Even if I, Jiang Yueli, were to die, I would never bow my head to the Jiang family.

"I have never met you before, Your Excellency, let alone harbored any grievances. Why do you seek my life?" Jiang Yuli asked in a deep voice.

"Ha, ha! Who says one cannot kill without a grudge? What a naive little girl!"

Hearing these words, the masked figure burst into laughter, his eyes full of mockery.

"Seeing that you are about to die, it does no harm to tell you!"

"A tall tree catches the wind; the forest destroys the tree that stands above the rest. Because you have displayed a potential that makes certain people fearful, someone is buying your life!"

In his eyes, Jiang Yuli was already as good as dead.

"It's the Jiang family!"

Hearing this, Jiang Yuli's pupils constricted, and she instantly guessed the mastermind behind the scenes.

Apart from the Jiang family, she could think of no one else who would constantly wish to put her to death.

"Jiang family, I have already completely severed all ties with you, yet you still refuse to let me go!"

At this moment, a trace of bitterness welled up in the depths of her heart.

She had returned everything to the Jiang family, yet they were still unwilling to let her off and insisted on hunting her down to the last.

Were they truly that afraid of her?

Afraid of her growing up?

She could not understand why, despite sharing blood, the other party could be so merciless toward her.

Could it be that she, Jiang Yuli, was destined to be nothing more than a sacrificial pawn?

Moreover, this was the Lingxiao Sacred Land; the Jiang family actually possessed such terrifying influence that they could direct cultivators of the Sacred Land to assassinate her.

Although she was unsure of the masked figure's cultivation level, she could be certain that his strength far exceeded her own!

He was at least in the Divine Transformation Grotto-Heaven realm, or perhaps even higher!

For someone like this to kill her was as easy as turning over his hand.

Furthermore, there was not the slightest possibility of escape.

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Yuli looked up at the masked figure, her gaze gradually turning calm.

Since escape was impossible, she would fight to the death.

"Heh, heh, heh... Little girl, don't bother struggling. Obediently surrender, and you might at least die a quicker death."

The masked figure seemed to read Jiang Yuli's thoughts, a cruel and teasing arc forming at the corner of his mouth.

"In your dreams!"

Jiang Yuli gritted her teeth and spat out the two words, her beautiful eyes filled with unwavering determination.

She slowly drew the sword at her waist, its sharp edge exposed and radiating a piercing, frigid light.

Hum—

The sound of sword humming resonated all around, as shocking as the contending roar of dragons and tigers.

"Oh? Such a powerful sword intent! I didn't expect someone as young as you to have already reached the late stage of Clear Sword Heart. Such talent is truly peerless in this world."

"No wonder the Jiang family is willing to pay any price to eliminate you. If you were allowed to grow, you would undoubtedly be their worst nightmare!"

The masked figure narrowed his eyes, a profound and sharp gleam flashing in their depths as he clicked his tongue in wonder.

Then he shook his head, looking somewhat regretful.

With such peerless aptitude, instead of carefully cultivating her, the Jiang family wanted to uproot her completely. It was truly lamentable.

However, he felt no sympathy for Jiang Yuli; he merely thought the Jiang family was far too ruthless.

"Humph! Enough with the nonsense!"

Jiang Yuli's pretty face was covered in frost. With a cold snort, the spiritual energy within her body surged and poured into the long sword.

Swish—

In an instant, sword qi filled the sky, crisscrossing like a torrential rainstorm, sweeping overwhelmingly straight toward the masked figure.

Watching Jiang Yuli charge forward with formidable momentum, the masked figure stood completely motionless in place, entirely paying her no heed.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!!!"

Jiang Yuli continuously swung her long sword, every single move carrying a fierce sound of tearing air as if ripping through the atmosphere itself, her momentum terrifying to behold.

Yet, when these attacks landed on the masked figure, they merely stirred up ripples.

Moreover, Jiang Yuli discovered that the opponent had not used any divine abilities at all; he was relying entirely on his physical body to withstand all of her attacks head-on!

"Decent mastery of the sword dao, but you are still far too young. Before me, you are no different from an infant."

As the masked figure spoke, his aura surged violently, and monstrous pressure rolled outward.

Rumble!

Bearing this immense sense of oppression, the flagstones beneath Jiang Yuli's feet cracked inch by inch.

Fine beads of perspiration seeped onto her forehead, her hand gripping the long sword began to tremble slightly, and her delicate body swayed.

Even so, Jiang Yuli refused to show weakness. She once again slashed out with her sword, her momentum growing even more ferocious, resembling a galloping army of thousands of horses.

Yet, watching Jiang Yuli's stubborn demeanor, a look of mockery and pity surfaced at the corner of the masked figure's mouth.

"Overestimating your own capabilities."

He shook his head, reached out casually, and directly grabbed the incoming blade.

With a slight exertion of his arm, Jiang Yuli was sent flying backward like a cannonball by a tremendous force.

"Bang!"

Flying backward for ten zhang, Jiang Yuli crashed heavily onto the ground, coughing up a mouthful of blood as her face turned deathly pale.

She struggled to crawl up from the ground and wiped away the blood stains from the corners of her lips.

Her gaze remained steadfast as she stared at the masked figure, filled with unyielding defiance.

Even if her opponent was this formidable, even if he was an expert above the Nirvana Tribulation realm, she would never admit defeat.

Seeing Jiang Yuli stand back up, a flash of astonishment crossed the masked figure's eyes.

He had not expected such a young little girl to possess such grit; it was truly admirable.

"Little girl, accept your fate and stop wasting your effort. I advise you to kneel obediently, and perhaps I can still grant you a swift death!"

The masked figure shook his head, speaking in a regretful tone.

"Humph! Even if I, Jiang Yuli, die, I will never bow my head to you!"

Jiang Yuli let out an angry snort, her gaze unshrinking as she stared straight into the masked figure's eyes.

"Good, heh, good backbone, good ambition! I truly appreciate people like you. If not for the fact that the conditions offered by the Jiang family are impossible to refuse, I really wouldn't bear to kill you."

"Since that's the case, this old man would like to see just how stubborn your bones really are!"

Seemingly captivated by Jiang Yuli's spirit, the masked figure did not immediately deliver a fatal blow, instead watching the little girl before him with playful amusement.

"Ha, ha... If you want to kill me, just do it. Why all the useless chatter?"

Jiang Yuli laughed up to the skies, showing no intention of yielding whatsoever. Instead, she straightened her slender waist and took a step forward.

"Clang! Clang!"

Her long sword rang out crisply, drawing a graceful arc in mid-air as she slashed forward.

Watching Jiang Yuli's fearless posture, a trace of derision flickered in the depths of the masked figure's eyes.

Then, he slowly raised his hand and flicked his finger gently.

Jiang Yuli was knocked back down to the ground once more, a trickle of blood spilling from the corner of her mouth.

Yet, relying on the formidable resilience of the Immortal Phoenix Indestructible Body, she still struggled back to her feet, the fighting intent in her eyes blazing high.

She, Jiang Yuli, could die, but she would never kneel, and she would certainly never kneel to the Jiang family!

...

Just as Jiang Yuli was putting up a desperate last stand, inside the Haotian Sword Pagoda.

Having comprehended all the sword intent on the eighth floor, Murong Mingyue could not wait to leave the Haotian Sword Pagoda, eager to find Jiang Yuli and discuss their cultivation insights this time around.

After coming out and looking around, she did not find Jiang Yuli's figure anywhere, which could not help but make her somewhat surprised!

"Where on earth has Junior Sister Jiang gone? Could it be she returned to Lingyun Sword Peak first?"

Murong Mingyue muttered with a slight frown.

With a wave of her hand, she summoned her flying Dharma treasure, which transformed into a streak of light and vanished on the spot, heading straight toward Lingyun Sword Peak.