14: The sword from behind is the most painful!

Lu Jiuyuan's figure briefly solidified after piercing through the blockade, then instantly transformed into a phantom, lunging towards the next target.

The remaining assassins in green felt a blur of green light before their eyes, and three of their companions had already fallen, a chill instantly rushing from their feet to the tops of their heads.

"Scatter! Form ranks!" The leader in green was terrified, screaming his orders, attempting to reorganize their formation.

But how could Lu Jiuyuan give them a chance?

Do not listen to the sound of leaves rustling through the forest; what harm is there in singing and walking slowly? Bamboo staff and straw sandals are lighter than a horse; who is afraid? A straw cape in the rain is for a lifetime.

He was like a fierce tiger charging into a flock of sheep, or a swift wind moving through the forest.

With every turn of his footwork, the Guhong Sword inevitably brought a spray of blood and took a life.

His sword movements were still simple to the extreme—stab! Stab! Stab! The targets were always the throat, heart, and other vital points for an instant kill.

His speed was too fast, his angles too tricky, and combined with the eerie footwork of Ghost Shadow Maze, these well-trained assassins couldn't even organize effective resistance.

"Pfft!" "Hiss!" "Ah!"

Screams, the clang of weapons falling, and the thud of bodies hitting the ground rose and fell, like a symphony of death.

In the morning light, blood quickly stained the yellow earth of the official road, and a heavy, rusty smell permeated the air.

Lu Xiaofeng watched with a deep frown.

Lu Jiuyuan's swordplay was concise, efficient, and chillingly ruthless.

This was no longer just "fast"; it was a perfect combination of "fast" and "kill," discarding all complexities, existing solely to harvest lives.

He could even feel the increasingly condensed and sharper killing intent emanating from Lu Jiuyuan, as if every sword strike was honing something.

Hua Manlou, meanwhile, tilted his ear slightly and sighed softly.

He could "hear" those life forces rapidly extinguishing like candles in the wind, and "smell" the quickly spreading scent of blood.

This stirred a hint of pity in his heart, but nothing more.

He was kind-hearted but not a saint; these people had come to kill them, and Lu Jiuyuan was merely doing what had to be done.

In just a dozen breaths of time.

The last assassin in green, attempting to flee, was run through the back of his neck and collapsed to the ground.

Lu Jiuyuan's figure finally stopped completely, standing amidst the messy pile of corpses, the Guhong Sword pointing obliquely at the ground, a drop of blood slowly dripping from its tip.

"All martial arts in the world, nothing is indestructible, only speed is unbreakable!"

He panted slightly, his face somewhat pale.

Continuously operating at triple speed for high-intensity killing was a huge drain on both his spirit and Internal Energy.

The leader in green was the only one still standing. His hands, gripping two sabers, trembled violently, his face ashen, his eyes filled with disbelief and terror.

His proud formation, his meticulously trained subordinates, were as fragile as paper toys before this man!

"You… what kind of monster are you?!" His voice was hoarse and desperate:

"This speed is like a ghost; it's simply not something a human can achieve. You are a ghost! A ghost of slaughter!"

Lu Jiuyuan slowly raised his eyelids and looked at him: "I gave you a chance to speak, and this is what you say?"

The leader in green looked into the other's calm, unruffled eyes, and an unprecedented chill seized him.

He suddenly let out a beast-like howl, not of attack, but of turning and running for his life with all his might!

What mission, what dignity, none of it mattered in the face of absolute fear of death!

Lu Jiuyuan took a step forward, raised his hand, and thrust.

"Pfft!"

The leader in green, in mid-sprint, suddenly stiffened. Half a sword blade emerged from his neck and was then withdrawn.

He stumbled forward a few steps, his sabers falling from his hands, and he collapsed heavily to the ground, utterly silent.

Lu Xiaofeng walked to Lu Jiuyuan's side, looking at his slightly pale face, and said with a complex tone: "Old Nine, your sword… it's faster."

He could feel that after a series of bloody battles, especially the life-and-death struggle with Huo Tianqing, Lu Jiuyuan's Sword Intent seemed more condensed, purer, and his speed even greater!

Lu Jiuyuan did not answer, merely silently adjusted his breathing, calming his turbulent Qi and blood and his greatly depleted Internal Energy.

With each kill, the Qi feedback from the Guhong Sword nourished and tempered his body and Internal Energy.

Although the process was accompanied by bloodshed and exhaustion, the effects were tangible.

Hua Manlou also walked over, his "gaze" directed towards the front where the scent of blood originated: "The smell of blood ahead… is even thicker!"

"Then let's go!" Lu Jiuyuan said concisely, sheathing his sword, and was the first to step over the messy corpses, hurrying in the direction Hua Manlou indicated.

The three no longer spoke, employing their Qinggong, they sped along the official road. The scenery on both sides of the road rapidly receded, but the nauseating smell of blood grew increasingly strong.

Turning a bend, a tragic scene suddenly burst into view!

Several luxuriously decorated carriages lay overturned by the roadside, the sturdy horses that pulled them already dead, riddled with arrows and hidden weapons.

In the center of the official road and on the grass on both sides, dozens of corpses lay scattered!

Most of these corpses were dressed in Emei Sect Disciple attire, both male and female, all with gruesome deaths.

Some were dismembered by sharp blades, some were charred black, clearly poisoned, some had their tendons and bones shattered by heavy-handed techniques, and others were shot into porcupines by dense hidden weapons.

Blood soaked into the earth, forming dark red puddles.

And in the most densely packed central area of the corpses, a burly old man with disheveled hair and beard leaned against a large tree that had been cut in half, half-kneeling on the ground.

He tightly clutched an ancient-looking long sword, gleaming with cold light, its blade propped on the ground, supporting him from falling.

The old man's body was covered in wounds so deep they exposed bone, especially a penetrating wound on his chest that was shocking to behold.

His eyes were wide open, glaring ahead, frozen with anger, unwillingness, and an incredulous shock.

"A sword pierced from behind, emerging from the chest. This sword came from the person he trusted most." Lu Xiaofeng examined the wound, then shook his head:

"After being stabbed in the back, his combat strength was less than one-tenth, and he was then surrounded and killed by several people. These attackers were not top-tier, but they were close to first-rate.

A generation's Emei Sect Head, to die so carelessly, what a pity, what a lament."

"There aren't many people who could catch him off guard. Coming to seek revenge on Huo Xiu, and bringing his trusted confidants, it seems the traitor couldn't be anyone other than one of the Three Heroes, the Four Beauties, or his Junior Brother."

"The people who can hurt you the most are often those closest to you," Lu Jiuyuan said lightly:

"Be cautious when making friends, and equally cautious when taking Disciples. Many times, pouring out your heart and soul doesn't guarantee loyalty.

A Disciple raised like a child from a young age might still deliver that fatal stab from behind. A Junior Brother who grew up with you might also deliver that fatal stab."

Lu Xiaofeng shook his head. This was a matter of judgment. When I, Lu Xiaofeng, make friends, I rely on accuracy.

I will never be stabbed in the back by anyone.

"The Four Beauties are not in Emei, nor did they accompany him. It's not the Four Beauties; it's very likely one of the Three Heroes."

"Do you want to pursue them? They haven't gone far!" Lu Jiuyuan asked:

"No need. Huo Xiu is already alerted. Killing Dugu Yihe first was to prevent us from meeting him. What we need to do now is head towards Wanmei Villa."

Lu Xiaofeng's face was grim: "If I were Huo Xiu, I would definitely kill Ximen Chuixue, who is coming alone, first, to prevent him from joining us.

After killing the reinforcements, he would then defeat us three one by one."