The turquoise waters of Bích Hải turned black as storm clouds rolled overhead. Waves crashed against jagged rocks, sending up bursts of white spray like snow. The roar of the sea echoed all the way to Broken Soul Cliff, as though the ocean itself sought to swallow the heavens.
Quang Minh and Bích Thủy stood upon a rocky ledge, gazing toward the horizon. The sea wind tangled Bích Thủy's hair, its salty scent sharp upon the air.
In that moment, both knew: Though the Long Tàng Secret Manual had fallen into the abyss, the storms of Jianghu were far from over.
The Death Sentence of Hắc Y Môn
They had barely left Broken Soul Cliff and traveled three miles when a sudden burst of signal fire cracked through the sky from the pine forest. The ground shuddered, and flocks of birds erupted into frantic flight.
From the trees stepped forth Hắc Trường Uy, his face darker and more murderous than ever. Beside him were two new figures:
A wizened old man as thin as a withered twig, chin beard sharp as a spike, eyes glittering with poisonous cunning. He was known in the martial world as Độc Thủ Lão Tà—the Venom-Handed Hermit—renowned for deadly toxins that left victims either dead or wishing they were.
A young woman in a violet robe, gentle in appearance but with lips red as blood and eyes shimmering with a cruel mixture of affection and malice. She was Tạ Mỹ Linh, trusted disciple of Hắc Y Môn, famed for her Beauty Trap, which had once driven four great masters to slaughter each other to their deaths.
Hắc Trường Uy stepped forward, voice like steel scraping on stone:
"The Long Tàng Manual may have plunged into the abyss, but your lives still belong to Hắc Y Môn. Tonight, upon Bích Hải's waves, blood must stain the blue sea!"
Bích Thủy bit her lip until blood welled. Quang Minh raised his sword, its cold steel flashing beneath a sunset dyed blood-red.
Battle upon the Bích Hải Shore
Hắc Trường Uy flicked his sleeve. Độc Thủ Lão Tà retreated a step, secretly sprinkling Hồng Liên Poison Powder into the ocean breeze. The deadly dust was so fine that only masters with profound inner strength sensed the sinister current floating through the salty air.
Quang Minh whispered:
"Don't breathe too deep… There's poison in the wind!"
Tạ Mỹ Linh stepped forward, her lips curling in a sweet smile like early spring blossoms:
"Quang Minh, if you submit to Hắc Y Môn, I promise both of you will be spared. As for Bích Thủy… perhaps it's time she let go."
Bích Thủy sneered coldly:
"Are you even worthy to speak of loyalty and righteousness?"
Tạ Mỹ Linh's face darkened. With a flick of her sleeve, she unleashed Emerald Palm of Dissolving Souls. Green energy exploded outward, tearing sand and rocks into a whirling tempest, cleaving a massive boulder in half.
Quang Minh countered with Heavenly Cloud Mirror Technique, his silhouette shimmering like drifting clouds, deflecting the poisonous strike. Yet a burning pain surged through his right hand, dark blotches blooming across his skin. Độc Thủ Lão Tà cackled with shrill laughter:
"A trace of Hồng Liên Poison Powder… enough to send you to hell!"
Bích Thủy cried out, her silver flute sweeping forward in Bích Hải Chaotic Waves Melody, a series of haunting notes rippling like raging seas. The ocean behind them surged high, crashing upon the rocks like a wild beast unleashed.
Climax: The Sea Aflame
Just then, Hắc Trường Uy roared:
"BURN!"
In an instant, black-robed henchmen poured Sea Fire Oil across the rocks and shallows. A torch flung into the oil ignited a firestorm. The sea itself seemed to burst into flames, blazing red as hell.
Fire raced across the waves, heat rolling forth in suffocating waves. The sight was like the underworld erupting upon earth. Flames of blue and crimson writhed upon the water, reflecting the hatred burning in Hắc Trường Uy's eyes.
Quang Minh clenched his teeth and shoved Bích Thủy behind him:
"Stay back! I'll hold them off."
Bích Thủy's voice cracked:
"You're poisoned…"
Quang Minh bellowed, slashing his sword in a broad arc, silver light slicing through the fiery curtain. Two black-clad assassins lunging toward him were cut down, blood spraying like rain, instantly vaporized into black smoke by the sea flames.
Độc Thủ Lão Tà screeched and hurled a handful of glittering yellow powder. Bích Thủy shouted:
"Look out!"
But suddenly, a grey figure flashed into the fray like lightning. Nguyễn Tinh Vân had arrived!
With a sweep of his sleeve, he summoned a fierce wind that blasted the poison dust away. His gaze glinted like steel:
"Hắc Y Môn, you dare unleash slaughter upon Bích Hải? Today, I shall risk my life to stop you!"
End of Chapter
The sea continued to burn in roaring flames, waves crashing furiously and hurling burning embers high into the sky. Firelight flickered upon the faces of those who remained standing—each harboring secrets, each driven by their own ambitions.
Bích Thủy gripped Quang Minh's hand, whispering close to his ear, voice trembling:
"The manual is gone… But I fear… there's another secret… beneath the ocean depths."
Nguyễn Tinh Vân looked upon them, his eyes deep as an endless abyss:
"The Long Tàng Manual was only the beginning. Beneath the depths of Bích Hải… lies something powerful enough to dye all of Jianghu in blood."
Waves pounded the shore in thunderous beats. Amidst the raging flames, Quang Minh's eyes shone with steely resolve.
"Then we must dive into the depths… and uncover the truth!"