Chapter 137: The Same Face

Blood fiend aura surged upward, swelling explosively together with the force circulating through his body.

Even Blood Lion Six Duma could not help glancing sideways. The blood fiend aura surrounding this young man was actually fiercer than his own had been in his prime.

Ye Ran’s face was dark as he dragged his great spear forward, step by step, toward Alisa.

He could not remember how long it had been since he had felt such rage. Jerland and Mills had been wounded, Lois had lost her sight—and everything was the fault of the girl before him.

Tiger Ben frowned. “Ye Ran, calm down. You are no match for Alisa—”

“Bang!”

Before he could finish the word “match,” an explosion erupted beneath Ye Ran’s feet. Astonishing force burst outward, sending the dust underground rippling away in circles like waves across a river.

How powerful.

Six Duma praised him inwardly. Even the current Hidden Dragon could not afford to underestimate this young man’s strength.

After three steps, the cracks beneath Ye Ran’s feet had already spread to Alisa.

Faced with Ye Ran’s savage assault, Alisa showed neither fear nor surprise. On the contrary, the blood within her veins began to boil completely. She raised her hand, channeling the force in her body into her palm, then flicked her wrist and sent the carving knife flying.

An explosion followed at once. Ye Ran spun his spear and blocked the knife. The collision did not produce the ring of metal, but rather the thunderous detonation of two currents of force crashing together.

Ye Ran snorted coldly, stamped both feet, and shot into the air. Wind shrieked around him as his body rose abruptly, carrying a powerful current with it.

From a distance, it seemed as if a gale were raging around him. He seized the great spear with both hands and was just about to bring it crashing down when a black storm suddenly erupted from the ground below.

Yes—a black storm.

The demonic shadow behind Alisa seemed to open its eyes. In an instant, sand and stones flew, while violent winds whipped in every direction. Alisa gave a low laugh and flashed into the air.

Her movement had begun a step later than Ye Ran’s, yet she overtook him from behind. In a flicker, she appeared at the top of the storm, above Ye Ran, looking down at him. Then, carried by the raging wind and aided by the force of her descent, she slammed downward.

The gale struck his face like blades. Though furious, Ye Ran had not lost his reason. He threw back his head, flipped through the air, and descended. The currents and wind fell with him, following the motion of his body.

With a thunderous crash, Ye Ran slammed into the ground. Dust rose three meters into the air. He immediately spread his feet, sank all his strength downward, and thrust his spear horizontally to meet Alisa’s descending strike.

“Boom!”

“Rumble!”

The instant the two forces collided, a deafening explosion shook the heavens. Waves of earth surged from beneath Ye Ran’s feet and rolled outward. Their energies clashed violently, splitting the ground into four great fissures. A huge crater had already formed where Ye Ran stood.

Though he resisted with all his strength, Alisa’s force continued to seep through. Cuts appeared all over Ye Ran’s face and body, carved open by her black energy.

“Puff! Puff!”

Two short knives shot from Alisa’s sleeves and pierced straight into Ye Ran’s chest.

Bolstered by black energy, the blades passed completely through him.

This was the first time Ye Ran had suffered such a grave injury since obtaining the Cleaver Spear. Agonizing pain erupted from his chest, sending blood surging through his entire body. He drove his knee violently into the shaft of the spear, forcing Alisa backward, then swung the weapon around and smashed it heavily into her chest.

The Cleaver Spear was as heavy as a mountain, and it also carried the terrifying source of Ye Ran’s evil power. Even with the support of the demonic shadow, Alisa could not fully withstand its might. Blood burst from her mouth as she was sent flying backward.

Ye Ran snorted coldly, tilted his body, and pursued her at close range. He saw that Alisa’s eyes had already turned completely bloodred.

This blood-crazed girl was far more powerful than she had been in Torrent City. Once blood had been drawn, her madness only intensified. Even the renowned experts on the Martial Ranking would never dare provoke her.

But Ye Ran was different now. Unless he completely defeated the girl before him, the guilt and fury in his heart could find no release.

“Bang!”

Alisa caught a small knife between two fingers and flicked it lightly. The blade transformed into a streak of bloodlight and flew toward him. Ten meters away, a cloud of blood mist burst from Ye Ran’s back.

Yet his assault was not hindered in the slightest. Even after three short knives had pierced his body, he still reached Alisa. The Cleaver Spear in his hands plunged mercilessly into her body.

“Down!”

Ye Ran roared and smashed a fist into her forehead. Blood sprayed from her mouth once more, but the energy surrounding her had finally begun to weaken. Together, the two of them plummeted from the air into the mine pit below.

Both possessed extraordinarily nimble movement techniques, but Ye Ran’s close-combat skills were superior. He struck Alisa down with a heavy punch in midair, then used the force of the Flying Bird Style to steady himself. By the time he landed in the mine pit, the outcome had already been decided.

The Cleaver Spear was pressed against Alisa’s throat.

“You are one of Ronin’s people. Why did you enter the underground lair with me back in Torrent City?”

Murderous aura filled Ye Ran’s brow. He drove the Cleaver Spear viciously into her chest.

Yet Alisa seemed unable to feel pain. Her black eyes gradually returned to normal as she looked at Ye Ran and smiled.

“Because we possess power of the same origin.”

Ye Ran laughed in anger.

“Even now, you still want to deceive me? Do you really think a little cleverness is enough to toy with everyone in the palm of your hand? Alisa, I am no longer the naive boy I once was.”

With a sharp hiss, he turned his head and increased the pressure on the spear. The Cleaver Spear pierced through Alisa’s back and sank into the earth and sand beneath her.

Alisa’s eyes grew deeper, and a strange curve lifted the corners of her mouth.

“You do not believe me? Then look carefully.”

The black energy around her body contracted. The demonic shadow behind her suddenly shrank and grew solid. Its face gradually became clear: it wore blood-red robes, was surrounded by resentful energy, and had long hair flowing from its head. Its features became cold and severe.

Ye Ran’s pupils abruptly contracted.

In that instant, he saw a face exactly identical to his own.

The demonic shadow behind Alisa had transformed into his likeness—except that its gaze was cold and devoid of the slightest trace of human emotion.

Even Ye Ran was stunned by this unexpected sight.

But the demonic shadow vanished just as quickly. Under the pressure of the Cleaver Spear, Alisa’s power collapsed, and the shadow could no longer hold its form. It rapidly dissipated behind her.

Alisa laughed softly. “Did you see it? That is my true form.”

“Perhaps it is yours as well.”

“You think an illusion like this can deceive me? Alisa, you are mistaken. Palace Ziyue’s illusions are far more sophisticated than yours.”

Having learned from his previous encounter with Palace Ziyue, Ye Ran’s confused thoughts quickly settled into clarity. In their place arose a cold killing intent.

As he looked at the girl before him, he found that he could barely control it.

“Stop.”

Just as the force within Ye Ran’s body was about to surge again, a voice came from above. At the same time, another power bypassed Blood Lion Six Duma and pressed down upon the energy within Ye Ran.

A figure in white appeared above the mine pit.

Ronin waved his fan, glancing at the two of them with a faint, unreadable smile. At last, his gaze settled on Ye Ran.

“Come up. I think it is time we had a proper talk.”

Today is the last day of the year. I wish all my readers a new year filled with blossoms beneath a radiant spring sky and a perfect moon shining over peaceful hearts. And to all those who are single, may you find a girlfriend soon.