Chapter 115: The Boundary Between Life and Death

When Wang Zhuang and the others saw Xu Yang make a move, naturally, they didn’t want him to claim the glory alone. Once they understood the crucial point, all of them charged toward the little girl.

How terrifying were those Qi Vein Realm experts—they were the very existence that once dominated Xiao Beicheng. The talented young boy’s strength was even more formidable. As soon as the few of them moved, their figures had already appeared before the girl in red. They were about to launch a decisive strike, intending to send the girl out of the trial space immediately, then turn their attention to Qian Jin.

With fierce grins, their true qi surged through their bodies as they prepared to strike her down.

“Brother Fan said it clearly: there must be a boundary of life and death around me. Enemies cannot step within ten meters. If they do—death!”

“Those who cultivate the Heavenly Poison Heart Sutra are without exception!”

The girl in red was none other than Lin Hongyi. Seeing them rush to her, her expression remained unchanged, as if they were already dead to her. But her completely black eyes were filled with murderous intent.

With her chilling words, the expressions of Xu Yang and the others changed drastically because they found that their true qi could no longer be mobilized; their bodies felt weak and numb.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

Five heavy sounds rang out as the five of them fell from the air, crashing to the ground before Lin Hongyi.

At this moment, it was unclear what technique Lin Hongyi used, but after she pressed a few points on Qian Jin’s body, the bleeding from his wounds actually stopped. Then, he gradually regained consciousness.

“Brother Qian, watch with your own eyes as I help you kill those who insulted you!”

Seeing Qian Jin wake up, Lin Hongyi spoke, causing his eyes to sharpen. He realized this was the little red-clad girl they had just acknowledged as “Sister Hongyi,” and his face turned pale.

“Hongyi, run! It’s dangerous here!”

Qian Jin shouted loudly. It didn’t matter if he was eliminated—he could always start over. But although he had only known Sister Hongyi for a short time, he knew she was Brother Fan’s beloved. If she were to be eliminated as well, he would never forgive himself.

“There’s no danger. Brother Qian, you’re severely wounded. I only temporarily stopped your bleeding and woke you up so you could witness me avenging you. You’re Brother Da’s friend; no one can hurt you!”

Lin Hongyi looked at Qian Jin seriously and calmly. At this moment, Qian Jin noticed Lin Hongyi’s completely black pupils, which made his heart skip a beat.

It was the first time he had seen this side of Lin Hongyi. Usually, although she was taciturn and cold by nature, she was very obedient and a little beauty, like a porcelain doll—adorable and always dressed in red, bringing joy to those around her.

Over the past five days, they had bought many gifts for Hongyi, but none had made her smile. Still, he always felt that she had grown closer to them.

Now, seeing her like this, his heart trembled—not with fear but with sorrow. What kind of hatred could transform an eleven-year-old girl into such a figure?

Brother Fan had never gone into detail but had mentioned that Hongyi bore a deep blood feud.

Ignoring Qian Jin’s thoughts for now, Lin Hongyi finished speaking and helped Qian Jin sit down. Then she walked toward the five youths lying on the ground.

Following her gaze, Qian Jin’s killing intent surged. He still remembered the humiliation they had inflicted on him before he lost consciousness. He had vowed that even after leaving the trial space, he would kill them. But he didn’t understand why they were lying motionless now.

Suddenly, he recalled what Lin Hongyi had told him earlier and began to understand, though he still didn’t know how she had done it.

“Brother Da said, the boundary of life and death is within ten meters of me. Wherever I go, within a ten-meter radius centered on me, poison and antidote must coexist. One thought, the poison rises; another thought, the poison recedes!”

“Within ten meters is my life-and-death boundary—and you stepped inside!”

“Brother Da said this is a trial—not to kill at will. Within the ten-meter life-and-death boundary during the trial, I must fill the area with Ten Fragrance Soft Bone Powder, replacing the poison. Otherwise, even with the protective token, the poison won’t be stopped!”

“Brother Da said the trial doesn’t forbid killing. As long as you find a way to take the token from an apprentice, you can kill them easily!”

Lin Hongyi’s calm voice sounded as if she was explaining to Xu Yang and the others, or perhaps recounting to Qian Jin. As she spoke, she approached the terrified Xu Yang and the others, took the silver and gold tokens from their chests, and collided them with her purple-gold token, absorbing all the points inside.

Then, with a flick, she threw those tokens far away!

At this point, Xu Yang and the others could not move at all. Their bodies were numb and weak, as if paralyzed—whether true qi or physical strength. They could only watch in horror as Lin Hongyi acted, unable even to speak.

But inside, they were terrified. Seeing their tokens flung away, combined with Lin Hongyi’s words, they understood her intention.

“So, they didn’t just want to eliminate me—they wanted to kill me!”

Hearing Lin Hongyi’s explanation and recalling their previous actions, Qian Jin finally understood. It wasn’t just simple humiliation.

“This was a gift from Brother Xiao!”

Suddenly, Lin Hongyi took a dagger from her storage ring. With a sharp metallic sound, she drew it and said to Qian Jin, “Brother Qian, since they insulted you, I’ll help you kill them.”

“But the blood will stain the dagger. Brother Da told me this dagger was a gift from Brother Xiao to his sister. I wanted to return it to her, but now it’s soiled. You’ll have to buy me another one later to replace it!”

Her voice was calm and serious, prompting Qian Jin to nod.

But at this moment, Xu Yang and the others were nearly terrified out of their wits.

With no regard for their thoughts, Lin Hongyi raised her hand and plunged the dagger through Xu Yang’s heart. Pulling it out, blood splattered all over her face.

Puncture after puncture, the same fate befell Wang Zhuang and the other three boys. Lin Hongyi showed no mercy or fear. From beginning to end, her expression remained calm, as if killing them was as simple as eating or drinking.

“Brother Qian, I’ve avenged you. Let’s go find a place to heal your wounds.”

Turning around, she stored the dagger in her ring, then rested one of Qian Jin’s hands on her tender little shoulder, supporting him as they walked away.

Along the way, their conversation could be heard.

“Brother Qian, you saved my life this time. Thank you, Hongyi!”

“My name is Lin Hongyi.”

“Hongyi, you’re covered in blood. Do you want to clean up first?”

“...”

“I feel like I never really understood you. You’re called Hongyi, dressed in red—is that because you like the color?”

“...”

“If you like it, once we leave the trial space, Brother Qian will buy all your clothes!”

“I don’t like it. It will always remind me of my deep blood feud!”

.....................................

In a quiet mountain valley, the gentle sound of a guzheng drifted through the air—elegant and serene. Incense smoke curled upward from a brazier. A refined-looking young man sat cross-legged on the ground. Beside his guzheng lay a two-meter-long silver-white spear, its blade stained with fresh blood.

Opposite him stood seventeen or eighteen youths, cautiously watching him. One by one, their blades were drawn, but none dared to step forward.

“Since you’ve come to seize my points, why are you so timid now that you’re here? Are you afraid?”

The refined young man lifted his head, a mocking smile curling on his lips. Then the music ceased. He pulled a golden token and a jade slip from his clothes, placing them on the guzheng’s surface.

His smile broadened as he addressed the group before him.

“Are you afraid because I killed some of you? Let me tell you, here lies the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Melody, and over eight hundred points. Whoever strikes first may gain them first!”

“Sun Hao, don’t think we’re afraid of you. But we are disciples of the Celestial Book Academy. If you hand over the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Melody and the Demon-Slaying Guqin, along with your points, we’ll only take 750 points and leave 50 for you. Let’s call a truce on what happened before, shall we?”

One of the seventeen or eighteen youths, seemingly their leader and possessing early-stage Qi Vein Realm strength, fell silent after hearing Sun Hao’s words. He exchanged glances with the others before speaking to Sun Hao.

Indeed, the refined young man playing the guzheng was Sun Hao. No one knew where he had obtained the guqin and the so-called Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Melody score.

“Haha, a truce?”

Sun Hao suddenly burst into laughter. His refined features were filled with wildness and defiance. His long hair fluttered in the air, and an inexplicable aura slowly rose from his body.

In a low voice, he said, “You think just because you say ‘truce,’ it’s over? For this guqin and music score of the Nine Heavens Elder, over fifty of you hunted me down. If I hadn’t been lucky to fall off a cliff and be stopped by an ancient tree, I’d have been eliminated the moment I hit the ground!”

“If I hadn’t spent two days mastering the first layer of the Nine Heavens Demon-Slaying Melody, I’d have been forcibly expelled from the trial space by you all!”

“And now you tell me to hand over the guqin, the music score, and my points, and you’ll spare me? How do you know I’ll spare you in return?”

“Ridiculous! You think I have nowhere to run, but you don’t know this is my trap!”

With that, Sun Hao ignored the increasingly grim expressions of the young experts around him. His pure white hands slammed down, producing a sharp clang, and the guzheng sounded.

In that instant, invisible sound waves swept through the surrounding youths like a tidal wave!