Chapter 117: Night Battle Outside the Fuxi Tribe

Hearing Chunyu Ji have the audacity to insult the noble and extraordinary Fan Sheng as an "old thief" right in front of him, Bai Mu was instantly incensed, his teeth grinding in suppressed fury. However, considering there were two of them and that Gui Ge, as the personal disciple of the Nether Evil King, surely possessed formidable strength, he forced himself to remain patient. He resolved to use this duel as an opportunity to defeat them one by one, thereby lifting the threat to Fuxi Village while also uncovering their true motives for coming to seize the "Fuxi Tooth," one of the ten great primeval sacred artifacts.

With this in mind, Bai Mu laughed instead of losing his temper. "Chunyu Ji, you needn't exhaust yourself trying to guess my identity. How could the disgraceful behavior of your Evil King and the Eight Trees of Guilin—ganging up on others—ever be hidden from the people of the Wilderness?"

"As the saying goes, if you don't want people to know, don't do it in the first place. The fact that the Evil King disregarded his status to lead the Eight Trees of Guilin in a siege against Fan Sheng is already common knowledge; paper cannot wrap up fire."

"It is truly pathetic that the two of you actually take pride in such shameless conduct. It is a laughingstock to the world."

Hearing Bai Mu speak so disparagingly of his master and the prestigious Eight Trees of Guilin, Gui Ge could no longer contain himself and spat, "You insolent brat, cease your prattle! Didn't you want to make a wager just now?"

"I, Nether Ghost Song, shall do battle with you today. If you lose, then prepare yourself for death!"

"No problem!" Bai Mu composed himself and said in a deep voice, "If I am defeated, I shall submit to your punishment. But if you lose this duel, do not forget the terms of our wager!"

"Hmph. Overestimating your own strength!"

Gui Ge swept a contemptuous glance at Bai Mu and slowly raised his muscular, slender arm, waving it through the void. Under the silent night sky, a silver radiance instantly blossomed from his palm. After a moment, a silver nine-ringed broadsword manifested from his hand. Judging by its breadth, it was more than twice the size of the Canglong Sword in Bai Mu’s hand. Nine golden rings were attached to the spine of the blade, each linked by smaller rings in a chain-like fashion. The tip of the blade shimmered with a chilling, cold light in the night, especially when caught by the glow of the nearby fire, reflecting like cold, scattered stars.

Most terrifying, however, was the blade intent inherent to the weapon. Although Gui Ge had merely summoned it, the dense, overwhelming killing intent immediately permeated the air, locking onto Bai Mu across the distance. This meant that no matter how Bai Mu dodged, he would be easily tracked by the blade, severely restricting his movements in combat.

Seeing her companion draw his weapon, Chunyu Ji knew the clash would have a wide impact. She moved with light, willow-like steps, retreating until she vanished into the woods at the edge of the village. Yet, Bai Mu’s divine sense could clearly perceive that this seductive woman had not left; she was merely hiding in the forest, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Since the opponent had revealed his weapon, Bai Mu could not lag behind. After steadying his mind, he slowly drew the Canglong Sword from before his chest. As soon as the blade appeared, the ancient spirit energy of the Azure Dragon surged forth, automatically forming a protective perimeter around him.

The blade intent that had locked onto Bai Mu collided with the Canglong sword energy and was instantly repelled by the intense, primordial power, scattering into the night sky until it vanished completely.

*Whew...*

Bai Mu let out a long breath. He had finally driven away that chilling intent, bringing both combatants back to an even playing field. Bai Mu was well-accustomed to the prowess of the Canglong sword energy, so he was not surprised, but it was a different story for Gui Ge.

Born and raised in the Southern Wilderness, Gui Ge had little concept of the divine artifacts of the greater Wilderness and did not recognize the sword in Bai Mu’s hand. However, the fact that Bai Mu could break his blade intent so easily after merely drawing his sword suggested that the weapon's power was at least equal to, if not far greater than, his own nine-ringed broadsword. At this thought, a flicker of greed for the ancient sword sparked in his heart. Still, he knew the situation well; with a great battle imminent, it was better to prepare for the enemy.

"Brat, are you ready?" Gui Ge asked, his eyes filled with disdain.

"Of course." Bai Mu responded calmly, though he inwardly admired Gui Ge’s courteous demeanor. When he had faced sword immortals like Xuan Yuan, they had attacked without warning. Yet, this masked man who called himself the Evil King’s disciple had given him a slow, deliberate warning, which improved Bai Mu’s impression of him slightly.

"Take this!"

Gui Ge flicked his right wrist with ease, and the blade carved a slanted shadow through the air. Under the moonlight, the evil energy contained within the blade rippled like a pool of autumn water, surging toward Bai Mu. Seeing such a piercing force from a single strike, Bai Mu felt stifled, and the evil energy contained within the strike seemed to crawl toward his body like a phantom. Though it had not yet touched him, it was enough to make his heart tremble. He recalled Fan Sheng, who had returned to Hanyuan Valley grievously wounded; Bi Fang had said he had been struck by the Nether Evil King’s dark energy, which was why he remained in a coma. Once this energy entered the body, it was nearly impossible to purge without the suppression of the Lihuo Red Lotus.

Terrified, Bai Mu kicked off the ground, vaulting straight into the air to narrowly evade the strike. With a nimble mid-air flip, he swung the Canglong Sword, which transformed into a white rainbow, slashing toward the top of Gui Ge’s head with the speed of flowing light.

This exchange happened in the blink of an eye. Before Gui Ge’s momentum had even faded, Bai Mu’s sword had already struck, forcing Gui Ge to raise his nine-ringed broadsword in a desperate block. In the nick of time, he parried the white rainbow, avoiding the fate of having his head severed. Even so, the primordial force carried by the Canglong Sword made his arm ache intensely. Fortunately, his nine-ringed broadsword was no ordinary item, or it would have been shattered on the spot.

After landing his strike, Bai Mu was overjoyed, but he did not pause. Gesturing with his fingers like a sword, he shouted, "Return!" The Canglong Sword obeyed the command, twisted in the air, and flew back into his hand. Just as his momentum in the air began to wane, he gripped the sword and swung it down again toward the masked head.

There was no transition between these two moves, nor were there any flashy techniques—it was pure, raw power from the Canglong Sword and Bai Mu’s own strength. This style of fighting had no pattern, and in the entire Wilderness, only Bai Mu, wielding the Canglong Sword, would dare to fight this way. It required a weapon as sharp as the Canglong to serve as the vanguard for such head-on collisions.

This was the first time Gui Ge had encountered Bai Mu, and he had not expected this unknown boy to fight with such bizarre, defense-less, and purely violent tactics. Within two moves, he was already on the defensive. Seeing the sword descend like Mount Tai, with even greater force than before, he knew he couldn't dodge. The opponent had locked onto him with sword intent the moment he struck; no matter which way he fled, the attack would follow.

Gritting his teeth, Gui Ge raised his broadsword once more to block.

*Clang!*

The sound of metal clashing vibrated through the air, the sharp ringing causing Bai Mu’s ears to buzz. Despite this, he bit his lip and poured his spirit energy into the blade, attempting to force Gui Ge to surrender in one go. Gui Ge, having been caught off guard by the unconventional style, was already suffering. Under the immense pressure, he could not muster even seventy percent of his usual strength.

Though the sword did not break his blade, the crushing force sent vibrations through his arms, making them feel as if they had been dislocated. Under such overwhelming pressure, Gui Ge had no strength left to counterattack, forced to hold his blade with both hands in a desperate struggle.

As the stalemate continued, Bai Mu felt his spirit energy growing more abundant; the "Supreme Good is Like Water" technique circulated through his body, replenishing his energy as quickly as he expended it. Looking down, he saw Gui Ge’s feet sinking into the black soil, his knees trembling. Though he was still resisting, the large beads of sweat on his face betrayed his exhaustion. Bai Mu knew that it would not be long before he broke through and secured the safety of Fuxi Village.