In the darkness, flames flickered to life one by one, casting light on six suspended bodies twisting in agonizing pain.
“Don’t look into his eyes!” Huo Zhan Bai shouted, pulling Wei Feng Xing away before their gazes could lock. “It’s his hypnotic technique! Focus only on his body and his footwork to predict where he’ll strike.”
“Heh,” the owner of those mesmerizing eyes chuckled under the flickering light. “As expected of the famed Seventh Young Master Huo.”
Sitting in the shadows was a young man, his body covered in wounds. His limbs and throat bore scars from the iron shackles, evidence of unimaginable torture. Pale and emaciated, he raised his head and gave a slight smile. That smile seemed to radiate light from within him, not only through his eyes but filling the room with an almost blinding glow. Even those who hadn’t locked eyes with him felt as if the entire chamber had brightened.
“Tong, it’s been a long time since the encounter at Medicine Valley,” Huo Zhan Bai said, steadying his breath as he spoke.
Tong’s expression flickered, his unsettling glow dimming slightly as his killing intent wavered. Medicine Valley… Medicine Valley. The mention of that place, so closely tied to a certain person, struck a vulnerable chord in him. In the critical moment of life and death, he faltered.
“Now!” Sensing the slight hesitation, Huo Zhan Bai immediately shouted to Wei Feng Xing, “Rescue them!”
Both of them leaped forward with lightning speed, their swords slashing through the air toward the silver cords strangling their comrades. There was a metallic snap, and one of the suspended figures fell heavily to the ground.
“Sixth Brother!” Wei Feng Xing recognized Xu Zhong Hua and rushed to catch him.
Suddenly, Wei Feng Xing froze mid-step.
With a barely audible “shhh,” Xu Zhong Hua’s fingers silently struck Wei Feng Xing’s chest, immobilizing him in an instant. In the same motion, Xu Zhong Hua deftly snatched Wei Feng Xing’s sword and flung it backward, pinning it into the wooden beam overhead.
“Sixth Brother!” Wei Feng Xing cried out in disbelief, staring at the comrade who had just betrayed him.
“Sixth Brother?” The man in the bronze mask sneered, turning to Huo Zhan Bai. “Who’s your brother?”
Huo Zhan Bai stood frozen, his eyes burning with fury. “Xu Zhong Hua! Have you truly betrayed us? Whose side are you on?”
“I’m not on anyone’s side,” Xu Zhong Hua smirked coldly. “I’ve only ever been loyal to myself.”
“Betraying Dingjian Pavilion is one thing, but have you no concern for Qiu Shui Yin and your child?” Huo Zhan Bai’s voice shook with both anger and grief. “She’s suffered for eight years—have you not asked about her even once?”
“Don’t mention that wretched woman to me,” Xu Zhong Hua replied with a sneer, disdain twisting his face. “Even if she were dead, I wouldn’t blink.”
Huo Zhan Bai’s body went rigid in an instant.
What did he just say? What did he call Qiu Shui Yin?
“She married me out of spite, just as I married her to hurt you,” Xu Zhong Hua continued with icy indifference. “After eight years, haven’t you realized that?”
Huo Zhan Bai stared, stunned, at his old comrade and rival. For years, he had wondered why Qiu Shui Yin had suddenly married into the Xu family, thinking she was either forced or that her feelings had changed. But never had he imagined that it could be for such a simple and cruel reason.
“For that woman, I have every reason to kill you,” Xu Zhong Hua said, his voice dripping with venom as he raised his sword.
“And your child?” Huo Zhan Bai’s voice now trembled with rage. “Do you even know that Mo’er has been sick for eight years? Do you know he just died?”
The man behind the bronze mask froze, his sneer fading.
“I have a son?” he muttered, staring at the sword in his hand. When he left for Kunlun on his mission, the child had still been in his mother’s womb. Now that child had died, and he hadn’t even seen him.
“Good riddance!” Xu Zhong Hua’s hesitation lasted only a moment before his cold smile returned. “Who knows whose bastard that was?”
“Shut up!” Huo Zhan Bai’s rage, stoked to its limit, exploded forth. “Xu Zhong Hua, you’re beyond saving!” Without another word, he charged at Xu Zhong Hua, sword raised.
“Drop your sword!” Xu Zhong Hua didn’t bother blocking the furious attack. Instead, he tightened his grip on Wei Feng Xing’s throat, his eyes gleaming with lethal intent. “I’m done with your righteousness! Believe me, I’ll kill Wei Feng Xing in an instant!”
Huo Zhan Bai’s sword stopped mid-air.
Seeing him hesitate, Xu Zhong Hua burst into cruel laughter, his grip tightening around Wei Feng Xing’s throat. “Drop your sword now! I’ll count down from six, and I’ll kill one of them with each number—”
“One…”
Before he could finish, Huo Zhan Bai’s sword, Mohun, flew from his hand, embedding itself deep into the wooden beam above.
“Hah,” Xu Zhong Hua glanced up at the seven swords hanging in the rafters, unable to suppress his triumph. He sealed Wei Feng Xing’s acupoints, then strode confidently toward the unarmed Huo Zhan Bai, his sword gleaming in the dim light.
“You truly are sentimental, Huo Zhan Bai,” Xu Zhong Hua mocked, his tone dripping with scorn. “You care so much for Qiu Shui Yin and for your brothers. Isn’t living like that exhausting?” Before Huo Zhan Bai could respond, Xu Zhong Hua raised his sword. “With no sword in your hand, half your martial skill is useless. Today, I’ll repay you for that strike by the Xing Su Sea!”
With that, he turned slightly, nodding toward the dark figure in the shadows. “Tong, support me.”
Tong, who had been lost in deep thought, seemed to snap out of his daze. Without speaking, he clapped his hands lightly. Instantly, shadows moved in the darkness, and the long corridor of the Snow Prison was completely sealed by assassins. At the same time, six daggers pressed against the throats of the suspended Dingjian Pavilion swordsmen.
“Do whatever you want,” Tong said, his voice emotionless. His gaze dropped to the small white jade bottle in his hand—the last thing that woman had left him.
“Good!” Xu Zhong Hua laughed. “Once we eliminate the Seven Swords, the Central Plains and Western Regions will belong to us!”
His sword, filled with hate, stabbed toward the unarmed Huo Zhan Bai—a strike born of deep-seated venom, a desire to cut his rival into pieces. For so many years, in every aspect, Huo Zhan Bai had overshadowed him. How could he not harbor resentment?
In the darkness, Huo Zhan Bai dodged Xu Zhong Hua’s lightning-fast strikes but dared not retaliate.
If he fought back, the daggers at his comrades’ throats would surely cut them down!
Xu Zhong Hua was stunned. Even without his sword, Huo Zhan Bai’s every movement was accompanied by invisible sword energy that deflected Xu Zhong Hua’s attacks. Over eight years, Huo Zhan Bai’s swordsmanship had reached an unparalleled level?
Blinded by rage, Xu Zhong Hua’s hatred only deepened. He slowed his attacks deliberately, savoring the moment as his sword grazed Huo Zhan Bai’s limbs, leaving behind shallow cuts.
"Slash!" The sword struck toward his brow, and unable to dodge in time, Huo Zhan Bai raised his hand to block it head-on.
The blade grazed his left wrist, leaving a long, deep gash.
“Hahahaha...” The scent of blood filled the air, driving Xu Zhong Hua into a frenzied laugh. “Huo Qi, back then you crippled one of my arms; today, I’ll take both your hands and feet! Not even the divine healers of Medicine Valley can save you!”
Medicine Valley… In the midst of this life-or-death battle, Huo Zhan Bai suddenly faltered.
"Wait for me to return, and we'll settle this over a drink!"
—Could it be… he would never return?
As this thought surfaced, a surge of willpower filled his body. Huo Zhan Bai changed his footwork, switching from defense to offense. The sword energy at his fingertips became sharp and overwhelming, throwing Xu Zhong Hua off balance, disrupting his attack rhythm.
Oddly enough, the assassins of Shura Field did not immediately join the fight. They stood by, observing, seemingly waiting for something.
Though Huo Zhan Bai had no sword in hand, his swordsmanship, birthed from his heart and now fully unleashed, was even fiercer than when he wielded Mo Hun. In just a hundred moves, he found an opening. His right hand darted out like lightning, striking directly at Bai Hong, Xu Zhong Hua's sword.
“Clang!” A clear sound rang out as the famed sword Bai Hong snapped in two!
“Tong!” Xu Zhong Hua, knowing he couldn’t fend off the next strike aimed at his throat, cried out instinctively, “Help me!”
“Very well.” In the darkness, the pair of eerie eyes suddenly opened, and Tong spoke just one word.
No one saw how Tong moved. One moment he was seated, and in the next, he appeared between the two combatants. Everything halted. The dark red blade of Li Xue Jian (Bloodthirsty Sword) emerged from Xu Zhong Hua’s chest, piercing through his heart.
—Li Xue Jian!
“Tong!” Both men shouted in shock.
Huo Zhan Bai saw the tip of the sword protruding from Xu Zhong Hua’s chest and quickly leapt back, startled.
“Why…” The bronze mask clattered to the floor, revealing a face twisted in pain. Xu Zhong Hua looked down at the sword protruding from his chest, mumbling in disbelief, “Tong, we had a deal… we agreed…”
No matter how he tried to understand, he couldn’t fathom why someone like Tong would suddenly betray him.
“I only said you could go ahead with your plans—I never promised not to kill you.” Without a sound, Tong had slipped behind Xu Zhong Hua and skewered him with the sword. As he twisted the blade through his heart, shattering any final words, Tong coldly pulled out the dripping sword. His eerie eyes gleamed as he murmured, seemingly to himself, “Want to know why? It’s simple: Even someone like me sometimes has standards. And frankly, having you as an ally disgusts me.”
The bronze mask clattered to the ground. Xu Zhong Hua’s wide, lifeless eyes stared into the void.
"..." The situation had shifted in an instant. Taking advantage of this moment of chaos, Huo Zhan Bai darted over to Wei Feng Xing, unlocking his pressure points. The two stood back-to-back, swords raised, ready for a final fight.
In the darkness, the assassins of Shura Field remained motionless, their presence filled with silent menace.
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