C17 Killing Intent Had Already Risen

"Using lipstick?!"

Jee Yun's question was born of pure curiosity, but to Xiao Yu, it was music to his ears, a satisfying release from the pent-up frustration in his heart.

Conversely,

the blood-robed youth's reaction to Jee Yun's inquiry was far less pleasant. His once handsome features contorted violently, his forehead veins throbbing for all to see.

Warriors and scions of noble families alike instinctively stepped back, widening the gap between themselves and Jee Yun and Xiao Yu.

"Hehe!"

"Senior may not be aware, but this 'Dead Demon,' known as Blood Childe, has lips crimson as blood!"

"But it's not the work of any woman's lipstick!"

"It's a sinister technique from the Red Rebel!"

"It's said that only the sect master's chosen disciples can learn this dark art, which requires consuming a woman's heart blood and employing a secret method to master it!"

"Yet, until the technique is perfected, their lips remain perpetually red—a fitting penalty, if you ask me!"

Young Master Yu from the Six Fans Gate, Xiao Yu, let out a derisive chuckle before spilling the secrets without reservation.

Jee Yun was momentarily taken aback, but his eyes quickly frosted over.

He had always wondered why Xue Tiandao's son had such unnaturally red lips, considering it wasn't a trait passed down from his father.

Was it some bizarre illness?

Now, with Xiao Yu's revelations, everything clicked into place.

"And who might you be?"

"You don't seem to be on our guest list, are you?" Feeling Jee Yun's icy gaze, the blood-robed youth's eyes narrowed into slits, his stare venomous.

Regrettably, he couldn't discern the face beneath the bamboo hat.

"Me?"

"I'm simply a messenger."

Jee Yun faced the viper-like Blood Childe, the corners of his mouth, hidden beneath his hat, curving into a frosty smirk.

He sensed the murderous intent emanating from the young man before him.

The Red Rebel was indeed a breeding ground for prodigies.

Xue Tiandao's sole offspring, Blood Asura, and now the Blood Childe before him—all were Martial Grandmasters, and all remarkably young.

Given enough time, they might all have achieved the status of Martial Saints.

Imagine the splendor of a sect boasting four Martial Saints.

Regrettably, the emergence of such talent and power came at a cruel cost.

It was a foundation laid upon the lives of the innocent.

The consumption of a woman's heart blood for cultivation—one drop equated to one life.

How many innocents must perish to master such a sinister technique?

Jee Yun had initially intended to claim only Xue Tiandao's life, but now, he believed this sect had lost its right to exist.

"So, you're a courier. Whose message are you delivering, and what's the content?" Blood Childe, oblivious to the impending peril, scrutinized Jee Yun, who exhibited no signs of true qi, and his disdain was evident.

"I'm delivering a message to an old acquaintance of Xue Tiandao!"

"The message is that Blood Asura is no more," Jee Yun stated calmly. His voice was soft, yet it reverberated through the mountains, leaving every warrior rooted in shock.

"Blood Asura is dead?" someone cried out, clearly skeptical.

"Blood Asura and Blood Childe are the celebrated prodigies of the Red Rebel!"

"He was poised to be the Blood Blade Sect's next leader. How could he possibly be dead?"

The warriors were as if confronted with a tall tale, and Xiao Yu was initially among the skeptics.

But his heart surged with elation. He had suspected a feud between Jee Yun and the Red Rebel when Jee Yun had sought to purchase the bamboo hat.

Now, with the news of Blood Asura's demise,

Xiao Yu surmised that Jee Yun was the killer—a vendetta that was far from trivial.

Given Blood Asura's formidable abilities, there were few in the mortal realm capable of such a feat.

And among those who could, who would dare cross the Blood Blade Sect?

"Dead?"

"Let him be dead!"

"If he hadn't died out there, he would've eventually met his end at my hands! The Red Rebel needs only one heir, and that's me!" Blood Childe was initially taken aback.

Yet, against all expectations,

after a brief moment of astonishment, Blood Childe, barely eighteen, uttered such a declaration.

Jee Yun's pupils narrowed, his resolve to kill solidifying further.

"Absolutely, spot on!"

"The disciples of the Red Rebel truly surpass their masters!" Jee Yun proclaimed, his gaze drifting to the grand hall atop the peak. "But aren't you curious about who killed Blood Asura?"

"Huh? Who did kill him?"

"Could it be you who did the deed?" Blood Childe's eyes narrowed as he observed Jee Yun mounted on the Dragon Horse, his lofty demeanor irking him.

Upon hearing Jee Yun's inquiry, Blood Childe's mind raced with schemes.

"Xiao Yu, you've got some nerve!"

"How dare you, from the Six Fans Gate, kill our brethren from the Red Rebel and then brazenly attend our banquet?" Blood Childe didn't wait for Jee Yun to respond. With a fierce shout, he drew the blood-red blade from his waist.

"Red Rebel disciples, to arms! Seize these two Six Fans Gate scoundrels!"

Blood Childe had been biding his time, but now he sprang into action like a tempest, commanding all Red Rebel disciples to unsheathe their blades.

"Clang!"

"Clang! Clang!" A flurry of blood-red blades flashed, leaving the warriors, who had come merely to feast, in stunned silence.

They had never imagined witnessing such a confrontation within the Red Rebel's stronghold.

Rumors had long circulated that the Red Rebel would eventually confront the Six Fans Gate, but wasn't that supposed to be years from now?

At the very least, after the celestial battle.

With the Star Platform battle imminent and the celestial conflict at Bayliers Peaks about to unfold, did the Red Rebel not fear a mutual downfall with the Six Fans Gate, jeopardizing the contest for the Starry Decree?

The martial artists in attendance, from the scions of great families to the least among them, a Martial Grandmaster, all had insights into the celestial battle.

Their presence signified a truce, not to vie for the Starry Decree against Xue Tiandao.

Yet, no one anticipated such a twist of fate.

"Blood Wuheng!"

"Stop your baseless accusations! Since our last clash, I haven't even laid eyes on Blood Asura. How could his demise be the work of my Six Fans Gate?"

Xiao Yu brandished his iron fan with a flourish, his voice booming in shock. He hadn't anticipated the Blood Childe's swift decisiveness.

The attack came without warning.

Surrounded by a sea of Red Rebel disciples, even a Martial Grandmaster like him started to panic.

But as Xiao Yu was about to defend himself, Jee Yun, standing beside him, interjected.

"Yes, I was the one who killed him!"

Jee Yun's straightforward admission nearly sent Xiao Yu tumbling to the ground.

"Senior... You..." Xiao Yu, pointing at Jee Yun, was at a loss for words, torn between reproach and fear.

Yet, he couldn't shake the feeling that Jee Yun had played him for a fool.

Jee Yun had joined the Red Rebel under the guise of a Six Fans Gate member. Now, by openly confessing to the murder of Blood Asura, he risked igniting a war between the two factions.

And to think, Xiao Yu had hoped to persuade Jee Yun to align with the Six Fans Gate.

"What's there to fear, Xiao Yu?"

"Today marks the downfall of the Red Rebel at the hands of the Six Fans Gate. Beyond this day, within Irongate, the Six Fans Gate will stand unchallenged, the Red Rebel a mere memory!"

"Those of you here who are unaffiliated with the Red Rebel, I advise you to leave the mountain now!"

"And to the Red Rebel disciples, heed my words. Leave now, and you may spare your lives!" With a dismissive wave of his hand, Jee Yun left no room for Xiao Yu to interject. Mounted atop his Dragon Horse, his true qi roared, his voice echoing across the valleys and hills.

The crowd was left utterly dumbfounded.

"Destroy the Red Rebel?"

"Am I hearing this right? The Six Fans Gate is set on wiping out the Red Rebel?"

The scions of the great families, hidden within the masses, gaped at Jee Yun, their eyes nearly popping out of their sockets.

They assessed the formidable presence of the Red Rebel, then turned their gaze to Jee Yun, suspecting a jest.

But as the finality of Jee Yun's declaration unleashed a tempest, snapping trees and sending Red Rebel disciples reeling back in bloodied retreat, they realized Jee Yun was dead serious.

It seemed less like a joke and more like they were trapped in an illusion.