Chapter 220: The Intruder II

The Intruder II

The pale mist spread outward in an instant.

Within seconds, it covered the courtyard, swallowing the buildings, garden, and stone paths. The intruder’s silhouette disappeared.

Lothe expanded his Spatial Perception. He could sense the spiritual energy in the courtyard, the surrounding structures, the broken pillars, and even the mist’s faint movements.

But the intruder’s presence was difficult to distinguish.

The mist wasn’t merely hiding its body. It interfered with spiritual perception, distorting the traces of Qi and concealing the source.

A faint sound came from within the haze.

Lothe tilted his head.

’A sword.’

He shifted aside.

A pale blade swept past his neck, severing several strands of his black hair. Lothe immediately thrust his spear toward the direction of the attack.

The spearhead tore through the mist.

The intruder emerged, twisting aside to avoid the thrust. Its sword turned toward Lothe’s ribs.

Lothe rotated his spear.

CLANG!

The weapons collided. Rather than retreat, he stepped in, letting the spear shaft slide along the intruder’s blade. His left hand shot toward its chest, two fingers extended and coated in black-purple Void Qi.

The intruder lowered its stance, letting Lothe’s fingers pass over its shoulder, then swept its sword upward.

Lothe twisted his wrist.

The spear shaft struck the intruder’s sword arm.

THUD!

The figure was forced sideways, but its sword still cut through the outer layer of Lothe’s robe.

They attacked again before either could retreat.

Lothe swept his spear horizontally, sending a crescent of spatial force through the mist.

The intruder crossed its sword before its chest.

BOOM!

The impact drove it backward. Its boots scraped across the stone, leaving two deep marks.

But it turned the retreat into a counterattack. Its sword slid down, then reversed direction.

A thin streak of sword Qi shot toward Lothe’s shoulder.

He twisted, allowing it to graze his robe, then drove his knee toward the intruder’s abdomen.

The figure retreated just in time.

Lothe’s spear followed.

He tightened his grip and thrust forward.

[Void Spear Art—Second Form: Spatial Drill!]

The spear spun violently. Spatial Qi compressed around its tip, twisting the air and drawing everything toward its destructive point.

The intruder’s sword flashed.

[White Mist Sword Art—First Form: Mist-Piercing Edge!]

Its feet shifted diagonally. Rather than meet the spearhead directly, its blade struck the shaft at a precise angle.

A sharp metallic shriek rang through the courtyard.

The spiraling force was diverted, tearing through the ground beside them.

BOOM!

Stone slabs exploded into fragments.

The intruder followed through. Its sword slid along the spear shaft, turning as it guided the weapon away from its centerline. The blade slipped past Lothe’s guard and aimed for his chest.

Lothe’s eyes narrowed.

A spatial blade formed between them.

The intruder twisted aside, abandoning its thrust before the crescent could reach its sword arm. The spatial blade continued across the courtyard, cutting through a decorative stone pillar before embedding itself in the wall behind it.

The pillar tilted, then crashed to the ground.

The intruder landed several metres away, sword held before its chest.

Lothe glanced at the cut in his robe.

That was close.

The sword had nearly reached his chest. The intruder had far more combat experience than he’d expected from someone at the same cultivation realm.

Lothe raised his spear again.

The mist gradually thinned, revealing the intruder’s cultivation.

Early Core Formation Realm.

So we’re at the same stage.

Yet the intruder’s swordsmanship was far more refined than that of an ordinary cultivator.

Lothe’s gaze sharpened. "You’re quite skilled."

The figure said nothing. It raised its sword horizontally.

Pale mist gathered around its body, forming thin streams that circled its limbs and weapon.

[Mist Art—Phantom River Domain!]

The courtyard changed.

The mist separated into countless currents. Some drifted across the ground; others rose into the air.

Lothe’s Spatial Perception picked up the pattern. The currents weren’t moving randomly. They followed set paths, forming overlapping layers across the courtyard. Each layer concealed a different angle of attack.

Then the intruder moved.

Sword lights emerged from the mist.

One aimed for Lothe’s throat. Another targeted his waist. A third descended toward his back.

Lothe didn’t retreat.

He swept his spear in a full arc. Spatial Qi burst from the weapon, tearing through the first two sword lights.

The third came from behind.

Lothe shifted his weight, turned, and raised the spear shaft behind his shoulder.

CLANG!

The hidden strike hit the shaft and was forced aside.

Lothe reversed his grip. The spearhead shot backward.

The intruder barely turned in time. The spear grazed its ribs, tearing through its cloak and opening a wound beneath.

The figure countered at once, sweeping its sword toward Lothe’s waist.

Lothe vanished.

[Void Step—First Form: Spatial Anchor!]

The blade cut through empty air.

Lothe reappeared above the intruder, his spear descending like a falling mountain.

The figure crossed its sword overhead.

[White Mist Sword Art—Second Form: Flowing White River!]

Its blade followed the mist in a smooth arc, guiding the spear sideways instead of meeting its force head-on.

The weapons collided.

A shockwave tore through the courtyard. The bamboo grove bent almost to the ground, several stalks snapped, and the pond erupted as though a massive stone had struck its surface.

But Lothe wasn’t finished.

As his spear was diverted, he released it with one hand and snapped his fingers.

Space folded beside the intruder.

A crescent-shaped spatial blade appeared and swept toward its exposed flank.

The intruder’s sword turned.

CLANG!

It deflected the blade, but the force drove its arm downward.

Lothe seized the opening and descended, palm extended. Purple Void Qi coated his hand.

The intruder twisted and raised an elbow, narrowly avoiding a direct strike to the chest. Lothe’s palm grazed its shoulder.

BOOM!

Spatial force erupted.

The figure flew sideways, crashing through a section of bamboo. Thick stalks snapped beneath it.

Lothe’s spear swept after it.

The intruder twisted in midair, deflecting the weapon with its sword. Its feet touched down, but the force sent it skidding across the stone.

A thin trail of blood followed.

For the first time, its movements slowed.

Lothe landed and attacked before it could recover. He swept his spear upward, sending another wave of spatial force toward the intruder.

The figure crossed its sword before its chest.

BOOM!

The impact drove it backward.

Before the shockwave faded, Lothe appeared beside it.

The intruder’s pupils contracted. Its sword rose just in time.

CLANG!

Lothe’s spear struck the blade. The intruder twisted its wrist, redirecting the weapon, but Lothe’s free hand was already reaching for its throat.

Purple Void Qi gathered around his fingers.

The figure leaned back. Lothe’s hand passed within a hair’s breadth of its neck.

The intruder answered with an upward slash. Lothe pulled his hand away and turned his spear sideways.

CLANG!

The sword struck the shaft. Their Qi collided, and cracks spread beneath their feet.

Then the intruder’s sword rotated.

Pale Qi travelled along the blade and burst against the spear shaft, forcing Lothe backward.

Instead of letting the force carry him away, Lothe stepped into it and drove his spearhead into the ground.

The moment it struck stone, spatial force erupted beneath the intruder.

BOOM!

The ground buckled.

The figure leapt clear, narrowly avoiding the collapse. The blast caught the edge of its cloak and tore it apart.

Lothe pursued.

The intruder’s sword descended in three quick strikes: one toward Lothe’s shoulder, another at his wrist, and a final thrust toward his throat.

Lothe parried the first with his spear shaft, deflected the second, then stepped aside as the third passed his face.

Several strands of black hair fell.

His expression remained composed, but his eyes grew colder.

This swordsmanship...

Lothe had faced many powerful cultivators since the apocalypse began. Some relied on overwhelming Qi; others on strange abilities or powerful techniques.

This intruder was different.

Its swordsmanship was built on precision. Every parry created an opening. Every retreat hid a counterattack. Even its defensive movements put its opponent at a disadvantage.

It reminded Lothe of watching an alchemist refine a pill—controlled, exact, and without wasted movement.

Almost like Seana’s fighting style.

Except one mistake here could cost him his life.

Lothe smiled faintly.

"Interesting."

The intruder lowered its sword.

The mist around it suddenly contracted.

Then it vanished.

A dangerous sword intent appeared directly in front of Lothe.

[White Mist Sword Art—Third Form: Silent Mist Execution!]

A pale streak flashed through the haze.

The sword appeared at Lothe’s throat.

Its speed was astonishing.

Lothe shifted his head, but the blade cut through his robe. A thin line of blood appeared along his neck.

The intruder continued, turning its wrist and sweeping toward his chest.

Lothe’s eyes flashed.

He planted his rear foot and thrust.

[Void Spear Art—Third Form: Spatial Severance!]

Space folded sharply along the spear’s path.

The intruder sensed the danger and tried to retreat.

But Lothe’s spear wasn’t aimed at its body.

It tore through the space the figure was about to occupy.

The intruder’s expression changed. It shifted its footing and twisted aside as the distortion opened beside it.

BOOOOOOM!?