"Dan... how are you..."
Xiao Liu, cradling an arm smashed like a Saqima, crawled forward with one leg like a bloody silkworm.
Tie Dan was riding on the charred corpse of the Commander. Although the flames on his body had gradually been extinguished by the Blood Jade Technique, he was still burned beyond recognition, looking like a piece of charred wood. If it werenât for his labored breathing, heâd be indistinguishable from a corpse.
"Hey! Danâer! Hold on..."
Xiao Liu kept calling, and Tie Dan didnât turn back. He truly had no energy left, didnât want to move, just wanted to close his eyes and drift off into sleep...
"Pop."
"Hey kid! Quick, while itâs fresh, put your leg back on! Regrowing bones hurts like hell!"
Suddenly, an old manâs shout echoed in his mind, startling Tie Dan. He thought it was another henchman from the Demon Palace.
As he looked around, he only saw a fat-headed catfish that had somehow popped up, glaring at him from his shoulder.
"Itâs you again... what exactly are you..."
"Itâs me, Xiao Liu! Dan! You donât even recognize me!"
Xiao Liu was still shouting on the side, how could anyone not see that fatty fish...
The catfish jumped down to Tie Danâs severed leg, stuck its tongue out, and vigorously rubbed the wound with its salivating mouth, leaving it all sticky. Then the catfish gave a glance and used its fin to point at the leg not far away, which Tie Dan had slashed off with sword light.
While itâs fresh... isnât it time to attach it while freshly cooked...
In a blink, the catfish vanished, as mysteriously as it appeared.
So Tie Dan mustered the strength to crawl over and attach his leg, using some kind of Golden Cloth Rope to firmly bind the severed limb.
Xiao Liu, seeing this, thought Tie Dan couldnât bear to lose a part of him, sighed in shared pain, and consoled him,
"Itâs alright, itâs alright, youâll get used to it. We can still refine the Sacrificial Sword."
Tie Dan glanced at the large wound on his shoulder, the muscles and blood vessels still twitching,
"Are you okay?"
Xiao Liu laughed,
"Iâm fine! Iâm strong, not easy to die! Besides, itâs just a piece of meat, itâll grow back in a couple of years!"
Seriously just a piece of flesh torn off? Thatâs some luck, probably because that mage ordered the Iron Beast to capture him alive. But still...
Tie Dan couldnât help but eye Xiao Liuâs right hand that was smashed into a pulp.
This injury was more difficult, with the bones crushed to mud, the nerves likely ruined, he probably wouldnât hold a sword again.
Xiao Liu understood, shrugged,
"Why worry, I never expected to live through this, killing one is worth it, killing two is a profit."
True enough, a Golden Core Master ended up like this, with a Qilin and a Huahuai outside fighting fiercely. Not to mention the eagle dogs surely returning soon. Weâre probably doomed this time.
Tie Dan was out of strength, so he simply lay down on the ground.
Alright, if itâs death, so be it. No matter how you look at it, heâs killed enough to be worth his life.
Xiao Liu crawled over too, lying next to Tie Dan, looking up at the towerâs ceiling filled with intricately carved flowers, suddenly spoke,
"Hey, Tie Dan, that sword I gave you, it was actually Shen Jianjiaâs."
Tie Dan gave him a sidelong glance, "Oh."
Xiao Liu didnât look over, just kept staring at the ceiling,
"One morning, I was sitting on the cliff at Yanzi Peak. Back then, I was already crippled, seeing fellow sect members die one by one, possessed by demon fire, thinking how treacherous the Immortal Path is, and with no talent, plus being handicapped, why am I even cultivating this damn Immortal Path, why suffer this suffering?
I couldnât bear it for a moment, wanting to jump off the cliff, but didnât have the guts, was hesitating... and then guess what happened."
On the edge of Yanzi Peakâs cliff?
Tie Dan couldnât help but roll his eyes, he already had a rough guess.
"Suddenly Shen Jianjia appeared out of nowhere and beat me up. It was so baffling! It pissed me off!"
Tie Dan, "..."
Xiao Liu shrugged,
"Turns out she was trying to ambush you, but youâre always hard to catch. So she asked me to secretly inform her of your whereabouts. If I could help her get you killed, sheâd split the haul of Heavenly Materials Treasures with me 50/50.
I agreed, that sword and elixir were her deposit."
Tie Dan nodded, "Oh."
Xiao Liu turned to look at him,
"So it was me who tipped her off on the mountain path, thatâs why she caught you."
If you want revenge, while thereâs still a chance, you better act.
Tie Dan lay there, not wanting to move at all.
"Let it be."
Xiao Liu immediately sat up,
"Hey, you said to let it be. I saved you just now too, so now Iâm not in debt to you."
Tie Dan, "Mm."
So Xiao Liu lay back down,
"I wonder how senior brother is doing, but such a big iron cage shouldnât kill him..."
"Who knows..."
"Ah, ah, ah ah! Ah ah ah ah ah!!"
Tie Dan and Xiao Liu frowned at each other, then turned to look.
Hmm, that Princely Heir wasnât dead after all.
Well, it was a frenzied fight earlier, blood and flame entwined, bone and flesh entangled, slashing and chopping, even Tie Dan got too heavily injured, almost fainted, and he almost forgot about the damn main player, nearly letting him escape.
Could this too be some kind of near-death Royal Decree...
"Ahâ! Ahâ! My! My! My... Kingâs assistant! Kingâs assistant!!"
The Princely Heir too, still not finished, instead rummaging in agony at the crotch...
Xiao Liu scrutinized and frowned,
"Why did you cut there, chop off the head?"
Tie Dan was speechless,
"Really not my doing!"
"You, you evil demon! You harm me! Harm me!"
The Princely Heir screamed frantically, heartbroken,
"Die, die, die! I want you dead!"
The Princely Heir, madly screaming, charged over.
Well, barely recovered, and the fightâs on again.
Tie Dan struggled to sit up but couldnât get up for a moment.
"Danâer! You donât have to mind this, leave it to me!"
Xiao Liu actually sprang up, seemed to be alright, rolled up his sleeves, hopped up, and hooked his left hand.
"No balls! Come! Iâll let you use one hand and one foot, still beat you up so bad your mom wonât recognize you!"
"Ah ah ah!"
So the Princely Heir gestured, summons a Jade Pendant from the rubble, and as it landed in his hand, it magically pulled out a seven-foot-long treasure sword glowing with gold!
The sword had a long blade, a central ridge, a sharp edge, a curved inward point, with a dragon scale-like hilt, rhino horn crossguard, jade pommel, gold and silver bands, reins of fairy silk, Mountain Mysterious Jade pendants, five-story-long body, nine cents weight. Inscribed with twelve seal characters,
Top Grade, Treasure Sword, Emperorâs Treasure.
"Iâll kill you!!"
With the kingâs sword in hand! The Princely Heir roars! A leaping split aimed directly at Xiao Liuâs head!
Xiao Liu gathered energy and jumped!
But didnât jump!
Because the seven-foot treasure sword shone with light, immobilizing Xiao Liu on the spot!
Xiao Liu, "Damn, isnât this cheating..."
"Tch!"
Seeing Xiao Liu couldnât handle it, Tie Dan directed his newly formed Refining, wrapping the sword in his belly and spit it out.
âDingâ A silver flash, striking the long blade off course, then swirled around the swordâs stem, neatly severing the Princely Heirâs hands.
"Ah ah ah ahâ! Mother! Mother save me! Saveâ!"
The Princely Heirâs woeful screams, arms held aloft, rolling on the ground, tears and snot mixing.
Yeah, joking around with swordsmanship in front of him...
The Princely Heir was so pathetically weak that even the kingâs sword was helpless, merely sweeping past Xiao Liu and clattering to the ground.
"Damn, scared the hell out of me... Mad, you think youâre something?!"
Egg rolled over, picked up the treasure sword glowing brightly, and with one swing!
"Ah ah ah!"
Blood splattered! The treasure sword split into the shoulder, the Princely Heirâs face twisted, screaming and wailing, indescribably gruesome.
"Princely Heir, right! Impressive, right! Call me a cripple! Go eat shit, you ball-less bastard!"
Xiao Liu cursed angrily while wildly swinging the treasure sword, splattering blood and flesh everywhere, the scene was simply brutal!
Tie Dan watched for a while, slowly furrowed his brow...
"Xiao Liu... have you never killed anyone before?"
Xiao Liu looked at the Princely Heir, hacked five times by him, bleeding everywhere, amazingly not dead yet, still half-connected by a strip of flesh and bone at the neck, twitching and groaning in agony, unable to bear the sight of such a death, blushed,
"...Um, itâs my first time."
Well, everyoneâs got a first time.
Tie Dan advised him,
"Stop wildly swinging, your wrist strength is insufficient, hacking like that wonât cut through bone.
Aim the sword blade at the crown of the head, make it quick and pierce it in."
"Okay."
Finally, the Princely Heir rolled his eyes, died unwilling to close them.