“I remember Fang Nanxu is Senior Sister Jin Seyu’s fiancé. It’s only been a year since the actual fiancée went missing, and he’s already eager to become Senior Sister Jin Tong’s favored guest.”
“Who knows? Judging by their behavior, it doesn’t seem like anything good… Could it be that the missing Senior Sister Jin Seyu has returned?” Some of those discussing wore expressions of schadenfreude.
Those present to watch the matches were all prodigies from various clans, sharp-minded and more or less aware of the intricate relationships among the major powers.
The Fang family was a clan that had risen to prominence only in the past century, its foundation still shallow, while the Jin Clan… was the most peculiar.
At the very least, none of the prodigies present truly knew the depths of its power.
The unusual behavior of Jin Tong and Fang Nanxu, along with their ambiguous relationship, had long been a topic of private discussion among many.
Several elders were finally drawn by the commotion here, frowning slightly.
Just then, one of the elders belatedly noticed the overlooked message talisman. With a sweep of his divine sense, his expression changed abruptly.
“Where is she now?” Jin Tong suppressed the storm of shock in her heart, took a deep breath, and asked.
The attendant trembled as he raised his hand, pointing toward the massive stone gate at the edge of the martial training ground, stammering, “Sh-she’s already here, right outside the gate!”
As if to confirm his words—“Rumble!!”
A deep, thunderous roar suddenly erupted. The giant stone gate, which was usually opened only at specific times by the joint efforts of the elders, was now being forced open from the outside by sheer brute strength.
The heavy gate ground against the floor, emitting a grating screech that set teeth on edge. The entire martial training ground seemed to tremble faintly in response.
At this, all the elders could no longer remain seated. They rose to their feet in alarm.
The most hot-tempered Second Elder bristled with rage, shouting furiously, “Who dares to be so bold! To forcibly break the gate during the grand competition, treating the academy’s rules as nothing?”
Beside him, the First Elder, his expression grave, raised the message talisman in his hand. His voice, steady and clear, carried across the entire viewing platform: “It’s Jin Seyu.”
The rebuke already on the Second Elder’s lips choked off abruptly.
Well, the destructive god of slaughter had returned.
At this moment, everyone in the martial training ground sensed the extraordinary disturbance. The murmurs and discussions ceased abruptly.
Thousands of gazes, as if by prior agreement, turned in unison toward the slowly opening giant stone gate.
“It seems this is no ordinary figure…” someone murmured, staring at the heavy gate and voicing their speculation.
“Creak—Clang!”
The stone gate was pushed fully open. The golden-red light of the setting sun outside surged into the slightly dim entrance of the martial training ground like a breached flood.
First, an elongated shadow was cast onto the polished, mirror-like floor.
Then, footsteps—neither too heavy nor too light, carrying a unique rhythm—echoed clearly in the dead silence. Each step seemed to fall in sync with the heartbeat of the crowd.
The light shifted inch by inch, gradually outlining the newcomer’s silhouette.
First came the snow-white boot tips embroidered with dark golden cloud patterns, then the flowing, cloud-like hem of a skirt, and the brocade jade belt cinching a slender waist.
Finally, the figure stood fully bathed in the golden glow of the setting sun.
The sunset gilded her form with a layer of brilliant, warm radiance, outshining even the iridescent clouds behind her. She carried an aura of inviolable dignity and nobility.
Jin Seyu’s gaze pierced through the layers of the crowd, landing precisely and unmistakably on the two shocked faces on the highest viewing platform.
Her lips parted slightly, carrying a chilling coldness, her voice echoing clearly in every corner:
“Fang Nanxu, Jin Tong, long time no see—”
“Jin Seyu! You really aren’t dead!”
Seeing with her own eyes that Jin Seyu was not only alive but seemingly unscathed, standing before her with even greater presence than before, Jin Tong felt a surge of rage rush to her head. Her chest tightened, making it almost impossible to breathe, her forced composure shattered instantly, her voice sharp with disbelief.
She knew it!
This woman, Jin Seyu, was deep-minded and cunning as a fox—how could she die so easily?
“Clang—!”
A clear, resonant phoenix cry pierced the sky.
The Phoenix Sword unsheathed in response, stirring up towering flames and undisguised, icy killing intent, transforming into a crimson streak of light that shot straight toward Jin Seyu at the center of the martial training ground.
Its speed was as swift as lightning, ruthless and decisive—clearly aiming to take her life.
This sudden attack caught everyone off guard. No one expected Jin Tong to dare, in full view of the crowd, to directly attempt to kill Jin Seyu, who had just returned.
Just as the tip of the sword, concentrated with destructive power, was only a foot away from Jin Seyu’s brow—
At this critical moment, the Phoenix Sword collided with an invisible, intangible barrier. The blade trembled violently, emitting an unwilling hum.
It came to an abrupt halt mid-air, unable to advance even an inch further.
Jin Seyu didn’t even flutter an eyelash. Looking at Jin Tong, whose face had paled slightly from the spiritual power backlash, the corners of her lips slowly curled into a mocking arc.
“Jin Tong, such a warm welcome for your sister.”
At this, Jin Seyu’s eyes brightened: “You were the one who struck first!”
When she left the clan, the family head had strictly forbidden the two of them from openly fighting privately, with severe punishment for violators.
If one of them broke the rule first, the other would have sufficient reason to retaliate.
Even to cleanse the house.
Jin Seyu had waited a year for this day.
Her right hand suddenly rose, and the spiritual power around her erupted explosively.
In an instant, a fierce wind swept through the martial training ground, whipping her hair and robes into a wild dance.
A translucent Jade Bone Ice Fan materialized in her palm, its edges shimmering with a heart-stopping, sharp, cold gleam.
Without the slightest hesitation, Jin Seyu flicked her wrist, and the Jade Bone Ice Fan, with a shriek that seemed to tear through the Void, slashed out fiercely.
“Crack!”
The condensed fan shadow descended like a guillotine from the heavens, striking with pinpoint accuracy on the spine of the halted Phoenix Sword.
A crisp shattering sound rang out. The crimson light of the Phoenix Sword dimmed abruptly, and with a mournful cry, it was forcibly sent flying backward.
Carrying Jin Seyu’s bone-chilling killing intent, it shot back at an even faster speed, reversing direction to pierce straight toward its original owner—Jin Tong’s throat!
Attack and defense had switched in an instant!
Jin Tong’s pupils contracted sharply. The spiritual power throughout her body instinctively surged frantically, attempting to layer defenses before her.
The Phoenix Sword, sensing its master’s peril, emitted a frantic hum, its crimson light blazing fiercely.
But the killing intent and cold gleam that had been sent hurtling back far exceeded the limits of her hasty response in both speed and power.
She felt a bone-freezing chill instantly lock onto her Divine Soul, the shadow of death enveloping her completely.
She couldn’t stop it at all!
Just as the icy sword energy was about to pierce Jin Tong’s throat, blood about to spray five paces—
“Hum!”
Between Jin Seyu and Jin Tong, the space suddenly rippled with visible, transparent waves.
Immediately after, a pair of hands, though slower to move, arrived first with uncanny precision, gently brushing past the side of the deadly cold gleam.
The sword thrust aimed at the heart was deflected, only slicing off Jin Tong’s right ear.
A pity it didn’t kill him.
“Ah—Jin Seyu!”
A hideous, flesh-torn gash slid down along Jin Tong’s jawline, staining his collar with a glaring crimson.
As the spatial ripples stabilized, a figure fully manifested, standing between Jin Seyu and the still-shaken Jin Tong.
It was a middle-aged man dressed in the distinctive dark gray robes of the Jin Clan, his features unremarkable.
No powerful spiritual power emanated from him, yet he carried an undeniable authority that commanded attention.
This was the Herald dispatched by the Jin Clan—Jin Hong.
His duty was to record the entire process of Jin Seyu and Jin Tong’s struggle for the position of clan head, ensuring the competition remained relatively “fair.”
He was there to prevent either side from being openly eliminated by the other.