usatvline Chapter 793 Rebirth from the Ashes: A Single Sword Strike to the Throat (Page 12)
Chapter 793 Rebirth from the Ashes: A Single Sword Strike to the Throat (Page 12)
While the mysterious man was being tortured in the torture chamber, in another large room of the stone chamber, Lin Xue's petite body was being repeatedly violated by Zhao Hu's soldiers. Blood kept gushing from her cherry-like mouth. Her thin body had been stripped of all its leather armor and was now completely naked, looking quite pitiful. This young heroine's first intelligence-gathering trip had ended in such a tragic way. Her soul groaned in endless pain, and her body suffered endless humiliation.
Just then, a drop of blood from Lin Xue's small mouth dripped onto a jade pendant hanging from her neck and dangling to her chest. The blood seeped into the jade pendant, causing it to shimmer. At that moment, a soldier, seeing Lin Xue's wide-open eyes, felt a pang of pity and reached out to gently close her eyelids. In this way, Lin Xue was unintentionally activated with the dual inheritance power of the Lin family, and her body emitted a silver light (her cultivation level was still relatively low, so the initial activation of the inheritance power emitted a silver light. - Author's note). The wound on her throat instantly healed, and her body returned to normal. Moreover, her cultivation level, like her other sisters, surged to the peak of the Earth Realm, leaping across a major realm (including four minor realms), directly advancing four realms. Now, she had surpassed Zhao Hu by two minor realms, making her an insurmountable obstacle for these soldiers. Lin Xue, still naked, suddenly leaped up and pointed her finger into the air, piercing the throat of the soldier riding on her. The soldier immediately fell to the ground dead. Lin Xue quickly leaped up and pointed her sword repeatedly, killing more than a dozen soldiers in the stone chamber with a single finger. She hurriedly put on the leather armor that they had stripped off and went to seek revenge on Zhao Hu outside.
Lin Xue's entire body was now crystal clear, and her face and makeup were even more beautiful. She believed that her current peak Earth Realm cultivation was enough to seek justice from Commander Zhao Hu and kill him to avenge herself.
A terrifying escape from death in a stone chamber
Cold, dark, suffocating.
These were Lin Xue's last sensations before losing consciousness. She clearly remembered Zhao Hu's ferocious and greedy face, the undisguised murderous intent and possessiveness in his eyes, and the longsword in his hand, gleaming with a cold light, piercing her throat with the precision of a venomous snake. A sharp pain shot through her, her life force receded rapidly like a tide, the world before her eyes plunged into a blood-red hue, followed by utter darkness.
"Am I... dead?"
Her consciousness seemed to float in an endless void, devoid of up, down, left, or right, and without the passage of time. Lin Xue couldn't feel her body; only a chilling coldness and resentment that seeped into her very bones. She hated! She hated Zhao Hu's betrayal and cruelty, hated herself for misjudging people, and hated even more for failing to kill her enemy with her own hands, dying in such a humiliating way.
She was the youngest of the Lin sisters. She came to the army to join her eldest sister, Lin Ping, hoping to make a name for herself in the military. However, on her first attempt to disguise herself and scout the enemy, she was discovered by the rebel commander Zhao Hu. Despite her peak Xuan Realm cultivation, she was no match for Zhao Hu. Although she fought hard, she was ultimately a step too slow and was killed by him with a single sword strike!
"Zhao Hu... If I have an afterlife, I will tear you to pieces!"
A powerful resentment seemed to tear through the void, and a faint warmth emanated from her chest. Lin Xue's chaotic consciousness jolted violently—she felt it! She felt her own body!
She struggled to open her heavy eyelids, and what came into view were rough, damp stone walls. It seemed to be a simple stone chamber, dimly lit, with only a sliver of light filtering through the cracks in the stone walls above her. A faint smell of blood and mildew filled the air.
"I...am not dead?"
A storm raged through Lin Xue's heart. She instinctively touched her throat; it was smooth, without a wound, without blood, not even a trace of pain. How could this be? The sensation of that sword strike was so real, the despair of losing life so etched into her very soul!
She looked down at herself; her clothes were gone, replaced by a cold, rough linen prison uniform clinging tightly to her body. She remembered that after her "death," Zhao Hu had grinned and ordered his men to dispose of her "body." Presumably, these soldiers had stripped her of her clothes and belongings, including the jade pendant she wore on her chest.
"A family heirloom jade pendant..." Lin Xue felt a pang of pain in her heart. It wasn't just a treasure, but a family heirloom. But then, an even greater question gripped her mind: "Why am I here? Why am I not dead?"
She tried circulating her internal energy, and what she found shocked her beyond measure!
The true energy that had previously dissipated and fallen dormant due to "death" was now exceptionally active and pure! It surged and flowed through her meridians, stronger and smoother than ever before. Moreover, she could clearly feel that her cultivation level... had actually faintly touched the threshold of the peak of the Earth Realm!
This is simply unbelievable! A near-death sword strike, not only did he not die, but he also turned misfortune into blessing, greatly advancing his cultivation? He jumped from the peak of the Profound Realm to the peak of the Earth Realm, a full four realms higher.
Lin Xue took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. She carefully looked inward and found that deep within her dantian, the family heirloom jade pendant was emitting a warm light, with wisps of strange energy overflowing from it, nourishing her meridians and dantian, and stabilizing her rapidly increasing cultivation.
"It's a family heirloom jade pendant!" Lin Xue instantly understood. "It not only protected my heart meridian, preventing me from dying completely, but also fed back its own energy to me while I was unconscious, repairing my injuries and even... helping me break through my bottleneck!"
After the immense surprise came overwhelming hatred!
Zhao Hu!
If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be in this situation. If it weren't for the protection of my family's heirloom jade pendant, I would have been reduced to ashes long ago! This blood feud is irreconcilable!
The stone chamber was small and empty except for her. But Lin Xue could hear faint footsteps and voices coming from outside the chamber.
"...That girl was such a pity, she was as beautiful as a fairy, and she just died like that..."
"Shh! Keep your voice down! The commander said to clean up thoroughly and leave no trace. Have you searched this girl for anything?"
"Don't worry, she didn't even leave out a piece of jade pendant or a piece of silver; she sent them all to the commander. The commander is probably very happy right now. I heard that her dagger is made of pure gold and is worth a lot of silver!"
"Heh heh, serves her right for being so ungrateful, daring to refuse the commander... But speaking of which, are we really going to throw this corpse into the back mountain to feed the wolves?"
"What else? You dare disobey the commander's orders? We'll carry her out in a bit..."
The soldiers' conversation outside the door pierced Lin Xue's heart like sharp knives. Her eyes instantly turned icy cold, and a murderous intent spread through her like a tangible force.
Death? Throwing me to feed the wolves? Zhao Hu, you've got a brilliant plan! Unfortunately, you've miscalculated one thing—I, Lin Xue, am not destined to die!
Not only is she not dead, but her strength has increased dramatically, reaching the peak of the Earth Realm! Zhao Hu is only at the Lesser Completion of the Earth Realm, and I am now absolutely confident that I can kill him!
A burning desire for revenge raged within her, and Lin Xue's body trembled slightly with excitement and murderous intent. She felt the powerful energy surging within her, and her senses sharper than ever before; a cold smile curved her lips.
"Zhao Hu, your death is near!"
She quietly stood up and stretched her limbs. Nourished by the energy of the Concentration Jade, her body had not only recovered completely but was even more resilient than before, and her senses had become incredibly sharp. Every subtle sound in the stone chamber, the breathing and heartbeat of the soldiers outside the door, entered her ears clearly.
She listened intently; there were about fifteen people outside the door? They were all ordinary Yellow Border soldiers, whom she considered insignificant in her current state.
The stone chamber had a simple wooden door, secured with an iron bar. A cold glint flashed in Lin Xue's eyes, and she moved abruptly!
Two swords pointed and struck repeatedly, blood was shed in the prison cell.
Lin Xue's movements were incredibly fast!
The moment she decided to act, her body darted out like a ghost. Her peak Earth Realm cultivation erupted at full power, seemingly tearing the air apart and creating a barely perceptible gust of wind.
"boom!"
With a soft thud, it wasn't that the door was kicked open, but rather that Lin Xue's finger precisely touched the joint of the wooden door latch! The seemingly sturdy wood, under the force of her finger infused with true energy, became as fragile as tofu.
"Crack!"
The latch snapped open. Without pausing, Lin Xue pushed with her left hand, and the wooden door slid open silently a crack.
Outside the door, a dozen or so soldiers were chatting idly in twos and threes, or wiping their weapons, completely unaware that death had already descended. They were still discussing how to dispose of Lin Xue's "corpse," their faces lewd smiles.
Lin Xue's eyes flashed with killing intent. Without the slightest hesitation, she moved like lightning and darted out through the crack in the door!
She was too fast, so fast that these soldiers at the Acquired Realm couldn't react at all! They only saw a blur before their eyes, as if a white shadow had flashed by, and then felt a sharp gust of wind rushing towards them.
"who?!"
Some of the quick-reacting soldiers barely had time to utter a cry of alarm before their voices were abruptly cut short.
Lin Xue's goal was clear, and her actions were ruthless! Her fingers were like the sharpest swords, each strike precisely aimed at a soldier's vitals!
Throat, heart, and brow!
"Puff puff!"
A series of soft, muffled sounds rang out, like the drumbeats of death.
The first soldier pointed his finger at the throat, and the throat was instantly pierced. Blood gushed out, the soldier's eyes widened, and his body went limp, unable to even let out a scream.
The second soldier had just drawn his sword halfway when he was struck in the chest, his heart stopped, and his body stiffened as he fell to the ground.
The third, fourth...
Lin Xue's figure weaved through the crowd like a tiger among sheep, or a cold bolt of lightning. She didn't use any weapons, but her fingers were the most deadly weapons! The true energy of the peak Earth Realm was poured into her fingertips, forming an invisible finger force with extremely strong penetrating power.
These soldiers were like stationary targets before her. Their weapons and their defenses seemed so ridiculous and powerless in the face of absolute speed and power.
Screams? Almost none! Lin Xue's attacks were swift, precise, and ruthless; each finger could instantly take the life of her victim, leaving them no chance to even utter a complete scream. Only the hoarse sounds emanating from their throats before death and the heavy thud of their bodies falling to the ground could be heard.
The open space outside the stone chamber wasn't large, and a dozen soldiers stood densely together, which ironically facilitated Lin Xue's killing spree. Her movements were fluid and efficient, without a single wasted moment; every movement, every flick of her finger, took a life.
Her translucent skin shimmered with a jade-like luster in the dim light. Her face, amplified by murderous intent, appeared even more cold and beautiful, like a flower of demons blooming amidst blood. At this moment, she was no longer the genius girl from the sect, but a vengeful demon returned from hell!
In just a few breaths, the fifteen soldiers who were just chatting were all lying in pools of blood!
Lin Xue stood on the open ground strewn with corpses, slightly out of breath, her cold gaze sweeping over the bodies. Aside from a few drops of blood splattered on her from being near the corpses, her white prison uniform remained relatively clean. Her fingers were slender and white; the fatal finger strike that had just taken a life now looked unremarkable.
The air was thick with the stench of blood, which mingled with the previous musty smell, making one want to vomit. But Lin Xue seemed not to smell it; her gaze was fixed on the corpse of one of the soldiers—the soldier was wearing a set of black leather armor and appeared to be a minor leader among them.
"Leather armor..." Lin Xue's mind raced. She was currently wearing thin prison clothes, which made movement inconvenient and easily attracted attention. Wearing leather armor would not only provide some disguise but also offer a degree of protection.