The man stood over two metres tall. His shoulders were broad and bare, as was his upper body. His muscles were massive, almost at an inhuman level, making him look like a mountain in the form of a man. On his head, a skull masked his features, only letting his bloodthirsty eyes show through.

His lower body was covered with animal skins and held in place with a leather belt. He stood barefooted on the blazing hot sand yet seemed strangely at ease under the desert's scorching heat.

Yao Ruolan's eyes widened as she looked at the man, fear stuck in her heart. His stature alone was impressive enough, yet what struck her the most was the killing intent pouring out of him, which he barely even tried to contain. The eerie smile plastered on his face told her all she needed to know.

Still, her gaze was attracted to the man's hand. They were as big as her head and with arms just as big. She could easily believe he would be able to crush her skull with a single hand. Yet, they were also empty. Two large axe heads of sharpened bones attached to bone shafts with leather straps rested in the soft sand.

The man crossed his arms, making his pectoral muscles bulge as he looked down on the children before him. While most of the disciples of the Moonlight Sword Palace were in their early twenties, they might as well be children in his eyes. At least, his gaze told such a story.

Some felt insulted yet couldn't bring themselves to do anything about it. In fact, they could barely even move. His killing intent was almost tangible, holding them in place through pressure alone. They weren't foolhardy enough to believe they could contend against this man. The best they could hope for was a quick death.

While keeping his eyes on the man, He Zihao slowly stood before Yao Ruolan, protecting her with his own body despite the overwhelming pain that assaulted him. Standing alone proved hard enough, considering the desperate situation they had overcome to be here.

He had almost no strength remaining and his vision began to haze, yet he still stood regardless, which couldn't help but bring a tear to Yao Ruolan's eyes. She wished she could hug him from behind and help him support his weight as she could see his legs trembling, yet she was unable to do so. She couldn't help but curse her own weakness.

Her gaze hardened as she looked at their opponent, transitioning from the fear of death to resolve. If they were to die regardless, she would at least do so from the front. She would never allow herself to be struck down from the back as she fled, and most of her fellow disciples shared her sentiment. While most were still terrified, they held tight to their swords and willed themselves to move.

Unfortunately, reality wasn't as kind. The man only sneered, pausing momentarily before taking back his weapons when he noticed that the man he had just struck hadn't risen up again. Whether he had been slain was unknown, yet the outsider wasn't reckless enough to dismiss a supposedly fallen opponent, yet could barely hold himself back.

As his patience grew thin, the outsider leapt toward the group. Both axes were held above his head, and he let them fall toward the earth. Yao Ruolan gritted her teeth, trying to contend against the force of the blow she saw coming, yet couldn't will her legs to move. The same applied to all her fellow disciples. She could only helplessly watch as the bone axes came ever closer, as if in slow motion, ready to reap their lives.

She could almost see her life flash before her eyes, her early youth, as she was found by her master. She didn't remember much of her parents, only that they were citizens of a nearby kingdom. She couldn't remember much of their features, only that they were on the older side, with their skin having been weathered by the harsh sun and countless years toiling away on their small farm.

She was also just one among many children the couple had. Yet she couldn't remember how many siblings there were, as the oldest already had their own families by the time she became conscious of the world around her. All she knew was that her family was ordinary—one you could find anywhere—except for one single fact: herself.

She had always felt different from other children—alien to the world around her as if she didn't belong here, yet she could never pinpoint how or why. She had also never felt the bond family should share, and this affected their relationship. They weren't abusive by any means, but she felt a gap that couldn't be crossed.

It wasn't until her master happened to pass by that she finally found the reason—she had finally found someone she could relate to. It didn't take much for her parents to give her away when Xu Weizhe offered them some money, and Yao Ruolan also didn't protest. The transaction worked well for both parties, and Yao Ruolan never saw them again. She never felt the urge.

Her life within the Moonlight Sword Palace was more than she anticipated. Coming from a peasant background, it took a while for her to adapt and fit in. Yet, once she finally held a blade, it was as if she had found a home and hadn't left ever since. All the woes she might have felt at one time became irrelevant, and only the blade mattered.

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It became her world, and the man who introduced her to it almost became an object of worship. If not for He Zihao, she might still feel that way. Yet, love did change her perspective.

Years of memories flashed in her mind, yet reality advanced but a single instant. The two axe heads were still on the same trajectory, aimed at them. They had no hope of survival should they collide, as the might contained within was almost suffocating. If not for her muscles being locked tight, she might have collapsed on the ground in a pool of her own sweat. She could practically hear her swordheart breaking within her.

Just as the axes fell, a sword emerged from the rubble in the distance. The blade was a metre in length and sharp enough to slice through the air itself, only for it to linger a while before collapsing back in on itself. The handle's design was clean and simple, made of pale blue leather wrapped around a smooth piece of softwood, while the image of a moon was inscribed into the pummel.

The sword cut through the air, making almost no sound as it did, only arriving just at the right moment to receive the outsider's strike. Metal and bone collided, yet neither gave way, producing a deafening noise that rang over the battlefield. They hovered in the air briefly before the man planted both feet firmly into the ground and pressed further into the floating blade.

Both weapons struggled for dominion, yet the blade was slowly losing ground, owing to the fact that the outsider only added to the force of the blow as time went on, while Xu Weizhe was nowhere to be seen. Only his blade had emerged from the wreckage of the collision.

“How long do you plan on hiding?” the outsider barked in broken tongue, his words almost indecipherable if not for the fact that all those who stayed in this city for any lengths of time would be accustomed to hearing them speaking that way on a weekly basis as they assaulted this fortification, throwing jeers and insults their way in their foes’ language.

The group stayed quiet, awaiting a response that never came. The outsider frowned, feeling slightly humiliated by his opponent's attitude. His killing intent couldn't help but spill outward even more, chilling the young disciples to the bone. Some even collapsed on their knee, their fighting spirit extinguished in the face of this man's cold stare. They trembled on the ground, unable to raise their gazes. Only Yao Ruolan and a few managed to retain their minds in the face of this terror, if only barely.

“Not coming out, eh?” the man sneered, his gaze fixed in the distance. “If so, don’t blame me for what is to come!”

His sight then fell onto the group, killing what remained of their resolve. Yao Ruolan couldn't even breathe anymore as his mere gaze was suffocating. At that moment, however, what came to her mind was a question she could only consider out of place.

How can they produce such force without the aid of qi? Where do the outsiders get their strength?

Then, her mind blanked out as the blade was forcefully shoved out of the way, tumbling to the wayside as the axes fell once again, this time aimed straight at her as she was the only one still standing. Even He Zihao had collapsed long ago, completely unconscious. In fact, none but her retained their awareness.

She closed her eyes and awaited an edge that never came. She only heard the sound of a collision, as if the world itself had collapsed. She could feel a tremor through her legs and couldn’t help but slowly reopen her eyes to a scene she could hardly believe.

Her master stood before her, his clothes torn and his back bloody, yet he still stood tall despite the many injuries. His long hair fell to his shoulders, freed from the restraints of the hairpin that usually held it in place. While she could not see his face from this angle, she nonetheless could imagine the pain he was now in, only by the sight of his many lacerations.

“Don’t you feel ashamed of using children in this way?” Xu Weizhe said coldly, his voice firm, not betraying the slightest hint of a tremor as he looked at the man before him.

The sword was now in his hand, deeply stuck into the ground alongside the two bone axes. Despite the outsider's muscles bulging and dark veins popping out of his skin, the axes made no indications of moving. Yet, Yao Ruolan could see her master's back was drenched in blood and sweat. She knew this stalemate would be short-lived.

"Are you dumb?" the outsider spat as he tugged harder, producing a slight motion. "This is war! Anyone holding a weapon is a foe and will be killed accordingly. Age or strength has no bearing on this. If you don't want to die, just run away. But know this, we will not stop at this city. Soon, the world will know of our grudge. There will be nowhere for you all to hide!"

The man showed a madness-filled smile before his skin and eyes turned a deep grey. His strength surged, surpassing even Xu Weizhe's current might as he retrieved his axes despite the torrent of qi surrounding them, holding them in place.

The ground shattered as he pulled them back. Xu Weizhe’s blade was knocked to the side as the impact propagated outward as if a sound wave in water, striking at his already unstable qi centre, prompting a mass of blood to be ejected from his mouth.

Xu Weizhe fell to one knee, his strength slowly leaving him, as his injuries were already too severe to allow his strength to be used. He could only glare at the man before him, unresolved. If not for his injuries, this outsider wouldn't have been an issue, yet he would now succumb to a man his lesser. The shame was immense, yet the thought of his only disciple falling with him was even worse. He couldn't help but resent the three other sects for their cowardice.

The outsider sneered as the blades fell for a third time. While the action was simple, it was filled with uncanny destruction. Xu Weizhe even wondered if he could receive such a strike at his peak. At least, he would have been injured severely, if not outright perish. However, this time, there was no question.

He watched the blade fall, only to be stunned into silence. Even the outsider's eyes grew wide open, and his mouth hung slightly. An almost invisible blue barrier shimmered before the axes, stopping them mid-swing, yet they produced no sound nor shock waves, almost as if it had absorbed the impact entirely.

The man tugged on his blade, yet they were stuck in place. Not even his newfound strength could make them budge. He let go of his weapon and leapt backwards out of range. However, before his feet could even hit the ground, the man's torso was severed from his lower limbs, the blue barrier having formed an edge and ran right through him, leaving a pristine cut devoid of imperfection before vanishing entirely.

It was only when she heard the sound of the axes hitting the ground that Yao Ruolan finally regained her senses, wondering what just happened. Even Xu Weizhe was bewildered by the events that occurred.

Deep underground, underneath an ocean of sand, but also bathed in blue flames, Qin Yun offered a slight smile.