Dehorn, No Retreat

Qinghe's spiritual sense swept over Xie Lingyu and Li Xingtian in the distance, confirming that the two were safe and unharmed.

Her gaze then locked tightly onto the phantom image of Baxia.

The thing seemed to be on the verge of materializing into a solid form, and it looked extremely formidable.

However... for some reason,

Qinghe found herself salivating as she stared at Baxia, as if looking at a steaming bowl of turtle soup.

It was this very sensation of drooling that made her realize—this thing was definitely beatable.

This was the certainty of her bloodline!

Without hesitation, Qinghe swiftly charged toward this steaming turtle... well, enemy turtle!

With a furious roar, she unleashed her spiritual energy. As a flood dragon of the Tianyan Sect, no matter how much Qinghe slacked off, she had still mastered the sect's ultimate techniques.

After all, Grandma Bai would occasionally test her.

Qinghe's claws radiated an endless chill as she dove toward the flood dragon. Even before her claws neared the river's surface, the water had already frozen solid.

Raising her claws, Qinghe slashed at Baxia's phantom with all her might.

Baxia shifted slightly, using the giant stele of fortune it carried on its back to block Qinghe's attack.

A bone-piercing cold instantly spread across the river, freezing the entire several-hundred-meter-wide surface into ice. The residual energy even turned the plants and trees along the shore into ice sculptures.

Xie Lingyu raised a spiritual shield to block the shockwaves from the clash.

Despite the cold mist billowing from the intense frost, the two Golden Core cultivators could still perceive the battle with their spiritual senses.

Qinghe's strike clearly hadn't done enough damage.

Baxia's body hadn't budged an inch, and its aura remained completely undisturbed.

Twisting her body, Qinghe whipped her tail toward Baxia with full force, smashing it down ruthlessly.

The frozen river shattered once more from the aftershocks of her strike.

Qinghe's eyes remained fixed on Baxia, only to see that the creature had barely moved.

Damn, that shell is tough!

What puzzled Qinghe was that despite taking two heavy hits, Baxia showed no intention of retaliating.

It merely glanced at her dismissively before turning away, as if preparing to leave.

This instantly enraged Qinghe—was this some kind of disrespect toward her, a mighty flood dragon?

You damn turtle soup!

Since the turtle wasn't fighting back, Qinghe decided to go all out. Might as well treat it like a punching bag!

Her claws dug firmly into Baxia. Though the creature was formed from primordial energy, Qinghe could still feel the resistance of solid matter beneath her grip.

Without hesitation, she opened her jaws wide and bit down on Baxia's neck.

I’ve been wanting to take a bite to see how it tastes!

Instead of the metallic tang of blood, an incredibly sweet flavor flooded her mouth.

An overwhelming sense of pleasure surged through her.

It really is delicious!

After this bite, Baxia no longer maintained its passive stance.

With a furious roar, the golden stele on its back erupted with light, transforming into a razor-sharp energy that shot toward Qinghe.

Qinghe immediately released her bite and twisted away, dodging the attack.

This thing is weird. Better not test how strong it is.

As a rule, never tank an enemy’s ultimate move if you can avoid it.

The sharp energy obliterated the riverbed, sending violent shockwaves that forced the water to surge backward. A towering wave, a thousand meters high, exploded into mist that filled the sky.

Qinghe shuddered at the sight. If that hit me, I’d be skinned alive!

But seeing Baxia trying to flee again, Qinghe hesitated only briefly before deciding to pursue.

Delicious or not, the jade seal was still on that turtle.

At the very least, she had to stall until that scheming brat arrived—otherwise, she’d never hear the end of his nagging.

Resolved, Qinghe coiled her body, ready to harass Baxia and buy time.

But before she could act, a gale of demonic energy surged from the direction of Chizhou, reaching her in an instant.

Along with it came a punch that seemed capable of tearing the heavens apart!

A deep, furious roar echoed from within the demonic wind:

"Scram!"

Qinghe recognized it immediately—this was the thief who had fled from the capital of Xuanwu Kingdom. Faced with such a devastating strike, she had no choice but to retreat.

Xu Yuan’s target was the fully-formed Baxia, not killing this annoying flood dragon. Seeing Qinghe dodge, he didn’t pursue further.

After all, he had no idea how long his restraints would hold that brat.

Qinghe flickered away from the attack, glaring at the now-humanoid demon. She snarled,

"Where’s that scheming brat?!"

Xu Yuan ignored her, instead drawing a worn-out ancient sword and charging straight at Baxia’s phantom.

The situation had grown far too complicated. He couldn’t fathom why even in this remote place, every opportunity was contested.

Was his luck just that terrible, or…?

Regardless, now was the time to stake his life!

Gritting his teeth against the agony of his fractured bones, Xu Yuan channeled his essence into the ancient sword.

The blade erupted with an eerie violet glow, and the anguished wail of a true dragon echoed from within.

That Nascent Soul flood dragon was no real threat—the real danger was that brat with his karma-infused cultivation.

If he could sever Baxia’s fortune now and complete the ritual by redirecting the water veins, even that ambushing Nascent Soul brat would no longer be a concern!

Qinghe’s eyes turned icy as she watched Xu Yuan. She retracted her flood dragon form, reverting to her small, horned girl appearance before darting toward Xu Yuan, who was preparing to strike Baxia.

Xie Lingyu frowned as he observed Qinghe’s transformation.

Wild flood dragons were at their strongest in their natural forms, but Qinghe was a disciple of the Tianyan Sect.

In her humanoid form, she couldn’t leverage her draconic physique to its fullest, but in exchange, she could employ a wider array of techniques.

This meant Qinghe was ready to go all out—prepared for a life-or-death struggle.

As Qinghe closed in, a plain silver-white sword materialized in her hand. It bore no intricate designs, its only notable feature being the inscription on its pale wooden hilt:

Qu Jiao (Sever the Horn).

This was a supreme spiritual treasure forged by the Tianyan Sect’s master smith, using one of Grandma Bai’s own horns as a secondary material—tailored perfectly for Qinghe.

Since the material came from her own body, Qinghe didn’t need to spend time attuning to the weapon like human cultivators. The moment she first held it, the sword felt like an extension of herself.

Grandma Bai had named the sword herself.

The day she handed it to Qinghe, her expression had been unusually solemn.

At first, Qinghe thought Grandma Bai was bitter about the wasted material—after all, the name Sever the Horn sounded like a jab at her for losing her horn.

But Grandma Bai had explained:

"The name Qu Jiao does not refer to the horn on your head, but the one in your heart."

"I know you still resent me for forcibly bringing you here. But was it ever my intention to take you against your will?"

"In the beginning, I truly disliked you—your untamed nature, your foul mouth, how irritated I felt just looking at you. Many times, I considered throwing you back."

"However, I’ve never been one to leave things half-done or to hold back my full effort."

"I send you the Horn-Cutter, hoping it severs the horns in your heart. Though you are a flood dragon, the principles of right and wrong in this world do not distinguish between man and beast, nor between man and demon."

"Today, I shall cut away the horns in my own heart and offer them to you."

Qinghe raised the Horn-Cutter in hand, and behind her, ten thousand blades of the Horn-Cutter materialized once more.

As the inheritor of Bai Xuanling of the Tianyan Sect, how could she not have learned even a single sword technique?

That black-hearted brat was certainly detestable, yet every time Grandma Bai returned from his place, she always seemed in high spirits.

Though Qinghe never asked, she saw it all clearly.

And as for Xie Lingyu—despite her sharp tongue—how could Qinghe not see through her?

With no news of that black-hearted brat’s condition, the only choice was to hold off this damned Baxia first!

After all, Qinghe couldn’t die!

Today, the Horn-Cutter would not retreat!