Chapter 17: The Enchanting Shadow of the Crimson Blade

Wu Qiwei was the first to launch a fierce attack, hacking down at her with all his might. Since she had yet to gauge her opponent’s true strength, she dared not unleash her full power recklessly—after all, she was facing an enemy whose abilities surpassed her own. She raised her sword to meet his blow, the clangor of their colliding blades echoing through the arena.

The force of the impact sent them both reeling apart. Leaf Tang felt her arm grow limp and numb—she knew she could not match his strength head-on. Sensing her retreat, Wu Qiwei pressed harder, relentless. Gathering a sphere of energy in his palm, he released it with a flick. Dozens of azure fireballs hurtled toward her in rapid succession. She weaved nimbly between them, slicing each fireball apart with her sword.

Once clear of the barrage, Leaf Tang circled widely, darting to Wu Qiwei’s left and unleashing a lightning-fast horizontal slash. Wu Qiwei smirked, analyzing her every move with the keen eye of an experienced fighter. As her blade swept past, he twisted away along a predetermined path, sidestepping the strike’s deadliest angle. Her sword grazed him, and the sudden shift left Leaf Tang momentarily stunned.

“Surprised you missed at such close range? Do you really think you can dodge an attack from here?” Wu Qiwei had already condensed a chilling force in his hand and, giving her no time to react, unleashed it from less than a meter away.

“Piercing Barrage!”

As the power spread, the grass beneath them froze instantly. From all directions, jagged spears of ice erupted from the ground, hemming her in. Shocked, Leaf Tang barely had time to raise a barrier before the ice spikes struck from point-blank range, wounding her in countless places within seconds.

“Miss Leaf!” Du Bin called out, deeply worried at the sight of her being overwhelmed. He never expected their opponent to be so formidable. He glanced up at the villa, where Qin Ling was still held at gunpoint.

“Stay out of this, I’m fine!” Leaf Tang stopped him from approaching. She had been far too careless, letting this old fox outmaneuver her. Thankfully, her flame barrier had absorbed some of the damage—otherwise, she might not have survived. “It seems if I want to win, I can no longer hold anything back.”

“You think you can? The gap between us is obvious—someone as inexperienced as you can’t possibly handle it.” Wu Qiwei’s tone was mocking, his laughter cold.

Leaf Tang swept her hand, and an unseen force rose beside her. The Redblade Sword split slowly into eight. Her gaze hardened, and the eight flaming swords spun in a spiral, launching themselves at Wu Qiwei. He smiled slightly, sending blades of energy at the swords before they reached him. As the sword energy neared, the Redblade Swords broke formation, scattering in response to her will. Wu Qiwei’s eyes darted, tracking the floating swords under her mental control.

Without giving him a chance to react, all eight swords converged from different directions, stabbing toward him in unison. Wu Qiwei only sneered, springing backward. Yet the swords pursued him relentlessly; no matter how he twisted or dodged, they remained on his tail. Spinning around, he assumed a defensive stance. Suddenly, a translucent blue shield materialized before him. The eight swords targeted the center, aiming straight for Wu Qiwei’s heart. A series of thunderous blasts erupted, filling the air with thick smoke.

Before the smoke had cleared, Wu Qiwei shot out from the haze, standing atop a formation of the eight swords he had seized for himself. Arrayed in a line, they carried him straight toward her. With her own sword unable to return to her hand in time, Leaf Tang had no choice but to rapidly gather fire energy and hurl it at him.

He leapt back with a demon’s grin, the swords bristling with icy chill as they crashed into the fireball. The fireball, too weak, was shattered. The eight blades struck—Leaf Tang’s body was lacerated, raw with wounds. Her own swords, deprived of control, fell uselessly to the ground. Wu Qiwei landed directly in front of Du Bin, and before the latter could react, received a kick to the head, sending him tumbling aside.

Ma Jinlong, watching Leaf Tang being beaten so soundly, was elated. He clenched his fists and pounded the railing in excitement. “Excellent! I’ve won! This time, fortune truly favors me—I’m about to make a killing!”

Qin Ling, seeing her friends battered and bloodied in their attempt to rescue her, was wracked with guilt. Tears streamed down her cheeks. In her grief, she noticed multiple video feeds on Ma Jinlong’s laptop screen. One face froze her in shock—she couldn’t believe he was involved with these people. If he was, why hadn’t he tried to save her? Their eyes met, but he kept his closed, as if she didn’t exist. The more she thought about it, the more she wondered what she meant to him—a plaything, or merely a pawn?

“Zeng Yilong, it seems I’m the victor this time. You’ve lost,” Ma Jinlong gloated.

“Heh, how disappointing. I thought they valued your talent enough to make you the new successor, but you’re clearly inferior to your mother. I’m truly let down. Even if we kept playing, there’s no satisfaction in it for me,” Wu Qiwei said, catching the returning Phantom Sword. He had expected the new heir, groomed with such care, to possess enough power to make the fight worthwhile. Yet it was over so quickly.

Leaf Tang knelt on one knee, clutching her wounds. The skin around her injuries had turned purple, sweat beading across her body. Suddenly, a surge rose from her chest and she spat a mouthful of blood. “The blade is poisoned?”

“Forgot to mention, my Phantom Sword is laced with poison. Anyone cut by it will see their blood darken, and as their exertion increases, so does the poison’s effect. That’s what makes it so ruthless.”

“Don’t kill them too quickly, Wu Qiwei! Make them suffer. They dared to cause trouble on my turf and cost me so much money—they deserve worse.”

Staggering, Du Bin rushed to her side. “Miss Leaf, are you all right?”

“Don’t touch me, the poison in my blood is contagious.” Seeing her battered and bleeding, Du Bin reached out to help, but she stopped him just before he made contact.

Wu Qiwei kicked Du Bin aside and strode up to Leaf Tang, sword raised for the kill. “The boss wants you tortured, but I almost feel sorry for you. But you’re her daughter—especially the daughter of that man I despise. Let me end you myself and prove my mercy.”

Leaf Tang rolled aside repeatedly, dodging his blows. Wu Qiwei moved to intercept her and slashed down. “Trying to escape? You won’t get away.”

Damn, am I really going to die here…?

Sensing imminent danger, Leaf Tang froze. At that critical moment, a powerful force surged from within her, her heart pounding violently. She felt a strange discomfort as her blood began to return to normal. The heavy thump of her heartbeat resonated through the entire space.

Thump-thump… Thump-thump… Her heartbeat grew faster and faster. Just as the Phantom Sword was about to strike her, her body erupted in a blaze of fire. Wu Qiwei was knocked back by the flames. At that moment, a bolt of lightning struck the ground, accompanied by several smaller arcs. Du Bin stared in astonishment as a massive lightning bolt struck down above her, and he saw, almost in disbelief, her body glowing with a red light.

“Amazing! Your power seems to have increased—maybe I can find more satisfaction from this after all.” Wu Qiwei was astonished to see Leaf Tang, despite her grievous wounds, unleash such strength. Even more thrilling was the realization that her power grew stronger with adversity—the more desperate the battle, the more formidable she became.

The poison from the Phantom Sword was rapidly dissipating from her body. Radiating red light, she clenched her fist and hurled it forward. An explosion erupted two meters ahead, the shockwave radiating outward. Wu Qiwei summoned a shield to lessen the impact, but Du Bin, an ordinary man, was not so fortunate. He was flung far by the blast, barely managing to grab hold of a tree to avoid being swept off the mountain.

Suddenly, she darted forward, her speed so great she left only a blur of afterimages. Seizing the Redblade Sword, she charged toward her target once more.