Chapter 495 – The Lifespan Stealing Demonic Blade, Frightening And Cunning Li Yuan - Part 2

Li Yuan’s brows drew tighter, but he didn’t hesitate. He lifted the black blade, pressed its edge lightly to his skin, and allowed a stream of his own lifespan, about a century’s worth, to flow directly into the weapon.

The woman’s voice sighed from within the blade. “So warm...so good...”

Her voice slowed, soothed, and eventually softened.

“Can we talk like civilized people now?” Li Yuan asked.

“You’ve reforged the Earthfire Sword,” the woman replied calmly.

“I have.”

There was a pause.

“Then...the others. They’re gone, aren’t they?” she asked quietly.

“They’re dust now,” Li Yuan replied. “Why didn’t you run?”

“I couldn’t,” she said.

“Why not?”

“My name is Yan Hongxiu. I was once the palace master of the Sacred Fire Palace. I.. I don’t know how long it’s been since then.”

Her voice slowed, thick with memory.

“But I wasn’t like them. They were trapped in the Earthfire Sword by accident, chasing a breakthrough to the third rank. I...I

chose

to go in.”

“Why?”

“Because I couldn’t survive out there.” She inhaled deeply. “Becoming a weapon spirit, this strange half-life, was the only way I could keep existing.”

Li Yuan’s tone sharpened. “Why?”

“A curse,” Yan Hongxiu said quietly. “I triggered one by accident. A terrible curse...one that constantly devoured my lifespan. But I knew the truth about the Earthfire Sword. I knew what it really was. So I hid inside it to avoid my doom.”

Then, unexpectedly, she said, “Master.”

At that moment, Li Yuan understood.

The blade’s strange ability to steal lifespan from both victim and wielder didn’t come from him. It came from her. From the soul now bound inside it.

His forging process had merely awakened the curse’s dormant power and fused it into the blade. His blood made the weapon his, but the curse had decided its nature.

A curse strong enough to suppress every other trait, every influence. That was no ordinary curse.

“Where did the curse come from?” Li Yuan asked.

Yan Hongxiu’s response unraveled into chaotic murmurs. “The stars...the stars were so bright... So beautiful... Dangerous... Don’t speak. Don’t respond. The stars are watching... I...I don’t remember...”

Her words spiraled, each one less coherent than the last.

Li Yuan cut her off and changed the subject. “You’re the weapon spirit now. What can

you

actually do?”

Silence. Then her voice was clearer this time.

“We’re connected. Truly connected. Most weapon spirits are dull things, mute and mechanical. But I understand you. I can follow your intentions, your complex commands.”

Li Yuan raised an eyebrow, then tossed the blade into the air.

With only a thought, the blade whirled and twisted mid-flight, obeying his will with perfect grace. It sliced through the air in wide, elegant arcs before dropping smoothly back into his waiting palm.

This kind of mobility, this fluid bond between master and weapon, was something no ordinary spirit artifact could replicate.

He flicked his wrist again, sending the blade flying. It zipped through the terrain like a black flash, sweeping across more than five kilometers before arcing back toward him in a smooth, deadly return.

“You said your name was Yan

Hongxiu

,” he said. “Then this blade will be called the

Red Sleeve

Blade.”

“Yes, Master,” she replied without hesitation.

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes, studying the black blade in his hand. He couldn’t be sure how much of the woman’s story was true. But the weapon was forged by his own hand, sealed with his blood.

For now...it would do.

He looked up. The sky had already turned dusky, deep hues of purple and red bleeding into the horizon.

And come to think of it...

He was the Empress Dowager’s personal attendant. Yet he hadn’t shown up all day.

After a moment’s thought, Li Yuan gripped the Nine Provinces Provisional Patrol Token, and in a flash, appeared inside the Clear Mind Hall of the imperial palace.

The doors were shut. Outside, the last rays of the setting sun painted the sky in amber.

On the bed, Xie Wei reclined lazily, her hair tousled and cascading down her shoulders. She sat to one side in a relaxed, almost sultry pose. When she saw Li Yuan appear so suddenly, she simply raised a hand and beckoned him over.

“Took you long enough,” she said.

Li Yuan glanced around, scanning the room.

Xie Wei’s voice turned soft and syrupy. “What else could it be? I’ve been hopelessly addicted to your charms. We’ve been shamelessly entangled on this bed the entire day. By now, I’m sure everyone, inside the palace and out, knows you’re mine.”

She smiled, the edge of her mouth curling with mischief. “So from now on, I’ll be keeping you openly. If I say you’re not allowed to leave, then you’re

not

allowed to leave.”

Li Yuan said flatly, “That means I can appear whenever I want, and the moment I do, Shi Shanbai will come looking for me.”

“Exactly.” Xie Wei nodded, satisfied.

Suddenly, Li Yuan said, “I’ve been searching for the man in yellow robes. But he’s vanished.”

Xie Wei frowned slightly, thinking. Then she shook her head. “He calls himself Mister Mountain. He’s come here twice. But beyond that, I don’t know a thing about him.”

“He’s gone into hiding,” Li Yuan muttered.

Xie Wei asked, “Can you take him on now?”

“I can try,” Li Yuan said.

A flicker of light danced through her eyes, followed by a deep, unmistakable hatred. Then she said, “I’ll help you lure him out. He’s the true enemy of the Xie Clan...and the biggest obstacle standing between me and breaking the provincial governors’ grip on power.”

“How?” Li Yuan asked.

Xie Wei stretched her long legs, letting the silk skirt slip slightly as she propped her chin on one hand. Her expression shifted in an instant. She was charming, seductive, her eyes like silk threads drawing him in.

“Come here,” she purred. “Come sit on the bed. I’ll whisper it in your ear...”

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

In a dark, sealed chamber, far from any doors or windows, a man in yellow robes sat motionless in the shadows.

Even now, his mind was still replaying that brutal battle.

To survive it, he had burned through one top quality Heavenly Fire Spirit Stone, one top quality Earth Fiend Spirit Stone, and countless mid rank stones. Only then had he barely managed to fend off the terrifying monster from the Western Extremes.

The sheer depth of that thing’s power, it was bottomless.

And now, the man in the yellow robes didn’t dare move.

Nearly all the spirit stones delivered via teleportation array had been consumed in that fight.

And the array itself? Outdated and brittle. Each trip could only carry a tiny amount of cargo, and after every use, it required several decades to recharge.

The most reliable, discreet way to receive supplies now...was through mundane mortal shipping routes.

So he waited. For another shipment to arrive.

In the Immortal Domain, he could’ve easily accessed what he needed. But here? On this backward land?

He couldn’t even

fly

, let alone anything else.

Right now, every door in front of him looked like a portal back to that monster, like a trap just waiting to be triggered.

“That kind of flame...how did that monster manage to fuse with it? If the flame is truly endless, then no matter how much he burns...he’ll never run out? Are the gods of the Western Extreme really

that

terrifying?”

A trace of fear flickered in his eyes.

The truth was his situation was nothing like what Li Yuan had assumed.

Li Yuan had believed the man’s strength to be sustainable, part of his normal state. But in reality, the man in yellow robes had paid a massive price in rare resources just to survive that one encounter.

Now, those resources were gone. And with them, his ability to fight. He didn’t dare make a move.

Meanwhile, Li Yuan, new weapon in hand, lifespan-stealing blade at his side, was already preparing to hunt him down once more.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Half a month later.

Shi Shanbai stormed toward the palace, fury etched deep in his brow. After a brief word to the gatekeepers, he made his way straight to the Clear Mind Hall.

The moment he looked up, he saw her, the regal and stunning Empress Dowager, poised gracefully on her couch.

But what made his face darken was the man beside her.

That tall, handsome palace eunuch. The one always lingering just a little too close.

Shi Shanbai's eyes flicked over to the eunuch.

The eunuch, who everyone knew as Chang Xin, gave a subtle nod of deference, humble and obedient.

Only then did Shi Shanbai shift his gaze back to Xie Wei. He didn’t bother with niceties.

“Your Majesty, why have Grand General Gao Kaiping’s men sealed the entrance to the Apparel Atelier?.” he asked sternly. “If that gateway is shut, our people can’t enter the ghost domain. Apparel Atelier won’t be able to merge with new ghost domains, and no new meat fields can be created. Our strength will dwindle, while those traitors, those who oppose the Empress Dowager and His Majesty, will only grow stronger!”

After saying his piece, he shot a meaningful glance at Chang Xin.

Chang Xin picked it up immediately and chimed in, “Yes, Your Majesty. This is no small matter. What should we do?”

Xie Wei didn’t respond to Shi Shanbai’s accusation, but when the handsome eunuch beside her spoke up, she finally replied, her voice light and cool, “My dear Xin, even I have no way around this. This time, it wasn’t just General Gao who made a move. Commander Fish Guts got involved behind the scenes as well.”

She looked at Shi Shanbai, spreading her hands slightly. “So tell me, what can I possibly do?”

Chang Xin threw in a furious tone. “General Gao, Commander Fish Guts, both of them are camped out near Coldwind Gorge beside Qilin Mountain. They’ve blocked every path. This...this is practically mutiny!”

BANG!

The Empress Dowager suddenly slammed her delicate porcelain teacup onto the table. It cracked loudly.

“Did I give you permission to speak?” she asked icily.

The eunuch flinched and looked flustered. “But Your Majesty, weren’t you just—”

“Enough!” Her beautiful face turned frosty, her voice like winter frost.

“Forgive me, Your Majesty, forgive me!” the eunuch stammered, bowing low.

Shi Shanbai, standing to the side, felt a deep satisfaction bloom in his chest.

As he’d expected, embedding such a key piece so close to the Empress Dowager had been the perfect move. Chang Xin wasn’t just a spy; he was a listening post on her very pillow.

Pillow talk...always revealed the juiciest secrets.

Shi Shanbai couldn't help but wonder what that proud, dignified woman looked like when she was on her back.

A trace of jealousy stirred in his heart.

Yes,

jealousy

—toward a mere eunuch.

But that eunuch was his dog. When they were alone next, he’d make him kneel and bark like one.

Still, for now, the information had been delivered.

Gao Kaiping and Fish Guts were both at Coldwind Gorge.

These two were Mister Mountain’s true enemies. They were usually hidden in the shadows, nearly impossible to track. But now, they were in the same place.

This might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

If they could be taken out, the delicate balance of power would collapse. And from that day on, the Empress Dowager would have no forces left strong enough to oppose them.

Xie Wei rose slightly and said, “Hall Master Shi, I’m tired. You may go now.”

“As Your Majesty commands,” Shi Shanbai said with a bow, then turned to leave.

The moment he was gone, the eunuch, still standing there trembling, suddenly wailed, “Your Majesty, I was wrong! I was wrong!”

Xie Wei’s hand swept the air, and the valuable porcelain cup shattered fully on the floor, hot tea splashing everywhere.

𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

Her eyes curved into a teasing smile, but her voice was cold as ice.

“Then your punishment is this. Kneel and massage my legs. Don’t stop until I say stop.”

Farther away, Shi Shanbai’s expression darkened as he walked. He let out a cold snort and picked up his pace.

In his heart, his jealousy of that

dog

only grew stronger.

He’d treated the Empress Dowager with the utmost respect. Always polite. Always formal. A gentleman to the core. And yet she’d given herself to a eunuch who wasn’t even half his worth.

The picture of those two entwined on the bed festered in Shi Shanbai’s mind like poison. Jealousy flared hot in his chest, and he wanted nothing more than to drag that eunuch out by the hair and beat him bloody.

But the greater mission came first.

Suppressing his fury, Shi Shanbai turned and strode out of the palace. His destination was to find Mister Mountain.

He knew the man was in hiding.

But if, just

if

, Mister Mountain were willing to act now...if he could eliminate both Gao Kaiping and Fish Guts, then the entire power structure of Yujing would shift overnight.

Shi Shanbai’s figure faded into the distance.

Back in the Clear Mind Hall, the palace maids had already come and gone, sweeping the room clean. The doors were once again shut.

But inside...Li Yuan was nowhere to be found.

Only Xie Wei remained, lying alone on the bed.

Beside her pillow, a tall stack of memorial scrolls lay untouched. She pulled one at random, glanced at it. But her eyes drifted toward the horizon instead, worry slowly clouding her gaze.

Beneath the covers at her side, something shifted gently.

Hidden there was a long, narrow box. Its lid sat slightly ajar like a tiny door.

And behind that

door

...rested a strange, black blade.

Xie Wei glanced toward the weapon.

Even from a distance, even sealed in its case, the blade radiated a terrifying aura, something no mortal should ever dare to touch. A demonic weapon in every sense of the word.

She stared at it for a long moment.

And suddenly, she didn’t know who she was more afraid for.