Chapter 59: Bitter Struggle

“Let’s go.” Lin Hao, feeling somewhat helpless about the situation, slowly shook his head and spoke calmly to Bai Li. A desolate aura swirled around him, lending his figure an ineffable sense of melancholy. Yet Lin Hao’s gloom was not because he was on the verge of death; if he unleashed Heaven’s Execution even once, he was confident he could, to some extent, slay both his foes!

But if he did so, the price would be the exposure of Heaven’s Execution before others, and from then on, he would know not a moment’s peace.

“Do you still think you can leave?” At that moment, the man in the black fitted tunic standing before Lin Hao let out a mocking laugh, disdain flickering in his eyes. A vast and powerful energy surged faintly around him—unmistakably, he was a cultivator at the fifth level of Qi Condensation!

“In that case, the two of you will remain here.” Seeing this, the man in the black hemp robe did not hesitate further. His eyes glinted with calculation as he addressed Lin Hao in a flat tone. After all, since his companion had already shown murderous intent, leaving these two alive would only spell trouble. Killing them was of no great consequence.

“My word is law—those I vow to protect, you cannot touch!” Despite her injuries, Bai Li’s gaze turned icy, a cold gleam flickering deep in her eyes. With a graceful twist of her slender hand, her longsword spun into her grip as she stepped before Lin Hao, glaring coldly at the two men in black as she rebuked them.

Hmph!

The man in the fitted tunic wasted no time, a contemptuous look in the depths of his eyes. He glanced at his companion and gave a curt order: “Don’t kill the woman. I’ll finish off the man first, then subdue her.”

“Understood.” The other man responded blandly, his gaze deep as he drew a dagger and stepped lightly forward. In a flash, he was upon Bai Li, murderous intent blazing in his eyes as he slashed viciously at her throat!

“Courting death!” Bai Li dared not hesitate; her eyes turned grim as she hastily raised her longsword to intercept the deadly strike.

A metallic clash rang out. Bai Li felt a powerful force surge toward her, her blood roiling as she was sent flying backward by the impact!

“Let me end your life myself.” Watching his companion drive Bai Li back, the man in the black fitted tunic stepped forward without delay. Waves of searing heat surged around him, and the vague apparition of flames flickered into existence, as if he commanded an endless, terrifying power. Under his control, the fiery phantom lunged at Lin Hao!

“One Qi Forms the Cauldron!” At this moment, Lin Hao’s heart was an ocean in turmoil. His gaze was more serious than ever, and despite the agony wracking his body, he quickly circulated his spiritual energy. Drawing with swift strokes, he conjured a small cauldron before him and hurled it fiercely at the man’s incoming spell!

A thunderous explosion erupted. The man’s pupils contracted violently, his heart gripped by a tidal wave of terror!

One Qi Forms the Cauldron!

That was a technique said to be difficult even for cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Condensation!

“So you really are a variable. You cannot be allowed to live!” The man dared not pause, his gaze turning ice-cold as he prepared to kill Lin Hao. But when he looked up, Lin Hao was already stumbling deeper into the forest, fleeing for his life!

“You can’t escape…” Watching Lin Hao’s retreating figure, the man’s expression turned grim, a chilling murderous intent emanating from him as he hastened his pursuit.

Soon, the two figures vanished into the depths of the mountain forest.

A strange, sinister, and terrifying atmosphere pressed down upon Bai Li, flooding her heart with negative emotions. Staring after the man in the fitted black tunic, her eyes glimmered with calculation, a faint killing intent swirling around her as a pale white light began to glow from her body.

“What is this…” Sensing the light radiating from Bai Li, the man in the black hemp robe’s face grew uncommonly grave, his voice low and cautious. That white light was none other than the Bai family’s famed technique from the Eastern Domain—Soldier’s Descent!

With Soldier’s Descent, one could instantly enhance the physical body, boosting speed and strength to an unparalleled level!

“You’re from the Hundred Families!” The man in the hemp robe fixed his gaze on Bai Li, his expression grave, a strange aura flickering about him, eyes shining with a depth never seen before.

“Now that you know I come from the Hundred Families, you still dare attack me?”

Bai Li’s expression was icy, her eyes flashing coldly as she spoke in a quiet, steady voice. Yet to her surprise, the man merely snorted in disdain, a sneer on his lips as he replied, “The Hundred Families will ultimately be trampled beneath the feet of my Wang clan. Especially a discarded woman like you.”

Without further delay, the hemp-robed man’s eyes filled with killing intent as he stepped forward, spinning his long blade and slicing toward Bai Li!

Seeing this, Bai Li realized her opponent must have a formidable background if he dared attack her, knowing her identity as a member of the Bai clan. More than that, he clearly hailed from the Eastern Domain as well, and had even named himself as belonging to the Wang family.

This time, she truly had to be careful!

And so, with barely a moment’s pause, the two clashed. In the blink of an eye, his blade arced down and Bai Li’s sword flashed up to meet it.

A fierce, ringing clang echoed through the woods as their weapons met, the air around them whipping into wild gusts.

“Again!” The man’s lips curled into a wicked grin. With a murderous glint in his eyes, he struck at Bai Li’s waist from an unexpected angle.

Bai Li was undaunted, her gaze cold as she parried his attack with her sword.

Yet another metallic screech rang out. Shock flooded Bai Li’s eyes as she felt her body hammered by a tremendous force, sending her hurtling backward like a cannonball!

The man let out a cold laugh and, without pause, surged forward, his aura flaring as he closed in for the kill.

“You!” Watching the ferocious approach, Bai Li’s eyes flashed with terror for the first time as she hastily raised her sword to defend.

Again, a deafening crash resounded as their weapons collided. In that instant, Bai Li was launched through the air like a projectile, slamming hard into a distant boulder!

“Do you understand the gap between us now?” The Wang family man looked coldly at the battered Bai Li, contempt in his eyes and murderous intent swirling around him. He stepped forward again, intent on finishing her off while she was weakened.

“Impudence!” Sensing the killing intent in his eyes, Bai Li dared not hide her strength any longer. Her gaze turned steely, and a terrifying aura erupted from her as she raised her sword and slashed fiercely at her pursuer!

“What…” The Wang family man’s eyes widened in shock at Bai Li’s sudden surge of power. He hastily brought up his blade to block.

But in that instant, Bai Li was already upon him, her killing intent palpable. A surge of irresistible force crashed into the man, launching him like a cannonball into the mountainside!

Boom!

Almost at the same moment, Bai Li closed the distance, her eyes colder than ever as her sword flashed once more. The tables turned abruptly—where she had been on the defensive, now she pressed the attack, battering the Wang family man like a stray dog, forcing him into a desperate retreat!

Meanwhile, Lin Hao fled through the forest, but the man in the fitted black tunic was already closing in.

“Die!” With a furious shout and a murderous gleam, the man unleashed a wave of searing heat as he struck at Lin Hao, aiming to end his life with a single blow.

“It’s you who will die!” But at that moment, Lin Hao spun around, a ruthless light in his eyes as he unleashed Heaven’s Execution, thrusting it brutally at the man’s throat!

“I was ready for this!” Sensing Lin Hao’s ferocity, the man’s pupils contracted in terror, a chill running through him as he swiftly raised his arm to shield his neck. As scales appeared across his forearm, a mocking sneer flickered in his eyes and he punched down hard.

Clearly, he intended to end Lin Hao’s life right there and then!

Lin Hao said nothing—there was no time for words. With a flash of murderous intent in his eyes, he took the man’s deadly blow head-on, transforming Heaven’s Execution into a longsword and driving it through the man’s arm, straight toward his throat!

A sickening sound of flesh being torn erupted as blood spurted out!

Their duel lasted but a heartbeat, yet the outcome was decided. As Heaven’s Execution pierced the man’s neck, blood was instantly absorbed into the blade. At the same time, the man’s fearsome punch landed on Lin Hao’s chest!

The man had never imagined that Lin Hao’s sword could pierce through his throat—nor that Lin Hao would dare such a desperate, reckless maneuver. The man had believed Lin Hao was at his wit’s end, never guessing he would take such a gamble!

Boom!

Though it seems slow to recount, it all happened in a single heartbeat—from the man’s punch, to Lin Hao’s sword impaling his neck, to the explosive outcome and the blow landing on Lin Hao’s chest, all in an instant.

Crack…

When it was over, Lin Hao’s eyes shone with a never-before-seen intensity. A faint demonic aura swirled around him, his breath weak and fading, yet his eyes blazed with a renewed brightness.

He knew he had survived!

“Bai Li…” Suddenly, a deep glint flickered in Lin Hao’s eyes as he murmured to himself, his whole body jolting with realization.

He lived, but Bai Li’s life still hung by a thread!

At that thought, blood slowly suffused his gaze, his expression more resolute than ever. Ignoring the searing pain throughout his body, clinging to his determination, he forced himself to stand, his eyes cold with unyielding resolve as he staggered in the direction Bai Li had gone.

He had only taken a few steps when his legs gave out and he collapsed to the ground, his aura flickering like a guttering candle.

No… Bai Li will die…

The thought of Bai Li in mortal peril drove him on. With great effort, he slapped his storage pouch and swallowed several demon cores in one gulp, ignoring the flood of spiritual energy and the agony tearing through his body. Bloodshot eyes flashing coldly, he forced himself to rise, Heaven’s Execution once again manifesting as a battle blade in his hand as he rushed toward where Bai Li had gone.

One step, two steps…

Three, ten…

Bit by bit, Lin Hao drew closer to Bai Li’s location, bloodlust simmering in his eyes until, not long after, he returned to the scene.

But when he saw what lay before him, relief washed over his face and he let out a shaky breath, as if all his strength had been spent. He collapsed heavily to the ground, Heaven’s Execution dissolving into a blade of white light and merging back into his body.

He saw Bai Li, battered and bloodied, but no trace remained of the man in the black hemp robe. It seemed Bai Li had escaped her peril.

What Lin Hao did not know was that the man had indeed been slain by Bai Li—but not before he had poisoned her with a deadly toxin.

There was no cure.

All Bai Li could do was barely suppress the poison’s spread, unable to expel it completely.

“So, I’m safe now…” Sensing Lin Hao’s return, a complicated emotion flashed through Bai Li’s eyes. Her gaze grew distant as she stared toward the horizon, murmuring softly to herself:

“It’s time, at last, to begin living a life that belongs to me…”