Ten Directions Sword Master

Lu Li's eyelids were ripped open, blood streamed down his face, and blood gushed from his nostrils and mouth, making him look extremely gruesome.

His hair was disheveled, his clothes were tattered, and his left shoulder looked like it had been licked by some monster, with a layer of flesh torn away, revealing the bone.

His skin was bloodshot; when he wiped it with his hand, it wasn't sweat, but blood droplets rolling down.

My head was buzzing, my legs went weak, and I almost couldn't even hold onto the cicada's chirping before fainting.

He bit his tongue hard, regaining some clarity. He quickly swallowed the pill he had hidden in his sleeve.

The Great Rejuvenation Pill, which wasn't used in the last Compass World, comes in handy now.

The Great Rejuvenating Pill transforms into sweet rain upon entering the mouth, immediately nourishing the internal organs and causing the dantian to generate an extremely pure internal force, of a higher quality than that obtained through daily cultivation.

This internal energy is channeled to the limbs and bones, and even with severe injuries such as broken meridians or disembowelment, it can protect one's breath and ensure that one can live for a few more quarters of an hour.

"You overestimated yourself. The difficulty of integrating seasonal changes isn't just doubled, it's increased tenfold or even a hundredfold!"

Lu Li smiled bitterly. Most of his injuries came from Kong Zhao, but most were the backlash from the fusion of "Great Heat" and "Frost's Descent" that he had created.

The two opposing forces were compressed into a single point, and when the swords clashed, they could no longer maintain their fragile balance and exploded with a deafening roar.

It was him who had an uncanny grasp of the seasons; anyone else would have blown themselves up before injuring the enemy.

However, Lu Li lost half his life, and Kong Zhao was in an even worse state. Looking up, he was blown more than ten feet away, with only half of his body crawling on the ground.

One leg was burned to charcoal, and the other leg was frozen into ice crystals. Only the upper body remained relatively intact, barely recognizable as human. It was only thanks to the powerful life force brought by the Blood Pill that it had not yet died immediately.

He let out a piercing scream while cursing incessantly.

"You bastards from the Intelligence Division, I'll make sure you suffer even in hell... White Deer brat, don't think you can leave the secret realm alive just because you killed me, heh heh... It's enough to have such a peerless genius buried with me!"

As soon as Kong Zhao spoke, the blood foam that he spat out landed and frothed into ice shards, mixed with several clumps of charred fragments, as if his internal organs had been directly carbonized by the high temperature.

"It hurts! It hurts so much!"

He screamed three times, his neck lolled to the side, and he died.

"If the combination of Great Heat and Frost's Descent is so exaggerated, then what about the extreme opposites of the Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice... the extremes of Great Heat and Great Cold... and the opening and closing of life at the Beginning of Spring and the Beginning of Winter? What kind of scene would that be?"

Lu Li was secretly alarmed. The Twenty-Four Solar Terms Sword Manual had too many mysteries that were not in the book and required practitioners to constantly practice and explore them.

The backlash was so severe this time, not only because of his low cultivation level and weak understanding of the true meaning of the four seasons, but more likely because the fusion of these two seasonal techniques was not appropriate.

If something is inherently flawed, forcibly piecing it together will not yield the best results.

As he masters more and more sword techniques, he will have more options to choose from.

call out!

With a flick of his wrist, a cicada's cry shot out, severing Kong Zhao's head.

He didn't want to be laughed at for faking his death and being countered. Although it seemed that Kong Zhao was only half a body and his internal organs had been shattered by Lu Li's half-finished seasonal fusion sword technique, he couldn't possibly use any backup plan.

First, I picked up the raging wave that had fallen to the side. This knife was quite heavy, probably weighing over thirty pounds.

The key is that the blade surface has ripples and waves, which more than doubles the force when wielding the blade.

"I didn't get anything from the demon spirits, but I got a treasure weapon from the disciples of Yingtian Academy... I don't need it, but I can exchange it for other cultivation resources."

Kong Zhao's belongings were almost completely destroyed. He fell near the scene of the fight and picked up a brocade bag containing more than ten gold beads.

"No cultivation manuals... I was overthinking it. How could disciples of the academy carry cultivation manuals with them when they go on dangerous missions?"

Lu Li shook his head, still wanting to see the splendor of the Great Zhou Demon-Slaying Sword Scripture.

After taking the Great Rejuvenation Pill, his injuries were prevented from worsening, but his strength was reduced by more than half during this period.

Let alone encountering a powerful enemy, even a Foundation Establishment disciple could make him look bad.

After thinking for a moment, he decided to return the way he came and find a quiet pavilion to recuperate his injuries first.

After taking two steps, Lu Li suddenly froze in place, as if struck by lightning.

"Something's not right! I was so excited after the battle that I almost forgot my earlier doubts... Kong Zhao's sudden attack is completely illogical... Unless he has the ability to deceive the Refining Masters outside, he either never intended for anyone who entered the Crimson Fire Secret Realm to leave alive!"

"It's everyone! Not just the disciples in the secret realm, but also Dean Yu and the other two!"

Only in this way can Kong Zhao's behavior be explained.

They're all dead, what explanation is needed, who will even bother to inquire?

Considering the background of Yingtian Academy, regardless of how it did it or why it suddenly betrayed its allies, this is the only explanation.

"The four Confucian academies maintain their current status by preserving a facade of harmony... Once Yingtian Academy breaks this facade, people will wonder whether the remaining three academies have also become disloyal and no longer support each other."

"The chain reaction is yet to come; I'm afraid we won't even be able to protect our existing interests, and there will be a major upheaval."

There was no use in Lu Li worrying about the safety of Dean Yu Ziqi and the others.

Regardless of whether Yingtian Academy secretly infiltrated powerful individuals or drew upon the forces secretly developed by the Great Zhou, battles at the Refining Spirit level were beyond his ability to participate in.

In the current situation, it is impossible to send any messages.

However, he always felt that Yu Ziqi's strength was not just what he showed on the surface, and that at worst, it would not be difficult for him to save his life.

"Hopefully, Junior Brother Nan and Junior Sister Song haven't encountered any disciples of Yingtian. With their strength, they probably wouldn't escape unscathed..."

Lu Li recalled another detail and thought of another possibility.

"The two from Yingtian Academy are clearly led by Zhai Xiao, with Kong Zhao assisting him, indicating that Zhai Xiao is stronger... If he had a method similar to taking forbidden drugs, wouldn't he be able to reach the late Foundation Establishment stage!"

"If Yingtian Academy is harboring some hidden agenda, then Zhai Xiao is the true executor, and the crisis is far from over!"

Even at his peak, he couldn't possibly defeat Zhai Xiao, who was stronger than Kong Zhao; the difference in their cultivation levels was simply too great.

Moreover, his injuries are unlikely to heal within a few days.

"If I run into Zhai Xiao, I'm doomed!"

Lu Li packed his things, endured the pain in his limbs, and quickly returned to the corridor, taking out an ancient talisman about two fingers wide.

He silently recited a phrase, then vanished without a trace, and the Crimson Fire Secret Realm did not react in any way.

I thought I wouldn't enter the compass world during the secret realm, but an unexpected event forced me to use the intermediate-level seclusion talisman ahead of schedule.

……

At the foot of the hill, Yu Ziqi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, opened them and looked into the distance.

Next was Master Qingming.

Li Xunzhen noticed their actions, looked around in confusion, and soon also noticed something unusual.

A heavy sword was already in his hand. He stood up, his body as still and imposing as if rooted to the earth.

blah blah blah!

A rapid hoofbeats followed as hundreds of silver-clad cavalrymen galloped wildly, forming a semicircle around the hill and stopping several dozen feet away.