Cold Blood hastily retreated, raising his long sword to block in front of him.
“Clang!”
Ye Qiu’s fist struck the Ruthless Sword.
In that instant, the blade of the Ruthless Sword bent like a bow, dissipating the force of Ye Qiu’s punch. As Ye Qiu retracted his fist, the sword snapped back to its original shape.
“What a sword!”
Ye Qiu couldn’t help but exclaim in admiration.
It was worth noting that the power of his punch just now could have completely shattered a person. Yet, the Ruthless Sword only bent slightly and quickly returned to its original state without any damage.
“The Ruthless Sword is forged from meteoric iron. Do you think your fist can break it?” Cold Blood sneered.
Meteoric iron?
Ye Qiu was shocked. Meteoric iron was an extremely rare material, capable of cutting through iron like mud once sharpened.
The martial arts novelist Jin Yong mentioned meteoric iron three times in his works.
The first was in *The Return of the Condor Heroes*, where it was written: “This meteoric iron is a treasure of the world. Even obtaining a single ounce is incredibly difficult. Just adding a small amount to ordinary weapons can turn them into divine blades.”
The heavy sword of Dugu Qiubai, the Sword Demon, was forged from meteoric iron. Later, it was obtained by Yang Guo, who swept across the world and earned the title “Mad Demon of the West.”
The second mention was in *The Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber*, where both the Heaven Sword and the Dragon Saber were forged from the melted remains of the heavy meteoric iron sword. Later, when the Ming Cult tried to destroy the Dragon Saber by burning it at high temperatures, even the tongs melted, but the Dragon Saber remained unscathed.
The third mention was in *Ode to Gallantry*, where the Meteoric Iron Token was described. Xie Yanke, the Recluse of the Skies, once said, “Such meteoric iron blades are indestructible and rare in the world.”
From this, it was clear how precious meteoric iron was.
Ye Qiu suddenly understood. No wonder, even after mastering the second level of the Nine Transformations Divine Dragon Art, which made his body as tough as copper and iron, he was still injured by Cold Blood’s Ruthless Sword. It turned out the sword was forged from meteoric iron.
“I wonder which is sharper—the Emperor Sword in my hand or Cold Blood’s Ruthless Sword?”
As Ye Qiu thought this, he couldn’t help but feel a desire to test their blades against each other.
Unexpectedly, Cold Blood had the same idea.
“Today, I want to see which is more powerful—the Emperor Sword Chi Xiao in your hand or my Ruthless Sword.”
Cold Blood shouted and charged forward with his sword.
Ye Qiu also raised his sword and rushed forward.
Soon, the two were locked in combat. Their speeds were so fast that afterimages constantly appeared around them as they fought.
The more they fought, the more Ye Qiu was shocked.
He had always been confident in his speed, but Cold Blood’s speed was no less than his. Combined with his unpredictable assassination techniques, Ye Qiu felt immense pressure.
“Dammit, this bastard was also hiding his strength earlier. Luckily, Azure Dragon and Qilin are holding off those two ghosts, or I’d really be done for today.”
The two had exchanged over a hundred moves, yet neither had gained the upper hand.
Cold Blood began to grow anxious.
He was a speed-based fighter, and maintaining such speed required a constant flow of internal energy. The longer the fight dragged on, the faster his energy was depleted. Once his energy ran out, his speed would drop, and his sword techniques would reveal flaws.
“I must finish Ye Qiu quickly, or I’ll be in danger.”
With this thought, Cold Blood took a deep breath. The countless sword shadows that had been surrounding Ye Qiu suddenly converged into one.
The sword’s aura instantly multiplied several times over.
“He’s using his trump card.”
Ye Qiu’s expression changed slightly. He secretly began drawing a talisman with his left hand behind his back.
“Whoosh!”
The Ruthless Sword shot forward like a bolt of lightning, slicing through the air and aiming for Ye Qiu’s throat.
Ye Qiu tilted his head, using the Emperor Sword to deflect the Ruthless Sword. But to his surprise, the Ruthless Sword reappeared from another direction, once again aiming for his throat.
The two strikes took less than a second.
It was unbelievably fast.
Ye Qiu narrowly avoided the blade.
At that moment, Cold Blood quickly retreated, then leaped into the air, thrusting his sword at Ye Qiu from above.
“Third Sword!”
Cold Blood shouted. The Ruthless Sword in his hand shone like a brilliant rainbow, its sword aura erupting with overwhelming force.
This strike was Cold Blood’s ultimate technique, a lethal move that concentrated all his energy, spirit, and focus into the blade.
This strike was meant to kill Ye Qiu!
The sword’s tip arrived in an instant.
“Freeze!” Ye Qiu quickly cast a immobilization spell.
However, it failed.
Cold Blood’s speed was too fast—so fast that even the immobilization spell couldn’t keep up. Ye Qiu didn’t have time to think. He channeled the Nine Transformations Divine Dragon Art, pouring his internal energy into the Emperor Sword, and slashed out with all his might.
“Clang!”
The two swords collided in mid-air.
The Ruthless Sword was instantly severed. Cold Blood’s body fell from the air, stumbling back several steps before he could steady himself.
Cold Blood stared at the broken sword in his hand, his eyes blank. He murmured, “How could this happen? How could this happen? How…”
This was the perfect opportunity!
Ye Qiu immediately cast an invisibility spell, vanishing from his spot. The next second, he appeared behind Cold Blood.
He swung his sword.
Cold Blood, after all, was a master. Although he was momentarily distracted, his reflexes were still sharp when danger approached. He turned and thrust out with the Ruthless Sword.
Only after thrusting did he remember that the sword was already broken.
Cold Blood wanted to retreat, but it was too late. The Emperor Sword flashed past his brow.
In that instant, Cold Blood’s face turned ashen. The broken sword fell from his hand, hitting the ground with a crisp “clang.”
“My father once told me that for a swordsman, the sword is life. If the sword is intact, the swordsman lives; if the sword breaks, the swordsman dies.”
“My father also told me that those who kill will eventually be killed.”
“I didn’t believe it before, but now…”
Splat!
A gash suddenly appeared on Cold Blood’s brow, and blood gushed out, streaming down his face.
Soon, a large pool of blood formed on the ground.
Cold Blood’s face twisted in pain. He looked at Ye Qiu and said, “You surprised me. I can sense that you still have a trump card you haven’t used, don’t you?”
“Yes,” Ye Qiu admitted.
His ultimate killing move, the Grass Character Sword Technique, had not been used. It wasn’t that Ye Qiu didn’t want to use it, but he wanted to ensure absolute certainty.
During their earlier exchanges, Ye Qiu had noticed that Cold Blood still had a trump card up his sleeve. He wasn’t entirely sure if using the Grass Character Sword Technique would guarantee Cold Blood’s death.
If it failed, he would be in dire straits.
Of course, Ye Qiu also hadn’t used the Five Thunder Spell or other techniques because Cold Blood and the two ghosts had coordinated so seamlessly that they never gave him the chance.
Hearing Ye Qiu’s answer, Cold Blood seemed somewhat relieved, content to die at the hands of a true master.
“Thud!”
Cold Blood’s body tilted and collapsed to the ground. Blood began to spill from his mouth. As death approached, the world seemed to grow silent around him.
His face showed unwillingness, regret, and deep remorse.
“Father… will you… forgive me?”
As Cold Blood uttered these words, a tear rolled down his cheek. Then, gradually, his breathing stopped.
