"Only the setting sun remains!" With the defeat of Cifu, Chixuemoguo, and Zhen Shan, at this moment, the only one with a chance to harm Xuefeng was the Sword Maiden of the Setting Sun, a renowned sword.
As a sword maiden of a higher realm, the power of the Setting Sun might be able to break through Xuefeng's auspicious aura.
That year, Mingyue drew the Setting Sun from its scabbard, caressed the blade, infused it with her own sword essence, and the stars shimmered. The figure of the Setting Sun appeared for the first time in the "Zhenyuan Garrison Suppression Mission" map.
"I am here to strike down the light of the world for you, Sword Maiden of the Setting Sun, reporting to Lord Mingyue!" As soon as the Setting Sun appeared, she knelt before Mingyue with a standard knight's salute. Her armor, a general's armor from the Han Dynasty, shone particularly brightly.
In the world of thousands of sword maidens, the Setting Sun was known for her excellent reputation—loyal and reliable, caring for the weak, eager to help, generous, and kind... a fine knight who adhered to the eight virtues and eight disgraces.
"Are you the opponent for the Setting Sun!" After receiving the order from Mingyue, the Setting Sun walked to the opposite side of Xuefeng with a look of regret.
"To have to attack such a cute child, the Setting Sun feels deep remorse! But since this is the command of a close friend, the Setting Sun will carry it out. I'm sorry, little Xuefeng!" The Setting Sun's regret was genuine, but the words "little Xuefeng" made the usually expressionless little girl's eyebrows twitch involuntarily.
"Oh no!" Seeing this, Gu Han felt a pang of regret. "I forgot to remind them that Xuefeng hates being called a little girl... I hope the Setting Sun doesn't end up too badly."
"If I must act, then the Setting Sun will only use one strike! Little Xuefeng, please receive the Setting Sun's move, the Golden Crow's Hatred!!" The blade in the Setting Sun's hand instantly ignited with a faint golden flame. However, do not underestimate this weak flame; it is the flame from the body of the legendary sun god bird, the Golden Crow. Even the outer edge of the flame reaches 6000 degrees Celsius, the same as the surface temperature of the sun.
"Ultimate Skill: Golden Crow's Flame: The Sword Maiden of the Setting Sun activates the power of the Golden Crow within her body, forming a flame that burns everything. Any creature that comes into contact with the flame, regardless of their realm, will suffer 500 points of fixed damage per second. The damage is doubled for creatures with cold, dark, or chaotic attributes, lasting 15 seconds with a 30-minute cooldown!"
"If it's the Setting Sun, she can definitely harm this Xuefeng!" Seeing the Golden Crow's flame on the Setting Sun's blade, Mingyue suddenly said.
"How can you be so sure?" Gu Han asked.
"Because the Setting Sun's Golden Crow's flame deals fixed damage, which ignores realm!" Mingyue's eyes were filled with confidence. "Fixed damage means it ignores defense, resistance, and any other barriers. Even if an imperial sword were here, it would still suffer 500 points of damage from the Setting Sun's strike. How could a mere aura from Xuefeng block the Golden Crow's flame?"
"It seems to make sense!" Gu Han patted Mingyue's shoulder, his face full of scars leaning close to Mingyue's flawless face. "How about we make a bet? I bet your Setting Sun won't even scratch Xuefeng."
"What do you want to bet?" Mingyue's face suddenly flushed as Gu Han leaned so close. For some reason, her heart began to race, as if she had returned to her teenage years.
"Ten thousand RMB?" Gu Han boldly proposed, immediately asking for ten thousand RMB. He was in dire need of money, and the fastest way to boost his sword essence value was to buy tradable sword essence pills from the auction house. To become a Guxian-level sword wielder in reality, he needed to obtain 9000 quarks of sword essence in the game. If he relied entirely on sword essence pills, it would cost him millions of RMB.
"I have ten thousand, but what's your stake?" Mingyue answered, trying to calm the flush on her face.
"How about the secret manual of the Yitian Sword?"
"Of course, but it's worth at least a million RMB in the auction house. Are you sure you want to bet it?"
"Yes, so you'll make a profit. Make your decision quickly; your Setting Sun is about to attack!"
"Deal!"
Standing opposite Xuefeng, the Setting Sun had no idea that her wielder had shamelessly used her as a gambling chip and had made a shameful monetary transaction with Gu Han. She was focusing all her will on the blade, preparing to deliver the perfect strike.
"Take this!" The Setting Sun's eyes narrowed, and all her momentum was concentrated in one strike. The blade drew a perfect arc in the air and struck Xuefeng's chest!
"It worked!" Mingyue's face showed immense surprise. This time, the Setting Sun's blade did not inexplicably return to her own body but truly struck Xuefeng, meaning the Setting Sun had indeed hit her.
"Forgive me!" The Setting Sun gracefully sheathed her sword. "Please, little Xuefeng, honor your agreement with Lord Mingyue and admit defeat!"
"What?" Xuefeng's voice was calm and innocent, as if she didn't know what had happened.
"What do you mean?" The Setting Sun frowned. "The Setting Sun hit you. Please, like a knight, honor your promise, little Xuefeng!"
"Did you hit Xuefeng?" Xuefeng asked, puzzled.
"Hmph! Look at your body, little Xuefeng! My Golden Crow's flame is still burning on you!" The Setting Sun was right; at that moment, a golden flame was burning merrily on Xuefeng's chest, proof that the Setting Sun had hit her.
"The flame didn't touch Xuefeng!" Xuefeng said, word by word.
"This can't be... my Golden Crow's flame clearly..." The Setting Sun's words got stuck in her throat. Although she couldn't believe it, her eyes clearly showed that the Golden Crow's flame was not touching Xuefeng's body but floating a few centimeters above her clothes, burning in the air.
"This shouldn't... this shouldn't be..." The Setting Sun took a few steps back, unable to believe that her Golden Crow's flame had failed.
The next moment, something even more unacceptable happened. The Golden Crow's flame on Xuefeng's body suddenly expanded tenfold, as if injected with pure oxygen, instantly turning into a large ball of fire.
This ball of fire circled Xuefeng's body once and then, like a spacecraft breaking the first cosmic speed, detached from Xuefeng's orbit and rushed straight toward its original owner, the Setting Sun.
"What happened??" The Setting Sun, with this unwilling question, was thoroughly hit by her own Golden Crow's flame. Her originally fair skin instantly turned as black as charcoal.
"System: Sword Maiden of the Setting Sun durability—99%, warning, remaining durability 1%, Sword Cifu cannot withstand a second attack, please immediately return to the scabbard within three seconds! Please immediately return to the scabbard within three seconds!"
The Sword Maiden of the Setting Sun—failed.
——
Weakly sheathing the Setting Sun, now a black iron sword, Mingyue staggered a few steps, almost falling to the ground. With even the last hope, the Setting Sun, failing, Mingyue could not find any sword maiden who could be a match for the terrifying sword maiden Xuefeng.
"What's wrong, are you so heartbroken over losing ten thousand RMB?" Gu Han walked behind Mingyue, supporting her wobbly body with his own.
"Ten thousand RMB is nothing, I can afford it..." Mingyue closed her eyes in frustration. "But this suppression mission has failed, and I can't think of any other way to obtain that item!"
"Are you giving up already?" Gu Han smiled. "I haven't even tried yet."
"Don't joke around, you can't break Xuefeng's auspicious aura!" Mingyue opened her eyes and pushed Gu Han away. "Even if your sword skills are so advanced that they surpass all previous sword masters, they are still just sword skills. How can mere physical damage break Xuefeng's auspicious aura? It's impossible!"
"How do you know unless you try?" Gu Han drew the Qingpin Sword from his back, slowly pulling it out of the scabbard.
"Thanks for the scabbard, I really like it!"
——
【
Setting Sun Sword;
Material: Hundred-refined steel
Origin: Born (Three Kingdoms · Young)
Realm: Famous Sword (Cannot advance)
Grade: Eighth (Can be upgraded)
Sword Path: Martial Path
Martial Path Characteristics: Growing Stronger with Age—As the battle time increases, the Setting Sun Sword's all attributes increase by 1% every ten minutes.
Awakened: Yes
Form: Sword Maiden Form
Wielder: Mingyue of That Year
Deep Sword Mark: Second Mark
Damage Ratio: Sword Maiden Form 0.060 / Sword Form 0.070
Protection Ratio: Sword Maiden Form 0.75 / Sword Form 1.08
Agility Ratio: Sword Maiden Form 0.205 / Sword Form 0.217
Shield Reset Time: 40 seconds
Durability: 100%
Synchronization Coordination Sword Essence Value Requirement: 10000
Synchronization Coordination Time Requirement: 10 minutes
First Sword Mark: After synchronization, permanently increase the wielder's sword essence value by 10000 points, and increase the wielder's reputation by 100 points.
Sword Mark Contract: After synchronization, increase the hit rate of all sword maidens belonging to the Setting Sun Sword wielder by 20%.
Basic Skill—Hundred Steps Piercing the Yang: Consume 10000 sword qi to release eight sword qi beams remotely, each causing 700 points of damage, with a 30-second cooldown.
Passive Skill—Counterattack: In battle, each attack has a certain chance to immediately trigger a second attack, which will always hit.
Advanced Skill—Eagle's Eye: Consume 10% of one's own durability to summon the Eagle's Eye, increasing the hit rate of all friendly units within the range by 30%, lasting 1 minute, with a 10-minute cooldown.
Ultimate Skill—Golden Crow's Flame: The Sword Maiden of the Setting Sun activates the power of the Golden Crow within her body, forming a flame that burns everything. Any creature that comes into contact with the flame, regardless of their realm, will suffer 500 points of fixed damage per second. The damage is doubled for creatures with cold, dark, or chaotic attributes, lasting 15 seconds with a 30-minute cooldown.
Sword Mark Bond:
Close Friend: When fighting alongside the Qinghong Sword, all attributes increase by 20%.
Unbeatable Enemy: When fighting alongside the Yitian Sword, the protection ratio increases by 0.5.
Visit the Lord: When fighting alongside the Double Sword, the Growing Stronger with Age effect increases by 100%, and all attributes increase by 1% every five minutes.
Rule the World: When fighting alongside the Zhongmou Sword, skill cooldowns are reduced by 30%.