Chapter 118: The Righteous Spirit Cannot Be Violated

Just as Bai Mu was secretly feeling proud, he suddenly saw several streaks of malevolent energy erupt from his opponent's nine-ringed broadsword, all surging toward his face in unison.

At that moment, Bai Mu was still floating in mid-air, head-down and feet-up; it was already too late to dodge the lightning-fast assault of the evil energy. Yet, sitting still and waiting for death was not in his nature. Despite the urgency, he instinctively twisted his waist in the air, pulled his Azure Dragon Sword back, and began to move his wrist in a frantic, blurring dance.

With every rotation of the Azure Dragon Sword, a new wave of power emanated from its blade. After three or five revolutions, the primordial energy within the sword grew so dense that it spontaneously formed a halo of light, completely enveloping Bai Mu’s body. When the incoming malevolent energy collided with the Azure Dragon’s sword aura, it withered instantly, much like frost-bitten eggplants. Even the one or two streaks of evil energy that daringly tried to force their way through were devoured the moment they touched the protective barrier.

Bai Mu, who had braced himself for the sting of corruption, never expected his hasty defensive maneuver to yield such miraculous results. He felt a surge of pride, though he couldn't help but regret that he hadn't been able to defeat Gui Ge in one fell swoop while avoiding those strikes.

In the moment Bai Mu was occupied with evading the evil energy, Gui Ge had already pulled his feet from the black soil and retreated several steps, clutching his nine-ringed broadsword to steady his stance. He was inwardly reeling, counting his lucky stars. Had it not been for the innate malevolent energy within his blade coming to his aid, he surely would have fallen to the sword of this white-clad youth.

Watching from the woods, Chun Yuji was struck with utter astonishment. From the youth’s initial strike to his swift transition into a defensive posture, it was clear that his fundamental skills were rock-solid—perhaps even superior to Gui Ge’s. She never imagined that such a formidable young hero could emerge from the human race, putting the direct disciple of the Evil Prince Zi Gui in such a desperate plight with only two moves.

Although the Evil Prince had not been out of Xuan Dan Mountain for long, and had only been personally instructing Gui Ge for a few decades, given the terrifying strength of the Nether Evil Prince Zi Gui, even three or five years of his tutelage would be enough to produce a master. Having trained under Zi Gui for decades and consumed hairless spirit fruits year after year to cultivate evil energy, Gui Ge’s cultivation had reached the threshold of semi-divinity. It was laughable, then, that upon encountering a human from the Eastern Wilderness for the first time, he was beaten so badly he couldn't even mount a counterattack. If word of this got out, it would surely be the laughingstock of the world.

Of course, besides a flicker of fear toward Bai Mu, Chun Yuji felt mostly exhilarated. In all her years lurking in the Eastern Wilderness, she had seen countless young heroes fall to her seductive arts. But a youth with the bearing of a war god, such as this one, was something she had never seen or heard of. Her mature heart, dormant for so many years, began to flutter once more, and she secretly vowed to bring Bai Mu under her command.

As she indulged in her internal monologue, the two combatants on the field were already confronting each other again. Through their brief exchange, it was clear that their strength was evenly matched—or perhaps Bai Mu, with his "Goodness Like Water" aura and the Azure Dragon Sword, held a slight edge.

However, considering the nether evil energy imbued in his opponent's nine-ringed blade, Bai Mu had to be cautious; he dared not press too hard, lest he accidentally let the evil energy seep into his body and suffer the same fate as Fan Sheng.

Gui Ge, meanwhile, was having his own thoughts. As the direct disciple of the Evil Prince, he had virtually no rivals left in the entire Southern Wilderness. He had expected this first task assigned by his master to be a simple matter of reaching out and taking it. Who would have thought that this white-clad boy would appear out of nowhere and leave him powerless to defend himself? Most terrifying of all was the righteousness emanating from the boy's blade, which seemed to suppress his Nether evil energy—a fact that left Gui Ge deeply unsettled.

In truth, Gui Ge could have called out to Chun Yuji at any moment. If they had attacked together, even if Bai Mu’s power surpassed his, he might not have been able to withstand Chun Yuji’s insidious and unpredictable gu-poisons. Moreover, beyond her mastery of poison, Chun Yuji was a master of psychological warfare; in terms of cunning and strategy, she was far superior to Gui Ge. But although Gui Ge hailed from the Southern Wilderness evil tribes and was no paragon of virtue—having committed many atrocities alongside the Evil Prince—he was a man who valued his word. Since this was a duel between the two of them, he would fight with honor, even if it meant death.

After calming his erratic breathing, Gui Ge raised his nine-ringed broadsword once more. He slashed through the air nine times, unleashing nine distinct waves of blade-qi laced with evil energy, aimed at Bai Mu’s head, abdomen, and legs. These strikes were far more ferocious than his previous efforts, at least three times as powerful, and the accompanying evil aura was so dense it seemed to dim the surrounding firelight.

Realizing his opponent was now playing for keeps, Bai Mu did not dare to underestimate this full-force strike. But with his upper, middle, and lower paths all locked by the blade-intent, evasion was impossible. Gritting his teeth, he swung the Azure Dragon Sword aimlessly through the air three times. The "Goodness Like Water" energy within his palms fused with the Azure Dragon’s sword aura, erupting from the blade to manifest as three sharp, ethereal Azure Dragon swords that rushed to meet the nine incoming waves of blade-qi.

This aerial collision was driven primarily by energy, and as the two forces struck, a sharp, hissing sound echoed through the air before the forces became hopelessly entangled. Fearing the intrusion of evil energy, Bai Mu instinctively retreated several feet after unleashing the three strikes, putting himself well out of harm's way while focusing intently on the clashing energies.

Because Gui Ge had unleashed nine waves of blade-qi and Bai Mu had countered with only three ethereal swords, the nine waves quickly surrounded the three Azure Dragon swords. Yet, the Azure Dragon swords did not seem to fear the seemingly savage blade-intent. After a brief encounter, all three swords simultaneously spun in place, hacking wildly at the surrounding blade-intent and evil energy.

Though each of Gui Ge’s strikes seemed incredibly domineering, they appeared to have no power to fight back against the impact of the Azure Dragon’s ancient primordial force. Even with the evil energy assisting, as soon as it touched the aura of righteousness radiated by the Azure Dragon swords, it scattered like a mouse fleeing a cat.

Watching his nine domineering waves of blade-qi being decimated in moments by the three ethereal swords, Gui Ge felt cold sweat drenching his back. But it did not end there. After clearing the surrounding evil energy, the three Azure Dragon swords, without any conscious instruction, surged directly toward where Gui Ge stood. Their speed was such that they could only be described as streaks of light.

The chill inherent in the Azure Dragon Sword shone cold and noble under the moonlight, yet the killing intent contained within its diffusing aura grew ever more intense. Despite being phantoms formed from sword-qi, they cut through the air with a piercing, high-pitched whistle.

"Huh?"

Watching this bizarre scene, even Bai Mu himself was completely baffled, muttering to himself in confusion.

Logically speaking, while the Azure Dragon Sword was one of the ten sacred artifacts and the premier sacred blade of the wilderness—the only thing capable of balancing the Bottle of Transformed Demons—surely its power was limited to the sword itself. Could the sword-qi emanating from it truly possess the power to manipulate the heavens and earth just as the sword did?

The three strikes he had unleashed were meant only to shatter the opponent's nine waves of blade-intent; he had never dared to hope for a one-hit victory. Yet, after the sword-qi materialized into three Azure Dragon swords, they began to attack the enemy autonomously without his command. Did this mean the sword-qi possessed its own consciousness?

Was this the legendary state of "the sword following the heart, the heart clear and enlightened"?

No, that was impossible.

Bai Mu shook his head in bewilderment, unable to fathom the mystery. Looking back at the field, the three Azure Dragon swords had already split into three paths, their cold light flashing as they struck toward Gui Ge’s head, chest, and thighs.

Gui Ge knew the sword-qi was exceptionally potent and dared not meet it head-on. He could only grip his nine-ringed broadsword and retreat, slashing out wildly to block the blades. Yet, the three streaks of sword-qi seemed to have lost their minds; they nimbly dodged his blade-intent and continued to pierce toward his vital points, clearly intent on his death.

Gui Ge was lean, and having consumed hairless evil fruits since childhood, he was filled with potent evil energy, making his footwork several times lighter than an ordinary person's. But no matter how fast he was, he could not outrun the three Azure Dragon swords, which flew with the speed of light.

In this moment, Bai Mu was reminded of the day at the Floating Jade Mountain in the Sanctuary of Guixu, when he had used the "one energy forming eight swords" technique to defeat the aggressive Shen Que and his vaunted Heavenly Sacred Sword Art. But what was truly inexplicable was that, back then, the Azure Dragon sword-qi had not autonomously pursued Shen Que.

Why, then, was it hunting Gui Ge today?

"Boy, feeling lost again?"

The voice of the mysterious entity suddenly echoed from within the Void Cauldron in his gut—as distant and desolate as ever, though today, there seemed to be a hint of smugness in its tone.

"Indeed, Venerable One. What exactly is going on with this Azure Dragon sword-qi?" Bai Mu asked, standing still and using his spiritual sense to inquire.

"Is that not simple?"