At this moment, Luo Zhiheng was still numb from the immense pain and was unaware that disaster was about to strike.
It was as if Mu Yunhe's cold, furious roar echoed from the horizon, carrying with it the pain of his broken heart: "Aheng!!!"
Luo Zhiheng's mind cleared for a moment, but she had no chance to dodge the falling stick. Her constricted pupils reflected Zhuge Hualuan's once beautiful face now twisted into a hideous and terrifying smile! She only had time to touch her head before a heavy sound of bone striking flesh rang out. Luo Zhiheng seemed to hear the sound of her teeth grinding together.
Without hesitation, Zhuge Hualuan struck Luo Zhiheng's wound on the shoulder blade with an iron rod!
Luo Zhiheng's face instantly turned deathly pale, devoid of any color. It was unclear how much effort she had to muster to suppress a scream. Yet, the tearing pain that seemed to rip through her limbs was so intense!
With a loud bang, the entire arena erupted in uproar as Zhuge Hualuan's staff came crashing down!
"Has she gone mad?!" Old Tong roared.
"Damn it! What kind of nonsense is this? Sneaking in and undermining us, how shameless! She had already lost, the match was over, why did she still launch a sneak attack?" General Murong roared in fury.
Mu Yunhe's body swayed precariously. It was as if the group of people had crossed the distance and struck him heavily. He was in even more pain than Luo Zhiheng! The robes were so shattered that Mu Yunhe's gloomy aura was almost visible to the naked eye. He seemed to be swallowed by darkness in an instant, his trembling teeth, tightly pursed thin lips, and his blood-red eyes filled with sinister violence!
"Master! You can't go!" Xiao Xizi was also terrified, but he found that his master, who always walked with a swaying gait, was now as if possessed by a god or demon, rushing quickly towards the battlefield! Even if Mu Yunhe walked very fast, his swaying and staggering could still be seen.
"Let go! I'm going to kill her!" Mu Yunhe's roar even drowned out the noise in the area. A cold, brutal, and insane killing intent swept across the entire scene!
Xiao Xizi was so frightened that her face turned pale and she was almost crying, but she didn't dare to let go.
"Hurry up and stop the young prince!" Old Master Tong hadn't lost his mind after all. Although he was angry, he couldn't let Mu Yunhe go up any further. Mu Yunhe's condition was obviously unstable at the moment, and he could easily get into trouble.
"Release me! Do you all want to die?!" Mu Yunhe roared as if he had lost all reason at this moment. His gentle image was instantly torn apart by Luo Zhiheng's pain. He probably didn't even know what he was doing. He slapped out with a force that ordinary men did not have, knocking the soldiers who came to stop him to the ground.
"Calm down. What can you do if you go? Look at the King, he has already intervened personally." Old Master Tong personally advised Mu Yunhe, but upon closer inspection, he saw that Mu Yunhe's face under his hood was deathly pale, and his eyes were bloodshot. Old Master Tong, who had lived a whole life, was also taken aback by such great anger and murderous intent.
Just as Zhuge Hualuan's second blow was about to land, the Prince's icy expression froze solid. He abruptly threw down his folding fan and roared, "What are you doing? Do you think I'm dead? Tell that Zhuge Hualuan that if she dares to hurt her again, I'll wipe out the entire Zhuge family!"
The judges and organizers were terrified and quickly blew their whistles to stop the match. Some people rushed into the arena, but it was too late. Zhuge Hualuan's second blow had already hit Luo Zhiheng hard, right on her wound!
Zhuge Hualuan became ruthless, seizing on Luo Zhiheng's pain points, and relentlessly attacked Luo Zhiheng's wounds. She thought, since Luo Zhiheng already had wounds, this would only make Luo Zhiheng feel more pain!
However, at this moment, the crazed Zhuge Hualuan was unaware that in people's hearts, she was no longer the intelligent and beautiful woman who was considered the most beautiful woman in the world, but a complete madwoman! A female butcher who took advantage of people's vulnerability and killed them mercilessly!
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221 A Great Comeback!! (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Updated: 2013-07-31 17:38:11 Word Count: 3400
The noisy and chaotic scene could not stop the sound of the iron rod hitting Luo Zhiheng hard—dull, broken, weak, and painful!
People's nerves seemed to shudder violently with the fall of that iron rod. Something seemed to spray out from Luo Zhiheng's back and shoulder blades, splashing and falling. The color was exceptionally clear in the afterglow of the setting sun—a deep crimson!
"Ah!" A broken groan finally escaped Luo Zhiheng's lips. She could no longer withstand the successive heavy blows. Her whole body went limp like a puddle of mud as she was knocked to the ground, her back exposed to the enemy. She knelt and curled up, her blood dripping onto the golden desert, only to be instantly covered by the swirling sand and disappear without a trace.
Then, as the blood soaked through his battle robes and the robes could no longer absorb any more blood, it finally condensed into a torrent of blood with Zhuge Hualuan's powerful blow, flowing down in a torrent. At this moment, even a complete ban could not instantly cover up or erase the blood on the golden sand.
Luo Zhiheng was truly stunned by the blow. All she felt was pain! Excruciating, heart-wrenching pain!
Her wounds were already severe; being struck repeatedly and with such intent in the same spot would cause excruciating pain even for an ordinary person, let alone someone as badly injured as Luo Zhiheng. That knife had completely pierced through her body, penetrating her chest! A triangular, bloody hole was still clearly visible on her body, and it wouldn't be able to fully heal for months. Now, with such a severe injury, it would be a miracle if Luo Zhiheng hadn't lost her arm!
Her heavy breathing was broken and shaky. She had never been so disheveled, nor had she ever been driven to such a state. Her vision blurred, and she felt dizzy, as if she would die at any moment. The sweat was no longer sweat, but water that flowed down her face and body, causing grime in her eyes and unbearable pain in her six wounds.
Luo Zhiheng wondered, what exactly was she insisting on? How could the humanity here be so ugly? Wasn't it agreed that it would end when it was just a friendly spar? She had already shown mercy, hadn't she? If she hadn't followed the rules of the competition, if she had also become ruthless for no reason, she could have easily crushed Zhuge Hualuan to death, or even broken Zhuge Hualuan's neck!
But she didn't!
She adhered to the competition rules, so even though she hated Zhuge Hualuan, loathed the woman who had held Mu Yunhe, and despised the person who had repeatedly provoked her, she didn't kill her. At the crucial moment, she merely captured her! But how ridiculous! Her restraint became someone else's excuse and a means to harm her?
A female bandit of her stature, ruthless and cruel, would be perfectly normal for her. Yet, she suffered a crushing defeat at the hands of a woman. Luo Zhiheng cursed herself for being too cowardly and too soft-hearted! On the battlefield, amidst competition, where can true peace and justice be found? Kindness and compassion are luxuries that can easily destroy oneself!
She laughed at herself, but ultimately she couldn't muster the strength to continue fighting. She was so tired, so very tired...
In the eyes of the people, Luo Zhiheng was utterly defeated by the blow and lay sprawled on the desert ground. Their eyes were fixed on her; the woman who had been so stunningly beautiful just moments before, the desert goddess, was now so cruelly injured, and they, her group, were powerless to do anything. The people began to stir, to roar, and gradually the roars coalesced into a deafening howl. All the accusations were directed at Zhuge Hualuan—insults, mockery, shouts—but nothing could rouse her from her sanity.
The battlefield is vast; even if those who want to intervene were to rush in, they would have to run for a while.
As Zhuge Hualuan watched Luo Zhiheng finally collapse before her, her body covered in blood that stained the golden desert crimson, her eyes were filled with excitement and pride. Her mother's teachings had indeed worked: seize the opponent's weakness, and stab them in that weakness, again and again, until they were completely dead, no longer an obstacle or adversary—that was called eliminating the root of the problem!
Zhuge Hualuan saw her sword lying on the ground not far away. She had never killed anyone before, but Luo Zhiheng gave her a great sense of crisis. She also loathed Luo Zhiheng. The sight of blood excited her, and she couldn't control herself. A voice inside her was telling her, full of temptation: Kill her, kill her with that sword! Kill her and you will be the victor, and you can go to the Silver Moon Kingdom!
Zhuge Hualuan, as if possessed, walked towards the sword, picked it up abruptly, examined it, and then approached Luo Zhiheng. He felt as if the sword was standing above Luo Zhiheng's head, its sharp tip hanging vertically above her skull. He imagined that if he were to bring it down, Luo Zhiheng's brains would instantly splatter, and blood would stain the yellow sand! 178.
Luo Zhiheng was almost in a semi-conscious state. Her exhausted body finally got a moment's respite, and her taut nerves finally relaxed. She breathed heavily, her head buzzing, and her entire left side seemed paralyzed and numb. She laughed sarcastically. Wasn't it better to be numb? At least she wouldn't be in so much pain that she wanted to cry.
"Ah Heng!! Stand up, come back, don't participate in this damn competition, come back and let's go home!"
"Aheng! Aheng..."
In her hazy state, Luo Zhiheng seemed to hear someone calling her name repeatedly, one call after another, urgent and disordered, accompanied by heart-wrenching coughs. Each cough felt as if it was about to cough up lung lobes, and Luo Zhiheng felt her chest ache even more.
And so, that familiar call that came through the crowd awakened Luo Zhiheng's sense of pain, and also her sense of awareness!
Yes, she couldn't give up, at least not now! There was still Mu Yunhe, that awkwardly pure and untainted man, still waiting for her there. He had said that wherever she was, he would be there, waiting for her. How could she bear to let him wait for her alone? How could she bear to let him gaze into the vast, desolate desert? How could she bear to let his frail body be exposed to the scorching sun for even a moment longer? How could she bear to see him destroyed because of her giving up?
Mu Yunhe...
Luo Zhiheng was never a gentle, tender woman. Her short seventeen or eighteen years were filled only with aggression, escape, robbery, joy, and carefree abandon. She knew nothing of love. Perhaps she was a celestial being, silently observing the lovesick men and women of the mortal world for millennia, finally unable to bear the question of love, and thus descended to the mortal realm, where she met Mu Yunhe, and gradually developed the desire to protect him. It was purely a desire to protect that man's untainted smile and gaze.
So when she murmured Mu Yunhe's name in her heart, the surging hatred and rage in her chest no longer felt so oppressive; it subsided, replaced by calm and tranquility. Just like when they first met, Mu Yunhe's eyes, clear and bright with starlight, pierced directly into her heart, transforming into a precious and reassuring memory she would never want to erase. 16478556
Numb fingers struggled to grip the soft yellow sand, her right hand slowly moving downwards. She couldn't give up until the very last moment! Luo Zhiheng, never admit defeat!
She struggled to open her eyes, and all she could see was a blurry golden yellow. She could see a person wearing silver boots standing above her head. It was Zhuge Hualuan. Even if she turned to ashes, she would still recognize him!
"Luo Zhiheng, blame yourself for provoking me. You're more outstanding than me, yet you dare to offend me. You're asking for death!" Zhuge Hualuan's nonchalant voice revealed a hint of evil and arrogance.
Luo Zhiheng felt a flash of white light before her eyes, as if something cold and menacing was hovering above her head. Her alarm bells went off instantly!
People were shocked. The King could no longer sit still; he abruptly stood up, paused, and rushed towards the arena. At that moment, he no longer cared about rules. He couldn't explain why, but he simply couldn't let Luo Zhiheng die!
The emperor was also enraged. From the moment Luo Zhiheng donned her battle robes, his gaze had never left her. Before, the vast yellow sand obscured her vision, but once he saw her clearly, he was utterly stunned and bewildered by her heroic and dashing appearance. The image in his mind seemed to grow clearer and clearer, yet he couldn't quite grasp its essence, couldn't reach that final layer of veil, and simply couldn't recall who she resembled.
At this moment, however, the Southern Dynasty emperor was absolutely certain of one thing: Luo Zhiheng was definitely a very important person to him! Because while he could remember a few people, they were all important. He had a strange feeling that there must be some kind of relationship between him and Luo Zhiheng.
The emperor, his face grim, ordered, "What exactly happened to Zhuge Hualuan? Immediately have her ancestor intervene and ensure Luo Zhiheng's safety..."
Before the emperor could finish speaking, screams of panic erupted from all around the arena! Looking up, the emperor's expression changed drastically! His eyes widened in shock and disbelief!
Inside the arena, Zhuge Hualuan frantically raised his sharp sword at Luo Zhiheng, ignoring the shouts and roars of the crowd, and brought it down heavily, aiming at Luo Zhiheng's head. His whole body was filled with a great dark and murderous aura!
Screams and gasps rose and fell, and even the adults were terrified. The Painting Sage finally roared in anger, but at this moment, what could stop Zhuge Hualuan? Nothing! No one could stop her! Those who rushed to stop her, including the fastest Prince Shi, the enraged General Murong, and the old general, were all too late, forced to watch helplessly as the sword pierced towards Luo Zhiheng!
However, just as everyone held their breath and their hair stood on end in that critical moment, they felt a bright, holy light suddenly burst out from the arena, instantly engulfing Luo Zhiheng in the light, followed by a crisp clanging sound.
The intense light faded in the blink of an eye, revealing the scene in the arena. There stood Luo Zhiheng, who had been motionless just moments before, now struggling to support herself with a staff that seemed to glow. The staff itself radiated a stunning, shimmering light, enveloped in a noble aura that seemed otherworldly, carrying the imposing presence of an angry dragon, powerfully blocking Zhuge Hualuan's sword strike!
222 A desperate counterattack! Enraged to the point of demonic possession! (Bonus chapter for 29,000 recommended votes)
Updated: 2013-07-31 19:10:45 Word Count: 3553
Luo Zhiheng actually fought back when she was on the verge of death!!
But her counterattack was so fierce! And people's eyes remained fixed on the woman lying on her back in the desert. When did she acquire a staff that radiated a holy light? Where did it come from?
No one could see it more clearly than Zhuge Hualuan. In that instant, she saw Luo Zhiheng miraculously move, turn around, and suddenly grab something bright in her hand. Her eyes seemed to be blinded by the intense light for a moment. Her hand trembled, and the sword deviated from its original trajectory. When she opened her eyes again, she found that her steady sword strike had not killed Luo Zhiheng. Instead, it had been blocked by the thing in Luo Zhiheng's hand!
"You think you can withstand a few of my moves? You think you can fight me with a broken cane? Ridiculous!" Zhuge Hualuan concealed the inexplicable fear in his heart, and with a gloomy smile, he raised his long sword and slashed fiercely at Luo Zhiheng.
The moment Luo Zhiheng raised her longsword, she suddenly rolled over, ignoring the pain in her body, numb and left with only one belief.
Kill her!!
She barely had time to get up, half-kneeling on the desert, her sharp, bloodshot eyes fixed on Zhuge Hualuan. Seeing the longsword coming at her, she remained calm, instead suddenly twisting the handle of her cane. The handle spun rapidly like a spiral, radiating brilliant light. Under Zhuge Hualuan's strange and wary gaze, Luo Zhiheng smiled coldly, her beautiful lips curving upwards, and with a whoosh, she drew the longsword hidden beneath its ornate surface! Zhiheng was dying, her body nearly scattered.
This is a priceless walking stick, but also an incredibly sharp weapon!
Luo Zhiheng mustered all her strength and slashed fiercely at Zhuge Hualuan's longsword. The longsword met the longsword, and a sharp, metallic sound rang out, silencing the entire arena to the point of silence. To everyone's astonishment, Luo Zhiheng effortlessly cleaved Zhuge Hualuan's sword with that stunningly beautiful weapon! Furthermore, the sword energy powerfully sliced through Zhuge Hualuan's battle robe, creating a perfectly clean, almost invisible tear. Gradually, blood oozed out, staining the silver-white robe crimson!
Such a sharp and ruthless weapon!
He cleaved a sword in two!
Could there really be such a weapon in the world that can cut through iron like mud?! It must be a priceless treasure! Luo Zhiheng must have been carrying it with her, but before the competition, the organizers clearly let them choose their own weapons. Zhuge Hualuan chose the longsword she brought with her. Zhuge Hualuan wielded the longsword so vividly that it was clearly something she was used to.
On the other hand, Luo Zhiheng possessed such a powerful weapon, yet she chose not to use it when she had the option, opting instead for an unsuitable iron rod. The only explanation everyone could think of was that Luo Zhiheng must have known the weapon's power and was unwilling to use it to harm others, which is why she suffered such a great loss.
Placing the two side-by-side, the difference in their character and social standing became immediately apparent. People instantly felt a profound sense of respect and admiration for Luo Zhiheng. 16478556
It's alright for someone to be mischievous and unruly, as long as they have a kind heart. Luo Zhiheng is not only beautiful and talented, but also incredibly quick-witted. Beneath her playful and lively exterior lies a kind heart—something not everyone possesses. Today, Luo Zhiheng was forced into a corner, forced to reveal her weapon for self-defense. This forbearance and magnanimity earned her the utmost praise and respect from the hundreds of thousands of people present.
This martial arts competition, up to this point, is no longer just about individual ability, but also about personal charisma and bottom line. You don't know until you see it, and the comparison is shocking. It turns out that the most beautiful woman in the world, whom they've always admired and praised, is actually as venomous as a snake, so despicable. Compared to a true powerhouse, she instantly reveals her true colors. It's a resounding slap in the face to everyone who supported Zhuge Hualuan! 178.
"Well done!" After a brief moment of shock, General Murong roared.
His words echoed the sentiments of everyone else, and were shouted out with even greater force. The old men cheered excitedly, yelling "Well done!" Even the King couldn't resist joining in and muttered, "Well done!"
Luo Zhiheng always possesses this kind of energy. The word "struggle to the death" does not suit her. She is someone who never gives up, is tenacious to the end, finds a way out of a desperate situation, and launches a counterattack.
"She's managed to dodge another attack. Is she protected by all the gods?" The Sixth Prince's eyes showed amazement, but he scoffed sarcastically. He glanced at the Emperor, only to find that the Emperor's face was one of utter astonishment, completely stunned, his expression a turbulent sea of shock!
"Your Majesty, what's wrong?" the Sixth Prince asked.
But how could the emperor hear anyone else now? His gaze was fixed on the cane in Luo Zhiheng's hand. Although he hadn't seen it clearly when it appeared, nor when it separated, why did that cane look so familiar? Where had he seen it before?!
Zhuge Hualuan felt a slight pain in her chest, and her eyes were still filled with shock. She was still bewildered and confused. How could her sword have been cleaved in two? Impossible! That was the sword her mother had given her, forged from a hundred-year-old black iron. It was indestructible and could cut through a hundred-pound piece of cold iron. How could Luo Zhiheng have destroyed it?
The pain in her chest came with great hesitation. She stiffly lowered her head and saw bright red blood gushing out from her torn battle robe. She had never bled like this in her life, and her face instantly turned deathly pale. But before she could even touch the wound, the pain finally overwhelmed her. At that moment, the pain felt like her skin was being ripped out!
"How is this possible?! This is impossible! You couldn't possibly hurt me!" Zhuge Hualuan roared in disbelief.