Chapter 121: The Great River Blade Technique

Yan Honggu.

A rogue cultivator from the Black Lake Mountain range in Yuntian Plain, she is somewhat famous for recruiting many disciples on Mount Xueyang. The cultivation technique she practices is a domineering art known as the "Blood Sun Manual." While not a pure blade-wielding martial artist, she possesses a top-tier magical treasure, the Heavenly Dragon Flaming Sun Blade, which makes her invincible against any opponent of the same cultivation rank.

Moments ago, Jiang Min was surrounded by over a dozen Foundation Establishment stage cultivators using the well-trained Nine Palaces Golden Lock formation. Unable to escape, she was dragged into close quarters by the formation and forced to trade blows with Yan Honggu.

Yan Honggu’s long blade swung with wide, sweeping motions, yet it was surprisingly refined. During the clash, Jiang Min’s Silver Scale Sword—a weapon forged through thousands of hammerings from precious silver-scaled black iron—was shattered by the sheer force of the Heavenly Dragon Flaming Sun Blade. The blade slashed across Jiang Min’s abdomen; had she not activated her heart-protecting mirror just in time, she would have been cut in two.

In the face of crisis, she used her spiritual sense to survey the battlefield, identified a weak point in the formation, and unleashed her thunder-fire sword qi combined with a devouring force. With a full-power strike, she killed a Foundation Establishment cultivator, tore a gap in the formation, and fled.

However, the fact that she possessed a top-tier defensive magical treasure was now exposed. For a rogue cultivator, such a treasure—especially one capable of saving one's life—is an immense fortune.

Now, Yan Honggu is leading people in a hunt for her.

Under the combined effects of a healing pill and a water-based healing spell, her blade wounds healed quickly, until the blood scabs dried and fell away. Jiang Min retrieved a new Silver Scale Sword, stepped out of the desolate ruins, and looked up at the massive scroll hovering high in the sky.

First place: Yan Honggu, 4,625.
Second place: Silver Wolf, 3,998.
Third place: Yun Qianli, 3,841.
Fourth place: Chu Dongliu, 3,612.
...
Ninth place: Liu Fenglian, 2,662.
Tenth place: White Eagle, 2,499.
Eleventh place: Black Eagle, 2,498.
...
Ninety-fourth place: Ming Ruoshui, 203.

Jiang Min’s tally of Villain Tokens had not changed. Since the day she left the Rogue Alliance, she had not refined any of the tokens she had acquired. Instead, she stored them away, waiting until she achieved enlightenment in her sword intent. Otherwise, with her strength limited to the early Foundation Establishment stage and the sword qi realm, carrying too many tokens would attract the attention of major gangs, inviting the crime of possessing wealth and leading to relentless pursuit.

She suspected many others were doing the same—holding onto their tokens without refining them, waiting until the names on the scroll dwindled before refining them to secure a spot on the leaderboard.

"The baleful energy in the city is growing thicker."

Jiang Min felt the surroundings with her spiritual sense. The sinister, murderous aura in this City of Villains was constantly accumulating. With the massive formation maintaining it and preventing the energy from dissipating, the aura had become so thick it was nearing a state that could affect one's mind. For those with weak spiritual cultivation, staying in this environment too long made it easy to be influenced and turned into a bloodthirsty creature.

This was the very baleful energy that Old Man Ghost Mountain required.

"The wound is healed. I should move further away from the city center and look for isolated cultivators on the outskirts. I’ve been fighting for two months and have gained some insights into the sword path, but I’m still lacking what it takes to fully grasp sword intent."

Jiang Min’s clear eyes flickered as she pondered.

Just as she turned to leave, she suddenly stopped.

On the roof of a high pavilion in the distance, a figure stood, staring at her from afar. With his back to the setting sun, the twilight rays outlined his tall silhouette.

A middle-aged man in black robes, carrying a long blade.

"Chu Dongliu."

Jiang Min’s gaze darkened as she uttered his name. Chu Dongliu, a Foundation Establishment master of the blade intent realm, was a prominent and highly feared figure in the City of Villains. Currently, he ranked fourth on the Villain Leaderboard.

The issue was that most of those at the top of the leaderboard were cultivators backed by alliances or gangs, relying on superior numbers to seize tokens—this was true for Yan Honggu of Mount Xueyang, the demon cultivator Silver Wolf, and the aristocratic Yun Qianli alike.

Yet, Chu Dongliu had always acted alone.

It was said that a temporary gang known as the Green Mountain Gang, led by a peak Foundation Establishment cultivator, had once surrounded Chu Dongliu to steal his tokens. In the end, they were all slaughtered by him, not a single one left alive.

Standing atop the high pavilion, Chu Dongliu said earnestly, "You must be the renowned Thunder-Fire Sword cultivator from the West City. I have heard much of your name; please, grant me a match."

He raised his hand and saluted with his sword-hand held over his blade.

Hearing this, Jiang Min cursed internally.

Grant you a match, my foot!

She was only at the early Foundation Establishment stage and had yet to master sword intent, while Chu Dongliu clearly possessed a perfected blade intent—he might even be approaching the blade shadow realm. There was no way she could win.

As soon as he finished speaking, Chu Dongliu drew his blade.

Clean and decisive.

Whoosh!

A river of blade qi, a zhang wide, roared through the air like a surging torrent. It loomed over the ruined buildings and swept toward Jiang Min. She felt as if a genuine, massive river was crashing toward her with an unstoppable force, carrying towering waves.

This was Chu Dongliu’s blade intent.

The Great River Blade!

Jiang Min’s pupils constricted slightly. She could not block this strike.

Run!

She tossed a long shuttle in front of her. It hummed with wind and thunder, perfectly complementing her Wind-Thunder body movement technique. Known as the Wind-Thunder Shuttle, it was a high-grade flying magical treasure. In the City of Villains, while top-tier treasures were rare, high-grade ones were less conspicuous, making it perfect for an escape.

Jiang Min stepped onto the shuttle and fled in one direction. Having spent two months in the city, she was somewhat familiar with the terrain. She headed toward a complex cluster of abandoned high-rise buildings where she could use her agile movement to shake off Chu Dongliu, whose blade techniques would be difficult to maneuver in such tight quarters. Perhaps he would then give up the chase.

Boom!

Wind and thunder exploded.

Jiang Min’s figure turned into a blur of wind and thunder as she sped away. Seeing this, Chu Dongliu narrowed his eyes, stepped onto a small skiff, and gave chase with lightning speed.

He had a distinct trait.

He either didn't care at all, or once he set his sights on someone, he would not let go until that person surrendered their Villain Tokens or was defeated and killed.

Soon, Jiang Min reached the abandoned building complex.

Looking around, there were only tall pavilions. Although built from incredibly sturdy timber and stone, they now appeared desolate and decayed after years of neglect. The streets were littered with broken wood and stone, with occasional splatters of blood that had long since dried and turned black.

Swish!

Amidst the roaring wind and thunder, her figure moved like a lingering shadow, weaving between the tall buildings.

Behind her, the surging blade qi cut through the street, spanning dozens of zhang like a flowing river. Its momentum was majestic and unrelenting, but the fleeing figure dodged it with nimble grace.

"So what if you’ve reached the blade intent realm?"

Jiang Min gritted her teeth.

With another sharp turn, she carved a wide arc to dodge a wave of blade qi.

However, she was not merely focused on fleeing. As she dodged, she carefully studied Chu Dongliu’s "Great River" blade intent. She knew clearly that if she could not shake him off, only by achieving her own sword intent could she stand a chance against him.