Complete one practice method every day

"laugh!"

With another sword strike, Cheng Ziqian seized an opening where Shen Dujiang staggered, and his longsword flashed like lightning, instantly slicing through Shen Dujiang's right shoulder! Blood spurted out.

The sword wounded his tendons, causing Shen Dujiang's right arm to go limp, and the short blade nearly slipped from his hand. He staggered backward, leaning against a broken wall before barely managing to stand. Blood gushed from both his left and right shoulders, and his face turned ashen.

"Stop...stop hitting me!" Shen Dujiang gasped for breath, his voice hoarse.

"I admit defeat! How about I join you? I've been in the black market for so many years, I know the ropes and have a wide network of connections, I'll be useful to you! You've seen my strength, once I recover from my injuries, I'll be just as formidable!"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Ziqian's lips curled into a disdainful smile.

A seasoned veteran of the black market's underbelly wants to join them? What a joke!

Without pausing, Cheng Ziqian twirled his longsword, and with a flick of his wrist, the tip of the sword transformed into three cold stars, which struck Shen Dujiang's brow, throat, and heart.

His murderous intent was obvious; he clearly intended to kill with a single blow!

Shen Dujiang's pupils contracted sharply. He used his last bit of strength to try to roll to the side to avoid it, but his old injuries suddenly flared up, and a heart-wrenching pain made him freeze in his tracks.

It's over! There's no escaping it now!

Despair welled up in Shen Dujiang's eyes, as if he could already see the cold sword blade piercing his heart.

"call out!"

A sharp, piercing sound suddenly came from the darkness on the side, its force far exceeding that of ordinary hidden weapons!

Cheng Ziqian's expression changed slightly. He forcefully pulled back the long sword he had thrust forward, and with a sudden push of his feet, his body leaped to the side and back like a large bird.

As he leaped into the air, a cold glint flashed in Cheng Ziqian's eyes, and he slashed his long sword toward Shen Dujiang's neck.

"puff!"

Shen Dujiang jerked his head back, avoiding a fatal wound to his neck, but the sword still managed to cut a gash on his left shoulder, almost exposing the bone.

The excruciating pain caused him to groan, and his vision blurred.

But Shen Dujiang forced himself to stay awake, using his blurred vision to look in the direction from which the sound of something cutting through the air came.

A gray figure wearing a straw hat and mask shot out from the shadows like an arrow, leaving a trail of afterimages in the moonlight.

Incredulous astonishment flashed in Shen Dujiang's eyes, which then transformed into a complex emotion that was difficult to describe.

He actually came back? He didn't run away alone, but instead came back to save me?

Cheng Ziqian also recognized the newcomer as the alchemist who should have been captured by Yuan Tiansu.

He frowned slightly. Yuan Tiansu had been careless and the alchemist had escaped.

Cheng Ziqian instantly suppressed his surprise and doubt, his eyes flashing even colder. He took a step forward, intending to finish off the powerless Shen Dujiang with a single sword strike before the alchemist could get too close.

However, as soon as he moved, he saw Chen Yue rushing towards him, his hands moving in rapid succession like butterflies flitting among flowers.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"

A series of sharp, piercing sounds filled the air as a dozen or so pebbles, as if shot from a powerful bow and arrow, carried a fierce gust of wind and enveloped Cheng Ziqian within a few feet of him.

Although these stones were not concealed weapons, their power was not to be underestimated, thanks to Chen Yue's powerful strength and the Meridian Penetrating Bone Nail technique, forcing Cheng Ziqian to parry with his sword.

"Clang clang clang!"

Sparks flew as Cheng Ziqian wielded his longsword, creating a screen of light that deflected all the incoming stones, but his movements were also slightly hindered.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the heavily injured Shen Dujiang exerted force with his feet and staggered towards Chen Yue:

"Don't fight him head-on, let's go! This guy's swordsmanship is insidious, we can't beat him!"

Although he was shocked that Chen Yue could break free from another Bone Forging Realm, reason told him that even if the two of them joined forces, their chances of winning against a fully recovered Cheng Ziqian were slim, not to mention that he himself had no strength left to fight.

"You choose not to live, but instead turn back to seek death; then I shall grant your wish!"

Cheng Ziqian sneered, his longsword vibrated and emitted a clear hum, his footwork became strange and elusive, and under the moonlight, his figure instantly split into three or four blurry afterimages, attacking Chen Yue and Shen Dujiang from different angles.

It was his signature move, the Phantom Light-Splitting Sword, that created a fusion of illusion and reality, deceiving the eye and mind.

"You should stay away first, lest he take advantage of the chaos and kill you," Chen Yue said to Shen Dujiang.

Before he finished speaking, Chen Yue's figure also became blurred, like a drifting catkin in the wind, carrying an elusive rhythm and agility, as he actively faced the afterimage of the sword light that was difficult to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Cheng Ziqian narrowed his eyes slightly. His Phantom Splitting Light Sword was best at using feints to deceive the enemy. Most opponents would choose to defend themselves or temporarily avoid the attack when faced with such an offensive.

Those who rush headlong into things without distinguishing between truth and falsehood are either fools or have absolute self-confidence.

And how many alchemists, even if they have some skill, can they possibly have?

"court death!"

Cheng Ziqian sneered inwardly. Since the other party was so arrogant, then he would make him pay the price.

Just as the two figures were about to intersect, a fierce glint flashed in Cheng Ziqian's eyes, and the several afterimages suddenly merged into one. With a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, the long sword in his hand pierced straight into Chen Yue's right chest.

This sword strike abandoned all frills, pushing speed to its limit; the tip of the sword flashed with a cold light and emitted a piercing shriek.

Chen Yue neither blocked nor parried, nor even dodged. With the resolute force of a wave-splitting move from the Raging Waves Blade Technique, he swung his short sword down towards Cheng Ziqian's head.

They actually adopted a desperate stance of trading their lives for each other's, a lose-lose situation.

"You want to die together with me?"

A hint of disdain and coldness flashed in Cheng Ziqian's eyes. He was a veteran of countless battles, so why would he be afraid of the fighting style of such a desperate person?

Just as the longsword was about to pierce Chen Yue's right chest, a slight "click" sound came from the joint of his right arm holding the sword, and his entire arm extended by an inch out of thin air.

This is a peculiar secret technique he practiced: Bone Shifting Technique. It allows him to subtly adjust bone joints at crucial moments, causing subtle changes in attack distance and angle.

It was this slight difference that allowed Cheng Ziqian's longsword tip to strike Chen Yue's right chest robe first.

"Ding!"

A sound like the striking of golden bells and jade chimes erupted from the tip of the sword; the sound was not loud, but it was exceptionally piercing.

Cheng Ziqian's sneer froze instantly. He felt that his sword had not pierced flesh and blood, but rather struck a piece of refined iron.

There was also a counterforce that sent a jolt through his wrist along the longsword.

Qi?

One must cultivate the Body Refining Divine Art to a high level to condense the罡气 (罡气 is a type of internal energy)? And this happens within an alchemist?

In the blink of an eye, as Cheng Ziqian was reeling from the shock, Chen Yue's short sword, cleaving down with the force of wind and thunder, reached the top of his head.

The shadow of death was like ice water poured over his head, making Cheng Ziqian's hair stand on end.

He let out a strange cry and pushed the Bone Shifting Technique to its limit. His left scapula made a series of cracking sounds, and his entire left shoulder, along with his arm, suddenly shrank and slumped backward at an eerie angle.

"Pfft!"

Blood splattered as Chen Yue's short knife grazed Cheng Ziqian's hastily dodged head and struck his left shoulder, which he hadn't managed to completely dodge.

The terrifying power contained in the blade instantly tore through flesh and severed bones, severing Cheng Ziqian's entire left shoulder and arm at the root.

The severed arm, accompanied by a spray of blood, flew into the air!