The two boys gripped their swords despite barely being able to stand. Yet only one thought occupied their minds: they had to put an end to the cursed existence before them.
Yong lunged forward, unleashing a barrage of triangular sword strikes that covered every inch of the monster's body within a two-meter radius. His target was the core located at the center of its body. However, the creature blocked his assault, raised a finger, and prepared a devastating attack.
Moments before the monster released its strike, Jin Yongjie awakened. His body felt weak and exhausted, yet he sensed that he could still continue. A strange energy coursed through him, forcing him to stand. Like a bolt of lightning, he rushed forward at the same instant the monster attacked.
A slash descended, splitting the projectile in half.
An aura flowed from Yongjie's sword, wrapping around its blade. Tian immediately joined him, buying time. Yong continued spinning his sword, enduring the monster's relentless attacks. Then, in a brief instant, he saw an opening—but to exploit it, he had to surpass his limits for three seconds before the monster could reinforce its defenses.
He remembered Tian Shi's teachings:
"To surpass the limits of your body, you must do more than simply use your muscles. Breathe in the essence of nature and become one with the flow of time."
As for the Ripple Strikes technique, it relied on a vertical rotation of the sword rather than continuous spinning. At the end of the motion, a downward horizontal slash had to be released to complete the technique.
Within fractions of a second, Yong gathered every ounce of strength he possessed. His senses merged with the surrounding breeze and traces of worldly energy. He swung his sword in a perfectly straight trajectory, evading every attack as if time itself had slowed.
A vertical strike.
Then a circular ripple.
Finally, a downward horizontal slash.
The monster's arm was severed.
That brief opening was enough.
Yongjie charged forward and struck the core with all his strength. The monster's body was torn apart from the center, and both boys collapsed unconscious.
Yet only half of the core had been destroyed.
Moments later, the creature awakened once more and launched itself toward the unconscious boys.
Suddenly, a man carrying a sword radiating a blue aura appeared.
The instant he approached, countless wounds appeared across the monster's body. Within seconds he reached it, circled around without even drawing his sword, and passed by.
The monster's body shattered into hundreds—no, thousands—of fragments before completely vanishing from existence.
"Oh, finally. This bald monk has awakened."
The monk opened his eyes and replied:
"Greetings. I am Xing He, a disciple of the Shaolin Temple. I thank these honorable brothers for saving me. May I know your names?"
Tian Shi answered:
"My name is Tian Shi, and this is Ling Tian. We are mercenaries. We came to this region after hearing rumors and wished to investigate. But tell me, fellow cultivator, what brought you here?"
Xing He nodded.
"One of our monks disappeared after reports that ten Shaolin disciples had passed through these mountains and vanished. The temple sent me to investigate, as I am among its senior instructors."
His expression darkened.
"Here, I encountered a strange being. It appeared as an old man, though I cannot remember what race it belonged to. A dark and ominous aura surrounded it. Even my Dharma arts were ineffective against it. I managed to wound its shoulder and tear away part of its flesh, but it retaliated with a storm of attacks and injected a strange energy into my body."
"I collapsed immediately. For nearly three days, I remained trapped between consciousness and unconsciousness, fighting that entity within my own mind through Dharma energy and Buddhist teachings."
Ling Tian frowned.
"Interesting... and strange. I've never heard of techniques like that. Even demonic arts don't resemble such power. It sounds closer to advanced sorcery."
Tian Shi asked:
"Senior Monk, did anyone accompany you?"
Xing He's eyes widened.
"Yes! I remember now. The Grand Instructor of our temple, a cultivator at the Transcendent Realm, came with me. But our communication talismans stopped working. I don't know where he is. We should search immediately."
Ling Tian rubbed his chin.
"Hmm... first, let's inspect the remaining houses."
I replied:
"If that's what you want, then explore the village and surrounding areas. Return afterward. As for me, I'll accompany the monk."
We separated.
Soon, we discovered a trail of blood.
At its end lay an elderly monk, gravely injured and unconscious, barely clinging to life.
I immediately gave him one of my healing potions and infused him with energy alongside Xing He. Yet he showed no sign of breathing.
We attempted to awaken him, but nothing changed.
I pushed myself to the limit, rapidly stimulating every energy point in his body. There was still some energy remaining within him, meaning he wasn't dead.
"His blood channels are in chaos," I said.
I stabilized every meridian and corrected them one by one. Then I attempted to restore his dantian to its proper position.
The instant I succeeded, I coughed up blood.
An overwhelming surge of energy erupted from within me.
My vision blurred.
I struggled to contain the power using my muscles, blood, and aura. Then a second opposing energy emerged and collided with the first, creating a balancing effect that stabilized both forces.
At that exact moment, the monk awakened.
And I collapsed unconscious.
Meanwhile, Ling Tian continued investigating the village.
Inside one of the houses, he discovered a sword radiating a sinister aura.
He grasped it and poured his energy into it, resisting its influence until the sword finally submitted. Then an idea came to him.
Using the Sword Will Fusion Technique, he attempted to merge it with his own sword.
At first, the two energies violently rejected one another, but eventually they began to synchronize. Once the process reached the harmonization stage, both sword energies entered the domain of will.
Their sword spirits clashed fiercely.
This was only natural.
Each represented the complete opposite of the other.
Ling Tian projected his authority into both swords and requested that they merge.
His own sword spirit replied:
"We are manifestations of different principles. Fusion is impossible."
The second spirit added:
"Before we can merge, you must first connect and integrate both auras into your body. If you succeed, perhaps fusion will become possible. Though I cannot stand this fool."
Ling Tian smirked.
"Fine. If I succeed, you will merge. I don't wish to force either of you. But if I fail, I'll leave you alone."
Back at the village, our efforts finally paid off.
The old monk began breathing again. His heartbeat returned, and vitality flowed through his blood once more.
The monk spoke weakly.
"The same thing happened to Brother Xing He. However, there was a powerful entity standing behind that old sorcerer. It offered us assistance, and we accepted without suspicion."
We returned to the village.
The situation there was dire.
Cries echoed through the streets, and bloodstains covered the ground. We rushed to the village chief's residence and discovered nearly eighty people afflicted by disease, while another twenty suffered from fatal injuries.
Qing Qiu approached and informed me of everything that had happened.
I shook my head.
"The real problem isn't here. None of us possess expertise in medicine or poison treatment."
Indeed, many of the villagers were already in advanced stages of illness.
Just as hope began to fade, an old man stepped forward.
"I can help treat them," he said calmly.