Naked Sword Art

Chapter 543: Backer

“There is no other way.”

A moment later, his cloudy eyes suddenly flashed with renewed vigor. The sickly weakness that once clung to his body began fading rapidly. His frail posture straightened as Qi surged through his meridians, restoring his strength and mobility.

With a calm breath, the old man rose from his wheelchair.

Stretching his shoulders slowly, he spoke as if preparing for an ordinary fight.

“Leave that girl to me.”

“I’ll leave the other one to you.”

The fifteen attendants behind him exchanged confused glances.

“…Other girl?”

The Patriarch looked up, then the others did the same.

Xiao Hei was walking along the ceiling like a shadow, her body already transforming as dark fur spread across her limbs.

In the next moment, she shifted into the form of a massive black panther.

Her dark eyes locked onto the old man below.

It was obvious who she intended to attack. She wanted the strongest, but the Patriarch didn’t even bother putting her in his eyes.

He scoffed.

[ Oppressive Might ]

The entire cellar trembled.

Everyone present felt the crushing pressure descend upon them, even though it was only meant for Xiao Hei and Xun Wei.

“Ghh—!”

Xiao Hei lost her footing as the overwhelming pressure forced her off the ceiling.

At the same moment, the old Patriarch drew his sword and jumped towards her.

Xiao Hei barely had the strength to resist the suffocating pressure, and she had no time to react to the incoming strike midair.

Just as the blade was about to reach her, a transparent wall suddenly appeared between them.

The Patriarch’s eyes narrowed slightly in surprise, but he didn’t take it seriously.

The moment he reached the barrier, he struck with a devastating strike.

BOOM!

The sound of a cataclysmic punch striking a crystal echoed through the cellar.

The Patriarch’s eyes widened.

His attack… had been stopped.

Slowly, he turned his head. Across the room, Xun Wei stood calmly, her hands forming a formation sign.

‘This girl…’ he thought. ‘She can create a defensive formation strong enough to block a Heavenly Realm strike.’

His gaze darkened.

‘Not only that… my Oppressive Might has no effect on her.’

The killing intent in his eyes deepened.

‘As long as she lives, this clan will never be safe. I need to kill her here, right now.’

Without hesitation, the previous Patriarch abandoned Xiao Hei entirely and redirected his attack.

Straight toward Xun Wei.

But the moment he moved—

Xun Wei turned and ran.

The Patriarch’s eyes flashed coldly as he gave chase.

“I won’t let you escape!”

However, the moment he went through the door, he realized something strange. There were formation circles on the walls, floor, and ceiling. Before he could understand what she was planning, Xun Wei added the final piece to the puzzle.

[ Multi-Layer Defense Formation ]

Suddenly, formations came to life, trapping the previous patriarch.

From what Xun Wei understood after practicing the Soul Devour method was that her ability to absorb soul stones, soul crystals, and execute formation will grow the stronger her soul power became, and the more souls she could devour.

The old Patriarch desperately tried to break free from his imprisonment, but it was to no avail.

“How can a mere child imprison me.”

Thunderous strikes continued to echo out, but no matter how hard he tried, the formation wouldn’t break.

“Impossible!” he punched furiously out of frustration.

Xun Wei’s body flickered with every step she took, her figure blurring as if space itself struggled to keep up with her movement. As she passed him, she cast a brief glance toward the old Patriarch—calm, indifferent.

“Sit tight, I won’t be long,” she told him.

The Patriarch froze at the thought of what she would do.

“No—”

Xun Wei’s hair danced in the air as she took another flicker.

The screams had already started because of Xiao Hei, but with Xun Wei joining the fray, the painful cries of the weak became even more horrific.

‘Those eyes,’ the old Patriarch thought. ‘I’ve seen them before.’

—

Xun Wei’s massacre continued.

Not a single person was spared.

The cellar that had once been filled with hopeful whispers and desperate prayers gradually fell into chaos. The sound of battlecries, steel cutting flesh, and bodies collapsing onto the stone floor filled the cellar.

Desperation and senseless murder.

Xun Wei moved through the crowd like a wandering spirit, her blade flashing with cold precision. Every strike was efficient. Every step calm.

Those who tried to run were cut down. Those who tried to fight lasted even less time. And those unfortunate enough to run into Xiao Hei’s weren’t left with a complete corpse.

By the time it ended, the cellar had become another grave.

Blood pooled across the floor, gathering between the cracks of the ancient stone.

After Xiao Hei left, only two figures remained.

The previous Patriarch and Xun Wei. However, now that his pill’s effect had run out, he no longer had the strength to fight.

Although the old man still possessed the cultivation of the Heavenly Realm, the temporary vitality granted by the medicine was disappearing rapidly. His frail, sickly body could no longer sustain the burden of that power.

The defensive formation around him slowly dimmed before fading entirely.

The Patriarch tried to remain standing, but his legs trembled before dropping to his knees.

Footstep.

Footstep.

Xun Wei approached slowly.

The Patriarch lifted his head, but the moment he did, a cold blade was already pressed against his throat.

He stared at Xun Wei for a long moment.

Her face was completely expressionless. No anger. No hatred. Just a hollow, chilling calm.

Finally, the old man spoke.

“You remind me of someone from the Xun Clan, but I can’t remember who it was… Tell me, who was your father?”

There were a few moments of silence before Xun Wei finally answered him.

“General Xun Conglin.”

The Patriarch’s brows furrowed slightly. For a moment it seemed like he was searching his memory. Then realization slowly appeared in his eyes.

“So it was him,” he muttered with a quiet sigh. “That’s right, his eyes were just like yours.”

Xun Wei had questions of her own.

“You led the Song Army back then, didn’t you? Why did you attack my clan?”

Her tone was almost indifferent, as if she wasn’t expecting a real answer but also hoping there was one.

The Patriarch gave a faint, bitter chuckle.

“We were told to… by our backers.”

A faint spark of curiosity finally appeared in Xun Wei’s eyes.

“Who were your backers?”

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