defend himself.
With a bang, Lord Shenyan blocked Xu Fu's fist with the back of his sword. Luna Quay's blade immediately swept in, a streak of silver light flashing by. Lord Shenyan twisted aside, narrowly dodging the attack.
"What's wrong, Lord Shenyan? For someone who always insists on absolute individualism, accepting help from Ethan Zhang must make you uncomfortable."
Under their combined assault, Lord Shenyan kept retreating toward us. Only red flames remained on his body—the blue flames had vanished.
Things seemed to be going smoothly. Luna Quay now had the upper hand, pressing Lord Shenyan back again and again with Zhanlu. Xu Fu would occasionally throw punches from the sides, a sly smile in his eyes.
Xu Fu's eyes glinted with cunning—he was probing for something. Now it was a contest of strength and skill; neither Luna Quay nor Xu Fu intended to use their full power.
At that moment, Luna Quay's gaze drifted toward Lord Shenyan's left hand. She was worried—just now, Lance Quinn had tried to cooperate with Tan Tian to injure Lord Shenyan, but failed. The sudden appearance of the Founder's Sword had severely damaged Lance Quinn's Golden Soulstone.
It wasn't just a contest of strength—it was a battle of wits. One slip could mean defeat. Suddenly, Lord Shenyan reversed the pressure, forcing the two back as his sword moved ever faster, shrill and piercing noises ringing out.
Suddenly, when Xu Fu punched at Lord Shenyan's abdomen, Lord Shenyan dodged easily. Instead of retreating, he raised his other fist, ready to strike.
Luna Quay's expression changed instantly as Lord Shenyan's Sinblade slashed downward. Luna Quay, still airborne, transformed into a streak of silver light and flashed before Xu Fu, blocking Lord Shenyan's sword with a crisp clang.
"Thanks..."
Xu Fu grinned wickedly, his right hand half-clenched. With a boom, he pierced Luna Quay's chest, then thrust two fingers into Lord Shenyan's heart.
With a wet splatter, blood sprayed out as Luna Quay turned furiously to glare at Xu Fu.
With a bang, Lord Shenyan kicked out. Xu Fu withdrew his hand, flinging Luna Quay backward. He raised his left arm to block Lord Shenyan's kick. After a deafening crash, the two separated; Xu Fu looked at his bent left arm and flashed a victorious grin.
Lord Shenyan slowly landed, clutching his chest as his power drained away like a bursting dam.
After Luna Quay landed, he looked pained and glared at Xu Fu.
"What exactly are you trying to do?"
"If you want to win, you have to do whatever it takes. I just used your Golden Soulstone to draw Lord Shenyan's attention—he tried to pierce it, and when he attacked, I used your body as cover to hit him."
Lord Shenyan burst out laughing. Xu Fu walked slowly toward him, holding Zhanlu, which had dropped from Luna Quay's hand, and pointed the sword at Lord Shenyan.
"It's all over now, Lord Shenyan."
With a ripping sound, my eyes widened as all the Blue Wraiths around stood up, ready to rush over. But Lord Shenyan raised his left hand, signaling them not to approach.
Blood dripped steadily as Lord Shenyan gripped Zhanlu with his right hand. Xu Fu kept pressing, but Lord Shenyan stood up.
"Do you really think you've won, Xu Fu?"
"Of course. If your subordinates came at me, I'd be finished in an instant. After all, the injuries you've accumulated over years of fighting Quentin Kue have been completely shared with them. No matter how strong they were before, there's no way they can fight in this state."
With a flash of green, Yvette Chao, one of the Ten Swordmasters, appeared. I stared in shock as she raised her sword and lunged at Xu Fu.
"Looks like one of them isn't listening."
Xu Fu smiled easily and, with a clang, drew back Zhanlu to block Yvette Chao's sword. But his expression quickly changed. I stood up, stunned, as Yvette Chao's sword, which should have been blocked, pierced Xu Fu's heart.
With a rush of wind, the other nine swordmasters floated over. Xu Fu didn't hesitate—he retreated immediately. Yvette Chao kept attacking, thrusting at Xu Fu as the two floated through the air, one after the other.
"Hurry up and help me!"
Xu Fu shouted anxiously. Tan Tian suddenly flew over, blocking in front of Xu Fu, his eyes cold and murderous. A brown-yellow stream of energy descended from above.
"Unbelievable..."
Tan Tian's eyes widened in shock—Lord Shenyan had appeared at his side, hand raised. The immense power in the air vanished instantly. The Ten Swordmasters thrust their swords at Tan Tian, green light flashing, blades whistling, as his body was pierced hundreds of times in an instant.
With a thunderous boom, a powerful shockwave erupted, sending both sides flying apart. The battle stopped abruptly.
Tan Tian watched quietly. After the Ten Swordmasters landed, they sat down—the Blue Wraiths had given them all their remaining ghost energy.
Lord Shenyan stood before them, a huge crater gaping in the ground. Suddenly, mud erupted from the earth, accompanied by Xu Fu's wicked laughter. A pale blue light flashed—Zhanlu pierced through Lord Shenyan's chest, right at the heart.
"I told you, no matter what, I was destined to win."
Lord Shenyan gazed quietly at Xu Fu, pressing one hand to his heart.
"Die one more time, Xu Fu."
A swirl of milky-white energy swept through Xu Fu's body. He stared at Lord Shenyan in terror.
"No matter how much you suppress your blood flow, as long as you have feelings, any emotional fluctuation will set it moving again. The Blood Fiend's power will kill you once more."
"Ah..."
A shrill scream rang out. Xu Fu released Zhanlu and staggered backward, blood streaming from his nose, mouth, eyes, and ears—thick and black.
"Think of something, Tan Tian!"
With a rush, Tan Tian floated over to Xu Fu, opened his huge mouth, and bit into Xu Fu's neck, sucking fiercely.
"It's no use, Xu Fu. I know the Blood Fiend's power between you and John Chou better than anyone. You claimed you'd broken its curse, but that was just a lie. You fooled Ethan Zhang, but you can't fool me."