"These are things that are not recorded in history. When faced with danger, they all made their own choices. Perhaps this is why they are different from you."
At this moment, eighteen flying swords flew back to He Jinqiu and swirled around him. He continued, "I have always envied knights. Everyone says they are the most romantic people in the Federation, but do you know the definition of romance?"
"The definition of romance is not about romantic walks under the moon, vows of eternal love, or romantic love. It's about doing something even if you know you might fail or die—that's what romance is...that's what a knight is."
He Jinqiu looked at the Silver Duke: "Your Black Knights are not worthy."
The Silver Duke shook his head: "I know what you're saying sounds heroic, passionate, and admirable, but it's useless. What you need to think about now is, what gives you the right to kill me?"
He Jinqiu did not answer immediately. He gently stroked each of the Heart Swords and Bone Swords around him with his broken wrist, as if he were apologizing to them and saying goodbye.
"Why should I?" He Jinqiu laughed: "Because of my wretched life now."
"What if you risk your life and still can't kill me?"
He Jinqiu replied, "Just do good deeds and don't worry about the future. Follow your heart's desires, regardless of east or west."
In an instant, he burned away his last bit of life force, and the eighteen flying swords around him emitted a dazzling light!
The next moment, eighteen flying swords flew away from him like a torrent, surging towards the Silver Duke!
The Silver Duke calmly raised his hand to meet the attack, his entire body moving swiftly and nimbly, leaving afterimages in his wake, the clanging of metal against metal echoing incessantly.
The flying sword was knocked away time and time again, and He Jinqiu's face became more and more tired.
He Jinqiu's methods seemed somewhat powerless in front of the Silver Duke; it seemed that no matter how hard he tried, he could hardly harm the other party in the slightest.
Moreover, during the battle, the Silver Duke even had the strength to unleash the Autumn Leaf Blade, using his black hair as needles to cut through He Jinqiu's body one by one.
If He Jinqiu hadn't dodged in time, her carotid artery would probably have been severed by the other party several times.
He seemed to have no other options, and could only mechanically and repeatedly attack with his flying sword, only to be fiercely thrown away by the Silver Duke.
But... those flying swords that were knocked away actually flew back again and again, returning to the Silver Duke.
This battle was neither as brilliant nor as shocking as before.
He Jinqiu was like someone wrestling in the street; he no longer wore a fine suit or a sophisticated black scepter, but only had a heart that wanted to fight to the death.
He abandoned his own particularities and calculations.
He was previously a sword immortal.
Right now, he's just a soldier!
The flying sword was repelled time and time again, only to fly back again and again!
Endless and continuous.
The Silver Duke retaliated fiercely, but suddenly he unleashed unparalleled speed, flicking dozens of fingers in mid-air, each one striking the flying sword squarely.
He accurately located each of the flying swords in the air.
The first Heart Sword shattered...
The second Heart Sword shattered...
The eighth Heart Sword shattered...
He Jinqiu's spirits immediately sank.
Since the birth of the Hu family sword cultivators, no one has ever shattered nine heart swords in a single day. His internal organs felt as if they had been torn apart. If it weren't for the strong body of this experimental subject, he might have died suddenly!
This was the first time He Jinqiu had ever expressed gratitude for this dusty, gray body. There had been times when he looked in the mirror and saw his gray self, and he felt that this was the ugliest time of his life.
They don't care about appearances at all.
So he cut his nails.
Put on your hat.
But if time could turn back, he would definitely stand openly in the sunlight and re-examine himself.
The Heart Sword shattered.
He also has a bone sword.
Even if the bone sword shatters, he still has a worthless life.
But those ten bone swords were even more resilient than the heart swords. Despite enduring countless blows, they stubbornly remained flying in the air.
Gradually, the Silver Duke's hands were also covered in blood, and the skin on his palms was torn inch by inch from the impact of the bone sword.
His speed also slowed down. Due to the side effects of the potion, this Silver Duke did not have breathing techniques, and his stamina was far inferior to that of a regular knight!
The Silver Duke originally wanted to kill He Jinqiu with all his might and end the battle before the royal fleet arrived, but he suddenly discovered that He Jinqiu was like a piece of chewing gum, which was repeatedly broken through but never defeated.
He made a desperate, all-or-nothing attack, completely shattering He Jinqiu's sword formation, and charged towards He Jinqiu!
The Silver Duke left afterimages in the air and arrived in front of He Jinqiu, stabbing her in the center of her chest with a palm. However, he actually saw He Jinqiu smiling!
But the bone sword that had been deflected returned and, taking advantage of the opponent's all-out attack, deftly sliced through the back of the opponent's left ankle!
This is the leg that the Silver Duke injured when he fell from the airship.
When the Silver Duke realized something was wrong, it was too late to dodge. He barely managed to lift his leg to avoid it, but the bone sword came too cunningly! The fracture in his left leg and the pulled ligaments slowed his movements at that moment!
Achilles tendon!
That one sword strike severed the Silver Duke's Achilles tendon!
The Azure Jade Heart Sword spun around, just like Zheng Yuandong's domineering swordsmanship, and then dismembered the Silver Duke's calf muscles, leaving only bare bones!
The Silver Duke's eyes were bloodshot. His enemy was like a madman, completely disregarding life and death. Even though he was already like a candle in the wind, he was still thinking about how to kill him instead of how to survive!
The knightly aura within the Silver Duke surged and rolled into He Jinqiu's body along with his hand that pierced He Jinqiu's chest.
The knightly demigod's true knightly energy was like a torrent pouring down from the sky, passing through He Jinqiu's limbs and bones, severing He Jinqiu's blood vessels and muscle fibers inch by inch.
This is why the Knight Demigod can hit people like they're hanging paintings. He Jinqiu appeared to be unharmed, but all the vitality in his body had been destroyed.
Mr. He's powerful self-healing ability wanted to mend those torn muscles, but it was simply impossible.
But the Silver Duke saw that He Jinqiu was still smiling.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his wrist. The hand that was pressed against He Jinqiu's chest had also been slashed by a sword, severing the tendons in his right hand!
The Silver Duke then realized that in his desperate leap, he had knocked away nine bone swords, and the whereabouts of one of them were unknown.
It turns out that this bone sword had been waiting for him all along.
From the very beginning, He Jinqiu had no intention of surviving.
At this moment, He Jinqiu was struck by a tremendous force and flew backward like a kite with a broken string, her body rolling continuously on the ground.
He looked up at the night sky, coughing as he laughed, "I've crippled one of your arms and legs, how about that? Still dare to underestimate me?"
Boss He was exceptionally miserable, yet exceptionally happy.
The Silver Duke stared blankly at the bloodline on his wrist: "I can possess my disciple at any time, but you are dead."
He Jinqiu smiled and ignored him.
The Silver Duke roared, "Why? Why are you willing to risk your life to trade injuries with me? You're a demigod, aren't you even a little bit afraid of death?"
He Jinqiu looked up at the starry sky above.
He longed to fly on his sword again, to see the stars that seemed within reach.
But then he realized that he could no longer fly on his sword.
He had nothing left but a worthless life, slowly waiting to die.
The Silver Duke asked for the third time, "Why?!"
At this moment, He Jinqiu slowly turned her head to look at the horizon, where a young man covered in blood was running wildly towards her.
The puppets beside the boy were nowhere to be found; the battle must have been very dangerous.
"Do you want to know why?" He Jinqiu asked.
The Silver Duke remained silent.
He Jinqiu pondered for two seconds, thinking of some people he had known and some things he had experienced: "Because... success doesn't have to be mine."
The Silver Duke was stunned for a moment. He Jinqiu's implication was that he had risked his life to give Qing Chen an opportunity to kill him.
It doesn't matter whether He Jinqiu killed the person or not, as long as the Silver Duke is dead!
The next moment, the Silver Duke saw Qing Chen cut open his wrist and, using his blood as a guide, draw out the blood-red longsword he had seized from the Fate Master.
He suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, the prophecy the Fate Master had given him echoing in his mind!
The man wielding the blood-red longsword has slain the Silver Duke!
His expression shifted between light and dark. After much thought, he still didn't believe Qing Chen had the ability to kill him. He said coldly, "You think he can kill me? I'm a demigod, and he's just an A-level."
He Jinqiu thought for a moment and said, "You will be the first demigod he kills. Next, he will kill the second, the third, the fourth... until one day, the world will be safe and sound, the horses will graze freely, the crops will be plentiful, and the people will live in peace and prosperity. My epitaph may say that this person was very good at wielding a sword, but you... will not have an epitaph."
As he spoke, He Jinqiu began to cough violently, and everything in his body began to fall apart under the influence of the Knight's True Qi.
But he doesn't regret it at all.
At this moment, the Silver Duke did not choose to kill Qing Chen, but instead turned around and limped away into the distance.
The sound of footsteps approached, and Qing Chen knelt down beside He Jinqiu: "Boss He, how are you?"
He Jinqiu said casually, "I'm not going to live. Go quickly and kill him. Let him go to his grave with the secret of the poisoned wine cup! I've already crippled his right hand and left leg. If you can't kill him, you'll be letting down your knight ancestors."
Qing Chen was stunned for a moment: "..."
He Jinqiu looked at the starry sky and said, "Qingchen, please, kill him."
"Let me check your injuries first," Qingchen said, his nose stinging with tears.
He Jinqiu suddenly looked at Qingchen seriously: "Go, go. The place I'm going to doesn't require courage, but the place you're going to requires courage."
Qing Chen suddenly stood up and chased after the Silver Duke's back with all his might.
He suddenly recalled that one night when he skipped class and was on his way home, he saw a well-dressed young man at the T-junction of Xingshu Road. The young man smiled and said to him: "Hello, I am He Jinqiu from Jiuzhou."
Qingchen felt his heart, blood, and mind boiling, and the thunderous energy within his body surging continuously.
Those arcs of electricity surged and rippled, growing ever stronger amidst their boundless fury.
However, once they reach a certain critical point, they are unable to break through it for a long time.
So they began to seek other sources, they began to assimilate with flesh and blood, and they permeated Qingchen's life.