Blocking bruising hits from heavy maces, taking stray sword slashes, suffering from sneaky dagger stabs and stray claw strikes, Wu Qianyu suffered more and more wounds as she continued to fight. The Four Devils of Ping Nan Province swarmed around her like gnats. They were each individually as strong as her. Their coordination was close to flawless.
Wu Qianyu tried to retreat to the north but had to fight for every step. The only saving grace was her weapon. The Purple Jade Sword shone through in tough battles such as this. Carrying the Spirit Lord Realm soul of the Purple Jade Hercules Beetle, it was more than a match for the weapons of the four devils.
Head Chopping First Devil’s giant sword was now covered in deep gashes and large chips. It looked more like a piece of scrap metal than a weapon. Torture Madam Second Devil’s claw and dagger chain had already been chopped into pieces, twice. She was now on her third set of the custom-made weapon. On the other side, the third devil’s maces were on the verge of breaking and the fourth devil was on his second sword which he had stolen from a dead city guard.
Even so, the four devils grew gleeful as they could see that victory was near. Their target was covered in blood. Her spiritual aura was unstable and she was gasping for air with each exertion. Even if she had an amazing weapon, the strength of four against one was inevitable.
Wu Qianyu continued to struggle and fight on. She was never a person to give up. She also could not let these four people live. They would cause even more mayhem unless she stopped them here.
As she retreated slowly, she passed by many bodies lying scattered across the streets. Many were city guards, some she recognized. They had families; wives and children waiting for them and relying on their support. They would now leave behind widows and children without a father. Her heart hurt at the thought.
There were also many civilians. Each person caused a stab of pain. It was one more person she couldn’t save. She saw a mother hugging their children, even in death. They had been cut down by bandits as she watched helplessly.
A residential block nearby was entirely engulfed in flames. She wondered how many people were trapped inside and burned alive. Many people had moved to Thousand Flower City in hopes of a new life. But that life was now extinguished.
Sharp female screams and cries occasionally interrupted the noise of battle, joined by raucous laughter of male voices. It wasn’t difficult to imagine the vile acts taking place in broad daylight. Those women were probably wishing for death but their tormentors would let them die so easily.
Wu Qianyu felt suffocated. She was still too weak. If she couldn’t help the innocent, then why couldn’t she at least punish the culprits? She was angry and indignant.
“Go die!” She shouted as attacked left and right. “Go to hell!”
Her spiritual aura rose again, much to the shock of her opponents. Her sword slashed out with renewed strength and viciousness.
“Careful!” Head Chopping First Devil shouted in alarm.
He roared as he swung his heavy sword. Wu Qianyu rushed at him. Their weapons collided with an ear-splitting bang and he was forced back ten steps while Wu Qianyu remained where she was.
“She’s going all out, withstand it! It’s her final struggle!” Sword Collector Fourth Devil shouted.
The four of them instantly arranged into a defensive encirclement, aiming to wear down her stamina until the end.
Wu Qianyu didn’t care and attacked wildly. Thoughts of retreat seemingly forgotten, sword light erupted in all directions as she slashed and stabbed.
“Hold on!” One of the devils shouted.
“Defend!” Another shouted.
Wu Qianyu’s strikes were relentless. Her strength didn’t wane but continued to rise. It was as if she had found a bottomless source of energy.
This wasn’t the Sorrowful Sword Style. This wasn’t Dugu’s Tenth Sword or anything else. This was something innate to Wu Qianyu, something she couldn’t quite control. The simple fact was… the more injured she was, the more pain she was in, the stronger she would be. She could keep fighting , as long as her heart was beating and blood flowed through her, her pain would drive her forward. Ignoring wounds, ignoring the state of her body, her emotions kept her going, a burning desire that couldn’t be extinguished, until her enemies were all dead.
Observing this, Chen Wentian was alert and excited. He had been waiting for this. He knew about this state that Wu Qianyu could achieve. It was difficult to replicate. Impossible during training, it would only happen rarely even during difficult fights against powerful enemies. Perhaps stimulated by the chaotic scenes around her, it was finally the right time.
“Qianyu!” He called out to her through the soul within her sword, “Don’t lose focus! Concentrate on your pain, the source of your power. Let it out! Let it erupt and punish these devils!”
Wu Qianyu’s eyes cleared as she regained control. Before, when she had entered this spiritual state, her mind had been blinded by pain and she fought purely with instinct. Now, with her master’s reminder, she was still in this heightened state but she had regained control.
“Yes… understood…” She said gritted teeth.
She swung her sword. This time, there wasn’t a single trace of the power of Dugu’s Tenth Sword. There was only a faint purple glow that was filled with the energy of her Sorrowful Sword Style. There were no impurities, it was completely made of the pain she felt and the pain she wished on her enemies.
She shouted as she attacked.
A purple arc of light three meters long erupted from the Purple Jade Sword and shot toward Head Chopping First Devil. He snarled and collected all of his spiritual energy to resist, pushing it out into an invisible shield. He was already used to her strange attacks so he believed that this would be enough. But it wasn’t enough.
This huge arc of purple energy sliced through Head Chopping First Devil’s defense as if it didn’t exist. It wasn’t so much that she sliced through his dense shield of spiritual energy, it simply passed through it like sunlight passing through a window.
“What… ahhhh!” Head Chopping First Devil fell to his knees and howled.
His entire body was wracked in unbearable pain. It was a kind of pain he had never experienced before. From his body to his mind and even his soul, he was in agony. His sword fell and clattered against the ground. He clutched his head with his hands, completely losing control. He no longer knew where he was or even who he was. There was only pain.
The other three devils were in shock and reacted too slowly. Wu Qianyu’s sword slashed out again, this time bearing purple sword intent and sharp killing energy. This ray of light directly pierced through Head Chopping First Devil’s skull, killing him instantly!
There was still confusion all around as Wu Qianyu launched another arc of purple light filled with pain. The second devil tried to defend but the purple light slipped past her spiritual energy just as easily as it had done with the first devil. The woman known across many provinces as the torture madam lost control of her body as she felt the kind of pain she had inflicted on her victims in the past. She screamed hoarsely and clawed at her own body in vain. A few moments later, a sword light arrived and ended her miserable life.
“Run!” The third devil shouted but the fourth devil was already fleeing.
Wu Qianyu dashed and leaped into the air. Her sword twirled, forming a purple half-moon as it launched two rays of purple light in different directions. The remaining two foes were both hit and fell to the ground in agony. They writhed and screamed as if they had lost their minds.
Wu Qianyu landed, panting heavily. Her strength was waning. She had exerted her utmost in those attacks. She had never experienced something like it before. She felt she had achieved a great breakthrough in her Sorrowful Sword Style. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ noⅴelfire.net
She let out a long sigh and looked at the two hateful people before her. There was no mercy in her eyes. Two slashes and the battle was finally over.
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