Chapter Sixty-Four: The Strongest One

I have received the order to kill you.

The girl standing before Xiye spoke calmly. Her voice was quiet, icy, yet the bluntness of her words carried a strange sense of courtesy.

"Long time no see," Xiye said with a smile as he looked at Xingxi. "I never expected that the first time this sword would be drawn, it would strike one of our own. How ironic."

"Your Highness," General Wu turned to Xiye, "please leave quickly. She is extremely dangerous."

"You don't understand this child well enough," Xiye sighed. "Her appearance here at this moment means that Dark Star has played its final card. Under the rules of Leaf Night City, she is an invincible existence."

Xingxi paid no heed to their conversation. Having plainly stated her purpose, she continued walking toward them.

Her face was covered by a silver veil, obscuring her features and expression. Only in her eyes could one see an absolute tranquility—a lifeless calm.

General Wu quietly extended his right hand. Golden flames surged from his palm, whirling and condensing, and in the next instant, a golden longsword appeared in his grasp.

With a shout, the general vanished, appearing before Xingxi in the blink of an eye, his golden sword raised high, slashing down at her.

All unfolded in a flash, yet at that moment, General Wu saw the girl calmly raise her head and meet his gaze.

It should have happened swiftly, but to him, it felt like slow motion. He watched as she slowly lifted her hand and pinched his blazing sword between two fingers.

This was no ordinary weapon—it was forged from the power of the sun, its essence condensed from fighting energy, a blade of burning flame.

Yet even so, General Wu felt his sword utterly immobilized, unable to move.

In the next instant, he felt a sudden chill in his chest.

He looked down in disbelief, seeing a hole pierced through his chest by some unknown force.

From the wound, white frosty mist spread, freezing his entire body in a heartbeat, locking away all consciousness.

Xiye observed everything as a bystander, seeing more clearly than General Wu. The girl had used only two moves.

First, she raised her hand to catch the incoming sword.

Second, she lifted her left index finger and gently pointed toward General Wu’s chest.

From her fingertip, something clear as dew shimmered and easily shattered all his defenses, piercing straight through his chest.

From that wound, white frost enveloped him, turning him into an ice statue. In the next moment, the statue crumbled from the wound outward, swiftly breaking into icy gravel.

All of this transpired in only three seconds.

From General Wu’s first attack to his transformation into a pile of icy shards, just three seconds passed.

"How beautiful," Xiye sincerely praised Xingxi. "I finally admit, only in Dark Star could your talent be so fully developed and harnessed."

Xingxi felt no desire to speak to Xiye. She dispatched General Wu in an instant, then continued her slow approach.

She was like a silent reaper, the embodiment of death itself. When she sought to kill, she did not chase or hurry, merely walked calmly toward her target, closing the distance with steady steps.

She feared no counterattack or scheme, advancing until she stood beside you, bringing the final judgment.

"I do not wish to die here, but I truly cannot find any reason to live," Xiye sighed. "I would like to warn my foolish brother, but our connection has always been one-sided, relying on him."

As he spoke, Xiye raised his hand, golden flames rising and forming a burning longsword.

For their kind, this was a basic skill, but as cultivation advanced, the power and nature of the sword grew vastly different.

"I will not beg or surrender to you. If it must be, I will die fighting here." Xiye gripped his sword calmly. He had just witnessed General Wu's fate—Wu, stronger than himself, had not lasted a moment against her.

This reminded Xiye of an old rumor: the girl before him had been at the Profound Realm since birth and was now striving for the Celestial Realm.

Fourteen years had passed, yet she remained at the Profound Realm. Within it, no one could match her.

Xiye even suspected that, given the chance, she could slay some of those in the Celestial Realm as well.

Xingxi gave no reply; she simply drew closer.

The gap between them narrowed, though Xingxi’s pace was not fast.

Her slow approach might give one the illusion that, if you turned and fled, you could easily escape her reach and survive.

But Xiye had no such thought. Assuming an opponent’s slowness was pure folly, and retreating before the battle began only undermined one’s own resolve—once a fight that could be evenly matched began, the one who fled first would always be relentlessly pursued.

But then again, what chance did Xiye have against Xingxi?

He knew clearly: none.

Lost in thought, Xiye saw Xingxi draw near, until only five meters separated them.

Like a puppet, like a ghost, the girl at last quietly raised her right hand.

Her fingers pinched an imaginary leaf in the air, and using it as a point of focus, she drew it straight toward Xiye.

In that instant, Xiye felt a chill run through him.

He instinctively raised his sword to block before his chest, but the blade was sliced in two by an invisible edge.

White frost spread swiftly along the broken sword.

Yet the unseen blade did not stop, moving toward Xiye’s chest.

Is this the end? Xiye sighed inwardly.

He could not withstand even a single move.

Though they were both Profound Realm, he had long told others that the gap between cultivators at this level could be unimaginable.

Just as it was now.

"Wait! I’m here!" At that moment, a voice shouted in Xiye’s ear.

In the next instant, a figure appeared before him, gripping a blade in both hands and stubbornly blocking the invisible attack.

It was Su Ziye.

No one knew where he came from, but at the critical moment, he shielded Xiye from the blow.

The attack knocked him back, carrying Xiye ten meters through the air. Su Ziye sprang up immediately, spat out a mouthful of blood, and looked at the girl who had struck only once. He smiled, "My dear sister, long time no see."

Xingxi paid no attention to Su Ziye’s words. She turned, locking her gaze on the one who had just shouted.

Far away, Liu Ru stood, calling out loudly to draw Xingxi’s attention. Xingxi now turned her eyes upon her.

"A higher-priority target," Xingxi murmured to herself.

"Priority kill."

(I’ll try to update more quickly. At least for now, telling this story brings me joy, though my writing is a bit slow.)