Naked Sword Art

Chapter 497: Li Lian vs. Chen Li

Standing outside the Nameless Guild’s guildhouse, Li Lian frowned.

In her eyes, this place was nothing more than Xiao Fang’s personal brothel, and everyone inside was merely part of his harem. The thought made her blood boil. Flames flared along her hair and lashes, her eyes burning crimson as her body slowly lifted from the ground, heat rolling outward in suffocating waves.

"Hmph. I should teach those girls a lesson."

If not for Matriarch Shi tasking her with delivering the Dual Cultivation book to Xiao Fang, she never would have returned here. The second reason was far less dignified.

She intended to put every woman in Xiao Fang’s harem in their place.

"Fang, come out!"

Without waiting for an invitation, she stormed inside, her flames tearing through walls and doors as she checked room after room. By the time she reached the training hall, the only thing she found was everyone except the man she was looking for.

"That’s—"

"What is she doing here?"

The White Jade guild members panicked.

Li Lian stood wreathed in roaring fire, her entire body glowing red-hot. Even her eyes and hands burned like molten embers, making her resemble a demonic warden descended to drag souls into hell.

"Where’s Long Wang?" Li Lian quickly said, but there were no immediate replies from the White Jade guild’s side.

First a Supreme Elder—now the Matriarch’s direct disciple.

Just who was Xiao Fang to attract figures like this?

"He’s left to visit your parents." Yuan Fei spoke suddenly.

Her words made everyone’s heart sink, but for entirely different reasons.

’When I told him that my parents wanted to see him, I didn’t think he’d go so soon,’ Li Lian thought. ’He likely won’t be back for a few days, but if that’s the case... what are these people doing here?’

Seeing the Nameless Guild girls being stripped and intimidated left a bitter taste in Li Lian’s mouth. Even if she herself had half a mind to harass them, watching someone else do it felt no different than seeing Xiao Fang openly disrespected.

Unlike the others, Chen Li remained calm.

"Senior," she said evenly, "we are members of the White Jade Guild. This is an inner-court matter. Please don’t interfere—"

"Scram."

Li Lian’s voice struck like a war drum, carrying the crushing weight of First-Stage Dragon Perception. The pressure slammed into their cores, leaving no room for defiance.

The White Jade Guild members fled instantly, not daring to look back.

Only Chen Li remained, staring up at Li Lian with cold defiance.

’Why is it always the fucking Li’s,’ Chen Li thought grimly.

The entire Li Family Guild had jumped her the last time she was here, now this. However, this time, Li Lian was directly obstructing her path to a technique she deeply coveted.

Chen Li’s composure finally cracked.

...

"What a terrifying presence... who is that girl?" Yuan Fei whispered.

"Li Lian," Yan Mei replied quietly. "The Matriarch’s direct disciple."

Yuan Fei’s eyes widened.

’That’s Li Lian? The one who wore my perfume?’ Her heart raced.

Simply witnessing Li Lian in her blazing form sparked a new inspiration—one she desperately wanted to refine later.

...

Alone now, Chen Li faced Li Lian head-on.

"Isn’t it improper," Chen Li said carefully, "for someone of your status to attack an inner-court disciple?"

Li Lian sneered. "Shut up. I told you to scram, since you won’t leave on your feet, you can do so on your hands and knees."

Veins bulged at Chen Li’s temples. Her hate towards the Li family clan continued to grow. But if she knew one thing, it was that the Li’s were a stubborn bunch, there was no point arguing with her, but there will be more opportunities to acquire the [ Solid Clone ] technique.

Chen Li forced her tone steady. "My apologies, Senior. I’ll take my leave."

She took one step, then Li Lian’s voice sounded out.

"Crawl."

The air turned glacial.

Li Lian’s single word weighed on everyone’s soul, heavy enough to crush resistance outright. But Chen Li was not someone who bowed easily.

Her gaze became lethal as she looked back up at Li Lian.

A nervous bead of sweat trickled down Yan Mei’s face..

Chen Li’s aura darkened, turning vicious.

"I swear," she spat, her eyes flashing an unnatural red, "you Li’s are all the fucking same."

Li Lian’s gaze sharpened. She felt the killing intent behind those words. Her suspicions of Chen Li were true. Her animosity towards the Li Family clan ran deep. If she didn’t eliminate her today, she’d certainly become trouble for her clan in the future.

Chains snapped into Li Lian’s hands, blazing whips of fire coiling eagerly.

"It seems this senior needs to teach you how to behave."

"Come try it if you have the ability. Otherwise... you’ll have to forgive me for being rude."

Suddenly, Chen Li’s Qi erupted, then the world flipped.

[ Illusory Domain ]

The guildhouse vanished, replaced by a hellish subterranean realm. Rivers of fire, twisted earth, pools of blood, and suffocating chaos for as far as the eye could see.

Li Lian had finally stepped into the Profound Realm today. With First-Stage Dragon Perception amplifying her power by two realms, she felt invincible.

However, Chen Li had her own methods.

Crimson markings suddenly began to spread across her skin as her eyes burned red, her cultivation surging by two realms to match Li Lian’s.

From the pools of blood, demons clawed their way into existence.

Ruo Shi and Yuan Fei could only stare in horror. Even Yan Mei stood frozen, her blood running cold.

Though she was also a Profound Realm cultivator, Yan Mei felt unbearably small compared to them—as if either woman could erase her existence with a casual flick of a sleeve.

"Back door—now!" Yan Mei shouted.

But no matter where they turned, all they saw was endless fire and chaos.

Just as despair set in, a calm voice cut through the inferno.

"This way, come!"

It was Ye Ming.

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[[[ I wish you all a merry Christmas and happy new year ]]]