Turns Out, I’m In A Villain Clan!

Chapter 275 Nie Fengzhuo Vs Bai Xueqing!

The world narrowed to the stage.

Nie Fengzhuoʼs blade roared free of its sheath, black-crimson light coursing along the edge like a river of molten steel.

His stance was heavy, unyielding-the very ground beneath his feet cracked as his aura surged. ”Nine Desolations Tyrant Sword!”

Each swing was absolute, domineering, a strike that sought to crush all resistance.

His first slash cleaved across the arena, a violent arc of sword-light that tore through the protective formations like thunder.

Bai Xueqingʼs eyes sharpened. In the same breath, her sword gleamed with dazzling clarity, silver light blooming like rippling waves. ”Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword!”

Her blade moved, and suddenly there were nine of her. Nine shadows, flowing seamlessly, each one intercepting the overbearing might of Nie Fengzhuoʼs Tyrant Sword.

The air shimmered with her afterimages, her swordplay elegant and elusive, yet carrying lethal precision.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Steel rang against steel in rapid succession. Sparks sprayed like a storm of meteors as the two swords collided again and again.

The audience could barely follow.

To the untrained eye, the two figures vanished into storm of sword-light, black-crimson dominance clashing against flowing silver brilliance.

One side pressed forward like an unstoppable avalanche.

The other shifted, weaved, and slipped away like moonlight on water. And yet neither broke. Neither faltered. ”Impossible...! Theyʼve both reached Greater Mastery of their Techniques!” ”To achieve that at their age... Itʼs something most people spend centuries chasing!”

Yet two who were only around twenty were able to achieve it, showing the vast difference between them and ordinary cultivators.

The two flawlessly used their techniques, leaving no gap and trying to overwhelm one another.

Nie Fengzhuoʼs sword came down in a brutal overhead slash-so fierce the stage itself cracked under the force.

Bai Xueqingʼs form shimmered, vanishing into a trail of light before reappearing at his flank, her sword slicing with pinpoint accuracy.

But he twisted, his blade sweeping with ruthless force, intercepting her mid-strike.

Their swords met, locked, sparks hissing between the clashing edges. CLANG!

With a cry, they both broke apart-then in the next instant, surged forward again, blades flashing with killing intent.

Every clash resounded like thunder. Every exchange was life and death.

They werenʼt sparring. They werenʼt testing.

They were fighting as if the only path forward was to cut the other down. (She is powerful!)

Nie Fengzhuo thought, though he already knew it--but fighting her, he once again realized who he was facing. (I guess the title of Number One genius of the Desolate Heaven Empire wasnʼt just for show, it seems.)

She was unlike any other opponent he had faced in the competition.

It felt like one mistake would cost everything, and it took him everything just to keep up with her.

There was also a sense of dread, like there was something Bai Xueqing was hiding-something dangerous.

Like what she was showing wasnʼt her full strength.

He felt like she had a trump card which might rival his Heaven-Rending Breakthrough.

Nie Fengzhuoʼs breath came rougher with every clash, though his blade never wavered.

Yet his body was screaming.

A sharp pang tore through his chest, his vision swimming for half a heartbeat. ”Tsk!”

Moreover, he had yet to fully heal from the injuries he sustained while battling Chu Ziyan.

It would have been incredibly difficult to win against Bai Xueqing in his peak condition, let alone now, when he wasnʼt even close to peak.

Still, he wasnʼt going to give up. Two years of humiliation and hard work had all been for this day.

The sound escaped between his clenched teeth as he forced his stance steady, hiding the stagger in his step.

But in a battle of this level, nothing could be hidden.

Bai Xueqingʼs eyes narrowed the instant his rhythm faltered. (An opening!)

Her sword shimmered, splitting into flowing streams of silver light.

The Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword bloomed in full, her movements impossibly fast, weaving nine phantoms into existence around him.

Shhhk!

Steel whistled through the air from every direction. Blades of silver light closed in like a tidal wave, aiming for his vital points with precision honed through endless training.

Nie Fengzhuoʼs aura flared, his sword sweeping outward in a desperate arc, shattering several shadows in a storm of sparks. ”Nine Shadows Flowing Light!”

The Third Form of Nine Shadows Flowing Light Sword was unleashed.

But even as he struck them down, more flowed seamlessly into their place.

The crowd gasped, leaning forward as one. ”Sheʼs pressing him!” ”Nie Fengzhuo made a mistake. Now he is paying for it!” ”Could this be the end?”

Slash! Slash!

Nie Fengzhuoʼs jaw tightened, his teeth grinding as pain wracked his body.

But his eyes remained cold, steady. (If I falter here... then all Iʼve endured, all Iʼve suffered, will have been for nothing.)

With a guttural roar, his sword erupted in a sweeping strike, black-crimson light exploding outward like a collapsing mountain.

The shadows scattered, torn apart in the violent surge.

But Bai Xueqing had already slipped past the edge of his strike, her true body stepping into his blind spot.

Her blade was a gleam of silver light, aimed directly at his heart.

Nie Fengzhuoʼs vision sharpened into razor focus as the silver gleam of Bai

Xueqingʼs sword pierced toward his heart.

Instead of dodging-he thrust his hand forward.

SHHHK!

Blood splattered as the blade bit into his palm, but his fingers locked around the weaponʼs edge, stopping it inches from his chest. ”Got you-!”

With his other hand, his black-crimson sword howled downward in a merciless strike, aiming to split her open then and there.

But Bai Xueqingʼs reaction was faster.

Her eyes flashed coldly as she released her weapon, her figure already slipping back three graceful steps.

The abandoned sword remained in his grip, trembling with his blood dripping along its edge. ”Tsk!”

Nie Fengzhuo snarled, his strike slashing only through empty air. Before he could even take a breath, Bai Xueqingʼs jade-like hand flickered-and another sword glimmered into existence from her storage ring..

With her stature, she had quite a backup of swords-each one of quality exceeding that of Earth-Grade.

So, no strategy involving taking her weapon away to reduce her power would ever work.

Nie Fengzhuoʼs expression darkened, his grip tightening until the veins in his arm bulged. (So... even this wonʼt work against her.)

She was too prepared. Too flawless. To strip her of a weapon was meaningless -because she had a dozen more.

Blood dripped steadily from his palm, sizzling as it landed on the cracked arena floor.

His chest rose and fell like a war drum, but his eyes-his eyes gleamed with madness, with unwillingness. (If I stop here... Iʼve already lost. Then I might as well bet everything on this.)

He had already realized that against Bai Xueqing, he was weak-at least without using his Heaven-Rending Breakthrough.

Now, all he could do was avoid wasting qi in a losing battle. Instead, it was better to use the Heaven-Rending Breakthrough early and finish the fight as soon as possible.

He inhaled deeply, the world trembling around him as his qi surged violently.

The black-crimson aura wrapped around his blade began to warp, collapsing inward before exploding outward again with a suffocating force.

The very air trembled, as though the heavens themselves recoiled from what was being summoned. ”Heaven-Rending Breakthrough!”

The words echoed across the battlefield, heavy as thunder.

The crowd held their breath. ”That technique again...” ”The same one he used to crush Chu Ziyan!” ”Can Bai Xueqing withstand this?”

On the stage, Bai Xueqingʼs expression was calm, but her knuckles whitened against the hilt of her sword.

Her robe billowed in the violent wind stirred by his aura, her silver eyes narrowing as she drew her qi inward, steadying her breath.

She had already seen this technique being used against Chu Ziyan.

She braced herself, waiting, prepared. But whether she could handle it or not was a whole other story!