C21 The Grudges Had Been Cleared

"Boom!" Another palace lay in ruins.

Xue Tiandao, his hair wild, swung his blade like a man possessed, slashing wildly in all directions.

In the midst of his frenzy, a corner of his white bamboo hat was severed, revealing half of his stern face.

"Crack!" Xue Tiandao's teeth shattered in rage.

"I knew it was you!"

"Jee Yun!"

"So you're alive after all, masquerading as a member of the Six Fans Gate. I should've known it was you, curse it!"

"Prepare to die!"

With Jee Yun's identity exposed, Xue Tiandao's fury knew no bounds. His nemesis stood before him, the same man who had slain his sole heir, Blood Childe.

Though the fate of Blood Asura remained unseen, Jee Yun's mere presence spoke volumes.

Xue Tiandao seethed with hatred.

His Red Rebel faction could have boasted four Martial Saints, ruling as the sovereign of the Four Palaces.

But now, Jee Yun had shattered all those dreams.

"Blood Extinguishing White Bone Technique!"

"Jee Yun, your end has come!"

"Ha ha ha! Had you fled after killing Blood Asura, you might have escaped my wrath, but you delivered yourself to my doorstep!"

"Today, you will witness the fruits of my decade-long preparation!" Xue Tiandao unleashed a flurry of slashes, each one narrowly evaded by Jee Yun.

Then, with a single stroke, he cleaved a crumbling palace in two.

"Boom!" Debris flew and the earth split open, revealing a vast, round pool that spanned a third of the ground.

A blood pool.

Filled with blood so thick, it could make one's head spin with just a glance.

Yet into this ghastly pool, Xue Tiandao plunged without hesitation.

"Hmm?"

"What's this?" Jee Yun hadn't anticipated a blood pool hidden beneath the hall, nor did he expect Xue Tiandao to recognize him from just half of his face.

But Jee Yun remained composed.

On Blood Robe Mountain, only they were left alive. The onlookers were gathered dozens of miles away, and with the continuous roar of collapsing structures, it was impossible for anyone to overhear the exchange between Xue Tiandao and himself.

"Blood obliterates the bones. With my life and soul, I shall cleave through the heavens with my blade!"

Xue Tiandao was submerged in a pool of blood, his face etched with crimson lines, giving him the visage of a demon.

Upon discovering that the man in the white robe was none other than Jee Yun, despair had already taken hold of Xue Tiandao's heart.

After a prolonged battle with Jee Yun, he realized that without resorting to forbidden techniques, it was futile to even think of sparing Jee Yun's life, much less ending it.

Xue Tiandao should have fled to preserve himself and sought refuge in the Star Domain.

But he knew that with the imminent emergence of the Starry Decree at Bayliers Peaks, fleeing now would forfeit his chance to enter the Star Domain.

And entering Bayliers Peaks would only lead to being hunted down by Jee Yun.

Moreover, the deep-seated vendetta for his slain son left him no choice but to seek vengeance.

Thus, Xue Tiandao was ready to sacrifice his own life in a final, desperate clash with Jee Yun.

"Xue Tiandao!"

"You've lost your mind!"

"If I'm not mistaken, that pool is full of blood, isn't it? How many have you slain to master this wicked power?" Jee Yun, detecting the pungent scent of blood, knew it was steeped with the lifeblood of countless victims.

He wiped a bead of blood from his white robe, his eyes glinting with an icy resolve.

"Hmph, mere mortals!"

"To kill is to kill. What more is there to discuss?"

"Rather than lamenting the dead, perhaps you should be concerned for your own fate, Venom God?"

"Ha! Today, you meet your end!" With those words, Xue Tiandao inhaled deeply, drawing the thick blood from the pool into himself.

As the blood pool drained, Xue Tiandao began to expand grotesquely, rising into the air like a blood-red balloon, eventually spinning aloft.

"What?"

"What sorcery is this? To stand suspended in thin air?"

Jee Yun had not anticipated Xue Tiandao's resort to such a bizarre and disgraceful technique, which nonetheless multiplied his strength manifold.

With a thunderous roar, Xue Tiandao swelled like an overinflated balloon, erupting into a frenzy as a torrential rain of blood burst forth from his being.

His body seemed unable to endure the drenching of blood, as if it would burst apart under the strain.

Yet, as the blood rain descended, the long blade in his grasp unleashed a blade aura so formidable it shook the heavens.

Incredibly, the Blood Sky Blade itself shattered, eventually reforming entirely from the blood into a brand-new, massive sword.

This sword was as vast as the dome of the sky, its curve reminiscent of a blood moon.

With a forceful swing from Xue Tiandao, it obscured the sky and cleaved through the air.

"Damn!"

"I've been too complacent!"

"I should never have allowed Xue Tiandao the opportunity to gather his strength!"

"Now, with his power increased tenfold, if I attempt to resist with the Three Yangs Body Refining Technique, I could be sliced to ribbons!"

"This blood blade's ferocity... am I doomed?" Jee Yun's expression tightened. He hadn't anticipated Xue Tiandao's ability to unleash such devastating power, and now he could sense the looming threat of death.

"Ten years!"

"Xuan Tian, will you finally be drawn from your sheath?"

In the nick of time, as Jee Yun faced peril, his Heavenly Sword erupted with a blinding white light.

With the burst of light, the blood rain vanished, and Jee Yun found his tranquility.

At that moment, although Xue Tiandao was surrounded by a maelstrom of blood Qi, causing the wilderness to wail mournfully, a peculiar calm settled within a hundred-meter radius of Jee Yun.

"Ten years to nurture a sword!"

"Today, I shall reveal its power!"

"Xue Tiandao, consider yourself privileged; this sword wasn't even meant for you!"

Jee Yun's heart was a bastion of peace, yet his hands shook as he, in harmony with the Mysterious Heaven Sword, unleashed an unrivaled Sword Qi.

This Sword Qi blazed like the sun, incinerating all that was wicked.

"Thump! Thump!"

"Thump! Thump!"

As Jee Yun drew his sword, it was as though he could hear the pulse, the breath of the Mysterious Heaven Sword.

It was as if the sword had been imbued with life.

He knew, in this moment, the sword in his hand had awakened.

This was the true essence of the Sword Nurturing Technique.

"Perish!" The thunderous sound erupted, a mix of Xue Tiandao's roar and Jee Yun's icy command.

"Puchi!"

A flash of white light pierced the air.

The sun shone brightly, its rays reaching a thousand miles.

In an instant, all impurities vanished, and hatred dissipated.

Blood Cloth Mountain found its tranquility once more.

"Chi! Chi! Chi! Chi!" Xue Tiandao's body, akin to a deflating balloon, hovered midair, yet the blood energy that once cloaked him was gone.

Following this, the blood blade in his grasp dissolved as if it were snowflakes kissed by sunlight.

His form radiated countless beams of white light.

Ultimately, even his spite-filled eyes emitted a brilliant white glow.

"Ahhh!"

"I refuse to accept this, Ji..."

His protest cut short, Xue Tiandao's voice ceased abruptly as his body burst into a mist of blood, scattering in all directions.

"Dust to dust, earth to earth!"

"Xue Tiandao, today, we settle our scores!" Jee Yun flicked his wrist, and a surge of Genuine Qi infused the earth, rejuvenating the ravaged woodland.

Meanwhile, a tidal surge of emotion welled up within Jee Yun.

"Who would have thought that Xue Tiandao could unleash power rivaling a Star Refiner, bestowing upon me such an abundance of skill points, and even a bonus attribute point?"

A casual swipe at the interface revealed an unexpected bounty: his skill points, previously depleted, now boasted an additional fifty.

And there it was—one solitary attribute point.

What did this mean?

Defeating Xue Tiandao yielded a reward surpassing that of vanquishing ten average Martial Saints.

"These fifty skill points will elevate my Sword Nurturing Technique and Sword Drawing Arts to masterful heights!"

"As for the attribute point, I'll accumulate it over time."