Chapter Forty-Nine: Liu Kuang Takes Action

The crimson blade light appeared suddenly, intruding directly into the hundred-meter range covered by Li Liao’s spiritual sense and slashing toward his back. Yet, though its appearance was abrupt, the distance of a hundred meters was ultimately somewhat far. The moment his spiritual sense swept over the blade light, Li Liao was startled, but he did not panic. With a swift movement, the three-foot-long crimson blade light brushed past him, finally cleaving into a nearby tree.

A soft sound echoed as the blade struck the tree, and then all fell silent.

Li Liao’s expression grew grim; he had not expected anyone to attack him at this moment. But it wasn’t the fact of the attack that troubled him most—it was the crimson blade light itself.

Once martial cultivators break through to the Martial Disciple realm, they can launch attacks by projecting their elemental force. However, while this allows for attacks at a distance, it has its drawbacks: as soon as the elemental force leaves the body, it is no longer controlled by the cultivator’s will—except for those above the Martial King realm. Thus, the farther the distance, the more dispersed the force becomes, and the weaker the attack.

Yet, as Li Liao scanned the crimson blade light with his spiritual sense, he noticed that from the moment it entered his senses to when it struck the tree, it had traveled at least one hundred and forty meters, but it scarcely dispersed. Though it instantly shattered upon impact, it left nearly an inch-deep gash in the trunk.

An inch-deep gash? Li Liao’s scalp tingled involuntarily. With his third-level Martial Master cultivation, even wielding the sharp gold-elemental force, it would be difficult to leave such a mark from one hundred and forty meters away.

Moreover, the blade light was crimson, a clear sign that the wielder possessed a fire attribute. That the fire-element blade could surpass his own gold-element blade in power meant only one thing: the attacker’s cultivation was higher than his own!

In that instant, Li Liao thought of Elder Zhang, renowned for his martial prowess within the sect. However, when he turned to look, he was stunned—it was not Elder Zhang, but Liu Kuang!

The moment Liu Kuang struck, Liu Pan sensed it. Slightly surprised, he quickly regained composure, reaching into his robe for his storage pouch.

Moments later, several porcelain bottles were dumped onto the ground. Without hesitation, Liu Pan grabbed the bottles containing Bone Renewal and Blood Vitality pills, bit open the stoppers, and swallowed a few.

Discarding the bottles, Liu Pan pressed his left hand to his injured right arm, circulating elemental force throughout his body in a frenzy to treat his grievous wound.

Water-elemental force naturally aids in healing injuries. Yet, even with the pills, Liu Pan’s arm could not be restored instantly; he could only manage a simple treatment for now.

Cold sweat poured from him; the pain of a fractured arm was not something an ordinary person could endure. After correcting the worst shifts in his broken bones, his body was drenched in sweat.

At the moment he finished resetting his bones, Liu Pan switched the water-elemental force in his left hand to ice-elemental force. While water force heals, now was not the time for healing. He needed to suppress the intense pain from his shattered bones; otherwise, he could not concentrate in the coming battle.

As the ice-elemental force flowed, a chill spread. With the cold enveloping his arm, the pain lessened, though it remained unbearable.

He looked up at Liu Kuang and Li Liao, gritted his teeth, and instantly intensified the circulation of ice-elemental force.

A frigid breath swept out, and white water vapor condensed around him. After a moment, Liu Pan was slightly taken aback, glancing at his wounded arm with an inexplicable gleam in his eyes.

Liu Kuang was genuinely startled. Although Yan had told him what would happen when wielding the Desolate Blade, experiencing it firsthand was still shocking.

When Liu Kuang noticed Liu Pan and Li Liao fighting, he had immersed his consciousness in his dantian, communicating with Yan on how to help Liu Pan.

Yan cared about Liu Pan. Upon learning of Liu Pan’s life-threatening danger, Yan immediately agreed to assist.

But how? Aside from using the Desolate Blade, there was no other way! Yet, if people discovered the Desolate Blade was a sentient artifact, it would be disastrous.

Yan did not want Liu Kuang to perish. After all, he had waited ten thousand years for a descendant of the Liu clan with the Kuang Yan bloodline. If Liu Kuang died, another hundred years might see the Desolate Blade succumb to time, vanishing from history. Yan did not believe another bloodline throwback would emerge in the Liu clan within a century, find him, and claim him as master.

He did not wish Liu Kuang to die, nor did he want to see Liu Pan killed. Thus, after discussion, they decided: the Desolate Blade could be exposed, but Yan, as the artifact spirit, absolutely could not intervene.

The sole criterion for judging a weapon as a sentient artifact is whether it possesses an artifact spirit. As long as Yan remained hidden, others would think Liu Kuang wielded at most a spirit weapon of unknown grade. This would invite trouble, but far less than exposing a sentient artifact.

Once the plan was settled, Liu Kuang quickly avoided everyone’s gaze, found an empty spot, and summoned the Desolate Blade from his dantian.

When Liu Kuang returned, he happened to witness Liu Pan being sent flying by Li Liao’s punch. In a panic, he immediately swung the blade.

Ultimately, Liu Kuang also wanted to test whether the Desolate Blade could truly be useful. Though decayed, the blade’s internal spirit arrays still lingered. Because he had claimed ownership with blood, as long as Liu Kuang wielded it, man and blade became inseparable.

Elemental force poured directly into the Desolate Blade, and with the aid of its remaining arrays, even a Martial Apprentice like Liu Kuang could project force, unleashing blade light—refined by the array, its power formidable.

Li Liao was now bewildered. Liu Kuang had unleashed blade light—a feat Li Liao deemed impossible, for he clearly sensed Liu Kuang’s aura was only that of a Martial Apprentice!

In fact, Liu Kuang’s strike astonished not only Li Liao; nearly all the watching disciples had their eyes fixed on Liu Kuang. Among them, Wolf Hu’s shock was greatest. The huge seven-foot blade in Liu Kuang’s hand looked familiar to him, instantly reminding him of the blade once carried on Liu Pan’s back.

Back at Great Leaf Peak, Liu Pan and Liu Kuang first met in the Hundred Sun Sect. Wolf Hu did not know what they discussed in the grove or what happened. But after Liu Pan emerged, he sensed something was different about him. At first, he couldn’t pinpoint it, but later realized Liu Pan’s blade had shrunk.

After returning to their mountain residence, Liu Pan seemed unconcerned with the blade, tossing it in a corner. Wolf Hu never saw Liu Pan use it again, nor did Liu Pan retrieve it when the outer disciples were reassigned. This oddity lingered in Wolf Hu’s mind.

Today, seeing Liu Kuang wield a seven-foot blade, Wolf Hu immediately understood. After all, outside the dining hall at Great Leaf Peak, both Liu Pan and Liu Kuang had carried large blades.

Afterward, Wolf Hu saw neither Liu Pan nor Liu Kuang carrying blades. Both entered the sect with blades; if neither used them, it was indeed strange.

Now, it seemed Liu Kuang and Liu Pan must have exchanged blades in the grove.

Perhaps Liu Pan no longer carried the blade because he rarely used it. As for Liu Kuang, maybe he didn’t carry it due to its size—it was simply too eye-catching and would invite trouble.

With this realization, Wolf Hu was puzzled: Liu Kuang hadn’t carried a blade, so where did this seven-foot blade come from?

Though shocked by the Desolate Blade’s power, Liu Kuang kept his focus. Noticing Li Liao was stunned by his strike, he shifted part of his attention to Liu Pan.

Though the Desolate Blade allowed him to unleash blade light, Liu Kuang was aware of his limitations. With only Martial Apprentice strength, even with the blade’s help, Li Liao could kill him in an instant.

Therefore, during his discussion with Yan, Liu Kuang decided to fight alongside Liu Pan—Liu Pan as the lead, himself as support. Only then might they defeat Li Liao. If they still lost, or something unexpected occurred—

In short, Yan would not intervene unless absolutely necessary.

Liu Kuang glanced at Liu Pan and frowned imperceptibly, for Liu Pan was staring at him intently, showing no sign of rising to fight.

What was happening? Was he to face Li Liao alone? Liu Kuang’s gaze flickered. Just as he was about to look away from Liu Pan, he paused, noticing Liu Pan’s eyes moving as if signaling him to approach.

Go over? Liu Kuang frowned slightly. At this moment, the angle between Liu Kuang, Liu Pan, and Li Liao was unusual; once battle began, Liu Kuang and Liu Pan could form an effective combination. Yet, with such favorable conditions, Liu Pan was asking him to come over? What was going on?

After brief hesitation, Liu Kuang moved toward Liu Pan.

Whatever the reason, he chose to trust Liu Pan. After all, Liu Pan would not gamble with his own life.

As Liu Kuang moved, Li Liao instantly frowned. He had originally intended to test Liu Kuang, but at the moment Liu Kuang stepped forward, he suppressed his urge to act.

The reason was simple: the angle between the three.

Now, Liu Kuang had disrupted that angle.