Chapter 8: Serichlin (Part 2)

Guo Shieru smiled and said, “Cursed Clan, Guo Shieru—should I attack first, or shall I?”
The old hero praised, “Shieru, you’re truly evil, haha! I like it!”
Guo Shieru was confused. “What evil? Old man, stop talking nonsense.”
Serichlin’s anger flared. She was furious because Guo Shieru seemed extremely lazy. Even as he drew his weapon, his expression remained defiant, showing he wasn’t serious at all and often distracted. She secretly decided to deal him a harsh blow to teach him a lesson and prevent him from becoming arrogant. Without saying a word, her long sword transformed into a roaring dragon-shaped blade that charged at Guo Shieru.
In an instant, Guo Shieru’s laziness vanished. Seeing the roaring sword dragon sweeping toward him, he didn’t fight head-on and disappeared from his spot in an instant. The sword dragon slammed into the ground, sending dirt and weeds flying, accompanied by a series of sharp clinks as sparks erupted everywhere.
Serichlin was shocked to find that Guo Shieru had disappeared. Her attack had hit the ground, creating a six- or seven-meter-long trench with a metallic sheen at its bottom. As Tulata had said, there were metal plates beneath the ground here.
Guo Shieru reappeared not far away and clapped, “Not bad. Keep going!” It was clearly a provocation and taunt, yet his tone sounded serious, as if an elder was guiding a junior in combat.
Dao Kuang’s pupils constricted sharply. He saw more clearly than Serichlin. When Guo Shieru teleported to avoid her attack, he knew trouble was ahead—someone who could teleport was almost invincible. He could teleport too, but only within a range of about a hundred meters; beyond that, it wasn’t possible. Guo Shieru could not only teleport far away but also return in an instant, at extreme speed. If he hadn’t been watching closely, he wouldn’t have noticed at all. Thus, a bad feeling arose in his heart.
Serichlin cursed furiously, “Bastard! I’ll kill you!” Finally enraged, she rushed at Guo Shieru like mad.
Following the old hero’s advice, Guo Shieru teased, “Hey, be careful! Don’t fall!” As he spoke, a curse symbol appeared in his hand. A purple chain, resembling a living creature, flew out and landed on the ground. When Serichlin lunged at him, the purple chain suddenly leaped up, like a living purple snake, and instantly wrapped around her legs.

Cerislin was caught off guard and immediately suffered. Though she stood on short blades, she could only barely break the chains. But even after cutting them, the purple chains still existed, now as two strands that stubbornly wrapped around her legs. The speed was too fast; Cerislin couldn’t resist and collapsed to the ground with a thud, her long sword instantly lifting the soil around her.

The Blade Madman let out a fierce cry and teleported in front of Cerislin, taking the long sword from his back into his hands to protect her firmly. Fortunately, Guo Shier didn’t continue attacking—he was also stunned. He hadn’t expected the purple chains to work so well; he had only wanted to disrupt Cerislin’s attacks, not expect her to be caught so quickly.

Li Ran laughed and said, “Borong, is that how your Sword Clan operates? If one can’t beat them, another steps in?”

Borong’s face turned red instantly as he stammered, “No… no… that’s not it. We wouldn’t do that…”

Li Ran pointed at the battlefield and said, “Really? Hehe.”

Guo Shier laughed, “You don’t need to protect her. Hehe, take your time climbing. I’m a good guy; I won’t take advantage of her.” He teased her casually as he hovered leisurely aside, his body floating slightly up and down. The Moon Blade continued to circle around him, protecting his body. Above them, the shadow of the altar was visible, with the old handsome man hiding in it, watching the chaos with great interest and occasionally commenting. Of course, only Guo Shier could hear his voice; no one else could detect a thing.

Suddenly, there were loud *puff* sounds as Cerislin’s long sword and short blades flew wildly, shattering the purple chains into countless tiny runes that disappeared into the air. She flew out of the pit, her face red with anger. Having been tricked by Guo Shier, she was so ashamed and furious she nearly lost her mind. The Blade Madman shouted sternly, “Calm down!”

After a brief test, Guo Shier realized that although Cerislin was strong, she was still far inferior to him. Not to mention he had other tactics at his disposal—even simple spell attacks could leave her in a mess. He immediately relaxed.

Suddenly, Li Ran called out, “Shier, don’t be careless!”

Guo Shier was slightly startled and asked, “What?”

Cerislin had already closed in in an instant. Her face was flushed red, making her even more beautiful, though her murderous aura dulled that beauty. Suddenly, she shouted a phrase that Guo Shier didn’t understand. Immediately afterward, Cerislin spat out a mouthful of blood, which landed directly on her long sword. In that instant, Guo Shier felt a chill run down his spine as a silver-white light suddenly appeared before his eyes and quickly expanded.

That silver light was mixed with streaks of blood red and exploded abruptly before his eyes, as if a hedgehog were shooting out all its spines.

Bolong was stunned, his mouth hanging open. He murmured, “The Sword Clan’s secret technique… Silver Spines!”

Guo Shier moved his hands slightly, and countless runes shot out from his fingertips. The Moon Blade instantly transformed into a massive light shield in front of him. At that moment, he didn’t even have time to use teleportation.

It was like dense raindrops falling, with a constant clinking sound. The force was immense, and Guo Shier could barely stay steady, retreating little by little.

Cerislin’s heart turned icy. This secret technique was her trump card—using it suddenly made it almost impossible for anyone to withstand it. Moreover, she had used some of her own life force to amplify its power, doubling its usual strength. Yet it still couldn’t break through the opponent’s defense, which filled her with dread. Her opponent was simply too strong. Without continuing the fight, she knew she was doomed. This man was terrifying.

Blade Madman hesitated for a moment before charging in. He had already spotted an opening on Guo Shier’s side. In fact, if he had attacked, Guo Shier would have had a way to defend himself. After all, the handsome old man was watching from above. Even if Guo Shier couldn’t defend himself in time, with the old man around, Blade Madman would be the one to suffer if he launched a sneak attack, not Guo Shier.

Li Ran was also ready to act. His palms glowed with light. As long as Blade Madman moved again, he would strike without hesitation, killing him instantly.

Blade Madman still didn’t realize he had almost met his end. Fortunately, he held back from attacking. After all, it was Cerislin who was attacking. Even if he couldn’t hit Guo Shier, he wouldn’t be in danger himself, so he suppressed his urge.

Cerislin was after all a master. Since her first attack failed, she wisely retreated.

Guo Shier smiled and said, “Then… take my move too! Go! Slash!”

The Moon Blade turned into a torrential wave, surging forward like violent waves. Countless light blades formed towering waves, charging wildly—not only at Cerislin but also at Blade Madman. He launched one strike at both of them.

Cerislin screamed and frantically swung her long and short blades, instinctively feeling extreme danger.

Blade Mad was the same; his sense of crisis was even greater than Sericeline’s, and cold sweat poured from his body. By the time Guo Shieru uttered the word “slash,” he had already attacked, knowing he couldn’t escape—his opponent had locked onto him, leaving no chance for teleportation or evasion, forcing him to endure directly. He shouted, “Sericeline… team up!” He understood that with just his two knives, he couldn’t withstand the opponent’s attacks, but if he joined forces with Sericeline, he might have a chance to survive.

Tulata, Stan, and the others were utterly amazed.

Boom!

Dust and countless metal fragments flew into the air as this single strike shattered the metal plates underground, creating a deep trench seven or eight meters wide. The trench stretched a hundred meters long and three to four meters wide.

Blade Mad and Sericeline were flung apart by the Moon Blade’s attack. Fortunately, by working together, they managed to block the attack, but its force was too great—they couldn’t fully absorb it. Though they managed to ward off the Moon Blade’s lethal impact, the force still transmitted through, causing them to lose their balance and be sent flying.

If Guo Shieru had continued attacking, the two wouldn’t have had even a sliver of a chance to survive. But Guo Shieru didn’t press further—after all, this was just a sparring match, not a life-or-death fight, so there was no need to kill them.

Guo Shieru stopped attacking and smiled. “Not bad—being able to block my strike.” This strike was half real, half fake; he had used only 60% of his strength, which showed that these two were quite skilled. Even professionals at the sixth level of the Ritual World might not have been able to block it. Since arriving at the Star of Sacrifice, his strength had soared dramatically. A single strike from him carried unparalleled force, beyond what ordinary masters could withstand.

During their joint defense, Blade Mad had blocked most of the attack, suffering some injuries as he spat out blood. Sericeline was in slightly better condition—thanks to Blade Mad’s help, she had dodged this deadly attack. But during the earlier attack, she had used a secret technique, draining some of her vital energy and leaving her severely weakened.

Sericeline sat on the ground, trembling violently. It wasn’t fear but an unnamed excitement—she had never seen such a formidable master before. Essentially, she was a madwoman who had spent her life striving for self-improvement, which was why she was so famous among the Blade Clan. She stared at Guo Shieru, her eyes shining brightly.

Dao Kuang lay on the ground, his body having dug a pit in the soil. He crawled out of the pit and spat out more blood. He truly admired Guo Shier, as he had never seen such strength before. At that moment, he saw Guo Shier as a towering mountain, and he no longer had any desire to compete with him.

Sericeline slowly stood up, she put away her long knives and short blades, raised one hand, and said, “You won. I can’t beat you…” The Blade Clan didn’t have many negative feelings about losing. They liked to win, but they could also accept defeat. For the skilled members of the Blade Clan, losing wasn’t a bad thing; it was an opportunity to improve their strength. It served as motivation and the best incentive to grow stronger.

Such a straightforward acceptance of defeat left Guo Shier stunned, as he still hadn’t completed Old Shuai’s task.