Blood Sword

Frigid qi locked down the Kui Dragon. The youth surnamed Fang first flew high above to scatter the clouds, preventing the Kui Dragon from borrowing the might of heaven-and-earth thunder to break the array. Legends held that the Kui Dragon could command thunder, and no one could say for certain how terrifying the lightning would be if it unleashed its innate divine ability. Then, the youth flew back down to help them suppress the Kui Dragon's counterattack. With his rushing back and forth, coupled with everyone's concerted efforts in driving it, the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array was no longer teetering on the brink of collapse, and the frigid qi finally stabilized. As the crystal steles released cold uninterrupted, more and more frigid qi gathered in the air. White mist coalesced, and the pillars of frigid qi grew denser and heavier until, from a distance, they looked like a cage forged of dark ice. Yet the Kui Dragon's counterattacks did not weaken in the slightest. Its roars grew increasingly piercing. Baring fangs and brandishing claws, it spat thunder and lightning, violently slamming against the cage. Every impact brought intense tremors and densely packed cracks. The blood and qi of Qin Sang and the other array controllers surged wildly. Their faces turned deathly pale, and their true essence gushed out like opened floodgates. However, as the cage neared completion, the damage caused by the Kui Dragon's resistance diminished. Seeing this, the youth surnamed Fang beamed with joy. Halting his assistance, he stowed away his golden rope and sent a voice transmission: "Keep maintaining the array! You must not let the Kui Dragon break free under any circumstances!" Then, the youth brushed his palm across his waist and retrieved a palm-sized short sword. Though it looked like a short sword, it was actually even smaller than a dagger. Both the hilt and blade of the short sword were an eerie blood-red, and fresh blood seemed to flow along its fuller. The moment it was drawn, a pungent reek of blood permeated the air, dyeing the surrounding frigid qi crimson. Having produced the blood sword, the youth surnamed Fang took on a solemn expression. Gripping the hilt cautiously with one hand, he sat down cross-legged in midair. Qin Sang and the others were concentrating on controlling the spirit array, but after the youth produced the blood sword, they sensed the anomaly and could not help opening their eyes to look over. What kind of evil artifact is that? Qin Sang muttered inwardly. The blood qi clinging to this blood sword was far too thick, as though it had soaked in a pool of blood for countless years. It was undeniably a supreme evil implement, likely far from an orthodox method. Even if refined using demon blood, who knew how many beasts' lives it must have devoured. Judging by how cautious the youth surnamed Fang was, the blood sword was likely not his life magic treasure, nor did the golden rope from before seem like one. This piqued Qin Sang's curiosity. Conventionally, a cultivator's life magic treasure ought to be their most powerful treasure, intimately linked to their very mind and will. Apart from an anomaly like the ebony sword—which required external substances to nourish its core and carry killing talismans—life magic treasures could normally be continuously refined alongside advancements in cultivation, gradually growing in power. Given the youth surnamed Fang's cultivation, his life magic treasure was in all likelihood already a medium-grade magic treasure. For him to forgo using it in favor of this blood sword meant either his life magic treasure had been damaged or the blood sword was even more formidable than it. Sitting cross-legged above the frigid cage with the blood sword in hand, the youth wore a solemn expression, his lips moving as he chanted silently without uttering a sound. As the incantation progressed, an anomaly manifested on the blood sword. Its blade quivered slightly, emitting droning hums that sounded like the weeping wails of vengeful spirits. Even thicker blood qi welled forth. The blood sword slowly floated upward, hovering above the youth's head, its tip angling down toward the Kui Dragon trapped in the cage. Blood-colored sword radiance flickered in and out, unimaginably sharp! The Kui Dragon sensed the fluctuations of the blood sword; this weapon made it feel genuine danger. It ceased its attacks, widening its massive eyes to glare fixedly at the blood sword. Only now could one clearly see the Kui Dragon's condition. Surrounded by frigid qi, the scales across its body sparked with lightning, preventing the cold from penetrating. After a prolonged battle, it had sustained injuries; cracks ran across several scales, and blood even seeped out, forming marks resembling whip lashes. Some had been left by the youth's golden rope, while others were inflicted by the strangling frost within the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array. Most striking was its tail: large swaths of scales had shattered, dripping with gore. In battering against the cage, the Kui Dragon had concussed and injured itself. Yet these wounds were far from fatal; to such a colossal behemoth, they were merely superficial. The Kui Dragon was still full of vigor and ferocity, showing not the slightest hint of exhaustion. Craning its neck, it glared furiously at the blood sword. Sensing the threat, it opened its maw to spit out thunder, only for the blast to be firmly blocked by the fully formed cage. The effectiveness of the Heavenly Cold Fierce Wind Array became apparent. The Kui Dragon's attacks were imbued with an utmost yang, utmost unyielding force, making them difficult to withstand by ordinary means, yet they annihilated in tandem with the frigid qi. Qin Sang and the others manipulated the frigid qi to form a barrier before the youth surnamed Fang, bearing the brunt of the Kui Dragon's attacks in his stead. While they could not yet subdue the beast, the Kui Dragon could forget about smashing through the spirit array's blockade anytime soon to interrupt him from unleashing the blood sword. All they needed was to buy the youth a little time. The youth didn't spare a glance below, concentrating entirely on reciting his incantation. The blood qi around the blood sword grew increasingly thick, shrouding its body as though this evil sword were itself growing, and the sword radiance upon it grew ever more dazzling and terrifying. Unable to strike the youth, the Kui Dragon flew into a rage. It coiled its body tightly into a ball, like a colossal orb of thunder. The thunder sphere expanded larger and larger as terrifying power built within. From inside the thunder sphere came a shrill screech akin to weeping blood. Immediately following, the thunder sphere charged straight toward the youth with shocking momentum. The expressions of Qin Sang and the others changed drastically. At this moment, none dared hold back, pouring true essence into the crystal steles with all their might. The earth trembled, and even the crystal steles began to shake unsteadily. Five streams of visible frigid qi rapidly merged into the cage. After a flurry of flickering, the cage was finally struck by the thunder sphere. Boom! From afar, beneath the dark clouds, a mass of pale mist abruptly blossomed and rapidly expanded. The Kui Dragon was fighting for its life. At this most critical juncture, Qin Sang and the others trembled all over, gritting their teeth and holding on, driving the spirit array's power with all their might to draw the frigid qi inward. The cage held, not breached by the Kui Dragon. The Kui Dragon did not stop; drawing back slightly, it lunged again. Right at that moment, the youth surnamed Fang finally finished preparing his magic treasure. Lowering his head slightly, he glared down at the Kui Dragon and roared, "Slash!" By now, having merged with the blood qi, the blood sword spanned a full zhang in length. The sword silhouette shot down, arriving in a flash to plunge dead center into the thunder sphere. Close behind came the frigid qi of the spirit array, working in concert to suppress the Kui Dragon. A shrill, furious roar reverberated across the heavens. A burst of bloody light erupted within the thunder sphere before vanishing almost immediately, whether the power of the blood sword or the Kui Dragon's blood evaporated by the lightning's force. Immediately after, the thunder sphere abruptly dissipated into disarray and violently shook. Everyone felt a surge of joy and stared intently at the sphere. Before long, they saw the violently thrashing Kui Dragon. It was drenched in blood, with the blood sword plunged into its belly. The blood qi upon the blade squirmed like a living creature, burrowing into its flesh and inflicting excruciating torment. Having severely wounded the Kui Dragon with a single strike, the youth surnamed Fang showed a look of joy, yet a glint of vigilance and wariness flashed in the depths of his eyes.