Chapter Fifty-Two: No More Rules in Her Eyes

Faced with Pei Bloodsword’s casual strike, Ke Bei found himself utterly unable to evade. At the very moment the blood-red blade reached him, it was as though no matter which direction he tried to flee, the sword would always find its mark.

A sickening sound split the air as Ke Bei’s shoulders, thighs, abdomen, and chest were simultaneously pierced—nine clear holes opened across his body, blood spraying forth in torrents.

Ke Bei’s brow furrowed slightly; a flash of resolve lit his eyes. He knew well that without the inner strength of the Nine Yang Divine Skill, he was no match for Pei Bloodsword. The Nine Yang Divine Skill was indeed miraculous, its recovery speed extraordinary, but no matter how swift, it still required time—and time was a luxury Ke Bei did not have. Pei Bloodsword would not allow it.

“There's no other way. I’ll have to rely on the strength of my body to withstand it! I must force the Nine Yang Divine Skill to recover faster—without inner power, killing this man is impossible!”

Expressionless, Ke Bei glanced at his wounds, his mind turning swiftly. He stamped his foot abruptly and launched into Floating Light Steps. Though he refrained from using inner strength, his speed was by no means slow.

A blurred afterimage flashed as Ke Bei rapidly retreated, attempting to put distance between himself and Pei Bloodsword.

“Trying to run?” Pei Bloodsword sneered. What little remained of his pale blue energy surged from his body; a formless wind swirled at his feet, making him feel weightless as he shot forward with lightning speed, closing in on Ke Bei.

“A cornered rabbit will still bite! Don’t push me too far!” Ke Bei gritted his teeth, desperately dodging Pei Bloodsword’s relentless sword strikes with his Floating Light Steps. Yet, without the aid of inner power, his pace was markedly slower than Pei Bloodsword’s. The technique was subtle, but its absolute speed was wanting. For a while, Ke Bei managed to evade, but as time dragged on, he found himself increasingly overwhelmed, his body struck over a dozen times.

Fortunately, he had mastered thirty percent of the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Power, his physique far sturdier than most humans; otherwise, he would have collapsed under Pei Bloodsword’s assault long ago.

He still had a third of his inner strength left. If he chose to spend it, escape was still an option—but Ke Bei did not wish to flee. Only killing Pei Bloodsword could quench the fury burning in his heart.

“I must endure! Once the Nine Yang Divine Skill recovers to two-thirds strength, your death is assured!”

Another small wound was torn open on his arm by Pei Bloodsword’s blade. Clenching his teeth, Ke Bei’s eyes blazed with determination. He stomped hard, retreating rapidly, racing around the blood-soaked hall at his utmost speed. The Floating Light Steps were pushed to their very limits, his body weaving and flickering unpredictably.

Ke Bei dodged with wild abandon, Pei Bloodsword hot on his heels, stabbing with his crimson sword at every opening.

Chased and chasing, time passed. Ke Bei’s speed began to wane. He was now a man drenched in blood, his body marred by hundreds of wounds, his injuries worsening, blood pouring from him in rivers. Even with his formidable constitution, he was reaching his limit; his head spun dizzily. Yet, there was not a hint of despair on Ke Bei’s face—only a faint, cold smile at his lips and a growing brightness in his eyes.

“It’s nearly time.”

He drew a slow breath, sensing that the inner power of the Nine Yang Divine Skill in his dantian had recovered to about two-thirds. Abruptly, Ke Bei halted in his tracks.

“Chasing me down must have been enjoyable, huh?”

Ke Bei wiped the blood from his face and shot a cold smile at Pei Bloodsword.

“Heh, you beast—still acting arrogant? Come on, I’ll stand right here and let you try!”

With his inner strength restored, Ke Bei could finally throw his flying knives again. The frustration in his heart was swept away.

His hand slipped across the pouch at his waist, and a flying knife appeared in his palm. He glanced at Pei Bloodsword, whose face had suddenly turned ashen, and grinned.

“Die!”

A strange glint flashed in Ke Bei’s eyes as the knife in his palm shot out suddenly.

A sharp whistle split the air—the flying knife, gleaming coldly, sped towards Pei Bloodsword.

Ke Bei’s first thrown knife had nearly taken Pei Bloodsword’s life; this time, there was no way he would try to block it. In a panic, he stamped the ground, dodging sideways.

“Something’s wrong,” Pei Bloodsword thought, his face shifting. As he stepped to the left, he realized this flying knife was much slower and easily avoided it.

“Hmph! Die!” Ke Bei’s eyes flashed coldly as a second knife flew forth. The first had been thrown without using any inner power—currently, he could only launch one with the Nine Yang Divine Skill’s strength in a short span.

Ke Bei was at his limit; he could not wait for the Nine Yang Divine Skill to recover again.

This strike had to kill.

The first, powerless knife was merely a feint to confuse Pei Bloodsword.

This was the true deathblow.

The moment Pei Bloodsword dodged the first knife and before he could steady himself, the second knife—faster than three times the speed of sound and imbued with two-thirds of the Nine Yang Divine Skill’s power—screamed toward him.

“No!”

Pei Bloodsword roared, what little remained of his pale blue energy erupting wildly, a fierce wind bursting forth in an attempt to block Ke Bei’s deadly strike. But he was still a moment too late.

With a sickening sound, the flying knife buried itself in Pei Bloodsword’s head. In an instant, the searing inner power of the Nine Yang Divine Skill exploded, and before Pei Bloodsword could even cry out, he crashed lifelessly to the ground.

“It’s over at last.”

Ke Bei looked at Pei Bloodsword’s fallen body and exhaled slowly. His body, weakened to the extreme from blood loss, swayed uncontrollably, and he staggered to his knees.

“Qianqian, I’m sorry…”

He had slaughtered nearly a hundred members of the Blood Sword Alliance, even killed its leader, the very architect of their misery—yet Ke Bei felt no joy.

What was the point of revenge?

What did killing the leader of the Blood Sword Alliance bring?

What was the use of strength great enough to slay a peak Mortal Transcendence expert?

Qianqian was the only one.

Without her, she would never return…

Ke Bei knelt in a pool of blood, silent tears streaming down his cheeks.

“Rules? Nonsense—all nonsense!”

He remained silent for a long time, then suddenly roared aloud. Ke Bei had never ignored Li Qianqian’s safety; in truth, ever since he had killed the youth in white, he had been on constant alert.

His joining the Guardian Squad was, in large part, due to Li Qianqian. In the city base, killing was forbidden—such was the rule.

Ke Bei believed that by joining the Guardian Squad, he would be able to live in the North City district, and Li Qianqian would be safe, for the base city’s law prohibited internecine violence among humans.

But he had been wrong—terribly wrong.

Only now did he truly understand: so-called rules were nothing more than tools devised by the strong to bind the weak.

“Ha! From now on, I, Ke Bei, will never again acknowledge the word ‘rules’!”

“Any force that dares to threaten, or might threaten me, my brothers, my family, or my friends…”

“Will be annihilated without mercy!”

Ke Bei’s gaze was sharper than ever before; his voice was hoarse, squeezing out words as cold as death itself.