Sword Qi surged forth, crisscrossing and overwhelming like a torrential flood.
A single sword slash cut through the air—no technique, no form, nameless and without any way to counter.
Even when Lin Yongning raised his sword in advance to defend, he was still blasted back dozens of steps, barely managing to steady himself.
His internal Qi was in chaos, and his heart was gripped by terror.
His tangled thoughts seemed to drift back to the past, as if he were still the invincible Young Master of the Spirit Sword Sect, and he was but the junior disciple forced to look up to him.
Amid the swirling dust, the white-robed youth remained immaculate, sword in hand as he strolled forward with cold detachment.
He asked icily, “I taught you so much before, yet this is all the rudimentary skill you’ve learned?”
“This Young Master’s affairs are none of your concern, you disgraced disciple!”
Lin Yongning propped himself up, using [Purple Lightning] as support to slowly stand.
His pure white sleeves were stained deep red, blood flowing freely.
At this moment, he glared furiously at the advancing white-robed youth.
Though his eyes burned with hatred, there was even more fear.
“Then I suppose the honorable Young Master of the Spirit Sword Sect wouldn’t lose to a mere disgraced disciple, right, Junior Brother Lin?” Gu Shenzhi sneered, flipping his sword in an instant and unleashing several intersecting sword energies.
This time, he held nothing back.
When the overwhelming sword light finally vanished, Lin Yongning still stood frozen in place, his eyes filled with shock.
A crisp crack echoed as the cyan protective shield surrounding him shattered.
A deep sword scar marred the center of his cloud-patterned rosy robe, blood staining the sky.
He immediately collapsed to his knees, pressing his right hand against his chest, barely clinging to life.
That single strike was supposed to end his life, but the Xuan-tier protective spirit treasure he carried had absorbed some of the sword Qi’s impact, leaving him gravely injured instead.
Seeing this, Gu Shenzhi feigned confusion and asked, “Though the rules don’t forbid carrying protective spirit treasures, isn’t Young Master Lin’s preparation a bit too thorough for dealing with a mere disgraced disciple of the Spirit Sword Sect?”
Suddenly, a purple light flickered around him, followed by the clinking sound of metal hitting the ground.
The white-robed youth glanced back, noticing several Ghost Shadow Pursuit Needles had somehow appeared on the arena floor.
In fact, Gu Shenzhi’s dark purple double pupils had clearly seen the trajectory of these hidden weapons, as well as the assassins from Youyun Continent who had tried to ambush him.
Yet, with his perfectly cultivated spirit perception, he normally wouldn’t be able to detect such a concealed weapon.
If he had tried to block it with his sword, it would have aroused unnecessary suspicion.
But it didn’t matter. The Ghost Shadow Pursuit Needle was famed for its stealth and speed, at the cost of greatly reduced lethality.
The jade tower amulet he wore at his waist could easily block such an attack without raising any doubts.
Gu Shenzhi bent down and picked up one of the Ghost Shadow Pursuit Needles, casually tossing it toward Lin Yongning’s forehead.
In a flash, a well-dressed Nascent Soul cultivator fiercely struck out and snapped the fine needle midair.
The newcomer was none other than Mo Xulin, the patriarch of the Mo family.
“Gu Gongzi, you’ve already won. Why must you be so merciless as to use such a despicable hidden weapon?”
Gu Shenzhi made no attempt to refute, smiling instead:
“The rules of this marriage-by-combat event don’t seem to forbid the use of hidden weapons, do they? However, it’s clearly stated that outsiders may not interfere with the outcome on the arena.”
“Are you suggesting, Patriarch Mo, that you intend to break the rules you yourself established?”
“Don’t slander me with baseless accusations. I’ve always handled matters fairly and justly. In my Muyun Mo family, you—this heretic trickster—have no place to twist facts and sow discord!”
With that, Mo Xulin waved his hand.
Seven masked black-clad cultivators, each wielding twin blades, stepped onto the marriage-by-combat arena from different directions.
All were elite assassins from Youyun Continent.
Six of them possessed spiritual cultivation, while the seventh was a Nascent Soul stage expert—making him a commanding leader even within the [Dark Blade].
Before Gu Shenzhi could draw his sword to fight back, two figures appeared instantly at his sides, one in red and one in blue, their beautiful eyes filled with lethal intent.
The girl in the red skirt held the Earth-tier spirit sword [Evil Phoenix], her snow-white hair and breathtaking beauty exuding an enchanting allure; every frown and smile seemed capable of stealing a soul.
The lady in blue gripped the Amber Water Moon Silk, tall and graceful, her aura cold and refined—like a celestial fairy descended to the mortal realm.
“Your Graces, the Two Holy Maidens, I can handle this alone. Perhaps you should step back and rest for a while?”
Gu Shenzhi asked cautiously, as the arena was far more dangerous to him than a battlefield where life and death were decided.
Su Linghuang, dressed in a scarlet gown, had already shed her disguise of concealment.
She snorted coldly, “Did that guy beside you hear that? You’re not needed here, outsider.”
“Who’s the outsider? You dare to bind my Gu Lang with a marriage contract for profit? You really have no shame!” Nangong Yu retorted without holding back.
Rival lovers meeting only fueled the tension between them, so intense that a fight seemed imminent even before the Youyun Continent assassins made their move.
At this moment, someone shouted, “The one in red is the Red Lotus Holy Maiden of the Moon Shadow Sect, and the one in blue is the Nangong Holy Maiden of the White Feather Sect. I despise Gu Shenzhi with all my heart!”
The crowd instantly erupted.
Countless disciples began to whisper and gossip:
“First he won the heart of the Nangong Holy Maiden, then married the Red Lotus Holy Maiden of the Moon Shadow Sect, and now he’s competing in the Mo family’s third daughter’s marriage-by-combat event. What a scoundrel, disgusting!”
“Not just that, I heard he even crawled into Bai Qi’s bed. Such a treacherous, ungrateful beast—tsk, tsk, tsk.”
“Shh, keep your voice down. Don’t let anyone from the Spirit Sword Sect hear this. That’s a forbidden topic.”
Several male cultivators appeared outraged on the surface, but secretly wished they could replace him.
Meanwhile, on the other side, the atmosphere was completely different.
“Gu Gongzi is so handsome! I want to be his loyal follower!”
“Gu Gongzi! I really like you! I’ll train hard and strive to break through to the Spiritual Perfection realm for you!”
“Ah, I’m dying—Gu Gongzi, please check my background!”
Following the example set by Su Linghuang and Nangong Yu, those who had been forced to abandon their fandom because of Bai Qi’s incident were once again turning back into fans.
“Hubby has so many admirers! What am I to do, Feng’er? I can’t treat them all like sisters, can I?” The Red Lotus Holy Maiden struggled to contain her anger but smiled nonetheless.
“I’m really not close to them, Feng’er. You have to believe me!”
But amidst the roaring calls, Gu Shenzhi’s explanations sounded feeble and powerless.
Watching the scene before him, Mo Xulin’s expression darkened.
It wasn’t because he felt humiliated by Gu Shenzhi’s disregard, but because the situation had spiraled far beyond his expectations.
He had originally planned to find a trivial reason to quietly disqualify Gu Shenzhi from the competition.
After all, most present were disciples from the Spirit Sword Sect and the White Feather Sect—how much goodwill could they possibly have for a disgraced disciple of the orthodox path?
Who could have predicted this outcome? Now that things had escalated, forcing Gu Shenzhi to quit would surely provoke public outrage.
“Gu Gongzi, you have the Red Lotus Holy Maiden on your left and the Nangong Holy Maiden on your right. The two brightest jewels of the younger generation in Muyun Continent are both devoted to you.”
“Little girl Pu Liusi probably isn’t even on your radar. Why not leave this opportunity to someone else?”
Mo Xulin continued, “If you could help me fulfill the marriage alliance between my daughter and Young Master Lin, I would be forever grateful. Anything the Mo family can offer, just say the word.”
Hearing this, Gu Shenzhi smiled and nodded, seeming ready to accept his proposal.
But the white-robed youth abruptly shifted tone, saying, “One of my favorite things in life is to refuse those who think too highly of themselves.”
In the next moment, the [Flowing Rainbow] sword gleamed sharply!