The Unyielding Queen

Without a moment’s hesitation, Bai Qiao’s hand shot out the instant she seized her opponent, striking before they could even react. This was her usual fighting method, a swift and decisive attack.

However, such tactics were typically reserved for ordinary ruffians, those lacking skill and strength, who would naturally fall with ease. Against an opponent like Mo Xiao, this approach was utterly futile. Mo Xiao merely adjusted his stance slightly, effortlessly sidestepping the attack. Even with the incredible speed of her strike, the residual aura it generated still grazed the corner of his clothing.

Frowning with annoyance at the slight tear in his favorite garment, Mo Xiao didn’t pause. He gracefully launched himself backward, landing steadily on a nearby rooftop eave.

Bai Qiao didn’t look up. That single exchange had already allowed her to grasp the intricacies of using inner force. Without further hesitation, and without even raising her head, her phantom-like figure reappeared directly behind Mo Xiao.

Her right hand swept around her body, clutching a sharp blade. Without a trace of doubt, she brought it down, carving a silver streak through the air. The blade shimmered with a bone-chilling coldness under the moonlight, tracing a perfect semicircle in the empty space.

“Ugh!”

A sudden heavy blow to her back sent Bai Qiao tumbling from the rooftop. She looked up at Mo Xiao, who had leaped down, his expression clouded with ominous intent. A faint smile played on Mo Xiao’s lips as he remarked,

“You still know too little about inner force…”

Mo Xiao remained vigilant. The Bai Qiao before him was no longer the same person he had first encountered. Even then, he had discerned the suppressed essence within her—a powerful aura, perhaps, kept in check by his own formidable presence. That proud spirit had never truly surfaced until now. But after being suppressed for so long, he mused, ‘It will surely resurface in its entirety.’

As these thoughts crossed Mo Xiao’s mind, his desire to either kill the woman before him or claim her for his own intensified. He raised his longsword high, bringing it down with a chilling force.

“Hm?” He thrust downward with all his might, yet there was no movement. As his vision cleared, the first thing he saw was Bai Qiao lying supine on the ground, her eyes blazing with an almost palpable fire. Her other hand was clamped tightly around the descending blade, her knuckles stark white and protruding from the sheer force, blood gushing freely from her grip.

Mo Xiao’s eyes narrowed slightly, a glint of ferocity flashing within them. He unleashed his inner force, pressing the longsword in his hand down further.

“Hiss!”

Blood spurted out. Bai Qiao’s face instantly turned ashen. Fortunately, she had managed to twist her body just in time; otherwise… Bai Qiao pressed her hand tightly against the gushing wound on her left shoulder, a shudder running through her as she realized how close she had come to true peril.

Seizing the moment of Mo Xiao’s momentary complacency, Bai Qiao swept her right leg out. He had no time to dodge. Mo Xiao’s left leg buckled, sending him to one knee. Without a moment to catch his breath, he retreated several meters. Bai Qiao, though swaying, rose to her feet. Despite her blood-soaked garments and disheveled hair, she stood tall and unyielding, her tattered clothes now serving only to accentuate her fierce demeanor.

Mo Xiao found himself momentarily stunned. A sudden chill grazed his neck. His gaze dropped, fixing on the sharp sword tip pressed against his throat, reflecting the moonlight with a blinding silver gleam.

A flicker of surprise crossed his mind, but he quickly regained his composure, regarding Bai Qiao with a playful, almost mocking gaze. Her back to the moon, her face was obscured, revealing only her upright posture and the pale skin peeking through her torn clothes, an almost sickly white in the moonlight.

“So, you truly intended to put us to death?”

Though her expression remained hidden, he could clearly see Bai Qiao’s head tilt slightly, looking down at him from a superior angle. Mo Xiao couldn’t help but inwardly scoff. Indeed, he had actually considered taking this woman for his own! How laughable. Such a person was utterly untamed—a veritable demoness.

Bai Qiao’s brows were tightly furrowed. Mo Xiao remained silent, but Bai Qiao merely wished for one swift strike… just a little further… and he would be dead. Yet… this was His Majesty. To kill him… would it plunge the world into chaos? Would the underworld leaders rise? Bai Qiao was not so selfish a person. After a moment’s thought, she withdrew her sword, turned, and helped Bai Chen to his feet, declaring with an air of arrogant determination:

“I am not like you, shrouded in secrecy, nor will I conceal my intentions. I merely state that I, Bai Qiao, will never agree to your rule, nor will I ever submit to it. If I cannot change you, then I shall overthrow you. If I cannot be your subject, then I shall replace you and become the King of this realm!”

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