It was merely a short, unremarkable saber—yet in Lu Sheng’s grip, it carved through two thick wooden walls as if they were nothing more than paper. The specially treated wood splintered apart, and the blade cleaved into the white-clothed figure, carrying the echoing aftershock of the strike.
“RIP!!!”
The tearing sound was like silk being violently rent in two. Lu Sheng’s bloodshot eyes blazed with a feral light. In a single sweeping slash, he split the white-clothed figure cleanly in half.
The saber’s momentum carried forward, spinning in his grasp and slicing a nearby table neatly down the middle.
Lu Sheng’s sharp gaze swept across the room. The Black Fury Skill surged within him, pulsing through his veins like wildfire. A suffocating aura of rage and savagery radiated from his chest, refusing to dissipate.
“BOOM!”
He kicked the eight-seater desk in front of him. The massive furniture flew across the room, crashing against the wall and shattering into countless fragments. Yet, even amidst the wreckage, Lu Sheng could sense it—someone was still watching him.
“YOU COURT DEATH!!!” he roared, his voice like a thunderclap as his saber flashed. “GET OUT HERE!”
The Tiger Kill of the Black Tiger Saber Technique erupted from his strike, a storm of saber force smashing into the wall before him.
“KA-BOOM!!!”
The wall exploded outward, half the structure disintegrating into shards and splinters that rained down like black snow. The air filled with dust and debris—then, from behind the wreckage, a woman in white appeared, her face obscured by a curtain of long, tangled hair.
In the corner, Song Zhenguo and Jun’er crouched together, trembling. Their eyes reflected despair and raw terror—until they saw who stood before them.
For a brief moment, silence. Then, recognition. Their fear shifted into disbelief, then into overwhelming relief. Before their eyes, Lu Sheng charged forward like a wrathful god descending from the heavens, his saber gleaming with unstoppable might.
Song Zhenguo was just about to rise and rush forward when Jun’er suddenly yanked him back by the sleeve.
“Something’s wrong! Wait—don’t move yet!”
Blood glistened at the corner of Jun’er’s lips; she had been injured without realizing it. Her gaze fixed tightly on Lu Sheng, her expression tense. There was something off—something disturbingly different about him.
“What’s wrong? That’s Brother Lu! Brother Yue Sheng!” Song Zhenguo whispered in disbelief, his voice trembling with excitement. “I didn’t know he was this strong—this powerful! He must have come to save us!”
“Look again… carefully,” Jun’er murmured, her voice low but firm.
Song Zhenguo hesitated, then turned toward Lu Sheng once more. The moment his eyes adjusted, his breath caught in his throat—Lu Sheng’s presence was wrong. His face was taut, eyes blazing crimson, his aura wild and murderous.
A shrill, inhuman laugh pierced the air.
“HEEHEEHEE…”
The woman in white shot backward, her sleeves swirling as waves of oily green fire erupted from her hands—each flame shaped like a shrieking human head.
Dozens of the ghastly fireballs streaked through the air, sealing every path of retreat.
Lu Sheng’s Black Fury Skill surged to its peak, flooding his veins with raw, violent energy. His killing intent burned like molten steel. The short saber in his hand quivered as inner Qi poured from his core into his arm, condensing into the weapon.
With a roar, he swung down.
“ROAR!!!”
A thunderous tiger’s bellow echoed through the hall. Silver saber light burst forth, forming the phantom of a colossal axe that cleaved through the swarm of fireballs.
“BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!”
Explosions tore through the air, each louder than the last. The green flames shattered into waves of fire, igniting the hanging red lanterns above. The blaze raced along the rugs and leather furnishings, engulfing the chamber in a rising inferno.
From within the heat and chaos came a shrill, mocking laugh.
“A pugilistic expert? An inner-and-outer force cultivator? Not bad at all!”
The woman floated upward, her hair streaming wildly as her hand swept through the air, summoning yet another surge of ghostly green fire.
Suddenly, a flurry of round black orbs shot in through the gaping hole in the shattered wall. Dozens of them whistled through the air, raining toward Lu Sheng before he could even react.
“Tiger Might!”
Lu Sheng gripped the short saber with both hands. His towering frame stood in stark contrast to the compact weapon that now trembled violently in his grasp. The saber’s blade shimmered under the fiery glow, vibrating so intensely that its edge gleamed like molten silver—dazzling and blinding to behold.
“HOO!”
A fierce gust surged forth like a prowling tiger’s breath. Lu Sheng lunged forward, his movement a blur. His explosive speed across the short distance surpassed even the lightning pace he had displayed moments ago when chasing the white-clothed figure.
He weaved through the storm of black orbs with impossible precision, twisting and turning as the deadly spheres missed him by mere inches. Then, in one seamless motion, his saber flashed down.
“SPLAT!”
A human head spun into the air. Blood sprayed across the burning walls. Lu Sheng’s arm did not pause—riding the momentum, he reversed his slash.
“SPLAT!”
The white-clothed woman’s body was cleaved diagonally in two. Her scream tore through the inferno, shrill and haunting.
The flames roared higher, devouring the wooden chamber. The beams above groaned and cracked, then suddenly gave way.
Lu Sheng had barely completed his strike when the collapsing beam came crashing down upon him. The fire surged as if alive, rolling in waves and swallowing him whole. Within moments, he was engulfed completely by the blaze.
“LU SHENG!!!”
Song Zhenguo and Jun’er bolted from their corner, rushing through the smoke toward the inferno. But the effort was futile—the heavy beam had struck him squarely on the head, and the flames had already consumed his figure entirely.
“Let’s go!” Jun’er grabbed Song Zhenguo’s arm, pulling him back with all her strength.
“YUE SHENG! BROTHER LU!!!” Song Zhenguo’s anguished cry echoed amid the roar of the burning chamber.
“Both of you should worry about yourselves first.”
A chilling voice drifted through the fire.
Out of the flickering blaze, the white-clothed woman emerged once more—her form pristine, unmarred, not a trace of blood upon her. She hovered lightly beside the fire, her hair hanging low, and from beneath it, two pitch-black eyes glimmered with wicked amusement as she stared at the pair.
The two of them—Song Zhenguo and Jun’er—burst through the doorway, sprinting into the night without daring to look back.
“It’s my fault! I’m the one who sent Brother Lu to his death!” Song Zhenguo choked out, tears blurring his vision as guilt and fury tore through him.
“We’ll talk about it after we escape!” Jun’er snapped, her voice sharp with urgency.
“ZOOM!”
A piercing sound cut through the air—the white-clothed woman shot out from the inferno behind them, her figure ghostly and swift, her presence pressing close at their backs.
“TRYING TO RUN!?” she shrieked, her voice echoing like a thousand wailing spirits.
“ARGHHHHHHHH!!!”
From within the blazing ruin, a deafening roar erupted. Flames exploded outward as a towering figure burst through the fire, pushing aside the collapsing beam with sheer force.
Sparks scattered across the air—then a charred, massive hand shot out and seized the woman mid-flight.
“YOU!!?” she gasped, her eyes widening in disbelief and horror.
Through the flames, Lu Sheng emerged—his body scorched and smoking, yet his eyes blazed brighter than the fire itself. He lunged like a predator unleashed, his saber cleaving through the inferno, dragging a streak of crimson light in its wake as it came crashing down.
“RIP!!!”
The white-clothed woman was once again split cleanly in two. Blood and ash scattered like rain.
Yet before her remains could even fall, the halves of her body twisted unnaturally, knitting back together with grotesque speed until she stood whole once more.
“A mere mortal… how dare you!” she shrieked, her long black hair whipping around her face like writhing serpents. Her hands crossed over her chest, forming a strange and sinister seal.
In the next instant, her white gown unraveled into countless strips of cloth—each one alive, shrieking, lashing out like blades.
“Die!”
The white strips tore through the air toward Lu Sheng, howling as they came, each strike slicing through the flames.
Lu Sheng stood his ground. His eyes, bloodshot and wild, glowed faintly red under the flicker of the burning hall. Wisps of smoke curled from his half-burnt robes, yet his breathing remained steady, his will unyielding.
The violent storm of Black Fury Skill within him began to subside, clarity slowly returning to his mind. Pain flared through his body—his skin scorched, his flesh raw. Without hesitation, he drew upon the Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill.
The flow of inner Qi shifted within him. The advanced technique surged to life, knitting torn flesh, dulling pain, and restoring strength with each passing breath. The agony eased rapidly—but then something unexpected stirred deep within his core.
As both Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill and Black Fury Skill circulated together at full speed, Lu Sheng suddenly felt his Qi converge and twist—an extraordinary transformation beginning to awaken from within him.
Two distinct currents churned within Lu Sheng’s body—one wild and violent, the other calm and tranquil. The twin forces spiraled through his veins, clashing and harmonizing at once.
He tightened his grip on the saber, eyes locked on the white-clothed woman suspended in mid-air. An indescribable sensation welled up in his chest—a fusion of fury and serenity, chaos and clarity.
Twin streams of Inner Qi surged through him, one channeling into each arm. They intertwined along the hilt of his saber, merging into a single storm of power that pulsed with destructive intensity.
Lu Sheng’s stance shifted, his body arching slightly as he guided the rhythm of the force. Within his mind, the meditative diagrams of the Black Tiger and Immortal Crane overlapped—two contrasting paths merging into perfect unity.
In that moment, comprehension dawned. A red radiance flared from his saber, brilliant and fierce.
“ROAR! SHRIEK!!!”
A sound unlike any other pierced the night—a blend of a tiger’s roar and a crane’s cry, shaking the heavens themselves.
With that cry, Lu Sheng launched himself upward, soaring through the air.
“KILL!!!”
His saber plunged straight into the white-clothed woman’s chest.
“BOOM!!!”
This time, the strike did not merely cleave—it annihilated. The woman’s body erupted in a fiery blast, disintegrating into countless shards of glowing embers. The fragments scattered, igniting upon contact with the flames below, until nothing remained but drifting sparks.
“Thud!”
Lu Sheng landed heavily on the deck, the impact sending a shudder through the entire pleasure boat. He stood there, chest heaving, his breath thick with exhaustion and smoke. Slowly, he straightened and looked down. Amid the scorched planks, a faint glint caught his eye.
He bent down and picked up a delicate purple jade hairpin—the only thing left of the woman.
“Brother Song,” he said, turning toward the shaken pair nearby, a faint smile tugging at his soot-streaked face. “Looks like the heavens favor you after all. You made it out alive.”
“Brother… Brother Lu…?” Song Zhenguo stammered, his face pale. After witnessing the devastating battle, he could no longer tell if the man before him was human—or something far beyond it.
“Let’s find Brother Chen. We should be getting off the boat. If we linger any longer, we might not be able to leave at all,” Lu Sheng said, lifting his arms stiffly. His charred clothes clung to his skin like molten leather. Fortunately, the Black Fury Skill granted him immense heat resistance, and the ferocity of his movements during battle had prevented the flames from searing him further. His burns, though visible, were not severe.
“So… that female ghost… she’s gone? Just like that?” Song Zhenguo muttered, his face pale with disbelief.
“No idea. But she should be,” Lu Sheng replied, shaking his head. His eyes shifted toward Little Jun.
She met his gaze and offered a faint, grateful smile—gentle, but shadowed by exhaustion.
Together, the three of them searched the scorched deck until they found Chen Jiaorong lying unconscious in a corner. Song Zhenguo crouched down and hoisted him onto his back, and the group hurried toward the exit.
The moment they stepped off the pleasure boat and reached the harbor, a thunderous crack split the air. Behind them, the entire vessel burst into flames, the inferno climbing high and casting a crimson reflection across Cypress Pine Lake.
But as they turned to orient themselves, unease crept over them.
Somehow, they were no longer at the familiar lakeside near Mountain-Edge City. Instead, they stood by the shore of a desolate wilderness. The air was heavy, still, and cold. The land stretched endlessly in all directions, covered in knee-high wild grass that swayed in the faint breeze. Not a single sign of human life could be seen.
Lu Sheng removed Song Zhenguo’s outer robe and changed into it, his motions deliberate and calm. When he stripped off his ruined garments, patches of skin were reddened and raw, though much of it was only darkened from soot. Every strand of hair on his head, face, and body had been scorched away—leaving him completely bald, his scalp gleaming faintly in the dim light.
They stood in silence, watching as the blazing pleasure boat sank slowly into the lake, until it disappeared beneath the rippling surface.
Only then did Lu Sheng turn toward Little Jun. Song Zhenguo followed suit, their gazes meeting hers in quiet expectation.
Both men were thinking the same thing.
What in the world had just happened?
At the weight of their stares, Jun’er lowered her head, biting her lip in silence. The flickering firelight from the distant lake reflected faintly on her pale face.
“…Don’t look at me like that,” she murmured softly. “I don’t know much about the pleasure boat myself. What I do know is that it wasn’t an ordinary one. There’s someone behind it—a very mysterious and powerful figure. Almost all the pleasure boats on Cypress Pine Lake are under his control… ours included.”
She paused, her fingers tightening around the hem of her sleeve.
“That woman… she was our boat master, the one who commanded us. I never knew she—she was…” Jun’er’s voice faltered. She shook her head helplessly and sighed, the weight of disbelief heavy in her eyes.
“We can talk more once we’re back,” Lu Sheng said, his gaze fixed on the lake’s vast, quiet expanse. “Right now, the question is—where are we?”
“Let me,” Song Zhenguo replied with a bitter laugh. “If I’m not mistaken, this is the river downstream from Cypress Pine Lake—outside Mountain-Edge City. We’re at least ten miles away. If we follow the river upstream, we’ll find our way back.”
He turned toward Lu Sheng, taking in the sight of him—skin darkened, robes torn, his entire figure marked by fire and battle. Then, without a word, Song Zhenguo gently pushed Jun’er aside and bowed deeply from the waist.
“This time, I almost brought disaster to you and Brother Jiaorong. Because of Jun’er and me, you were dragged into this mess.”
Lu Sheng met his bow with calm eyes and slowly shook his head.
“I’m afraid… this mess isn’t over yet,” he said quietly.
Song Zhenguo froze, confusion flickering across his face. Following Lu Sheng’s gaze, he turned toward Jun’er—
—and his breath caught.
Jun’er’s form, once solid and real, was slowly turning translucent. Her outline shimmered faintly in the dim light, her body fading away like mist under the dawn.
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