Master, Why Have You Only Just Arrived?

"Now, I grant you two choices: serve me and live, or refuse and die!" Shen Hongyue pointed her sword at Mu Xiangli.

Mu Xiangli had long anticipated this inevitable condition.

"Are you not worried that I might pretend to agree, only to seek an opportunity to escape later?"

"That is not for you to concern yourself with. Do not think of stalling for time; do you still expect someone to come to your rescue?" Shen Hongyue exposed Mu Xiangli's thoughts with a single word.

Mu Xiangli was a transmigrator. Whether it was Xi Yu or You Qiu, he possessed no loyalty to either. Life was more precious than anything. Even if he let his master down slightly, he had to accept it.

However, before agreeing, he still wanted to make one last struggle: "Let us duel once more. If you defeat me, I shall comply."

Shen Hongyue did not know what tricks Mu Xiangli wanted to play, but her time and patience were limited: "Even if we fight several more times, the outcome will not change. I shall put an end to your delusions."

When Shen Hongyue drew her sword, her mind was made up. If this person still harbored treacherous ambitions, she would take his life with a single strike.

In Shen Hongyue's eyes, a martial artist who had not yet opened their Qi Chamber fighting against her was akin to throwing an egg against a stone. Yet, in Mu Xiangli's eyes, a vast disparity in strength between a character and a boss was entirely normal, and it did not mean there was not a single sliver of hope for victory.

In his spare time, he often recalled Shen Hongyue's moves, simulating methods to counter them. Now was the final gamble; it was time to put them to the test.

Shen Hongyue brandished her sword, and a shroud of crimson light enveloped him. Mu Xiangli focused his mind and discovered that the crimson light extended forward by another section.

The first section was the sword move, and the second was the sword qi. Mu Xiangli reacted with extreme speed, retreating to evade the sword move, then retreating again to dodge the sword qi, before stamping his foot hard and thrusting forward with his saber.

He knew it would not be that easy. Seeing him evade the first move and even dare to counterattack, Shen Hongyue's wrist flicked slightly. Her flexible sword danced, weaving a silver-white flower bud in front of her, before her sword qi erupted like a hundred blooming flowers.

Mu Xiangli realized that the more he concentrated, the more precisely he could perceive the range of Shen Hongyue's attacks. He slipped to the side a step ahead, dodging yet another strike.

Unfortunately, he still had no opportunity to strike with his saber. Seeing him as slippery as a loach, Shen Hongyue changed her sword technique. Three traces of sword qi, resembling three crescent moons, intersected slightly, locking down multiple angles.

This was no longer a mere duel. Every strike was meant to take a life. Mu Xiangli had no choice but to use the most primitive and effective method—rolling clumsily on the ground, barely managing to evade.

Shen Hongyue had not expected him to dodge in such a manner. Compared to recruiting him, the killing intent in her heart unconsciously took the upper hand. She stepped forward swiftly, her sword tip pointing directly at his vital points.

Mu Xiangli had countless complaints in his heart. This boss truly had an excessively fierce desire to attack; what kind of boss would press a player so hard that they couldn't even raise their head?

Complaining was merely his way of easing the mental pressure. In reality, his attention was highly focused. Despite the awkwardness, he rolled once more to dodge the fatal attack.

When the strike missed, Shen Hongyue felt that chasing Mu Xiangli as he rolled on the ground to stab him was somewhat beneath her dignity. Her offensive paused slightly.

The moment she stopped, Mu Xiangli suddenly sprang up and slashed with his saber.

Shen Hongyue's patience was now almost exhausted. She decided to end this chaotic farce immediately. Leisurely dodging the saber strike, she prepared to deal Mu Xiangli a fatal blow.

But Mu Xiangli seemed to have anticipated this; his neck suddenly tilted to one side. The sword qi left a faint trail of blood on his neck, without damaging the artery. Seizing this opportunity, he slashed forward once more.

As Shen Hongyue retreated, she discovered that another strand of her hair had severed from her head, drifting slowly to the ground.

Mu Xiangli felt a pang of regret, but his spirit was more exhilarated than ever before. He exerted his strength to strike again, unable to resist letting out a loud shout.

As the shout escaped him, his emotions were unleashed. Mu Xiangli felt as if a certain gate within his body had swung open, unleashing a torrential wave. A surge of energy rushed from the soles of his feet straight to his crown, as if he had just consumed mint, making the entire world clear and transparent.

He was completely unaware that this strike of his had unleashed a three-inch saber glow extending from the blade, forcing Shen Hongyue back.

"Have you broken through to the Qi Chamber?" Shen Hongyue was truly astonished.

To her surprise, Mu Xiangli was even more astonished: "Ah? Have I broken through to the Qi Chamber?"

Shen Hongyue did not care whether he was playing dumb or not: "You are indeed a talent. This is the last time I shall ask you: are you willing to pledge your allegiance to me? If we continue to fight, I shall no longer show mercy."

Mu Xiangli was now thoroughly excited. According to the usual logic of fighting a boss, at this point, who would care about anything else? He only wanted to fight to the bitter end!

He turned a deaf ear to Shen Hongyue's words and charged straight ahead.

"If you seek death, do not blame me." Shen Hongyue no longer held back. Previously, although her sword moves were sharp, her body remained relaxed. Now, as she moved, her actions were swift. Warning crimson lights converged from all directions, seemingly unavoidable, instantly snapping Mu Xiangli back to reality.

Unfortunately, it was too late to call a halt. Just as a sense of despair arose in Mu Xiangli's heart, a saber glow carrying mud and fallen leaves swept in from the side, perfectly separating the two of them.

Mu Xiangli turned his head to look and rejoiced: "Master!"

He saw Qi Beixing approaching with his saber, step by step, his aura erupting as vast as an abyss.

Hearing Mu Xiangli call him master, Shen Hongyue looked at Qi Beixing and frowned in vigilance: "Who are you?"

Qi Beixing did not answer, only sneering: "I did not expect the rats of You Qiu to dare trespass here."

With a backer, Mu Xiangli's sense of security soared. He quickly discarded his fence-sitting thoughts and spoke rapidly: "Master, why have you come? They are surrounding and killing Prefect Tan in the valley. Tan City is about to fall, and Hongshan Pass is in peril!"

Qi Beixing had not been closely following Mu Xiangli. Vài ngày trước, tại Songhua Town, he had discovered that everyone from the Shunfeng Escort Agency had vanished. Hearing rumors of bandits running rampant here, he had set out to investigate. He had not expected the storm behind this to be so massive.

Shen Hongyue paused, then fired a signal arrow. The whistling sound of the arrow pierced the air, and moments later, her companions drew near.

"What is the situation in the valley?" Shen Hongyue asked.

"It will be secured very soon."

Shen Hongyue felt reassured. Only then did she look toward Mu Xiangli and Qi Beixing: "The grand situation here is already decided. There are only two of you; what can you possibly achieve?"

Seeing Qi Beixing's calm expression, Mu Xiangli hastily asked, "Master, there are at least a thousand of them. Can you handle them alone?"

Qi Beixing glanced at him: "You Qiu has been planning this for a long time. This time, they have deployed far more than a thousand. I alone cannot turn the tide."

Mu Xiangli suggested a plan: "Then Master should capture this woman first, then enter the valley to rescue Prefect Tan. Is that not the best course of action?"

Hearing Mu Xiangli finally refer to her as "this woman," the killing intent in Shen Hongyue's eyes flared. The reason she had not rushed to strike was that she was unclear about Qi Beixing's background and did not want to act rashly. However, the saber at his waist looked somewhat familiar.

During the standoff, another person rushed over. Before he even arrived, his voice echoed: "Hongyue, are you having trouble on this side?"

This man carried a massive Horse-Slaying Saber on his back. Upon jumping out, he keenly looked at Qi Beixing. Shen Hongyue only felt Qi Beixing's saber looked familiar, but this man recognized it at a glance: "The saber of the Xi Yu Palace Imperial Guard?"

Seeing that the opponent recognized it, Qi Beixing said in a deep voice, "I did not expect you to still recognize the saber of the former Xi Yu Palace Imperial Guard. You indeed have some knowledge."

Although the newcomer recognized it, he was not afraid. Instead, he mocked: "Judging by your age, aren't you one of those stray dogs from back then? Then you shall remain here today, so you will no longer disrupt our You Qiu's grand plan."

Qi Beixing remained unmoved: "A stray dog indeed, but you are not worthy of saying those words. I alone truly cannot break this situation, but what if I am not alone?"

With that, Qi Beixing raised his hand toward the sky.

Shen Hongyue thought it was also a signal arrow and wanted to intercept it, but she discovered it was not an arrow at all, but a command token resting in Qi Beixing's palm.

He channeled his Qi into the token. Above the vast, clear sky, a Golden Tiger suddenly materialized, roaring loudly as it looked down upon the earth.