Chapter 819: A Glimmer of Green Light
Whoosh!
With a sweeping kick, Tieshan sent a blinding torrent of mud and dead leaves from the forest floor hurtling toward Zhong Lingyin, completely obscuring her vision.
Concealing his aura, he followed close behind, his every movement steeped in murderous intent.
Panic seized Zhong Lingyin. The cloud of dirt and decaying foliage blocked her sight entirely, making it impossible to discern Tieshan's position or the angle of his attack. All she could do was frantically channel her Martial Path True Essence and brandish the Qing Shuang Sword in a desperate, defensive pattern.
'Hmph, she's just a celebrity,'Tieshan sneered inwardly.'It looks like she reached her current level by relying on medicinal conditioning. As expected, her raw combat prowess is pathetic…'
His hand shot out from the rain of leaves and mud, fingers curled like a hawk's talons, aiming straight for Zhong Lingyin's throat.
He could tell at a glance that Zhong Lingyin had next to no real combat experience. She was clumsy, but her foundation was so unnervingly strong that even a Grandmaster like him couldn't dispose of her easily.
'She must be cultivating an incredibly powerful technique, possibly a top-tier Celestial-level art. And the medicines she usually takes must be worth a fortune. Otherwise, a mere celebrity could never possess such strength. First Young Master Shen is truly as wealthy as the rumors say…'His eyes glinted with envy.'Even that green sword in her hand is an exquisite weapon, capable of cutting iron like mud…'Tieshan was genuinely covetous. He had long heard that Yanxia's Shen Clan possessed vast wealth and power, but only now, seeing that even one of the First Young Master's women could be cultivated to such a degree, did he truly grasp the depth of their resources.'However, underestimating this old man is your biggest mistake!'
A chilling sneer spread across Tieshan's aged face. He had already decided to capture Zhong Lingyin and use her as a hostage. That would surely force Shen Anyu's hand, creating an opening for his escape.
Rip!
But in that very instant, a glimmer of green light flashed, preceding a sword strike that moved like a dragon!
The Qing Shuang Sword in Zhong Lingyin's hand was like a jade dragon bursting from the sea. It thrust out with astonishing speed, its blade whistling through the air as it carved a perfect, precise arc through the oncoming screen of debris.
With a sharp gasp, Tieshan stumbled back more than ten steps, his eyes wide with shock. He looked down at the long, bloody gash across his chest, a wound so deep it had nearly sliced through a third of his ribs. He stared at Zhong Lingyin in utter disbelief.
By now, the leaves and mud had settled, revealing Zhong Lingyin's exquisite and beautiful face.
"Ah! Don't come any closer…!" Her lovely eyes were wide with fright as she swung the Qing Shuang Sword wildly, looking completely panicked.
Tieshan was speechless.
Shen Anyu stifled a laugh, a strange look on his face. If Tieshan were a Child of Destiny, a system prompt announcing the plunder of his destiny value would have probably sounded by now.
A veteran Grandmaster had actually been wounded by Zhong Lingyin's flailing, accidental strike.
Of course, it was also a proof of the incredible speed of her sword and the sharpness of the Qing Shuang Sword itself.
In terms of foundational aspects—from her Martial Path True Essence and cultivation art to her martial skills and weapon—Zhong Lingyin was superior to the old man. All she lacked was practical combat experience. Otherwise, a single, well-aimed strike could have ended Tieshan's life instantly.
How could an aging Grandmaster like Tieshan possibly compare to Zhong Lingyin, who practiced the Martial God Art, had consumed a hundred-year zhu fruit, and had cultivated directly with Shen Anyu?
Liu Ruyan also smiled, a mischievous glint in her charming eyes. Her sweet voice rang out, "Lingyin, what are you waiting for? Hurry up and deal with him! Show him that same spirit you use for snatching men! Don't be afraid!"
'Pfft, what "spirit for snatching men"?' Hearing Second Senior Sister Liu Ruyan's teasing words, Zhong Lingyin's pretty face flushed, but she also began to realize the true extent of her own strength.
Seeing Shen Anyu smiling and nodding at her, Zhong Lingyin's heart settled. Her beautiful eyes fixed on Tieshan's grim-faced figure. "You injured my Third Senior Sister, Murong Jieyu. For that, you can't blame me!"
The moment her words fell, she raised her sword and charged. The Qing Shuang Sword in her hand became a streak of emerald light, a green dragon soaring through the dark mountain forest.
A sense of dread was already creeping into Tieshan's heart. If a mere celebrity like Zhong Lingyin was this difficult to handle, then what about Shen Anyu, the unfathomable First Young Master of Yanxia's Shen Clan?
He likely stood no chance at all!
Tieshan glanced at the men from the Tieshan Martial Arts School, gritted his teeth, and prepared to order them to cover his retreat while he escaped.
But just as he was about to flee, a clear voice echoed through the woods.
"If you run, I'll make my move. If you can defeat Lingyin, you might just live."
Tieshan's gaze shot toward Shen Anyu, who stood five or six hundred meters away, a calm smile on his face. Cursing inwardly, Tieshan raised his hand, snapped a thick bamboo stalk from the ground, and swept it toward the approaching Zhong Lingyin.
'Hmph, using this old man as a whetstone for your woman? Let's see if you regret it!'
As a veteran Grandmaster, Tieshan was enraged by Shen Anyu's casual disregard, treating him as nothing more than a training dummy. At worst, he would drag Zhong Lingyin down with him.
He was confident that even if Shen Anyu was a Celestial, a peak Grandmaster fighting for his life at close range could still kill Zhong Lingyin before he could be saved.
At this moment, Tieshan was also filled with bitter regret. He never expected that the woman in green from before, Zhong Lingyin's Third Senior Sister Murong Jieyu, would bring such a catastrophe upon him. If he had known, he would have personally hunted her down to eliminate any future trouble.
Zhong Lingyin's raw power was greater than Tieshan's, and she wielded the Qing Shuang Sword—a golden-tier reward from a System lottery—which could cut through iron like mud and slice through tungsten steel alloy as if it were tofu.
Tieshan didn't dare to face her head-on. He constantly used bamboo poles, branches, fallen leaves, and mud to interfere, darting around in an attempt to exhaust her stamina.
However, as the fight dragged on, Zhong Lingyin began to truly experience the power of the Martial God Art. The medicinal power of the hundred-year zhu fruit, which had yet to be fully digested within her, gradually integrated into her limbs and bones, causing her strength to climb steadily.
'Something's wrong… something is very, very wrong…'
Tieshan noticed the change, and his expression shifted. He had initially thought that Zhong Lingyin's wild, expansive movements would surely consume a great deal of her energy. His plan was to wear her down before striking when she was vulnerable. But instead… she was getting stronger the more she fought.
It was unbelievable. A Master-level warrior possessed more Martial Path True Essence and stamina than he, a Grandmaster.
Boom!
A massive log that Tieshan hurled at her was met by her sword. It was instantly cleaved in two, the wood exploding into a shower of splinters in mid-air. The remaining force of her slash continued onward, slashing toward him with the momentum of a blade that could sunder mountains.
"Hmph!" Tieshan roared, veins bulging on his forehead as white steam rose from his body. He unleashed his Martial Path True Essence to its absolute limit, and a Protective Aura enveloped his entire body. Clasping his palms together, he lunged forward, intending to disarm her with his bare hands.
The Qing Shuang Sword was simply too sharp; if he couldn't take it from her, he wouldn't dare get close.
But Tieshan had clearly still underestimated just how strong Zhong Lingyin had become after being trained by Shen Anyu.
"Ah—!" The next instant, a scream of agony burst from Tieshan's mouth as a spray of blood erupted from his chest.
He felt a searing pain in his torso. Looking down, he saw a gruesome wound running from his chest to his abdomen, a gash more than three inches deep that exposed the pale white of his ribs and the horrifying pulse of his internal organs.
A piece of his heart had even been sliced off.
Blood gushed out uncontrollably.
Tieshan's body trembled, all his strength draining away with his lifeblood. With unwillingness and shock blazing in his eyes, he collapsed to his knees with a heavy thud. He struggled to look up at Zhong Lingyin.
"What a powerful sword… I've practiced martial arts for seventy years… and I never thought I'd lose to a young woman…"
"I've only been practicing for a month," Zhong Lingyin said, pursing her pink lips, her pretty face blushing with shyness. "Brother Shen is a good teacher…"
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