Luo Xinlan thought killing Jiang Ningshu would be a simple task. She had anticipated unexpected events, but she never imagined Jiang Ningshu would regain her strength.
It was because Jiang Ningshu had lost her power that Luo Xinlan had grown increasingly bold.
Now that Jiang Ningshu had recovered, Luo Xinlan was no match for her.
At this moment, Luo Xinlan finally recalled the terrifying strength Jiang Ningshu had once possessed as the Demon Lord.
Yet, Jiang Ningshu calmly said, "Don't panic, Xinlan. I've only recovered to the peak of the Nascent Soul stage."
Luo Xinlan, on the other hand, was at the early stage of the Void Refinement realm.
"You're not lying to me, are you?"
"I'm not lying."
Hearing this, Luo Xinlan felt a surge of confidence again.
"Hahaha, you scared me for a moment. Turns out you've only recovered a little."
Su Luo, however, was incredulous. How could Jiang Ningshu have regained her Nascent Soul-level strength? Wasn't it just a tiny bit? What had gone wrong?
But now wasn't the time to ask questions. They were about to fight.
Su Luo naturally wouldn't get involved, but leaving wasn't appropriate either. At the very least, she wanted to see the outcome, so she decided to sit back and watch the show.
"Let's fight, then," Jiang Ningshu said, flipping her hand to summon the Heavenly Demon Sword.
"Hmph, bringing out the Heavenly Demon Sword? You're just bullying me!"
"Don't worry, I can't unleash the full power of the Heavenly Demon Sword in my current state."
"Haha, do you think I'll be grateful for that? Not a chance."
Hearing Jiang Ningshu's words, Luo Xinlan felt slightly reassured. She also drew her sword. While it was far inferior to the Heavenly Demon Sword, it was still a fine blade—one that Jiang Ningshu had given her.
With an 80% chance of victory, Luo Xinlan began her assault on Jiang Ningshu. Her only goal was to kill Jiang Ningshu, and every move she made was lethal.
"If you fully recover, I'll be in trouble. I was right to act early."
Jiang Ningshu didn't respond. She simply parried Luo Xinlan's attacks, one move at a time.
"Why aren't you saying anything? Do you think you've already won? I hate how calm you look! You were so panicked when you lost your cultivation before."
Even though her cultivation was higher than Jiang Ningshu's, why was Jiang Ningshu the one handling the fight so effortlessly?
Luo Xinlan's sword strikes grew faster and more ferocious. Finally, taking advantage of her superior cultivation, she managed to slash Jiang Ningshu's arm.
The successful attack boosted Luo Xinlan's confidence, confirming that Jiang Ningshu was indeed only at the peak of the Nascent Soul stage.
So why wait? It was time to finish Jiang Ningshu off.
Luo Xinlan poured all her strength into a relentless barrage of attacks.
Jiang Ningshu focused solely on defense, but even her defenses couldn't block everything. New wounds continued to appear.
"Why are you just defending? Do you look down on me? Just because you've recovered a bit of strength, don't get cocky!"
Jiang Ningshu's defensive stance only further enraged Luo Xinlan.
You like defending? Fine, defend all you want!
"Rain of Heavenly Needles!"
Luo Xinlan's attack was like pouring a basin of needles onto her opponent. Countless sword shadows surrounded Jiang Ningshu.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Jiang Ningshu continued to block with her sword, but as she looked at her former friend, who was now desperately trying to kill her, a sorrowful expression appeared on her face.
"I don't look down on you, Xinlan. I'm just sad. After all the years we've spent together..."
"Stop talking! It was all an act. I don't want to pretend anymore. This fight was long overdue. If it weren't for your sudden rise in strength, I would have killed you long ago."
"There's no going back now..." Jiang Ningshu murmured, as if speaking to Luo Xinlan or perhaps to herself.
"That's right. Today, you'll die by my sword."
Luo Xinlan suddenly merged the countless sword shadows into one, unleashing her most powerful strike.
"Hahaha, I did it! I killed the Demon Lord! I killed Jiang Ningshu! Hahaha!"
The sensation in her hand didn't lie. Even without looking back, Luo Xinlan knew Jiang Ningshu had been cleaved in two.
Luo Xinlan turned triumphantly to Su Luo, the only witness, and declared, "Submit, or die."
Su Luo couldn't help but laugh. "Look behind you."
Jiang Ningshu stood there, bearing only an additional wound—far from dead.
Seeing Jiang Ningshu still standing, Luo Xinlan was reminded of the past, when Jiang Ningshu would always emerge victorious no matter how dire the battle. It infuriated her.
"I'll make sure you never stand again. This ends now."
"Yes, it ends now."
For the first time, Jiang Ningshu shifted into an offensive stance.
But just that stance alone made Luo Xinlan instinctively step back.
She couldn't accept her own reaction.
What was she afraid of?
Jiang Ningshu was covered in blood, her hair disheveled. She was no threat.
"Jiang Ningshu, stop bluffing! In your current state, you deserve nothing but death. Die!"
Luo Xinlan swung her sword again, sending a multicolored wave of sword energy straight at Jiang Ningshu.
Finally, Jiang Ningshu began to counterattack.
"Heavenly Demon's Strike."
With a single, simple slash, Jiang Ningshu's sword seemed to carry the power of a demon god. Nothing could withstand it—everything shattered upon contact.
First, the sword energy crumbled, then the sword itself, and finally, Luo Xinlan's arm.
If Jiang Ningshu hadn't held back at the last moment, Luo Xinlan wouldn't have even had a corpse left.
"I curse you, Jiang Ningshu! I curse you to die a miserable death!"
"You killed me, and now you'll be alone forever. You deserve it!"
"No one will love you. You'll never find happiness!"
As Luo Xinlan felt her life slipping away, she wanted to drag Jiang Ningshu down with her, but she could do nothing. All she could do was scream curses.
Yet, the residual power of that single strike was enough to slowly end her life.
Finally, Luo Xinlan died.
Jiang Ningshu watched her until the end, saying nothing.
After a long silence, Jiang Ningshu finally spoke.
"Goodbye, Xinlan."
Then she remained motionless for a long time.
Su Luo hadn't expected this outcome either.
Whether Jiang Ningshu would kill Luo Xinlan or not—until the very last moment, Su Luo couldn't have guessed.
Their bond was deep, and it wouldn't have been surprising if the Demon Lord had spared Luo Xinlan.
But killing her in one strike was also understandable, given that Luo Xinlan had been trying to kill her.
Su Luo felt no particular emotion about Luo Xinlan's death. It was just one of the reasons Jiang Ningshu would later turn against the Heavenly Demon Sect.
Now that Luo Xinlan had tried to kill Jiang Ningshu, it was the same. Jiang Ningshu's heart must have been heavy.
As for who would win the fight, Su Luo had never doubted it. The Demon Lord's cultivation had long since reached a high level. Even if her current strength wasn't at its peak, her insight, mastery of techniques, and experience hadn't diminished.
And Luo Xinlan? Her talent had always been lacking. She had only reached the Void Refinement stage thanks to Jiang Ningshu's help. Her foundation was shaky.
Her defeat was well-deserved.
Now that the show was over, Su Luo stood up and politely excused herself. "I won't disturb you any longer. I'll take my leave."
But then, a hand landed on her shoulder.
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
