Chapter 115: The Fierce Ikko Maekawa

Clang!
Clang!

Qin Xuan stood steadily before the bed, deflecting the incessant barrage of hidden weapons flying from the shadows cast by the ninja. His true energy was depleted, and a numbness began to spread across the webbing of his hand, filling him with an increasing sense of unease.

“Qin Xuan, you are a prodigy of swordsmanship from Huaxia, but it seems you are destined to die at the hands of Meichuan Yiku, ha ha ha...”

A chilling voice echoed from all around, yet its source was impossible to pinpoint.

“Killing me won’t be that easy.”

Qin Xuan replied coldly, but suddenly a sharp pain twisted in his abdomen, and he spat a mouthful of fresh blood—clearly, he had been poisoned.

“Is that so? My Evil Vinewood poison isn’t something you can easily dispel,” Meichuan Yiku taunted. “If you step aside now, you might live a little longer. But if you stubbornly resist, you’ll fall soon enough, ha ha!”

Qin Xuan glanced at Su Muqing, who was sleeping quietly on the bed, and knew he must not retreat now.

Clang!

The Taiqing Sword flashed again, deflecting a hidden weapon aimed at his head.

“I want to see how long you can hold out...”

Meichuan Yiku chuckled sinisterly, continuously shifting positions and hurling hidden weapons to wear down Qin Xuan’s strength.

As Qin Xuan parried, he steadied his mind, realizing this stalemate was untenable. A resolute gleam flashed in his eyes. Faced with such dire circumstances, he finally chose to fight with all he had. Gradually, the vital energy coursing through his body began to surge.

Meichuan Yiku’s voice was tinged with surprise: “You truly dare to burn your meridians... but that only seals your fate.”

As his words fell, a fierce whirlwind erupted from beneath Qin Xuan’s feet!

Boom!

An overwhelming aura filled the entire room.

As Meichuan Yiku had said, now that Qin Xuan’s true energy was exhausted, he had no choice but to burn his meridians—a process fraught with dire consequences, yet preferable to succumbing here.

With his meridians aflame, the vast reservoir of true energy hidden within them suddenly surged through his entire body!

A powerful spiritual force, intertwined with true energy, expanded throughout the chamber. Qin Xuan’s eyes brightened—he swiftly located the enemy’s position.

“Not good!”

From the ceiling, Meichuan Yiku sensed danger and attempted to flee.

Clang!

A fierce gleam flashed in Qin Xuan’s eyes as a streak of azure light shot across the room.

“How could this be...”

Meichuan Yiku’s figure was pinned against the ceiling! An azure, ethereal sword imprint had accurately struck his shadow, immobilizing his entire body in terror.

This was the fifth sword technique of the Sword Seal Eight Techniques—the Binding Wisdom Sword Seal!

The same move Qin Xuan had used to slay the ghost cultivator who had previously broken into the villa.

The ninja was about 1.7 meters tall, his stooped frame somewhat unsightly. His neck was completely covered by a black cloth, revealing only two sinister eyes.

“Hmph, prepare to die.”

Qin Xuan snorted coldly. A stronger aura emanated from the Taiqing Sword, further frightening the immobilized Meichuan Yiku.

The foe had never expected that Qin Xuan, cornered and desperate before, could unleash such terrifying power.

“Reincarnation Sword Seal...”

Qin Xuan murmured softly, channeling all his true energy to the tip of the Taiqing Sword. This final technique of the Sword Seal Eight was the most dreadful—under its power, all things were subject to reincarnation.

Mysterious runes appeared in midair, coalescing into a crimson sword light that pierced Meichuan Yiku’s body on the ceiling at lightning speed.

“Ah――”

Meichuan Yiku screamed in agony, his eyes widening as his soul was nearly shattered by the sword seal. Only by invoking a secret ninja technique at the crucial moment had he managed to shift position by a few centimeters.

Bang!

His body suddenly transformed into a thick black vine and dropped from the ceiling.

“Cough, cough...”

Qin Xuan had no time to pursue. Sheathing the Taiqing Sword, he spat out another mouthful of blood.

Although Meichuan Yiku had barely escaped using a substitution technique, his soul had been severely damaged by the Reincarnation Sword Seal, nearly collapsing entirely—worse off than Qin Xuan’s two crippled disciples.

“Qin Xuan, are you okay?”

A voice filled with concern rang out. It was Su Muqing, just awakened, alarmed to see him vomiting blood.

“What could be wrong with me?”

Qin Xuan smiled weakly as he wiped the blood from his lips, glad she was awake.

“Was that... the ninja from the Sun Kingdom just now?”

Su Muqing helped Qin Xuan to sit on the bed, her expression mixed with suspicion and doubt. She had actually awakened earlier but remained still with closed eyes to avoid distracting him.

The image of the crimson sword light from the Reincarnation Sword Seal was deeply imprinted in her heart.

“Yes, that guy won’t die, but he’s crippled this time...”

“Qin Xuan, thank you.”

Su Muqing’s gratitude was sincere. “This is the third time you’ve saved me, isn’t it?”

“*Cough cough.* If I’m not mistaken, it should be the fourth.”

Qin Xuan coughed, then recounted the earlier events inside the Royal Supreme Palace when he had saved her from Li Shihao, who had been mostly unconscious at the time.

Upon hearing of Li Shihao’s death, Su Muqing found it somewhat laughable, but mostly tragic.

The heir to the mighty Li Consortium—frightened to death—that was fitting retribution, perhaps a good thing for this world.

“Qin Xuan...”

Su Muqing spoke softly.

“Hm?”

Qin Xuan responded, simultaneously checking his own condition. He was now suffering from triple injuries: Meichuan Yiku’s wooden poison, exhaustion of true energy, and the aftereffects of burning his meridians.

Though outwardly calm, this was to avoid worrying Su Muqing; in truth, his situation was grave.

But Su Muqing had no idea.

“Qin Xuan, that last sword—you looked pretty cool.”

Su Muqing blushed.

“Heh, really? Actually, there’s an even cooler move I didn’t use. Can’t use it now.”

Qin Xuan suppressed his injuries, oblivious to the shy, little-woman expression on Su Muqing’s face—something she rarely showed.

“Oh? Why can’t you use it?”

Su Muqing was curious.

“Because if I do, I’ll die.”

Qin Xuan finished speaking, then a surge of blood and energy rushed, and he spat another mouthful of blood he could no longer hold back.

“Qin Xuan, how are you?”

Su Muqing was startled. “Let me take you to the hospital.”

“No need. I’ll recover here for a while...” Qin Xuan stopped her.

She helped him lie back down and gently wiped the blood from his face. “Alright, then rest well. I... I...”

Knowing Qin Xuan was a cultivator, Su Muqing realized a hospital might do little good and was left anxiously pacing.