The Cunning Treasure Hunter

Chapter 123 The Blade Star Awakens

"Keep it with you."

Had Aiden foreseen all of this?

The poison was so potent that even with the Thousand-Year Violet Pearl's detoxifying properties, it took a considerable amount of time to neutralize.

Slowly, Vera rose to her feet.

She had already lost to Dark Emperor once.

Her body was in tatters, wounds covering her from head to toe.

The dagger embedded deep in her leg made movement difficult.

Her martial robes were completely ruined.

The weight of the sword in her grip felt heavier than ever before.

The Falling Blossom Sword, sleek and black, had never felt so burdensome in her hands.

It was not just a weapon.

It was an ancient relic of Mount Suncrest Sect, an heirloom from her deceased parents—

And the sacred treasure of Bloomspire Sect.

Through this sword, she had to carve out her destiny.

She could not let go.@@@@

"You could have died peacefully, yet you insist on prolonging your suffering. Quite the masochist, aren't you?"

Dark Emperor's sword was still wrapped in fierce, cutting Sword Energy.

Vera calmly channeled her energy into the Falling Blossom Sword.

A true divine blade—despite everything, not a single nick marred its edge.

If the weapon was intact, that meant she still had the bare minimum condition to fight.

Victory was out of the question...

But she could fight.

"This is not over yet."

Infusing energy into her left fingertips, she pressed several acupoints near her wounded thigh.

Then, she gripped the dagger lodged in her leg.

"Hnngh..."

The pain was excruciating, enough to bring tears to her eyes.

But she endured it—

And in one swift motion, she yanked the blade out.

Dark blood dripped from the wound as she threw the dagger far away.

Dark Emperor watched all of this with great amusement.

Even he had rarely seen such a sight.

Most warriors either broke mentally—

Or died before they had the chance.

"No, this is already over."

Dark Emperor smirked, shaking his head.

But Vera silently raised her sword toward him.

Her black eyes—

Once hollow like the void between stars—

Now gleamed with an unbreakable light.

As she gathered the last remnants of her Internal Energy , the radiance of Pale Star reflected in her gaze.

It was a desperate, unwavering resolve—

A refusal to let this be the end.

"You still think you can win?"

Dark Emperor sneered.

His overwhelming Killing Intent enveloped Vera like an endless abyss—

Yet she did not flinch.

Instead, she quietly assumed the stance of the Nine Heavens cherry Blossom Sword.

With her injured leg, she could not execute the technique flawlessly.

Yet, seeing her move, it was clear her tendons had not been severed.

If she could grit her teeth and endure the pain—

She could at least execute her techniques.

After all, she had never relied on raw strength.

She compensated for it with immense, overwhelming Internal Energy.

And she still had some left.

"Haaah!"

A battle cry she normally would never utter.

But in this moment, even a single breath was precious.

From the tip of her sword, deep crimson cherry blossoms began to bloom, staining the air.

"Ha. What sort of trick is this?"

Dark Emperor was ninety years old.

He had fought and killed more Mount Suncrest Sect disciples than he could count.

But never once had he seen such cherry blossoms.

But this place held something just as potent.

Dark Emperor's Killing Intent.

"Hoo..."

Normally, Killing Intent was not a tangible force like Internal Energy.

It was an atmosphere, a pressure.

Yet the monstrous Celestial Blade Star reacted strongly to it.

It did not float through the air like the lingering resentment of the dead.

Thus, it could not be absorbed or devoured by the Black dragon to replenish her energy.

But—

This situation—where every moment was a brush with death—

Was the perfect catalyst to awaken every dormant talent within the Celestial Blade Star.

Her pitch-black hair swayed like a dragon's mane, like a dragon's tail.

"Can you not answer me?!"

Dark Emperor roared, his patience wearing thin.

There was a limit to how much insolence he could endure.

Vera had provided him with absolutely no information—

And that was irritating him beyond measure.

"...It won't matter if I die here anyway."

At last, Vera spoke in a quiet voice.

She was not revealing anything.

"So what is there to hide?"

"No way..."

For the first time—

Vera's presence overpowered Dark Emperor's.

A suffocating explosion of Internal Energy erupted from her.

And in that instant, Dark Emperor understood.

The reason for her unnatural power.

"...You're using Innate True energy?"

Most martial artists, even at the moment of death, never used Innate True energy.

First, because the pain of expending it was unimaginable.

Second, because its depletion guaranteed either crippling injury or death.

"I would rather die by my own hands than have you take my heart."

Thus, this was her last resort.

Assassins were the ones who used Innate True energy the most.

If escape was impossible—

They would ensure their target died with them.

Vera gripped her sword with both hands.

The Falling Blossom Sword had an unnecessarily long hilt.

An unnecessarily long blade.

But with both hands—

It became perfectly balanced.

She assumed the stance of cherry Blossom Descent Manual .

Dark Emperor, in ninety years, had never seen such a stance before.

"...What bizarre martial art is this?"

But that was not all.

Innate True energy was the purest essence of life force.

The very source of vitality within one's being.

It was so pure and powerful—

That for a brief moment, it shattered a martial artist's bottleneck, allowing them to experience the next realm.

From Vera's sword—

True Sword Energy ignited.

A fully solidified, sharply defined Sword Energy.

For a fleeting moment—

Vera had exchanged her life to borrow power equal to Dark Emperor himself.

This was only possible—

Because she was the Celestial Blade Star.

Because this space was drenched in Killing Intent.

"If I die, I will take your leg with me."

Vera murmured coldly.

And for the first time in his life—

Dark Emperor felt a chill run down his spine.

The look in her eyes—

It was the gaze of a true killer.