It was merely an insignificant short dagger. Yet it continuously hacked through two wooden walls, moreover walls made of special timber. The blade's residual momentum directly slashed onto the white-robed being.

Shua!!

Like the sound of torn fabric, Lusheng's eyes were bloodshot and filled with red threads. With one slash, the white-robed being was split into two.

His blade spun as he followed up with another hack to slice the wooden table by his side into two chunks.

His gaze swept the room once as the black undulations of Heishi Skill circulated rapidly within his body, the violent and cruel urges continuously roiling in his chest unable to vent out.

Bang!

Blocking the eight immortals table, he smashed it aside with a kick, causing it to crash against the wall and collapse from the impact. But he still sensed someone spying on him.

"Courting death!!" Howling furiously, Lusheng unleashed Black Tiger Saber's Tiger Disaster saber radiance.

"Come out!!"

The saber light smashed against the wall before him like muffled thunder. Amidst the tiger's roar, a tremendous blast sounded.

Boom!!

The entirety of that half-shattered wall under amplification from Lusheng's Heishi Skill was smashed apart by a single move, disintegrating into countless black wooden shards spraying outwards.

Beyond the blasted open third wall in the cabin, a woman with long hair veiling her face appeared before his eyes dressed fully in white.

Song Zhenguo and Yun'er's figures shrank back into the corner, staring at her with utter despair and fright. Only then did they discover Lusheng who seemed like a descended deity charging out from the havoc towards that white-clad woman.

The two were briefly stunned but upon recognizing it was Lusheng, they were immediately overjoyed, watching him madly rush at the white-clad woman like witnessing the descent of a god.

Just as Song Zhenguo wanted to rise up and head over, Yun'er tightly grabbed him back down.

"Something's off! Wait first!" Blood leaked out the corner of Yun'er's mouth, seemingly having suffered some unknown injury. But her bright eyes remained fixed on Lusheng, clearly feeling something was wrong with his current state.

"What's off? That's Brother Lu, Brother Yuesheng! Didn't expect he would actually be so powerful and incredible. He must be here to save me!" Song Zhenguo's spirits greatly bolstered as he hurriedly explained.

"Look more carefully!" Yun'er softly reminded.

Song Zhenguo froze up, swiftly observing once more only to now discover something was indeed off about Lusheng's condition.

"Tee hee hee..." The woman's shadow darted back as copious green fireballs emerged around her sides, surging over like human heads towards Lusheng.

Nearly a hundred green fireballs practically blanketed every possible angle he could evade, leaving no openings.

Lusheng fully stimulated his Heishi Skill as his heart was filled purely with cruel desires for abuse and slaughter. Gripping his short dagger which intensely quaked from the tremendous inner force focused into his right arm, he slashed forward.

Roar!!

The bellow of an immense tiger sounded.

Unbelievably, the silver dagger radiance actually formed a gigantic silvery battleaxe shape upon collision with the incoming green fireballs.

Pu pu pu pu...

Series of sounds akin to bursting bubbles rang out. Large quantities of shattered green fire scattered around, falling to the floor and swiftly igniting the red lanterns. Fire rapidly crawled across the rugs and leather materials.

"A Jianghu expert well-versed in both internal and external skills? Not bad," the woman let out a sharp laugh. Her body gently floated up as she beckoned with one hand.

Promptly, countless black beads flew in through the blasted open hole of the cabin from outside after her gesture. Before Lusheng could react, the tens of projectiles already hurtled towards him.

"Tiger Might!!" Gripping his dagger with both hands, Lusheng's enormous physique formed a distinct contrast with the tiny short blade. Yet that small dagger intensely shuddered, becoming brighter and more dazzling from the fiery reflections.

Whoosh!

Gale winds seemingly from a massive tiger abruptly erupted as Lusheng ferociously pounced forth. His short burst explosive force actually exceeded the speed when previously hunting that white-robed being.

His figure continuously dodged about, unbelievably evading every single projectile without exception before executing a beheading saber draw at the woman with lightning speed.

Pu!

A head went flying as Lusheng's reverse hacked followed up.

Puchi.

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

The white-clad woman's entire being was messily bisected by him, letting out an earsplitting shriek.

The great blaze intensified, the weight-bearing cabin beams quickly snapped from the flames and crashed down with a bang.

Having just gone all out, Lusheng had yet to recover his strength and got smashed by the horizontal beam. The surrounding inferno seemed to possess awareness, madly swallowing him up as he disappeared from sight in an instant.

"Lusheng!!"

At this exact moment, Song Zhenguo and Yun'er finally dashed out from that corner of the cabin, attempting rescue but it was already too late.

The horizontal beam crashed precisely atop Lusheng's head. He was swiftly engulfed by the towering flames without a trace left behind.

"Hurry, let's go!" Yun'er clutched Song Zhenguo's arm with a death grip.

"Yuesheng! Brother Lu!!" Song Zhenguo loudly roared out.

"You two should still worry more about yourselves first," the previously white-clad woman had actually reemerged, restored to pristine condition while placidly floating at the raging fire's edge. The gaze under her hair sinisterly eyed the pair.

Song Zhenguo and Yun'er promptly escaped through the doorway, not daring to look back.

"It's my fault! My fault for harming Brother Lu!" Song Zhenguo's eyes watered, filled with endless grief and indignation.

"Talk after we get away!" Yun'er said decisively.

Whoosh!

Behind them, that white-clothed woman swiftly drifted out chasing after the two.

"You want to flee?!" She sharply screeched.

Roar!!

Just then, a roar abruptly sounded amidst the surging flames as a burning muscular figure smashed through the horizontal beam, vigorously leaping forth from the inferno.

Massive cinders and ember fragments exploded out. A big hand ruthlessly grabbed her from within the fire.

"You!!" The woman in white spun around in fright.

Only to see Lusheng madly charge out. His saber flashed, stirring up the fiery blaze like a gigantic uplifted crimson wave. With a cleave descending straight atop the woman's head.

Ding!

The woman was split apart once more by him, hacked into two by Lusheng again.

But astoundingly, her bisected body rapidly reassembled in midair, recovering completely like before at another spot.

"A mere common mortal daring to...!" She screeched shrilly. Her chaotic fluttering black tresses suddenly differentiated into strips of white cloth from her white robes, hurtling down to shroud Lusheng.

"Perish!!" Strand after strand of white silk shot forth, each tearing open the air while giving off sharp piercing whistles.

Lusheng's eyes were bloodshot. His entire body still had scattered unchecked flames with some areas even giving off faint plumes.

After consecutive drain, his Heishi Skill had already restored some of his clarity.

Feeling the massive burns over his body, Lusheng swiftly circulated the strengthened Black Tiger Jade Crane Skill within him. Its self-healing powers were formidable and he soon felt the blazing scorches all across his insides significantly alleviate.

But the simultaneous high-speed operation of both skills brought about a certain anomaly within his body.

Two hot inner energy flows circulated at once. One violently frenzied, one silently serene.

Gripping his saber, he stared fixedly at the woman in midair. An indescribable sensation abruptly welled up in his heart.

The two inner forces separately surged into his left and right arms before gathering and entwining around the short dagger clenched in both hands. Forming an enormous and ferocious power.

Following this energy, Lusheng's body slightly arched up.

Within his mind, Black Tiger and Crane visualizations abruptly fused as one, spiraling and coiling together.

The sensation of blessings descending filled him as in that instant, a crimson radiance erupted from the short blade in Lusheng's hands.

Roar! Squawk!

Loud intersecting cries akin to a massive tiger and crane simultaneously soared towards the heavens.

Amidst tiger roars and crane shrieks, Lusheng pounced up with a saber thrust piercing straight into the woman.

"Die!!"

Boom!!

This time, the tremendous might did not bisect the woman. Instead with a bursting sound, her body exploded into countless pieces accompanied by the spatter of cinders. The falling shards were ignited within the great blaze without further sounds.

Bang!

Lusheng heavily smashed into the ground, shaking the entire flower boat's hull intensely. After panting violently for a spell, he slowly straightened his body. Lowering his head, he gently picked up a purple jade hairpin laying on the deck. It was the only thing dropped by that previous woman.

"Brother Song, seems your romantic fortunes are not shallow to emerge completely fine despite all that," spotting Song Zhenguo and Yun'er not far away on the deck, the corners of Lusheng's mouth pulled back, baring his snowy white teeth.

"Bro... Brother Lu...?" Song Zhenguo witnessed the entire intense battle. He now somewhat doubted whether this newly befriended sworn brother was even human.

"Let's go find Brother Chen. We should disembark now. Otherwise, leaving later will turn troublesome," said Lusheng, raising his hand to see his own clothes completely charred while sticking to his skin. Luckily, his formidable flame resistance from Heishi Skill together with his immense vigor during previous intense clashes prevented lingering burns across his figure. Thus, he did not suffer heavy burns.

"Tha... that female ghost is done just like this?" Song Zhenguo asked in astonishment.

"Unsure. But should be finished," Lusheng shook his head. His sight landed on little Yun'er.

Yun'er smiled and returned a gentle, grateful smile.

The trio swiftly located the passed out Chen Jiaorong at a corner below decks. With Song Zhenguo carrying him on his back, the four disembarked down the pier. They had barely alighted when the flower boat behind them swiftly caught aflame, clearly visible blazing atop Songbai River.

Oddly, only now did they discover themselves to no longer be at Yanshan City's riverbanks. Instead, they were at the riverside of some desolate wilderness.

Glancing around after coming ashore, they shockingly saw not the slightest hint of residences or human smoke. Only a stretch of grasslands full of weeds.

Lusheng swapped outfits using Song Zhenguo's coat.

After tearing off his tattered clothes, only sparse parts of his skin suffered burns while most areas were merely charred black. His hair, beard and body hair were all incinerated, leaving him completely bald like a massive egg.

Watching the flower boat within surging flames slowly sink into the river until completely gone from sight, Lusheng finally looked towards Yun'er. Song Zhenguo's sight also turned to Yun'er. Both required an explanation which only she understood.

To understand what exactly happened with all these unfathomable matters.

Seeing their gazes, Yun'er also lowered her head with pursed lips, silently pondering for a spell.

"Don't look at me. I also don't know much about the flower boat. The only thing I understand is we weren't a regular boat. There's an extremely mysterious and formidable leader controlling most of the flower boats above Songbai River. Our boat also falls under his jurisdiction nominally.

That woman was also previously in charge of our boat's affairs. I just never knew she would actually be... like that..." Yun'er lightly shook her head with soft sigh.

"Let's continue this after getting back," said Lusheng, eyeing the vast and empty river. "Who knows where we are?"

"Allow me," Song Zhenguo forced a smile. "If I haven't guessed wrong, this place should be the lower reaches of Songbai River outside Yanshan City. Over ten li from the city. We only need to follow the river upstream."

He looked at the completely charred Lusheng, stretching out an arm to stop Yun'er before deeply bending down in a bow towards Lusheng.

"This time, it was me who nearly harmed Brother Yuesheng and Jiaorong's lives. Due to my and Yun'er's matters, I nearly implicated the both of you."

"I'm afraid... this matter isn't over yet," Lusheng shook his head at him instead.

Song Zhenguo froze up, his sight suddenly catching Lusheng's gaze landing on Yun'er by his side.

He hastily spun around to look at Yun'er but what he saw horrified him. Her previously tangible being was slowly turning translucent...

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