Du Xiaoyan felt as though her life was unraveling with the gleam of that deadly axe. The brilliant light of the Ghost Axe seemed to illuminate not just the rain-soaked street, but also the final, radiant moment of her existence.
"To live like a summer flower—glorious, if only for an instant."That was what San Shao had once whispered in her ear, long ago, when he held her gently in his arms. The words now echoed in her mind as death loomed.
Yet, in that brief instant between lightning and thunder, life and death, a strange serenity washed over her.
She felt no fear of death. As she watched San Shao charge toward her, her rain-drenched face broke into the most beautiful, brilliant smile of her life.
Then came the voice—deep, like the earth groaning.
"Time shows no mercy!"
The shout cracked through the rain-filled night like thunder, and for a heartbeat, everything... stopped. The world seemed to pause. Rain hung suspended in midair. The arc of Du Gongfu's axe slowed, just barely.
Time, for a fleeting moment no longer than a blink, ceased to flow naturally.But that was enough—enough for someone not bound by this frozen moment to act.
In the next instant, the world resumed. The rain fell fast again. The axe gleamed like lightning.
Screech—BOOM!First came the sharp tear of silk, then the thunderous explosion of internal energy. The Ghost Axe struck flesh.
But Du Gongfu's face did not show victory—only disbelief, terror, and shock.
Because the one he had struck was not Du Xiaoyan. It was San Shao.
Somehow, San Shao had leapt in front of her, arms wide, shielding her with his own body—and had taken the full blow to the back.
His outer robe split open, revealing the shimmering "Golden Silk Armor," a legendary treasure said to be impenetrable by blade or flame. And yet, even this mystical armor bore a shallow cut from Du Gongfu's full-force strike.
The spiritual energy in the axe burst upon impact, and though the armor absorbed most of it, a fraction still pierced through.
San Shao had used every bit of his inner power to execute a desperate dash. With nothing left to defend himself, the shock of the blow hurled both him and Xiaoyan forward through the rain.
A trail of blood slipped from the corner of San Shao's mouth, staining Xiaoyan's smooth forehead. Yet as he looked into her eyes, his smile remained warm and gentle.
From the side, a figure streaked in like a shooting star. It was Qiao Wei—the very one who had frozen time for that fleeting moment using his forbidden technique: "Time Shows No Mercy."
He caught both of them in his arms, but his body shuddered under the strain. Even a man like Qiao Wei could barely withstand such a long-distance, full-power technique. And now, to catch the wounded duo mid-fall?
As he cradled them, Qiao Wei staggered and spat a mouthful of hot blood.
Killing a man like Du Gongfu might still be beyond San Shao's reach, but not Qiao Wei's. Yet to save someone from a full-force deathblow? Even for the two of them, it was a desperate gamble.
Because killing is easy. Saving—truly saving—is hard.
Even with power enough to move mountains and split seas, how many lives can a pair of hands truly hold onto?
That night, both San Shao and Qiao Wei had learned the answer.
Suddenly—fwoosh!—a sharp sound cut through the night air.
Du Gongfu snapped his head toward the sound, startled, but saw nothing—nothing at all approaching him.
And yet, every fiber of his being screamed: danger!
He instinctively raised his axe to block.
Crack!An invisible force exploded against the flat of the blade. A shockwave burst outward, three feet in every direction.
Caught unprepared, Du Gongfu had only enough time to shield his vital core. The axe could only guard a two-foot radius. The rest of his chest—unprotected—was blasted open.
His clothes disintegrated. His flesh tore. Blood sprayed.
It was the Jingji Finger—the Finger of Silent Shatter. Known to shatter the silence of the world, its deeper meaning was the silence that shatters hearts.
Its true mastery lies not in being invisible and soundless—but in being nothing at all, until it devastates everything.
Had that strike reached its highest form, Du Gongfu would have died on the spot.
From ten paces away, Tie Xuanxuan collapsed. She had pushed herself far beyond her limit. Her body, now void of all inner power, was caught by Li Xiaoye as she fell.
Du Gongfu now realized—this street was no longer his to control. Too many powerful figures had emerged. Victory was impossible.
He made his choice.
Using the recoil of the Jingji Finger's impact, he turned and leapt back with all the speed he could muster.
San Shao was wounded. Qiao Wei was wounded. Tie Xuanxuan was spent. Du Xiaoyan wouldn't strike him. Li Xiaoye lacked the strength. No one here could stop him.
No one—except one.
A voice, low and thunderous, rang out:
"Phantom Demon Palm!"
A crystalline, dream-like hand emerged from nowhere, as if the air itself had been torn open. It intercepted Du Gongfu's escape, defying both space and reason.
Du Gongfu spun and slashed his axe at it. A flash like lightning split the sky.
Clang!The strike met the hand. Sparks flew. The sound of metal echoed like a temple bell.
Du Gongfu trembled and coughed a torrent of blood.
The blade of his Ghost Axe glittered—then shattered into a spray of crystal dust.
Before him stood Li Gu Ding, the Phantom Demon Lord himself. Rain parted around him without touching his body. His white hair and beard swayed in the still air.
Du Gongfu stared, stunned. "Li Gu Ding… the Phantom Demon Lord. And Qiao Qitian, wielder of Time's Wrath... I never imagined such titans would converge in this small, nameless city. Seems I've lost everything tonight."
Li Gu Ding's eyes burned with contempt."You used your full power to kill your own daughter. You dare call yourself a father? Even I—a self-proclaimed old devil—find your actions disgraceful. Raising my hand against filth like you… it soils my Phantom Demon Palm."
He stepped forward. Du Gongfu, bloodied and weary, was forced to retreat… step by step, until he was back where his escape had begun.
Now seven people stood around him.
Du Xiaoyan, supporting San Shao, approached with sorrow in her eyes. Tu Hong emerged from the shadows, guilt written all over his face, though rage shimmered beneath. Li Xiaoye held the weakened Tie Xuanxuan close. The rain had ceased, but the air remained heavy, the street slick with memory and blood.
Du Gongfu looked around, then sneered."So, this is how it ends. Betrayed even by my own men."
Tu Hong looked down in shame, then raised his voice. "Yes, I betrayed you. But you betrayed us first! You allied with the Demon Sect! You tried to kill your own daughter! And why? Because you feared you might not defeat San Shao in a fair fight. You wanted to break his spirit. But if you had fought him honorably and lost, I would still respect you. This? This I can never forgive."
Du Gongfu scoffed. "Fool. That's why I became Lord of Tianping Manor. And you—you were just a guard."
Du Xiaoyan trembled. "Father… am I… am I nothing more than a tool to you?"
Du Gongfu's face darkened. Then he sighed."No, Xiaoyan. Today I die anyway, so I may as well tell you the truth. I'm not your real father."
"What…?" she gasped. "That's not true… You're lying…"
A twisted smile crept across his bloodied face."I've worn the mask of a kind father for decades. Might as well rip it off before I die. You want to know why I cherished you so? It's because you're the daughter of the only woman I ever loved. A woman who betrayed me—married a weakling. A pathetic scholar with no power, no fame…"