"Master!"
The moment the door cracked open, Hua heard the shout from behind her. She ignored it, pushing the door fully open with a bit more force—
Instantly, sword light flared from all directions, the sound of blades slicing through the air converging on her.
Instead of retreating, she stepped forward into the room.
With a sweep of her long sleeves, she deflected the sword Qi from her left and right. A youth with delicate features, his right hand grasping empty air, had already dashed before her, a sword thrusting straight at her heart.
But she didn't even blink. Her left foot flicked out, tapping precisely on the youth's right wrist. Then, mimicking his earlier action, her right hand clenched thin air, and a large, crimson sword materialized within it.
Then, under the youth's terrified gaze, the sword that should have been his—the Crimson Shadow—slashed diagonally downwards in her grasp. The fierce sword Qi left several deep, bone-visible gashes on his handsome, almost feminine face.
"Ah—!"
Hua didn't press her attack on the youth, as sword Qi assailed her again from both sides. Holding the longsword in a reverse grip, she casually swung out twice, neutralizing both attacks. Her sword Qi was incredibly potent, not only crushing their assaults with overwhelming force but also surging menacingly towards her attackers.
Hua's eyes darted around, taking the opportunity to identify them— "Wanru... Suyin..."
The sword Qi reached them in the blink of an eye. Just then, a sharp cry came from directly ahead:
"First Senior Sister!"
Su Mei forcefully threw her twin swords, not at Hua, but faster than the incoming sword Qi. Launched later, they arrived first, intercepting the attacks aimed at Wanru and Suyin, blocking the potentially fatal blows for them.
At this moment, Hua's left foot, which she had lifted earlier, hadn't yet touched the ground. Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her right ankle. Her entire body lost its balance, tilting diagonally to the right.
"Chaoyu!"
The situation reversed in an instant. Wanru caught the swords Su Mei had thrown and, alongside her sister, rushed towards Hua, expertly severing the tendons in both her hands. Su Mei snatched the 'Inked Perfume' sword from the still-hesitating Suyin and, in one breath, stabbed Hua over a dozen times in the chest.
But even this wasn't enough to kill an immortal.
And so, the one who hadn't yet acted finally delivered the decisive strike.
It was an incredibly clear sword light. The wielder hadn't comprehended any particular sword intent, so the longsword in her hand remained unchanged, devoid even of killing intent...
Yet, it was still the sharpest sword strike Hua had ever witnessed in her life. Even the empty void seemed torn apart by this sword Qi. Everything superfluous recoiled outwards, forming a series of ring-like barriers.
By the time the glittering sword tip reached her, the sound of the thrust hadn't even reached Hua's ears—a sword technique delivered by a mere mortal body had somehow broken multiple sound barriers in an instant!
In desperation, Hua swung the Crimson Shadow, intercepting the sword tip just as it was about to touch the space between her eyebrows. The two swords clashed. The golden longsword shattered into countless fragments upon contact, but the strike still landed—the attacker had anticipated this, the golden sword merely a feint.
Her true sword Qi, concealed between two fingers, pierced precisely into the center of Hua's brow. A fatal blow.
In her final moments, Hua saw the girl's already streaked black hair turn snow-white in an instant. She only had time to utter the girl's name:
"Ling Shuang..."
—It should have happened like this. It would have happened like this. Everything would have unfolded this way, if one ignored the few feathers fluttering down unnoticed in a corner.
Fenghuang Down returned to stillness, and Hua retracted her consciousness. Just like in the illusion, she heard the call from behind her:
"Master, don't—"
Everything seemed identical to the preceding vision, yet Hua pushed the door open without hesitation.
The door slammed heavily against the wall with a dull thud. Sword Qi should have attacked from the left and right at this moment, but... nothing. Something had changed...
Hua swept her gaze sideways. Suyin clutched the Inked Perfume, eyes fixed on the ground, trembling uncontrollably, showing no intention of attacking. On the other side, the two sisters were only just snapping out of their daze, drawing their swords from their embrace.
Hua stood still for a full breath's time before the sisters' weak thrusts finally arrived. She simply flicked the dried leaf held between her fingers. The leaf traced an arc through the air, effortlessly pushing the sisters back without harming them in the slightest.
She turned her gaze back. The handsome youth had already rushed before her, his hand grasping empty air just like in the vision. And just like in the vision, Hua flicked her left foot, hitting his wrist precisely. She snatched the Crimson Shadow and slashed diagonally down towards the youth's delicate, almost feminine face.
She watched his pupils contract, then instantly fill with resignation. He even closed his eyes, facing the blow without dodging... Her sword hand paused for a fraction of a second, and then...
Clang!
Su Mei crossed her twin swords, blocking the blow just in front of the youth. Then, just as in the vision, she cried out:
"First Senior Sister!"
Hua's heart clenched violently. Only this strike, the one from behind, she still hadn't figured out how to deal with it.
So, she did nothing...
But no pain came from her right ankle. Instead, her right leg was caught in a tight embrace.
Then came an exceptionally sorrowful scream:
"Master, don't..."
Hua froze, but not because of Chaoyu's cry. It was because...
The sword strike that could take her life had finally appeared...
"Ling Shuang..."
But she felt no panic, for she had already read Ling Shuang's choice from the leaf by the door.
But if that's the case, why did she still attack...?
The strike was unbelievably fast, even faster than in the vision. Had her judgment been wrong?
No, Hua's judgment was sound. Because that strike wasn't aimed at her. It grazed past the hair at her temple, heading straight for the person standing behind her...
It seemed only when Ling Shuang launched this attack did everyone finally notice the unfamiliar man standing just behind and to the side of their Master.
And by the time they registered this fact, Ling Shuang's longsword had already streaked past Hua's ear, aiming straight for the man's glabella.
"Oh? Hehe..."
Perhaps it was an illusion, but in that critical instant, the man's soft chuckle seemed to echo clearly in everyone's mind.
With that chuckle, the entire world felt submerged in water. Every movement became incredibly sluggish, as if deliberately slowed down so everyone could clearly see what was happening...
Only Hua knew that the "water" was time itself. The movements weren't "sluggish"; the flow of time had been slowed to an absolute crawl.
Then, under everyone's gaze, the silver-haired man slowly and gently extended his right index finger, pointing it directly at the sharp sword tip.
The razor-sharp tip met the seemingly ordinary fingertip. Instantly, it was the longsword that shattered.
But no one had time to be shocked, because they all knew this strike from Ling Shuang was merely a feint.
The true killing blow, that invincible, sharp sword Qi, was held between Ling Shuang's two fingers.
And so, two fingers met one. Even with time slowed to its extreme, the collision still occurred in the blink of an eye—
BOOM!
An invisible shockwave swept outwards. The small room was instantly flattened. Ling Shuang's finger-sword strike hit empty space, unable to advance an inch, as if an invisible barrier had stopped the sure-hit attack.
"This is—!"
"Alright."
Hua finally spoke.
"Stand down, Ling Shuang."
The girl's face was expressionless as always, as if nothing had happened, showing no sign of having been locked in a life-or-death struggle moments ago.
Hearing Hua's voice, a flicker of life returned to her face, and she obediently took a step back... only half a step.
She abruptly halted her retreat, shock rapidly spreading through her eyes.
There were two reasons for her shock—
First, the reason she had attacked: As one of the only two present who had grasped Sword Essence and reached Sword God level, she was the first among the seven disciples to notice the man's presence. But she hadn't attacked merely because he was there.
Under Ling Shuang's perception, this man's body contained an unimaginable ocean of internal energy, almost merging with the ambient energy of the void itself. If he weren't standing there alive, judging by Taixuan Sword Ki perception alone, he seemed like a mere aggregation of energy...
And such symptoms bore an extreme resemblance to Qi Deviation...
Although she didn't agree with the sect rule "Those who succumb to deviation must be eliminated," it was a principle drilled into her for years. Before she knew it, she had launched that strike.
But what shocked her even more was the second point—
The residual shockwave from their clash had pulverized the small room. That itself wasn't surprising, but...
The scattered debris, dust, and wooden beams were now reassembling at an unbelievable speed, just like... just like...
Just like time itself was flowing backward!
"No need to be tense."
Noticing her reaction, the man smiled faintly and gestured with open hands.
"Just a few minor tricks. Besides, your focus shouldn't be on me right now, should it?"
Ling Shuang nodded involuntarily.
Apart from her, the others were naturally surprised by Michael's appearance, but not overly concerned. Everyone except Ling Shuang had their eyes fixed on Hua.
After all, for them, the most important thing at this moment was—the assassination had failed.
Master was unharmed, easily neutralizing all their attacks... No, not all. Some of them hadn't even drawn their swords.
Hua swallowed, her expression complex as she took a step forward.
Clang—
Su Mei's twin swords fell to the ground.
Hua took another step forward. Su Mei stumbled back in tandem until she hit the now-restored chair, her legs giving way, causing her to slump onto it.
"Master!"
The familiar cry came again. This time, Lin Chaoyu directly hugged Hua's legs.
Yanqing also dropped to his knees with a thud in front of Hua, creating a negligible distance between Master and Second Senior Sister.
"If Master intends to kill Second Senior Sister, then kill me along with her!"
Soon, Wanxi and Wanru silently knelt at Hua's feet. Suyin threw down the Inked Perfume. She considered kneeling like her seniors but decided instead to walk to her Master's side and tug firmly on her sleeve.
"Sigh..."
Hua closed her eyes, her sigh echoing in the restored room.
"If Ling Shuang's strike just now had been aimed at me, would any of you have blocked it for me?"
No one answered. They just lowered their heads further.
"I know what you're thinking. Fine, get up. Don't make yourselves a laughingstock for outsiders."
Hua's tone returned to its usual indifference. Hearing this, the disciples hesitated for a moment before unevenly raising their heads to look at the person they assumed was the "outsider."
Michael shrugged, rolled his eyes, and then the sound of hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.
Only then did everyone understand that the outsider Master referred to wasn't this suddenly appeared man, but the three Raksha people who had arrived yesterday...
Uh, looking at this man's hair color and features, he seemed like a Raksha person too...
Hua let out a heavy breath. Her legs were still tightly held by Lin Chaoyu, preventing her from moving. She could only turn her head and look pleadingly at Michael.
"Alright."
Michael spread his hands. "I'll handle those two."
"Thank you for your trouble."
Hua had intended to say this more formally, but just as the words were about to leave her lips, she inexplicably changed her mind.
Her eyelids lowered, her head dipped slightly, and then her lips moved, producing an extremely faint sound:
"Thanks."
Even knowing the timing was inappropriate, the disciples looked at their Master with considerable surprise.
This tone... this expression... they had never seen it on their Master before, at least not that they could recall.
Even Michael was caught off guard. His mouth twitched twice. He took a step back, flustered, nearly tripping over the threshold again.
Finally steadying himself, he quickly took a deep breath and slowly exhaled.
"I... Heh, between us..."
Seeing the footsteps outside drawing nearer, Michael could only offer an awkward smile before turning and practically fleeing.
He quickly walked out of the room, waved dismissively without looking back, and the door creaked shut behind him.
"Phew..."
Michael took several deep breaths, then shoved his hands in his pockets and strolled leisurely towards the courtyard exit.
He hadn't taken more than a couple of steps when Otto and Kallen rushed into the courtyard side-by-side.
"You are—"
Seeing a completely unfamiliar face, and connecting it to the loud noise from earlier, various possibilities flashed through Kallen's mind. But in just a brief encounter, there was no time for deep thought. She acted on instinct, making the judgment she deemed most correct—
Whoever this person was, he was definitely connected to the earlier commotion. Friend or foe, restrain him first!
And that was Judah's specialty!
With this thought, Kallen quickly grasped the necklace around her neck. The next moment, the massive golden cross appeared before her, and countless golden chains surged towards Michael.
Based on Kallen's experience, anyone bound by Judah's chains would lose the ability to fight using Honkai Energy. In all her years of combat, the only one to break this rule so far had been the Immortal Celestial herself.
Dozens of thick golden chains wrapped tightly around the man before her. He offered no resistance the entire time, simply staring at her with a smile that made her skin crawl.
Just as she hesitated, wondering whether to question him in Shenzhou dialect or another language, he spoke first:
"Almost, but not quite."
Michael shook his head. Though he seemingly did nothing, the chains snapped and fell away on their own.
He looked at Kallen again, his eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly. She suddenly felt her entire body go limp, all her strength drained—
"This is impossible... Judah's... How can it affect me!"
All of this happened in just two or three seconds. By the time the outcome between them was decided, Otto finally reacted. In this situation, he couldn't afford to hide anything. His right hand made a comical grasping motion, pointing at Michael.
But this was no joke. The next instant, a golden light bloomed in his hand, and a pistol Kallen knew all too well appeared. Otto pulled the trigger without hesitation.
Bang!
Michael reached out, caught the faint flame projectile fired by the mimicked Judgment of Shamash in his palm, and ruthlessly snuffed it out.
Otto wanted to fire again, but this was his first time using the Void Archives to construct a Divine Key. Despite a night of study, maintaining it for a single shot was his current limit.
Thus, he could only watch in despair as the golden light dissipated in his hand.
"I say, was it really necessary to attack me head-on like that? Don't you know that's quite rude? Hmm, especially you, Otto."
Kallen gritted her teeth, trying to stand, but Otto once again stepped in front of her.
"Wait, you are..."
Hearing the man's voice, Otto's pupils contracted. He hesitated.
"Void Archives?"
Michael held up an index finger.
"First, my name isn't Void Archives. Second... never mind. Anyway, thanks for bringing me to Mount Taixuan."
"What happened in the room behind you? Where is the Immortal Celestial?"
Although he had anticipated something, Otto still felt his head spinning slightly. He quickly grasped the core issue.
"There was a small problem, but it's resolved now. Thanks to what you did yesterday."
Michael shrugged, speaking nonchalantly.
"Yesterday?"
Otto raised an eyebrow, understanding dawning in his mind.
"Anyway, the matter is settled. Hua... the Immortal Celestial is wrapping things up, but this is Mount Taixuan's internal affair. Given your special identities, it's best you don't get involved."
Otto nodded thoughtfully. Right in front of Michael, he turned and helped Kallen up. Kallen naturally didn't understand their veiled conversation. She wanted to struggle, but Otto whispered something in her ear, and she allowed him to carry her away obediently.
Michael shook his head, wandered around the courtyard a couple of times, figured enough time had passed, and walked back to the room door.
He naturally raised his hand to knock, but just as his knuckles were about to touch the door, he hesitated and withdrew his hand.
"Forget it, Hua should be able to handle it..."
As he thought this, the door opened on its own.
"Hm?"
Inside, the seven disciples stood in two lines. First Disciple Lin Chaoyu led Ling Shuang and Suyin on the right. Su Mei stood with Yanqing, Wanxi, and Wanru on the left. Hua sat where Su Mei had been, staring blankly at the empty floor tiles.
When the door opened, some light returned to her eyes, reflecting Michael's figure.
"Finished dealing with it?" Michael asked, arms crossed, half-jokingly.
However, Hua shook her head wearily.
Michael was about to say more, but Hua cleared her throat forcefully, and then an ethereal voice echoed directly in his mind:
"Michael... help me one more time..."