Offer Me Your Life

The stage now set, a cryotic hell of temperature nearing zero with blood and gore all around, it perfectly captured Fang Xuan's agony.

The overflowing bloodlust from Fang Xuan powered his arm, throwing his massive blade like a gargantuan boomerang with enough force to decapitate.

With a loud clang, Xiao winced as she underestimated the force behind Fang Xuan's throw, but still managed to deflect it and send the Bagua Dao high up in the air.

Capitalizing on his fading agility, Fang Xuan jumped high up to the ceiling and kicked his way down towards Xiao as he retrieved his sword on the way, his downward descent emboldened by gravity made for one fearsome attack.

"HYAAAAAAH!" Fang Xuan screamed at the top of his lungs as delivered his massive blade to slash Xiao.

Parrying such a huge blade made the floor beneath Xiao crack, holding Fang Xuan's descent steady with both of her tonfas, one slip up from Xiao and she might get split from head to ground.

As their weapons lock, Xiao swiftly retaliated by kicking Fang Xuan's lung, sending the boy flying.

Spinning from the force of Xiao's mighty kick, Fang Xuan managed to anchor himself with his huge sword by stabbing it to the ground.

"Try and dodge this!" Xiao taunted as she raised her tonfa up to the sky. Glitters of ice quickly scattered, forming into hundreds of swords.

The moment Xiao's tonfa pointed towards Fang Xuan, the multitude of swords above rushed as if a volley of arrows, covering the entire sky and erasing the space for evasion. Despite Xiao's taunting, it was an attack nigh impossible to dodge.

But Fang Xuan was not planning on dodging...

The sheen on Fang Xuan's blade started to glow blood red as if the gore from all around was being absorbed by it.

As the barrage of swords closes in, Fang Xuan released his qi technique with a horizontal slicing motion.

[Hell splitting wave!]

From Fang Xuan's bagua dao emerged a colossal wave of blood that swallowed all the ice swords in its wake.

<Xiao, the demonic energy of from that wave is intense, never let it hit you!>

"I know, master! With your power, I can handle this much!"

Overcoming her newfound distaste for spears, the dangerous situation called upon a caliber of technique that would match Fang Xuan's blood wave. Thus, she would concentrate as much qi as she could on her next attack!

Xiao's first raised at the sky, an absolutely massive Guandao formed, one that must take ten men to wield!

With a punch, Xiao's Guandao was sent flying!

The two qi entities slammed into each other, forming an ear shattering explosion of blood and ice!

As the fog of blood and ice obscured both their visions, Xiao was in for a surprise as her foe's Bagua Dao came crashing down on her.

After evading the strike, Xiao's foot stomped on the blade. Capitalizing on Fang Xuan finding it hard to raise his weapon with only one hand, Xiao's right tonfa slammed into Fang Xuan's stomach, making him let go of the weapon altogether. But Xiao's assault wasn't over yet! Xiao spun, hitting Fang Xuan in the head with the backside of her tonfa and transitioning her momentum into a devastating right roundhouse kick straight into Fang Xuan's temple!

The vicious assault sent Fang Xuan sliding into the ground. Since he was now down and almost out, Xiao decided it was not time to end their bout.

Xiao leaped into the air, her right tonfa was about to crash and pulverize Fang Xuan's head! With this, Xiao thought her final blow would knock some sense into Fang Xuan.

Or so she thought…

Stopping shy a few inches from Fang Xuan's nose, Xiao's tonfa failed to reach their target, coughing up blood instead.

Fang Xuan smirked as a crude blade fashioned from his blood pierced Xiao's stomach. Xiao shattered the blood sword embedded in her using the brute force of her tonfa.

"You bastard!"

Xiao was about to redo his strike when he noticed Fang Xuan's hand, recalling his blade. Using a backflip, Xiao managed to avoid Fang Xuan's massive blade.

Gaining distance against each other, Xiao clutched her wound as he watched Fang Xuan get up. Xiao grinned, a cheap trick it might be, but she was still had. Not bad at all. Nonetheless, Xiao's vicious blows exacerbated Fang Xuan's grim state. His knees wobbled, it took all of his remaining strength just to stand upright.

"That blood sword of yours, were you imitating my technique?" Xiao asked.

"So you noticed? I might as well make the technique my own, seeing how you're going to perish here."

Xiao chuckled, "Have you considered starring in a theatre? You have a knack for comedy, you know."

Fang Xuan cocked his Bagua Dao sidewards, the sudden burst of qi from the young man meant only that he was preparing for his strongest technique yet.

Blood vortexed around his sword, its size along with Fang Xuan's channeled power rising each second.

Xiao raised her eyebrows. Whatever that technique maybe, Xiao better have an answer to it.

They say that imitation is the greatest form of flattery, Fang Xuan should he flattered because Xiao had just picked up on the perfect technique to end this duel.

Xiao let go of her tonfa, her arms circling together while her thoughts focused on producing the one of highest revered form of divine beasts. A dragon.

All of her current cultivation, both borrowed and innate, are channeled into the image of this powerful beast.

Above Xiao rose a mighty pillar, formed from her cultivation. The thickest concentration of ice that would freeze even the air around them. Yet even though this ice oozed with her power, she cannot unlock the visage of a dragon. It was but an unchiseled gargantuan mountain of ice.

There was no time to mull over why since Fang Xuan's vortex had morphed into a full tornado.

With one swing, Fang Xuan unleashed his blood tornado Xiao. A technique that would grind her into paste!

Using both hands, Xiao's crude ice pillar flew, slamming into the oncoming tornado!

Be it Fang Xuan's borrowed strength diminishing or his battered body both inside and out, his blood qi was unable to withstand Xiao's pristine and powerful ice.

The ice pillar shredded the tornado as made its way to flatten Fang Xuan. Like pangu's finger made out of ice, the absolutely terrifying view of a mountainous pillar about to slam into him, was something he welcomed with a smile.

But right before the pillar can crush Fang Xuan into , it exploded with an ear ringing explosion, sending him flaying and his back hitting the wall.

Fang Xuan didn't even have the strength to stand anymore, he could only crawl.

"WHY!? JUST KILL ME, I HAVE NOTHING LEFT TO LIVE FOR!"

Xiao stood in front of the thrice devestated Fang Xuan. Should she let her master console him? She does not really know how she's going to quell this young man's torment. Ah, no matter, Xiao simply decided to say what was on her mind.

"Perhaps. That grief you carry and the sins you have committed, I will not pretend that I understand them." Xiao knew firsthand the grip vengeance can have on you. In that aspect Xiao does not judge Fang Xuan. Her only regret was not being by his side to make sure that only those who had a hand in the massacre of Transient Blades were slain. Xiao extended her hand. "If you have nothing left to live for then live for me. We will find a way to repair your cultivation, and in exchange, you will give your life to vanquish my foes."