Supreme Sword Exalt

Demonic beasts roared in relentless succession as the earth trembled beneath them. The originally silent and gloomy Wild Forest was now in complete chaos. Yet deep within, a bizarre scene was unfolding.

“Hurry, come quickly. Come over to me.”

Compelled by that voice, which seemed to carry a strange, enchanting power, Gu Han, Fatty, and Liu Ying walked forward with stiff, mechanical steps. Their expressions were vacant and dazed.

Naturally, they encountered many demonic beasts along the way, some of which were the ferocious Tier-6s. Yet, strangely, the beasts ran straight past them, as though they were invisible. Some beasts even veered away at the last moment, as if afraid of injuring the trio.

As time passed, they encountered fewer and fewer demonic beasts, and the roars also somewhat subsided. In contrast, the seductive, demonic voice became clearer and clearer, until it felt like she was whispering right by their ears, “Closer, just a bit more.”

The three finally stopped walking. Not far ahead, a deathly silent and particularly eerie area expanded, spanning a thousand zhang. Unlike the vibrant surroundings, it was completely gray and barren, without a single blade of grass or tree.

At its very center lay a skeleton. Calling it one was already generous, as it was just a pile of broken, unrecognizable bones. Amid it lay a three-inch-long jade bone, crystalline and translucent, shimmering faintly white. The voice came from there.

Upon seeing the three arrive, the voice suddenly carried a trace of joy and urgency. “You’re finally here! Come here, quick! Let me have a good look at you!”

Thus, the three stepped forward mechanically once again.

***

Within Gu Han’s consciousness space.

The black shadow could only close his eyes to recuperate and spend the rest of the time cursing Gu Han. Furrowing his brow, he held the golden seal, lost in thought. Just then, he seemed to detect something abnormal. “Hmm? Whose voice is that?”

The voice drifted in intermittently. “Quick... come... to me—”

After listening intently for a moment, the black shadow finally understood and sprang up furiously. He laughed sinisterly. “The audacity of that scum! You dare try to seize this body from me? Where did this petty demon come from?! How dare you flaunt such petty tricks before me! You clearly have a death wish!”

Boom!

With his full power unleashed, his voice transformed into a thunderclap, reverberating throughout Gu Han’s consciousness space. However, his domineering lasted only for a moment. As if sensing his unusual movement, a dark light flashed on the sword cage, and a strand of sword intent pierced through him.

With a cry of pain, the black shadow immediately fell down, his face full of despair.

I don’t want to live anymore!

***

On the outside.

Upon hearing the black shadow’s thunderous roar, Gu Han shuddered violently, and he instantly woke up. Dread filled his face the moment he saw the pile of broken bones less than three zhang away.

What the heck is this thing?! I fell under its influence without even realizing it!

Gasping heavily, what he saw at the corner of his eye only terrified him even more. Beside him, Fatty was less than two zhang away from that pile of broken bones.

Gu Han shouted urgently, “Fatty, get back here!”

However, Fatty guffawed like a buffoon as if he didn’t hear Gu Han at all. “Sister... I am coming...”

Gu Han couldn’t care less. He cursed and appeared beside Fatty, slapping him down hard. “Fatty, snap the fuck out of it!”

The slap reverberated loudly and crisply. Since Gu Han was crippled, the slap was weak, but it successfully woke Fatty up.

As the stinging pain flared up on his face, Fatty exploded with anger.

“Who the fuck?! Which bastard dared hit me?! I will kill you—huh?” Before he could finish, he saw the pile of broken bones and broke out in a cold sweat. “W-what is this???”

Meanwhile, Gu Han stared at his own swollen hand, speechless. Fatty’s face was even thicker than he had imagined. No wonder Fatty was so resistant to beatings.

Upon seeing the state of Gu Han’s hand, Fatty instantly understood. “Huh? You were the one who woke me up—wait, how did you wake up?”

Gu Han’s expression became grave. “Don’t ask. That voice, and this place... they are too sinister. We need to get out of here, now!”

“Right! We should leave quickly. I would rather be fed to the demonic beasts than be entangled by this thing, but...” Still shaken, Fatty glanced at Liu Ying. “What about her?”

Liu Ying was right in front of the pile of broken bones. With a bedazzled look on her face, she slowly extended her right hand, about to touch the jade bone.

“She...” Gu Han hesitated, but only briefly. The next moment, he exhausted his last trace of energy, sending a sword qi flying toward Liu Ying. It flew past her face, accidentally severing a few strands of her black hair.

Fatty side-eyed Gu Han. “Tsk. Brother Gu, I never thought you were also someone who’s submissive to the opposite sex. It seems we two are men of the same taste.”

Gu Han glared at him fiercely. The fuck? What ’men of the same taste’ nonsense?

Stirred by the sword qi, Liu Ying also woke up instantly. “Gu Han...”

As understanding settled in, her gaze grew subtly conflicted.

Gu Han expressionlessly said, “That sword qi was for Brother Jiang. From now on, we owe each other nothing.”

They no longer heard that strange, demonic voice.

Gu Han sheathed his sword. “Fatty, let’s go.”

Fatty didn’t even bother to hide how anxious he was. “Go, go, go! I don’t want to stay in this damned place for another moment—huh? What are you doing?!”

However, Fatty’s expression shifted dramatically when he saw that Liu Ying continued to reach for that jade bone.

Gu Han sighed. “Liu Ying, you really are a madwoman!”

He refused to believe for even a second that Liu Ying didn’t notice the bone’s strangeness. There was no doubt that anyone who touched it would pay dearly, yet Liu Ying still insisted on doing so. Truly, she was beyond saving.

Liu Ying paused. “Gu Han, did you know? From the moment I first saw you, I understood that you are a very arrogant person. Facts have proven I was right. Over the years, you maintained a humble and polite front toward everyone except Gu Tian and Ah Sha. Yet, the pride in your bones never diminished in the slightest. I hate the way you look down on me!” ℴℴ𝘮

It was as if she were desperately trying to get everything off her chest before the consequences came.

“And I’m jealous! More than once, I’ve thought and even dreamed that one day, I would trample your pride and self-respect! Make you look up at me! But...” She lowered her head. “I simply couldn’t do it! I wanted to stay far away from you, but today’s encounter made me understand that I failed again. So...”

Then, Liu Ying stared obsessively at the jade bone. “This is my last chance. Even if I die... I won’t let go.”

As her words fell, she held the bone firmly. In the next moment, a brilliant white light erupted from the jade bone, directly enveloping Liu Ying. She furrowed her brow slightly, pain and delight alternating on her face, appearing extremely bizarre.

Fatty listened, filled with emotions. “Tsk, tsk. Brother Gu, it seems her feelings for you are a mix of love and hate.”

Gu Han shot him a glance. “You don’t understand anything. The only person she has ever loved is herself. Besides, this is her own choice, she can’t blame others.”

Then, Liu Ying’s eyes shot open. The hazy white light gave her an aura that was equal parts eerie and holy. She parted her lips slightly, her soft, tender voice carrying a touch of enchantment and charm. “Little Brother, tell me, am I beautiful?”

Gu Han’s scalp went numb. Oh no. This voice, this tone—she’s definitely not Liu Ying!

Fatty’s face turned pale as he stuttered, “L-l-let’s go, Brother Gu. We need to hurry...”

Liu Ying stared straight at Fatty, a misty haze veiling her eyes, making her indescribably pitiable and charming. Gently, she bit her lip, tears streaming uncontrollably down her face. “Little Fatty, tell me, aren’t I beautiful?”

Her voice carried three parts grievance, three parts feigned anger, three parts unease, and one part allure.

Fatty’s bones instantly went soft, heartache and infatuation filling his gaze. “D-don’t cry! Beautiful, you’re very beautiful!”

A dull, resounding slap rang out once more. Gu Han had slapped Fatty across the face with all his might.

Gu Han cursed in fury, “Beautiful your ass! Fucking Fatty, run now!”