Deep within the valley.
The Swordtail Scorpions lay sprawled on the ground, fast asleep.
Atop a leveled stone platform, the Three-Tailed Sword Scorpion King rested alone, its trio of blade-like tails swaying lazily without alertness.
But then—
Boom! Boom!
Chunks of stone flew through the air, pelting into the group of scorpions and jolting them awake.
"Come on, chase me!"
Zhu Zhuqing held the bamboo tube tightly in her sweaty palm.
When she saw the Swordtail Scorpions raise their tail blades and hiss sharply, charging toward her, she immediately turned and sprinted away.
"One minute!
I just need to hold out for one minute!
Li Zhexian, the rest is up to you!"
Seeing its underlings rush after the intruder, the Three-Tailed Sword Scorpion King remained idle, lounging in place.
This kind of weak opponent didn't warrant its attention.
But then—
Just as it was about to resume its rest…
Footsteps came, fast and sharp, closing in quickly.
Whoosh—!
A gust of wind swept away the mist deep in the valley.
A figure burst from the fog, a purple Spirit Ring rising beneath his feet as a flash of emerald sword light exploded with lethal intent.
"Greenblade Severance!"
It was Li Zhexian.
Wasting not a second, he unleashed his Spirit Ability the moment he charged into the valley.
The Scorpion King had never expected another intruder.
Sensing the lethal threat in the sword light, it let out a furious screech.
Its three sword-tails whipped forward like lightning, bronze blades cleaving through the air with a screech that made the valley tremble.
CLANG—!
The Qinglian Sword collided fiercely with the three sword tails.
A sharp metallic shriek echoed through the mountains!
The Scorpion King was knocked from its stone platform.
Li Zhexian too was thrown back. His feet tore deep grooves in the earth before he jammed the Qinglian Sword into the ground, sliding several meters more before finally coming to a halt—disheveled and pale.
"Such terrifying strength!"
His sword-wielding hand trembled uncontrollably.
But he had no time to hesitate.
"One minute!
I only have one minute!"
Through sweat-soaked bangs, his eyes gleamed crimson with resolve.
"My sword and wine Martial Souls support one another—
Today, wine shall boil, and the sword shall cry!"
The Clear Spring Wine Gourd floated to his side.
Li Zhexian grabbed it, popped the stopper, and drank deeply.
The moment the fiery liquor hit his throat—
A surge of powerful energy erupted inside him.
The Qinglian Sword buzzed violently, its emerald glow extending another three inches in length.
At that very moment—
A sword-tail lunged like a thunderbolt, slicing through the air, aiming straight for his head.
Li Zhexian rolled sideways to dodge.
The tail slammed into the ground next to him, carving a deep trench that fractured outward like a spiderweb.
"Greenblade Severance!"
He leapt into the air again.
The enhanced blade glow surged with unmatched sharpness, fusing with the Qinglian Sword's peak edge.
SLASH—!
One of the Scorpion King's tails was severed cleanly!
Bronze blood sprayed out like a waterfall.
But before Li Zhexian could celebrate—
The Scorpion King let out a screech of agony. Its remaining two tails twisted into a spiral and shot toward his chest with a sonic boom.
Li Zhexian swung his sword in a desperate horizontal arc.
Sparks burst out as the blade clashed with the tails.
The force was overwhelming—
He was slammed into the cliff wall, blood spewing from his lips along with shattered stone.
But it didn't end there.
The Scorpion King pounced.
Its two remaining tails split left and right, brutally piercing into Li Zhexian's shoulders.
He groaned, blood flowing from his mouth in thick streams.
Slowly, he lifted his head—
Meeting the beast's vicious compound eyes.
It looked like Li Zhexian was finished.
But he… smiled.
The Qinglian Sword and Clear Spring Wine Gourd rose beside him—
SPLASH—SPLASH—!
The gourd tipped, pouring wine over the blade.
As the amber liquor drenched the sword, its green glow turned molten red, as if forged in flame.
Lotus blossoms bloomed along the sword's edge.
The wine boiled—
The sword cried.
This was—
"Wine Boils, Sword Cries!"
The Scorpion King sensed danger.
It tried to pull its tails back—
But it was too late.
A blood-red sword energy burst forth like a dragon from the abyss, erupting from the Qinglian Sword.
In a single slash—
Both tails were severed.
The Scorpion King howled in agony.
As the limp tails withdrew from his shoulders, Li Zhexian gritted his teeth and forced himself upright.
Gripping the burning-hot Qinglian Sword—
He channeled the last of his Spirit Power and leapt into the air.
His blade descended like a falling meteor, piercing straight down into the Scorpion King's skull as it tried to retreat.
SLASH—!
The sword sank into flesh.
The two severed tails writhed violently on the ground.
Li Zhexian knelt over the beast's body, sword still embedded in its skull, gasping for breath.
At that moment—
A purple Spirit Ring slowly rose from the corpse.
Meanwhile.
Zhu Zhuqing sprinted at full speed through the woods.
Only five or six meters behind, a swarm of Swordtail Scorpions chased her relentlessly.
"One minute!"
"Just one minute!"
"It's only been… ten seconds?!"
Clenching her teeth, sweat poured down her brow.
FWIP—!
A tail-blade slashed through the air beside her.
She kicked off the ground and leapt onto a tree branch.
BOOM—!
The ground where she had been exploded from the impact.
Frowning, she dashed off again, breath ragged.
Her long black hair whipped wildly in the wind, clinging to her cheeks.
Her black outfit was now tattered from the pursuit, torn in several places.
She was close to tears.
For someone raised in luxury all her life, she had never been in such a sorry state.
"Li Zhexian!!
You really do owe me big-time!
This is way too much!"
She grabbed the bamboo tube and took a swig.
She still didn't understand why he'd told her to drink while fleeing—
But she followed his instructions.
The moment the wine slid down her throat—
A warm, surging energy spread through her body.
Her legs, which had started to go numb, were suddenly reinvigorated.
Even her Spirit Power boiled to life.
"Huh?!"
Eyes wide, she stared at the bamboo tube in shock.
"This wine…"
She jumped to a large boulder, narrowly dodging another attack.
Took another swig.
And again—that smooth, powerful sensation flooded her limbs.
Her speed instantly increased—putting several more meters between her and the scorpions.
"Good wine! Incredible wine!"
Face flushed from exertion and liquor, she beamed with joy.
"No wonder that guy's always got a wine gourd in hand!"
"So this is what he's drinking!"
And just like that, she kept swigging—
Even while being chased, she felt more and more in control.
Until—
Two thousand-year Swordtail Scorpions suddenly joined the chase.
"Damn it!"
Seeing them close in through the corner of her eye, the flush on her cheeks drained to pale.
"Where the hell did those come from?!
I thought they left to hunt!"
Panicking, she gulped down mouthfuls of wine—
But the tube was nearly empty.
Then—
The two scorpions leapt into the air, landing directly in front of her, cutting off her escape.
The rest of the scorpions hissed and circled around her.
Zhu Zhuqing was surrounded—nowhere to run.
She froze, trembling.
She was still only twelve.
And now, up close with so many terrifying Spirit Beasts, her eyes welled up with tears.
HISSSSS—!
One of the thousand-year scorpions lunged at her.
Her body exhausted, Zhu Zhuqing couldn't dodge.
She could only shut her eyes in despair, screaming in her heart:
"Li Zhexian!!
It's already been a minute—
Where are you?!"