Chapter 9: The Mysterious Woman Reveals Herself

Li Ze leaped back several steps, his figure blurring. “Hiding helpers in the shadows, were you?” he hissed, eyes scanning the surroundings warily.

Before Ye Tianlong’s eyes, a mysterious woman descended as if from the heavens, wielding a sword that pulsed with cyan light.

She wore a flowing, lace-trimmed violet dress that accentuated her graceful figure. Slender waist, delicate eyebrows, skin like flawless jade. And those sea-blue eyes… they sparked a sense of déjà vu, strangely familiar.

“Who are you?” Ye Tianlong managed to ask, still reeling from Li Ze’s attack.

“Who I am doesn’t matter to you,” the woman replied coolly. “What matters is that I’m here to save you.”

She turned her sharp gaze towards Li Ze, her voice ringing with authority. “These two are under my protection! Your Shixue Meng has no business interfering! Get lost, now!”

Li Ze chuckled, a humorless sound. “Such arrogance for someone so young. Very well, girl. Let’s see if your skills match that big talk of yours.”

Crack!

Li Ze stomped the ground! His True Qi flared, wrapping around him as his Sword Domain instantly manifested!

The sword hadn’t even left its sheath, but the Sword Qi was already present! The phantom white tiger reappeared, more solid than before!

Roars echoed through the clearing! ROOOAR!

The white tiger leaped, its massive, blood-stained maw gaping wide as it lunged! Sword light flickered dangerously around its claws and teeth!

A wave of chilling, killing sword intent washed over them!

CLANG!

The woman’s cyan sword met the phantom tiger’s attack head-on! The impact resonated loudly, kicking up clouds of dust and sending pebbles flying!

Li Ze narrowed his eyes, a flicker of genuine interest crossing his face. “Hmm, interesting. But still, not nearly enough.”

“Watch out!” Ye Tianlong yelled hoarsely.

The white tiger spun viciously! Its tail, thick and powerful as a steel whip, lashed out, trailing deadly Sword Qi! Whoosh!

The mysterious woman stood her ground, her cyan sword a blur of motion, leaving only afterimages of her arm in the air! Swish-swish-swish!

CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!

Sparks flew as her sword intercepted the tail strikes!

The repelling force of Li Ze’s True Qi slammed into her! She stumbled back several steps, a thin trickle of blood escaping the corner of her mouth. Ugh!

“Sword Domain, open!” the woman roared defiantly! The cyan light from her sword exploded outwards!

Behind her, a luminous Taiji Diagram  materialized, shimmering in the air!

“Taiji gives birth to the Two Polarities (Liangyi / Ying and Yang)! Two Polarities give birth to the Four Symbols (Tln : Si’xiang / 4 Beast Baihu, Shenlong, Xuanwu, Zhuque)! Four Symbols give birth to the Eight Trigrams (Bagua / Like Neji’s Eight Trigram. just google it guys Q_Q )! Eight Trigrams opens Qian and Kun! ( tln : here ) ” As she chanted, the woman swept her cyan sword forward! The Taiji Diagram began to rotate, swirling with profound sword intent! Sword light flared brilliantly!

( TLN : WHAT THE FUCK, SHE ACTUALLY MADE ME GOOGLE ALL THIS CHINESE REFERENCE Q_Q)

She spoke a single, sharp word: “Li Huo (Departing Fire) – Ignite!”

FWOOOSH! A massive fireball erupted in the air above the Taiji Diagram! Flames surged and danced wildly! With every flicker of fire, crimson streaks of Sword Qi flashed through the air!

A sharp glint appeared in Li Ze’s eyes. He finally drew his own longsword from his waist. With a seemingly casual flick of his wrist, the crimson Sword Qi slashes ignited by the woman’s technique simply dissipated, snuffed out in mid-air.

His own formidable True Qi pulsed outwards!

“This next strike,” Li Ze stated calmly, his voice chillingly certain, “might just kill you.”

The white tiger leaped high into the air! The fur along its back stood on end, bristling like steel needles! Countless streams of Sword Qi enveloped its entire body! It plunged through the raging fireball, completely unharmed, hurtling straight towards the mysterious woman!

The sheer power radiating from the tiger felt overwhelming! The woman seemed utterly powerless against it! WHAM! She was blasted off her feet, tumbling through the air, coughing up a significant amount of blood! Her cyan sword flew from her grasp! Clatter!

The tiger’s massive paw descended like a thunderbolt!

Ye Tianlong watched helplessly, his heart pounding with fear for the woman.

Gritting her teeth, despite her injuries, the mysterious woman’s eyes burned with fierce determination. “I bet… I won’t die!” she spat out defianty.

THUD!

The tiger’s paw slammed into the ground!

It landed barely an inch from the woman’s head, pulverizing the earth.

Before Ye Tianlong could even process what had happened, a sharp, agonizing pain shot through his neck! His vision swam, consciousness fading rapidly… wha-?!

Dimly, as darkness enveloped him, he heard snippets of conversation drift through the haze…

“… Shixue Meng… seeks something from the Kunlun Sect?”

“… No. I prefer to call it… a transaction… between myself and the Kunlun Sect.” (Li Ze’s smooth, chilling voice.)

The voices blurred, becoming indistinct murmurs. Complete darkness swallowed him. Ye Tianlong lost consciousness.

Floating in the black void, Ye Tianlong had no sense of time. How long had passed? Minutes? Hours? Days?

ROAR!

Suddenly, he heard a tiger’s roar echo in the darkness! An image flashed – a massive white tiger lunging at him, jaws wide, drowning him in overwhelming killing intent!

“Hah!” Ye Tianlong gasped, his eyes snapping open!

The image vanished. Darkness returned momentarily.

“Sniff… Brother… Brother… hic… Please wake up… wake uuuup… wuwuwu…” Ye Qing’s tearful voice sobbed softly near his ear.

“Sister…?” Consciousness slowly seeped back. Ye Tianlong realized he was lying on the ground in an unfamiliar forest.

Images of the mysterious woman and Li Ze flashed through his mind.

Panic surged! He sat up abruptly, calling out desperately, “Sister! Ye Qing! Where are you?!”

“Huh? Brother! You’re finally awake! Are you okay?! I’m right here!” Ye Qing’s voice choked with relief.

Ye Tianlong whipped his head to the right. Ye Qing was kneeling beside him, her face streaked with dirt and tears, her beautiful eyes full of worry.

He immediately pulled her into a tight, desperate hug.

“Are you okay?! Did they hurt you? Did they do anything to you?!” He pulled back slightly, frantically checking her over for injuries.

Her face was smudged with grime, her dress torn and muddy, scratched by branches.

Ye Qing shook her head quickly. “I-I’m okay, Brother. They… they must have knocked me out from outside the carriage somehow. They didn’t bother me after that. B-But you, Brother! When I woke up… I saw you lying there… c-covered in blood… I was so scared… wuwuwu… Are you okay, Brother?”

Pain throbbed throughout Ye Tianlong’s body, but he forced it down, shaking his head reassuringly. “Don’t worry. Brother’s fine.”

“Brother,” Ye Qing asked hesitantly, remembering something vaguely, “I think… I think I heard them mention the ‘Kunlun Sect’… Isn’t that where we’re supposed to deliver the package?”

“I don’t know.” Ye Tianlong frowned, troubled. “This escort job… it’s definitely not simple. And it seems the Kunlun Sect isn’t exactly a friendly bunch either. Xiao Qing, don’t be afraid.” His voice hardened, filled with burning rage. “I promise you, what happened today… being powerless like that… it will never happen again! Brother will protect you!”

The memory of being utterly dominated by Li Ze, unable to even defend himself, fueled his fury. His eyes turned bloodshot. He clenched his teeth fiercely, swearing a silent oath: Never again! I will never again be helpless prey, manipulated by others!

Suddenly, rustling sounds came from the nearby bushes! Rustle, rustle!

Five large, muscular grey wolves emerged! They snarled, baring sharp fangs, their hind legs tensed, clearly preparing to attack!

Ye Tianlong’s heart leaped into his throat! He instantly pulled Ye Qing behind him protectively.

“Ah!” Ye Qing let out a sudden, sharp scream of fear!

Strangely, the wolves immediately flinched back! They whimpered fearfully, tucked their tails between their legs, and bolted back into the forest, disappearing in seconds!

Ye Tianlong stared after them, then looked at Ye Qing, utterly bewildered.

Ye Qing just spread her hands helplessly, looking equally confused. “I… I guess… maybe they were just really cowardly wolves?” she offered timidly.

***

Later that night. Suspended Stone Island.

“Elder Mu,” Ye Tianlong requested, his voice low but firm, “Please lend me your strength.”

Lao Mu’s voice seemed to rumble. “Your heart is turbulent. How can you speak of cultivation?”

“Elder Mu,” Ye Tianlong replied, his voice calm now, steady, “My heart is quiet.”

“Oh? Then tell me, what is a quiet heart?” Lao Mu challenged.

Ye Tianlong paused for a moment, then his gaze became sharp as swords. “If I say it is quiet, then it is quiet!”

A flicker of profound approval shone in Lao Mu’s ancient consciousness. “You understand. Come, then. I will hold back no longer.”

As the words faded, dozens of willow branches shot into the air, whipping towards Ye Tianlong! But this time… they carried palpable killing intent!

Ye Tianlong felt as if a charging army of ten thousand soldiers was thundering towards him! The momentum was overwhelming, the killing intent suffocating!

The hairs on his arms stood on end!

But this time, Ye Tianlong felt no fear. Gritting his teeth, he charged forward to meet the assault!

His movements were swift and agile, like a striking hawk! His sword thrusts were blindingly fast, like lightning strikes!

Through countless repetitions of slashing and dodging, Ye Tianlong’s figure seemed to blur, creating countless afterimages! It was as if one sword became a thousand, and then a thousand swords merged back into one singular intent!

The Wood Stone Sword trembled slightly in his hand, resonating with his focus.

Looking at the blur of green willow branches whipping towards him, something shifted in his perception. The dozens of blurs coalesced… resolving into a single, clear, vibrant green branch, its trajectory sharp and distinct in his vision!

CLACK!

His Wood Stone Sword connected cleanly with one of the willow branches!

It was the first time Ye Tianlong had ever successfully struck one of the phantom-fast branches!

Before he could even feel a flicker of triumph, the branch’s power slammed into him! He was sent flying backward, crashing hard onto the ground, coughing up blood, his body instantly covered in fresh, agonizing wounds.

“Not bad. A progress,” Lao Mu’s voice held a note of genuine satisfaction.

Heavenly Thunder Crystals descended like gentle snow, completely covering Ye Tianlong, encasing him in a black, healing cocoon. Only his eyes remained visible, fixed unwaveringly, intensely, on the sword marks scarring the red temple door.

Ye Tianlong closed his eyes.

The sound of a colossal, thunderous ocean tide roared in his ears!

Titanic waves, imbued with terrifying Sword Qi, surged towards him!

In the face of such overwhelming power, Ye Tianlong felt utterly insignificant, smaller than a speck of dust. But… even a single spark can start a wildfire! His own strength was enough!

One sword strike. That’s all it took.

One single, seemingly simple strike. But it gathered all the countless slashes, parries, thrusts, and rotations from his past training. Every movement, every moment of pain and insight, flowed into this single technique.

No complex maneuvers. Just one sword strike. Plain, direct, unadorned.

Like a simple wave of the hand. Sword out. Sword Qi roared! FWOOOSH!

The colossal wave was split cleanly in two! Revealing the dark ocean floor beneath! The space around the strike seemed to crackle and fracture!

Ye Tianlong broke free from the vision, snapping his eyes open!

“You succeeded,” Lao Mu stated, a hint of approval in his deep voice. “You have grasped the first layer of Tian Wai Yi Jian. While you lack the True Qi and Sword Qi reserves to manifest a full Sword Domain yet… you have comprehended the true essence of the sword.”

Ye Tianlong’s voice was low, intense. “It’s not enough. I need to be stronger. Much stronger!”

“I admire your ambition.”

“Thank you, Elder Mu. Let’s continue,” Ye Tianlong said, his expression resolute, utterly determined.

Green willow branches shot through the air again, like blurring arrows! Faster than the eye could follow, visible only as streaks of emerald light!

But Ye Tianlong was used to it now.

Swinging, slashing, blocking – the movements felt instinctual, carved into his very being.

Fall down. Meditate on the sword marks. Get up. Fight again.

Again, and again. After dozens more brutal repetitions…

He stopped. True Qi began to flow into his body once more, not as a flood, but as countless streams pouring into an ocean, steadily rising, gathering power, ready to surge into a great wave.

BANG!

It felt like a massive wave crashing against a cliff wall inside his body!

His bones and meridians were once again widened, strengthened, reforged!

Another breakthrough!

Body Refining Realm, Seventh Layer!

Ye Tianlong felt power coursing through him! Every muscle fiber felt condensed, packed with potent True Qi! Strength flooded his entire being!

Lao Mu observed him silently for a long moment. “Your talent is astonishing, brat. I have high hopes for you. Perhaps… perhaps you truly can cut open that red door and enter the temple proper.”

“Not ‘perhaps’, Elder Mu,” Ye Tianlong corrected him, his voice ringing with absolute certainty. “I will!”

Lao Mu let out a sound like rustling leaves, a dry chuckle. “Hah. Good.”

Ye Tianlong had just returned his consciousness from the bone tablet space when he heard it – desperate cries echoing from the other side of the forest they were in. The sounds were shrill, filled with terror and unending anguish.

“Help! Somebody, help me! HEEEELLLP!”

Ye Tianlong’s heart jumped. Trouble again?!

tln : this sword domain is real deal, i need to re-read it more. since Ye Tianglong and Ye Qing suddenly outside of the sword domain. more complex than i thought…