Section 134: Gu Wu

Mu Lei opened his eyes, a sharp glint flashing through his slightly intoxicated gaze. Resting on his elbows and remaining silent, he retrieved another wineskin and tilted his head back to drink deeply. Gu Xue sat upright, cradling her own wineskin with both hands, acting as if she had not heard the hurried, chaotic footsteps.

A wild laugh shattered the silence.

"Hahahaha! My dear cousin Xue, you have finally returned. I have been waiting in such anxiety; if you had met with any accident on the road, I would have regretted it for the rest of my life!"

A burly, robust man strode in, surrounded by a crowd. This was Gu Wu. With a hooked nose, narrow eyes, and thin, sharp lips, his brown eyes—identical to Gu Xue’s—fixed upon her with a look of greedy, burning intensity.

It was not the first time he had seen Gu Xue, but the flush on her face now made his breathing involuntarily grow heavy. She was truly beautiful.

"Gu Wu, I met Qi Ya on the road. Was he sent by you?" Gu Xue asked suddenly.

At the mention of Qi Ya, Gu Wu’s pupils contracted, and he flinched, the greed in his eyes vanishing instantly. "Qi Ya? The 'Nightfall Swordsman' Qi Ya! You encountered him?"

Gu Wu couldn't help but look suspicious. He scanned the surroundings, finding no one else, which only deepened his doubts. With Mu Lei’s strength, it was impossible for him to protect Gu Xue’s life under Qi Ya’s blade. Could someone have helped them?

Countless thoughts raced through his mind, yet his face remained calm. "Cousin Xue, you wrong me. Why would I ever harm you? I am waiting for you to bear me a son."

"I thought as much," Gu Xue said calmly. "The Snow Rainbow bloodline within me—if others don't know, how could you, Cousin Wu, not know? It is a pity it is a recessive bloodline; otherwise, who would dare to act so insolently in my home? Don't you agree, Cousin Wu?"

The Snow Rainbow bloodline!

A wave of exclamations erupted from the guards around Gu Wu. The Snow Rainbow bloodline was the most powerful ever known in the Gu family. Once awakened, it would form beautiful, shimmering snow-hued rainbows around the user. No one in the Gu family was ignorant of it, for the condition to master the family's most formidable martial art, the Rainbow Blade, was the awakening of this bloodline.

For two hundred years, no young member of the Gu family had possessed the Snow Rainbow bloodline. Their thirst for it was beyond the comprehension of outsiders. Every child born was meticulously tested for it, but there was one type that could not be detected: the recessive bloodline.

A recessive bloodline only began to manifest after the age of sixteen. It could not be awakened, but those who possessed it had a high probability of passing the active Snow Rainbow bloodline to their offspring.

Gu Wu’s expression shifted. He had not expected Gu Xue to reveal this secret herself. His branch was not the only one in the Gu family; he was certain that by tonight, this news would spread to every branch.

In any case, he had to seize Gu Xue tonight and force the union; once it was done, there would be nothing anyone could do.

Gu Wu laughed heartily. "On such a snowy day, how could I let you freeze here? Come back with me, Cousin."

Gu Xue shook her head. "Thank you for your concern, Cousin Wu, but I am staying here tonight. I am not going anywhere."

Gu Wu smiled. "Da Wei, invite the young lady back to the estate."

A cold-faced man suddenly lunged toward Gu Xue.

Boom!

A fist suddenly appeared before Da Wei’s eyes. Da Wei’s pupils shrank, and he dug his toes into the ground, forcing himself to a halt. Mu Lei stood up, towering and imposing, his once-drunken eyes now radiating a piercing light.

"The young lady does not wish to leave. Who dares to lay a hand on her?"

Da Wei snorted coldly. "You’re courting death!"

Before anyone knew it, two daggers appeared in his hands. They were a vivid, shimmering blue—clearly coated with deadly poison. His figure flickered and vanished into thin air.

Mu Lei’s eyes suddenly widened, his voice booming like thunder: "Die!"

Cyan flames surged from his body. Amidst the fire, Mu Lei appeared like a war god. He clenched his right hand into a fist, the cyan flames converging at incredible speed, but he suddenly delivered a backward elbow strike!

Bang!

Flames scattered, and a figure was sent tumbling.

Da Wei flicked his daggers, shaking off the cyan flames, his expression turning grave.

"The Azure Sky Mu Lei—the reputation is well-deserved. It is said that those with the Azure Sky bloodline are loyal and brave. Mu Lei, if you are willing to follow me, I will treat you as my right-hand man!" Gu Wu said in a deep voice, his gaze toward Mu Lei burning with intensity.

"You?" Mu Lei gave a look of disdain, snorting, "Are you worthy?"

Gu Wu’s face darkened. "Since you are so stubborn, don't blame me for being ruthless. Da Wei, no need to leave him alive."

Da Wei said nothing. Wisps of mist began to rise from his body, swirling but not dissipating.

Mu Lei’s pupils contracted: "Mist Shadow!"

The Mist Shadow bloodline, a silver-tier bloodline, allowed the user to transform into mist, making them extremely difficult to deal with. However, Mu Lei felt no fear; his own Azure Sky bloodline was also a silver-tier bloodline.

Mu Lei roared, his cyan flames blazing.

He took a long stride, twisting his waist to throw a punch. The cyan flames gathered at his fist at a startling speed, spiraling around it.

Heaven-Spinning Fire Fist!

Da Wei moved like a ghost, trailing a shroud of mist, elusive and unpredictable.

Mu Lei fought speed with power, his movements heavy as a mountain, while Da Wei was erratic, fast as lightning. A cyan silhouette and a gray shadow intertwined, accompanied by deafening clashes. Wherever Da Wei moved, he brought his mist, and as the air grew thicker, Mu Lei began to struggle. The mist felt like invisible spiderwebs, trapping him tightly.

Mu Lei took a deep breath, shifted his stance, and suddenly unleashed a punch—a cyan fire cyclone shot out!

He threw punch after punch, and in the blink of an eye, twelve fire cyclones were released. They orbited Mu Lei, forming a ring of cyan fire that burned away the surrounding mist wherever it passed.

Da Wei suddenly accelerated, and the surrounding mist grew denser, pressing in on Mu Lei from all sides. The fast-moving fire cyclones began to slow down.

"Hah! Cousin Xue, it seems I must invite you personally!" Gu Wu laughed, leaping forward like a great bird toward Gu Xue.

"You insolent brat!" Mu Lei roared, thrusting both fists at the airborne Gu Wu.

Two cyan beams of light whistled through the air.

"Overestimating yourself!" Gu Wu sneered.

A layer of silver light flashed over his palms. Without dodging, he swiped lightly at the two cyan beams.

Puff!

The light beams were punctured as easily as soap bubbles.

A faint flush appeared on Gu Wu’s face, but it vanished as quickly as it came. Without changing his momentum, he continued his descent toward Gu Xue.

Mu Lei’s eyes were bloodshot. A blue, venomous dagger, like a swimming fish, silently appeared at Mu Lei’s side.

Slash!

Blood splattered, and the wound, stained with a ghostly blue fluorescence, looked terrifying. Mu Lei’s body went rigid as the blue poison spread with alarming speed.

"Hahahaha!" Seeing Gu Xue drawing closer, Gu Wu felt a burning desire. He laughed wildly, "Cousin Xue, from this day forth, you are mine!"

He extended his arm, his fingers hooking like claws.

"Get lost!" A strange voice suddenly exploded in Gu Wu’s ear.

Gu Wu’s eyes twitched. Before he could react, a fist rapidly expanded in his field of vision.

Damn it!

Gu Wu’s speed was naturally high, and while he had looked unfazed after blocking Mu Lei’s blows, it had been far from easy. This punch was incredibly fast—so fast he had no time to respond. In his panic, he could only raise his palms to shield his face.

Bang!

He felt a shocking force erupt from the front of his palms, as if he had been struck head-on by a swung heavy hammer. His figure was frozen in mid-air.

This is...

Before he could gasp, *thud*—a fist slammed into his abdomen. His body arched like a shrimp, his eyes bulging, his expression frozen.

D-damn... you...

"Young Master!" Da Wei was struck with terror. Without hesitation, he abandoned Mu Lei and lunged toward Tang Tian.

"Scum like you truly deserve to die!" A look of disgust flashed in Tang Tian’s eyes, filled with killing intent. When he arrived to witness this scene, a surge of righteous fury welled up within him.

Tang Tian charged straight at Da Wei.

You bastards, all of you go to hell! A fierce intent to kill permeated his heart. For the first time, he wanted nothing more than to destroy the people before him.

He did not hesitate, throwing himself into the fray.

He clenched his left hand into a fist, countless cracking vibration patterns held in his palm like a spiderweb—Tang Tian’s unique Vibration Fist!

Da Wei, rushing into the range of the vibration, suddenly faltered. The omnipresent vibrations struck his body, causing his muscles to stiffen.

This is... vibration!

Da Wei’s heart sank, but he remained unafraid. With a roar, he slashed his daggers toward Tang Tian, fast as lightning. Two ghostly blue light trails crisscrossed in the air.

A cold glint lit up in Tang Tian’s eyes. If Da Wei had used his Mist Shadow to drag out the fight, he might have found it troublesome. But in a direct confrontation, Tang Tian feared him not at all.

He took a deep breath, his chest and abdomen sinking as he channeled his inner strength, stiffening his right palm and pushing it out flat!

The palm print was as solid as a stone tablet.

Great Tablet Palm!

The blue light trails and the Great Tablet Palm print collided without any trickery.

The blue trails sank deep into the palm print; a fifth-tier martial art was no threat to Da Wei. Still, he did not let his guard down. He could not tell what bloodline this boy, who had suddenly burst onto the scene, had awakened. It was common to use bloodlines as trump cards in battle.

Without a bloodline, the Great Tablet Palm would never stop his "Blue Heart Sting"!

The Blue Heart Sting was a sixth-tier martial art; the difference of one tier meant their power was not on the same level.

Boom!

The Great Tablet Palm print burst without warning. Da Wei felt his daggers recoil, and he flickered his body to dissipate the force.

So that was the big trump card? Just Heaven Dragon Energy, and not even a high-level one.

Da Wei immediately judged the boy’s strength as fifth-tier, and his heart settled. Unless he had an extremely powerful bloodline, he was certain he would win today. Flipping his palms, he gripped his daggers in reverse, crouching like a beast about to pounce.

Da Wei’s figure vanished instantly.

Dazzling, cold blue light trails wove through the air, suddenly igniting in Tang Tian’s field of vision.

Tang Tian assumed a bizarre posture: a deep lunge, arms extended forward, fingers splayed, as if holding a giant sphere.

So, you’ve come?

His feet rooted into the ground, his waist sank.

A cold, blade-like light suddenly flashed in Tang Tian’s eyes.