Blade Master, Hong Zhi!

Scenes like the one Chankongzi had faced had been unfolding for a full half-month. The number of ancient clans hidden throughout the Six Domains far exceeded anything the outside world imagined. Most of these clans guarded rifts that sealed away Abyss Demons. Yet instances where an entire clan was wiped out by Abyss Demons remained rare. That was precisely why Chankongzi had been so enraged. Meanwhile. Above the mountains flanking a river on the Lingxu Continent of the Great Xia Domain. Within the void of the boundary, a woman clad in dark red robes walked at a leisurely pace. *Ding-ding, clank!* A crisp ringing accompanied each of her slow steps. She was tall and slender of arm, and with every stride, blood seemed to seep beneath her feet. A simple sash bound her crimson robe at the waist. Her features were cold and aloof, her eyes narrow and long. Beneath single eyelids, her irises were a translucent, crystalline blood-red! Her red irises were noticeably smaller than an ordinary person's, exposing a faint rim of white beneath the iris as she gazed forward. Beneath the outer corner of her left eye sat a tiny teardrop beauty mark. Her entire presence radiated an aloof detachment, an aura of weary disgust toward the mundane world that warned strangers to keep their distance. Her flowing black hair was casually gathered behind her head, and in her left hand she carried a slender, scarlet long saber. The blade measured over four chi, entirely crimson, with a hilt extending a full four handspans in length! Beyond what an ordinary two-handed grip required, half the hilt remained bare, tied with a dark red cord. At the end of the cord hung an egg-sized purple-gold bell. A faint golden glow flickered across the bell, etched with countless intricate inscriptions of dharma artifacts. Even Xi Yunhuai's scalp would have tingled at such complexity! This woman was none other than one of Su Xuan's subordinates, of the same standing as Long Hou, named Hong Zhi. One of the eight generals under Su Xuan of the Seventh Domain, her combat power was second only to Long Hou! *Buzz!* The domain of an ancient sect sealing an Abyss Demon was abruptly ripped open by a demon towering ten zhang tall! The instant the domain tore apart, the void for a hundred li around trembled violently. A surge of pressure formidable enough to confront a Domain Lord exploded outward! The moment this pressure manifested, Great Xia Domain Lord Zhou Yunqing was shaken to his core! This towering demonic pressure was already comparable to a Mahayana realm cultivator! Lately, warfare had erupted all across the Great Xia Domain, sparked not only by clashes following the emergence of ancient clans. Far more common were the countless clans and factions mysteriously vanishing, butchered down to the last soul! Exhaustion was hard to conceal in the resolute man's eyes, yet he forcefully drew in a breath and took to the sky, tearing open the domain. With a wave of his hand, an ancient longsword shimmering with golden light shot forth from the depths of the mountain! The mountain trembled as the blade flew into his grasp! Countless people looked up into the sky, murmuring in shock, "The Domain Lord... has drawn his sword!" "What on earth happened to make the Domain Lord unseal the Summer Cicada Sword ahead of time?" Many elders within the domain remained silent... For from the man, they sensed an unprecedented resolve to die. They too could faintly sense that mysterious pressure, though far less clearly. Zhou Yunqing stepped forward and vanished into the domain. Within the pitch-black void. The colossal Abyss Demon possessed a human-like frame, entirely shrouded in sinister demonic energy! A violent gale whipped Hong Zhi's robes, making them flap wildly. The imposing demon glared down with crimson eyes at the human woman before it, ravenous bloodlust brimming within its gaze. The staggering disparity in their sizes could not help but make one fear for the woman's safety. This demon had not merely devoured the sect of a Body Integration realm master. It had devoured several Abyss Demons comparable to the Body Integration realm as well! *Hiss! Roar!* The Abyss Demon unleashed its pressure without restraint, its intellect already no different from a mortal's. Demonic energy blanketed nearly a hundred li of void, yet a trace of caution flickered in the demon's eyes. It curled its right hand, and endless demonic energy condensed in its palm, coalescing into a massive demonic spear! Swift as lightning, the Abyss Demon thrust the spear violently toward Hong Zhi's position! With that single thrust, heaven and earth shook ceaselessly, and the void for ten li around was torn into countless twisted rifts. From beginning to end, Hong Zhi's gaze remained utterly placid, her eyelids half-lowered, as though she paid this demon no heed at all. The terrifying spearhead, larger than her head, closed in on Hong Zhi's brow. Under that monstrous crushing force, the void beside her was squeezed almost into solid form! Just as the spear tip came within three inches of her forehead... Hong Zhi's left hand violently shoved the saber from its sheath! The crisp rasp of blade against scabbard rang out. *Boom!* A scarlet blade light slashed upward with savage momentum! In an instant, the entire void fell dead silent, as though all things had vanished. Between heaven and earth, only that arc of scarlet blade light flashed upward before disappearing. All of its power was contained entirely within the ten-zhang blade light, without a single thread leaking out. The moment she struck, a scarlet silhouette seemed to spread its arms behind her, mirroring the motion of swinging a blade! Had Li Guanqi witnessed this scene, he would have been struck speechless with shock. For the power the woman had just displayed was precisely the realm he yearned for day and night! The Blade Soul Realm! *Boom!* The ten-zhang-tall Abyss Demon froze where it stood, its spear tip wrapped in demonic energy locked motionless in midair. Hong Zhi turned coldly and slowly away. With a flick of her slender wrist, she sheathed the blade with one hand. Pulled by inertia, the red cord on the hilt swung into the air, and the bell rang crisply as it fell. *Ding-ling!* The Abyss Demon's body cleaved in two down the middle. As Hong Zhi turned away, the bell at her hilt struck again with a clear chime. Boundless demonic energy formed a massive vortex centered on the bell! In just a few breaths, more than half of the demonic energy blanketing a hundred li was drawn into it. When Zhou Yunqing arrived in the void holding the Summer Cicada Sword, he saw the woman standing in place. His throat worked with difficulty, and he dared only look at her feet. Cupping his fists in a deep bow, he said, "Zhou Yunqing, Domain Lord of Great Xia, pays respects to the Golden Bell Blade Venerable... Senior Hong Zhi!" Cold sweat poured down Zhou Yunqing's forehead. This woman... had already lived for well over ten thousand years... In her era, she had always been the foremost female blade cultivator of the Six Domains. *When the golden bell chimes, heads roll!* The strongest among female blade cultivators—this pressure of hers... she had likely stepped into the peak of the Mahayana realm long ago! Hong Zhi cast an indifferent glance at Zhou Yunqing, her cool voice resembling a solitary snow lotus upon a high mountain. "The Great Xia Domain... is somewhat disappointing." With just those words, cold sweat soaked Zhou Yunqing's back. He remained bowed, not daring to lift his head... Hong Zhi said nothing more, glancing faintly into the depths of the void. A figure in black, whose aura was not in the slightest weaker than her own, gradually faded from sight! The bizarre, blood-colored mask made Hong Zhi frown slightly. Drawing out a jade pendant, she murmured in a low voice, "I believe I just saw the highest-ranking Liang of the Sha organization!" Chankongzi, having just crushed the head of an Abyss Demon, hurried to reply, "For real? Second Sister, don't do anything rash!" "Tsk, Second Sister, you're not thinking of drawing your blade at full strength, are you?" "Don't do it, Second Sister... How about letting Brother Long go instead?" In the Xuanmen Domain, Long Hou frowned slightly. Pulling free a spear impaled in a stone gate, he said in a deep voice, "Be careful, Hong Zhi. Test them first."