Chapter 173: Chapter 39: The Grim Reaper Appears for the First Time_4
"Ah Dai ----" Xuan Yue cried out in pain, able to speak again having recovered a little from her intense grief.
Ah Dai’s body was flooded with intense pain. His eyes glowed red as he looked around at the surrounding crowd, flashing a chilling light. His energy had almost been depleted, with the white light earlier released from the ring that Xuan Ye called God’s protection; it was the second time that the ring saved Ah Dai’s life. The murderous aura emanating from Ah Dai’s body caused the black knights to hold off, forming a three-meter-wide empty space around him.
His mind was focused on how to extract Xuan Yue from this situation. He knew he cannot die yet, knowing that if he died, Xuan Yue would follow to the grave. Subconsciously, he plunged the Tian Gang sword into the earth in front of him and his right hand touched the hilt of the Sword of Hades at his chest.
Without prior notice, an evil aura seeped out from his body. A pale gray fog enveloped Ah Dai, chilling the air around him and causing a cold shudder to ripple through the black knights. Under the effect of the Sword of Hades’s evil aura, Ah Dai’s eyes were void of any emotion, fully immersed in the overwhelming evil intent.
Xuan Yue gave a violent shudder, chilled to the bone. Under the influence of the Sword of Hades’s evil aura, her meridians felt as if they were about to freeze. But then, the Phoenix’s blood in her chest began to emit a warm current, dispelling the icy chill. A faint red glow enveloped her body, nourishing her inner meridians.
Feeling the changes in Yue Yue in his arms, Ah Dai looked down. Seeing her enveloped in the pale red light, effectively repelling his grey evil aura, he felt a wave of relief. While he didn’t want to kill, he understood that if he didn’t, both he and Xuan Yue would perish here. With this realization, Ah Dai let out a sky-shaking roar. The little life energy he had left fueled the Sword of Hades, causing the evil aura to intensify. A swirling grey vortex appeared, forcing the black knights’ war horses to retreat in fear, causing them to issue mournful cries. The black knights’ leader was taken aback. Ah Dai was no longer the martial arts master who had almost been torn apart by them, but had turned into a demon-brimming with an evil aura. The evil aura seemed ready to swallow them whole. In panic, he ordered, "Attack! Kill them, and you’ll be greatly rewarded." Motivated by the orders, three of the knights, including the leader, lunged at Ah Dai with their glowing long knives.
In the icy silence that fell over Ah Dai’s heart, he held on to Xuan Yue with his left hand and coldly said, "Nether Flash of Hades—Sky—Earth—Move—"
Even though Xuan Yue was cradled in Ah Dai’s arms, all she felt was the chill. Before she could react, a gloomy blue light emerged from Ah Dai’s chest. This light, reminiscent of the Netherworld Light originating from Hell, followed Ah Dai’s body as he miraculously flashed past the three black knights charging at them.
With the disappearance of the blue light, the black knights, who were ready to join the fray, ceased their advance. "Thud, thud, thud." The sound of heavy bodies hitting the ground resonated throughout the field. The three black knights, who had previously battled Ah Dai, dropped to the ground as dry husks, their twitching bodies soon becoming lifeless. These were just some of the numerous souls the Sword of Hades had absorbed.
Ah Dai clutched at his chest, struggling for breath. Although the Sword of Hades’s attack was incredibly powerful, it had depleted his remaining life energy. While he was using the Nether Flash, the cold evil intent had also infiltrated his body and was ceaselessly attacking his spirit. His energy was frail and exhausted, with no capacity to disperse the intrusive evil aura.
Xuan Yue’s body violently trembled when the Sword of Hades was unsheathed but calmed down only now under Phoenix’s Blood’s aid. She noticed the pallor on Ah Dai’s face and the unsteady trembling of his body, his eyes brimming with a cold light, as if ready to explode at any moment.
Ah Dai was at his limit. With great effort, he used the last remnant of his life energy to fend off the evil aura invading his spirit. However, the relentless attack of the evil aura began to overcome his defenses. Just when Ah Dai thought that he was devoured by the evil power, a sudden brilliant blue light emanated from his chest. The evil aura within his body seemed to find a vent, and was rapidly expelled. The moment the evil aura disappeared, Ah Dai felt the Divine Dragon’s Blood in his chest stir. As the blue light faded, Ah Dai returned to normal. But he could no longer support his body, and fell to the ground holding Xuan Yue. He landed on his injured back, unwilling to harm his precious person in his embrace. His body softened as he lost consciousness.
