Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Sword Intent and Killing Intent of the Divine Demon World-Ending Sword

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Murderous and Martial Will of the Sword of Annihilation

At Li Hao’s mental summons, a crimson light shot forth from the center of his brow. In front of him, the scarlet light twisted and condensed into a strange, blood-red greatsword.

Li Hao operated it just as he would the Nine-Dragon War Halberd. His left hand quickly formed a spell seal. With a flick of his finger, he uttered a single word: “Transform.”

The greatsword shifted with his will. The crowd saw only a flash of blood-red radiance.

A beautiful young woman, seventeen or eighteen years old, dressed in red with willow brows and phoenix eyes, appeared before them. Everyone gazed at her curiously.

This sudden arrival wore a low-cut, gauzy red dress, as if shrouded in blood mist—strange and ethereal. She seemed about eighteen or nineteen, her skin pale as snow, the rest of her absolutely crimson, her beauty surpassing the ordinary.

Her striking appearance was in no way inferior to Lin Xueyou or Lu Xuemei.

The lovely woman swiftly bowed to Li Hao and said, “Youxue pays respects, young master.”

Li Hao, seeing Youxue’s stubbornness reminiscent of Xiao Jiu, did not press her further. He simply waved his hand and smiled, saying, “Rise, Sister Youxue.”

The moment Youxue appeared, the air seemed to freeze. It was not only her unearthly beauty, but also the bone-chilling sword aura radiating from her.

Lin Xueyou thought to herself, “What a powerful sword intent, but the murderous will is overwhelming. She’s otherworldly in looks, but far too cold.”

Lu Yao could only think two words: “So beautiful!”

Zhen Ba and the others had similar thoughts to Lin Xueyou and Lu Yao.

Li Hao noticed everyone was staring intently at Youxue. He introduced her, breaking the silence: “She is the spirit of the Sword of Annihilation, her name is Youxue. I call her Sister Youxue.”

Everyone greeted her in turn, “Greetings, Miss Youxue!”

Youxue returned the gesture, “Youxue greets you all.”

Her voice seemed utterly devoid of emotion, leaving those who heard it feeling a chill run through their bodies.

Lu Yao couldn’t help but exclaim, “Sister, you’re truly beautiful!”

Youxue heard the compliment as if it were directed at someone else. Her expression unchanged, she replied in a cool, even tone, “You are beautiful as well.”

Qin Zhen couldn’t help but remark, “Such a beautiful woman, only her temperament is a bit too cold.”

Youxue paused, focusing her gaze on Qin Zhen for a moment.

As her eyes settled on him, Qin Zhen felt as if he had plunged into an icy abyss, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. A single glance from Youxue left him drenched in cold sweat.

She had not intentionally released her murderous will or sword intent. It was simply that her existence had fused with the Sword of Annihilation for so long that she and the sword’s spirit and murderous aura were one. Having always dwelled within the sword, she had never needed to restrain her presence.

So, when she heard Qin Zhen mention her and focused her attention on him, it was the natural reaction of any person—when spoken of, one instinctively glances over.

Everyone noticed Qin Zhen’s discomfort and gave him questioning looks. Li Zhan asked, “What’s wrong?”

Qin Zhen, his eyes evasive, replied, “Miss Youxue’s gaze is terrifying—one look from her and half my life is gone.”

His words made the others laugh, thinking he was joking, and they dismissed it.

Youxue glanced at Qin Zhen, but no matter what others said about her, her gaze remained distant and indifferent, fixed on the far-off world.

None of the others experienced Youxue’s focused attention. They only sensed her chilling aura, as if she possessed no emotions at all.

There were only two people immune to the sword and murderous intent radiating from Youxue: Li Hao and Xiao Jiu. Xiao Jiu, with his own formidable strength, could isolate himself from her aura. Li Hao, as the sword’s master, could control its spirit at will.

Qin Zhen, seeing that no one believed him, didn’t argue. He simply said, “Believe it or not.”

The others, seeing he wasn’t lying, grew curious about what he had experienced.

Kui Hu, refusing to be outdone, wanted to see for himself. He asked, “Miss Youxue, is there something about your eyes?”

Qin Zhen, hearing this, felt Kui Hu was courting disaster and frantically gestured for him to stop, but it was too late. Kui Hu misread the signal, thinking Qin Zhen was warning him not to provoke Youxue, but since she was Li Hao’s sword spirit and Li Hao was present, he assumed there was no danger. Out of curiosity, he intentionally met Youxue’s gaze.

When Youxue heard Kui Hu’s question, she naturally focused her attention on him. The moment their eyes met, Kui Hu instantly regretted it, realizing Qin Zhen was telling the truth and experiencing the same terror himself.

When Youxue was not focusing her gaze, there was nothing unusual; but when she fixed her eyes on someone, the immense sword will and murderous aura descended with it.

Kui Hu’s experience was ten times more intense than Qin Zhen’s. Even Youxue herself did not understand why her gaze instilled such fear.

The moment Kui Hu met her eyes, a tremor of terror welled up from the depths of his soul, as if pierced by ten thousand swords. His body shook, cold sweat beading on his brow.

Youxue, noticing his strange reaction, became even more curious and stared at him more intently.

Unable to withstand the mental assault of her sword will and murderous intent, Kui Hu instinctively raised his hand to shield himself from her gaze.

Li Hao and the others noticed his reaction—cold sweat pouring, face pale, lips quivering—and all turned their attention to Youxue.

But since Youxue’s focus was not on them, they felt nothing unusual.

Li Zhan asked curiously, “Brother Hu, what’s wrong?”

Kui Hu, his lips trembling, stammered, “Whatever you do, don’t meet Miss Youxue’s eyes—they’re too strange.”

The others, who had not experienced her gaze, only grew more curious about what Qin Zhen and Kui Hu had seen.

Li Hao was the most curious. He had often exchanged glances with Youxue within his own spirit, yet felt nothing out of the ordinary. Seeing Kui Hu and Qin Zhen so terrified, he could not fathom the cause.

Xiao Jiu was the least curious. He knew exactly what Kui Hu and Qin Zhen had gone through, but said nothing, recognizing this as a rare opportunity for their souls to be tempered.

When Kui Hu shielded himself from Youxue’s gaze, he felt some relief, yet his body still prickled wherever her eyes had passed.

Youxue, seeing Kui Hu hide from her stare, became even more interested in what was so strange about her own gaze. She then looked toward Li Zhan.

The instant Li Zhan met her eyes, his expression froze. At last, he understood what Kui Hu and Qin Zhen had experienced. After a single breath, he hurriedly looked away, his face ashen, soul quivering, lips trembling—just as the others had.

The oddities of Kui Hu, Li Zhan, and Qin Zhen piqued Zhen Ba’s curiosity. He too met Youxue’s gaze. The moment their eyes locked, he felt as if he had plunged into a forest of icy blades, threatened at every moment by a thousand arrows through the heart.

After just two breaths, he too was pale, sweating, lips quivering.

Lin Xueyou observed that anyone who met Youxue’s eyes seemed to fall gravely ill. She asked curiously, “What is wrong with Miss Youxue’s gaze?”

The answers were all similar: her gaze was too strange and terrifying.

Getting nowhere, Lin Xueyou decided to experience it herself.

When the two beautiful women met each other’s eyes, Lin Xueyou instantly understood. She thought, “Such a powerful soul impact, and within it an even stronger sword will and murderous intent. No wonder Kui Hu and the others couldn’t withstand it. Anyone below the Soul-Tempering stage without specialized soul training cannot resist this eerie girl’s spiritual assault.”

Youxue noticed a strange change in Lin Xueyou’s eyes.

The scene was so unique that none of the others dared joke about the two women exchanging glances—they knew something profound was happening.

Before reaching the Soul-Tempering realm, Lin Xueyou would not have dared to challenge Youxue. Now, having broken through, she could barely resist the sword will and murderous aura in Youxue’s gaze with all her might.

Moreover, Youxue was not even targeting Lin Xueyou deliberately, merely observing her with curiosity.

In Youxue’s eyes, Lin Xueyou’s gaze contained a formation, as if it could draw in all souls. Intrigued, Youxue watched closely, wanting to discover the nature and function of that vortex.

After a moment, the vortex faded from Lin Xueyou’s eyes, restoring their clarity. Youxue’s curiosity abated and she withdrew her gaze.

Lu Yao and Li Hao, having watched the two ethereal women staring at each other for over ten breaths, asked curiously, “Sister Xueyou, Sister Youxue, did you discover anything?”

Youxue simply shook her head, not knowing what to say.

Li Hao and Lu Yao looked to Lin Xueyou for answers. Lin Xueyou, catching their gaze, said, “Miss Youxue’s eyes are indeed strange. See for yourselves.”

Wise as she was, Lin Xueyou quickly realized this was a chance for them to test themselves. She thought, “Let them experience for themselves the strength of their own souls—it can only do them good. I’ll explain after they’ve had a taste.”