Chapter 66: The Duel of Life and Death—His Day of Doom

Friend?

Jun Wushuang was momentarily taken aback.

Beiming Ye was the heiress of the Beiming clan and, even more, a celestial-level student at the Imperial Martial Academy. As for herself, not only was she a student at the Qingyun Martial Academy, but she was also locked in a life-and-death feud with the Nangong clan.

No matter how one looked at it, neither side seemed suited for friendship.

Moreover, there had never been any prior connection between Jun Wushuang and Beiming Ye.

Could it be that she had discovered my true identity as Master Jun?

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend.”

“I want you to kill Nangong Tianxuan!”

Beiming Ye spoke, her voice cold and devoid of emotion.

The four great clans had long been embroiled in both open and covert struggles, their grievances festering over the years. Beiming Ye and Nangong Tianxuan, heirs of their respective clans, were both students at the Imperial Martial Academy, making clashes inevitable and their conflict ever-escalating.

Yet Beiming Ye, for one, excelled in assassination but not in open battle. For another, the elders of both families kept a tight watch, leaving her with no opportunity to strike at Nangong Tianxuan from the shadows.

Thus, the killing intent she harbored had lain dormant in her heart—until the arrival of Jun Wushuang.

Because of Ji Qingchen’s manipulation, Nangong Lei had gone to Jiangning City and ultimately died at Jun Wushuang’s hands. Added to that, Nangong Tianxuan had been publicly humiliated with a slap, Nangong Hao executed before witnesses, and Nangong Qing grievously wounded and stripped of all dignity.

All this had sealed the unending enmity between Jun Wushuang and the Nangong clan. Yet with the Prince of Zhennan as her backer, the Nangong clan, though they hated her to the core, dared not move against her openly.

All of these developments gave Beiming Ye hope.

She had originally planned to wait and observe as events unfolded. But after the conclusion of the pill auction, she noticed Nangong Xiong leave early. Quietly following him, she witnessed everything that transpired, and then intervened to save the day.

“Miss Beiming, thank you for your timely help tonight. I will never forget this favor,” Jun Wushuang said, her tone sincere. “As for Nangong Tianxuan, rest assured—I will kill him, and Nangong Xiong as well, and slaughter every last member of the Nangong clan.”

She had guessed Beiming Ye’s intentions. Beiming Ye was making use of her, but Jun Wushuang did not resent it. After all, the Nangong clan was her sworn enemy to begin with.

Besides, if not for Beiming Ye’s intervention tonight, she would likely have perished here.

A life saved must be repaid.

“Remember what you’ve said.”

With a slight nod, Beiming Ye’s figure flickered and melted into the darkness, vanishing from sight.

“Beiming Ye…”

Watching her recede into the shadows, Jun Wushuang’s gaze grew profound.

Beiming Ye’s appearance had been an unexpected twist, yet also a stroke of fortune. The four great clans were far from united; their infighting was fierce and unending. The enmity between Beiming Ye and Nangong Tianxuan could well be seen as the strife between the Beiming and Nangong clans.

Perhaps, she thought, the Beiming clan could be the blade to destroy the Nangong clan, until not a soul remained.

Nangong Tianxuan.

Nangong Xiong.

Nangong Qing.

These three had now been etched onto Jun Wushuang’s list of those who must die.

“I can tolerate your schemes against me, but if you dare harm Mengyao, I swear you will pay for it in blood!”

Her eyes were awash with crimson, her gaze wild with savagery and madness.

Kill, kill, kill!

She would slaughter every last member of the Nangong clan!

If this vendetta went unanswered, she swore she was unworthy to be called human!

…

“Xiong’er, what happened? How did you end up so gravely wounded?”

Inside the Nangong clan compound.

At this moment, Nangong Qing’s expression changed drastically at the sight of Nangong Xiong, bloodied and severely injured, returning home.

He had sent Nangong Xiong, along with Zhao Qiming, to assassinate Jun Wushuang—so why had Nangong Xiong returned battered and defeated?

Had the plan failed?

Even if it did, surely it shouldn’t have resulted in such serious injuries!

“Was it that drunkard Mo Xingyun?”

Jun Wushuang was a disciple of the Qingyun Martial Academy, and the assassination had taken place in the slums, so Nangong Qing suspected Mo Xingyun had intervened.

“It was Beiming Ye.”

Nangong Xiong’s face was pale; though the bleeding had stopped, his wounds were still grave.

“Beiming Ye?”

Nangong Qing was taken aback. Beiming Ye, the heiress of the Beiming clan, entangled with Jun Wushuang? And with her abilities, was she even capable of injuring Nangong Xiong so seriously?

“Father, I underestimated Jun Wushuang,” Nangong Xiong forced out, then recounted the events of the night in detail.

He had thought Zhao Qiming was more than enough to deal with Jun Wushuang—especially since he had provided both a repeating crossbow for assassination and a Thunderlight Treasure Armor. But unexpectedly, Jun Wushuang, relying on a sword talisman gifted by Mo Xingyun, grievously wounded Zhao Qiming, and then, by invoking a forbidden art to transform herself into a living shura, managed to kill Zhao Qiming in turn.

Left with no choice, Nangong Xiong had to act personally. Yet he was caught off guard by Jun Wushuang’s Heaven Thunder and Earth Fire, and Beiming Ye seized the moment—one sword strike severed his arm, leaving him utterly at a disadvantage.

Though it was Beiming Ye who had inflicted his wounds, the root of it all was Jun Wushuang.

“This person, to have gained the Prince of Zhennan’s favor, is no ordinary foe. She’s only at the Myriad Phenomena realm, yet already so troublesome. If she’s allowed to grow, she’ll become an even greater threat,” Nangong Qing said darkly, sensing the danger Jun Wushuang posed.

The mighty Nangong clan, with all its power, was being repeatedly humiliated by a country bumpkin—a humiliation that filled Nangong Qing with wrath and murderous intent.

“She must not be allowed to grow unchecked, or she will become the Nangong clan’s greatest enemy!”

Nangong Xiong was startled. He also found Jun Wushuang troublesome, but surely not to the extent of becoming their “greatest enemy”? Was the vast and powerful Nangong clan truly threatened by some backwater Myriad Phenomena practitioner?

Nangong Xiong lacked his father’s seasoned insight and could not perceive the threat Jun Wushuang represented. But Nangong Qing, seasoned in the political arena and the stalwart pillar of the Nangong clan in the Qian Empire, had both unique vision and an uncanny intuition.

He could already feel the looming threat Jun Wushuang posed.

This one must not be allowed to live!

“But with the Prince of Zhennan supporting her, we cannot act directly,” Nangong Xiong protested. “As for assassination, after tonight’s failure, Jun Wushuang will be on her guard—the next attempt will be even harder.”

He too wanted Jun Wushuang dead, but it would be no easy task! Out in the open, she had the Prince of Zhennan’s protection; in secret, Mo Xingyun guarded her as well. Finding an opportunity between the two was as difficult as scaling the heavens.

Tonight’s assassination attempt had been a rare chance, yet it had failed because of Beiming Ye. There likely would not be another opportunity like it.

“We may not be able to strike, but that doesn’t mean others can’t,” Nangong Qing said, eyes gleaming with malice. “Is there not a life-and-death martial contest scheduled between the Imperial Martial Academy and the Qingyun Martial Academy?”

“In less than three months, the duel will take place. Jun Wushuang will stand alone—she could never defeat the Imperial Martial Academy. And neither the Prince of Zhennan nor Mo Xingyun will be able to interfere!”

He pinned all his hopes of vengeance on the martial contest.

“Tianxuan may be grounded, but Dongfang Ming is a gold-ranked instructor at the Imperial Martial Academy. We must ally with the Dongfang clan to deal Jun Wushuang a fatal blow.”

“The life-and-death contest will be her day of execution!”

“I want her to die with no grave to receive her!”