Chapter 46: A Shattered Body Seeks Vengeance for Blood Debts

Fox Mei'er was besieged by multiple opponents. Despite her profound internal energy, she was thrown into a flurry, struggling to parry the onslaught.

A similar plight befell Liu Ruohan, Xie Mengmeng, Su Xiangling, and Mei Xiulan; all of them were in utter disarray and unable to fend for themselves.

Outside the intensely chaotic battlefield, Yan Ruyu hesitated, unsure of whom to rush to aid.

Lin Chen sprinted to Su Xiangling's side. There was no other reason; she was the one who needed help the most at this moment.

Although she had attained the realm of a Lesser Grandmaster, her impaired vision made it quite taxing for her to deal with Fu Rongcheng.

Recalling the past, someone like Fu Rongcheng would not have been a match for her at all.

"Junior Brother, why have you come back? Hurry and leave," Mei Xiulan said anxiously upon seeing Lin Chen return.

"Senior Sister, it's fine. I cannot abandon you all," Lin Chen replied with a calm expression.

Mei Xiulan had no time for further words, staying not far from Su Xiangling, perhaps believing too that Su Xiangling desperately needed protection.

Suddenly, a vicious voice rang out: "Lin Chen, prepare to die!"

Lin Chen turned his head swiftly. Yan Ruyu, burning with murderous intent, was fiercely lunging toward him.

His bamboo staff had been damaged in the previous battle with Wen Yun and Ye Ling'er, leaving his hands empty.

He could only scramble to evade while frantically picking up a discarded saber from beside a corpse.

With a sudden leap, he slashed his saber toward the oncoming Yan Ruyu.

Clang! Clang!

The sound of clashing metal echoed through the sky, and a tremendous force traveled from the blade to the web of his hand.

A sharp pain shot up his arm, causing him to drop the long saber. He hurriedly dashed to retrieve it and engaged her in fierce combat once more.

Yan Ruyu wore a stern expression, her purple gown fluttering in the wind, the cold glare of the sword in her hand flashing relentlessly.

In contrast, Lin Chen's clothes were tattered and stained with blood in numerous places. The saber in his grasp had several notches along its blade.

Yan Ruyu took the initiative, her figure flickering like a ghost as she closed in on Lin Chen. Her sword traced a chilling arc, striking directly at his throat.

Lin Chen's pupils constricted as he hastily raised his saber to block.

"Clang!"

With a deafening boom reminiscent of a giant bell, sending slight tremors through the surrounding gravel, sparks flew wildly where their weapons met.

Yet Yan Ruyu's offensive did not cease. With a slight flick of her wrist, her sword danced like a venomous snake, thrusting out multiple times in an instant, every strike aimed at Lin Chen's vital points.

Stumbling and hard-pressed, Lin Chen could only rely on his years of combat experience to barely parry with his saber, each block accompanied by a sharp, agonizing pain in his arm.

With a rip, Yan Ruyu seized a flaw in Lin Chen's defense. Her sword swept across his left arm, instantly carving open a bloody gash from which blood gushed forth.

Lin Chen let out a muffled groan, the pain slightly slowing his movements.

Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Yan Ruyu leaped high into the air, bringing her sword down from above with the force of a thousand jun.

Gathering all his strength, Lin Chen raised his saber with both hands, attempting to meet this thunderous blow head-on.

"Clang!"

The immense impact surged forward like a tidal wave, jarring Lin Chen's saber right out of his grip.

His entire body was sent flying several yards by the force, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust.

He struggled to rise, feeling as though every bone in his body had been shattered, while fresh blood continuously welled up in his mouth.

Meanwhile, Fu Rongcheng brandished his folding fan and charged at Su Xiangling.

Unable to withstand the assault, Su Xiangling retreated repeatedly until the fan suddenly spun through the air, slicing straight across her throat.

Lin Chen wanted to get up and save her, but he was powerless to do so, forced to watch helplessly as Fu Rongcheng took her life.

At that moment, his entire world collapsed, and grief drowned him completely like a surging tide.

"Senior Sister..." Lin Chen wept with a heart-wrenching despair, his tears mixing with blood, painting a tragic expression across his face.

Scenes of his past days with his Senior Sister replayed incessantly in his mind like a revolving lantern.

In his childhood, his Senior Sister had taught him to read, guiding his hand with a patience as warm as the spring sun;

In the bitter winter, she had draped her own cotton-padded jacket over his shoulders while shivering from the cold herself;

When he first stepped into the pugilistic world, she had kept him safe, shielding him from danger after danger.

Yet as he grew older, due to various reasons, he had come to resent and distance himself from her. Now that he knew the truth and wished to make amends, there was no longer any chance.

What broke his heart even more was the sudden realization that she had helped him regain his sight, while he had remained entirely ignorant of her sacrifices and continued to harbor resentment.

"How could I have been such a bastard..." Lin Chen pounded the earth, veins bulging on the back of his hands, his skin torn and bleeding.

Using all her remaining strength, Su Xiangling crawled laborantly to Lin Chen's side and offered a comforting smile: "Xiao Chen, stop... stop crying. Take good care of yourself from now on, live well... Senior... Senior Sister... has failed you..."

Blood continued to seep from between her teeth, her voice extremely faint, yet every word fell like a heavy hammer upon Lin Chen's heart.

Trembling, Lin Chen reached out and tightly grasped his Senior Sister's hand: "Senior Sister! It's alright, I don't blame you!"

"That's good! In the next life... if there is a next life, Senior Sister will take good care of you. Junior Brother, take... care..." With those final words, her hand went limp and dropped, slipping away from the mortal world forever.

"Senior Sister!" Lin Chen let out a harrowing shriek as past grievances and new hatred churned and burned within his chest.

Watching this scene, a trace of compassion flickered in Yan Ruyu's eyes, and the hand holding her sword trembled slightly.

Fu Rongcheng, however, acted as though he saw nothing. He twirled his fan with an air of utter indifference, as if this bloody spectacle were merely a commonplace play.

Enduring the agonizing pain, Lin Chen propped up his upper body with his elbows. He gazed at Su Xiangling's remains, his eyes filled with absolute resolve.

"Senior Sister, rest assured, I will never let you die in vain," he muttered, gathering every last ounce of strength to force himself up.

Every attempt felt like scaling a steep and treacherous cliff; his bones felt ready to fracture, and his wounds burned with a tearing agony.

Yet, biting down hard on his teeth, he bit-by-bit and shakily hoisted his body upright. His legs trembled incessantly, but he straightened his spine.

Reaching out to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth, he stared fixedly at Fu Rongcheng, burning with monstrous hatred: "For the crimes you committed today, even if it costs me this life, I will make you pay in blood!"

With that, dragging his broken body, he stumbled recklessly toward Fu Rongcheng, determined to claim this delayed justice for his Senior Sister, even if the path ahead led to utter doom...

"Hahaha... Barely able to preserve your own life and yet you still dream of revenge? Are you out of your mind?!" Fu Rongcheng laughed mockingly.

Just as Lin Chen drew close to Fu Rongcheng, a figure suddenly flashed like a ghost from the side woods. With astonishing speed, kicking up a fierce gust of wind, the figure slammed directly into Fu Rongcheng.

Fu Rongcheng's expression shifted in alarm as he hastily turned to counter the attack. The newcomer was none other than Liu Ruohan.

"Daring to kill my disciple, pay with your life!" The voice seemed to emerge straight from the netherworld, ringing painfully in everyone's ears.

Liu Ruohan instantly engaged Fu Rongcheng in combat, blade light and fan shadows intertwining in a rapid exchange of blows, and the tide of the battle reversed in an instant...

Amidst his blurred vision, Lin Chen could only pray that the suddenly appearing Liu Ruohan would be able to save his Senior Sister.

"Taoist Master Liu, your disciple's skills were inferior, so her death was her own fault. If you wish to use your seniority to bully the young, you must first ask whether I agree," a white-haired man said softly as he stepped through the air.