Chapter 1012 - Yin Xue, Bloodthirst

Yin Xue's words rang out with overbearing force, giving Liu Wuxie a clear ultimatum to surrender or lose his life.

Jeers erupted from the crowd. Spectators urged Liu Wuxie to concede and stop wasting time.

Everyone wanted the duel over quickly so the First Sword Manor could claim the Heavenly Xun Sword, giving them all a chance to lay eyes on the legendary weapon.

"Draw your sword," Liu Wuxie said calmly, summoning a sword into his hand. The sword he held wasn't even his. He had borrowed it from another disciple of the Renowned Sword Manor.

Without his lifebound artifact, Liu Wuxie couldn't access the full extent of his strength. Such weapons were attuned to their user, enhancing their combat abilities significantly. His lifebound artifacts were the Heretic Blade and the Heavenly Dragon Seal.

"You're courting death!" Yin Xue roared in fury. He felt that Liu Wuxie was disrespectiong him.

As someone at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm, he couldn't believe an ant dared to provoke him and it only fueled his murderous intent further.

Yin Xue summoned a crimson sword, unleashing a terrifying shockwave of bloody aura.

"It's the Bloodthirst Sword!" gasped the crowd, captivated by the sword in Yin Xue's hand.

Though they sounded different, the Bloodthirst Sword was named after Yin Xue.

Yin Xue had spent over a decade forging the Bloodthirst Sword. Like its name, the sword fed on blood. If it pierced the human body, it would drain the victim's blood.

The more blood it fed on, the more powerful the Bloodthirst Sword became. Yin Xue had to soak it in a blood pool each month to suppress its violent sword aura.

The Bloodthirst Sword released a dense red mist that engulfed the entire Divine Sword Platform.

Compared to the Bloodthirst Sword, the sword in Liu Wuxie's hand looked unremarkable and ordinary.

"Isn't the Renowned Sword Manor a little too stingy to send him for the final match without a decent sword?" voices of sympathy echoed from the crowd.

Liu Wuxie's sword couldn't possibly rival the Bloodthirst Sword.

"I don't care who you are or where you came from. But I'll let you know that my Bloodthirst Sword has claimed one hundred and seventy lives. Today, you will become the hundred and seventy-first soul," Yin Xue spoke in a chilling tone that caused the surrounding temperature to plummet.

Yin Xue had mastered ice-attribute energy, but he didn't know that Liu Wuxie had already refined the Frost Dao Art to its pinnacle.

Moreover, the Frost Dao Art's power was further amplified in the Northern City, making it even more formidable if executed through sword techniques.

"Let's hope you can back those words up," Liu Wuxie replied indifferently. He raised the sword and took on a pose that resembled the Golden Flame Strike.

Using the Heavenly Dao Book, he had created this sword technique only days ago by blending the sword arts of both the First Sword Manor and Renowned Sword Manor.

While it had an ordinary appearance, it brimmed with dominance.

The simple conversation between Liu Wuxie and Yin Xue pushed the atmosphere to its peak.

Ji Qiu and Tang Hong were the most excited as they knew Liu Wuxie's combat strength far exceeded what others could perceive.

The air current twisted unnaturally as blood waves surged around Yin Xue.

When Yin Xue raised his sword, a crimson sword aura erupted from him, seemingly wanting to pierce through the sky. Even before he struck, an overwhelming pressure blanketed the entire Divine Sword Platform, making the crowd instinctively tense.

The sinister sword aura invaded their minds, gnawed at their composure, and flooded them with dread. Those with weaker cultivation felt their knees buckle under the crimson sword aura.

But Liu Wuxie had weathered far greater storms. Cheap tricks like this barely made him blink.

The only threat he felt was from Yin Xue's cultivation. He sensed that Yin Xue had already broken past the limits of the Spirit Profound Realm and stepped into the Earth Profound Realm but was hiding it deliberately.

"Primordial Destruction Sword!" Yin Xue unleashed his attack.

When he swung the Bloodthirst Sword, it was as if the apocalypse had descended and the sky darkened instantly. His sword aura engulfed the entire Divine Sword Platform.

It was an overwhelming attack that felt impossible to counter.

Miao Jianying's pupils shrank at this sight, with an intense unease rising in his heart. He hadn't expected Yin Xue's sword techniques to exceed his own.

He knew he stood no chance against Yin Xue. His odds of winning were only ten percent at best.

As Yin Xue's sword aura stormed toward him, Liu Wuxie launched into the Seven Dipper Steps and flitted across the arena like a shadow. As he moved, he released sword auras that seemed impossible to follow.

What followed was surreal. Liu Wuxie dodged every attack with uncanny precision, gliding through gaps as if he already knew where each blow would land.

The crowd watched in shock. Whenever Liu Wuxie moved, he found the flaw in Yin Xue's attack with absolute precision.

Yin Xue's eyes narrowed. Though he hadn't exerted his whole force in this strike, it wasn't something someone at the second-level Spirit Profound Realm could withstand.

Liu Wuxie looked like he was strolling under the barrage of sword auras.

"How the hell is he dodging all that?" gasped someone in the crowd, mirroring the stunned expressions around him. Even Miao Jianying, a veteran swordsman, would be forced to take the attack head-on.

However, Liu Wuxie easily evaded all the attacks, relying on his footwork alone.

Even those in the special guest seats exchanged glances. They recognized the depth of Liu Wuxie's footwork but couldn't imagine how he managed such complex maneuvers in such a short time.

"How interesting," Master Xue murmured, stroking his beard thoughtfully. His eyes narrowed as new possibilities unfolded before him.

He had previously asked Miao Feiyu why he had sent out someone at the second-level Spirit Profound Realm. Now that he looked at it again, he realized the Renowned Sword Manor had intended Liu Wuxie to be their hidden ace.

"It must be a fluke! Just some flashy footwork. He won't last long!" scoffed one of the First Sword Manor's disciples, clinging to his faith in Yin Xue.

This was only the beginning, and Yin Xue had more cards.

After missing his first strike, Yin Xue's eyes gleamed blood-red as the Bloodthirst Sword pulsed with a murderous glow, like a predator thirsting for its next kill.

"I'll make sure you die a miserable death!" Yin Xue roared, feeling humiliated that he failed to finish someone at the second-level Spirit Profound Realm with his cultivation at the pinnacle.

"You talk a lot," Liu Wuxie replied indifferently, and his tone further triggered Yin Xue.

Not even his father spoke to him like that. But today, Liu Wuxie had insulted him multiple times, which felt worse than being slapped a dozen times.

Liu Wuxie was the first to speak to Yin Xue in this manner.

A burst of laughter came from the crowd after they heard what Liu Wuxie said.

"I'll tear you limb from limb!" Yin Xue bellowed. The Bloodthirst Sword erupted with a storm of crimson rays, twisting into a cage of sword light that crashed down upon Liu Wuxie.

His burst of sword intent churned the lake into chaos. Waves surged skyward like towering curtains, casting an apocalyptic shadow across the battlefield.

Everyone from the Renowned Sword Manor clenched their fists together. The fate of the manor rested in Liu Wuxie's hands.

The Renowned Sword Manor's reputation would rise if Liu Wuxie won, but his defeat would devastate them.

Turmoil gnawed at Lu Yanghui's heart. One side yearned to see Liu Wuxie fall, while another clung to the desperate hope that he might defeat Yin Xue and reshape their fate.

"Frenzied Thirst!" Yin Xue roared, unleashing a technique far deadlier than his first.

His attack sealed down the surrounding space, ensuring there was no room for Liu Wuxie to maneuver, accompanied by immense pressure at the pinnacle of the Spirit Profound Realm.

Perhaps only someone at the Earth Profound Realm could face this attack.

Miao Jianying stood outside the ring, watching intently how the battle unfolded. He also simulated how he would react if he were in Liu Wuxie's position.

But he concluded that he couldn't defend himself. Yin Xue's cultivation was simply a cut above him.

"What is he doing? Why isn't he fighting back? Doesn't he know any sword techniques?" The first four matches were contests of sword techniques.

When it came to Liu Wuxie, he had simply focused on evading thus far and hadn't even retaliated. The battle had unfolded in an unknown direction, leaving everyone confused. They didn't know if Liu Wuxie knew any sword techniques.

"He'll die if he doesn't retaliate," someone commented from the crowd.

Yin Xue's attack had morphed into a monstrous jaw that seemed ready to devour everything. The Bloodthirst Sword was more than a blade. It was a cursed vessel for devouring dao techniques.

A torrent of negative emotions surged from Yin Xue's attack, overwhelming the crowd's senses like a flood. Their vision swam in a red haze, and their ears were assailed by deafening rumbles and the piercing howls of sword aura. It was like the world itself was unraveling, and the entire Divine Sword Platform was engulfed by sword aura.

Amid the chaos, Liu Wuxie stood still and calm as a lake beneath a storm. Then, he stamped his feet on the platform and etched strange, rhythmic footprints across the stone.

"What incredible footwork!" one elder gasped. "It's as though he's dancing in perfect rhythm with the dao of heaven and earth!"

The experts in the special guest seats kept their eyes on Liu Wuxie, sensing the rare harmony he created with the world around him.

When Liu Wuxie performed his footwork, they noticed how he had achieved resonance with the surrounding heaven and earth. They felt he could not be defeated as long as he maintained that unity.

"Let him dance all he wants, but it won't save him from this!" sneered a disciple from the First Sword Manor, his voice laced with contempt and uncertainty.

Footwork could bolster one's defense, but it wasn't a weapon. It couldn't end a battle.

And while Liu Wuxie kept slipping past every strike, one wrong step was all it would take—then it'd be over.

Yin Xue wielded his sword with killing intent and refused to give Liu Wuxie a moment to catch his breath.

The sword aura surged toward Liu Wuxie at breakneck speed. Liu Wuxie moved like lightning, but Yin Xue's sword was a fierce and relentless storm, chasing him down with lethal precision.

A powerful suction force exploded from the monstrous jaw in the sky, wanting to devour Liu Wuxie.

"Impressive sword technique," Liu Wuxie said flatly. "Shame it's riddled with flaws."

𝕗𝕣𝐞𝐞𝘄𝐞𝚋𝚗𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹.𝚌𝕠𝚖

His voice echoed across the platform, its quiet disdain sharper than any blade.

The First Sword Manor's disciples bristled at the insult.

Liu Wuxie hadn't just mocked Yin Xue, but he had struck at their pride, and their expressions turned murderous.

Then Liu Wuxie moved swiftly and decisively. His sword sliced the air in a single, seamless arc.