Chapter 41: Brutal Bloodbath! Li Zhexian in Crisis

Zhao Wuji stood motionless beneath the torrential downpour.

Cold rain soaked through his straw raincoat and streamed freely down his rugged, expressionless face.

The small courtyard before him trembled in the stormy night—

like a dying beast drawing its final breaths.

"Ma Hongjun is the one I brought to Heaven Dou City."

"His current state—crippled and barely alive—is my failure as a teacher."

"Tonight…"

"I've come to avenge him."

There was not the slightest hesitation or mercy in his voice.

As his murmurs faded, his figure suddenly shot forward—

like a cannonball blasting straight toward the window of the house.

His already thick arms swelled even larger, muscles bulging like coiled pythons.

Scorching heat surged from his body, vaporizing the falling rain into bursts of white steam.

A terrifying wave of Spirit Power erupted—

Behind him, the towering golden phantom of a three-meter-tall giant bear let out a deafening roar.

Zhao Wuji's fist drew a wide arc, surging with unstoppable force—

and smashed straight into the house.

Even before the blow landed, the sheer pressure shredded the rain,

shaking the entire house as if it were about to collapse.

BOOM—!!!

With a thunderous crash, the house exploded like it was made of paper.

The shockwave from the punch gouged out a deep crater several meters wide in the ground beneath the foundations.

Had anyone been inside, survival would've been impossible.

Huff…

Zhao Wuji let out a long breath.

Though he looked brash, his thoughts were anything but careless.

He scanned the debris before him, frowning slightly.

Even if Li Zhexian had been reduced to pulp,

the rain should've revealed traces—

a bit of blood, some splatter…

Yet before his eyes, not a single drop of red could be seen.

His brows furrowed.

He stepped forward, about to investigate further—

When suddenly—!

A glint of sword light, shimmering with starlight,

came silently slashing at him from behind!

Every hair on Zhao Wuji's back stood on end.

In the split second he had, he could only raise his arm to block—

"Three Swords of Elegance — Yao Guang!"

The very Li Zhexian who should've died in the wreckage—

had instead appeared behind Zhao Wuji without a sound!

In his hand, the Qinglian Sword flared with starlight,

its edge gleaming with a blade that could cut through anything—

and it came slicing down onto Zhao Wuji's hastily raised arm.

Shriiip—!!

The Spirit Power shielding only held for a few seconds before being split open.

In an instant, flesh tore, bones showed—

scalding blood burst forth, mingling with the rain.

"Ugh…"

Zhao Wuji grunted in pain, staggering back two steps.

When he regained his footing, his tiger-like eyes locked onto the vague white silhouette several meters away.

The midnight downpour had severely limited visibility—

but that sword, gleaming coldly with a faint frosty light, was piercingly clear.

"You…"

A sharp pain radiated from his arm.

Zhao Wuji looked down and noticed a faint greenish aura clinging to the wound—

It was like a poison that clung to the bones,

hindering his body's natural healing.

"Li Zhexian…"

Zhao Wuji growled the name—

and the killing intent in his eyes thickened to the point of suffocation.

How terrifying—

He was a rank 76 Battle Spirit Sage,

yet he had been injured by a mere youth?

Even if it was a sneak attack—

This was madness!

"Tonight…"

"Li Zhexian must die."

"If he doesn't—then I will."

"And if I die, Shrek may be dragged down with me."

The freezing rain soaked through Li Zhexian's white robes.

His hair clung to his forehead, droplets of water trailing down his cheeks.

He gripped the Qinglian Sword tightly,

his piercing gaze slicing through the rain—

fixed on Zhao Wuji several meters away.

"Old bastard…"

Fortunately, he'd eaten and drunk too much today—

unable to sleep, he had taken shelter under the eaves to drink alone while watching the rain.

In truth, the moment Zhao Wuji stepped into the courtyard,

Li Zhexian had already gone into hiding.

Yes—

His original plan was to avoid the fight.

A swordsman should indeed be fearless—

but only when the gap in strength wasn't as wide as heaven and earth.

To face the indomitable Zhao Wuji head-on as a thirteen-year-old?

That wasn't courage—

that was stupidity.

But he hadn't expected—

After smashing the house, Zhao Wuji didn't leave.

The old man was cautious despite his appearance—

insisting on confirming the body.

With that, Li Zhexian's only choice was to strike first.

All these thoughts flashed by in a breath—

Li Zhexian seized the Clear Spring Wine Gourd at his waist, tilted his head back, and took a long swig.

The bluish-red spirit wine mingled with rain,

running down his jawline in rivulets.

Sensing its master's resolve, the Qinglian Sword let out a crisp, chilling hum.

Amid the boundless curtain of rain—

Two figures.

Two murderous auras, thick and tangible,

clashed from across the downpour.

Then, in a blink—

Li Zhexian moved.

Twelve engraved lotus flowers on the Qinglian Sword

suddenly flared open—

spouting thick, lava-like crimson flames.

The blazing fire engulfed the sword,

spilling into a burning tail several meters long.

The high temperature collided violently with the cold rain—

emitting hissing steam, swelling into an even thicker white mist.

Whoosh—!

A white blur tore through the rain—

fast as lightning!

In a flash, he was already within several meters of Zhao Wuji.

Li Zhexian crouched slightly—then burst upward like an arrow fired from a bow!

He gripped the blazing sword with both hands, raising it high overhead—

"Second Spirit Ability — Three Swords of Elegance!"

"Qinglian Sword Song, Second Move — Two Forms: Sword of Blaze!"

With a thunderous shout—

A dense purple Spirit Ring surged around the blade.

The already-lethal fiery sword erupted with even more terrifying might.

The surrounding rain was repelled as if by some invisible field—

turning into rolling white mist as it scattered.

Li Zhexian, wielding the sword like a mountain-cleaving axe,

slammed it down toward Zhao Wuji's head!

"Li Zhexian, you may be a freakish talent—but you're still too green."

Zhao Wuji stomped his right foot.

The ground trembled violently—three times in succession.

Yellow, yellow, purple, purple, black, black, black!

Seven Spirit Rings rose beneath his feet—

his Spirit Power erupting like a volcano.

The second Spirit Ring lit up with yellow light,

followed by the suffocating black glow of the fifth ring.

His hand swelled to the size of a millstone—

golden fur bursting from his skin, covering the entire palm.

"Second Spirit Ability — Vigorous Vajra Palm!"

"Fifth Spirit Ability — Furious Bear Rampage!"

Facing the descending flame-clad sword—

Zhao Wuji raised his enormous bear-like palm,

unleashing a force like mountains crashing down.

As his palm moved, the very air caved in—

exploding with cracks from the pressure.

BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM—!!!

Sword and palm collided with a thunderous crash!

Violent shockwaves blasted outward from the point of impact.

Crimson flames burst apart,

colliding with the falling rain—

transforming into clouds of billowing steam that enveloped the courtyard.

This remote location had been chosen because of its obscurity—

And now, even with all this destruction,

the cover of the storm had kept the battle from drawing attention.

An overwhelming force transmitted through the sword—

Li Zhexian's hands tore open, nearly losing his grip.

"Boy, come back and train in your next life!"Zhao Wuji's eyes gleamed savagely.

His Spirit Power surged again—

the bear palm smashing down with even greater force.

Buzz—!

The Qinglian Sword was knocked back violently,

slamming into Li Zhexian's chest.

"Pfft—!!"

Blood sprayed into the mist.

Like a severed kite, Li Zhexian was flung backward—

even faster than he had charged.

He slammed into the courtyard wall—

which collapsed instantly.

His body was buried in brick and rubble.

Zhao Wuji sneered as he waved away the mist blocking his vision—

then strode toward the debris where Li Zhexian had fallen.

"Why do I feel so uneasy…"

...

In the prince's residence—

Xue Qinghe, dressed in pale yellow robes,

frowned and walked to the window.

Whump—!

She opened the window. The sudden gust of wind and rain blew off her outer garment.

She bent down to pick it up, but her fingertip touched a protruding corner of a stone brick, and a bead of blood immediately welled up.

...

Dugu Estate.

Dugu Yan was reading under the lamp.

She wasn't studying cultivation or poison techniques.

Instead, she was carefully going over soup recipes.

"The soup I made for Brother Zhexian yesterday... lacked something."

"Next time, I'll make one even better."

..

Ye Estate.

Ye Lingling lay curled on her bed—

Staring through the window slats at the storm outside.

Her mind replayed what Li Zhexian had told her during the day:

"You don't have to cater to anyone… not even your mother."

A soft smile tugged at her lips—

And soon, she drifted into sleep.

...

Back in the ruined courtyard—

Zhao Wuji stepped forward,

kicking away the broken bricks and debris…