Wandering Swordsman |

He whirled around to look at Huangfu Haotian, his voice trembling, "Father, how could you dare hire someone like that? He's a wanted criminal by the Martial Alliance!"

The Crimson Lotus Demon chuckled coldly, her gaze sweeping over the crowd, her tone disdainful: "Second Young Master, you're mistaken. What's wrong with someone like me?"

Huangfu Haotian remained unmoved and said calmly, "Miss Honglian, thank you for your cooperation today. This is the payment we agreed upon beforehand."

He waved his hand, and his subordinate immediately handed him an ebony box.

The Crimson Lotus Demon took the wooden box, weighed it in her hand, and then opened it to glance at its contents. She nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, Patriarch Huangfu truly keeps his word."

After the Crimson Lotus Demon finished speaking, just as she was about to turn and leave, Huangfu Haotian suddenly raised his hand and gave an order:

"Surround her."

In an instant, dozens of guards from the Huangfu family drew their swords and surrounded the Red Lotus demon.

The Crimson Lotus Demon frowned and sneered, "Huangfu Haotian, what do you want to do?"

Huangfu Haotian stepped forward slowly, his face still bearing that composed smile: "Our agreement is now settled. But it's best if as few people as possible know about our past dealings."

"You want to silence me?" The Crimson Lotus Demon narrowed her eyes, her tone icy.

"It's not about silencing them, it's about preserving the reputation of the Huangfu family," Huangfu Haotian replied calmly. "What do you think?"

He looked around and said to his guards, "This person is a wanted criminal by the Martial Alliance. If we let her leave alive, it will have a very bad impact on the Huangfu family. Today, I can personally eliminate her, which can be considered as ridding the martial arts world of a scourge."

"Father!" Huangfu Hui cried out urgently, "Is this really the right thing to do? If we kill her directly, won't it attract the attention of the Martial Alliance?"

Huangfu Haotian glanced at him, his gaze deep: "Compared to the risk of being threatened by her in the future, this risk is worthwhile. Besides, she is already on the Martial Alliance's wanted list. If we eliminate her, the Martial Alliance will definitely be grateful to us."

The Crimson Lotus Demon smirked coldly: "What a fine lineage of the Huangfu family head! He manages to justify murder so convincingly."

Huangfu Haotian narrowed his eyes slightly, ignoring the Crimson Lotus Demon, and instead raised his hand to give the order, "Make your move."

The silence of the forest was instantly shattered by the flashing of swords, and a murderous intent filled the air.

The Crimson Lotus Demon flashed, dodging the first wave of attacks. Then, her palms flew out, unleashing a surge of chilling true energy that instantly fell to the ground, killing several guards.

"You think you can keep me here with just a few people?" she sneered.

Huangfu Haotian simply stood there quietly, looking at the Red Lotus Demon, a meaningful smile appearing on his lips.

He secretly gloated. The wooden box he handed to the Crimson Lotus Demon was already coated with poison—a highly toxic substance he had carefully selected called "Bone-Corroding Powder." Once it came into contact with the skin, it would quickly seep into the bloodstream, corroding the meridians and causing excruciating pain. The Huangfu family members had already taken a specially made antidote beforehand, so they would be unharmed in the impending storm.

Suddenly, the Crimson Lotus Demon felt a bone-chilling cold spread from her fingertips. She abruptly turned to look at Huangfu Haotian, a flash of fear and anger in her eyes. "You..." She was about to question him when she suddenly felt her internal energy surging, her previously smooth flow of qi becoming chaotic. Her face instantly turned deathly pale, large beads of sweat rolled down her forehead, and her lips trembled slightly with pain.

"Hahaha!" Huangfu Haotian burst into laughter, the sound rippling through the night wind like the growl of a beast. He stood with his hands behind his back, the setting sun casting its light on him, making his handsome yet cold face appear even more sinister. His gaze was fixed on the Crimson Lotus Demon, his eyes flashing with a hint of smugness, a touch of mockery, and a deep-seated fear.

"Red Lotus Demon, you're right. Under normal circumstances, our small group wouldn't be able to stop you." He spoke slowly, his voice deep and magnetic, seemingly possessing a seductive power. "However, you probably didn't expect this—the wooden box I gave you earlier was already covered in 'Bone-Corroding Powder'."

Before she could finish speaking, the Crimson Lotus Demon's face turned deathly pale. A piercing, burning pain shot through her fingertips, as if a thousand steel needles were piercing her flesh. She looked down sharply and saw that her once fair and jade-like hands had turned a strange bluish-purple, with veins spreading out like a spider web, as if they would burst at any moment.

"You..." she gritted her teeth and shouted angrily, but her voice became hoarse and trembling due to the excruciating pain. She tried to mobilize the remaining true energy in her body, to travel along the meridians to her limbs and bones, in order to resist the ever-evolving poison. But the "Bone-Corroding Powder" was so domineering that it was like a malignant sore that it clung to her bones as soon as it came into contact with her, disrupting her internal energy. Her true energy dissipated like a kite with a broken string after circulating for half a while.

Her vision began to blur, her ears rang incessantly, and the world seemed to be spun and overturned by an invisible giant hand, the ground beneath her feet swaying like soft mud. She staggered, grabbing a stone pillar beside her, her fingernails digging deep into the hard rock, her knuckles turning white and blood seeping out.

But she did not collapse.

Her gaze suddenly sharpened at that moment.

It was a ruthlessness and determination that only appears when one is on the verge of despair, much like a lone wolf cornered on a cliff, its eyes burning with the last flame.

"Huangfu Haotian, do you think... you can kill me like this?" She chuckled coldly, her voice hoarse like a knife scraping metal, yet it carried a chilling killing intent.

Before she finished speaking, her hands moved swiftly, rapidly pressing on twelve acupoints around her body. Each touch produced a slight whistling sound, like a sharp blade slicing through the air. As the last finger landed on the Tanzhong acupoint, her entire body suddenly trembled violently, her skin turning from pale to flushed, then from flushed to crimson, like a phoenix reborn from the ashes, her eyes bloodshot and glistening with rage.

Huangfu Haotian's pupils contracted slightly, and for the first time, a look of shock appeared on his face.

This is the Crimson Lotus Demon's secret technique, "Blood Lotus Burning Heart." It uses one's own blood essence as a catalyst to forcibly stimulate potential, raising one's power to its peak in a short period of time. The price is the depletion of one's own blood essence, and there is even a possibility of instant death. Once this technique is used, the blood and qi throughout the body boil like fire, the senses become extremely sharp, and speed and strength far exceed those of ordinary people. However, if the technique backfires, the consequences are unimaginable.

At this moment, the Crimson Lotus Demon had already entered this state. Although the poison had not been completely eliminated, it seemed to be suppressed by the raging fire, temporarily retreating. Her eyes sharpened, and her figure suddenly rose up, her toes lightly touching the ground. Her whole body moved through the crowd like a ghost, as fast as a startled swan.

"laugh!"

Before the sword was even drawn, the palm strike was already as sharp as a blade. Before a guard could react, the palm strike pierced his chest, blood gushing out. His body flew several feet backward, crashing into a tree trunk with a dull thud before sliding down and falling silent.