“Those fools... why can't they just follow simple instructions," a bulky man murmured as he stood in the centre of a torch formation, frustration apparent in his eyes.

His gaze darted all around, yet all he saw was an ocean of purple without end. He stood motionless, seeking to locate his subordinate with his ears, yet the purple mist seemed to obfuscate the direction from which howls of anguish emanated.

“You’ll have to forgive them. They are presently indisposed.”

Yun Jingfei emerged from the mist, her white sword in hand. While she could have taken advantage of the element of surprise, hiding within the mist, she saw no reason to do so. Only by facing her foes head-on could she progress on the path she had chosen.

“Do not mock me!" the man spat back. "Do you think you alone can prevent me from destroying this formation? Without the aid of this purple mist, how could someone like yourself possibly stand against me?"

Yun Jingfei sighed, her gaze full of pity. She had once been as ignorant as he was, believing that the mainstream was the only path opened to her. She hadn't even considered any way of life before she met Qin Yun. As such, she couldn't fault the man for being stuck in his preconceived notions. Still, she had no intention of still being underestimated.

Without another word, she lunged toward the man, bringing down her sword in a quick but beautiful arc. The man sneered, thinking her blow to be much too predictable. He took a step back, out of range of her blade. Yet, as the deadly metal missed its target, the man felt sharpness plunge into his chest, ripping apart his skin. A flood of red liquid fell from the wound as the man futilely tried to clutch it close with his hands.

“An illusion?” the man gasped as his pupils dilated.

His complexion became whiter as blood escaped from the wound, forming small streams upon the stone floor. Then, using his qi, the man sealed the wound shut by transforming the blood itself into a stone scar. A dark brown lotus spun over his head, spewing waves of energy in all directions, struggling to push back the purple mist.

For the first time, Yun Jingfei could see the full glory of her opponent's strength. His lotus was dense and vibrant with energy, but more than that, the bright orb hovering over the platform caught her attention. Four rings of light rotated above the orb. They spun in all directions, resembling objects orbiting a central nucleus at high velocity.

Fourth stage of the Golden Core realm, Yun Jingfei thought as she frowned slightly. Stronger than I thought, but not unbeatable. Thankfully, Huiling’s mist is the best support I could ask for.

Yun Jingfei didn't hesitate for long, opting to push her advantage. After all, her opponent had to use a considerable amount of qi only to staunch the bleeding. Her blade danced as she sought the optimal path for her sword to take. With every successive blow, her blade would dig a little deeper into her opponent's defence, slowly pushing him back.

Try as he might, even as he sought to go on the offensive, the man couldn’t even touch the hem of her skirt. In fact, Yun Jingfei’s movements were much too complicated for the man to anticipate, much less catch her. He swung his fists regardless, hoping for a lucky hit, yet all he would catch was air.

She had him in the palm of her hand, yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that this was too easy. After all, the man had only used his Earth element qi thus far. She didn’t think a seasoned assassin would only rely on such a mundane thing. Her cautiousness would prove invaluable.

As she prepared for another strike, she caught a glimpse of an opening. In his frustration, the man swung wildly, leaving himself open just enough for her blade to cut deeply into him. Yet, Yun Jingfei felt something was wrong. She couldn’t explain it, yet she chose to heed it. She had no need to take unnecessary risks in her position.

She chose to halt her charge and draw back at the last second, which would prove to save her life. A moment later, at the location she would have been had she pressed further, a bright light emerged from the void, slightly blinding her. Once the light receded, what remained was a golden chain hovering in mid-air.

Yun Jingfei smiled slightly; her intuition hadn't let her down. Yet, she couldn't help but frown soon after. The golden chain emitted waves of power that made her sword ring. She even felt an eerie pressure from it, making her hair stand on end. She knew this was no ordinary artifact.

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“I praise you for pushing me this far,” the man said as he walked toward the golden chain. “I underestimated you. However, this ends now. You won’t be getting away any longer.”

Yun Jingfei scoffed yet remained attentive. This golden chain gave her a bad feeling. Besides, artifacts weren't to be ignored. Depending on their grade, these objects could even multiply their wielder's power. This chain wasn't some low-grade artifact you could find on any street corner but a true masterpiece by a renowned refiner. It was at least of the Profound grade.

The man extended both hands toward the chain. The artifact briefly glowed brighter. Then, when the light receded, the long golden chain was divided into two equal parts. With a simple thrust of his hands, the chains wrapped around the burly man's arms, digging slightly into his hard skin before the rest of the chain's length fell to the floor.

Yun Jingfei frowned. This would complicate things. The man's aim in using this artifact was obvious. Yun Jingfei's main advantage was the range of her sword. But now, using these chains as whips, her advantage was all but gone. Still, she didn't have the luxury of pulling back at this juncture. She could only make the most of the situation.

She mustered her courage and dove back in, striking the man with all her strength. Yet, once her blade collided with the chains wrapped around the man's arms, it was stopped dead in its tracks. She felt the chain's hardness reverberate in her bones. Fortunately, Chun Xue wasn't an ordinary sword that would falter from this collision alone.

She pulled back to try again, but the man swung his arm to the side, propelling the end of the golden chain in her direction. Just before the collision, she used her blade as a shield, taking the brunt of it. However, the impact was too strong for her thin arm to cope with.

Through instantaneous judgment, Yun Jingfei jumped backwards, evading most of the impact. Still, she could feel the bones in her arms ring as if they were close to shattering. A trace of blood appeared on her lips as she felt the impact on her internal organs.

She flew backwards, disappearing into the mist. The world was silent except for the cries of the man's companions in the distance. The man remained motionless, anticipating Yun Jingfei's ambush, yet nothing came of it. He began feeling restless, knowing his men needed his help just as he needed theirs to overcome this mist.

If not for this purple veil, this formation wouldn't stand a chance. How were they able to create such a mysterious thing? The man thought.

While he was deep in thought, Yun Jingfei struck back. Her blade emerged from the mist, as well as her white hand. However, her body remained concealed by the dense purple particles. The man felt a murderous intent aimed at his back and twisted his body to avoid it. However, his reaction speed was too slow to entirely avoid the blow.

Her blade dug into the man's back, drawing blood once again, yet the wound was shallow. Moments later, the wound was closed shut using a layer of stone. Still, every time the man used his qi in this manner, his reserves would dwindle. While he could employ a staggering amount of qi, his reserves weren't infinite, and they were decreasing alarmingly.

The battle raged on for a while. Yun Jingfei plunged in and out of the mist, striking her opponent once she found an opportunity. Then, in retaliation, the man would swing his chains in her direction. More than once, she evaded the incoming golden chain by the slightest of margins.

But even then, the residual power of its passage alone would collide with her, dealing non-trivial damage, adding little by little. Besides, her stamina wasn't inexhaustible either. She felt her limbs grow numb from the countless clashes of metal and stone. Her palms dug deeply into her sword's handle as she gritted her teeth, striving to deliver another blow. She relied on the hope that her opponent, in his impatience, would commit a mistake she could exploit.

And he did.

The man frowned in frustration. His qi reserves were growing thinner by the second. Through a lapse in judgment, the man swung both arms downward, striking the ground with all the strength he could muster. The chains' tips cut through the air as if whips before embedding themselves into the ground, caving it inward from the impact.

While Yun Jingfei had anticipated such an exaggerated motion, she hadn't expected the resulting effect. A wave of air was propelled outward as the ground buckled under the strength of this blow. The purple mist was pushed away, revealing Yun Jingfei hidden within. She felt this wall of air crash into her, and a lump of blood seemed to want to escape from her lips.

Still, she did her best to push it back down and forced herself to move. After such a big movement laced with an enormous amount of qi, her opponent would now be defenceless; this was the perfect opportunity to strike, a chance she wouldn't miss.

Her boots dug into the ground, shattering it as she propelled herself against the wind. She thrust her sword in front of her, piercing through the incoming gale as she sought to reach her opponent. The man tried to raise his hands in defence as his eyes widened at her sight. He hadn't expected her to be able to resist the shock wave of his blow with her current strength.

Unfortunately for him, Yun Jingfei's reaction had been much too quick for him to defend himself properly. Her blade flew past the man's arms, aimed straight at his chest. In a last-ditch effort, the man screamed and mobilized all his remaining qi, forming a patch of stone over his heart.

The point of her blade collided against the stone, yet nothing could impede her charge. Even before the metal could reach it, the hard stone had been cracked and split apart purely from the ethereal force of her murderous intent. Then came the cold metal plunging in his chest.

The man grabbed the blade with his bare hands even as it dug into his palms, yet nothing could stop it from reaching its target. The sharp blade sliced through the man's chest as if there was no resistance, puncturing his heart. He opened his mouth to speak, yet all that came out was a flood of blood that stained his dark clothes.

Besides, Yun Jingfei had no interest in hearing him out. Even before the man could draw his last breath, she had already swung her blade, making a path for it at the side of his chest. Blood flowed from it as the man collapsed soon after. All that remained from the man was a lifeless corpse and a puddle of blood.

Intrigued, Yun Jingfei bent down to examine the golden chains still pulsing with energy. Yet, before she could reach them, she heard a cracking sound that drowned the world. She turned around as her eyes narrowed, only to witness the surrounding formation shatter into countless shards of light as they rained from the sky, only to disappear into the purple mist.

Yet Yun Jingfei's gaze was calm and composed. Her face did not show any urgency.

It is just as she predicted. The fish has finally taken the bait, Yun Jingfei thought, a slight smile creeping on her lips.